In such a rapid, real-time auction how do the search engines decide which ads are shown and in what position? Have you ever considered, or evaluated what you’re actually buying once your ads go live?
You’ll never be able to guess all the variations of search phrases people will use. In fact, 20-25% of Google’s search volume is made up of queries that the engines have never seen before (Source: Google’s Searchology 2007: Udi Manber). That’s why match-types were created, so that advertisers could control the scope to be as broad or as exact as they saw fit for each keyword.
The selection of match-type is critical, because what you see is not always what you get. Let’s review the definition of broad match from Google:
“Broad Match - This is the default option. If your ad group contained the keyword 'tennis shoes,' your ad would be eligible to appear when a user's search query contained either or both words ('tennis' and 'shoes') in any order, and possibly along with other terms. Your ads could also show for singular/plural forms, synonyms, and other relevant variations.”
It is important that you understand what that definition really means, and how it can impact your campaigns. The key phrase here is “synonyms, and other relevant variations.” While this seems innocent enough, the impact to your campaigns can be significant.
When optimizing your campaigns, keyword bid decisions are based on the success or failure of any given keyword. When that keyword is being shown to a very loosely defined “other relevant variations” then the data integrity is lost. You no longer know what real search terms your ad is showing for, since the search engines are defining what is relevant for you. So when your keywords aren’t performing, is it the root keyword that isn’t performing or the other related searches that your ads are being shown for?
Here are some actual examples for the term “free checking” and what the ad was shown for:
1) “wachovia bank”
2) “how to cash a check online”
3) “internet banking online”
All of these keywords have very different meanings and different user intent, and none of them will drive users to open a new free checking account with the bank in question. The user searching for Wachovia isn’t interested in our bank ad; the user searching for check cashing isn’t interested in opening a new account; and the user looking for online banking is looking for online bank accounts, not opening a free checking account. By serving a “free checking” ad to these searchers, accidental clicks accumulate, costing you money with no conversions.
While broad match may work fine for some types of PPC campaigns, for many, exact match with a longer set of keyword variations is a better option and can have a higher ROI.
Your keywords are the foundation for your paid search campaign. It is critical to understand the inner workings of the search engines, and make sure that you are taking advantage of all optimization techniques you have at your disposal to drive results.
If you have any questions about how Rosetta manages your PPC campaigns or other related questions, please contact us.
