[Checklist] Audit Your Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising NOTE: Many tools and features referenced apply to Google AdWords only, as it provides the majority of analysis and optimization tools. Also, Google comprises of roughly 65% of all US-based search volume. Special thanks to Paul Benson of Synapse SEM (www.synapsesem.com) for assisting with this checklist. Please find a glossary at the end of this document. Audit and Improve Keywords Use the Keyword Tool (AdWords only) or the equivalent in your PPC backend to identify new keywords that generate significant search volume. Identify negative keywords that generate significant search volume. Use the Review Opportunities Tab (AdWords only) to obtain new keyword suggestions based on existing keyword set. Run a Leverage Search Query Report (AdWords only) to expand your keyword set to understand what users trigger your ads. Employ multiple match types, including: Exact - [exact match] Phrase - phrase match Broad broad match Broad Match Modifier - +broad +match +modifier (include plus sign before each word) Use negative keywords to avoid competition across match types and ensure the appropriate ad appears for each search term Keep in mind: Exact match terms will not require any negatives Exact match negatives should be applied to all phrase match ad groups/campaigns Exact and phrase match negatives should be applied to all broad match modifier ad groups/campaigns Exact, phrase and broad match modifier negatives should be applied to all broad match ad groups/campaigns Monitor non-converting terms with low CTRs, as account-level CTR impacts Quality Score. Delete non-converting terms with low CTRs.
Audit and Improve Bids Gather a minimum of 2 to 4 weeks worth of current data on your PPC bids. Export that data to an Excel file and filter by revenue or leads. Calculate target CPC. For ROI-based campaigns, multiply average CPC by (current ROI/ROI target) For CPL-based campaigns, multiply actual Conversion Rate by Target CPL Increase this number by ~20%, since max CPCs are almost always higher than average CPC, and you have your new max CPC For any terms below CPL target but in an average position better than 2, do NOT increase current max CPC by more than 10-15% Compare your new max CPC to average CPC. Then, use the following steps: If new max CPC > average CPC and performance exceeds goal, implement the new max CPC If new max CPC > average CPC and performance does not exceed goal, do NOT implement the new max CPC If new max CPC < average CPC and performance exceeds goal, do NOT implement the new CPC If new max CPC < average CPC and performance does not exceed goal, implement the new CPC Define cost threshold based on current ROI/CPL goal and average order value (AOV). (For example, if your ROI goal is 2 and your AOV is $50, any given keyword, on average, should not spend more than $25 without converting) Review the data above and reduce CPCs or paused keywords that have met your specified cost threshold without converting. Define cost threshold based on current ROI/CPL goal and average order value (AOV) - For example, if your ROI goal is 2 and your AOV is $50, any given keyword, on average, should not spend more than $25 without converting Use bids to compare performance in different positions. Apply day parting based on day of week and time of day performance to increase ROI. Remember to account for seasonality and holidays For small- or medium-sized business, consider that it is likely more effective to utilize manual bidding vs. automated bidding. This is especially true if a majority of your lead/revenue volume comes from keywords that maintain an average position of 2 or better
Audit and Improve Ad Copy Use compelling language with a strong call-to-action to increase CTR. Review competitor ads as a point of comparison Add Sitelinks (AdWords only) on branded and non-branded campaigns for higher CTR. Include promotions and special/limited time offers Leverage other ad extensions (call extensions, etc.) if applicable to increase CTR. Create customized display URLs to improve ad copy relevance and CTR. Consider a business like HC Pro, who is promoting their nursing resources. They could leverage the more specific display URL www.hcpro.com/nursing_resources instead of their standard homepage URL www.hcpro.com Use Keyword Insertion for highly relevant ad headlines and greater CTR. Keyword Insertion is denoted using the following structure: {KeyWord:alternate title} The capitalization of the K and W let Google know to capitalize each word in the title Break out misspellings and other unique terms into separate ad groups and apply static titles Break copy into two sentences so your description line one is eligible to appear next to the title. Applies only when your ad shows in premium placement above SEO results Constantly test new copy using Google ACE to increase CTR, conversion rate, revenue and/or ROI. ACE testing is done at the ad group level, in which you set one ad group as the control group, and the test group as the experiment. The only variable that should change between the two groups is the one you re testing.
Audit and Improve Landing Pages Send traffic to the most relevant page based on the search query/keyword phrase. Place your landing page as far along the conversion funnel as possible. Shorten lead forms as shorter ones tend to perform well. Avoid the use of all images on your landing page, as this will negatively impact Quality Score. Test new landing pages using Google ACE to increase conversion rate, revenue and/or ROI. Ensure fast loading times on all of your landing pages in order to avoid negatively impacting conversion rate and Quality Score. Keyword relevance, landing page quality, and landing page load time can all be checked on the keyword level by visiting the Keywords tab and hovering over the Callout Box in the Status column Audit and Improve Targeting Use geo-targeting to capture highly relevant traffic based on the characteristics of your target market. Review Google vs. search partners (AdWords )performance, as search partners tend to perform worse than Google. Go to the Ad groups tab in AdWords Select the time frame you wish to analyze Under the Segment link select Network and download the report Create separate campaigns for your mobile and tablet users so you can create specific ad copy and more easily track performance. Tip: Differentiate between your mobile and tablet campaigns by adding mobile or tablet to the campaign names (preferably at the beginning)
Audit and Improve Automation Use automated rules to avoid overspending. Avoid incurring costs on low/non-performing keywords. Set alerts to stay informed on significant performance fluctuations. Alerts can be found next to automated rules within each tab specified above Add a Google Conversion Pixel to allow: Analysis of Google vs. search partners performance Conversion funnel and assists analysis Individual site performance within the display network Campaign performance by day of week and time of day To create a Google pixel Select the Reporting & Tools tab Select Conversions Select New Conversion Name the Conversion and select Webpage as the Conversion Location Select the Conversion category Select the Page security level (must match your confirmation page, and is generally at HTTPS) Input a Conversion value only if each lead represents the same amount of potential revenue Other setting should be set based on advertiser preference Synch your AdWords account with Google Analytics for more thorough reporting and analysis.
GLOSSARY Ad Extension: Additional information about your business, including geographic location, phone numbers, product extensions and site links Automated Bidding: Using a bid optimization software tool to calculate bids Automated Rules: Rules set within AdWords that allow advertisers to make campaign changes when certain thresholds are met (pausing terms when cost targets are reached, etc.) Broad Match: Automatically runs your ads on relevant variations of your keywords, including synonyms Cascading Bids: Adjusting bids based on match type, giving Exact match the highest bid and Broad match the lowest Cost Threshold: Based on conversion goals, the point at which good PPC results are separated from bad PPC results CPA: cost-per-acquisition, where acquisition can include a lead or other on-site conversion event CPC: cost-per-click CPL: cost-per-lead CTR: clicks or impressions Day Parting: Adjusted bids (up or down) based on time of day and/or day of week Exact Match: Ad will show if the keyword is typed in exactly as it appears in your campaign Geo-targeting: This options allow you to choose specific cities or states, radiuses around an address or latitude longitude coordinate, or even create a custom geographic area via Google Maps Google ACE: Google AdWords Campaign Experiments, allows advertiser to conduct A/B testing on ad copy, landing pages, and bids/position Google Conversion Pixel: Allows advertiser to track conversions (leads, sales, etc.) generated from AdWords campaign Keyword Extension: A feature allowing advertisers to insert the user s query (or keyword phrase that matches to the query) into the title of their ad Keyword Tool: Tool in AdWords that provides search volume and additional keyword ideas for any given keyword phrase Manual Bidding: Adjusting bids without automation Negative Keywords: Terms you can apply to your campaign to filter out unqualified traffic Opportunities Tab: Suggests alternate keywords based on current keyword set Phrase Match: Ad will show if search query includes keyword phrase in the same order as it appears in your campaign Quality Score: A weighted number (scale of 1-10 in AdWords) based on CTR, ad relevance to keywords, landing page quality, and other factors. Quality Score is used in conjunction with max CPC to determine position Search Partners: 3 rd party search engines and other sites that primary search engines (Google, Yahoo!, Bing) leverage to expand their ad delivery network Search Query Report (SQR): Report that helps identify additional keywords and negatives by showing the actual search queries that triggered your ads Sitelinks: AdWords feature that lets you include additional links to other content on your site that's not on the main landing page Copyright 2011, Subscription Site Insider, a division of Anne Holland Ventures, Inc.