We chat with a lot of folks at KeywordMax. Some pretty interesting tips from smart search marketers have been revealed to us. We decided to share some of this wisdom.

Study the Search Query

 If your tracking tool is detailed enough to let you see the actual search query – you can learn a lot. If you see traffic patterns arriving from a similar set of keywords – then use those keywords to optimize your site in the organic listings.

Then be sure to track organic as well – you will double your volume on a single keyword by owning real estate in both the organic and the paid side.

Make sure your tracking tool will show you the actual search query.

Look at Your Average Sale Size

It is not enough to see your total sales, you need to see what was bought as well. Small ticket items mean really expensive cpa’s, while big ticket items mean lower cpa’s. You want to grow your average sale size.  Concentrate on the traffic that is generating larger dollar values in sales, focus your efforts there.  Make sure you are tracking what was purchased, not just how much was spent. You want a tracking tool that can track Sku’s and Product ID’s.

Watch Buyer Behaviors

See what people are buying or doing when they land on your site from certain keywords.   Use your tracking tool to see the length of the sales cycle.

Tweak your creative. Try different landing pages and track their conversions. Change your offers and value propositions and track them as well.

We have a client who sells a subscription service. They noticed that they get a lot of looky-lous from certain keywords (people who visit, but don’t buy). Instead of trying to hook them with a hard sell, they started offering something for free – a research report.  This enticed the buyer, and overtime built a relationship that eventually turned into long term business for them. You can track the registration for the free item, and then track the eventual cash purchase.

If you don’t have anything to give away for free – try sharing a tip or advice with the visitor.  If you sell athletic gear – do a did you know? E.g. Did you know that gel inserts can boost your running speed by 50%? (this isn’t a real stat).

Remember – sales is about building relationships.  Try it and track it.

Tip for Google Adwords

In Google, the best way to move up, is your creative – make it compelling, and offer something enticing.  Try bidding low, but offering something great – like free shipping, or a money back guarantee etc.   Mention your great offer in the creative – it will boost click thrus.

Tip for Selecting Keywords

Do pick some generic terms.  Everything you read encourages bidding on niche terms. Niche terms are great for boosting conversion rates – but what they lack is volume.  We recommend cherry picking some generic terms – testing and watching them closely. They tend to be more competitive and conversion rates are lower.  However, if bid on correctly, generic terms can yield the volume you need to grow. So don’t shy away from the generic terms – use them wisely.

By Lori Weiman
Direct Response Technologies, Inc.