by Francis Jock

Created on: February 14, 2009   Last Updated: May 07, 2009

The most familiar aspect of Google Ads is their appearance at the top and right sidebar of a search results pages. These are online ads paid for by an advertiser as part of a campaign to drive traffic to their website. These online ads, referred to as Adwords ads, contain four lines of information that are carefully crafted in order to persuade the page viewer to select and click on their ad before selecting any of the ten web page listings shown on the remainder of the page.

Traffic, Location and Pay-Per-Click

While Adwords ads are normally used only to attract clicks, thereby generating traffic and hopefully sales, they can also be used to generate sales leads as a direct or indirect result of the transaction. In this instance, the transaction refers to the act of clicking on the Adwords ad that provides the best match between the viewer's needs and expectations. It follows that the location of the online ad on the search result page is an important consideration. As it turns out, an Google ad's location depends upon the amount of money the advertiser is willing to spend for a particular keyword, or keywords, which is referred to as Pay-Per-Click.

Key Components of an Online Ad

An online ad campaign is centered on building an appealing Adwords ad. The most productive Adwords ads are crafted around five important factors, explained below.

Ad Headline

The first line of an Adwords ad is the headline, and should include the primary keyword or phrase associated with the product being searched for.

Product Benefit

This is the second line, made up of a few words that describe the benefit or opportunity offered the viewer by clicking and going to this particular website.

Product Features

This line briefly describes the distinguishing features that make the associated product more desirable to the viewer than any other.

URL Display

The fourth visible line displays the URL of the ads sponsor. A value judgment about the creditability of the ad's sponsor can be made by evaluating the URL.

Keywords and Keyword Phrases

While keywords and keyword phrases are not obvious in the Google ad, they will be present if the online ad is constructed properly. Each of the four elements mentioned above, the ad headline, the benefit line, and the product features line and the URL display line will contain at least one keyword or keyword phrase. The attention paid to blending keywords and keyword phrases into these elements pays off as web searchers are attracted to them and select the most effective Adwords ad.

Generating Leads

Leads are generated after searching for a particular product, information or service and selecting the most convincing Adwords ad and clicking on it. After being taken to the sponsor's website, information is gathered by enticing them to join or sign up for an e-mail or newsletter. They may also be offered the opportunity to join a discussion forum or some other form of social networking.

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