NetViper Interactive: Web Design, SEO, PPC

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Archive for February, 2010

Ten tips for passing the new Google Advertising Fundamentals Exam

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

Google Adwords Qualified IndividualSo, you have decided that it is time to finally take the test. What you might not know is that Google JUST changed over to a brand new test. Gone are the days of testing through Prometric. Google now has you download a browser to use that you must take the test with. Now, I didn’t take the old test, but the new test doesn’t allow for any windows to be open while you take the test. I had read you could have other windows open with the old test. That would certainly make taking the test easier.

So what is this new test? Well, a lot of it is based on the old material, but Google has updated several sections and added new content about landing page quality and some other things. If you have passed the test before, you could probably get away with taking the test again and still passing without spending much time going through the new materials.

So, here are my tips for passing the Google Advertising Fundamentals Exam

1. Study, Study, Study! If you have used adwords often, you might think you know enough to easily pass the test. Chances are you don’t. Read through every chapter in the Adwords Learning Center and make notes.

2. Understand the NEW interface. If you are familiar with only the old interface, you will probably miss most of the questions on what is where.

3. Print out some of the information from the new “interactive” lessons and your account for quick reference. Some things might be helpful to have like a print of the account layout, account structure, how to optimize campaigns, and what the common reports do.

4. You only have a minute per question to answer, so if you think you will have time to look up the answers for each question and be able to pass the test, you are very wrong. I fished it with about 20 minutes to spare, so I could review my questions that I missed.

5. If you don’t know an answer, take your best guess and MARK it, then come back to it at the end. When I was done I had about 15 questions marked to review. Not bad out of 120.

6. Know that come questions will be totally crazy and you will have no idea what the answer is, just take your best guess.

7. Make sure you understand Placements. How they work, if they need KW etc. There were a lot of questions on that on the test I took.

8. There is now a MDS option – Manager Defined Spend. That is new, learn what it does.

9. Thoroughly understand Quality Score. What it is, what it does, how different things effect it.

10. Understand the Landing page Quality and how it relates to Quality Score.

Overall, the test was not too bad. I never took the old one, so I can’t compare, but I know it is now longer and there are more questions.

Good Luck!

I got 94% incase you are curious.

Posted in Pay Per Click | View Comments

PPC vs SEO

Saturday, February 27th, 2010

One of the most common questions we get asked is what is more important, Pay-Per-Click or Search Engine Optimization?
Here is how we see it:

PPC:
- Ads are online almost immediately
- Start getting ROI sooner
- Great for time sensitive promotions
- Great for testing different words, phrases and products
- Quickly build up traffic to your website
- Gather feedback almost immediately
- Flexible Spending. Increase or Decrease spending in real time.
A recent study by Engine Ready found:
Conversion rates: PPC just barely beat SEO
Average Order Value: PPC won
Average time on site: PPC won
SEO:
- A must for a long-term strategy
- 90% of people click on “organic” listings
- People trust the first page results and may see those companies as experts in their field
- Ranking for multiple keywords and key phrase will bring you significant traffic to your website
- If you do both PPC and SEO, a strong SEO campaign can allow you to cut down on your PPC spend.
Overall, both are excellent strategies for maximizing your online presence. They even complement each other well. A recent study from a couple of NYU Stern professors found that organic search engine results can play a direct role in whether or not a paid listing is clicked.
So which should you do?
At the end of the day, both are critical to your websites long-term success. If you need traffic now, go with PPC, if you plan on being around a long time, start your SEO now. SEO typically takes 3-4 months before you start to see results. Keep that in mind as you make your investment in online marketing.
Give us a call or email us if you have questions. We will be glad to help.
Dave Fogel
NetViper Interactive
dave@netviperinteractive.com

Posted in Search Engine Optmization | View Comments

 
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