A huge problem plaguing many PPC campaigns is a lack of targeting granularity. It’s a landscape of generalities and broken promises (OK, maybe a little dramatic).
Let’s run through a common scenario with a few issues. In this example, we’re selling used iPhones online:
First, ensure content aligns across all levels:
- Keyword
- Ad text
- Landing pages
Since you’re selling multiple models of used iPhones, don’t create one ad group with a single set of ads and landing pages. It’s important to give users the most model-specific ad and best landing page experience possible, so they are more likely to purchase that iPhone. Subsequently, divide your iPhone campaign into ad groups as follows:
- iPhone 6s
- iPhone 6
- iPhone 5
- iPhone 5s
- General — iPhone
Each group contains keywords reflecting that particular iPhone variation, with a landing page and ad text specific to those keywords. For example, the ad group “iPhone 6s” contains keywords including “iPhone 6s.”
All is well with the world … until you notice keywords in the “iPhone 6s” group are receiving very little (or no) traffic. Hovering over the keyword reveals ads in this group are not displaying because keywords in another ad group are similar and showing instead.
In most cases, this indicates a broad or phrase-match keyword variation of a less-specific term is stealing these impressions.
In this instance, users searching “iPhone 6s” are triggering the phrase-match variation for the keyword “iPhone,” delivering an ad/landing page combination for general iPhones — not specifically iPhone 6s.
Raise the bid on the “iPhone 6” exact-match keyword to an amount higher than that of the aforementioned. Then phrase-match the keyword “iPhone.” Now, any searches for “iPhone 6” should drive users to the appropriate ad and landing page combination.
Finally, ensure content lines up across all levels.
If you have a great promotion for 20 percent off all iPhone 6s, don’t use the promotion campaign-wide. This will just infuriate users and maybe even Google. Also, do not advertise something as “free” if this deal is nowhere to be found on your landing pages. In doing so, you risk ad disapproval.
Ultimately, when building a PPC account:
- Build your account with granularity. Show users the most specific ads and send them to the most specific landing pages.
- Don’t mess up your phenomenal account structure with bidding and match-type gaffes.
- Be consistent and accurate across your keywords, ads and landing pages.