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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.


How to Tell If Your PPC Service Provider Is a Huge Rip-off

In the sea of partners you could work with to help manage your PPC, there are a few questionable business practices that I want you to be on the look-out for. You should avoid these types of partners at all cost!

Larry Kim
February 14, 2017 | Paid Search Marketing

NEW: Tailor Ads by Device or Audience with Google Ads IF Functions

The new AdWords IF functions are like ad customizers on steroids. They let you tailor your ad copy based on either device or audience, ensuring a hyper-relevant message is served to your prospects. Learn how to use IF functions today!

How to Use Brand Affinity to Dramatically Increase CTR

It's time to re-examine our assumptions about branded vs. non-branded keywords in both paid and organic search marketing. Start building brand affinity to dramatically increase performance!

Larry Kim
February 7, 2017 | Paid Search Marketing

6 Ways to Lower Your CPC with Landing Page Optimization

The relevancy and quality of your landing pages affect your Quality Score, which directly affects your cost per click (CPC). Because of that, optimizing your landing pages can help you save money while improving your conversion rates.

Guest Author
February 2, 2017 | Landing Pages

6 Ways to Target Early-Stage Buyers in PPC

Don't just focus on SQL's -- targeting early stage buyers with PPC can be an extraordinarily effective technique. Find out six ways to make sure you're targeting every stage in the funnel in this post.

The Secrets of Google Ads CTR in 5 Charts

Click-through rate (CTR) matters. It’s a key component in determining Quality Score and indicative of copy that entices prospects to visit your landing pages. Learn more about CTR and how it's impacted by Expanded Text Ads!

Why You NEED to Switch to Expanded Text Ads In 5 Graphs

If you’ve been putting off switching to Expanded Text Ads, or ETA’s, stop and look at the data! I’ll prove how important it is for you to adopt ETA’s ASAP in five persuasive graphs.

How to Use Social Proof in Your Ads & Landing Pages

Social proof has the power to make a buyer purchase. Whether it be a B2B software solution or a consumer product, social proof can shift our perceptions and push us down the funnel to convert.

Margot Whitney
January 10, 2017 | Landing Pages

Google Is Changing How Call Extensions Show in 2 Weeks – Here’s What You Need to Know

Google has announced changes to how location extensions will display for local businesses. Learn how you'll be affected and what you can do to minimize problems in your AdWords campaigns.

3 Woefully Underused, Crazy-Effective PPC Landing Page Tips

Without fine-tuned PPC landing pages, a great account structure and compelling ad copy aren't going to lead to more conversions. Learn three super effective, underused landing page tips from our AdWords experts!

Allen Finn
January 4, 2017 | Landing Pages

The 21 Best PPC Marketing Articles of the Year

Here's WordStream founder Larry Kim's look back at the best of the best content from 2016 on paid search, remarketing, conversion rate optimization, and paid social.

Larry Kim
December 27, 2016 | Paid Search Marketing

7 Ready-Made Google Ads Headline Formulas to Make Your Life Easy

Follow these seven ready-to-use AdWords headline formulas, proven successful time after time, and you’ll never have to write another ad from scratch again!

Brad Smith
December 15, 2016 | Copywriting

The 7 Deadly Sins of Expanded Text Ads (And What to Do Instead)

When you write Expanded Text Ads, recycling old ad copy seems like a logical place to start. Unfortunately, it simply doesn't work. Learn how to avoid mistakes and write Expanded Text Ads that convert instead!

Allen Finn
December 13, 2016 | Paid Search Marketing

The 10 Best & Biggest New PPC Features of the Year

From the loss of right-side ads and the announcement of new Expanded Text Ads, it's been a big year for PPC! Check out our top 10 best new features added to AdWords and Bing Ads in 2016.

Larry Kim
December 7, 2016 | Paid Search Marketing

5 Tips to Align Your Google Ads Account with Your Sales Funnel Stages

Continuity between ads and landing pages starts with account structure. Learn the 5 simple ways you can ensure alignment between the stages of your sales funnel and the structure of your AdWords account.

Ads on Breitbart Don’t Work Anyway, Here’s How to Exclude Them & Save Money

Many advertisers are boycotting Breitbart.com due to the site's message. But display ads on Breitbart don't work anyway! We have the data. Here's how to stop your ads from showing there.

3 Crazy-Effective Ideas to Unlock the Full Power of RLSA

Chances are you're not realizing the full potential of RLSA. Read on to discover my three favorite strategies for RLSA, especially helpful if you're doing PPC in a competitive market or have a small budget.

Larry Kim
November 15, 2016 | Paid Search Marketing

5 Questions AdWords Advertisers Should Ask Themselves Every Quarter

Monthly AdWords audits might sound like overkill, but taking a deep dive on a quarterly basis is necessary for even the most overworked SEM. Here are the five questions to ask yourself every quarter.

Allen Finn
November 9, 2016 | Marketing Ideas

3 Local Marketing Tips to Lock Up the Local SERP

Local search marketing can be difficult when you're trying to compete with bigger, international brands. So don't. Learn 3 techniques that will focus your local business marketing efforts on the most valuable prospects.

Allen Finn
November 2, 2016 | Local Marketing

Getting Started with Google Advertising [Video Series]

Just getting started with Google advertising? Learn how Google AdWords advertising works, how much it costs, and how to measure your performance in this quick video series.

How to Calculate the ROI of Offline Transactions

We can measure which ad campaigns lead to form completions (conversions), but how do we know which ones lead to actual sales? Here's a system that works!

NEW Google Ads Message Extensions Enable High-CTR Click-to-Message Ads [Data]

With new message extensions in Google AdWords, you can set up mobile ads that enable users to click to text you right from the SERP! These new extensions can increase your mobile CTR by 50%. Learn more about how message extensions work in AdWords.

3 Simple PPC Formulas Proven to Lower Your Costs

You don't need to be a data scientist to use PPC formulas and advanced analytics for account optimization. All you need are these handy equations and a little algebra!

13 Great Mobile Marketing Tools You Need

What is most important to mobile users is efficiency and productivity. We've curated a list of top apps and tools to help with your mobile marketing plan.

Top 5 Mobile Tests to Try This Month

The key to converting more mobile visitors is understanding that their mindset and behavior is different. These five mobile A/B test ideas have the potential to really move the needle.

Guest Author
October 7, 2016 | Landing Pages

The Easy Guide to Maximizing Your Google Ads ROI

ROI, or return on investment, is the holy grail of AdWords advertising: you business can make more money from AdWords than you're putting in. Here's how to do it.

4 International PPC Tips for Non-US English-Speaking Countries

PPC is not the same in every country, even if your primary language is English! Learn four tips for optimizing non-US international PPC campaigns.

Allen Finn
September 26, 2016 | Paid Search Marketing