To tell you the truth, I never paid much attention to the “Sponsored Links” section of SERPs before becoming a PPC marketer. However, I’ve since realized the importance of their existence.

To fully embrace paid ads, I have decided to put Google to the test and run three searches on items that I want, just to see how Sponsored Links appeal to me as a consumer.

Scenario 1:
I like Eastern art, Japanese specifically, but anything from Oriental to Buddhist will enhance my shelves. I don’t want “art”, as in paintings or photos, as my walls are filled to the corners. I’d like something both decorative and functional, but even that description may be too vague for a search engine. I decided, after much hemming and hawing, that my search term is going to be “Japanese decorative art”.

Here are the top 3 paid search results that Google offered:

1. Japanese Arts, Powerful, spellbinding Japanese drumming, movement & music!
   www.taiko.org
2. Japanese Furniture, Traditional Cabinets, Tables & More From The Far East. Starting At $89!
   www.OrientalFurniture.com
3. Asian Wall Art, Huge Selection of Wall Decor Items. Factory Direct Prices & Free Ship.
   LampsPlus.com

Result: Ad #2 is more on the money than the others. I didn’t search for music and I especially do not want to buy wall art from a lamp vendor – that’s like buying steak at a fish joint.

Scenario 2:
I play a little guitar (not a ukulele, I just don’t play well). I’m no Slash, but I’d like to dress up as Slash while I’m playing and leap from low, stable objects in my living room, landing on my knees as if I were really playing in a concert. If I’m going to sell this fantasy to myself, I’m going to need an awesome 80’s afro wig to stuff under my Slash hat. I want a wig so real that it will flow with every tasty shred of my ax. So then, my search term will be “Slash afro wig”.

Here are the results:

1. Slash Wig For Less, Looking for Slash Wig? Buy direct from sellers and save.
   everythingelse.ebay.com
2. Best Wig Outlet, Over 5,000 Styles of Famous Brands! Extra upto 30% off Discount Coupons
   www.BestWigOutlet.com
3. Black Wig, High Quality Wigs at Low Prices! Wigs.com – The Wig Experts
   www.wigs.com

Result: #1 hit the spot – it had a picture of Slash to prove it! Even though EBay is on every SERP produced (Looking for Blah Blah? Find exactly what you want today.), this was indeed a successful trip there.

Scenario 3: I was daydreaming about The Herculoids, an old Hanna-Barbera cartoon from the late 60’s, with Tundro, the ten-legged rhino-triceratops thing that shot explosive energy rocks from its cannon/horn. In the episode Destroyer Ants, lightning from a storm strikes a mountain holding thousands of giant ant eggs. The ants hatch and begin demolishing the planet. Even though Zandor, leader of the Herculoids, sends the ants into a bottomless pit, I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to America if we had a bolt of lightning unleash a herd of giant ants on us? With no modern-day Zandor, Tundro or Hong Kong Phooey for that matter, how will we defend ourselves? I searched quickly for anything that could defend us. Search term: Giant Ant Killer.

1. Trust Your Home to Orkin®, Professional ant control services. Get $30 off from the Orkin Man
   www.Orkin.com
2. How to Kill Ants, Get rid of ants! Use a faster, safer ant killer.
   www.Diatect.com
3. Ant Season is Here, Do it yourself and save money, Pest Control America
   Pestcontrolamerica.com

Result: In a mock search like this, these paid ads are all technically winners, but #3 puts the power in my hands. With the help of Pest Control America, I too could be a Herculoid, and an economical one at that. I’m sure Tundro would be proud.

Through this challenge I’ve learned that Sponsored Links are as valuable to me as they are to every consumer who shops the net. PPC ads are not only essential to promoting and selling products online, but they add a unique level of convenience for the shopper – quickly gathered, concise advertising that is relevant to your needs, wants, and even daydreams.

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As you write your next pay per click advertisement think about this. That ad will be judged by two powerful forms of intelligence…Human and Engine.

In his very popular book “Blink”, Malcolm Gladwell (author of “The Tipping Point”) analyzes first impressions. Those split-second decisions we make and impressions we get “in the blink of an eye”

To quote Mr. Gladwell “It’s thinking—it’s just thinking that moves a little faster and operates a little more mysteriously than the kind of deliberate, conscious decision-making that we usually associate with ‘thinking.’”

Thinking that “operates a little more mysteriously” than typical decision-making? That phrase seems to sum up search engine thinking.

He also introduces us to something called “thin slicing” which describes how the human mind makes inferences and comes to conclusions based on the thinnest slices of information.

Sound familiar? Search engines also take instantaneous impressions, evaluate variables & make lightning quick decisions based on the impressions they get while crawling our sites. In essence, search engines are exhibiting traits quite similar to the human thought process. They are just more efficient thinkers with more powerful “thin-slicing” skills.

What does this mean to a search engine marketer? It means that every time a searcher enters keywords into a search engine what commences is a lightning quick evaluation of available ads followed by a second (slightly less) lightning quick evaluation of the ads that made the cut. It also means we not only need to make it to the results page, we need to be the most likeable ad on that page to get a click (let’s call it a “wink”) and the most relevant, attractive and easy-to-use landing page to turn that wink into a sale.

Since Engine Intelligence is the first form of intelligence to thin-slice your pay per click ad, it is important to have a well thought out ad campaign. Ads that clearly speak to your keywords and echo the words of your landing page are a great place to start. Appropriate keywords and well placed keyword bids are other key ingredients.

Once the engine has placed your ad in front of Human Intelligence it is very important the ad is clear, relevant, and has a strong call to action. When the searcher clicks on the ad they want to have a productive experience at your site. A clean layout with up-to-date content is essential. Pleasing font and attractive colors draw the “blinking” eye and give favorable first impressions. Most important of all, it should be easier to buy than to leave the site and check a different ad!

To sum it up, by implementing changes that make us “blink of the eye” likeable to humans and engines we will get more of what we want (clicks and qualified leads) and less of what we don’t want (clicks and leads that don’t convert).

So here’s to turning that blink into a wink and ultimately “cha-ching”!

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