New York | March 19–23
A Beginner’s Guide to Paid Search
Lisa Raehsler Founder/ SEM Strategy Consultant Big Click Co.
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Agenda – Search Results Page
– Adver2sing goals
– Account Structure
– Keywords
– Budgets & Bids
– Ads
– Targe2ng Networks
– Targe2ng Mobile
– Retarge2ng
– Tracking Conversions
– Key Take-‐Aways
– Thanks and Contact @LisaRocksSEM
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
The Search Results Page
Organic Results
Paid Results
Related People & Pages- G+ discovery
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
AdverKsing Goals – Know what conversions you are measuring
Purchase/Sale: 2ed to revenue
Lead: receives a follow up
Sign-‐up: for email subscrip2ons or newsleHers
Page View: users looked at a page on your site
You can set up separate codes for mul2/different conversion ac2ons
Be sure to check conversion code implementation.
@LisaRocksSEM
Next: Account Structure
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Account Structure
– Start with Structure
– Ensures the correct ad is served
– Helps with account quality costs
– Should focus on 2ght themes
– Mirror the website structure
@LisaRocksSEM
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Account Structure
Campaigns: Brand Product
categories Promotions Geo-targeting This is where you set your budget
Adgroups: Product lines/ sub
cats skus Any smaller segments This is where you link your ads & keywords!
@LisaRocksSEM
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Account Structure – Look to the funnel
– Searches are always more general when just star2ng out
– Searches get more defined, moving closer to the sale
– Apply to ad wri2ng as well
Too many or disparate adgroups/keywords in one campaign under one budget can cause your account to perform poorly.
@LisaRocksSEM
Next: Keywords
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Keyword Best PracKces – Keywords are used to trigger your ads
– Select the closest fiSng keywords
– Use 2 or 3 word keywords, minimum
– Match types and nega2ves
– Check related searches, Google sets, or Adgroup Ideas (beta)
– Review query reports and web analy2cs logs to get ideas based on keywords currently driving traffic
– Check for and remove duplicate keywords from account
– Include all products or services from website
@LisaRocksSEM
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Keywords Tools – Google’s Keyword Tool
– Keyword Ideas
– Adgroup Ideas -‐ Beta
– Google Insights for Search
hHp://www.google.com/insights
– Google Search Suggest Terms appear when you type in the drop-‐down box on Google.com
– Related Searches
BoHom of search results page in Google
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Keyword Match Type – Keyword match op2ons determine the searches that can trigger your ads to appear
– Broad match: laptop computers
Allows your ad to show on similar phrases and relevant varia2ons, ie. Desktop computers
– Broad match modifier: laptop +computers
keyword must appear in the user's search exactly or as a close variant, such as misspellings, singular/plural forms, abbrevia2ons and acronyms, and stemmings (like ”computer" and ”compu2ng").
– Phrase match: "laptop computers” financing
Allows your ad to show for searches that include the exact phrase and possibly includes other words as well
– Exact match: [laptop computers]
Allows your ad to show for searches that match the exact phrase exclusively
– Nega2ve match: -‐cheap
Ensures your ad doesn't show for any search that includes that term
@LisaRocksSEM
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Keywords: Look To The Funnel
New computers Laptop computer Plasma tv computer stores
Reviews Ratings Compare Best
Buy / Purchase/ Order Brands Delivery Sale Model #’s Geographic modifiers @LisaRocksSEM
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Keyword OpKmizaKon Tips
Are your keywords too general?
Typically you’ll see low CTRs and conversions
– Remove anything too general with lots of impressions and low CTR <1%
Clicks to the site have high bounce rate
– Use different match types and nega2ves
– Focus keywords at middle and boHom of funnel
@LisaRocksSEM
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Keyword OpKmizaKon Tips
– Do you have low Quality Score?
Measures relevancy of your keyword
– Common problem-‐ can be difficult to resolve
– Sort or filter by low QS, no conversions
– Keywords in ads
– Landing page = keywords
– Work on CTR!
@LisaRocksSEM
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Keyword OpKmizaKon Tips
– Create various filters for specific keyword condi2ons
– Review on regular basis
@LisaRocksSEM
Next: Budgets & Bids
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Budgets & Bids Best PracKces – Budgets and bids control costs and directly relate to profit
– Budgets: set at campaign level
Budget can exceed the limits you set
Your total daily cost could be up to 20% more than your usual daily budget
AdWords prevents your campaign from overspending for the month as a whole based on a monthly charging limit
– Bids: set at keyword level
Steps to set-up your budget:
1. Total Account PPC Budget/ 30 Days in Month = Daily Budget
2. Daily Budget / # campaigns
3. Allocate Equal $ to Start
4. Reallocate for Performance and Click Traffic
@LisaRocksSEM
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Budgets & Bids Best PracKces – Bidding op2ons
Cost-‐per-‐click, CPC (search or display)
Cost-‐per-‐thousand, CPM (display)
Enhanced CPC – Automa2cally adjusts your Max. CPC bid up or down for each auc2on to get more conversions while maintaining the
current CPA
Automa2c bidding – Google automa2cally sets all of your bids
– You can define a max CPC to pay
Conversions op2mizer/ CPA – You bid using a maximum CPA, which is the most you're willing to pay for each conversion
– Google automa2cally adjusts bids to reach desired CPA
@LisaRocksSEM
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Budgets & Bids OpKmizaKon Tips
– Automated rules can help to manage your keyword bids
– First page bids
– Top of page bids
Next: Ads
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Ads Best PracKces – Ad texts should be wriHen in a compelling way
Messaging consistent with offline
– Keywords in ads to make them more relevant (bold)
– Unique features, benefits, and/or offer
Free delivery
– Call-‐to-‐ac2on
Buy now
Sign up today
– DKI (dynamic keyword inser2on)
– Custom URL
– Read the editorial guidelines
@LisaRocksSEM
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Ads OpKmizaKon Tips
– Ads not showing? Don’t panic! Check for an alert-‐ make
sure they are approved
Not an ad problem Budget
Individual Bids
Use the Google Ads Diagnos2c tool: Tools > Ads Diagnos2c Tool
@LisaRocksSEM
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Ads OpKmizaKon Tips
– Are you geSng a low CTR? CTR is important for account quality
Ad posi2on, below 3?
Check to make sure there is a very close connec2on between your keywords and ads
Check best prac2ces for crea2ve
Emphasis on DKI, Offer, CTA
Try ad extensions, sitelinks
@LisaRocksSEM
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Ads OpKmizaKon Tips – Ad extensions expand a standard text ad with one or more lines that provide addi2onal page, call, or product links
– Includes up to four addi2onal page links on qualifying text ads
– Helps to increase CTR
@LisaRocksSEM
Next: Targe2ng
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
TargeKng Best PracKces – Networks
Search
Google Display Network
@LisaRocksSEM
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
TargeKng Best PracKces
– Loca2on: countries, states, etc
– Languages
– Ad scheduling: day, hours
– Devices: computers, mobile devices
– Use analy2cs to find out where people are coming from
@LisaRocksSEM
Next: Mobile
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Mobile Targeting Best Practices
- Set-‐up basics
- Mobile only campaigns
- Exclude mobile from the other campaigns
- keyword list with shorter terms
- Mobile Landing page
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Mobile Targeting Best Practices - Mobile keyword research - Adwords (keyword research tool)
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Mobile Targeting Best Practices
Ad Placements
- Search engine
- Mobile Display Network
- Mobile Apps
- YouTube
Ad Formats
- Text
- Image
- Video
Next: Retarge2ng
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
RetargeKng Best PracKces
- Reconnect with consumers that have previously been to your site
- Redirect your prospects back
- Keeps your site or product top of mind
- Mul2-‐touches
- Known to be more effecKve than typical display due to more qualified audience
@LisaRocksSEM
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
RetargeKng Best PracKces
Small piece of code placed on advertiser’s site
Sets a "cookie" in the user's browser
Cookie identifies user and instructs the ad network to save website visitors to a retargeting list
How it works
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Retargeting Optimization Tips Reaching the full prospect list • Google Display network, accepts
image ads
text ad video
• Create mul2ple crea2ve versions of all sizes to maximize reach.
@LisaRocksSEM
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Retargeting Optimization Tips
- Reaching the prospect list - What if you are not reaching
your full list?
- To find out, calculate the share of users you are reaching
- If the percentage of users you are reaching is low, you are missing opportunity
In the formula, “5” represents the average number of impressions per one user.
@LisaRocksSEM
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Retargeting Optimization Tips
- Reaching the prospect list - Adjust the membership
dura2on: number of days the cookie stays in the users browser
- Be sure this correlates with the sales cycle of the product
- HoHer prospects may be more recent visitors, but a longer sales cycle will require targe2ng your audience for a longer period of 2me
You will find this setting in the “Audience” tab.
@LisaRocksSEM
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
RetargeKng OpKmizaKon Tips
- Reaching the prospect list - Your prospect is already
qualified, no need to restrict your campaign geographically
- Remember, you want to reach your users wherever they are which can include all countries and languages
@LisaRocksSEM
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
RetargeKng OpKmizaKon Tips
- Reaching the prospect list - Increase bids to appear in the Display Network more
frequently
- Reach more users to drive beHer performance
- Display Network bid is set at the ad group level-‐ separate from search
@LisaRocksSEM
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
- Click vs view through conversions
- De-‐dupe view-‐through conversions
- Users who clicked on your search ad in the last thirty-‐days won't be counted as a view-‐through conversion
“View-through conversion search de-duplication” can be found in the conversion section of the “reporting and tools” tab.
RetargeKng OpKmizaKon Tips
@LisaRocksSEM
Next: Tracking
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Tracking Best PracKces – Google Adwords tracking and Google Analy2cs tracking
You can use either one of these products alone, or use both at the same 2me -‐they don’t interfere with each other’s tracking.
– Adwords Conversion tracking
Code snippet
Mul2-‐conversion ac2ons
30 day cookie
– Google Analy2cs
Set-‐up “goal” ac2ons
@LisaRocksSEM
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Key Take-‐Aways
– Basics will help to build a strong account
– Manage PPC daily and try automa2on
– Small op2miza2ons can make a big difference-‐ test!
– Experiment with new features
– Analyze results across systems and take ac2on
New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny
Thank You
Lisa Raehsler Founder, SEM Strategy Consultant Big Click Co. [email protected] (612) 424-‐1SEM @LisaRocksSEM www.linkedin.com/in/lisarockssem
A Beginner’s Guide to Paid Search