The folks over at PPC Hero are doing a new series this week on paid search advertising called "Learn to Think and Search Like Your Customers." Their goal is to break down the different areas of paid search campaigns and to help you learn how taking the time to really consider your customer can help you position your product to be THE answer to their search.

John launches the week long series today. His first post points out that it all starts with understanding your customer:

Everyone is different and sees the world through their individual set of filters. The millions of people who use search engines each day are no exception. Thankfully, as advertisers, each of us comes to the table with a pre-defined product or service that segments those millions of searchers into more manageable chunks. Very quickly you can begin to make assertions about your customer's needs based on what your business’s offering, and you can answer some basic questions.

John goes on to offer up some solid examples of how certain keyword phrases give you insight into the person running the search. He also explains how you can use this insight to write ad text and landing pages that are more likely to convert your clicks into purchases.

It's solid advice. When setting up paid search campaigns, it can be really easy to get caught up in getting higher placement or driving more traffic,

Coming up the rest of the week:

Tuesday: How to Predict When Your Traffic Will Drop and Ways to Prevent It

Wednesday: How to Use Analytics and Reports to Get to Know Your Customers Better

Thursday: How to Fit General Keywords into a Profitable Campaign

Friday: How to Use Long Tail Keywords to Target Searchers When They’re Ready to Buy

Incidentally, if you're new to paid search advertising, you should add PPC Hero to your RSS feed.