Advertisers who participate in search engine marketing efforts are always trying to figure out how to set their text ad apart from the competition.  While creative and captivating ad copy is definitely an important element, there are other ways to make ads more attractive to searchers.

Google AdWords advertisers who also have Google Checkout on their site are now permitted to have the Google Checkout Badge displayed within their sponsored ads.  Google Checkout is a merchant account that creates a one stop location for customers to purchase and track orders across multiple sites.  Not only does this tool make shopping more convenient for the consumer, but it also protects them from fraudulent transactions.  The premium security and outstanding reputation associated with the Google Checkout product makes consumers feel more comfortable and confident about their purchase. 

If you already have a Google Checkout account, implementing this feature is very easy; all you need to do is access the Campaign Settings tab within Google Adwords.  In the Campaign Settings area, click Edit under Networks, Devices, and Extensions.  Check the box next to Connect to my Google Merchant Center Account, enter your account number and you’re done.

Once this process about has been completed, your ads will look similar to the one below.

So what are you waiting for?  Link your Google Checkout account to your Google AdWords campaign and associate your brand with this highly regarded Google product.  If you don’t already have a Google Checkout account, why not create one today?  With a limited amount of participating advertisers, now is the perfect time to take advantage of this feature; best of all, it’s free!

Every online advertiser knows that search engine marketing is a contributor for generating sales, but how do you know if your online campaign is actually producing a return on investment?

Calculating your return on investment (ROI), or rate of return, is not only easy to do, but it can also help you determine how your overall campaign is performing.  ROI can be calculated by using this formula:

ROI = (Revenue – Investment) ÷ Investment × 100

For example, if you generated $3000 in revenue and spent $150 in online advertising, your ROI would be 1,900%.

While attracting searchers to your site is important for branding your business, products and services; generating revenue is really the main objective.  That being said, it is not suggested to completely cease all branding campaigns, as these visitors may convert to customers at a later date.  Try testing different strategies such as, lowering campaigns budgets or excluding geographic areas that generate a large amount of visitors, but do not necessarily result in sales.

I have utilized these suggestions for several clients and as a result, have seen dramatic improvements in not only in the average order value and amount of sales, but more importantly the ROI.  While there is no exact formula for making a campaign perform; testing one strategy is not recommended.  You do not want to automatically deem your campaign a failure if you’re not seeing a positive ROI within the first days or weeks of beginning a new campaign. It can take time to determine which technique works best for your campaign; so keep testing and experimenting.

With the arrival of the New Year, 2010 is the perfect time to evaluate your online campaigns and budgets.  It should come as no surprise that advertisers are allocating more of their budgets to support pay per click efforts.  According to eMarketer.com, it is projected that online advertisers will spend $11.4 billion in advertising for 2010; an increase of over $600 million from 2009.

When assessing your budget, try allocating more of your budget toward campaigns that indicate special savings.  By incorporating these promotions into your ad copy, not only can you make your brand loyal customers aware of these deals, but you may also acquire new customers. Simply offering a promotion on your site alone may not produce the exposure you are looking for.

Another way to maximize your budget is to analyze your ecommerce and conversion results per state.  Specific states that perform better than others should have their campaign duplicated and geo-targeted to concentrate on a certain area.  By breaking these campaigns out into area specific budgets, it allows you the opportunity to garner more sales within this designated area or areas.

With so many different opportunities to generate sales online sales, now is the time to increase your budget to support new, fun and creative promotions.  Having the budget to support new campaign initiatives can help make 2010 a great year for your online business.