PPC Blog | Paid Search Marketing | Sem Geek - Making Sense of Paid Search Marketing

Why The "WHAT" Is More Important Than The "HOW" In PPC Marketing

Whether you are a PPC Pro, Novice or someone who just wants to learn more about Paid Search Marketing, you are most likely reading the same old blog posts about how to game the Google Adwords machine with NEW tricks of the trade by all the PPC experts. However, in this blog post I am not focusing on tricks, but rather questioning the "real" importance of understanding the bigger picture of the key objective, which would eventually make some of the really "kewl" tactics useless if it's the wrong audience you may be targeting. Let's discuss.....

Most likely you are very familiar with PPC related blog posts which talk about specific tricks and tactics about how to organize keyword groups, which keyword matching types are better than others, how to effectively write a text ad, etc.... Now, that is all great stuff, right! Of course, it makes you a better, well-rounded PPC Geek. However, it is this SemGeek's opinion to shed light on a different area of PPC that requires some "outside the box" thinking that provides a different perspective on the everyday "in the weeds" life of search marketing.

Why the "HOW" is Overrated:
Anyone who talks about PPC probably already knows about quality score and the buzz word "relevance". I am even going out on a limb by saying that anyone can do a decent job in PPC if they read a few blog posts or attended a conference knows about quality score. It's not that hard, right! C'mon, there are only soo many tricks of the trade that can be done to maximize a Campaign, Adgroup and Keyword.

Did you ever once ask yourself the following questions?

1. I have done everything possible and just barely returning a profitable ROAS or ROI?
2. I cannot waste any more time on this adgroup and should I cut back or just pause the adgroup entirely?
3. The client wants to keep this adgroup, but it's poorly performing and hurting my performance contract?
4. These Text Ads are just horrible, but the client refuses to change them or even test new ones.
5. The client refuses to increase the Ad Spend that is needed to try new things.

These are common questions that every PPC Marketer has or will have to deal with eventually. Now, the point I am trying to make is that no matter how smart you are with Quality Score or how Savvy you are with a client, what matter most is PERFORMANCE. It is this reason, which leads me to why the "WHAT" is more important that "HOW". Let me explain.

Why the "WHAT" is more important:
Ok, we already discussed that pretty much anyone can do the "HOW". How-ever (hee hee), what really matter is a complete understanding the client's business both online and offline. There are many ways to communicate to existing clients and new prospects, and picking the right one's from the start is what truly makes a "PPC Rockstar". It's not the tactics, but what you apply those tactics to. You can have the utter most best quality score campaign ever created, but if it's for a product the client does not sell, It DOESN'T MATTER. If you find a great keyword that drives a ton of cheap traffic, but does not convert, it DOESN'T MATTER

Why A PPC Strategy is About the "WHAT"

The PPC Marketer needs to think about the Strategy on different levels and phases. For example, the best thing you can do is get a good understanding of the client's business before you map out the plan. Also keep in mind that a strategy is about "what" to promote, not "how" you are going to promote it. The more "angles" and audiences you can identify, the better you can understand how they will respond.

• Seasonal calendar
• Historical Top Products/Services
• Competitive advantages (if any)
  • Warranty
  • Price
  • Discounts
  • Shipping Rate
  • Models (older models)
  • Live Tech Help
• Industry Slang/buzz words used by users/clients, etc...
• Participating Manufacturer names
• Past trademarks names that customers are familiar with.

In Conclusion:
PPC is becoming a highly competitive and saturated advertising vehicle that anyone, even a kid in the basement, can participate in. Furthermore, It is this uniqueness which make it a different monster as compared to all the other "offline" advertising outlets. With that said, finding ways to make a reasonable ROI or ROAS% continues to get more and more difficult to achieve and that is why it really comes down to what you are advertising more than how you are doing it. Of course, the 'HOW" of PPC is obviously important. But wasting time "tweaking" something that will never reach an acceptable success is just a waste of time.

“WWW? Nice toy, but what a waste of time.” - Bill Gates

4 Ways To Persuade Your Clients To Spend More PPC Dollars

As the advertising dollars continue to decline, I am sure anyone reading this blog post is, has or knows someone who has cut back on their PPC Budget or turned it off completely. Now, with that said, depending on the client or how the PPC campaigned was managed prior to the budget cuts, I want to highlight on some ideas that could persuade the client/company to spend some Ad dollars again and maybe, just maybe, look at PPC in a new light, instead of the AVG cost per conversion model. Let's discuss......

I. Monetize Everything:
The reason why I listed this tactic first is because I believe it is the most underrated one of all. Many success events that come from PPC tend to go unnoticed especially since Paid Search was most likely the 1st point of contact for the visitor and frequently makes an impact on the lifetime value of that consumer. Let's dig a littler deeper about what to measure.

When reviewing a client's website, one of the first things I do is identify all communication functionality with the visitor. However, most clients/companies only care about (1) one thing and that is Sales/Leads. For the majority, many of these companies have a defined CPL (cost per lead) or CPC (cost per conversion) and that is terrific in creating the PPC plan. However, there are many other events that happen on a given website that serve a prospect or returning customer and they often go un-noticed. This is where an OPPORTUNITY to highlight the significance of PPC to encourage the client to put a value behind any or all of these services listed below. This will not only help the client understand that the typical cycle is not always an immediate sale, but more of a 3 tier cycle that leads them to a sale. This is also very important for the PPC marketer to make the case to not decrease PPC spend.

A Few Website Success Events that sometimes go un-noticed

• Account Signup
• Email Contact Form
• Live Chat Services
• Web Only Phone # Volumes
• Email Newsletter Signups
• Survey Participants
• Returning Customers
• Referral programs (tell-a-friend

II. Relate PPC to Television, Radio and Print:

A Different Perspective from Political Campaigns:
When working with U.S. Congressional Candidates during the 2008 Election, I was fortunate enough to experience Paid Search and Internet Advertising, through the eyes of the candidates themselves as well as their campaign staff. It was enlightening because it unveiled an entirely new and different perspective on the success and behavioral cycle of a typical website visitor coming from paid search.

Furthermore, what seemed to matter most to the campaign strategists were not always Contributions, but the idea of monetizing actual "EYEBALLS" of the voters who viewed their Ads and specific messages on various websites and search engines. The campaigns related Paid Search and Ad networks to traditional Television and Radio markets, which honestly to this day control the overall Ad spend. In the past, TV and Radio allowed the campaigns to focus on specific Demographic and Geographic (zip codes within a specific district) parameters in circulation based segment, where it was a similar CPM.

When we discussed how PPC and Internet Advertising worked, they compared the two media vehicles and the "AH HA MOMENT" immediately kicked in. Now going back to the topic at hand, the PPC guru has a responsibility to communicate to the client/company that any other offline initiatives should include PPC as part of the plan. If they run a TV spot, tell consumers to do something like "Google Semgeek for more information".

Another Idea is to test different messaging in PPC before going to Print, Radio or TV. The benefit of doing this is to get the messaging right before the company spends the BIG $$$$. PPC has many benefits, but finding ways to prove it's worth on many different levels make the company look smart, hence making the PPC marketer more valuable.

A Unique Perspective from a Print Catalog Company:
This perspective comes from my years with building the Internet division of a successful Automotive Catalog company where "real estate" within a print catalog was and still is at a PREMIUM and it as always a race to the finish line when new products come out from the manufacturer during the highly seasonality of the automotive industry. Moreover, one of the best strategies we implemented was using Paid Search as a vehicle to get the product to the market before any other competitor, promote the manufacturer and collect names, email addresses and create "Pre-Orders" into the system to act like a barometer to see if there was enough demand to enter placement into the print catalog. I will just tell you the results were astonishing and the yearly sales proved it.

There are other ways to get an upper hand on your competitors through PPC especially during the Holiday rush period and Shipping and Price Comparisons. I am sure that the VPs of marketing for these companies can think of many more effective tactics to battle their competitors and all they need is a PPC expert to translate that into a comprehensive plan of attack

III: More Affordable Testing:
In most cases, search marketers promote landing page A/B testing and Ad/Creative testing and that is a good thing. However, there are many other ways to use PPC as a testing vehicle not only for the website, but for the entire company and it's offline ad initiatives. Let's explain...

For example, making the case to use paid search to determine which Ad Messaging works more effectively before the Ad campaign hits the airwaves and cable stations is a very valuable tactic. Over the years, many millions of Ad dollars were spent on messaging that did not entirely make a good impression on the companies. With PPC, it's a cost effective "pre-campaign" strategy to test the market before spending $100,000's of dollars on TV, Radio and Print.

IV. Consider PPC as R&D Dollars:
Many companies spend tons of money in Research and Development to improve or test new products. They hire people to test the products, give them their opinions, bring in outside consultants, etc... Wouldn't it be more cost effective to test the product with the people who would actually be using them or to promote some new ideas by the company to a specific geographic area that is more prone to use the product or service?

The point I am trying to make is that many companies often stick to their old-fashioned tactics that have been used for decades, so once again it is up to the SemGeek to communicate and discuss the additional opportunities that Search Marketing can provide. In essence, R&D will need PPC to improve their CPC (cost per conversion)

In Conclusion:
The purpose of this post is to try and "Think Outside the Box" when thinking about the uses of PPC. Many agencies/companies look to PPC to simply drive sales and that is totally valid. However, there are many other good things going on that are going un-noticed and are not tracked and monetized correctly and it's a LOSS for both parties. In the case of the PPC agency, they may need a % percentage of the client's PPC Ad spend to keep the lights on, and on the other side, the client/company is actually doing better than they think since many "Live Chats, Phone Orders, etc..." are being triggered from the Paid Search Efforts.

It's up to the PPC marketer to communicate the importance of monetizing everything that search will give them, above and beyond a purchase/lead. Remember, a simple idea can make a company's VP of Marketing look like a genius, and that is a very good thing.

Get a good idea and stay with it. Dog it, and work at it until it’s done right. - Walt Disney

Why You Should Use PPC Before You Redesign Your Next Website

Yes, you heard it right. Using the power of Paid Search as a tool to help build your next website or website redesign could be one of the best decisions you could have ever made. You may be asking yourself, how the hell is PPC gonna help my website or even my client's website. Well, there are many tasks, as well as a centralized plan/strategy for measuring what is a success and what is too opaque, so let's discuss.

Before you spend thousands of $$ dollars on a new website redesign or to even build a new website, you may want to consider spending a little R&D money to "get a feel" from the reaction of real live customers who would ultimately be the driving force for your companies online success.

HOW TO GET STARTED?
Well, I suggest is putting aside a $1,000 for a paid search testing budget. In this test, you would create 3-4 different landing pages, 3-4 different Ads/Creatives, massive keyword expansion for each specific product/service you want to test and have it all tagged with Web Analytics.

Ok, so for that $1,000 Investment, what do I need to do "tactically" to make this happen. Well, first of all you will need to go through the following Setup Phases:

• Website Functionality (minimal)
• Paid Search Setup (ads, keywords, top products/services)
• Landing Page Setup (how to differentiate)
• What did we learn and how to use it

WEBSITE FUNCTIONALITY:
For this test, you will need to, at the very least have the bare bones functionality of a cart and checkout process (if commerce) or if (lead based), a functioning online form, with validation. No matter what you provide visitors, you MUST have a "thank you" page of sorts to track that a success event has been made and tying that event to a specific message or attribute of the landing page.

PAID SEARCH SETUP PHASE:

1. Choose your Top 5 products/categories/services, etc...
2. Perform very extensive keyword expansion with negatives.
3. Create 3-4 completely different Ads/Creatives for each Adgroup
4. Create 3-4 different Landing Pages (which all have different designs, color schemes and offers.
5. Add/Implement Analytics code on every Landing Page
6. Let initial test run for at least 2 weeks to get enough sample size.

WHAT ABOUT THE LANDING PAGE?
Building these landing pages is crucial to your success. This is where the visitor gets to see what you are about and how you present your business. So coming up with an attractive color scheme that is "easy on the eyes" and most importantly provides sensible USABILITY functions that enables the visitor to have a good experience on your website. Furthermore, there are many landing page optimization tools out there that can make this even easier for you.

Here are just a few examples of how you can differentiate your Landing Pages

1. Color Scheme: Try different sets of colors in various places. (background, navigation bar, etc..)
2. Content Layout: Test how content is perceived. This could be paragraphs vs. bullet lists. Depends on your product/service.
3. Call To Action: Try adding prices, inventory information, offers, etc...
4. Overall Layout: (1 column, 2 column, 3 column)
5. Navigation: Try Footer, breadcrumbs, (ie. does too much affect anything)
6. User Input Options: How many people are interested in signing up for an email newsletter?
7. Survey: Add a survey on these landing pages to find out even more feedback. Winner receives $100 gift certificate or goes to a charity of their choice.

WHAT DID WE LEARN AND HOW TO USE IT
So, I have presented some ideas on how to use Paid Search and Landing Pages to determine what could be your next website. However, you may be uncertain as what the next step it. Even though there are many variables in this test which could or could not be the deciding factor in making a decision, you should at the very least start seeing some trends into what is better than the other. For example, if you noticed that having "prices" on the Ads and Landing Pages performed better than say a specific offer, then you have something. If you continue to compare and contrast, this will lead you towards a better idea on how to develop the website.

CONCLUSION
A new website can be a very stressful and mind boggling experience in order to get it right right out of the gate, and I can promise you that never happens. Websites are constantly being redesigned and re-invented to try and keep everything new and fresh so that the customer or prospect keeps visiting the website. The examples I provided were not meant to be specific things you must do, but are simply examples of how to can think about this project. In the end, it is up to your business goals and objectives which will determine your success. But the true benefit of using PPC and landing pages is to get a general response to help you make better decisions before you unload a new website which will become the face of your company on the Internet.

The New Movie "2012" Trailer Tells You To Google For No Apparent Reason!

Hello, I want to be very clear that this blog post represents  SemGeek's professional opinion based on an "online marketing strategy". Nothing more. Nothing less. I completely understand that the goal of the trailer was to draw attention to the stories and myths of 2012, however, in my opinion, much more should have been done and expected more from Hollywood.

When you visit the Apple Movie Trailers website and choose to watch the Trailer for the New Movie 2012, at the end of the clip it tells you to "Google 2012 To Find Out The Truth" OK, so when I Googled 2012 I am a little confused as to what to look for, especially since there is no organic or paid listing that is part of a coordinated strategy with the movie trailer. If the goal of this tactic is to simply get people interested in what 2012 means, then I think they get the "gist" of it. But, when you tell people to Google something, they are expecting to see a authoritative website which will tell them the truth about 2012, not a random organic or even paid listing trying to sell Food Storage supplies.

Since this movie is about how to prepare Six Billion People that the world's gonna end, I would, at the very least, expect Columbia pictures or the people working for Roland Emmerich to create an online marketing strategy which would INDEED tell the people about the movie. It's one of those obvious, oxy-moronic things if you ask me.

So, what happens when you Google "2012". You would be surprised.

If you look at the screen shot, of the (6) six listings, there is only one reference to the movie, but it not coming from the movie itself. A random IMDB listing is the best they can do?? Hmmn, I wonder if they are using SERP tools to see how many people are actually Googling 2012. Well, I have a prepared a very small PPC Strategy that Columbia Pictures, Roland Emmerich and even John Cusack would entertain

The Duh Moment - How About a PPC Ad for the movie 2012 and maybe a Website? Just a suggestion
I know that online marketing can be complex at times, but what the heck. Each movie-goer pays like $20 per ticket, they could at least afford $1.00 CPC or less.

Small, yet detailed PPC Strategy

• Use a Long-Tail Keyword in the Trailer (Make the Googler work a little for that information. Try something like "2012 trailer, apple 2012 trailer, etc..." Don't they want to know how many people connected the dots????
• Keep the flow with similar Ad/Creative: Say something like "enjoyed the Trailer? click here for more information about the movie....." C'mon, it's not that hard.
• Keyword Craziness. People who are interested in this movie, will search of many areas of the movie. Such as "John Cusack, Roland Emmerich, 2012, 2021, end of the world, etc..) Make it easy......
• Web Analytics the living crap out of the web page. Have some sort of conversion based page to track something. Captures emails to let people know of a new trailer, where the movie is released, etc...

In conclusion:
I am calling out Columbia Pictures to open their eyes and realize it's almost 2009 and if they do not use the web as a tool to drive movie sales or interest in a movie, they are missing a huge opportunity. Paid Search has continued to evolve as the major player in connecting the offline and the online consumer. They spend millions making a movie, and spend pennies trying to promote it online. We live in an age where if you want to know something, you GOOGLE IT. If you tell your viewers to Google something within a trailer, you better have something for them to look at, or they might just disappear from the Movie Theater.

Google Grants Management - Are You Really Taking Advantage Of It?

To get the most out the generous Google Grants, it's a good idea to make sure you have an experienced PPC Marketer working on it everyday and making sure you are getting the clicks you desperately deserve. Forget about the limitations such as the $1 CPC and can only advertise on Google.com, because even though it handcuffs you a little, you gotta put on your Entrepreneurial Hat.

Let's discuss some strategies (PLANS) to take advantage of this FREE money

Step 1: (Goldmines are right in front of your eyes)
Review your entire website. This includes Navigation, Categories, Content, Events, Chapters, Sponsors, Donors, pretty much everything you can think of.

Step 2: (Quality score is needed here)
Create a "Quality Score" friendly Campaign and Adgroup structure to compliment your finding.

Step 3: (Write, write, write...)
Write targeted and keyword rich ads about each of those findings.

Step 4: (Content Rich, SEO Friendly)
Make sure the landing page of your specific findings is content rich and has strong SEO value on the page (SEO JUICE)

Step 5 TOTG - (Think Outside the GRANT)

1. Don't Be afraid to try new things
2. Create as many campaigns and Adgroups as you can
3. Buy Sponsor's names and see what happens
4. Get your Sponsors involved
5. Create adgroups for each event in advance
6. If you have TV, Print or Radio Spots, buy keywords on those
7. Create some "indirect" keywords
8. Add more misspellings
9. Look at Google's Impression Share Reports to see if your covering enough.
10. Use DKI's in your Ads
11. Add 3rd party Analytics tracking for more reports
12. Understand your Seasonality and prepare for it.

In Conclusion:
Just have fun with this generous Gift from Google. Use it as a learning tool to become a very effective PPC Guru. Be gutsy with it. Try new things. Document your findings. Make it a Case Study. If it works well, Google will most likely give you even more money to play with.

JUST DON'T SIT THERE AND WATCH IT!

What Does A Paid Search Marketing Strategy Mean To You?

First of all, in my opinion, the term Strategy can take on many different meanings. In the Search Industry, strategy is often confused with a plan which entails minimal tactical changes.

C'mon people, it is JUST A Marketing PLAN, nothing more and nothing less. It is a well organized plan which has an elongated life cycle which lasts more than just 6-12 months and encompasses many levels of channel integrations, branding, valid success metrics, historical performance and overall messaging. It must also include a comprehensive understanding of everything the client does online, offline and backed up by actionable tactics to support it. If you do not plan for that, you will fail and get fired! Let's discuss.

Will The Real Strategist Stand Up?
One of the fallacies in this dynamic Search Marketing Industry is the emergence of people who lack the necessary skill set to provide "prolific" and long term value. I have seen many situations where people may "think they are strategists" but when it comes down to actually doing it, they have NO CLUE WHATSOEVER as to what they are doing and always tend to "discuss with the PPC Geek" (which is basically, telling them what to say because they do not understand).

So, with that said, in order to become an effective strategist, there are really only two (2) major prerequisites needed to go down the path of deserving the title of a Search Marketing Strategist.

1. You've Actually Done The Real Work Before:
In order to have a high level understanding of what the hell needs to be done to set the correct expectations with the client, you MUST encompass the ability and have hands-on experience to know what it takes to do the tactical elements. For example, in order to keep the client happy and ensure confidence in your abilities, you must have a constant and accurate flow what the plan is, how it's going and, if needed, the ability to answer all technical questions as asked by the client.   

2. Previous "Multi-Hat" Experience:
Another important level of experience in becoming a Strategist is real experience of wearing many different hats within an organization which helps identify with the client's goals and objectives. If the strategist cannot hold an intelligent conversation and provide ideas about offline, seasonality, branding, other advertising, conversion, site structure, biz development, etc... it devalues the role of a strategist. Perhaps I just have a high bar with this industry, but if you cannot understand all of these elements, your company may need to re-evaluate the skill sets of the strategists needed to get the job done.

Support Your Client, Don't Dead End Them
One of the biggest failures in developing a Search Marketing Plan is the lack of support for other media, such as TV, Radio and Print. If you turn a blind eye to that, the client will devalue your commitment to growing their business. Agency/Client relationship is more like a partnership, especially if your fees are based on performance.

Furthermore, ignoring those other channels is detrimental to your PPC performance. The Idea is to "once again" fish where the fish are, and if the fish are searching (fish don't have the internet, do they?) on products or events from a TV, radio or print Ad, you better make sure PPC is there to get that click.

In Conclusion:
Whenever I hear the word "strategy" I just want to throw up. In my opinion, this Industry has a polarizing level of skill sets associated with job titles. For example, I know of "exceptional" strategists who are extremely valuable and "GET IT" and there are others who are just appearing intelligent on "White Boards" and when it comes to "Prime Time" with the client, they are like deer in the headlights. Unfortunately, it's a necessary evil that is just cycled through along with high turnover rates in the industry.

Optimizing Paid Search & Landing Pages for TV, Radio and Print Advertising

Here's a quick summary:
When using both on-line & off-line channels such as TV, Radio and Print, it's very important to "Bridge the Gap" (hence, the photo to the left) amongst the different channels and continue the messaging process from start of Ad/commercial to the visit to the website. The goal of integrating the online with off-line is to make the experience seem seamless. Why, because consumers will remember that and most have the expectation already set in their mind from past “off-line & online” experiences from big companies such as Dell, Sony, etc..

Paid Search & Off-line Works Well Together:
Search and Off-line Channels just seem to go well together like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. In order to maximize total coverage of the off-line advertisement, I would recommend putting a small PPC campaign in place covering all possible search terms from the TV, Radio or Print ad. This includes the TV show, products/services mentioned, etc... I would also suggest doing this a couple days before the Ad is launched to the public. Of course, make sure everything is tagged with analytics tracking and that all landing pages and "after the click" conversion related functions are working properly.

Landing Page & Website:
If you have a TV ad which talks about a specific product or offer, continue the co-branding effort onto the landing page where you are directing them to. Also, mention this “off-line initiative” to all other visitors from the homepage or other high traffic entry pages. For example, on the landing page, include the logo of the station/network where the commercial was played, as well as the full list of products mentioned. Also make sure to have all intro copy tailored around the commercial (word for word if possible).

Here are some Tactical Landing Page Suggestions

• Landing Pages should have a unique URL that is easily remembered. For example, create a virtual directory for each and every off line initiative.
  • (For example: company.com/TV, company.com/Sirius, company.com/maxim)

• The landing page itself should be broken into at least 3 columns across to allow for most important areas to be seen “above the fold”. Of course, this is getting easier as screen resolutions and monitor sizes are getting bigger.

• Also, it has been my experience to expect lower Bounce Rates on these pages, mostly due to the intent having already been established since they have enough have interest to remember and type in that specific URL.

Conversion Based:
Give customer 2 options (don't want to be forceful. This is opportunity for testing)

• Add to cart button
• More info. button to direct them to product page.
• Provide Separate #800 on landing page for tracking purposes.
• Provide on line Chat Help (liveperson, etc.. if applicable)

Capturing Information:
You have to take advantage of your advertising dollars by getting as much information about the visitor as possible. This includes the following: (This is all above the fold on the page.)

• Catalog request form. (on page, no links to form)
  • (include: where did you hear from us, etc..)
  • Sign up for Email offers/discounts, etc... (on page, no links to form)

Product Offerings:

• Actual product being advertised with price, description, SKU#, photo.
• Advertise all current website offers/promotions.
• Up sell actual current Top selling Products with prices.

All Company related Info. (Need to ensure trust for prospects)

• Company information (Shipping information, privacy policy, etc...)
• Billing options (These are icons such as AMEX, MC, VISA etc...)
• Privacy certificates (VeriSign, Truste, BBBOnline, etc...)

Conclusion:
Whenever your company decides to move into TV, Radio and Print advertising, don't forget to colleborate all of your creative and messaging efforts to the web and particularly the search engines. The purpose of this entire post is to reinforce the idea that all marketers need to accommodate all efforts to all media channels. Collaborating offline and online behaviors is still evolving and the better you can "marry the two" together, the better chance you have to maximize your results.

Adwords Impression Share Exact Match: Fact or Fiction?

In my previous post, I talked about the importance and/or irrelevance of Google's impression Share Metric and now I am discussing how the Impression Share Exact Match metric, which is frankly more of a brain-freeze than an interesting brain teaser. After reading Google's description of this report, (say like 3 times) I still cannot make any clear assumptions. In fact, when I ran a report with both Impression Share and Exact Match Impression Share, almost 95% of all of the campaigns show a higher Exact match impression share percentage as compared to the standard impression share. So, if I have interpreted this correctly, there are less opportunities to spend more on Exact match keywords and more to spend on Broad Match. So, when you put the two together, it means that Google wants its advertisers to spend more on generic keyword coverage, which conveniently for them,  has a much higher CPC and search volume potential than exact match. However, none of this should be a shock to anyone. Why? It's just more "gold" in Google's vault. (hence my photo of Mike Myers as Goldmember in Austin Powers in GoldMember. Hee hee!

So what is this telling me?

Here's Google interpretation: According to Google, "Impression Share Exact Match reports the impression share of your campaigns as if your keywords were set to Exact Match. Since keyword match type can affect your impression share, Impression Share Exact Match can help you determine your share of voice for just the specific keywords you are targeting without requiring you to make adjustments to your campaigns.

For example, one of the reasons why you may have low impression share is because you’re not showing on broad match keywords. Impression Share Exact Match tells you how your keywords would perform if they were all exact matched, so that you can determine whether or not match type is a cause for low impression share. This lets you rule out match type and focus on other possible factors when you are working to improve your impression share. "

Here's my interpretation:
Google wants its advertisers to believe that there is less opportunity on highly targeted long tail exact matches and more opportunity to increase CPCs and expand more broad/generalized keywords in order to increase market coverage and hence improve business goals. Funny phenomena, since Exact Match is supposed to filter out the bad traffic and drive more qualified leads to your site while keeping your costs down in order to stay in the game. How is it that with every new bell and whistle coming out of Google is suggesting you spend more and more on broad match, and less on what matters to you most. Cost effective performance.

Again, This feature is available as a column option under ‘Level of Detail’ when you run an Account or Campaign Performance report. Data is available for search campaigns only.

~ “No great marketing decisions have ever been made on quantitative data” - John Scully

How Paid Search Ad Creatives Can Be Overrated

Now, I know I will have "nay-sayers" on this topic and I want to be clear that all Ad/Creatives and Ad Testing Solutions and Software to enhance performance of Ads are obviously very important to any SEM campaign or client strategy. Implementing relevant and quality score friendly Ad/Creatives from the beginning of the launch phase to the optimization phase is a MUST tactic.  However, I do tend to disagree with all of the hype coming from others in the industry who are over-emphasizing the importance of Ad/Creatives as the premier area of focus that will drive the best results.

Personally, I feel this is a little too short sighted and I just can't be persuaded to believe that this is the all-empowered secret sauce (aka. answer) to SEM. It's an obvious and necessary player in the paid search game, but I often think about an old quote from my favorite comedian Robin Williams who stated the phrase "Uh uh sista! You can't make butter with a toothpick." For those who are familiar with this phrase, my analogy is referring to the idea that there is a bigger picture to worry about and those areas are keyword selection and "after the click" conversion-based elements such as landing pages, carts and user experience rather than the over-complication of creating complex Ad testing methodologies filled with all sorts of data and analysis which honestly may not make the slightest difference in turning the Revenue Dial (... which is why the client hired you in the first place, right?)

Let me explain.

I like to compare Paid Search to our older, more mature and seasoned marketing channels such as Newspapers, Magazines, TV, Radio, etc... If you have a product or service that people want, it will sell. It's much easier to sell ice in a desert than at the north pole. However, here are some warning signs that the big picture is more important to focus on than putting all of your efforts into creating intense Ad testing Matrix(s)

• Selling a product/service in a highly competitive and saturated market.
• Your product/service it not considered a necessity.
• The margins on your product are very low to support the costs of SEM
• Inventory issues
• Reputation mgmt & Branding related issues.
• Conversion/Cart related problems.

In Paid Search, it's easy to think you're winning the Game when driving qualified visitors. But if they do not convert, everything you do "before the click" is irrelevant, especially the Ad/Creatives.

Over complicating SEM:
In a previous  post, I talked about how it is a bad thing to over-complicate paid search. Spending time trying to increase your Ads CTR% will result in costing you more money and even though it may help your quality score, it will not guarantee more "cha-chings" of your cash register.

Consumer Demand & The Bigger Picture:
If you have something people want and your cost/margin infrastructure is healthy, you will most likely WIN the game. It's the bigger picture that is often overlooked. Almost all SEM campaigns that I have reviewed and/or optimized had a conversion issue. No matter how many times I tweaked the Ads to achieve double or triple CTR%, I was still faced with keeping up with the overall ROAS and CPA goals.

Ads don't move the Revenue Needle. Keywords, landing pages, carts, user experience and most importantly DEMAND for your products/services are what does it.

~ A market is never saturated with a good product, but it is very quickly saturated with a bad one. - Henry Ford.

What Is Online Strategy?

If I had a nickel for every time I heard the word strategy, I could retire to a remote Island in Hawaii (if you have seen the movie Grumpy Old Men, you know what I thinking). Anyways, this word has become synonymous in the on line marketing arena of late and I think nobody really knows what it entails. Let's discuss.

Strategy or what I like to call simply "Plan of Action" is an analysis of a client's needs that could encompass all aspects of the on line marketing channel. For example a typical package would contain:

• Paid Search (SEM)
• Organic Search (SEO)
• Affiliate Marketing (if applicable)
• Branding (if applicable)
• Email
• Blogging
• WOM (Word of Mouth)
• Social Media
• Web Analytics

Even though this client may not need all of these services, they are all available to everyone with an online presense and the industry folks discussing these ideas to the client need to be highly experienced and have a good understanding of how it all works from idea to tactical implementation with the end goal of setting realized and achievable expectations of success. Moreover, a strategist would do the following:

1. Analyze a client's business in both offline & online channels.
2. Perform an in-depth competitive analysis.
3. Look for market saturation levels.
4. Identify key opportunities.
5. Identify profit/cost margins & calculate successful ROAS% expectations.
6. Prepare and underatand the client's seasonality.
7. Anticipate possible inventory issues (if product).
8. Prepare for new product pipelines.
9. Most importantly, know how to package a plan that binds all of these areas together into a clearly defined presentation that not only excites and motivates the client to sign the contract, but enables an even longer business relationship.

However, in most cases, it's not as easy as it sounds. Let's discuss....

Typically there are three types of on line marketing experts. (1) Marketing Directors who have a broad understanding of the on line marketplace and experience with offline channels. (2) Hands-on Veterans who have moved up the ladder from doing everything from Affiliate to SEM and email marketing. (3) and if your lucky, you have someone who has achieved success by having the business experience, as well as and "hands-on" experience and has learned all of the hard lessons of trial and error and is up to date with all of the latest trends in the market.

So, it sounds like to me, that #3 would be the best candidate to be a strategist because this person encompasses a better "overall" level of experience. However, then consider the different mindsets and experience of working a "in-house vs. agency" world. At an agency, this person has acquired presentation skills, achieved higher level of multi-tasking and has dealt with the ever popular, dynamic fast paced environment of fire drills. All of these are considered a valued skill set.

On the other hand, an experience employee working "in-house" allows for a deeper understanding of that particular business, the knowledge of wearing multiple hats and most likely has their hands dirty in the day to day grunt work that actually gets results.

To sum it all up, someone with all of these abilities in both "in-house" and "Agency", as well as at least 5-10 years of overall seasoned marketing and Internet experience would be a best bet. The key factor is that even though someone can talk a great strategy over dinner, doesn't mean they know how it works, nor does it help define an achievable and a successful expectation.