To use the new setting, you’ll need to have Conversion Tracking in your account, as we use the data from that tool to determine which ad is the most likely to receive conversions. When we don’t have enough data to make a decision, we’ll show the ad that is the most likely to receive clicks. If you have Conversion Tracking, the Optimize for conversions option will be available in the Ad delivery: Ad rotation, frequency capping section under Advanced settings on the Settings tab of any campaign. Once enabled, it will apply to all ads that appear on Google and our search and display partners’ sites.

Today we’re announcing the launch of a new ad rotation setting in AdWords that allows you to optimize for conversions. Previously, you had two options: Optimize for clicks: Ads that are expected to provide more clicks are shown more often Rotate: Ads are shown more evenly Now, with a third option, you can choose to show ads that are expected to provide more conversions more often. We’ve always encouraged you to test multiple ads in each ad group, and we’ve offered our help by showing ads with the highest clickthrough rates more often. However, some of you have told us that the ad with the highest clickthrough rate isn’t always the ad with the highest conversion rate and that you’d like to be able to optimize for conversions rather than clicks. Starting today, we’re allowing you to do just that. To use the new setting, you’ll need to have Conversion Tracking in your account, as we use the data from that tool to determine which ad is the most likely to receive conversions. When we don’t have enough data to make a decision, we’ll show the ad that is the most likely to receive clicks. If you have Conversion Tracking, the Optimize for conversions option will be available in the Ad delivery: Ad rotation, frequency capping section under Advanced settings on the Settings tab of any campaign. Once enabled, it will apply to all ads that appear on Google and our search and display partners’ sites. (click for full-size image) By providing another way to define the “best-performing” ad, we hope to make it easier for you to experiment with your ads and learn which ones are the most successful in helping you reach your advertising goals. For more information on ad rotation settings, please visit our Help Center.

See more at adwords.blogspot.com

If you’re running a PPC campaign but you’re not continually tinkering with the performance of your landing pages–also known as conversion rate optimization (CRO)–then you’re probably missing some major opportunities. Many online business owners and paid search marketers balk at CRO because they feel it’s:

The truth is, conducting your own CRO experiments is relatively fast, simple and very effective thanks to Google Website Optimizer (GWO).

Google Website Optimizer allows you to test different versions of a landing page so you can gather user performance data and select the page (or different elements of a page) that generates the most conversions. GWO offers users two types of conversion testing:

A/B (Split) Testing: Lets you test two versions of a page against one another to discover which page converts best. A/B testing is particularly helpful when you’ve got two entirely different PPC landing page designs you want to test.

Multivariate Testing (MVT): Lets you test multiple elements of a page simultaneously. You can test different headlines, different videos or a different call-to-action (CTA) on a single page. MVT helps you determine which mix of on-page elements generates the most conversions. Read more at www.searchenginejournal.com