An oversight that many pay-per-click (PPC) marketers make is forgetting to incorporate questions into their campaigns. Questions should be a vital part of any PPC campaign, as they help end users find the information they want and allow you to present your products and services to them at a time when they are looking for solutions.
For example, if you’re selling nail trimmers for pets or offering a service selling stocks, including questions such as “how do I trim my cat’s nails?” or “where can I learn to trade stock successfully?” in your keyword list allows you to place your products and services in front of future customers when they are actively seeking information on proper and standard procedures. By providing the user with instructions on your landing page about selling stocks or safely cutting a pet’s nails, you can up-sell your products or services while at the same time providing consumers with the information they need.
To further enhance results from this advanced search technique, you also may want to include a video demonstration of the product or service on your landing page. The video serves the dual purpose of pitching the product and educating the viewer.
You need to be careful, though. A common mistake many marketers make when creating landing pages is focusing too heavily on the product and not on providing the consumer with the best possible experience, which in this case is the content. It is important to keep in mind that the end user experience is always the first priority; showing why your product or service is a tool to help them succeed at their task is the second.
It is also important to be cautious with your negative keyword list. It must be strong enough to prevent bad questions that will not drive sales. At the same time, it should not prevent your site from showing up in response to questions that may convert into sales.
For example, if you’re selling witch costumes, a negative keyword could be “how.” You do not want someone finding you as a result of the question “how do I make a witch costume?” because you’re selling the finished product. However, if you’re selling costume patterns, this is a good question to have in your list because the pattern is part of the costume creation process.
The main take-away is that questions can play a key role in the success of your PPC efforts. However, you must be smart about it. Don’t over-pitch your offerings – which can lead to a loss of revenues – and don’t under-estimate the power of the goodwill you generate when you provide consumers with information they need, when they need it.
Adam Riemer is senior director of marketing, media and affiliate for Livemercial. He can be reached at [email protected].
