I have been meaning to post the basics of how I evaluate accounts prior to optimizing and/or accepting them for regular management. The information below is from a template I use and can be applied to any Google Adwords account.
You can use this information to find out how effectively you are using Google Adwords today. Just as many VCR users could play a tape but never learned to set the clock or auto-record their favorite programs, most Google Adwords accounts I've evaluated are using only a fraction of what is available.
This document will reveal features you're not currently using to your advantage. I have included some of the many recommendations I make. In a full evaluation I include recommendations for every numbered point in the evaluation.
You can find other recommendations I've made in this forum; however, do check the dates and verify the information as Google's system and my advice have changed over the time I've been here.
I have added comments in brackets to indicate what else might be included in an evaluation specific to your account.
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KEYWORD ADVERTISING EVALUATION
YourDomain.com
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04/04/07 (DATE REVIEW COMPLETED) Review current Google campaigns to provide suggestions for optimization.
NOTE: Each numbered item in the Evaluation section corresponds with the same number in the Recommendations section. Abbreviations used are defined in the first section (Optimization Objectives).
OPTIMIZATION OBJECTIVES
· Maximize traffic
· Minimize Cost Per Click (CPC)
· Increase Click Through Rate (CTR)
· Maximize Return on Investment (ROI)
EVALUATION OF EXISTING GOOGLE CAMPAIGNS
CAMPAIGN SETTINGS: [There is often additional text such as what I show for point 1. below in others of these bullets.]
1.RECOMMENDED BUDGET: The Daily Budget currently is less than Google recommends, resulting in your ads not being shown consistently. Google’s system will not show your ads for every search unless you set your budget to at least their recommended amount. Since late 2006 and as I write this their estimator often indicates the budget is sufficient when it is not. How to check and adjust for this is explained later in this document.
2.BUDGET OPTIONS: Standard or Accelerated:
3.BUDGET OPTIMIZER:
4.AD SCHEDULING:
5.POSITION PREFERENCE:
6.AD SERVING: Optimize or Rotate:
7.SEARCH NETWORKS: Google search, Google Search Partners:
8.CONTENT NETWORK/CONTENT BIDS:
9.LANGUAGE:
10.LOCATIONS (GEO-TARGETING):
AD GROUPS:
11.BROAD/PHRASE/EXACT MATCH:
12.USE OF GENERAL KEYWORDS:
13.USE OF SPECIFIC KEYWORDS:
14.INACTIVE KEYWORDS:
15.NEGATIVE KEYWORDS:
16.NEGATIVE EMBEDDED KEYWORDS:
17.BID AMOUNTS:
18.BIDDING STRATEGY:
19.KEYWORDS MATCH ADS:
20.AD TESTING USED:
21.AD EFFECTIVENESS:
22.URLS in ADS:
TRACKING:
23.FREE CONVERSTION TRACKING USED:
24.GOOGLE ANALYTICS IMPLEMENTED:
25.GOOGLE ANALYTICS CONFIGURED:
RECOMMENDATIONS for GOOGLE CAMPAIGNS
[This section will include specific recommendations like the three examples given below for each of the numbered points in the Evaluation section above.]
1.If it is not your intent to limit traffic ensure that Daily Budgets are set to Google’s recommended amounts. Note that you will not actually spend that amount as their estimator is not very accurate and does not consider negative keywords. If you wish to limit spending it is better to selectively pause some Ad Groups so that ads for your most important keywords display consistently. Many potential buyers will look for you the same way they original found you when they’re ready to buy. If they cannot easily find you again you may lose their business. Few will think to do the same search again if they don’t see your ad on the first search, but may search repeatedly if they’re using the Google toolbar.
2.It is not advisable to use Budgeting functions to limit spending because they cause ads to appear inconsistently. When a potential buyer visits an online business through an ad they are likely to look for the ad again when they’re ready to buy. Any time ads are being limited by Budgeting functions they may not be shown for every search, making it likely that repeat visitors will not see them and sales will be lost. When an advertiser wishes to limit spending it is best to selectively turn off the least important advertising to ensure that the highest priority ads run consistently.
3.Content ads almost always convert far less often than search ads because someone specifically looking for something is more likely to take action soon than someone clicking out of curiosity. For most advertisers, I advise only considering content or display ads if they are already accepting all available search traffic.
EVALUATION SUMMARY
(This is an example of what might appear in this section. This can vary account to account.)
Overall, the account is well organized and targeted [or not]. Adding negative, phrase, and exact match keywords could greatly improve CTRs and lower advertising costs while generating more targeted visitors.
There is far more traffic than you are currently accepting and much additional traffic that could be obtained. I believe there are additional, potentially less expensive, more targeted keywords that could be found with additional research.
Although traffic amounts are usually very low, the highest conversion rates and lowest CPC are seen when specific products are targeted with advertising. With the high bids on many of this advertiser’s more general keywords I would highly recommend trying some product specific keywords and ads. (Note that these keyword phrases may not appear in search tools due to having less than twenty-five searches in the prior month.)
If this advertising is currently profitable I would recommend increasing the traffic being accepted by increasing the Daily Budget to Google’s recommended amount. If it is not, you may wish to improve your Web site conversion rate first.
I recommend these priority changes in order of importance:
1.Turn off content ads
2.Increase budget to Google’s recommended amounts
3.If broad match keywords are used, add negative and embedded negative keywords to all active campaigns
4. Implement the bidding strategy explained above
The changes suggested above will result in increased traffic and decreased Cost Per Click (CPC). Exact improvement for each campaign cannot be accurately predicted; however, some clients have seen three to five fold traffic increases and a decrease in average CPC of 30-60%.
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If there is sufficient interest I may provide the additional recommendations not included above at a later date.
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