AUDITING ADWORDS TO EXCEED YOUR GOALSCut the fat. Optimize what’s left.

JASON STINNETTPPC Strategist at FindLaw, part of Thomson Reuters@JasonStinnett

Goals of the Audit

Ensure your AdWords account is tightly aligned with your business goals

Understand what isn’t working and cut accordingly

Identify your biggest opportunities for optimization

Most Common AdWords Issues

1) Keyword targeting too broad2) Lost market share on converting areas3) Overpaying for clicks4) Lack of focus in campaign settings

Issue One:Keyword Targeting Too Broad Symptoms:

High volume of clicks and impressions but low click through rates

Lots of ad groups that rarely get a click Lost impression share due to budget

Resolution: Pause loosely related and underperforming

keywords Optimize keywords with potential

Identify Keywords that are Too Broad Filter by click through rate less than .95 Sort by impressions, largest to smallest Evaluate each keyword

Evaluate Low CTR Keywords

Look at actual searches with the Search Terms report Am I advertising what I think I’m advertising? Do the queries line up with what my business

offers?

Are these searchers ready to buy? Strong commercial intent Local keywords

Identify Low-Click Keywords

Set date range to the last 30 – 60 days Filter – clicks less than or equal to 1

Evaluate Low-Click Keywords

Check for missed opportunity Low clicks due to lost impression share Low clicks due to low average position

Cut keywords with low opportunity Came up during keyword research but didn’t pan

out Innovative ideas that didn’t produce results

Issue Two:Lost Market Share in Key Areas Symptom:

Low Impression Share

Resolution: Address root cause – either budget or rank

Identify Lost Impression Share

Add impression share metrics at the keyword & campaign level

Sort by conversions, largest to smallest Identify whether your issue is budget or rank

Fix Lost Impression Share - Rank If your keyword is losing impression share due

to rank: Ensure you’ve got 2-3 ad extensions enabled Increase your bids Improve the keyword quality score

Ad Rank = (Bid) x (Quality Score)x (Ad Extensions)

Ad Rank = (Bid) x (Quality Score)x (Ad Extensions)

Fix Lost Impression Share - Budget If your campaign is losing impression share

due to budget: Cut out underperforming areas of your campaign

to free up budget Move top performing keywords into their own

campaign with a larger budget

Issue Three:Overpaying for Clicks Symptom:

Low quality score on high volume terms

Resolution: Address Google’s concern Improve click through rates

Impact of Quality Score on Cost

10 80%

9 64%

8 48%

7 32%

6 16%

5 Google benchmark

4 16%

3 32%

2 48%

1 64%

YOUPAY

Courtesy Wordstream, Inc

Identify Low Quality Score Keywords Filter: Quality Score less than or equal to 5 Sort by impressions, largest to smallest

Address the Root Cause of QS Issues Below average expected click through rate

Break terms out into their own ad group Write hyper-focused ads to improve click through

rates

Address the Root Cause of QS Issues Below average ad relevance

Break the keyword out into its own ad group Include the keyword in the headline and either

description line one or two

Below average landing page experience Ensure keyword is used verbatim in the landing

page Link to other pages on the site, include a privacy

policy

Issue Four:Lack of Focus in Campaign Settings Symptoms:

Ads running during low-performing hours of the day

Targeting too broad of a geographic area

Resolution: Narrow targeting based on data

Advertise in the Best Performing Hours Select the Hour of Day in the Dimensions Tab Set ad schedule to target times of day that

deliver clicks and conversions

Advertise in Targeted Geographies

Select Geographic report in the Dimensions Tab

Look at CTRs and Conversions Add bid modifiers for top areas Look at eliminating underperforming areas

Takeaways: PPC Audits

Cut the fat. Ensure your account is aligned with your

business goals Eliminate irrelevant and underperforming

keywords, ads, and audiences Optimize what’s left.

Focus your budget and energy on the areas that are performing best

Work to capture more market share at a lower cost

Takeaways:Creating a Digital Marketing Strategy1) Honestly assess your business and

understand your goals2) Audit your digital marketing campaigns to

identify what is working and what needs improvement

3) Prioritize according to your biggest opportunities

4) Build a roadmap that outlines the steps needed to resolve the issue, goals, and timelines

5) Ignore low priority issues and unrelated tactics

QUESTIONS?