Google paid search is a must for any business. It’s what makes The Google GOOG. But, there are, as with anything, common mistakes to avoid.
First off, many advertisers pause relevant keywords shortsightedly. Patience, my friend! A 30-day window of cost to conversion may seem like a good chunk of data, but in actuality, the timeframe may be arbitrary and ineffective. Low traffic keywords may need much longer periods of time to produce enough useful data. And you’ll need that data to determine the proper bid for that click. Without that information, you’ll likely pay too much for keywords that don’t produce enough conversions or make the mistake of throwing them out altogether. It’s all about figuring out what they’re worth. As long as you bid appropriately, when it comes to relevant keywords…the more the merrier. The same goes for broad match modifier keywords. Setting all your keywords to exact or phrase match only may seem like a good move, but doing so can leave out vital leads. You never know where the web will take you…
Additionally, avoid relying on rudimentary bidding tools, such as those that lump keywords together simply based on sales per click, or other basic (so basic!) groupings. It’s likely that any correlations found won’t have much in common in the long run. Instead, focus on deciphering the intent behind the search terms. You can do this by assigning attributes to keywords––or, sub-keywords (so to say). For instance, if your keyword is “Vodka”, your attributes might be “Trump”, “Tweets”, “Dear God”, “Why”, and “Sweet Relief”. With these attributes, you can surmise the intent of the search. The searcher may not necessarily be looking for Trump branded vodka, but sweet, sweet relief from the 24-hour news cycle.
With geographic targeting, an advertiser can garner valuable information about the household income of the searcher. This is an opportunity that rookie advertisers, particularly those without brick and mortar stores, pass up––leaving too many upscale vodka distributors paying for bids in zip codes where people are just trying to get their drink on with some clearance vodka. Feel me?
That being said, it is important to distinguish between cost-per-lead/cost-per-acquisition and revenue. While certain search terms may lead to an increase in Your Brand Vodka sales, they may not lead to longstanding and loyal customers. It’s also important to evaluate mobile traffic data and use sophisticated mobile bid modifiers. Setting your modifiers to -75% or even -100% is a terrible mistake. It’s true that mobile searches produce fewer conversions, but cross-device conversion may be more prevalent than you think. What starts as a mobile search can easily translate into brick and mortar, or desktop sales.
Remember, As long as you bid appropriately, when it comes to relevant keywords…the more the merrier.
