Ask any real PPC professional, and they will tell you that the #1 key to being successful with pay per click marketing is split-testing.
The reason why is that without testing everything having to do with your campaign, you are destined for failure. Not only do you need to optimize your PPC text ads, but you also need to make sure your bid prices are being optimized.
Changing just one word in an ad can increase click through rates by more than 400%. Not only that but changing punctuation can have an even greater effect. Landing pages can be optimized too! Shifting parts of your site, changing colors, and changing images will all change the conversion rate of your website. You need to find what changes the conversion and click-through rates for the better.
To be successful, you have to test all the time. As soon as one test is done, you need to move on and test the same thing again.
One of the best ways we know of to split-test is by using what is called the Chi-Square formula. The Chi-Square formula gives you a mathematical breakdown as to the significance of a certain test. Once we know that test results are relevant, we can then move on and continue to test.
Using the Chi-Square formula, we can make sure that our tests are a minimum of 95% accurate. There are software programs to do this, but it is beyond the scope of this article.
An example of this is if I were to play Doyle Brunson in a game of heads up poker, there is a small chance that I might beat him once or maybe even a few times. However, if Doyle Brunson and I were to play 100 matches of heads up poker, it is highly unlikely that I would beat him more times than he beat me.
This goes to show you how important it is to have more than just a few pieces of information before making a conclusive decision.
It is harder than you think to find a PPC management company that knows what they are doing. A lot of the so-called “Professional Agencies” have literally no idea what they are doing, and do next to no split-testing at all. Don’t fall into one of their money traps, and make sure you know what you are getting before you get management for your PPC account.