Hello, I'm Dan Thies. I've been writing about, teaching, and practicing search engine optimization for over 12 years.
In spite of what you may have heard, SEO is very simple. If you don't believe that, then you really need to read my book! It's only 100 pages long, and it's free.
A sneak peek at my new PPC Course…
My new PPC course is all finished… let me know what you think!
The video below is the introductory module – there are several others, but this one alone should give you plenty to think about unless you're already a real Adwords expert.
If you've been around for a while, you probably know how long I've been preaching and teaching about the power of paid search, but this is my first new pay per click training program in over 3 years… just in time for you to take advantage of some recent pro-advertiser changes at Google and elsewhere.
(Click to play – you may need to give it a few seconds to load)
SEO is great – but what are you doing while you wait for the results?
Even if you are on top of your SEO game, it can take 2-3 months, at least, before you start to taste serious traffic in any reasonably competitive market.
SEO doesn't have to take "forever," of course. A friend of ours planted a brand new site on page one for the keyword "lawyers" in about 3 months – so don't let anybody tell you about some stupid "sandbox theory."
But still – 3 months, that's kind of a long time. Sure, there are plenty of things you can do in the meantime to generate some traffic, but you don't have to wait around to start getting traffic (and making money) from the search engines.
Case In Point? Sure…
One of our SEO Braintrust mastermind students recently launched a new eCommerce store, and he's already turning a profit – while he's still climbing the ladder with SEO.
It's not magic, of course – it's the power of pay-per-click search advertising, which allows you to tap into a stream of willing buyers, from day one.
Not coincidentally, he's also one of the first students to participate in and complete this course, which is one of the core components of the SEO Braintrust training program.
I know that this training has been effective for the students in our little mastermind group, but I'd also like to hear from you.
So, please – watch the video, and tell me what you think!
If you could just take a minute and leave your comments below, I'd really appreciate it. Here are some conversation starters if you don't know what to say…
- Did the video crack your cranium – too advanced or just right?
- What's your biggest problem or question about pay-per-click?
- If you're not using PPC now, what would it take to get you to give it a try?
In honor of the iPad and how much that rocks, I'm now using HTML5 video to support "all" video-capable browsers – hello, iPad!
P.S. Dear Video Haters: I didn't ask "do you hate video?" because we also release our training modules in a printable, readable, PDF format… so if you prefer, you can download the printable PDF of this module.
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Comments on A sneak peek at my new PPC Course…
Nice job. Upbeat, easy to listen to–covered all the basic points!
Dan, you are talking WAY too fast, and you are practically leaving no space between sentences. Doesn't this leave you breathless? Seriously, it sounds like you are trying to read a thirty minute script in fifteen minutes…
Hey, you asked…
I can't wait to start the course. I've been doing PPC for years but most of it was self-taught so I'm sure the course will pay for itself in days!
Hi,
It seems like another great course from Dan. I can't wait to see how much would it cost. I hope not a lot but as usual your in-depth knowledge is there for you to see.
I have already learned a lot like eCPM and go first with exact matches.
Keep it Up.
Regards Amarjit
We just got this site started and built. This is perfect timing. We had just started 13 clicks into it, when we stopped it. Already tons of useful information and we are modifying certain things. Waiting for the rest or the buy into option for the rest of the course. -DK
It would help to have an early module to help determine if PPC is likely to work for a given business. For example, if you included a consideration of the industry, business model, profit margins, competition, etc., I suspect this would help people who haven't made money on PPC in the past decide whether to join the course.
nothing happens when i click to play…waited more than a few seconds. mac+firefox
@John: get both complaints, John – too fast, and too slow. Fortunately, nobody has to suffer with a speed they don't like.
We handle this issue by offering a download link for every video, so folks can just use the speed controls in the Quicktime player to speed us up or slow us down.
On the Windows version, and in Quicktime Player 7 on the Mac, it's in the Window menu under A/V Controls. I use this all the time to listen to podcasts and stuff – it will work for videos or audio.
In the new Quicktime Player X, it's done with keyboard & mouse controls: http://www.ehow.com/how_5633974_change-speed-apple-quicktime-x.html
John, you just said what was on my mind as well.
This would be the verbal equivalent of a big wall of text without paragraphs…
@Judy, Rather than troubleshoot Flash remotely, which is never fun since each version of Flash breaks new and interesting things, you may want to just use Safari.
Thanks Dan, it was a nice refresher again, i can only expect the content to be super fantastic again..as always!
@Ed: You may also want to use the download, Ed. See my comment above.
That has to be the best, most lucid and well thought out explanations of how PPC works I think I've ever seen.
I've seen dozens of books and videos on PPC and I think how you explained it in a really clear way. You put a lot of easy to understand and implement points in the video and if heeded, will save a lot of people a lot of money.
Google may not like you so much though…
Lots of newbies should be doing the happy dance because you have made this video public. The rest of the course must REALLY be good! Can't wait to see it all.
Thanks Dan, you've done good!.
For the record, I had no problem following you on the video. I suspect that the individuals complaining about your speed of voice are probably unfamiliar with the terms you are using. More specifically, being unsure about the subject, they are getting stuck on something and then lose track as you continue. I wouldn't necessarily slow down because all your vids are at this speed. But you already mentioned have them download it, and run it in Quicktime to run it slower.
But I wanted to say I had no problem with your speed. -DK
Good and reliable information, have several ad words accounts and pick up a couple ideas Thanks
Dan, you have nothing but good stuff! No doubt that this course will be top class information as well.
Having said that, I've left PPC, particular Google AdWords long behind. I have to say that the day Google banned my account (for no fault of my own), was the best day in my online marketing career. It forced me to take a serious look at Facebook, CPV (PPV), media buys and the whole world of paid traffic sources out there, and boy, I've never looked back. It made AdWords traffic look like a joke.
Hey Dan, Are going to teach anything on improving search results in google product base?
Hi Dan,
I run a PPC for a few clients. I quite using Google Analytics because I felt they where manipulating my CPC as I became more successful with the campaign.
Obviously you don't fell the same way.
I just don't trust Google with all of my information.
You know that old saying" there is no such thing as a free lunch". Why does Google give away all of the free tools? I can't beleive it's out of the goodness of their heart.
Any thoughts?
Thanks for the video.
I thought your talking speed was just right Dan. Great content as well
Ade
Hi Dan, I have seen you in a couple of places now. GREAT GREAT stuff. I saw you last in VideoBoss; the great program of Andy Jenkins. You gave us some great information. I personally feel that video is the way to go and I see that you choose a simple PPT (or Keynote) Presentation with no music for this video. This is different than the one in Video Boss and that is fine. The message you are conveying is important. I personally feel that a picture can say a thousand words. One day I would love to chit-chat with you regarding your video designs.
@Blase… So, did your cost go back down after you dumped Google Analytics?
I hear this kind of suspicion mostly from affiliate marketers and lead-generation people, who have long suffered from back-handed price increases by Google based on quality scoring tricks.
I've got access to a lot of e-Commerce analytics accounts, and even when the ROI is in excess of 1000%, the click prices have remained pretty stable. Some up, some down, very slight trend up (less than rise in inflation) overall.
You would expect costs to rise over time as more advertisers join the auction, and as advertisers optimize their value per click (profitability) and choose to bid more. That's Econ 101 – supply and demand – I say this less for your benefit and more for others who may read this later.
The Vickrey auction means that effect is felt largely in the lower positions (below #1) in a lot of markets, which is why my e-Commerce friends who sit at the top of the page aren't seeing much of an increase in click prices.
Google offered Analytics at a time when they had serious competition working toward the same goal. Yahoo also offers free analytics tools. So it's a competitive necessity, and if it helps advertisers become more profitable (yes, it does) then of course they spend more.
The main cynical reason why Google would want you locked into their Analytics solution (which they encourage by automatically importing cost & click data from the Adwords account etc.) is that it doesn't give you a complete picture of search queries by default. The same reason, in other words, why they default to a broad match.
@Todd, we're not covering shopping search in this class, but we're working on that for the Braintrust later on – not just Google but all of them.
Most of what is generally known about Google Product Search ranking is encapsulated in this guest post from Tom Critchlow at SEOMoz:
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/how-to-rank-well-in-google-products-search-a-big-list-of-places-to-get-reviews
I'd add to that, that there's a slight correlation between organic ranking and product search ranking, but I don't think that's cause-and-effect, I think that's "those who do effective work on SEO also work on optimizing their shopping feeds."
Thanks Dan!
Thanks for the video Dan. I love your stuff. I really liked the tip on quadrant testing. About a year and a half ago I read through Google's Adwords training classes about 6 times and felt like I had a good handle on how it all works. I was wondering if much has changed in Adwords since then and how your coarse will build on what I learned from Google. I've launched a new site selling underwater boat and dock lights and plan to use Adwords to get a few sales and do keyword research until my SEO kicks in.
Thank you for all your help!
@Tony, thanks – and if you're interested in more on ad testing, this post may add to your understanding: http://www.seofaststart.com/blog/split-testing-adwords-youre-doing-it-wrong
Author: Dan Thies Comment: "So, did your cost go back down after you dumped Google Analytics?"
No, but they stopped going up. I figured they had all of the information and my keywords do not change much.
"I hear this kind of suspicion mostly from affiliate marketers and lead-generation people, who have long suffered from back-handed price increases by Google based on quality scoring tricks."
I would imagine that's where I read it also and it made me take a closer look at my numbers. The bad news is it could be just coincidence. There are so many variables within adwords that could affect price. I have a number of strong competitors so who knows what they are doing with their bids, ads, and landing pages that may affect me. The good news is I have 26 landing pages all with Q scores of 7 – 10.
"I've got access to a lot of e-Commerce analytics accounts, and even when the ROI is in excess of 1000%, the click prices have remained pretty stable. Some up, some down, very slight trend up (less than rise in inflation) overall."
That makes me think it's other things besides Google analytics.
"You would expect costs to rise over time as more advertisers join the auction, and as advertisers optimize their value per click (profitability) and choose to bid more. That's Econ 101 – supply and demand – I say this less for your benefit and more for others who may read this later."
Which it could have been and my assumption was wrong because of it.
"The Vickrey auction means that effect is felt largely in the lower positions (below #1) in a lot of markets, which is why my e-Commerce friends who sit at the top of the page aren't seeing much of an increase in click prices."
I shoot for position 2 or 3 and with my Q score and CTR I come out OK. it would make sense that position 1 would be more stable.
"Google offered Analytics at a time when they had serious competition working toward the same goal. Yahoo also offers free analytics tools. So it's a competitive necessity, and if it helps advertisers become more profitable (yes, it does) then of course they spend more."
So you feel Google is on the up and up?
"The main cynical reason why Google would want you locked into their Analytics solution (which they encourage by automatically importing cost & click data from the Adwords account etc.) is that it doesn't give you a complete picture of search queries by default. The same reason, in other words, why they default to a broad match.
"
True, for me it's a little easier, my biggest client just uses part numbers so exact and phrase match get us what we want.
Dan, thank you for a great response!
Happy Googleing
Dan,
Are you going to include your link liberation classes as well as part of this package?
I for one am signing up for the PPC Course. I wanted to add that sometimes it's not Google being vindictive or unfair. For example, I found HTML Validation Errors like crazy when all of a sudden I dropped in Quality Score AND after I had made some changes that caused over 100 errors. If the Google Bot can't read the page, then of course the score is going to be terrible. Where I before had "it out for Google", I now have a slight change of heart. I wonder how many times I've silently cursed Google, when in fact I had screwed something up and didn't notice it. The truth is that I am looking forward to this Course because I am sure you will cover things like how to make sure your site is properly validated. I realize that there are rules to playing with Google and Google is a business. A private entity that doesn't HAVE to let us use their service. As such, we play by their rules or don't play. Can't wait. Am totally excited. -DK
When will the course be released?
Dan,
I recently found your web site.
Thanks for the the advice in your PPC Introduction. I have paused my money loosing campaign and will now spend my time working on content. Looking forward to the rest of your PPC course.
Thanks again,
Ed
Dan
Really cool video and easy to watch. Looking forward to more PPC info.
Thanks
Pieter
Where can I buy Your video course?
I would like to know where I can get the course too?
I plan to release a standalone version of the course in a few weeks, you can also join the SEO Braintrust as a Gold member right now, and get it over your first 2 months as a member, along with lots of other great content and access to our members-only forums.
Hey Dan,
I am wondering if you have your ppc class goign yet or not? I have been wandering around your website and find it almost impossible to nagivate it with any semblance of order or direction. I am trying to find info about how i take all of these classes but cant seem to. Can you give me a little help?
Thanks Dan, great stuff you got here!
Nathan
Nathan, please read the comment that I left right above yours, a couple days ago.
Hey Dan,
Came over based on a recommendation on your SEO book. Just read through it – although I'd consider myself quite experienced with SEO I still found it extremely helpful through your explanations and it gave me a lot of great ideas for a few niche sites I'd like to create.
Since I'm transitioning my online work into business ventures, PPC is definitely in my foresight.
I've played with Adwords a bit but there's just so much to get in to that if you can apply the same style to this work as you did in the SEO book than I'm totally game for this!
Really looking forward to what you have in store