Make the most of every character to increase your click-through rate and attract likely buyers in pay-per-click
In the offline world, advertisements can take their time getting to their selling message, using the extended space and time that a magazine ad or TV spot provide to make us laugh or think or reminisce. Every Super Bowl broadcast attests to this, albeit at an average cost of $75,000 a second.
With sponsored search listings, there's no room for fooling around. All you have to pitch that potential customer is a 40-character title and a 190-character description. While these limits are higher than some of our competitors', you still need to be very precise to effectively entice a lot of high-quality traffic.
Why are titles and descriptions so important? Several reasons. First, they serve as your company's introduction to potential customers. Second, these few words will indicate the quality of your site, and help users decide if it's worth it to click on your link and pay a visit. And last and most important, relevant titles and descriptions will increase the likelihood of meeting user need, which will lead to a higher conversion rate.
The Basics
Knowing what works in an offline ad can involve a lot of guesswork, unless you have lots of free cash to spend on focus groups and consultants. Does Britney Spears' appearance in TV spots help sell more Pepsi? Maybe, but we may never know for sure.
To increase your listings click-through rate and consequently increase the number of qualified prospects to your site, keep these tips in mind as you develop your titles and descriptions:
Quick Tips
- Describe what the user will find at your site.
The listing should make it clear what users will get when they click through to your site; for example, that they will be able to buy products or read reviews.
- Connect the title and description with the search term and the content on your site.
The title and description should focus on the specific content on your site that relates to the search term. For example, if the search term is "Elvis portraits" and your site sells portraits of Mr. Presley, the title and description should explain that your site sells Elvis portraits and give any relevant details to help advertise them.
- Write titles and descriptions that are concise and factual.
Our top advertisers tell us that the most effective listings are the ones with clear, concise and correct information. For best results, keep your listing short and to the point, and avoid hype and exaggeration.
Through discussions with our most successful advertisers, we've gathered a number of best practices for creating titles and descriptions that can provide a real shot in the arm to your results. Here are
The foundational strategies for writing titles and descriptions
Quality Control
But focusing merely on your quantity of click-throughs when modifying your listing creative is a trap, says search engine expert Catherine Seda. "Search engine users see a lot of Web site listings on the results page. The trick is, how can you entice the 'right' consumers to click on yours?"
Seda says the key is creating titles and descriptions that attract buyers, not browsers. "Appeal to your target market. Describe your ideal customers: Who are they, what do they do, and why do they need your company?"
Seda recently worked with BritishHomesGroup.com, which targets British homeowners who are purchasing, refinancing or renting Florida property. Upon opening its Yahoo Search Marketing account, the company doubled its lead volume virtually overnight, allowing the company to drop less efficient ad programs such as newspapers and magazines.
Here's a sample listing (Yahoo Search Marketing):
Title: British Florida Mortgage Broker
Description: British Home Loans Florida, Inc., specialises in providing unique, personalised mortgage services to anyone in the UK who owns, or wants to own, property in Florida. Register now to apply.
The above listing shows how to effectively reach the right target market of consumers, says Seda. British Homes Group correctly included regional keywords in this listing because the company only addresses property sales and rentals in Florida, and targets only U.K. residents.
British Homes Group advertises on Overture U.K. to reach its geographically-desirable audience, as well as using targeted ad copy to communicate with its potential clients.
National and international companies can also use sponsored search copy to "speak" to their ideal customers. "Consider how you can market your products or services differently to people based on their age, sex, marital status, jobs, company industries and hobbies," says Seda.
"What would you say? The better you can define your ideal customer, the easier it'll be to write titles and descriptions that address their concerns and needs. And that's what will bring them one click closer to your company."
Search engine expert Catherine Seda is author of the new book Search Engine Advertising, and editor of the free Search Engine Sales newsletter, available at SearchEngineSales.com.
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