By Alexis Vickery, Account Manager
Paid search campaigns evolve and progress as our goals shift throughout the lifetime of a marketing strategy. Like any other long-term endeavor, we need to continually access and reorganize to facilitate best results. And, to quote a great man, “information is only as useful as the actions that result from it”. By taking our data and knowledge from an account and acting upon it, we make informed decisions on how to organize our campaigns. Therefore, an account restructure creates an excellent opportunity to access, apply, standardize, and expand within our accounts and across search engines.
The first step to any change is accessing the situation at hand and the objective goals. Since there are many different strategies within paid search, consideration of the goal drastically changes the structure of a search campaign. Accessing the direct goal in mind, whether it be awareness or direct response, and how it correlates to the campaign performance will therefore highlight what changes need to be made.
Applying the guidelines for the restructure takes the goals and tactics into consideration and weighing it against performance data to generate a tailor-made model for the campaign in question. For example, taking into consideration the search volume of highly converting keywords can allow structural changes to be made that give top performers the highest budget, quality score, and share of voice. On the other hand, if other keywords drive large volume and budget spend, but with less direct conversions, grouping them in high volume, budget-capped campaigns with match type build-outs could drive more efficiency. Whatever the goal may be, structuring the campaign based on performance towards overall goals will improve results.
A standardized campaign across search engines creates an excellent environment to test and improve the account as a whole. Consistency within search campaigns across all partners generates efficiencies in testing, from creating the concept to applying the key takeaways to other mediums. Having this specific inventory across the board also allows for quick changes and updates in creative, keywords, or budget allocations. We all know that search engines have their own quirks and will behave (and perform) independently of each other, but having a common starting point to optimize from helps to illustrate these specific trends within a particular partner.
While we might like to pat ourselves on the back for a job well done after such a large restructure, we must remember the last step: expansion. Once a campaign has worked the kinks out of its structure and honed in on the core competency of the goal, the results can be replicated across various new partners or keywords. Building outward from solid, time-tested material will drive less inefficient “test” volume and instead work from a solution that has proven its worth in other situations.
By analyzing and reorganizing our account structure, we can apply the knowledge that we have worked hard to receive. A campaign restructure creates the opportunity to take a step back from the minutia involved in running a paid search campaign and take into consideration our goals. If we take the time to access, apply, standardize, and expand our accounts, we will see direct results in what is most important.
Campaign Restructures: Overhaul for Results
New Google Adwords Interface
By Troy Blanchard, Search Manager
Google recently introduced an updated version of the Google Adwords web interface. While the new interface is still technically in Beta, it will soon become standard and represents the biggest update to the Adwords interface in at least four years. Although many search marketing professionals may spend more time building and uploading campaigns via Google Adwords Editor, DART Search or third party software, most day-to-day reporting and analysis probably still takes place in the Adwords interface.
Instead of taking an in-depth look at all the shiny new features and gadgets, here are five new features that should make the day of a search marketing professional more efficient and a little easier.
1. Interactive graph
The most noticeable change to the interface is the new adjustable metrics graph beneath the tabs on the campaign page. The graph can be adjusted for any time period of the campaign and can be viewed with one or two different metrics. If you want a quick idea of how clicks, impressions or any other metric has been trending on Google, the graph takes a lot less time than running a report.
2. Quick budget edit
Adjusting the daily budget for each campaign used to mean clicking through to each campaigns' settings and updating the bid one at a time. Now, the daily budgets can be adjusted right from the campaign tab. Just drag the cursor over the budget amount and a pencil icon will appear. Double click the budget amount and you can now edit quickly and easily.
3. View all ad texts
Previously, a holistic view of the campaign ads required an ad report. But if you are in a rush, or just enjoy not downloading and sorting through reports, you can now view all of the campaign ads on one page, for all ad groups. This is particularly useful if a client is seeking immediate changes to ad copy, and you need a one-stop shop to update all of them in one place.
4. Settings summary tab
The settings tab allows you to see a dashboard summary view of the settings for all of your campaigns. From here, you can quickly review location and language settings, campaign end dates, and ad scheduling. If you manage an account that has different settings for each campaign, this is a great feature to run sanity checks to make sure your settings are in order, as opposed to scanning through each campaign’s setting page.
5. Improved search function
A common complaint amongst search marketers is that for a search engine company, the Adwords search functionality always seemed to fall short. With the new interface, search functionality significantly improved. Click on the filter and views button on the right side of the page below the dates, and go to search by keyword text. Now, you can return search results within the actual workable interface. You can search not just by keyword text, but by number of impressions, clicks, the average cost per click, quality score, position and more. Want to see all the keywords in your account below 3rd position and then increase the bids? That will take just a couple clicks in the new interface.
These are just five new features of the new Google Adwords interface, and there are a lot more. Take some time to look around the new interface and get a feel for the new functions. If you miss the old interface, you can always press ‘Previous Interface’ on the top right hand corner of the page. However, if you want a faster more efficient process while working with Adwords, the new interface has a lot to offer.
Hunch.com: Making Decisions Easier?
By Megan McDonald, Search Coordinator
I stumbled upon Hunch while perusing on Facebook one day, but I didn’t really become intrigued until reading Aaron Goldman’s post, Is Hunch The IPhone Of Search? Aaron proposed that Hunch has the potential to pull ahead of Google if they figure out how to get all the facts we would normally research through search queries and put them together for us in one ultimate decision. So, I decided to see exactly what this Hunch could really do.
When I first came to Hunch, I wondered if it was possible that a website could actually tell me what to do, and do it correctly. I went through and tested several topics, and honestly, Hunch seemed to “get” me most of the time, with a few exceptions. Hunch knew that I would prefer living in the Midwest and that I should travel to Brazil (a long time dream of mine). However, Hunch struggled with some topics, suggesting that I read To the Lighthouse, one of my least favorite books. Hunch also had the nerve to say that I have turned into my parents. Obviously NOT true.
In the end, even though the decisions that Hunch chose for me were fairly spot-on, the more interesting part to me is that Hunch holds tons of intriguing, maybe irrelevant knowledge. For example, Hunch knows that its users that prefer aisle seats usually spend more on others than themselves. In addition to all this potentially valuable data, Hunch is linking suggested products (like what GPS device you should get) to sites where you can purchase them online. What could be easier than someone telling you what to buy and then sending you to a place to buy it from? So, if Hunch can continually improve its decision making algorithm, then it would seem like Google might have something to compete against.
I’m No Einstein, but …
By David Gould, President
I’ve never been accused of being an Einstein, at least not without a healthy dose of sarcasm attached to the accusation. That said, I do admire Albert’s worldly wisdom and believe his wisdom and insight can be applied to more than just physics. In that vein, I thought I’d take the opportunity to comment on a few of my favorite Einstein quotes and how they apply to search/business world.
1. “I never teach my pupils. I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.”
Confucius, was getting at the same idea when he exclaimed, “I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and understand.” Find opportunities for your people to gain hands on experience and they will learn to “understand”. When they understand, they can truly become masters of their craft.
In the business world, we often equate training or teaching with the presentation of a PowerPoint deck or WebEx. There’s a reason athlete’s don’t train for the big game simply by reading books and watching “how to” films. They simulate real world situations and practice.
2. “It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.”
Although this sounds similar to the first quote, the lesson here is that failure is not really failure. Formal education systems preach that there is one right way. If you don’t do it their way, you’ve failed. That attitude stifles creativity and curiosity. It makes people gun-shy. In the business world, there’s always a better way. Encouraging people to try new and innovative ideas despite the risk of failure is crucial. There is no more quick way to stagnate creativity than by condemning failure. At Resolution Media, one of our stated core values is, “not trying is worse than failing”. Nowhere is this truer than in the digital space. Those who are not afraid to try are those who continually drive this space forward.
3. “If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor.”
Ah yes, Einstein’s precursor to the KISS principal, “Keep It Simple Stupid”. How many presentations have you made or sat through that take forever to get to the point … or worse yet, never even get there. If you want to make your message stick, make it straight forward and simple. Your audience will appreciate and it will have a much greater impact. In their book Made To Stick, Chip and Dan Heath reference a successful defense attorney who says, “If you argue ten points, even if each is a good point, when they get back to the jury room they won’t remember any.” Learn to be a master of exclusion (exclude the extraneous) and, for everyone’s sake, lose the fluff.
4. “Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value.”
Although Einstein chose to make this statement in the masculine form, it obviously applies to both genders … and, just importantly, applies to businesses as well. Believe it or not, the Beatles said the same thing, “And in the end, the love you make is equal to the love you take.” Said another way, if you want to be valued, provide some value. Success will naturally follow.
Keyword Insertion Tricks of the Trade
By Lina Nakata, Paid Search Supervisor, Advertising Solutions
Using keyword insertion is considered one best practice in sponsored search ad creation. This feature dynamically updates the ad text with the paid keyword that triggered the ad. It can make your ad more relevant to the consumer’s search intent. The keyword that triggered the ad will stand out by appearing in bold. The more relevant and bold copy tends to draw consumers to your ad, helping you increase the click-through rate (CTR) and drive efficiencies. A higher CTR should result in an increased quality score, potentially lowering CPCs and improving your ROI.
When setting up your ads with this feature there are a few items you should consider to make sure the ads make sense and the dynamically inserted copy properly represents your brand:
- Misspellings: You can and should bid for misspelled keywords, but you don’t want these to show on your ads. Keep these keywords in a separate ad group and do not use the keyword insertion in the ads.
- Trademark Terms: You can bid on trademark terms, but you might not (cannot) use them in your ad copy. Just like with the misspelled keywords, keep trademark terms you don’t want inserted in the ad copy on a separate ad group and don’t use the keyword insertion feature.
- Keyword Modifiers: There might be other type of keyword modifiers you might want to bid for, but don’t want associated with your brand ad copy. One example could be the word ‘cheap’. You might want to bid for that keyword, since consumers search for cheap products and services. However, you might not necessarily want to use the word ‘cheap’ on your ad copy. Keep these types of keywords in separate ad groups and choose a static ad title that is relevant to them. For instance for the word ‘cheap’, you can have a static title with the word ‘affordable’ or ‘economical’ instead.
- Keyword Word Order: Pay close attention to the word order. When using broad match type and concatenation tools, some keywords might be left in an odd order (e.g. ‘deals car rental’, instead of ‘car rental deals’). Skim through your keyword list and make sure all the keyword will read out correctly and make sense when inserted in the ad copy.
Use the keyword insertion feature with care. When used properly it can produce good results, if used poorly it can have a negative impact on your brand name and CTR. Hope you find these best practices useful. Share with us your experiences and/or other best practices when using keyword insertion.
