Searchers never see your keywords, match types or bids. They do see their own search query and your text ad. Your text ad is the first opportunity you have to attract a potential customers.
Not surprisingly, your ability to write effective text ads plays a dramatic role in determining how many people you can reach and whether they’re the right type of customers. Yet, even the most seasoned marketers would fail at guessing which of their ads will be successful. That’s why PPC ad testing is fundamentally linked to profitable campaigns.
We’re big fans of testing and data based decisions, which is why we released Text Ad Zoom. Instead of relying on instinct and guesswork, Text Ad Zoom lets you pick the best performing ads based on statistically significant data.
To celebrate the release of Text Ad Zoom, I’ve scoured the web to create the Ultimate List of PPC Ad Testing Resources. It’s one stop for advice test design, measurement and a healthy dose of copywriting ideas, so you have something to test.
While I tried to be as exhaustive as possible, I’m sure that I’ve missed some great resources. Please add your favorite articles, videos and white papers/ebooks in the comments section and I’ll add them to the list.
Finally, if you’d like to see Text Ad Zoom in action, and all of the other great ClickEquations features, request a demo or email sales@clickequations.com
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PPC Ad Testing & Measurement
There is an art and science to PPC ad testing. These posts cover the ins and outs of campaign settings, test design, ideas for testing and how to analyze the results.
- Basics
- Want to Double Conversions in One Month? Split Those Ad Groups by David Szetela
- Measuring a Text Ad’s Effectiveness by David Szetela
- Paid Search Ad Testing: Manage To ROI Or CTR? by Andrew Goodman
- PPC Testing Part 1: The Ground Rules by Josh Dreller
- Never Odd Or Even: PPC Ad Text Testing Made Easy by Jessica Niver
- Simple PPC Ad Tests Can Drive Up Your Click-Throughs and Conversions by Andrew Rudnick
- How To Write and Effectively Test Your PPC Ad Texts by Greg Meyers
- How to Execute a Flawless Ad Copy Test in AdWords by Ryan Woolley
- An Easy-To Follow Method For Ad Optimization & Testing by Crosby Grant
- Advanced
- Secret Truth Series #18: Effective Text Ad Testing by Craig Danuloff
- The Pitfalls Of A/B Ad Split Testing, Part 1 by Matt Van Wagner
- The Pitfalls Of A/B Ad Split Testing, Part 2 by Matt Van Wagner
- The Pitfalls Of A/B Ad Split Testing, Part 3 by Matt Van Wagner
- Step-by-Step Instructions For Testing Low Volume Ad Copy by Brad Geddes
- Statistical Significance: Not Just for Geeks Anymore by Brad Libby
- Visualizing your Ad Test Results to Boost Confidence by Chad Summerhill
- Best Practices and Text Ad Testing by Craig Danuloff
- Testing Ideas
- 5 Ideas for A/B Testing Your PPC Ad Text by Amber Speer
- Ad Text Optimization -- What To Test (And When)? by Dave Greenbaum
- Ad Text Display URL – What to Test by Dave Greenbaum
- AdWords Settings and Features
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PPC Ad Copywriting
Effective PPC ad copywriting distills every direct marketing principle into a few lines and a far too few characters. These posts were a bit harder to organize. I pulled all of the articles specifically focused on copywriting for beginners into one group. Lists of tips and mistakes to avoid were a popular set of headlines, though they’re not particularly different from the overview & advanced group, though easier to scan. If you’re looking for PPC ad inspiration, there’s not shortage in this list.
- Basics
- Paid Search Ad Copy: Five Things Newbies Don’t Know by Andrew Goodman
- A Beginners Checklist for Writing Benefit-Focused Ad Texts by Pete Hall
- PPC 101 Writing Successful Creatives by Frank Watson
- Tips & Mistakes to Avoid
- The 4 Keys to Writing a Paid Search Masterpiece by Jeremy Hull
- 9 Mistakes When Creating Ad Text by Amber Speer
- 9 Tips to Write Effective Google AdWords Copy by Saad Kamal
- 7 Ways to Be Sure You’re Writing the Best Ads Possible by Amber Speer
- You Will Never Write the Perfect Ad Text, but Here Are 2 Ways To Keep Getting Closer by Joseph Kerschbaum
- The 6 Next Steps After Your AdWords Content Optimization by Joseph Kerschbaum
- Paid Search Ad Copywriting: 7 Heavenly Virtues by Andrew Goodman
- 8 Essentials For Crafting Killer Paid Search Ad Copy by Alan Rimm-Kaufman
- Overview & Advanced
- Secret Truth Series #17: Lament Of The Text Ad Copywriter by Craig Danuloff
- Effective PPC Ad Copy, Part 1 by Ron Jones
- Effective PPC Ad Copy, Part 2 by Ron Jones
- Paid Search Ad Copy: Kicking It Up A Notch by Robert J. Murray
- Two Advanced Tactics for PPC Copywriting by Josh Dreller
- The Right Brain Of Paid Search Ads: Tips & Tricks For Creative Ad Copywriting by Josh Dreller
- Tailor Your Ad Copy to Buy Cycle Stages by Mona Eleseseily
- Killer PPC Ads: The Final Word by David Szetela
- PPC Advertising: Art or Science? by David Szetela
- The Secret Formula for Writing Mesmerizing Headlines by Sherice Jacob
- How to Train PPC Copywriters: Five Pay-Per Click Copywriting Best Practices by Dave Greenbaum
- Creating Killer Ads Using Bing Dynamic Text by Jen Barrett
- Why and How You Should Rethink Ad Writing and Bidding Strategies by Bryon Watson
- Writing Ads: Bust out of a Rut by Perry Marshall
- How Can I Make it Better? Part 5: Improving Ad Text by Rob Boyd
- Kick Your Quality Scores Back Into Gear with a Few Ad Text Changes by Amber Speer
- Using Ad Text to Find the Right Clicks by Andrew Rudnick
- Stop Spending Thousands of Dollars on Unqualified Traffic by Writing Smarter Ad Texts by Amber Speer
- Write PPC Ads that Scream and Stand Out From the Pack by Joseph Kerschbaum
- How to Write Ad Texts that Promise and Landing Pages that Deliver by John Lee
- Catch the BEST Leads, Not the MOST Leads by Using Qualifiers in Your Ad Text by Amber Speer
- The Benefits of Using Benefit-Driven Ad Texts: What’s in Your Tackle Box? by Joseph Kerschbaum
- Catch More Clicks and Conversions with Better Ad Text: Use the Right Lures! by Joseph Kerschbaum
- Ad Text Evolution: 5 Changes to Your AdWords Ads & How They Affect Your Bottom Line by David Greenbaum
- Ad Text Tips and Tricks for the Content Network by Erin Sellnow
- What Your Text Ads Say About You by Erin Sellnow
Videos, Webinars & Slide Presentations
If your brain is numb from reading about PPC ad testing and copywriting, check out these videos and presentations instead.
- Write Killer PPC Text Ads
- PPC Text Ad Statistical Analysis
- PPC Ad Text Best Practices from PPC Hero
- How You Can Write Killer Ad Copy
- The Van Wagner Ad Sets Optimization Model
- Test That Ad (Panel presentation at SMX)
- Writing & Testing Ad Copy -- Connecting With Your Customers From The Very Start
- Require Registration
- Paid Search Testing & Experimentation: Optimizing for Superior Results
- Writing Killer Text Ad Copy: 1001 Secrets for Success
- Beyond the Text: Getting the Most from Your PPC Ads
- Breakthrough in PPC Ad Testing and Optimization: Using Ad Sets to Improve Even Your Best PPC Ad Campaign
- PPC Testing & Optimization 2010: Best Practices
Related posts:
- Secret Truth Series #18: Effective Text Ad Testing Text ads are trying to answer questions....
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- Video: Improving Text-Ad Results Last week at SMX in San Jose...
- Secret Truth Series #17: Lament Of The Text Ad Copywriter Keywords and bids are over-rated, while search...
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