Brad GeddesCo-Founder, AdAlysisFounder, Certified KnowledgeAuthor, Advanced Google AdWords

@bgTheory

AdAlysis

When Best Practices Fail Hero Conf

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AdAlysis @bgTheory

What is a Best Practice?

AdAlysis

Answers:1. It’s amazing - I use it all the time2. I use it sparingly3. It’s terrible - modified broad is the way to go

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Poll: Who things Broad Match is Wonderful?

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Who Defines Best Practices?

AdAlysis

1. Simplifying complex problems2. Resource constraints / Non-Defined Processes3. Failures of a best practice due to exceptions

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Why to They Fail?

When Best Practices Fail

AdAlysis

Simplifying Complex Problems

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AdAlysis @bgTheory

Delete Non-Preforming Keywords

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AdAlysis @bgTheory

What Happened?

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AdAlysis @bgTheory

Funnel: Generic > Specific > Brand

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Article on managing assisted conversions: http://adalysis.com/blog/3-ways-to-handle-assisted-conversions/

AdAlysis

•Best Practice (debatable): Choose all languages your consumer speaksDon’t mix languages (ads to landing pages)Only choose languages you supportLanguage targeting is a minimal setting; don’t optimize for itNote: no stats from AdWords/Bing on conversions by language

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Language Targeting

AdAlysis @bgTheory

Local Philly Company: Just Started Adding Languages

Overall CPA Conversions / Month

English $56 192 (baseline)

Russian $55 197 (+5)

Korean $52 203 (+6)

Chinese $55 204 (+1)

Italian (China removed) $53 206 (+3)

Polish $54 207 (+1)

Spanish $59 211 (+4)

More added… $54 228

Final Tally of 11 Languages $-2 / conversion +36 (16% Lift)

AdAlysis @bgTheory

Languages In Philly / World

AdAlysis @bgTheory

Travel Company: Created Language / Country Combination Campaigns

Country Language CTR Conv RateItaly Italian 3.1% 2.1%Italy English 3.9% 7.9%Italy German 4.1% 8.1%Germany German 2.9% 3.1%Germany Italian 4.2% 7.6%German English 5.6% 7.7%

AdAlysis @bgTheory

Optimizing Modifiers To Conversions

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday0

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AdAlysis @bgTheory

Applied Modifiers Based on Conversion Rates

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Pre Modifiers After Modifiers

AdAlysis @bgTheory

Sunday Evening Was Their Best Research Time

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Research vs Action

Company Details Found Calls

AdAlysis @bgTheory

Best Practice: Bid to ROAS/ROI for Ecommerce

Ad Hoc Bidding ROAS Bidding0

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AdAlysis @bgTheory

The Complicated Data

Overs over $10,000 Orders over $500 Orders under $5000

500100015002000250030003500400045005000

How Predictable Are the Large Orders?

AdAlysis @bgTheory

CPA Bidding

Ad Hoc Bidding ROAS Bidding CPA Bidding0

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AdAlysis @bgTheory

Location Targeting2011: Company examined credit card zip codesOnly targeted high revenue zip codes

2011 20140

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Conversions / Month (Spring/Summer)CPA

AdAlysis

•Location targeting is more accurate•More people are searching on phones•DC is:Worst commuting traffic2rd highest public transit rates

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Three Problems

AdAlysis @bgTheory

Added Most Work Areas: Conversion vs CPA Balance

2011 2014 20150

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Conversions / Month (Spring/Summer)CPA

AdAlysis @bgTheory

Picking a “Best” Remarketing AdAd Clicks

Impressions CTR

Conversions Conv Rate

1 4075 613621 0.66% 132 3.24%2 6725 835389 0.81% 321 4.77%3 4399 565363 0.78% 197 4.48%4 1610 672062 0.24% 27 1.68%5 8547 939540 0.91% 41 0.48%

Total 25356 3625975 0.70% 718 2.83%

ad clicks impressions CTR conversions conversion rate

1 19294 3720132 0.52% 443 2.30%

When Best Practices Fail

AdAlysis

Resource Constraints

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AdAlysis

•Airline company (rounded data to protect company info)• Fly from 40 cities to 40 cities• Cities encompass 6 countries & 5 languages

•How do you create this account?

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Flight data organization

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Organization is From the Ad: Not Keywords

Ads CTR Conv RateTo <city> 2.3% 1.90%From <city> 1.8% 1.5%<city> to <city>

4.1% 3.75%

Keywords:• Orlando to Munich Flights• Munich to Rome Flights• etc Repeat for airport names, codes

Ads CTR Conv RateTo <city> 2.9% 1.8%From <city> 2.3% 1.5%<city> to <city>

4.1% 3.6%

Geo-targeted campaigns to city:Keywords:• Flights to Munich• Cheap airline to RomeResult: Every city should have 14,400 ad groups

AdAlysis

•Airport names > City or airport codes: need airport name ad groups•Airport codes > City names or airport names: need airport code ad groups•Using city based campaigns outperforms national campaigns when only destination is included in query.

•Perfect management: Minimum: 360,000 ad groups

•Resources: 4 peopleResult: “Best Structure” overwhelms resources

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More Testing

AdAlysis @bgTheory

Final Initial Organization Due to Resource Constraints

Campaign Type# of cmp type Keyword Type Modifications Total Ad Groups

Country - Specific 6<city> to <city> None 9600Country - Specific 6<airport code> to <airport code> None 9600Country - Specific 6<airport name> to <airport name> None 9600Country - Specific 6From <airport code> None 240Country - Specific 6To <airport code> None 240Country - Specific 6From <city> None 240Country - Specific 6To <city> None 240Country - Specific 6From <airport name> None 240Country - Specific 6To <airport name> None 240Country - Specific 6<city> to <city> Cheap / Deals 9600Country - Specific 6<airport code> to <airport code> Cheap / Deals 9600Country - Specific 6From <airport code> Cheap / Deals 240Country - Specific 6To <airport code> Cheap / Deals 240Country - Specific 6From <city> Cheap / Deals 240Country - Specific 6From <airport name> Cheap / Deals 240Country - Specific 6To <airport name> Cheap / Deals 240Country - Specific 6To <city> Cheap / Deals 240City - specific 10To <airport code> None 400City - specific 10To <city> None 400City - specific 10To <airport name> None 400City - specific 10To <airport code> Cheap / Deals 400City - specific 10To <city> Cheap / Deals 400City - specific 10To <airport name> Cheap / Deals 400City - specific 10Generic flight words None 10City - specific 10Generic words (cheap flights) Cheap / Deals 10Country - Generic 6Generic words (cheap flights) Multiples 150Brand 1Brand Multiples 11Total 23 53,461

AdAlysis

•If city has more than 500/conversions year – it gets a campaign.•RLSA is bid modifier only•Using dynamic remarketing•All ad groups labeled by match type to ensure proper structure Cannot use anything but exact and phrase in <city> to <city> campaigns.

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Ongoing Rules

AdAlysis @bgTheory

Close Variant Matches

Query Type Conv Rate Average Order Value

Blue Widgets (plural)

2.3% $673

Blue Widget (singular)

2.9% $81

Small Accounts > Often ignore as managing plurals & singulars are very difficult and increases management time significantly with little returns.

Large Accounts > Take advantage of this and split out singulars & plurals by campaign for bid purposes.

AdAlysis @bgTheory

Discovery / Managed Structure

AdAlysis @bgTheory

The Results

Not managing hero terms Managing hero terms0

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AdAlysis @bgTheory

Why? Improper Definition of Hero Term

A Hero Term (for them) is:• 35 impressions / month• 2 conversions / monthFor 3 consecutive months

AdAlysis @bgTheory

Post Process Definition

Not managing hero terms

Managing hero terms Process Defination0

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When Best Practices Fail

AdAlysis

Failures Due to Exceptions

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AdAlysis @bgTheory

Best Practice: Don’t Send All Traffic to the Homepage

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Search + GDN (non-remarketing) Conversion Data

Cost/Conversion Conversion Rate$0.00

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Conversion Data

Home Page City Landing Page

AdAlysis @bgTheory

Can’t Beat the Home Page for Search

Search Conversion Rate Display Conversion Rate Search CPA Display CPA

AdAlysis @bgTheory

Lowering QS on Purpose

3 4 5 6 7 8 90.00%

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Conversion Rates by Quality Score

Quality Score

AdAlysis @bgTheory

B2B vs B2C Ads

AdAlysis

1. Enter name2. Enter zip3. Choose data type4. Enter email5. System ‘looks up

data’ Showed benefits of

data while ‘looking up info’

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Speed To Conversion

0 15 30 45 60 75 90 105 120 135 150 175 190 205 220 2150.00%

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Conversion Rates by Seconds Before Conversion Option Displayed

Seconds Waiting

AdAlysis @bgTheory

Changing Broad Match to Modified Broad

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AdAlysis

Search termfloristوظائف

flower shopموقع باص تعرف flower shopمنو

موقع عن floristمعلوماتدبي godiva dubaiقوديفا

shimmerygifts in doubaiعنوانوباليز والمكسيك غواتيماال في مايو دي فلور والصور روبيdelivery dubai

موقع حول http dubaiflowers aeآراءonly roses dubaiاسعار

مول godivaاسعار دبيدبي في ورد send flowers in dubaiارسال

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Why? Multi-Lingual Queries

AdAlysis

•Long tail•Small GEOs•“Target & Bid” RLSAs•“Target & Bid” Customer match•Capturing everything possible•Research

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Good Broad Match Uses

AdAlysis

•Best practices are great starting places•There are many exceptions:Most are due to simplifying complex problemsThey may (rightfully so) be ignored due to resource constraintsThere are some (but not many) actual exceptions to ignoring them completely

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Wrap-Up

AdAlysis

Thank You! Hero Conf

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