In this series on advanced PPC optimization techniques for adCenter, we’ve already covered a variety of ways to improve campaign performance, including negative keywords, bidding by match type, and filling the gaps in matching. Today, we’re going to talk about another tool in the adCenter optimization arsenal: understanding how adCenter filtration works, and using that knowledge to your advantage. Read more on Search Engine Watch

Most tracking technologies use some kind of cookie to remember a website visitor over a period time. Consider the following example. A visitor searches for the same product over a period of a month using a combination of different Search Engines and search terms. They click on a sponsored story in Facebook. As well, with Display Retargeting, multiple display impressions are viewed by this visitor. When the final conversion occurs, each publisher’s tracking tag on the conversion page sees its own respective cookie on the user’s machine and claims credit for that conversion.

In this scenario, each publisher is unaware of the existence of the others and each claims the conversion as their own. This can lead to cross channel reporting of a conversion. In fact, only one event generated the last click and the others formed earlier events in this conversion path.

Acquisio’s Tracking Retargeting and Attribution model solves the issue of cross channel reporting of conversions by encoding the destination URLs for all publishers and tracking all click and display events for a visitor with one cookie. In Acquisio’s attribution model the first event in the conversion path is given “Introducer” status. The final event prior to the conversion is called the “Closer”. The Conversion is attributed to this ad only. All other events (search, social, display) in the conversion path for the visitor are given “Influencer” status. Introducer, Influencer and Closer counts are displayed in Acquisio for each ad. This model allows for Agencies to report on each of these distinct events without skewing reporting results with Cross Channel Reporting of the same conversion event.

Experienced PPC Marketers are classically trained to organize keywords based on relevancy across all Adgroups and Campaigns. It’s become one of those obvious best practices that should be applied to every account, regardless of industry type. However, we should be a little more vigilant and “dig a little deeper” into the understanding of the many different types of “Intents” for each of the keyword groups as it relates to conversions. In a nutshell, certain keyword prefixes and modifiers will trigger different levels of intent to act. Furthermore, once the PPC Marketer understands all of the different levels of intent, then budget allocation and ROAS% become clear and easier to manage through the optimization phase. Let’s discuss a little further.

 
INTENT Level of Search Term(s)
It’s an obvious thing to note, but when a typical searcher types in prefixes/modifiers such as “buy”, “get” “purchase” and so forth, those words tend to create a higher level of immediate action than others such as “shop”, “compare”, “comparison”, etc… Moreover, not all modifiers are the same. In fact, depending on the product or service of the advertiser, these “action terms” will vary greatly based on the behaviors of the industry being searched on.
Here are just a few examples of types of Search Terms which tend to deliver a higher level of intent for conversion.

• ISBN # – This term identifies a high level of intent because the searcher knows exactly what book they are looking for. The PPC Marketer would then complete the “before the click” optimization by creating a Text Ad that reflects the Title and/or Author of the book along with a compelling Call-to-Action. The combination of all of these elements makes the possibility for a conversion is very high.
• Model #- Similar to the ISBN#, searchers are looking for very specific Make & Model of a product. They are more likely to click on a Text Ad, which not only has the same Make/Model information in the Text Ad, but also directs them to the exact Landing Page for that specific product.

Now, even though these are just examples for a typical eCommerce advertiser, we can also identify other types of terms for their respected industries that provide a similar effect. Here are some tips to achieve this:

1. Have a deeper conversation with the client. This would include online and offline experiences. Most often, the ppc marketer will get a better understanding of their perfect prospect/customer.
2. Look at the Search Queries to find prefixes and modifiers that have converted better than others.
3. If client has Live Chat, get a hold of the chat log files to identify specifics terms and overall behaviors.
4. Review Competitors Text Ads to identify possible search terms based on their messaging.
5. Utilize 3^rd party PPC Competitor Software to see all keywords and text ads that are being used.

Campaign Implementation:
Now that we have discussed how to identify “high intent” vs. “low intent” search terms, we now have to build a campaign structure around them that not only makes Quality Score sense, but also financial sense.
Step #1: Campaign Structure:
The campaign structure should ultimately consist of at least two (2) intent levels. Basically speaking, High Intent and Low Intent.
Step #2: Budget Allocation:
Setting the right campaign budget allocation for each “Intent”. Typically, we would want to put a stronger emphasis on those with a higher chance to convert. This means more Budget and better AVG position. Also, depending on past performance we should also look at the Google Search vs. Google’s Search Partners. This can vary by advertisers, but keep that option in mind, especially with advertisers who rely on Lead Quality and not Lead Quantity.
Step #3: Migrate to other Search Platforms:
Once we have the optimal setting in Adwords, then we should take that structure and apply it to the Yahoo/Bing platform. Even though the overall budgets might be lower, we can still attribute a similar allocation structure.
Step #4: Optimization Phase:
Now once everything is setup and running, we cannot just let it run by itself. Regardless of the bid management preferences (automated or manual), a stronger emphasis should be put in the “higher intent” adgroups and keywords, as they have the best chance to “move the needle”. During this phase, the PPC Marketer should look at all of the basic metrics, but also some of the following:

1. 1. Search Networks vs. Network Partners
2. 2. Adwords Dimensions
   1. GEO
   2. Hour of the Day
   3. Day of the Week
   4. Search Queries

In conclusion:
According the Oxford English Dictionary, there are 171,476 words currently in use today. With that said, getting only a few of those which turn into conversions is all we need to make a successful PPC Campaign. When someone brags about having thousands of keywords and negative keywords, I scream FOUL. PPC Marketing is more about understanding the advertiser’s audience than it is pushing Text Ads to the masses.

At least for online marketers engaged in PPC efforts.

They say great minds think alike. So it was no surprise last week when Andrew Goodman and Bryan Eisenberg managed to write nearly identical columns about the Google AdWords “tax”.

So what the heck is this tax and why do we have to pay it?

Andrew calls it the tourist tax, Bryan calls it the simplicity tax. Names aside, all it boils down to is the price you pay for being in a hurry, taking shortcuts, or not asking the “locals.”

Very often, we are lured in by the fact that we can starts showing our ads to the online world in as little as 10 minutes. Pick a bunch of keywords, decide what you want to pay for them, write some ads, and you’re all set. Right? Wrong!

You can read Andrew’s column here and Bryan’s column here. But what I really want you to do today is answer the following:

3 questions to make sure you are not getting taxed

1. Did you need to opt out?

Your AdWords campaigns are opted into the entire Google Network by default. This includes Google search, search partners, and the Display Network. If you’re not optimized for the entire network, running along with the default settings will only hurt you.

2. Did you create keyword groups?

Because of the way this part of the process is set up, people end up creating keyword groups instead of ad groups. You almost have to work this backwards. Instead of creating a list of keywords then grouping them, create themes for your ads, then come up with keywords that fit nice and tight. Do that and you’ll have highly targeted ads with decent CTRs and Quality Scores.

3. Did you bid lazy?

Ad group max CPC bids apply by default if you don’t specify otherwise. Start off by defining what your goals are. Here are a few suggestions:

• Clicks –> use CPC
• Visibility & awareness –> use CPM on Display
• Conversions –> use CPA

It’s perfectly fine to start off in automatic mode until you understand and assign different values to your keywords and ad groups. Switch to manual mode when you’re ready, or go semi-automatic with the bid simulator to see the possible effects of adjusting your bids.

Now What?

Those were just a few of many possible reasons someone can get penalized in AdWords. Make sure you go back into your account and make any necessary adjustments. The last thing we want is to hire PPC Accountants to handle our AdWords taxes.

Google AdWords has just released the Modified Broad Match to the rest of the world. After a successful test in Canada and the UK, they decided to unleash this great new feature to all advertisers. However, implementing this would require a lot of time in Excel, so we put together a quick and dirty little tool to help you get started with modified broad match keywords today.

This simple modified broad match keyword generator will add a + sign in front of each “word” which comprise your keywords, or in front of those specific keywords you indicate. You can then add these new keywords to your campaigns using the adwords editor, the Acquisio Editor or the standard Google AdWords interface. Enjoy, and don’t hesitate to tell us if we can make any useful changes to the tool. We’re listening