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[Exact] ≠ Exact; at least not in Google AdWords

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What is Google Changing Now?

With the upcoming changes to both the [Exact] and “Phrase” Keyword Match Types, Google is helping you reach a larger audience. The question is will it still be your target audience. If you read the official post AdWords Blog, the examples given seems like this change will be extremely helpful. However, some marketers do not agree. Whether these changes will be beneficial to you is yet to be seen, but you need to know what impacts these changes will have on your account(s).

How Match Types Work

First, understand that [Exact] and “Phrase” match types are designed to help you reach your target audience and only your target audience. For example:

As you can see, the changes to these match types include close variations of the keyword (i.e. checking – check.) In addition, [exact] and “phrase” match types will also include misspelling, abbreviations, and singular/plurals. According to Google, these changes are meant to help you increase your reach and visibility online. Will it really help?

The Impact of the Changing Match Types

The obvious impact is going to be more Impressions for your ads. The question is will these addition Impressions generate more Clicks for you. If you feel that the addition impressions caused by the change of the match types will bring in more Clicks, then great. You do not have to do anything. Google will automatically opt-in to these changes for you.

However, if you feel this extended reach and visibility is going to be outside your target audience, then the additional Impressions will not result in more Clicks. That means that your Click Thru Rate (CTR) will drop, which is a large aspect of your Quality Score. A drop in Quality Score would result in an increase in Cost per Click and potentially in overall Cost, or drop in Position and most like Clicks. Therefore, if you feel this update to match types is not going increase Clicks, then you are going to want to opt-out in the advance settings.

Beneficial or Harmful Changes?

To conclude, these changes to the [exact] and “phrase” match types on Google AdWords are neither beneficial nor harmful across the board. It is going to be a case-by-case situation. You are going to want to keep a close eye on your CTR over the next few weeks. Once the change is made, you will notice an increase in Impressions, but if your CTR drops, you will want to opt-out. Otherwise, you will soon see a drop in Quality Score and eventually a decrease in Position and Clicks, or an increase in Cost. Do you think these changes will help or hurt your PPC Campaigns? Let us know.

Increase Productivity and Leverage SEO/SEM Beyond Search for Enterprise Search Solutions

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What is Enterprise Search?

Enterprise Search (ES) is typically defined as the practice of creating content from multiple enterprise sources, such as databases, intranet sites, and/or directories that is searchable to defined audiences. Enterprise Search differs from traditional web search by indexing data or documents from sources such as file systems, emails, or document management systems. ES has the ability to use access controls to limit the content that is available to user types.

How can my business use Enterprise Search?

Businesses of all industries and sizes can leverage Enterprise Search to increase productivity, reach new customers, and improve customer services. Enterprise Search can help your sales team effectively and efficiently find product information (Product updates, features, and benefits, for example) to help them in their sales process. It also helps prospective customers quickly identify information related to products or services on your website. According to Google, customers that deploy an Enterprise Search solution report an increase of conversion rates by 25%. Enterprise Search solutions offer improved customer services and cut costs by providing relevant information to customers faster.

What Enterprise Search Solutions are available for my Business?

  • Google Search Appliance: Search Box with similar algorithm as Google for intranet, employee directories, internal databases, etc.

  • Google Site Search: Integrated into your company website to find product and service related information

  • Google Commerce Search: Integrated into your e-commerce website for a better shopping experience

  • Open Source Solutions: Constellio, Apache Solr, etc.

  • Other ES Solutions: Vivisimo, Attivio, SharePoint, IBM, etc.

How can my business apply SEO insights to Enterprise Search?

Enterprise Search can incorporate SEO/SEM insights to provide query suggestions, related queries, dynamic navigation and synonyms for a better user experience for customers, and create internal operating efficiencies. Your business can also leverage meta data that aligns to web related searches and business information. Enterprise Search provides an opportunity to use the insights that are generating leads and sales to save your company time, money, and develop internal efficiencies.

Tip for Considering an Enterprise Search Solution

  • Be sure to choose the correct Enterprise Search solution base on your business goals and objectives.

  • Consider the impact of Enterprise Search on your intended audience.

  • Target your Enterprise Search on your intended audience.

  • Target your Enterprise Search solution and configuration according to your audience.

  • Test configurations, query features, and designs to maximize its benefits.

  • Measure the impact on revenue, internal efficiencies, and sales.

Conclusion

The power of search goes beyond search engine optimization and pay per click advertising. In general, we associate “search” with the customer finding us within the search results. As marketing professionals and business owners, we need to consider what happens when a prospective customer lands on business website. We work to create strategies to increase brand awareness and reduce our cost per lead, but we still need to identify opportunities to increase productivity, reach new customers, and improve customer service. Enterprise Search provides us with the ability to leverage our findings from SEO or SEM to take advantage of these opportunities to better serve customers, create efficiency, and increase sales.

The Cost of a Low Quality Score

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Quality is important in advertising, but even more so in PPC advertising. Google AdWords gives the top Ad Position to the highest Ad Rank, and Ad Rank is Max CPC Bid multiplied by Quality Score. This means that there are two factors that decide what position your PPC ads are shown – 1) How much you Bid (CPC) and 2)What your Quality Score is. A Quality Score can range from 1 (terrible) – 10 (excellent), as shown below.


In order to clearly see the Value (or Cost) of Quality Score, let’s walk through an example. First, assume a competitor is Bidding $0.75 with a Quality Score of 7. This means their Ad Rank is 5.25. The Table below reveals the CPC Bid that is needed in order to achieve the same Ad Rank depending on your Quality Score.


As you can see, a Higher PPC Quality Score can actually save you money, while a lower Quality Score could cost you $1.00 or more of additional cost per click (CPC.) Let’s continue with this example and assume 100 Clicks in a month. The below Table shows the additional and total savings/cost due to Quality Score.


The Yellow Highlighted Row is your competitor. The Green Highlights show the possible savings per click, and how you could be paying less than your competitor, if you have a higher Quality Score. However, the Red Highlights reveal that a low Quality Score could cause you to pay more than double your competitors per click. Now you should be able to clearly see how a Low Quality Score will greatly increase your Cost per Click, which in turn increase overall Cost, but also how a high Quality Score could lower you Cost and increase your Bottom Line.

Testing Changes in PPC Advertising

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As many of you have probably heard, both Google AdWords and Microsoft adCenter are testing multiple aspects of PPC advertising. Some items being tested include placement, layout, ad extensions, images within text ads, and more.Descriptions of each follow:

Placement

It has been reported that text ads have been spotted with the organic results on search pages.

Layout

The Headline can sometimes include the first line of description and the URL has jumped to just under the Headline.

New Ad Extensions

These let you have searchers request that you contact them via phone of email directly from your ad.

Images within Text Ads

Lastly of the ones that I am mentioning is the ability to show off products being advertised or the company logo within the contextual ad space.

To wrap up, keep an eye out for some, if not all, of these aspects being tested to be implemented into either Bing Ads and/or Google AdWords. Also remember that no matter how frustrating these changes are to keep up with, both Google and Microsoft are trying to improve their services so that we as online markets can improve our CTR and Conversions.

Bing Gets Creative: Testing Ad Placement with adCenter

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Recently Microsoft’s Bing has confirmed that they are running tests by showing Ads via Bing Ads intertwined with Organic Results. Though there are some screen shots out there, I have not had the opportunity to see ads within Organic Search Results. Another change that I have noticed is the extra benefit of being the number 1 or 2 ad in the overall search results. In addition to being listed at the top, in those top 2 ad spots, the top 2 ads are also shown at the bottom of the first page adding more compelling value.

I’m glad to see that Microsoft adCenter is testing and trying to improve their services. As a PPC advertiser, who is adCenter Certified, I would now like to know if my ads are getting clicks while at the top of the page, the bottom of the page, or somewhere in between. I hope they are measuring this to help educate us all on where the best placement is and whether it is beneficial to have an ad in the middle of Organic Results. Only time can tell if this will be something that Bing will use in the near or distant future, but my guess is we’ll see some variation sooner rather than later.

Google AdWords’ New Targeting Options

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Google AdWords recently eliminated the polygon (custom shape) targeting system, and replaced it with a simpler pin point with radius method. Although this method is easier to set-up and visualize, it may not be as precise. However, select exact city location with a radius can still be very effect and efficient. Your options are either to individual select the cities, or points, that you want to target and set appropriate radius, or to select a central point and set the radius high enough to include all the desires points. Whichever option better fits your PPC management targeting strategy, be sure to implement it by the end of 2011, at which time Google will automatically change your polygon targeting into a set point with a radius. An Example of an alternative targeting strategy is pictured below – if more careful one care make it an even closer match.
Old Polygon Targeting – New Alternative Targeting
Google AdWords advertising Reading, Pa