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Paid Search Marketing

Paid search marketing is a critical tool for any marketer or small business owner. But it’s not easy. From navigating the world of bidding, to writing ad copy that resonates, to setting up Google Ads conversion tracking and more: there are a lot of skills that fall under the paid search marketing umbrella. At WordStream, we’re here to help you refine those skills. Check out our paid search marketing blogs and get the knowledge you need to succeed.


Choosing a PPC Agency: 10 Questions to Ask

Finding the right agency to manage your PPC marketing campaigns is quite similar to making an internal hire – in addition to evaluating the agency's background and reputation, you'll want to ask a series of questions to help you better understand what they're about.

Google Correlate: Google Trends in Reverse

The new Google Correlate tool acts like Google Trends in reverse, allowing users to upload a data set to see what search terms match the trend.

Keywords vs. Search Queries: What’s the Difference?

What's the difference between keywords and search queries? Though sometimes used interchangeably, these terms don’t mean the same thing. Search queries are the actual terms that search engine users type into the search box…

AdWords Showing Display URL Domain in Headlines for Select Ads on Google

Google has made a series of changes to the way ad text is served and displayed recently, and it’s important to follow how they’re displaying ad copy and what level of control you have.

5 Ways to Lower Your Cost Per Action (CPA)

Learn five easy ways to lower your cost per action (CPA) to make your pay-per-click campaigns more profitable.

Comparing Year-Over-Year Search Query Trends

Learn how to gain valuable insights by comparing year-over-year data from your AdWords search query reports.

Google Plus One: What Google +1 Means to You, Your Campaigns, & The Future of the Universe

Google is rolling out its new +1 feature, making search more social. What does it mean for those in the search marketing industry?

Running an AdWords Campaign in a Competitive Local Market

Learn why you need to set up at least two different PPC campaigns if you're running an AdWords campaign in a competitive local market.

Fighting Cross-Campaign Ad Poaching with Negative Keyword Lists

Learn how to use negative keyword lists in Google AdWords to prevent broad match ad poaching across your PPC campaigns.

Newly Released Google AdWords Optimize for Conversions Ad Setting Now LIVE: What Does it Mean for Your AdWords Campaigns?

Learn how to use the AdWords optimize for conversions setting for your ads: and whether it's right for your campaigns.

Tom Demers
February 24, 2011 | Paid Search Marketing

Google Personal Blocklist Helps Users Defeat Spammy Link Farms

Google Personal Blocklist is a Chrome Extension designed to help users keep SEO spam such as content link farms out of their Google search results.

Larry Kim
February 14, 2011 | Paid Search Marketing

A Dead-Simple Google Ads Certification Guide: Costs, Tips & Tricks for Google Certification

Looking for a simple, straight-forward guide to Google AdWords certification? You found it: learn all about the costs of the exam, test requirements, plus plenty of study tips to help you pass the Google certification exam with ease!

Tom Demers
February 10, 2011 | Paid Search Marketing

AdWords Releases Super-Sized Ad Text Headlines

A new AdWords ad text headline format may display twice as much information as before, combining both your headline and description line 1 field into one big headline.

Larry Kim
February 9, 2011 | Paid Search Marketing

PPC VLOOKUP: How to Use VLOOKUP for Paid-Per-Click Marketing

VLOOKUP for PPC is a great tactic for comparing PPC data in Excel: learn more about PPC & VLOOKUP in this guide.

Tom Demers
December 30, 2010 | Paid Search Marketing

AdWords for Beginners – Explaining Pay-Per Click (PPC) to Clients & Novices

Explaining PPC can be a difficult process - this post outlines how best to explain and sell pay-per click to clients and managers.

Tom Demers
December 27, 2010 | Paid Search Marketing

How to Build a Killer Local AdWords Keyword List with the Best Local PPC Keyword Tool Ever

This post outlines how to do local keyword research, and how to get actual, actionable local keyword data for your small business.

AdWords Campaign Experiments (ACE): How to Use ACE to Optimize Your Paid Search Campaigns

AdWords campaign experiments (ACE) can be a powerful tool: learn how to leverage the feature for better optimized Google AdWords campaigns.

Tom Demers
November 23, 2010 | Paid Search Marketing

Advanced Search Query Mining Part 1: The Power of Search Queries

If you are bidding on broad match keywords and ignoring your search queries, you are definitely wasting money. Learn how search query mining can maximize ROI.

Google’s Broad Match Modifier: Who Should Use It, Why, and How

Modified broad match is a way to refine your standard broad match keywords for tighter targeting and control over your ad spend. Learn who should be using Google's new broad match modifier feature in AdWords and how to employ it.

Keyword Research for Email Marketing

Learn how you can use keyword research to write better, more persuasive email marketing messages.

High-volume keywords vs. low-volume keywords

Learn the difference between high-volume and low-volume keywords and the pros and cons of each.

Using Enhanced CPC and Third-Party Bid Management

Learn the benefits of using bid management software along with Google's new Enhanced CPC to lower your bids and cost per click.

SEO vs. PPC: When to Use Which Search Marketing Method for Maximum Profit

When should you use organic search engine optimization (SEO) and when should you use pay-per-click (PPC) marketing for the best results?

What Is Modified Broad Match? Using the Broad Match Modifier in PPC

What is the new modified broad match option in Google AdWords? Learn the basics of this keyword type, plus when and how to use the broad match modifier in your AdWords PPC campaigns.

How to Exclude an IP Address: AdWords IP Exclusion Tool

Learn how to use the AdWords IP Exclusion Tool to eliminate irrelevant clicks and impressions and improve AdWords results.

Improving Quality Score Part 3: How is Quality Score Calculated?

Google determines Quality Score slightly differently for each of the different advertising networks that it runs. Here we’ll learn how Quality Score is calculated for Google Search, which is the largest source of traffic for most advertisers.

How to Find Your Quality Score on Google and Yahoo

Learn how to find your Quality Score in Google AdWords and your quality index score in Yahoo Search Marketing.