PPC Advertising Online | Innovative Search Engine Marketing Solutions » Google Adwords

Google Instant, Learn to Love It…

PPC Advertising Online — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 17:26:34 +0000

Loyal readers probably noticed that it has been some time since my last post, but I do have a pretty good reason. Google recently made a big change in the way that people search online. Allow me to introduce you to Google Instant, a new game-changing feature in the dynamic world of Pay Per Click Advertising.

If the hyperlink is leaving anybody confused, or you haven’t experienced the new feature first hand, Google basically predicts your search before you finish typing it. It may offer new suggestions based on search volume, or even correct misspellings as you type, in an attempt to speed up the average time of a search. Although this feature seems helpful, it has been having some interesting effects on Google AdWords accounts.

Increased impression volume, lower click-through-rates, and spikes in ad spend, seem to be the most common side effects. This is because even the most relevant long tail keyword variations, are generating impressions by displaying ads as soon as a person searches a key phrase located within the term. This is causing impression spikes in broad match, which inevitably lead to lower click-through-rates (compare this to the search network vs. the display network). The increased impressions also translate to more exposure, which brings in more clicks over time, which drives up costs over time (without the promise of a higher conversion rates).

These changes have forced several advertisers to reformulate their strategies. Negative Exact Keyword variations are growing in popularity in order to help preserve CTR’s and keep costs down. This tactic allows the brunt of the traffic to be taken off of your broad and shorter keywords variations. If this is not enough, pausing broad match entirely, might be your best choice until you can restructure the account and optimize your keyword variations.

Despite having to tweak existing accounts, there is a very big positive side effect to come about from the birth of Google Instant. As you may or may not know, the the AdWords Reporting Center has been retired. Although the days of the all-mighty Search Query Report are long gone, there is a more intuitive way to generate negatives & account keywords within your campaigns.

Under the “Keywords” tab, there is a new button that reads” “See Search Terms…” Simply click on the button, select “All,” and you will be able to see every keyword that caused your ads to display within any given timeline. Click the radio button and add the term as a negative or account keyword to refine and increase the relevance of the traffic coming into your site.

Personally, I recommend looking at any extreme changes in account performance, and then determine which areas need to be optimized. Give higher spending campaigns top priority and evaluate performance at the granular level by analyzing adgroups and specific keyword variations. One single broad match term could throw off the profitability of entire account, so be sure to identify the root of problem before making major changes.

No matter what your take on Google Instant is at this time, I suggest you learn to love it – because it looks like it’s here to stay.

Should I Use PPC if I Rank High Organically?

PPC Advertising Online — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 01:18:20 +0000

There is a lot of debate over whether or not to continue using Pay Per Click advertising after your site begins to rank organically for your top performing keywords. Over time, store owners would ideally like to cut expenses by increasing free traffic streams to their site through SEO & Social Media efforts. However, deciding to pull the plug completely on your Sponsored Search initiatives, could have some very serious consequences on your overall performance.

The freedom of the Internet allows your competitors to bid on on literally any keyword under the sun. Because of this, the marketplace is fierce. Although you may have the top organic listing, that doesn’t mean that some “fly-by-night” company can’t spring up and pay a lower price to display ads in the spot that you once occupied (or worse, display an ad above your organic listing).

Also, the intelligence of the buying public is growing each and every day, and they actually tend to utilize the “Sponsored Links” section when they are at the final stage of the buying cycle, since they know that this space is a favorite hangout for ecommerce sites. Although free traffic may sound appealing, there is a certain level of reputability and brand reinforcement that is achieved by taking advantage of this double exposure, as well as an increased likelihood of converting.

Maintaining your PPC campaigns, also allows you to protect the integrity of your brand. As I mentioned earlier, the competition can bid on any keyword that they’re willing to pay money for – including your company name. If you aren’t at the very top of the page for your own site, it is likely that a percentage of searchers will never reach your store (despite their previous intent to). This tactic has also been proven to increase overall click-through-rates, as it further justifies the legitimacy of the user generated query.

Consistency is also a benefit of running PPC ads despite an uptick in organic traffic. Unlike paid search, your rank on the search engines can fluctuate greatly over a relatively short period of time. Between search algorithms, changing content, and competing SEO efforts – assuming that you will hold the top spot forever, simply isn’t feasible. Unlike sponsored links, you cannot go to the top of the search results with a simple bid increase. By doubling up on your efforts, you are not only protecting your stake in the online marketplace, but ensuring visibility when your organic efforts begin to slack.

Increased control, is also an additional benefit that PPC has over SEO. Pay Per Click campaigns allow you to execute time-sensitive promotions, customize ad content, and immediately respond to current trends in the marketplace, while organic listings wait be crawled and updated by the search engines. The control of paid search, also allows you the ability to respond to negative press, or give specific landing pages additional exposure based on demand. This control allows for a more proactive approach to your online marketing initiatives.

When it’s all said and done though, there will still be people that argue that it is pointless to “waste” money on sponsored links when you already have first page listings for your top keywords (including trademarks). However, I would never go so far as to call it a “waste.” Whenever I’m not sure about the best approach, I look at what the competition is doing, and the bigger the competitor – the better. Search for Amazon, Best Buy, Gap, Old Navy, TigerDirect, Walmart, or anybody else who can afford an in-house marketing department, and you will see that they have sponsored listings for their own brands.

If however you decide to stop advertising once you reach the top spot on Google, I recommend doing so with caution. Try ramping back on your spend in the beginning to see how it affects your traffic levels & sales volume. If the value of the reduced cost is greater than the decreased performance, try lowering your bids again and remember to track the changes to your bottom line. Every account is different, however you don’t want to limit the exposure of your business with the simple goal of saving money.

AdWords Column Metrics Increase Insight

PPC Advertising Online — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 03:27:11 +0000

Google’s gone and done it again. If their new user-friendly interface wasn’t enough to get you excited for AdWords, their new column options might.

Now you have the ability to enable conversion value and average order value to display on the campaign, adgroup and keyword levels with a simple click. This data was previously only available in the reporting tab, but now these figures can be used to make precise bid changes on the fly. Gone are the days of opening up multiple tabs or referencing printed reports to increase the efficiency of your campaigns.

These new column options are much like those found within Yahoo’s interface, which unfortunately will be phased out completely in the upcoming months as a part of the new ”Search Alliance” with Bing. Although Google has yet to incorporate ROAS figures within their working interface, it should only be a matter of time before it becomes available.

With the partnership of Yahoo & Microsoft and the shift to the adCenter interface, it’s great to see AdWords raising the bar to continue increasing usability and insight. Paired with sorting capabilities, users can easily identify their top-earning keywords and make more informed decisions based on information that trumps conventional CPA figures alone.

Quality Score vs. Cold Cash

PPC Advertising Online — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 14:16:36 +0000

Quality Score is defined by Ad Synergies as, “An algorithm used in the Pay Per Click advertising platforms for ranking the relevancy of landing pages to their corresponding PPC advertisements and keywords. Higher quality scores indicate a stronger correlation – thus giving the customer what they are searching for. This increased “quality” or relevance is often rewarded by the PPC platforms with lower keyword costs and improved ad placement position.”

In a nutshell, you should be able to achieve a higher position at a lower cost-per-click based how relevant your keywords are to your ad copy and landing page. Although it may seem pretty straightforward, every search engine is different, and the metrics used to calculate this score are far from transparent.

Advertising on search engines is based on an open market system, so it is very possible that a less relevant site, bidding on the very same keywords, may rank higher simply because they are willing to pay more for a click to their site. Search engines are no different than your business, they are out to make money. Quality score is a way to justify higher costs with vague descriptions and secret formulas that are used to calculate relevance.

Pay Per Click companies claiming to “manipulate” the quality score – unfortunately, are bound by the same restrictions as everybody else. Nobody wants to pay for a poor placement, however in this case “money talks.” The more general your keywords are, the higher price you are likely to pay.

The best way to bypass this common pitfall is to utilize long tail keyword variations. These are often overlooked by most advertisers, and may help to increase the relevance of the traffic that enters your site. Although these terms don’t yield as much traffic, they can certainly help advertisers obtain a fair amount of relevant exposure when operating within a limited budget.

Google’s Robust Remarketing Feature

PPC Advertising Online — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 03:48:38 +0000

Even if you’re familiar with AdWords, you may not be familiar with the concept of Remarketing. Also known as Retargeting, this new feature allows you to display your ads to people on the Content Network who have previously visited your site, viewed a key landing page, or completed a predetermined action of your choosing.

The main goal of this feature is to qualify a visitors interest in your products and then reach out to them again, in an attempt to recapture an otherwise lost conversion. Google allows you to define a specific audience of users on your site by installing a custom cookie on one or more landing pages. Once a user visits a tagged page, their IP address is collected within AdWords in order to redistribute your ads to that specific group (audience) over the Content Network.

For example, say you are looking to sell a surplus of platinum wedding rings. Your landing page is getting plenty of traffic, however your products just aren’t selling. You can install a cookie on your platinum wedding ring product page, which will trigger a relevant ad to display to any visitor who who previously landed on this url, but failed to convert. These ads will be served over the Google Content Network, but will not be displayed to the general public. Because of this, the clicks received through a Remarketing Campaign are much more relevant, and therefore more likely to result in a conversion – since the target audience has already expressed interest in the specific products you are looking to sell.

There are also Custom Combinations, which allow you to target multiple and or exclude specific actions on your site. Let’s say a visitor enters the platinum wedding ring page and ends up purchasing on the spot. Naturally, you wouldn’t want to redistribute your ads to existing customers since the likelihood of a repeat purchase for the same product in such a short period of time is pretty unlikely. You can install a second tag on the order confirmation page, and much like a negative keyword – set up a rule which will prevent your ads from displaying to a specific group of people (i.e. existing customers).

Proper utilization of Google’s Remarketing feature is also a great way to expand your customer base. You can set up Custom Combinations specifically geared toward reducing cart abandonment by creating hidden landing pages and secret coupon codes that will be displayed to people who place products in your cart, but ultimately fail to convert. This cart abandonment can be due to elevated shipping costs or visitors who are simply in the data gathering phase that need an added incentive to finalize their purchase.

Although this highly targeted traffic has been proven to increase sales, it does come with a price. Much like the Google Search Network, the Content Network operates on an open auction bidding system, so you will be competing with other advertisers on 3rd party and publisher sites. When setting up your Remarketing Campaign, in order to receive impressions, it is recommended that you set maximum CPC’s at $2 to $3 in order to ensure that your ads are displayed. Also worth noting, you must collect a sample size of 500 unique IP addresses before your ads begin to display through a Google Remarketing Campaign.

Distinguishing Keyword Match Types

PPC Advertising Online — Fri, 28 May 2010 11:10:10 +0000

In Pay Per Click Advertising, you choose keywords that relevant to your site or service offerings and designate a maximum cost-per-click that you are willing to pay in order to bring a person into your site. Your ads display based on your own custom keyword lists, and only do so when they match the queries that people are searching. Although this all seems pretty straight forward, there is another factor that should be utilized to not only ensure relevance, but save you money over the course of your online campaigns. Keyword Match Types, are essential in in achieving these objectives.

There are four match types that can be utilized in the world of Paid Search: Broad, Phrase, Exact & Negative. It is best to think of these types in regard to relevance in order to better understand the function of each.

Broad Match keyword variations have the “broadest” relevance. Let’s say your online store sells high-end aviator sunglasses. Naturally, you want people who are searching for this particular style to see your inventory, so you decide to bid on this keyword. Under the guides of the broad match version of the term: aviator sunglasses, anybody searching for this keyword should see your ad. However, because this match type has the broadest relevance, your ad may also display under the following sample queries: “sunglasses aviator, expensive sunglasses that aviators wear, buy aviator sunglasses from top gun, etc.” Bidding on this match type allows the order of the keyword to be switched and other variants to be added to the beginning, middle, or end of the core keyword: aviator sunglasses.

Phrase Match keyword variations, on the other hand, must include the “phrase” to be relevant. In this case, the term will show up in quotations within the AdWords interface in order to distinguish it from a broad match type (i.e. “aviator sunglasses”). Unlike the aforementioned, phrase match variations must follow the same order as they appear within quotes. That being said, your ad may also display under the following sample queries: “mirrored aviator sunglasses, aviator sunglasses suck, cheap aviator sunglasses for sale, etc.” So long as the phrase “aviator sunglasses” remains intact, your ad has the potential to display.

Exact Match keyword variations will only display your ad when it is searched “exactly” as it is entered. This is illustrated within AdWords through the use of brackets to differentiate this type from the previous two (i.e. [aviator sunglasses]). No matter what variations are searched, your ad will only show when somebody searches for: “aviator sunglasses.”

Although it may be tempting to use only exact match since they don’t allow for any other keyword variations to trigger your ad, there is still one last type that can (and should always) be utilized. Negative Match keywords are unlike the other types, because they will never cause your ad to display. Shown in AdWords with a minus sign (-) in front of the keyword, this type of term will prevent your ad from being seen for searches that you deem irrelevant (i.e. -suck, -cheap, – top gun).

It is best practice to utilize broad, phrase & exact match types when conducting keyword research. Since there is no way to add every relevant variation during the initial account build, broad & phrase match types should prove to be very effective at driving a majority of traffic to your site. Over time, you will discover new terms that have varying levels of value to the account whether you decide to bid on them or add specific variables to your list of negatives.

Google Ad Planner Top 1000 List

PPC Advertising Online — Thu, 27 May 2010 23:58:59 +0000

When attempting to raise brand awareness on the Content Network, exposure means everything. Google just made the process a little easier with a list of the top 1,000 sites on the web ranked by unique visitors. The Ad Planner Top 1,000 List is published monthly, and includes the number of page views, as well as the reach for each site listed.

When properly utilized, the list acts as a perfect guide for finding high traffic site placements. You can easily determine whether specific sites serve Google Ads, or even decide if a potential placement is right for you based on the category listing. By segmenting placements of interest within their own campaigns, you can have total control over spend as well as positioning on some of the most popular Internet hot spots.

Google even went so far as to create an export feature, that allows you to easily transfer Content Network placements from Ad Planner directly into your AdWords account. These are automatically set up as new campaigns or ad groups, and should prove to be one of the easiest ways to build media plans of managed placements.

Although this is an amazing way to easily saturate the most visited sites on the Internet with your ads, be wary, as higher traffic sites translate to higher spend and competition. Try creating some placements with conservative budgets and lower maximum CPC’s to figure out if your spend allows you to show up on these sites. Be aware, that if your ads qualify, they will display on these sites regardless of relevance, since placements are not keyword targeted by default.

Also, it may not a bad idea to research each site to determine if your ad units are actually served. Publishers typically pick ad blocks based on performance, as well as aesthetic appeal with regard to their site design.

Google’s New Adwords Interface

PPC Advertising Online — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 06:32:41 +0000

If you’ve been a Google AdWords client for awhile now, you have probably noticed the new user interface (UI). If you’re anything like me, you are very skeptical of change – however this isn’t necessarily a bad one. I truly believe that Google has the consumer as their number one priority, and the new UI further solidifies my theory.

In the past, you would have to click a campaign in order to enter an adgroup, and only after clicking through the organizational hierarchy, would you be able to view data at the keyword level. Well, not any more. With an advanced sorting feature, advertisers are able to view conversion data at the campaign, adgroup, and keyword level with a simple click of the mouse.

You can organize even the most granular of data, based on cost, conversions, CPA, CPC or even average position. This takes a lot of the guesswork, as well as the wasted time typically associated with trying to isolate problematic areas of your AdWords account.

Besides keyword data, you can also identify the top performing text or image ads, and then modify others to mimic the tactics that have been proven to work over time in order to increase the overall performance of your account.

Google even offers a handy expandable menu to the left, that allows users to search their ‘Help Center’ – just in case you encounter any hang-ups along the way. Located within this ‘Help Menu,’ are several helpful links that can get you started on the road to Pay Per Click success. These links include tutorials that cover topics like: How an AdWords Account is Structured, an AdWords Beginner’s Guide, as well as Recent Changes to the Interface.

AB Test Your Ads for Better Results

PPC Advertising Online — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:32:32 +0000

If you have ever run multiple ad variations within the same adgroup, you will probably realize that one ends up outperforming the other. This is totally natural, and although you may not know it, it is actually an example of “AB Testing.”

AB Testing (also known as multi-variant testing) is simply the tactic of running two different variations side by side until a clear cut winner is established. The metrics used to determine the winner can be CTR, conversion volume, ROAS or any other statistic that you are looking to achieve.

Since it is impossible to know what text will appeal to your targeted demographic, trying a few different ad variations is a a very wise decision in the world of PPC. By testing incentives such as: free shipping, coupon codes, and product distinctions, you may be able to quickly determine what is most important to your target audience.

Although you may be able to find out what your customer base is looking for, that doesn’t mean your search for the perfect ad should stop there. Test out different variables that include custom titles, specific calls to action, as well as price points, that are aimed at reaching audiences at different stages of the buying cycle.

Google AdWords offers an unlimited number of variations within any given adgroup, so feel free to experiment. Remember the phrase “Always Be Testing,” and you’ll be sure to remember to never stop the search for the perfect ad.

Advertising on the Content Network

PPC Advertising Online — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 06:15:33 +0000

If you have ever read a blog, visited a forum, or even browsed popular news sites – you have more than likely seen a variety of advertisements adorning the page. Believe it or not, in most cases these are Pay Per Click ads fed through Google, Yahoo and Bing. Site owners allow sponsored links from these engines to be placed on their site in return for a a portion of the revenue generated from every click. The compilation of these privately owned sites, are what is most often referred to as the Content Network.

Much like advertising on the Search Engine itself, the Content Network has many similarities. The average Cost-Per-Click (CPC) typically varies from site to site. For example, you would probably pay a higher price to have your ads show on CNN’s site, compared to that of a local news channel’s page. You also do not incur any charges unless somebody makes a conscious effort to click on your advertisement. Just like negative keywords protect you from unnecessary costs on Search Engines, the Content Network has negative placements that stop your ads from showing on sites that hold little or no relevance, so managing these campaigns is quite similar.

The Content Network, does however have some big differences. Because your ads have the possibility to show up on literally 1,000′s of partner sites, these campaigns have a tendency to spend a lot of money due to the increased number of impressions. Along with this, Click-Through-Rates (CTR’s) typically run below average since people aren’t necessarily coming to the site to purchase what you are selling. Several people go to Content pages for reviews, information, and support – so it might be a good idea to edit your negative keyword list to ensure that you are not cutting off a large portion of your target market (or sending the wrong type of traffic).

One of the best tactics for starting up a Content campaign is separating it from your Search campains, so you can accurately track the progress of your efforts. Because the bidding structure is also different, the separation allows you to better control the spending habits of the two separate networks. Cutting out Phrase & Exact matchtypes, is also a great starting point for Content campaigns, as you can get a lot of great exposure for your ads in the beginning before you start adding site exclusions. Also, be sure to set budgets low and keep bids conservative in the beginning so you don’t end up blowing through your designated allotment before the end of the month.