An overview of paid search, how to create settings for a Google AdWords campaign, a step by step plan for a search campaign.

1. Paid Search Overview
MKTG 470 Interactive Marketing Technology
Dr. Debra Zahay Blatz
Associate Professor of Interactive
Marketing
1/17/2013
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

2. Tips and Best Practices for Creating and
Managing Paid Search Campaigns Thanks
to Leapfrog Online
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

3. Search is a 15 Billion Dollar Industry
• 20% growth in 2011
• Projected to grow to $21B by 2015
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4. Google AdWords: Small Scale for
Project
• $250 budget
• 1 Client
• 1 Account
• 5-10 Campaigns
• 10-20 Ads
• 100-1000 Keywords
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

5. No Matter the Scale, Search is
the Same
• Setting goals
– What return are you looking for from paid
search?
• Gathering data
– How much information is out there?
• Analyzing data
– What can we learn from the data?
• Continuous optimizations
– What steps are being taken to improve your
campaign?
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

6. Implementing Paid SEARCH
• Investigate Broad search Categories and Trends
• Narrow Down Keywords
• Determine Traffic and Cost
• Select Terms and match Criteria
• Design Ads
• Run Campaigns
• Measure and Refine
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

7. Streamlined Paid Search
Process
• 4 Main Phases of SEM
1. Research
2. Build
3. Launch
4. Analyze/Report
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

8. 1.
Research Working With A Client
• Will the client have time for you?
• Understand the business model
– Are their customers online?
– Is it interesting to you?
• What are their goals?
• Is the industry super competitive?
– May be more expensive to advertise
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

9. Always Set a Goal
• Increase traffic to client’s site
• Drive more orders/sales online
• Increase brand exposure?
If you don’t goals in the beginning, it
will be difficult to focus your efforts.
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

10. Do some searches
• How does our product fare in searches?
• What does the customer want?
– Google Trends
– http://www.costaricantimes.com/google-flu-
symptom-trends-all-time-high/10231
• What is the competition doing?
• Ad copy, keywords, geo-targeting, etc.
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

11. How do our search terms fare?
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12. 2.
Build Develop a framework
• Organize the account in the beginning
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13. Campaign
Organization
• Description of campaign settings/type
• Product categories (non-specific)
Desktop Branded
Tablet Chevrolet
Mobile NonBranded
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

14. AdGroup
Organization
• Focus on keyword themes
• Easily identify what’s inside
Desktop Tablet Mobile
Branded Chevrolet Nonbranded
Chevrolet Chevrolet
Cars
Cars Camaro
Cadillac Chevy Sport
Trucks Camaro Cars
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

15. Keyword creation
• Keywords are the lifeblood of your search
efforts
– They are the link to what people are searching for and
how you will reach them
• Google Keyword Tool
– Enter in keyword ideas, provides expansions,
cost/traffic estimates
– Can scrape content of your landing page for ideas
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

16. Google Keyword Tool
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17. Match Types
• 3 Keyword Match Types: Exact, Phrase, Broad
• Organize your keywords based on match type
• Most relevant, least traffic
Exact
• In between
Phrase
• Least relevant, most traffic
Broad
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

18. Match TYPE Depends on Ad Objective
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18

19. Match Types
• Example keyword: Chicago Bulls
• Where can your ad show?
• Chicago Bulls
Exact
• Chicago Bulls tickets, Chicago Bulls
Phrase apparel
• Chicago Bulls suck, Running of the
Broad Bulls, Chicago winter
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

20. Benefits of Themes/Match
Types
• Easier to analyze the data
• Search engines reward advertisers
– More relevant traffic
– Higher quality score
– Better rankings
– Higher CTR (click through rate)
– Lower CPC (cost per click)
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

21. Writing Ad Copy
• Search ads don’t have a lot of space
– 95 total characters to get your point across
– Write an ad you would want to click
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

22. Writing Ad Copy
• Clear call to action
– Order today, Visit now, etc.
• Include the keyword in the ad if possible
• Product information
– Price point: $9.99, etc.
– Attributes: 50mbps, 10 lbs., etc
• Create a sense of urgency
– Limited time offer
– 25% off
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

23. ENTERING AN AD IN ADWORDS
AD: Limit 70 Characters,
TITLE: Limit 25 Characters 35 each line
URL: Limit 35 Characters
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24. RECENT SEARCH RESULTS
SHOWING TOP AND SIDE ADS ARE
DIFFERENT ON GOOGLE
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24

25. 3.
Launch Campaign Settings
• Check, double-check, triple-check your settings
– Geo-targeting
– Bids
– Budgets
– Day-parting
– Device settings
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

26. Geo-Targeting
• Target your campaign appropriately
– If it’s a local business, target only the areas your client
serves, or a radius around it
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27. Bids
• Important to start with bids higher at launch
– 1.5x expected CPC that Google indicates
– Enough to gain traffic & start with higher CTR
– Lower once you have real data
– Make sure bids are set to at least ‘min. first page bid’
• Ensures your ad will actually show on the page
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

28. Budgets
• Set a daily cap for each campaign
– Ensures even spend during your campaign flight
– Ensures you don’t run out of budget early
• Example: $250 budget, 21 days = ~$11/day
– Divide the $11 among your campaigns if needed
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

29. Day-Parting
• Set ads to run during business hours, or peak
times of the day
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30. Device Targeting
• Always segment your efforts by device
– Mobile vs. desktop vs. tablet
• Searchers behave differently by device
– Costs also vary, mobile is more expensive
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

31. Developing Benchmarks
• Realistic expectations for traffic, cost, etc.
– $250 limit spread over 3 weeks
• Increased pressure on quality of traffic
• Conversion tracking in place
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

32. 4. Reporting &
Analysis
Viewing Data
• AdWords interface, how to view the data
• Great overview for quick checkup
Campaign
Level
• Not ideal for optimization
• Find problem areas quickly
Ad-Group
Level
• Can be very useful for optimization
• Very narrow focused
Keyword
Level
• In-depth account check
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

33. What to Optimize
• Daily:
– Budgets
– Idiot check: Is the ad positioned properly
– Positions and ad-group performance
• Weekly/Monthly:
– Summary
– Trends
– Keyword performance
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

34. How to Optimize
• Budgets
– Are you over or under spending?
• If so, where?
• Idiot Check
– Did your CPC double? Triple? Equal $0?
• A look through to make sure everything looks normal
• Ad Group
– CTR very close to 0% but impression rate is up?
• Try some copy testing or targeting optimization
• Google Analytics
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

35. How to Optimize
• Keywords
– Add, remove, or make negatives
• Keyword search term report
– Increase or decrease bids based on:
• Spend vs Conversion rate
• Average position vs clicks and conversion
• Lots of possibilities!
• Landing Page
– Change copy
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

36. Why USE A NEGATIVE MATCH TERM in
PPC?
A. To show the opposite of positive terms
B. To indicate what you do not want considered
C. To put customers off the track
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013

37. Recap
• Research, Build, Launch, Analyze/Report
• Pay close attention to:
– Keyword themes
– Match types
– Day parting, geo-targeting, device settings
– Bids & Position
– Ad copy
Copyright by Debra Zahay Blatz 2013