3 ms·

Ask YC: Does web advertising really work?

The real question is: When was the last time you were inspired to buy something by an ad you saw on google adsense? I can't recall any time that has happened to me. I also have a friend who has spent a couple hundred on google adwords at one point, without really seeing results. With this bit of disappointment in mind, my question is - does advertising on the web work?

babul 18y ago
From a retailers point of view, yes, if you do it right i.e. phrase your ad well, go for the niche keywords (cheaper, higher quality leads), have relevant landing pages (ads go direct to the product buy page, not higher level category page). If you also provide a product people want at a price point they are happy with (and ideally with service they cannot complain about - fast shipping, good dispute resolution policy, etc etc) then once they see your ad/page, they generally buy. I actually manage about $100K of adwords spending each month for about 25 client sites which do about $2M gross revenue per month and have seen good increases with the campaigns I have managed. Many of the clients initially managed it themselves but got poor results. My basic tips would be... [1]. ALWAYS have metrics in place to mesure campaign effectiveness (visitor volumes, keyword search terms, click-through paths, conversion rates). you can use google metrics (urchin) for free but it is worth paying for a decent service from a cheap provider like zstats. [2]. tailor ads to specific products, not a broad range. [3]. use the free google adwords analyser to find niche keywords (cheaper, better). [4]. make sure your site looks the part (professional) [5]. try and sell your more unusual products first, as these are generally harder to find online, sell more, and best of all raise awareness for you i.e. return custom, and free word of mouth advertising. Hope this helps.
bigtoga 18y ago
Your title is misleading vis-a-vis your "real question." They aren't even in the same ballpark. and it's ridiculous really - it's the fallacy that "Just because I don't click and my friends don't click, then no one clicks." Here's your question re-phrased: Ask YC: Does spam really work? The real question is: When was the last time you were inspired to buy something by spam email? I can't recall any time that has happened to me. I also have a friend who has spent a couple hundred on spam at one point, without really seeing results. With this bit of disappointment in mind, my question is - does spam on the web work?
ssharp 18y ago
Obviously it's working. Anyone using PPC seriously is tracking ROI on their keywords and if they weren't getting a profitable return, they wouldn't be buying keywords.
rrival 18y ago
It's a funneling thing - 10000 people see the ad, 100-300 people click through, 2-3 people complete a transaction. A/B testing on ad copy and landing pages can fine tune the process. Check out AzoogleAds.com, ShoeMoney.com, etc.

babul 18y ago

From a retailers point of view, yes, if you do it right i.e. phrase your ad well, go for the niche keywords (cheaper, higher quality leads), have relevant landing pages (ads go direct to the product buy page, not higher level category page). If you also provide a product people want at a price point they are happy with (and ideally with service they cannot complain about - fast shipping, good dispute resolution policy, etc etc) then once they see your ad/page, they generally buy. I actually manage about $100K of adwords spending each month for about 25 client sites which do about $2M gross revenue per month and have seen good increases with the campaigns I have managed. Many of the clients initially managed it themselves but got poor results. My basic tips would be... [1]. ALWAYS have metrics in place to mesure campaign effectiveness (visitor volumes, keyword search terms, click-through paths, conversion rates). you can use google metrics (urchin) for free but it is worth paying for a decent service from a cheap provider like zstats. [2]. tailor ads to specific products, not a broad range. [3]. use the free google adwords analyser to find niche keywords (cheaper, better). [4]. make sure your site looks the part (professional) [5]. try and sell your more unusual products first, as these are generally harder to find online, sell more, and best of all raise awareness for you i.e. return custom, and free word of mouth advertising. Hope this helps.

bigtoga 18y ago

Your title is misleading vis-a-vis your "real question." They aren't even in the same ballpark. and it's ridiculous really - it's the fallacy that "Just because I don't click and my friends don't click, then no one clicks." Here's your question re-phrased: Ask YC: Does spam really work? The real question is: When was the last time you were inspired to buy something by spam email? I can't recall any time that has happened to me. I also have a friend who has spent a couple hundred on spam at one point, without really seeing results. With this bit of disappointment in mind, my question is - does spam on the web work?

ssharp 18y ago

Obviously it's working. Anyone using PPC seriously is tracking ROI on their keywords and if they weren't getting a profitable return, they wouldn't be buying keywords.

rrival 18y ago

It's a funneling thing - 10000 people see the ad, 100-300 people click through, 2-3 people complete a transaction. A/B testing on ad copy and landing pages can fine tune the process. Check out AzoogleAds.com, ShoeMoney.com, etc.