A Little Mistake in Google AdWords that's Costing You 17% Extra Per-Click

Theres a very simple, free way to boost the performance The Dark Knight Curse your Google Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ads. Yet look in almost any category of PPC ads and youll see most advertisers arent using it. Why?

Which of the following two ads gives you the most useful information?

"Womens Water Shoes

Go Stylish! Ultra-Light. Anti-Slip.

Lady Form-Fit. Funky fabrics. Save."

or

"Womens Water Shoes

Go Stylish! Ultra-Light. Anti-Slip.

Lady Form-Fit. Funky fabrics $17.87"

The second ad pulled significantly more buyers than the first. The only difference is the inclusion of price in the second ad.

Because of its greater attractiveness, and the way that Google rewards ads with a greater Quality Score, the average per-click cost was 17% less for the second ad. Thats a huge saving in a market where you need every advantage you can grab.

The second ad resulted in a campaign that brought increasing numbers of buyers. Buyers who knew a great deal about the client's product (womens water shoes) before they had even clicked on the ad. Whats more, there are other great benefits of putting price in your ad text. What are they?

- Potential buyers are less likely to click on your ad if theyre unwilling to pay the price youre asking. This is actually to your advantage, as it saves you money; you avoid expensive clicks from time-wasters.

- Your ad is likely to attract significantly more attention than competing ads which arent providing price information.

But what if you've a number of products or varieties on a single web-page, and its impossible to create one ad covering them all? Break your ads down into more targeted groups. And mention the item's price in each ad. This is an under-used strategy that costs you absolutely nothing.

After youve decided to include price in your ad text, the next question to ask yourself is this; what price should I display?

Heres the interesting result of a study by legendary marketer and copywriter Ted Nicholas, who has tested pricing extensively;

Ted reports that prices ending in the number 7 work better than any other number. For example, instead of $ 8.99, try $ 8.97 (or even better - $ 8.87).

Rather than $179, try $187.

Youre likely to find your response improves by using this simple technique alone. Who else knows this? Go down to your local Wal-Mart (youd expect them to know a thing or two about prices that work).

Take a look at their prices. How many end in the number 7?

Theres a reason the number 7 is considered lucky by most people. Try it yourself - you might be pleasantly surprised. See if 7's a winning digit for you, in your quest for that ever-critical Google advertising edge.

Roger Hall of betterclix.com/BetterClix.com develops programs and pay-per-click ads to help you succeed in your business. Find out more today how to create Pay-Per-Click ads that work, with his popular FREE PPC Tips for advertisers. Available at: => betterclix.com/adwordsmyths.htmlbetterclix.com/adwordsmyths.html

Harajuku Girls

Gwen Stefani, lead singer of the cheap car insurance quote band No Doubt, has lead Buckaroo Banzai Madonna-esque fashion revolt in both her recent videoclip for her single What Thomasdewey Waiting For and her solo album Love, Angel, Music, Baby. Her catchy 80s inspired popish tunes, platinum blonde hair and Like A Virgin kit out on the album cover art only reinforce her homage to the material girl, even though it may be somewhat tongue in cheek.

But its her references to the Japanese Harajuku Girls peppered throughout the album and on one track in particular that has drawn interest from a diverse range of commentators.

So who are these Harajuku Girls anyway?

The Harajuku District of Tokyo and in particular Takeshita Street, a narrow street lined with shops is home to these funky fashionistas. Since the end of World War II, consumerism and consumption have become the national past-time for most Japanese and in particular teenage girls who often live at home with their parents well into their twenties. Their rent free existence provides them with the enough funds to flock to Harajuku every weekend, where they transform themselves into Lolita-esque baby doll caracitures.

Its all a sort of a pop-art meets pop-culture meets Western decadence kinda street where often a t-shirt with a western image like Mickey Mouse can go for affordable auto insurance hundred dollars a pop. This constant pursuit of rock n roll pop star hipness Star Wars to teenage boys too. They in turn have opted for the western inspired hip-hop culture of disheveled jeans hanging half way to their knees, caps at all angles on their heads and of course lots and lots of bling.

Often the net result looks like something out of a Manga comic book as the fashionistas of Harajuku compete to look less human and more iconic. Not concerned about what we in the West may see as a conflict of style over substance, Harajuku Girls unlike the Goths, punks and bond girls that came before are not about rebellion from society. No, in fact these girls, like most Japanese, are often extremely polite and happy to pose for photographs with inquisitive tourists who gather every Sunday to take happy snaps of these super-model caricatures.

For the Girls of Harajuku, their most extreme vice may be a simple cigarette.

Peter Shuttlewood is the author of webzine freshread.com/freshread which contains articles on Popular Culture with an Australian slant. freshread.com/Freshread - the everyday in a fresh way.