Has Google lost its mind!!??
I recently checked out my Adwords account and I found every one of my keywords and phrases on all my campaigns say the following or a derivative thereof:
Inactive for search
Increase quality or bid $10.00 to activate
After hours of scouring the internet I have found what I think is the answer!!
Quality Score
Your Quality Score reflects your keyword’s CTR and the relevance of your ad text and landing page. Keywords with high Quality Scores are more relevant for users, more effective for your ad campaigns, and have lower minimum CPC bids.
Keywords can have one of three Quality Score states:
- Great: Your keyword is very relevant and your Quality Score needs no improvement.
- OK: Your keyword is relevant, but you can still benefit from a higher Quality Score.
- Poor: This keyword isn’t very relevant to users and we suggest you replace it with a more specific keyword. If you would like to keep advertising with this keyword, we recommend optimizing by using more targeted ad text and improving your landing page content.
NOPE!!!! thats not it!!!! are you serious?
If googlie was really interested in the relevance of the keyword compared to the site they wouldn’t make it possible to activate the keyword by paying more. That would be contrary to their assertion that they want to provide quality relevant ads to web searchers. Just like almost everything else in life everyones a whore if the price is right is what they are implying.
Don’t be silly Google is now a public charter “a corporation” they no longer have their customers best interest in mind. Some of you that did business with Google pre-public entity still think its the same animal. This isn’t the right forum to discuss Americas love affair with the devil “public entities” so I wont.
You should pay more for the search network compared to the content network due to the fact that these are active shoppers of your product and are therefore more likely to purchase your product.
So what is the answer?
First:
Started a new keyword analysis to find new and good keywords.
Second:
Break up your large keyword lists and setup new campaigns for keywords with the same topic! This one is important. Setup a campaign with targeted keywords that are relavent to a single page on your site.
Third:
Express googlie ads so that they match what a searcher is looking for. I know thats vague but marketing is both an art and a science. Try asking questions in your ads or making extreme statements that will not offending.
Are you unable to satisfy?
or
He is about to leave you! Learn 100 ways to beat her!
Fourth:
Keep your domain name out of the AD COPY.
This is important especially if you are a small player! By including you domain name in the ad you are getting free exposure for your site. If 1000 people a day see your ad and do not click on it Googlie doesn’t see a dime. Unfortunately although its a great idea they do not have you best interest at heart. In my experience this little fix reactivated a lot of keywords.
Fifth:
Big fish with huge budgets and high MAX CPC will increase their CTR. The rates will drop due to increased CTR due to the higher exposure. Yes its a chicken and egg thing. Remember that your MAX CPC is not necessarily what you will pay but if everyone follows Googlies advice and increases thier MAX CPC to make their keywords active well remember that supply and demand is a real phenomena and they only care about their shareholders.
Sixth:
Probably the lowest importance of all but make sure that your landing page for each keyword is relevant to the word. Do not send them to the index page if the keyword is more relevant to another page on you site.
The results have been:
- Lower CPC
- Higher CTR
- More Conversions
1. Identify your advertising goals.
Your optimization strategy depends on the objectives that you define for your campaigns.
With specific goals in mind, you can work strategically to achieve your objectives, track your performance, and make the modifications necessary to get the results you want. Here are some typical objectives and sample focus areas for each goal:
“I want to get more clicks.”
Focus on keywords and sites. Increase your ad exposure by adding keywords and sites to your ad groups.
“I want to increase my clickthrough rate (CTR).”
Focus on ad quality. Attract more clicks by refining your ads, and eliminate extra impressions by choosing highly targeted keywords and sites and using negative keywords.
“I want to improve my return on investment (ROI).”
First, focus on your ads and your keywords and sites to attract the right audience. Then focus on your website. Be sure your landing page and site are set up to let users find what your ad offers.
| 2. Organize your account for maximum effectiveness. |
A well-structured account is easy to manage and allows you to effectively target your audience.
Organize your campaigns by topic.
Create separate campaigns for each of your product lines, resources, or brands. This helps you monitor your advertising more easily and make the necessary adjustments to improve your campaign performance. Ask yourself what you want to achieve with each campaign. Then structure your campaign based on this goal. View a diagram and learn more about the structure of your account.
Target the right languages and locations.
For each campaign, you can choose to target your ads to particular languages and locations (plus choose your budget and other settings). Be sure to target only the languages and locations that are relevant for your business. For example, if you ship your products to locations within a certain distance of your business, target the country, territory, region, or city related to the area, instead of to ‘All Countries.’
Create highly specific ad groups.
As with your campaigns, each ad group should center on a single product or service to ensure your ads reach the most qualified users. Build a list of keywords or sites, then separate them into related ad groups. Create ads that pertain directly to that list. For example, if you sell mp3 players, and you’ve organized your campaigns by brand, create multiple ad groups based on the models of each brand.
Avoid duplicate keywords across ad groups.
Google shows only one ad per advertiser on a particular keyword, so there’s no need to include duplicate keywords in different ad groups or campaigns. Identical keywords compete against each other, and the better-performing keyword triggers your ad.
Review example campaigns advertising a single product/service and multiple products/services.
| 3. Choose relevant keywords and sites. |
The more relevant your keywords and sites to your goals, the more easily you can reach your potential customers.
Keyword-targeted campaigns
Choose your keywords carefully.
Include specific keywords that directly relate to the specific theme of your ad group and landing page. For optimal ad visibility, include relevant keyword variations, along with singular and plural versions. If applicable, consider using colloquial terms, alternate spellings, synonyms, and product or serial numbers. The Keyword Tool can help generate lists of possible keywords.
Take advantage of keyword matching options.
With some keywords, you’ll get more ad impressions; with others, you’ll get fewer impressions but potentially more clicks. By strategically using keyword matching options, you can reach the most appropriate prospects, potentially reduce your actual CPC or CPM, and increase your ROI. For example, use negative keywords to reduce irrelevant ad impressions and increase your Quality Score.
Use unique keyword URLs.
Keyword destination URLs send users to a specific landing page, ensuring your customer arrives immediately at the most relevant page for the keyword that triggered your ad. Edit individual keyword URLs by clicking ‘Edit Keyword Settings’ above your keyword table.
Site-targeted campaigns
Choose your sites carefully.
Include sites that are relevant to your products or services, and be sure to choose enough sites. The more relevant sites you target, the better the chances your ad will show. We provide four ways to choose sites: by enter URLs, describe topics, select categories, or select demographics. For an effective list, we strongly suggest using all four methods.
When using the site tool to find and select sites, pay attention to the Ad Formats column in the list of available sites. If you run only certain kinds of formats — for instance, image ads only, or text and video ads only — make sure you select sites that run the kinds of formats you have to offer.
If necessary, target site sections.
If an entire website isn’t relevant to your ads, you have the option to target only the relevant parts of the site. This option may be appropriate for you if the site covers a variety of topics, not all of which are relevant to your advertising. For example, if you sell kitchen appliances, you might choose to advertise only on the food section of a news site rather than placing ads across the entire site.
| 4. Create straightforward, targeted ads. |
The content of your ads should capture users’ attention and set your business apart.
Include keywords in your ad text (for keyword-targeted ads).
Include your keywords in your ad text (especially the title) to show users that your ad relates to their search. If your ad shows when a user searches on a keyword in your ad group, the keyword will appear in bold in your ad text. Also, users tend to search for products and services, so avoid using your company name in the ad title unless your goal is brand/company name recognition.
Create simple, enticing ads.
What makes your product or service stand out from your competitors? Highlight these key differentiating points in your ad. Be sure to describe any unique features or promotions you offer.
Use a strong call-to-action.
Your ad should convey a call-to-action along with the benefits of your product or service. A call-to-action encourages users to click on your ad and ensures they understand exactly what you expect them to do when they reach your landing page. Some call-to-action phrases are Buy, Sell, Order, Browse, Sign up, and Get a Quote.
Test multiple ads in each ad group.
Experiment with different offers and call-to-action phrases to see what’s most effective for your advertising goals. Our system automatically rotates ads within an ad group and shows the better-performing ad more often.
| 5. Optimize your website for conversions. |
Ultimately, your website determines how well your ads convert, so be sure it’s designed to let users complete the action you want them to take.
Point users to the right landing page.
Typical internet users decide quickly whether to stay on a website or move on to another. When users click on your ad, they should arrive at a landing page clearly displaying the information or product offered in your ad. If users don’t immediately find what prompted them to click on your ad, they’re more likely to leave your site without converting.
Evaluate your site design.
Take a close look at your site’s overall layout and functionality. Sites that are attractive, easy to navigate, and informative tend to be more profitable. You might consider using Google Analytics to get a better idea of how well your site is working.
Keep the user experience in mind.
As you design or redesign your landing page and website, make the user experience a high priority. For example:
- Place important information and images on the top left, where the eye naturally goes first.
- Help people get what they want in three clicks or fewer.
- Cut out popups and popunders.
- Create a simple process for users to complete transactions.
Read our guidelines for landing page and site quality to learn more about providing a quality user experience for your visitors.
| 6. Track your account performance. |
Monitoring your results allows you to ensure you’re getting a good return on your investment.
Check your account statistics.
Your CTR, minimum bid, and keyword status are good initial indicators of how well your ads are performing. Your account statistics are reported at the campaign, ad group, and keyword or site levels. They include clicks, impressions, CTR, average CPC or CPM, cost, average position, conversion rate, and cost-per-conversion.
Create reports.
You can create custom reports that tell you exactly what statistics you want to know, from the campaign level to the keyword or site level.
Use web analytics.
Google Analytics helps you analyze what people are doing on your site. Detailed information about user behavior can help you create more targeted and effective landing pages.
| 7. Test and modify your campaigns to get the results you want. |
Optimizing your campaigns regularly will help you keep up with users and market trends and ultimately reach your advertising goals.
Evaluate your campaign performance and make changes as necessary.
Allow your ad performance to educate you about effective strategies for achieving your goals. As you observe your ads over time, you might notice things that are working especially well (or not so well). For example, if you find users aren’t responding to a particular call-to-action in your ad text, delete that ad and try something else. You can find instructions for editing your account settings here.
