Take a look at the two ads below. Imagine you've got a job interview lined up. Maybe it's the first job interview you've had in years. You want to brush up on your skills -- maybe even get a "sneak peek" of the questions you'll be asked. So you start looking for job interview questions and answers. Which ad do you click on? PPC Ad #1PPC Ad #2 The ads are fairly unique.

The URLs are the same, but everything else is different. Which ad do you think generated more than twice as many clicks?Made your decision?The winning ad is ad number two. It was written by BoostCTR writer "WordWizard," and it increased CTR by 164%. Where the original ad was getting 1 click, the new ad is getting 2.6 clicks, more than DOUBLE the original ad's performance.So why did the new ad win? And why did it wi... > Read more

Take a look at the two ads below. Imagine your once-fast PC has become painfully slow. You keep getting warnings that say your virtual memory is low. So you go to Google and type in "increase virtual memory." Which ad do you click on? PPC Ad #1PPC Ad #2 Notice that the ads have much in common.

The only differences are in the title text and the first line of body copy. Yet one of these ads outperformed the other by a large margin. Which ad do you think generated more than twice as many clicks?Made your decision?The winning ad is ad number two. It was written by BoostCTR writer "wordisborn," and it increased CTR by 150%. Where the original ad was getting 1 click, the new ad is getting 2.5 clicks, more than DOUBLE the original ad's performance.So why did the new ad win? And why did ... > Read more

 Take a look at the two ads below. Imagine you are a business owner who is looking for signs that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). You know you've got to buy ADA signs to comply with the law. You're not deciding whether or not to get these signs – only who to buy them from.

With that in mind, which ad would you click on? Which one would be more likely to earn your business? PPC Ad #1PPC Ad #2 This is not an easy contest to call. The ad that lost was the control ad for months. It beat quite a few challenger ads. Even though it lost badly in this contest, it's a REALLY good ad.Surprisingly, there is no difference in the title or URL. The only differences are in the body copy of the ad. It's unusual to see such a large difference in CTR between ads that h... > Read more

With Halloween right around the corner, I thought it would be fun to feature a Halloween contest for the Win of the Week.With that in mind, which ad would you click on if you were looking to get some Halloween cookies for a party ... or as a substitute for trick-or-treat candy? PPC Ad #1PPC Ad #2 There is no difference in the title text or in the URL.

The only differences are in the body of the ad. Made your decision?The winning ad is ad number two. It was written by "wordisborn," and it increased CTR by 66%. Where the original ad was getting 1 click, the new ad is getting 1.66 clicks.Why did the new ad win? Let's take a look...1. The original ad wastes space by using the word "Smiley." Indeed, the cookies do have a "smiley face," but that detail is somewhat irrelevant for a pers... > Read more

Imagine for a moment that you are a business owner who is hiring a new secretary. You want to make sure you've got a good secretary before you hire him (or her).What kind of information would you like to know? Which ad would get your attention and earn your click? Make your decision, then scroll down to discover the answer.

 PPC Ad #1PPC Ad #2 In this case, ad number two is the winner. It was written by "jeffbaum71," and it increased CTR by 162%. Where the original ad was getting 1 click, the new ad is getting 2.62 clicks.I find this week's contest interesting because it highlights a key principle of good ad writing. Here are a few reasons why the new ad won...1. The title of the winning ad is more descriptive. A "Secretary Skills Test" is much more precise and descriptive than a ... > Read more

Today, I'm featuring what may be the biggest win in BoostCTR's brief history. It's certainly the biggest win that's been featured in a Win of the Week column.Since the difference between the two ads is so big, it should be easy to pick the winner, right? Well, maybe. Looks -- and gut-level responses -- can often be deceiving.

Nevertheless, take a look at the two ads below and see if you can pick the winner. PPC Ad #1PPC Ad #2 To help make your decision, suppose for a moment that you were a college student looking to rent some college textbooks. Which ad would you be more likely to click on? Which one reaches into the mind of the college student and gets her to click?In this case, ad number one is the winner. It was written by "ctrmaven," and it increased CTR by an astounding 581%... > Read more

Which of the two ads below do you think performed better? The headlines are quite distinct, and the body of each ad is fairly different as well. The URLs are the same. Which approach do you think worked best? PPC Ad #1 PPC Ad #2 This ad contest is interesting because the ads are quite different, yet the difference in CTR is relatively modest.

In this particular contest, the new winner is ad number two. The winning ad was written by "ctr_guru," and it increased CTR by 31%, which is about the average increase we see for all contests at BoostCTR. Where the old ad was getting 10 clicks, the new ad is getting 13.1 clicks. So why did the new ad win? I have a few theories... 1. The winning ad uses a strong keyword phrase in the t... > Read more

Which of the two ads below do you think performed better? Both used the same URL, but the titles and body copy are significantly different. PPC Ad #1 PPC Ad #2 Here's another way to think about it: If you were searching for "horror movies," which ad do you think you'd click? Make your decision then scroll down for the answer.

In this particular contest, the new winner is ad number two. The winning ad was written by "ctr_guru," and it increased CTR by 115%. So why did the the new ad perform so much better and attract more than twice as many clicks as the original ad? Let's take a look... 1. The title copy of the original ad is fairly vague. "Horror Movies" lacks specificity. Am I going to be able to watc... > Read more

How would you like to see a sequence of ads instead of just one winner and one loser? This will give you better insight into the reasons why one ad wins ... and other ads lose. With that in mind, I'm showing you four ads instead of two. These ads paint a more accurate picture of the BoostCTR contest process.

It is not uncommon for the first two or three submissions to lose to the control ad. After repeated attempts to "dethrone" the control ad, a new winner is discovered. Such is the case below. The first two ads that were submitted by our writers did NOT win. These two ads lost to the control ad by 22% and 26% respectively. Take a look... Losing Challenger #1 Losing Challenger #2   Since I bought a pair of Vibram Fivef... > Read more

Is your Web copy only so-so?Maybe your pages aren't positioning in Google and Bing, and you're not sure what you're doing wrong. Or prospects are finding your site, but they're not taking action.Either way, you know something is wrong. You just may not know what it is.If your SEO copy isn't making you money, it could be that your writing has fallen prey to one or more of the 10 most common SEO copywriting myths, mistakes and conversion-sucking monsters.

Here are the typical copywriting boo-boos I see:Writing to a certain keyword density percentage.My all-time, top, #1 myth! Once upon a time, SEO experts knew that a 5.5% keyword density would gain a top spot in Alta Vista. Guess what – it's not 1999 anymore. Yes, include your keyphrases on the page. But don't write for a mythical keyphras... > Read more

When analyzing the performance of your pay-per-click ads, one of the main factors you'll want to concentrate on is click-through rate (CTR). Ads with high CTR are desirable because they drive more traffic to your site in less time. In addition, a high CTR contributes to a good Quality Score, and that helps lower your cost per click.

It's also an indication that you're targeting a relevant, qualified audience, which can improve your conversion rate as well. (Of course you'll want to keep an eye on both metrics and make sure you're not sacrificing one in favor of the other.) Recently I scanned through the ads in our own AdWords account and identified some patterns in the ads with the highest click-through rates. Note that I've changed the examples so I'm not giving away our best creative, bu... > Read more

There are a few key basics that every PPC text ad needs in order to rank well and generate clicks: A compelling headline Relevant keywords A relevant display URL A call to action This post focuses on the last requirement. The call to action, or CTA, is the language that tells the searcher what to do – in other words, giving them a reason to click.

(Aside from increasing your traffic, a higher click-through rate will also improve your Quality Score, which in turn will lower your costs.) The default call to action is something like "Buy now!" This may be better than no CTA at all, but it's not very good. It's too familiar, too general and too pushy. So what's a better call to action? It's good to remember that your CTA doesn't have to be a direct sales push – there ar... > Read more

This is the final excerpt from Master Class: Keyword Research for Stellar Content Creation, by Angie Nikoleychuk. Click below to get the full article now, including the final section, "Social Media Keywords." Qualifying Site Visitors For me, one of the most important steps is qualifying your visitors.

For instance, while I work with many different people and businesses, I aim for businesses and professionals who already have a site and are looking to get more from it. So, when I produce content, I use keywords and topics that focus on getting more out of what you already have. This piece, for instance, isn’t just about keyword research, but all the different aspects surrounding the practice and how it relates to content production and publishing. Therefore, I’m more likely t... > Read more

For the rest of the week, we'll be posting excerpts from a new article: Master Class: Keyword Research for Stellar Content Creation, by Angie Nikoleychuk. Click below to get the full article now. Levels of Keywords When researching keywords specifically for content, I select three types of keywords: Primary Keywords — Keywords geared specifically for your main goal.

If your goal is social, you’ll want to use various social media tools to find out what words your target audience is using at the moment. What are the hot topics? If you’re in need of links and rankings, your keywords will likely be found using SEO keyword tools and based heavily on your findings. This doesn’t mean there isn’t any consideration for social in an SEO-based piece or vice versa &... > Read more

This is a guest post by Caleb Levell, a search marketing consultant at Hanapin Marketing. His interests include search and social marketing, online collaboration, and social media for business and non-profit organizations. He blogs at PPC Hero and SEO Boy. In anticipation of the new season of Mad Men (which begins later this month), I thought it might be worth exploring the creative side of PPC.

Unfortunately, PPC specialists too often forget their creative merits. Amidst all of the researching, monitoring, and overall managing of client expectations, it is easy to downplay the importance of being creative in the search engine marketing industry. Today, I’m here to preach the other side of the story and encourage you to embrace the Don Draper or Peggy Olson that lies within you. Day ... > Read more

In a post called "What's Up, Internet," writer Amelia Gray answers some of the questions that Googlers have found her blog by asking: how long does it take to get a warrant I think you can get one in an afternoon, if you are a police officer and you can find a judge to give you one. (It will take more time if you’re just some guy.

) what sort of rocks are there? All kinds. Some rocks are very hard and others are so soft you can scratch them with your fingernail. Sometimes rocks float. Once I had a dream I was explaining a quartz rock to my child. Amelia may be doing this for laughs, but she still got a good post out of it, right? I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Your keywords are content idea generators. If you're already ranking for questions like "What's ... > Read more

One of the best ways to learn how to write engaging and SEO-friendly website copy—and keep up with industry changes—is to read what the experts have to say. Plenty of blogs focus on the topic of online copywriting, but many of those blogs are not updated on a weekly or even monthly basis. Also, many of those blogs are little more than a promotional tool for a company’s product or author’s book.

We've saved you time by creating a list of the best copywriting blogs that are out there.   Here they are, in no particular order: 1. Copyblogger Copyblogger has a large following, with some posts getting over 1,000 tweets and 250 comments. New media writer/producer Brian Clark started the blog four years ago. It includes posts by him and other copywriting professionals. One of the fir... > Read more

1. SEO copywriting sounds forced and mechanical. This myth is almost true: Bad SEO copywriting sounds forced and mechanical. You can spot it from a mile away: The Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar What are the benefits of apple cider vinegar? The benefits of apple cider vinegar are many! The benefits of apple cider vinegar include improved health and boosted immunity.

This page is all about the benefits of apple cider vinegar. I guess if this page starts ranking for "the benefits of apple cider vinegar" I'll have to eat my words, huh? But seriously folks: SEO copywriting doesn't have to, and shouldn't, be robotic. Keyword research is a supplement to good writing, not a replacement for it. The only reason that keyword-targeted copy would end up sounding as ridiculous as the above paragraph i... > Read more

Wired this week published a fascinating profile piece on a company called Demand Media: "The Answer Factory: Fast, Disposable, and Profitable as Hell." The company's approach to content generation almost sounds like science fiction or satire, but it's real, and it works. It's a purely algorithmic, data-driven method of prioritizing content designed to rank on the first page of the Google SERPs: basically keyword research in hyperdrive.

And like it or not, this may be where we're all headed. Keyword-research-driven content production is nothing new; we practice this ourselves (to an extent). Workflow is based on the keyword groups that are currently driving traffic and conversions. If tons of people are finding our site after searching on "keyword organization tools" an... > Read more