Uncovering Advanced Paid Search Strategies

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Affiliate Summit East 2010 Uncovering Advanced Paid Search Strategies Allen Hammock Director, LookSmart

description

Allen will provide a checklist of qualities advertisers should look for in search partners to bring PPC campaigns to the next level, including traffic quality, targeting and tracking, and service. Experience level: Advanced Target audience: Merchants/Advertisers Niche/vertical: Search Advertising Allen Hammock, Director, LookSmart (Twitter @brainvat)

Transcript of Uncovering Advanced Paid Search Strategies

Page 1: Uncovering Advanced Paid Search Strategies

Affiliate Summit East 2010

Uncovering Advanced Paid Search Strategies

Allen HammockDirector, LookSmart

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LookSmart at a Glance

– PPC Search Advertising Network

– Search Pioneer: Founded in 1997; IPO in 1999; Ad Network since 2003

– Headquartered in San Francisco; represented in New York City and London

– NASDAQ (LOOK)

– Employees: 70

Company Overview

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Keyword PPC Search: Market Structure & Opportunity

What is a Search Ad Network?

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Keyword Based• PPC Auction• Qualified Users

Non-Proprietary Traffic• Syndicated networks• No owned-and-operated search engine• Monetize traffic that doesn’t originate on Big 3 search engines

Highly diverse Traffic Types, Origins, Performance and Value• Intentional: search boxes, toolbars, domain navigation• Contextual: web pages, email messages, social media

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Keyword PPC Search: Market Structure & Opportunity

Non-Proprietary Search - An Important Part of a Diversified Online Ad Campaign

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Source: Based on IDC, March 2009

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Keyword PPC Search: Market Structure & Opportunity

How Does Search Fit In?

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Versus Display Networks?• Higher effective CPM• Targeting advantage, for now• Display is adapting (retargeting)

Versus CPA Networks?• Higher volume potential• Risk shifted to buyer• Competing based on CPC, not based on delivery

Versus SEO/Organic Strategies?• Never choose between SEO and SEM• Enhance your SEO through SEM• Measure the combined effectiveness

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Keyword PPC Search: Market Structure & Opportunity

Where is the Traffic Coming From?

• Small Publishers and Search Sites

• Domains

• Networks

• Contextual

• Email

• Social

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Why Expand?

Benefits of Expanding onto Search Ad Networks

• Additional reach beyond the Big 3

• Lower CPC ‘s

• Superior customer service

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Why Expand?

Challenges of Expanding onto Search Ad Networks

• Will the traffic I receive be of the quality I want?

• Who should I run with?

• Do I have time to manage another account?

• Is the ad network platform sophisticated enough for my needs?

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Checklist

Questions to ask when vetting new search partners

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Checklist

Experience

ASK:

How long have you been in business?

Do you have any case studies/testimonials/customer references you can share?

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Checklist

Volume

ASK:

How many queries do you process per day?

Can you provide me with a traffic estimate for my keywords to help determine the kind of volume I might receive?

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Checklist

Platform Capabilities

ASK:

Do you offer the following?

Conversion Tracking: What kind of conversion tracking do you offer? What kind of visibility will I have into the traffic sources that are converting for me? How will the optimization process work?

Geo-targeting: Will I be able to target my ads by location? How specific can I get with my geo-targeting (country, state, city, zip)?

Day Parting: Can I schedule my ads to appear only during certain times of day (e.g. during my business hours)?

Site Level Targeting and Budget Capping Can you create a customized distribution channel specific to my campaign?

Ad Rotation Can I rotate different ads to help determine which ones are working best, and optimize accordingly?

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Checklist

Optimization Strategy

ASK:

How will you help me maximize my RPM?

Traffic Segmentation: How do we separate the wheat from the chaff?

Tools Integration: How do I get visibility into performance through the reporting tools I use today?

Mining Strategy: How do we balance my performance requirements with the ever-present need to grow my business?

Learning & Growing: If I invest my time in your traffic and platform, will you invest in me as your client?

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Checklist

Network Quality

ASK:

Do you filter invalid traffic? If so, how?

What kind of screening takes place before you add a new distribution partner to your network?

Do you work with any 3rd parties, such as Anchor Intelligence and Click Forensics, to help ensure traffic quality?

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Checklist

Service

ASK:

•Do you offer account management services?

•Do you have a customer support line? Does a real person field those calls to answer questions and offer guidance?

•Do you have a team in place who is geared towards helping me achieve my success metrics?

•What payment options do you have? Can I run off of my credit card or get a line of credit directly? What are the payment terms? How do you handle disputes?

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Checklist

Score Card

Supplier Experience Volume Platform Optimization Strategy ServiceLookSmartAskValueclickAdvertise.com7searchAdknowledge

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Checklist

ALLEN HAMMOCKALLEN.HAMMOCK@LOOKSMA

RT.NETTWITTER: @BRAINVAT

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