1. Ad heading must closely match the search query

If the search phrase is “Nokia Cameras”, your ad should include the term “Nokia Camaras”.

2. Ad body that is compelling and has a very tempting call to action

Eg.
“Latest Range Of Cameras”
“30% Off Nokia Cameras”

3. Add keyword phrase to display URL

Instead of www.bestcamerashop.com.au as the display URL, use www.BestCameraShop.com.au/NokiaCameras

4. Landing page that closely matches the ad

There is no point getting a click (which you will pay for) if the user is not immidiately satisfied that your landing page has the goods.

• Make sure that your landing page is compelling and continues the conversation started in the ad.
• Use the same phrases used in your ad (ideally early in the copy and as a heading).
• Imagine you are a user that clicks on the ad. What do you expect to see on the landing page?
• For example if your ad reads;
  30% Off Nokia Cameras

Make sure the landing page contains exactly that – Nokia Specials.

• Don’t send them to your home page.
• Don’t send them to your cameras page (which might list your Pentax cameras first)
• Don’t even send them to your Nokia category page (which may list Nokia’s at full price)
• Send them to your Nikia Specials page (Preferably with a heading that reads “30% off Nokia Cameras”)

Of course it’s not always possible to be so specific on your landing page (especially if your ecommerce software does not offer that much control), nevertheless, that’s what will get you the most sales!

Use canonical tags on landing pages with duplicate content

If, you have landing pages that closely match your ad.
& If, you have many different ads.
Then, you will likely have many landing pages with mostly duplicate content.
So, to avoid peing penalised by Google for having too many pages with duplicate content, be sure to select your preffered page and use a canonical tag on all duplicate pages that point to the preferred page.

I was recently looking for a local car wash and naturally used Google to find one (who uses the yellow pages any more!)
One of the ads caught my attention.

In addition to the address, phone number, and a link to their website, A1 Car Wash also had a few photos of the business (the outdoor seating, comfortable lounge inside the shop, their beverages fridge, and a photo of their pricelist – very nice).

I could see all of this information without going to their website. But how?

A1 had added all this information to their “Google Places” account.

Google takes this information and stitches it into the Search Results Page. No need to click a link to open a website. It’s more accessible and more convenient. No need to open a dozen pages looking for prices and opening hours. The answer is right there.

Unlike the contents of their website, A1′s Google Places account asked specific questions about the business that Google cannot easily parse from their website. Information such as opening hours, payment methods accepted, photos of the shop, a short bio, etc.

Google places also supports reviews, and you can be sure that Google will use these reviews when ranking their results.

Google places is critical for mobile services. Google knows the approximate location of your website (from the IP information), but has no way of knowing the exact address. So if someone is looking for a local business from their mobile phone, Google has no way of knowing if your business is near the customer without Google places. No Google Places account, means your business will not show in the mobile search results. So chances are your competitor will get the business.

The best part of Google Places is that it’s a free service.

If you have a Google Adwords Ad campaign, make sure you ad a Goggle Paces 

Extension to the Ads. This will add an extra line ad the bottom of your ad showing the business address.

A paragraph or two describing the product, a product image, and a couple of links etc. does not impress Google, so your ad will rank poorly. This will drive up the cost of advertising, and simultaneously lower your position in the results (of course the click-through-rate are also critical).

All this makes sense. Google wants to link to high value sites, because that’s also what their users want.

A great website will naturally have a lot of good quality information – not just a product description.

Great website content include:

• A Blog related to the products or service on offer
• How-to pages
• Best Buy Guides
• Customer Reviews / Testimonials
• FAQ Pages
• A Glossary of Terms
• Discounts / Specials
• & Always; Original & relevant content
• Images / Videos
• Lists / Tables
• Links to other relevant information

The other very important pages to have on your ecommerce website are:

• About Us
• Contact Us
• Terms & Conditions
• Privacy Policy
• Sitemap