Search Engine Optimization

 Zunch Nuz - Volume I, No. 2 -  2005

Meet a Zuncher

Laura Deerfield

Zunch Nuz recently sat down (via Instant Messenger) with Laura Deerfield, PPC Specialist for Zunch.

Zunch Nuz: Hi, Laura
lauradeerfield: Hi
Zunch Nuz: So...what do you do for Zunch?
lauradeerfield: I am the PPC Specialist. I run the pay-per-click campaigns on a day to day basis...
Zunch Nuz: And you write the ads, too?
lauradeerfield: that includes everything from initial keyword research to proposing budgets through daily bid management - and yes, writing the ads
Zunch Nuz: So, the challenge is to create a compelling ad with minimal words - since you only have about two small lines of copy on paid ads?
lauradeerfield: On Yahoo, the ads are a little longer... but still limited... and on Google, they are very short - a headline and two short lines of copy - what we call the "Google Haiku"
Zunch Nuz: Funny...and in your line of work, success is defined by people clicking on your ads, right?
lauradeerfield: Click-through rate (the number of people clicking on an ad as compared to how many times it shows up in a search) is one measure of success - but more than that, the important thing is whether those clicks convert to sales - so it's also important to select good landing pages, so that the visitor finds exactly what they are looking for
Zunch Nuz: right - so what is a good click-through percentage?
lauradeerfield: A good click through varies depending on industry, and on the populairty of a keyword. For a very general keyword, which many other advertisers are bidding on - .5% might be decent. But for a more specific term, I'd expect to see a click-through of 3% or higher
Zunch Nuz: let's talk about click fraud briefly
lauradeerfield: OK
Zunch Nuz: is Click Fraud still a menace - or is it becoming more easy to detect and control?
lauradeerfield: It's still a problem - no doubt... but we are learning to better identify the patterns that signal clickfraud - For example - a higher than average bounce rate (clicks where someone enters and than leaves immediately)
Zunch Nuz: (and just so our readers know: Click Fraud is a scam involving setting up a website affiliated with a major search engine, displaying pay-per-click advertising from the search engine and then using various methods to fraudulently increase the number of clicks to the advertiser from the affilate website.)
Zunch Nuz: and thereby getting paid for the clicks
lauradeerfield: Yes.
lauradeerfield: Click-fraud can be done by affiliate sites, or by competitors.
Zunch Nuz: and when they do it - they cost their competitor money
lauradeerfield: Yes - the affiliates try to make money off of it - the competitors simply try to get you to spend more
Zunch Nuz: How do you detect click fraud
lauradeerfield: as I mentioned - one signal is a high bounce rate...but we can find it by looking closely at traffic patterns - if there is a lot of traffic coming from third world countries which one would not expect, or there is a spike at an unusual time of day (like the middle of the night) We also look closely at the IP addresses of the traffic to see if there are a lot of clicks coming from a single IP. That's the main method of detection
Zunch Nuz: So people will actually employ out of country clickers for the specific purpose of either making money or taking money from a competitor
lauradeerfield: yes, that is a common means
Zunch Nuz: that's astounding
lauradeerfield: sometimes, they do it themselves... if a term is expensive enough, a few clicks a day can make a serious dent in a competitor's budget
Zunch Nuz: so if I'm paying $50 per click for my PPC ad on Google - a competitor can race right through my budget easily if undetected
lauradeerfield: exactly
Zunch Nuz: so - these would be the "black hats" we hear about in the search industry
lauradeerfield: Yes
Zunch Nuz: your hat is white, isn't it?
lauradeerfield: Very!
Zunch Nuz: ok - tell everyone something they don't know about Laura Deerfield
lauradeerfield: Oh, well... I used to be a professional chef.
Zunch Nuz: wow!
lauradeerfield: I write poetry, and have written a couple of screenplays.
lauradeerfield: And I'm about to start massage school.
Zunch Nuz: that is an amazing set of skills
lauradeerfield: I like to challenge myself.
Zunch Nuz: How do you enjoy the unique Zunch work environment?
lauradeerfield: I love the environment here.
Zunch Nuz: (you have to say that - it's OK) Give us the DIRT!
lauradeerfield: Not only the casual atmosphere, the bright colors and such... but the way that everyone is very supportive...honestly, I'd give you dirt if I had any, but I'm a lousy gossip!
Zunch Nuz: there is no cash award for this interview - you can stop now - kidding - zunch is very fun
lauradeerfield: Yes, it is. I looked at a lot of companies when I was moving back to Dallas - and I was impressed with Zunch - the atmosphere, and the general direction and design of the business
Zunch Nuz: well - just don't go leaving us for some full time chef/poetry/screenplay/massage job
lauradeerfield: not anytime soon
Zunch Nuz: good talking to you Laura - thanks for your time
lauradeerfield: Certainly, was a pleasure.

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