Today’s article deals with a subject that we all need to
read, study and understand…how to create an EFFECTIVE ad.

Online advertising on the Internet leaves a lot to be
desired. We have ads that emulate Windows-warning boxes. We
have pop-ups and pop-unders. All of these are developed with
the intent to make people notice them. However, most of them
only end up irritating them. Advertisers, especially those
with small budgets, can’t afford to waste money on
ineffective buys. In order to optimize your advertising
buys, you need to concentrate on improving your creative.

Here are some tips that might help:

Step 1: Define clear goals of your advertising campaign

The most important aspect of any advertising campaign is to
have a clear objective in mind. You may be targeting a
specific group of people, your initial aim may be to target
at least 1000 internet surfers and so on and so forth. Have
a well defined, clear purpose.

Step 2: Identify the most effective sites for achieving your
goals

Sites that are most relevant to your product or service
will, more than likely, be your best bet; but also consider
larger sites or networks that can target the audience you’re
trying to reach. They can be very cost-effective. If you
have multiple products or services that appeal to various
target markets, you’ll have to consider sites that reach all
those various segments.

Step 3: Craft your message to fit the needs of the audience
you’re targeting

This comes down to understanding the audience of the sites
you’re advertising on. The message you use on a technology
site to appeal to technologically savvy customers won’t have
the same appeal for visitors on a small-business site. Focus
your campaign.

Step 4: Content of your Ad

Pay particular attention to the content of the Ad. The
content should be such that it clearly distinguishes your
product or service from your competitors’. Have a catchy
headline. The headline is probably the most important part
of the Ad – It is the customer puller.

Step 5: Formulate the specific promotional messages that
correspond to your goals

The promotional messages should concentrate on the major
selling points of your product or service and have a strong
call-to-action.

Step 6: Make the desired action clearly visible

This certainly doesn’t mean the desired action should
necessarily blink, bounce or do flips, but it should be
visible within an accepted format for the media you’re
using. In the case of the Internet, underlined text links,
“click here” text entry boxes, and pull-down menus are all
ways you can make the desired action clearly visible.

Step 7: Design the ad so it looks like it belongs on the
sites where you’re advertising

For instance, you may want to use the site’s font faces in
your text, color schemes in your background, font color
choices overall, and emulate images where appropriate. Try
to conform to the environment so potential customers
visiting the site don’t gasp in shock when they see your ad.

Step 8: Produce multiple versions of each ad

Create three or four versions of each ad, changing the
promotional message, call-to-action, font faces and color
schemes. This is especially important if you’re doing price
testing or gauging reaction to specific promotions. By
splitting your advertising buy among the various versions of
your creative, you can then start to optimize your buy based
on the message that works best.

With these tips, you will not only be able to create an ad,
but you will be able to create an effective ad that does
what it is supposed to do – sell your products and services.

To rank high on Google, your website has to be measured by “500 million variables and 2 billion terms” of Google’s equation, as stated on Google’s Corporate Information Technology Overview page. Google’s ranking system is based on a democracy, and the citizens are the links on the worldwide web that vote for each other. Not unlike our government today, many of these “links” are paid for, and some are of greater value. Ranking high on Google is playing politics. Links and Keywords are the key players in the ranking game. Google also takes into consideration the full content of the page including HTML codes, fonts, subdivisions and the “precise location of each word.”

Links are votes. You must develop a link strategy. Google likes linking things together. Create a rich network of links with distinct quality content. Your website must have quality links going out and coming in. Quality is the key word. Links from reputable pages (which ironically includes .gov pages) are given more weight than links on “link farm” pages. Linking to a “link farm” is one of the worst things you can do and can potentially get your deported off the web. The better the links, the better your ranking. Google will factor in your page content and the content of the pages you link to. Do your research. Google has a free page rank tool on their toolbar. Use it to find out the page ranking and visit the site.

Google also gives more weight to one-way links that lead to your site, and less weight to reciprocal links. How do you get these? Buy them. List yourself in a reputable directory listing. Make sure you are listed in the Open Directory Project (DMOZ.org). If you can’t buy links, write good content. Give someone a reason to link to your site. Again, the keyword is Quality. Submitting articles and press releases are also strategies in the linking game.

Keywords are your platform. They are what you stand for. Words count. Graphics don’t. Make sure your words are not in graphic form and make sure you have relevant titles under your graphics. Start with your title tag. Put everything you stand for in ten words or less. Make your URLs short and keyword specific. Brand yourself. If you type in soda, Mountain Dew will not show up on the first page. If you type in Mountain Dew, it will be on the first page. Brand yourself so users know what they are searching for. Do not put the same words in every heading and every tag. Be descriptive. Sell yourself. There are multitudes of free keyword rank and suggestion tools. Use them as a supplement to your knowledge of your company.

Think of every element in your website as words and pages in a presentation that is going to be up for a vote. Does everything fit? Is it all related? Are you a reputable company with a quality product? Does it sell? Now sell it. Google is waiting for you.