Ho to measure the optimization level of an AdWords account by looking at 3 reports & doing some quality checks

1. Gianpaolo Lorusso
1
How to measure your account
optimization level in 5 minutes
@gianps

2. Who I am
2@gianps
• I have been working in web marketing for more
than 10 years on middle or large size projects.
• I have created ADworld Experience, the second
largest AdWords event in Europe
(after PPCMasters ;-).
• I think Usability and CRO are the last frontiers of
web marketing

3. First of all…
Let’s find the Real PPC MASTERS here!
Who has been working on AdWords
for more than 5 years now?
3@gianps

4. Are you measuring any kind of
conversions?
Even in campaigns for informative sites
(NO leads, NO sales)?
4@gianps
Conversion tracking

5. Are you using any bid management
tool?
&
Scripts or other automations in
managing campaigns, ads or alerts?
5@gianps
Automation

6. Are you using demographic targeting
in your campaigns?
&
Excluding unwanted display
categories?
6@gianps
Advanced display

7. Have you ever used negative remarketing
(excluding lists from your target users)?
&
Analytics lists cleaned of bounced users?
&
Search remarketing?
7@gianps
Advanced remarketing

8. Think of your most important account
now…
Which is the average conversion rate
of non branded campaigns?
8@gianps
The final countdown…

9. Let’s go…
Which are the most common questions when
you are asked to takeover an account?
How is the situation?
Which margins of improvement do we have?
9@gianps

10. What if I say…
You can answer these questions looking at
3 reports
&
Doing some qualitative checks
10@gianps

11. Direct response campaigns
• Get the maximum number of useful contacts
• Paying the minimum possible cost
• From our target users (final clients or businesses of
the right dimension in the defined areas)
• In the right stage of purchase (possibly beyond the
initial generic informative searches)
11@gianps

12. Key Performance Indicators
• Efficiency
is Cost Per Click the lowest possible?
• Effectiveness
are we getting all the conversions we can?
• Coverage
is budget adequate and correctly allocated?
• Missing opportunities
are we doing everything we can do?
12@gianps

13. Efficiency in AdWords
In Search all top spending keywords should have a 7-10
Quality Score and Display campaigns should have good
CTR, lower CPC (unless for very specific placements)
and acceptable Bounce Rates.
(if there is enough search traffic for our target market ;-)
13@gianps

14. Visualize QS
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15. @gianps 15

16. @gianps 16

17. Improving efficiency
• Change campaigns structure
• Limit geographic and language target
• Use extensions (especially sitelinks, local, call & callout)
• Negative keywords
• Keywords matching types
• New ad texts/images (always test new ads)
• Dynamic Keyword Insertion & personalizers
• Dynamic Search ADS (& targeting)
• Select highest CTR placements
• Remarketing & Retargeting (positive or negative)
@gianps 17

18. Keywords or placements cost per conversion has to be
lower than the direct/indirect profit generated by
themselves
Do not forget to consider lifetime customer value, «impossible»
conversions, discovery effect (& word of mouth) and statistical
data relevance
Effectiveness in AdWords
@gianps 18

19. Tracking conversions
• Always connect AdWords and Analytics account (to
import landing pages bounce rates)
• Consider importing conversions from Analytics
(AdWords cookie lasts 7 to 90 days, Analytics one
lasts 6 months)
• 24h import delay in conversions from Analytics
• Numbers will always be different because AdWords
attribution dates refer to the last click on the AD
while Analytics ones to the last website session
@gianps 19

20. Out of scale conversions
@gianps 20

21. Black budget holes
@gianps 21

22. Improve effectiveness
• Consider tracking “engagement” conversions (PDF
download, NL subscriptions, long/deep visits)
• Tuning CPCs to balance daily budget & expense
• Top ranking only for effective keywords, less visible
for all the others (check on Analytics)
• Landing page tests (optimizely, vwo, unbounce)
• Testing Enhanced CPC
• Testing CPA (if there is a good conversions history)
• Aggressive display targeting (DCO)
• Shopping campaigns (a “must do” for e-commerce)
@gianps 22

23. The most effective keywords and placements should
have the maximum possible coverage in impression
shares (also by geographic target areas and hours of the
day).
When users perform highly converting searches or visit in target
quality sites have to see our ads as many times as possible.
Coverage & budget spending
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24. Visualize coverage
24

25. consider adding budget
add budget & increase CPC
data consistence filter

26.  Add budget for high converting campaigns/groups
(dividing top keywords from the others)
 ADS active only in days/hours your target users are
on line (BtoB or BtoC?)
 Plan extensions and ADS according to offers and
your customer care opening hours
 Block or adjust bids for less performing geographical
areas & demographic groups
Optimizing coverage
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27. • Talk with front desk or direct sales agents
• On line surveys
• On line feedback facilities
• Live chat on the site
• Social networks comments
Missing opportunities
@gianps 27

28. Thanks for your attention
@gianps 28
Any Question?
See you on April 16-17, 2015
www.adworldexperience.com