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Google slap is a term that is commonly used to describe a penalty that is imposed on Google Adwords campaigns where the ads point to landing pages are not relevant to the ads at all. If Google suspects that your landing page is not relevant enough, a low quality score will be given, and your minimum bid amount will raise for some or all of the keywords you’re using.

Many squeeze pages were hit with the Google slap because the content was full of sales hype rather than being useful and informative. Pages that took a while to load were also hit with the Google slap.

If you’re looking to start an Adwords campaign, take some time to go through these guidelines so that you can avoid the Google slap. You want to pay as low of a bid as possible per keyword, so it would be in your best interest to follow these guidelines.

There are four key elements that you’ll want to implement, and be sure that they are in thematic agreement with each other and specifically targeted. The four elements are: the keyword phrase you are bidding on, the landing page, the ad copy and the search queries people use to trigger your Adwords ad.

1. Keywords. Keywords consist of a group of words or a phrase that you want to target. They are usually relevant to the product you’re promoting, and you want to make sure a lot of people use the keyword phrase when searching to buy your product.

To find the most relevant and best performing keywords for your ad campaign, start with what it is you are trying to sell and what people are searching for to find it. There are several free and subscription-based keyword research services to help you build up your keyword list. These services will help you keep adding potential keyword phrases until you have a list of about 100 different phrases to use.

When you have a nice list of keyword phrases to work with, go through and find a few keywords that have good click-through-rates (CTR) that will attract a decent amount of traffic. Make sure that they’re not too competitive, though. This is important if you’re on a tight budget because you don’t want to spend any more per click as you have to. The more competitive a keyword phrase is, the more you’re going to pay.

Check whether or not keywords are likely to deliver sales by checking their “commercial intention” at:

http://adlab.microsoft.com/Online-Commercial-Intention/

2. Landing page. You’ll want to make a landing page for each keyword phrase that you use. It’s important to place the phrase between the Title tags and the Heading tags as well as in the main body of the page.

Use unique content to fill the page and use an editorial style rather than hyped up sales language. The content should be based around the topic of the keyword phrase.

Link to the landing page from other pages on your website, but be sure to use the keyword phrase as the anchor text for your inbound links.

3. PPC ad copy. You must include the exact keyword phrase you’re using in your ad copy.

4. Search query. After your Google Adwords campaign has ran for a while you can research the actual search queries that triggered your Adwords ad and see the CTR by selecting the keywords you want to look at and clicking on “See search terms.”

If a search query is highly relevant you can add it to your list of keywords for the campaign and make a new landing page specifically for that keyword phrase.

You can also check your search queries for negative keywords as well. These are irrelevant searches that trigger your Adwords ad and are very unlikely to produce any sales. You’ll want to eliminate any unsuitable search queries from your campaign by using the “Edit Campaign Negative Keywords Tool.”

If you follow all four of these steps you will build highly relevant Adwords PPC campaigns that will most likely avoid the Google slap and keep your cost-per-click (CPC) as low as possible while improving your CTR.

Keywords: Google slap

Summary: this article looks at four steps that you need to implement to avoid the Google slap, keep your cost per click within reasonable limits and improve your click through and conversion rates.

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How To Add & Check Google Analytics Code

Objective: To use Google Analytics to help track your website and traffic stats.

This is assuming you already have a Google Analytics account set up. If you don’t, you can sign up from this page: http://www.google.com/analytics/

• STEP 1: Log into your account
  You will see your account dashboard as shown below.

• STEP 2:  Create Profile
  • Click Add Website Profile as circled above
  • Fill in website details
    • Select whether you want to add a new domain or a profile to an existing domain (sub-domains, certain pages, etc)
    • Enter the URL of the site you wish to start tracking
    • Select your country or territory
    • Select your time zone
  • Click Continue

  

  You will be taken to a page and given a GATC (Google Analytics Tracking Code) as shown below.

  

  • STEP 3:  Copy & Paste
    • Copy all the code in the Legacy Tracking Code box.
    • Log into the website you just created this code for
    • Place the code directly before the </body> tag of EACH page you wish to track.
    • Save your page & log out of your website
  • STEP 4:  Check Stats

  Once the code has been on your site a while, you can go in and check the stats. How busy the site traffic is, will determine how many stats you have. For our example, we just added the code recently therefore we don’t have many stats.  To check stats:

  • Log into your account at http://www.google.com/analytics/.
  • The Dashboard will give you different stats to view:
    • Visitors – Page Views – Page Visits – Bounce Rate – Average time on site – Percentage of new visitors – Location of visitors – Individual page visits and Traffic sources.
  • Simply click any of the blue hyperlinks to view stats

  

  For example:

  To view total visits per day, simply click Visits listed under Site Usage and you will see these stats.

  

  Or clicking View Report listed under the Traffic Sources Overview will give you stats on referring sites, direct traffic, search engines and show you keywords used in the search:

  

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In my last article I talked about finding keywords with high commercial intention and not just keywords with a high click-through rate (CTR). The best of both worlds would be a combination of a high CTR and a high commercial intention.

After finding a keyword with a good CTR and high level of commercial intention, the next thing you want to do is write a compelling PPC ad. After you write an ad, you want to try to improve it by running a split test on your ad copy. Only test one aspect of the ad at a time. For example, split test your headline of each ad and then run a split test on the offer or main body of each ad, doing both split tests separate from each other.

Here are some tips to writing a good PPC ad.

Always bold your keyword phrase. Use your headline to offer a solution or ask a question that will grab the attention of the reader. Ad an appealing promise that offers a solution to a problem that the searcher is looking for based on the keywords they’re using. Lastly, use a call-to-action phrase that compels the reader to act as this will increase your CTR.

How can you be sure that the split test has reached a meaningful result?

You’ll want to monitor your PPC campaign every day to see how it’s doing because you want results as quickly as possible. However, it’s hard to know which ad is the leader as both ads are likely to build up impressions and clicks at different times.

This is where having a tool that will allow you to see which ad is pulling in better results can be very beneficial. A nice free tool at Splittester.com comes in handy for this. Just enter your CTR stats for your ads in the fields provided and hit the “calculate” button. SplitTester.com will tell you which ad will be the winner over the long term. What’s great about Splittester.com is that it can give you pretty reliable results after each ad has racked up just a few clicks. You should be able to save several days of waiting for a convincing result.

Let’s say your winning ad is 20% or more ahead of the loser, and Splittester.com gives you an 80% or higher probability that it is the overall winner, you can be pretty sure that it will continue to produce better results. Make your winning ad your control ad and run another split test by writing a new ad to test against the control. This process is completed until you have what’s called a super ad.

The great thing about doing this is that you can get precise results and gradually achieve a better and better CTR for your ad campaign.

Now, if you’re keyword phrase is precisely targeted, and has a high commercial intention plus a high click through rate, and if your landing page rocks, you are in a very good position to start making a lot of money with PPC advertising. Of course, you need to think about how to improve the selling power of your landing page and I will discuss that in my next article on pay per click advertising.

Keywords: pay per click advertising, split-test, split-test tool

Summary: This article looks at how you can improve the results of your pay per click advertising by running a split-test, and how you can be sure that your split test has produced a clear winner.

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As a coach, you know how important it is to stay on top of your game. Doing so is a two part process. The first part is keeping yourself up-to-date with the latest educational tools for coaches. The other part is promoting your business.

As the Coaching industry continues to grow and competition increases, you will need better ways to promote yourself and your business.

This article lists the most complete and current internet directories for Coaches along with summary information on joining for private individuals and companies.

With the coaching directories listed below you will be able to list your Coaching Practice, build your business, share your expertise and watch your practice grow. The directories for Coaches allow you to give a brief description about your practice, membership details, pricing options and a direct link to your website.

We want to share with you 26 different directories where you can gain exposure as well as locate other individuals that you can network with. These are in no particular order and each is worth taking a look at. Let’s begin.

1. The first place we will look into is Find a Coach http://www.findacoach.com. This is a robust, searchable system that offers coaches a reliable means to establishing a stronger web presence and clients the ability to find a coach that meets their coaching needs in a fast and effective way. They offer several different packages to accommodate everyone starting from $40 per annum. (PLEASE NOTE: You must be a student or graduate of Coachinc.com in order to join the directory)
   
   
2. Our next directory is ‘Life Coaches with the Coach Connection’ -http://www.findyourcoach.com. If you are interested in exchanging links then this is the site for you. You simply send your link information (Site Name, Site Description, and Linking URL) with “Link Exchange” in the subject line to coaches@findyourcoach.com. Your site will be taken into consideration for The Coach Connection’s Online Resource Directory.
   
3. If you are looking to gain prospective clients then try LifeCoach.com -http://www.lifecoach.com. Here you can list yourself with various search engines so you’re your potential clients can find you easily. Once you are enrolled in an ICF accredited coach training program, then you may list yourself as a “coach in training” on the Lifecoach.com International Directory of Coaches. This will help you gain exposure by new clients and you can offer coaching for free or a deeply discounted rate in order to get practice, which is often what you need when you’re starting out.
4. Many clients obtain their coaches name and contact information from the Life Coach Guide- http://www.lifecoachguide.com. This directory lists life coaches, career coaches, business coaches and personal coaches on the web.  This directory allows your potential clients to search the database of coaches (with photos and specific information about each coach). This way they can select the best fit for their personal coaching requirements. Every coach listed in the directory is reviewed, critiqued and hand selected. This helps ensure that all coaches are competent and committed to practicing with integrity.
5. Find a Life Coach is one of the biggest independent coaching directories online. Find a Life Coach- http://www.findalifecoach.co.uk/ directory includes a wide variety of coaches with various different approaches, styles and skills. They are not owned by any individual life coach training school or company. Coaches from all over the UK, plus Europe and the USA are included. A life-time listing in the Life Coaching directory will cost you just £20.00 Hereis the form to signup: http://www.findalifecoach.co.uk/information.htm
   
6. If you want a directory that will highlight your individual coaching gifts and skills, as well as give potential clients an opportunity to go directly to your individual website to learn more about you, then this is the directory for you. At Be a Life Coach – http://www.bealifecoach.com/coachdirectory.php in many cases potential clients can also click on a sound button and hear from you first hand how you can best serve them.
7. If you are a passionate life or business coach then you need to “connect” with People Coaching People – http://www.peoplecoachingpeople.com. People Coaching aims to inform and educate people in the value of professional and to serve as an all inclusive international directory of quality life and business coaches and accredited coach training institutions. For as little as NZ$10 per month you can join their coaching directory and have your own web page. Register today by going to http://www.peoplecoachingpeople.com/index.php?file=c-registration&type=Coach&mode=Add
   
8. Coaches and Mentors- http://www.coachesandmentors.com is for coaches who are certified through CTA’s Certified Coach Program.
9. If you are a business coach then sign up at ActionCOACH. This is an international directory. ActionCOACH business coaching services use universal business and proven principles to help you increase your bottom line and corporate satisfaction. Learn more by visiting them at http://www.actioncoach.com/coachfinder.php.
10. Certified Fearless Living Coaches (CFLC) are trained in the Principles of Fearless Living and are able to support you in discovering your personal Wheel of Fear and Wheel of Freedom. Coaches trained in this system can be listed in this directory: http://fearlessliving.org/support_system/coach_directory
    
11. Next on our list is the well known, International Coach Federation – http://www.coachfederation.org/. The International Coach Federation (ICF) is the largest worldwide resource for professional coaches and a good source for those who are seeking a coach. They are a non-profit organization formed by individual members-professionals who practice coaching, including Executive Coaches, Leadership Coaches, Life Coaches and many more, from around the world.Formed in 1995, today the ICF is the leading global organization dedicated to advancing the coaching profession by setting high professional standards, providing independent certification, and building a network of credentialed coaches. They exist to support and advance the coaching profession through programs and standards supported by their members and to be an authoritative source on coaching information and research for the public. The following is information on their membership plans:
    Annual Membership: $195 (USD
    Fill out their online membership application by going to: http://www.coachfederation.org/join-icf/online-membership-application/.
12. At LocateACoach.com-http://www.locateacoach.com/ you can list your coaching practice for free; find life coach, spiritual life coach, executive life coach, business coach, Christian life coach, career coach http://www.locateacoach.com/members/options.cfm
    
13. At Results Coaching Systems-http://www.resultslifecoaching.com.au/findtest/index.php Results Coaches are extensively trained to deliver personal, business and executive coaching with people from all walks of life. Results coaches are successful people in their own right with a real commitment to helping others realize their potential.  They have all undergone extensive coach specific training and passed a challenging internal certification program before being placed on this site. To become part of this exciting directory visit their website at http://www.resultslifecoaching.com.au/becomenew/
    
14. The International Association of Coaching- http://www.certifiedcoach.org/find.lasso is a global association for coaches. IAC provides an independent credentialing and certifying service for people who use coaching in their business and is recognized worldwide. Annual Membership Fee: $129.00 http://www.certifiedcoach.org/join.lasso
    
15. The Life Coach Directory-http://www.lifecoach-directory.org.uk/ is a directory that contains a comprehensive database of UK life coaches, with information on their training and experience, areas of life coaching covered, fees and contact details. Use this link to register today https://secure.lifecoach-directory.org.uk/register.php.
16. Next on our list it the Life-Coach-Directory – http://www.life-coach-directory.com/. Like is sister directory above, this site is full of benefits. Simply fill their membership form and include a link back to your site. They’ll review your submission as soon as possible. If your site is approved, your link will appear in the category you’ve chosen. It’s that simple.
17. Another site is Find a Coach Online – http://www.findacoachonline.com/index.html. You can list yourself here for easy access to potential clients waiting to find you
18. The Worldwide Association of Business Coaches – http://www.wabccoaches.com also known as (WABC) is a professional Association dedicated exclusively to business coaching, serving both business coaches and business clients.  Join today using the following link http://www.wabccoaches.com/joinus/
    
    
19. Life Coaching Solutions- http://www.coaching-life.co.uk/ukdriectory/directuk.htm is a directory of UK life coaches as well as coaching and mentoring service providers. Sign up using the following link http://www.coaching-life.co.uk/pages/contact.htm
    
20. Listed as the UK’s quality directory of UK business coaches, Freeindex.co.uk – http://www.freeindex.co.uk/categories/Business_Management/Management_Consulting/Business_Coaching/ is a great search function that lists coaches in your area. The businesses listed at the top have received better reviews for their services than others. It’s completely free to register your business. You can promote your company more effectively by adding a detailed description of your business, images, and a link to your website and customer reviews.
21. At iPECcoaches.com – http://www.ipeccoaches.com/ potential clients can find a coach in their National Directory of Coaches. This includes life coaching, business coaching, career coaching, personal coaching, executive coaching, corporate coaching, leadership coaching, management coaching and job coaching, Help potential clients reach their goals at work and in life by listing your services in this directory.
22. At Business.com -http://www.business.com/directory/human_resources/leadership_and_teams/coaching/ they list business coaches offering leadership help, mentoring and performance coaching for businesses of all types. This includes vendors that offer small business coaching, as well as executive coaches.
23. A global directory that lists Life Coaches and their services can be found at 24-7coaching.com – http://www.247coaching.com/directory/defaultcoach.asp. They also list valuable information on life coaching itself. Potential clients can find a life coach or personal coach. You can also find lots of information on life coaching in general.
24. There is a directory called BusinessCoach.com – http://www.businesscoach.com. BusinessCoach.com is a world leader in Business Coaching. They state that they list expert Business Coaches with over 20 Years of Business Coaching Experience. So your potential clients can trust their Business Coaches who are located in International locations around the world.
25. A great addition to our list is Click A Life Coach- http://www.clickalifecoach.com/directory/coachlist.aspx. They list Personal and Professional life coaching, offering face to face, phone and skype coaching. This includes coaches who specialize in the following topics: Relationship, Career, Health, Personal, Business and Executive Sport Coaching.
26. You can also list your services at TouchLocal - http://www.touchbath.com/business/search/typeId/3565/type/Life+Coaching. They are a local business directory.
27. Last but certainly not least it B2B Yellow Pages – http://www.b2byellowpages.com/directory/b2b_business/business-coach.shtml. They feature Business Coach Businesses and Business Coach Companies. Their directory contains a complete listing of companies specializing in Business Coaching.

As you can see, there are many directories where you can list your services. Each one has something different to offer the coaches using their services. You are sure to find a directory or two that will meet your needs. In the end, promoting your business and obtaining new clients is what you’re after. So review each of these sites and find the ones that work for you.

© 2009 Document prepared by Anton’s research assistant. Contact us if you have any suggestions for additions or alterations.

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When setting up a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign in hopes of selling a product or service, remember that your goal is to buy customers and not just traffic. Even though finding keywords with a high click-through rate (CTR) is important, there’s more to it when it comes to keyword research.

In this article we will cover what CTR is and how to find keywords that attract more sales.

Keywords with High CTR

CTR is determined by dividing the total number of ad clicks by the number of ad impressions. Each time your ad appears on a page, this represents one ad impression. Let’s say the ad was clicked on every time it was shown. This would have a CTR of 100%. I can tell you that this never happens, though.

A high CTR can tell you how relevant a keyword is in relation to a particular search, but choosing keywords with the highest CTR won’t guarantee a successful PPC campaign. You may just want to reject the keyword phrase with the highest CTR because not every keyword phrase will be effective in converting searches into sales.

If your goal is to sell something using PPC rather than just getting more visitors to your website, then you want to buy customers instead of just traffic. While a high CTR is an important factor, you also need to find keywords which come with commercial intention behind them. This means people searching to buy something, using specific keywords to do so.

Detecting Online Commercial Intention

Not everyone searching online is looking to buy, so you need find keywords that people use when they want to buy something.

Microsoft’s Adcenter labs created a free tool that allows you to enter your keywords and check how they rate for commercial intent. Check it out here:

http://adlab.msn.com/Online-Commercial-Intention/Default.aspx

Adlabs claim that this tool can detect a customer’s intention to either get information or actually buy something based on search and surfing history. A larger than 0.5 rating means that the online commercial intent is very strong.

This tool can be used to find less common keywords that still have high commercial intention behind them. Such keywords are cheaper than many with a higher CTR, but they may be more effective in converting to sales because the people using them are likely wanting to buy the product or service.

Of course, whether or not your PPC campaign works will also depend on how relevant and well you have optimized your landing page and sales funnel. But, choosing keywords with a high CTR and a high commercial intention will certainly put you on the right track for success with a pay per click campaign.

Keywords: pay per click campaign

Summary: A high click-through rate is not the only factor when choosing keywords for your pay per click campaign. Commercial intention is also an important consideration, as this article explains.

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