We’ve talked about not running too many keywords (if any) on broad match, but recently we’ve seen a lot of cases of the inverse – people wanting to run only on exact match. Don’t do this either! If you run too many keywords on exact match, you won’t be able to gain any query information …
When setting up an AdWords campaign, it is very tempting to check the box to optimize based on conversion data immediately. While you usually can’t choose CPA bidding when you start, you can check the box that says eCPC, and we see that many clients do this. However, don’t! Google’s conversion optimization algorithms need at …
Lesson #28: Don’t Turn On Conversion Optimization Too Soon Read More »
Impression Share may be one of the most useful and least utilized metrics in search marketing – exact match impression share, that is. Utilizable for the search network only, exact match impression share tells the advertiser what percentage of the possible impressions for their keywords (taking match types into account) the ads are showing up on. …
Lesson #25: Look to Impression Share For Missed Opportunities Read More »
To bid or not to bid? That is the question. Bidding on an advertiser’s own brand keywords is a very contentious topic within the SEM community. However, from every test I’ve seen, bidding on your own brand keywords is not only the best practice – it makes a significant difference when it comes to ROI. …
An advertiser has a beautiful expensive landing page or homepage that shows off the large array of products available on their site. But that doesn’t mean it’s the right page to send paid traffic to. Always send paid traffic to the most relevant page possible on the site. It may be a search results page, it …
Lesson #17: Send Customers To The Most Relevant Landing Page Read More »
Earlier we discussed how important it is for an advertiser to run more than one ad at a time. But if an advertiser is running 3-5 ads per campaign at a time, how can they be sure which ad is performing the best? Google AdWords currently provides the advertiser with three options when it comes …
Lesson #15: Rotate Ads Evenly (Or Auto-Optimize Ad Rotation) Read More »
In Google AdWords, the plural version of a keyword is not the same as its singular version. As a result, Google counts plurals as separate from singulars in search query reports, when determining which ad to show for the search results, and when determining keyword match types. It is therefore incredibly important to include both …
Ad Position refers to where exactly your ad shows up in the search results. Generally speaking, in Google there are usually three ads above the organic results, (ad positions 1-3), and then 6 ads or so along the right sidebar (positions 4-10). As you go to additional pages in the search results, you may see different …
Google has several automated bidding options, in which an advertiser can chose to allow AdWords to automatically choose keyword bids in order to maximize clicks or conversions. However, it is advisable not to use autobid, especially when starting out. There are many reasons for this advice, but the three biggest are as follows: 1. Autobidding …
Google AdWords, MSN, and Facebook all operate on the same principle: they all take advantage of an auction system. While the amount you bid per click is the maximum amount you are willing to pay, 95% of the time, you do not wind up paying your bid. You usually will wind up paying less or …
