Google sponsored links are an excellent way to gain brand exposure and attract qualified visitors to your website. What are Google's sponsored links and how do you get placement there?
These sponsored results differ from the organic Google results in that they're paid. However, don't make the assumption that organic results are free just because sponsored results are paid. Both organic and sponsored results require effort to maintain and neither are forms of .
To have their ad appear in Google sponsored links, companies can enter an auction to show their ad if it's relevant to a user's search query. This is called pay-per-click marketing, because the advertisers pay Google for clicks on their ads.
How do you "win" this auction so your ad appears in a desirable position for the query you're bidding on in AdWords? It's all about your Quality Score. The higher your Quality Score, the better your ad positioning. The following factors (among others) affect your Quality Score:
- The relevance of your ad to the search query
- The relevance of the keyword to your ad group
- The relevance of your ad to its landing page
- The historical PPC click-through rate (CTR) of the ad and its ad group
- Overall historical account performance
This probably seems like a lot to keep track of, but placing your ad in the sponsored links on Google doesn't have to be overwhelming. The WordStream's PPC management system is a unique tool—built specifically for search marketers—that simplifies and improves your PPC marketing processes so you can maintain high Quality Scores and collect search-driven profits with sponsored links.
Keyword Grouping: The Key to Google Sponsored Link Placement
Probably the single most important, and yet overlooked, thing you can do to ensure placement in Google's sponsored links is keyword grouping. Grouping your keywords makes your keyword research far more valuable and actionable. The idea is to segment your keywords into small, manageable groups and subgroups by relevance, forming a logical hierarchy.
- More relevant ads: You'll find it simple and natural to write relevant and eye-catching ads around ad groups with tight semantic relevance. For example, it's much easier to speak directly to users searching for "cheap bird houses" than general "bird supplies."
- More relevant landing pages: Likewise, you'll be able to create specific, compelling landing pages around these tight keyword groups, giving searchers a destination to land on and an opportunity to convert.
- Compounding PPC benefits: More relevant ads and landing pages will raise your click-through rates, improving Quality Score and leading to more traffic and conversions all at a lower cost per click.
Better sponsored link results for less money: It sounds too good to be true, but WordStream's PPC tools can help make it a reality. WordStream helps you structure your Google PPC campaign according to best practices that optimize your Quality Score, so your ads get more exposure in the sponsored links. The software is also tightly integrated with Google AdWords, making it fast and easy to improve your results every day.
In WordStream, you can organize hundreds or thousands of keywords in seconds, with smart suggestions for ad groups that could be great traffic- and profit-drivers for your business.
When you like what you see, create the group with one click. Now you can take immediate action—map the group to content on your website, and convert it into an ad group. Then toggle over to the PPC campaigns tab in WordStream so you can set your first-page bid and write the text ads that will soon be showing up in Google's sponsored links!
WordStream even helps you write the kind of that draw users in, raising your CTR and hence your Quality Score. Our text ad tools automatically populate the fields of your Google ad with the most popular and relevant keywords in your ad group, so you'll know you're focusing on the words and phrases that will appeal to the most potential customers. You can also preview and publish your ad right within WordStream.
Just adjust the language to craft a message that will grab the searcher's attention when it displays in Google's sponsored links. Also, be sure your ad directs the user to a landing page that's relevant to both the ad and the keyword you're bidding on. When search engine users are satisfied with their results, Google rewards you with a higher Quality Score.
Pay-per-click marketing with AdWords can be tricky, but it doesn't have to be a total pain. With PPC software to help you group keywords for ad groups and write Google-friendly ads, you can earn your spot in the sponsored links on Google with minimum time investment and maximum cost-efficiency. Surprisingly, WordStream makes mastering Google's paid results feel organic.
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