Dear Jeff,

We need to talk.

Yesterday, I was logging into Google Adwords when I noticed this picture of you. Jeff, you look great. It’s the caption that scares the bejesus out of me.

You don’t want to pay for the keyword “organic.” Not now, not ever. This keyword will drain your budget so fast that you might have more fun watching the cash swirl counter clockwise into the depths of your septic system.

If you appear for keywords such as “organic”, hopefully you don’t have it set on broad match because–if you do– your ads are probably appearing for keywords that have nothing to do with your business such as “organic chemistry”, “organic clothing”, “organic soil.” Jeff, Google’s belly is getting full from your hard earned cash. You’re going to get a ton of “curiosity clicks” from people that don’t need catering and aren’t getting married. Trust me Jeff, this traffic is no good. Total ROI waster.

You’re much better off bidding for keywords like “organic catering”, “organic weddings”, “sustainable catering”, or even “wedding catering” if you want a broader audience. If you want to get after the organic market in SF, I might recommend regionally targeted display/banner ads in relevant websites. Sponsor organic events and help establish online relationships with your audience. It will be lower ROI, but a better way to build brand than a text ad.

Anyways, I want to make it up to you. I’m happy to give you a few hours of my time for free. Feel free to call our office and I’ll go combing through your campaigns to see if I can offer ways to make it better- no charge.

Love always,

John Lynch
Director of Search
Serengeti Communications
@johnslynch