martinibuster - 7:40 am on Apr 11, 2007 (gmt 0)

i contend that broad match on "widgets" and similar short tail *core keywords* from established advertisers systematically trump clever newcomer attempts to use long tail keywords...

Bidding on "widgets" (broad match) can bring a ton of useless traffic like FREE widgets, widget CRACKS, different language widgets, widget reviews (not necessarily on the buying part of the buy cycle, i.e. will convert at a lower rate than "cheap widgets"), widget tutorials, topless widgets, etc. So you have to add negative words (do you use negative keywords?)

If you are coming up against eight pages of ads then maybe that niche is played out and takes a bit more creativity like adding signals to your ads to discourage frivolous clickers (like price points or the word BUY).

Also, being up top doesn't mean you're getting all the conversions. Bidding low can be a filter in itself, don't discount being listed seventh or on the second page as meaning the other bidders are scooping all the sales.

Boxers have weight classes. A flyweight maybe shouldn't get in the ring with heavyweights. By heavyweights I mean folks who have the budget, experience, and technical expertise to make an eight page niche work for them. I'm not implying that you are a flyweight, only saying that getting into the heavyweight ring may be tough and nothing but, and that's the nature of that battle.

The moderators of this forum astound me with the depth of their grasp of the PPC field. I'm certain I'm only touching the surface. I'm nowhere near the expert of those folks and am not a PPC guru. But in my experience in certain niches, certain three+ word keyword phrases convert more than the two word variants that have more traffic.