Posted onJune 9th, 2010 byadmin

Historically, Google has never provided the insight or tools necessary within AdWords to manage their search partner placements. Compare this to the Google Content Network, where only recently have they given us the ability to control and exclude placements on the network that simply don’t perform. However, the Google Search Partner network has remained relatively unchanged over the years despite our continual requests for better reporting and tools.

Unfortunately, this has put us in a position as advertisers and agencies where we are left with only 2 real options. Based on the performance of the Google Search Partners, you are either in or you’re out. There is no middle ground….until now.

At Keyword Search Pros, we identified 3 steps to identify, target, and monitor/adjust specific placements in the search partners. Below are the slides that will give you the low down and exactly how we did and you can do this.

We hope you find great use of this Amazing Tactic. To give an example of how we used it here at KSP, take of one of our clients who sells high-end swing sets. This particular client’s ads were appearing on a Walmart web page with other swing sets that were at lower price points. So these people were going to Walmart, presumably for a swing set under $500. Our clients sets range between $1.5k to $5K.

At first we noticed the low performance from Walmart specifically but were hesitant to opt out since there were a significant amount of conversions still coming from this partner. What we decided to do was create a more targeted ad; something to the sound of,

Swing Set Not On Walmart?
Try Better Swing Sets than Walmart
Prices from $1,500. Free Shipping
www.MyClientsDomain.com

This allowed us to create a better targeted ad that prepared advertisers for our price points and qualified people better who were not prepared to spend in this range. This is only one area  of use. The aim of our presentation and tutorial here is to give control back to the advertisers.

In addition to our findings, we wanted to point you over to an Analytics resource created by a UK company, Periscopix. Here, in their blog piece they tell us how to set filters to segment Analytics data from in Search Partner network. One of the best things it does is gives advertisers a full perspective of who their entire partner network might consist of.

http://www.periscopix.co.uk/blog/index.php/underused-google-analytics-features-part-eight/

We did this filter test in Analytics for one of our smallest clients capturing data over 30 days. Or client got 2,800 clicks over 88 different partners; each partner being of a differnt nature and performance level. This it is why  it is important that we take control of the Partner Network starting with targeting or excluding  its members.

Posted onMay 23rd, 2010 byadmin

In order to use match settings and increase return simultaneously, you’ll have to understand a few things about match settings and search queries. One is that the level of impressions significantly decreases for phrase and exact match versions of keywords. And secondly, applying match settings to keywords should be done only with the intention of lowering “high” conversion costs or slowing the amount of clicks to conform to a limited daily budget.

When attempting to lower high conversion cost, it is important that you take all the preceding steps to lower conversion cost before applying match settings. Match setting will likely result in lower traffic and consequently lower sales volume. If you race ahead and apply match settings prematurely, you might forgo the opportunity to lower conversion cost without lowering traffic and sales.

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Posted onApril 25th, 2010 byadmin

High bounce rated could be attributed to a variety of different scenarios. The danger with bounce rate is that it really only tells you one thing: the percentage of people who came to and left the website from the same page they landed. That’s all. I often get asked, “What’s a Good Bounce Rate?” And like all  the times I get asked, “Whats’s a good__(CPC, CTR, Conv. Rate)_?” My response is the same. It depends.

Bounce rate doesn’t tell you why they did. Remember that each visitor is different and has a  different experience when they visit your site. Its reasonable to assume they leave for different reasons.

This is just a quick read to give advertisers some reasonable and possible conclusions regarding bounce rate. I’ll also give you some steps you can take to improve bounce rate or otherwise disregard it.

Suppose you get into your analytics and you notice the following bounce rates:

Adgroup 1                     67%                                    Homepage

Adgroup 2                     58%                                    Product Category Page

Adgroup 3                     89%                                    Product Description Page

How to Decipher: What is a Good Bounce Rate?

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Posted onApril 25th, 2010 byadmin

Before we jump straight into Google Analytics I want to set the approach strategy with everyone. Sometimes advertisers are forced into making decisions about search marketing from the pressure lacking campaign performance. They’re not getting enough sales, leads, inquires, and often they are paying good money for these limited results which causes them to look for answers inside Google Analytics.

My only disclaimer is that advertisers who are specifically going to Analytics for answers of what to change in their Adwords account might be quick to jump the gun before learning all the answers. I want to remind you guys that Analytics should be used, not as a change agent, but as a tool that allows us to get the entire story about your campaigns before making any decision at all. In other words, we use Analytics to paint the entire picture so that we can process all the information and eventually come to a justifiable conclusion about what is actually happening when people visit our website.

So for the purpose of this segment, I only want to give you tools that might help paint that picture clearer for you. In reality, everyone who follows these steps will achieve different results that will eventually demand different actions. What you learn today might be change the way you see your campaigns and even your business. Once the picture is clearer, what you do about it should become clearer too.

Note: Because Google Analytics contains information about your website from all referring sources, it is important that you observe the correct source segment (Adwords or Google) and compare to others.

1. Explore Bounce Rates in Comparison to Other Referring Sources

2. Explore Exit Pages (Top Exits and Percentages) in Comparison to Other Referring Sources

3. Explore Average Time on Site

4. Examine Content Page Views and Sort by Source

(video in edit room)

Great job. By now you should have a stronger approach to Analytics and because you have more of the story, your decisions will be more informed and you won’t put yourself in a bad position because you took action prematurely.

Posted onApril 25th, 2010 byadmin

Lowering Conversion Cost without lowering sales return has always been the advertiser’s dilemma. Increasing return has always been an amazing feat. Advertisers have pushed for the lowest conversion cost. But at the end of the sales day, they paid closer attention to sales volume and return than conversion data. As professional Adwords managers, its expected that we’ll be asked to lower conversion cost for our clients. Now at what cost can we do this? The fastest way to lower conversion cost is to lower CPC and the fastest way to do that is to lower the keywords bids and consequently lower ranking, exposure, traffic, and sales return.

So in our business, the client has passed the dilemma onto us. How are we to manage client expectations with lower conversion costs while increasing the sales revenue?

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Posted onApril 24th, 2010 byadmin

Dear Quality Score Victim,

I have to admit: I’ve been dying to write an updated piece about Quality Score (QS) since 2 years ago when we put out THIS BLOG piece. The game has changed forever and I’ve spent more time gritting my teeth and cursing at my monitor (logged into Adwords) than ever before. The reason is because we were told quality score was to help ‘reward’ advertisers for constructing highly relevant campaigns and adgroups. But its all different now. Where’s the reward?

When QS was first introduced to advertisers in 2005, it was just a static score used to determine the minimum CPC based on the ad relevancy to its keywords. Over the next five years, Google would add in: CTR, landing page relevancy, account history (a combine average of all CTR’s in an account, and (the best part) “other relevant factors.” I’ve always gotten a big laugh out of “other relevant factors” because as I would dissect QS, I could see there was much more unexplained reasoning for low quality scores.

An Illustration of Traditional Quality Score (Pre-2009-2010)

In August of 2008, Google restructured QS and made it a “real-time” score that would take effect as soon as someone searched on Google. Some of the other differences Google made were: replacment of minimum CPC  to “first page minimum bid”, landing page quality, and landing page load time. In expectation of a rough change to quality scores, we were surprised that existing advertisers who had been advertising a while, didn’t really see much change…until 2010. Now we go into the accounts and look around at QS but we’re not in Kansas no mo.

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Posted onApril 23rd, 2010 byadmin

Cut More than 10% of wasted Google ad spend with Search Query Reports. Search Queries are keywords that visitors have types into Google. Whenever someone clicks on your website, there is a record of what they types into Google to do so.

One of the largest misconceptions about advertisers have is that they think people who click on their ad, always type in their “exact” keywords. This is really true only 5-10% of the time. Most of the time, they are searching some different, longer or shorter tail variation of the exact words. The point is that Google is trying to find relevant matched between what you offer and what people are searching for. The rub is that Google is a computer that doesn’t have the human-like capabilities to understand every single person searching intention and match it exactly with what you do. When looking for relevancy between your keywords and keyword searches, there lies irrelevant search queries.

So you grab this record of search queries called a Search Query Report. Once you have this report, you can go through it and look out for potential negative keywords that can be used to qualify for only the relevant the search queries. How long would you spend sifting through wasteful keywords if you could save more than 10% of your monthly as spend? An hour? 2 hours? I’m gonna teach you how to do in less than 30 minutes month.

I’ll tell ya: just about every time we have furnished an advertiser with this sort of analysis the standard response has been, “I’ll paying for that?” And the answer is yes.

We’ve written about this before and done a video but never really showed advertisers how easy this really is. Here it is.

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Posted onMarch 17th, 2010 byadmin

If you’re wondering why we haven’t put out much this month, its cause we’re having to exercise quality score demonstrations for advertisers who don’t know how to get around the algorithmic changes Google put out last quarter. Next month, we promise the Quality Scores Unlocked!!! Keep your eyes pealed for the post.

PS: Happy St Patricks Day!!

2010

Posted onFebruary 24th, 2010 byadmin

When it comes to email marketing, there are several formats of emails that can be syndicated to your database. Hopefully, by this time you have kept a substantial list of opt-in email addresses from either past customers or subscribers of some sort. Some of the formats advertisers send out are newsletters, information articles and tutorials, product updates and sales promotions, direct messages, or combinations of these together.

What advertisers should send to their client base or to prospects is something they will receive value from. As we discuss particular email types, we will also discuss the different value propositions of each. Value can come in several different forms. Perhaps the biggest trick is knowing your customers well enough to understand what they will value. And what they really need to perceive as value is your relationship to them. Here are the different email formats.

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Posted onJanuary 28th, 2010 byadmin

It’s really quite amazing how important email marketing has become over the years. More recently we have seen a greater majority of our advertisers participating in some form of routine email marketing program. Before when we would ask, many would tell us they were busy enough from their main marketing campaigns and that email wasn’t necessary. Then the recession set in.

Perhaps a blessing in a terrible disguise, the recession (and increased awareness) forced a lot of advertisers to think more carefully about their entire marketing endeavors and what would increase return with little investment. At the top of the list was email. Email marketing seems to take up more time than it does money. So after spending your valuable time putting together the email piece, how do we make sure we are effective in delivering it?

Aside from asking what to send, the 2 common questions we get are:
1. How often should we send emails?
2. When is the best time to send emails?

They are great questions and although you are likely to see what works better over time, it’s usually good to take some perspective if you haven’t tried other frequencies or times lately. Here are some points you might consider:

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