Articles in The 'search-query-report' Tag

Find out Exactly What Terms Your Visitors are Searching for

by Anne Garcia

One of my favorite reports to run in Google AdWords to optimize campaign performance is the Search Query Report. You can run this report by clicking “See search terms” in the Keywords tab in your account.  The Search Query Report shows you the actual keyword terms and phrases that users searched for when your Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ad shows an impression on the search engine results page (SERP).

From this report you can see which keywords have brought in the most conversions and even the cost per conversion. It would be best to pause any keywords that have a high cost per conversion and low ROI. Also, if you find that there are search terms which are bringing in conversions, but are not currently in your campaign, you should add these terms to your campaign. This will increase the quality score of your ad and therefore decrease the cost per click (CPC) of the keyword.

On the other hand, if you find search terms that are not relevant to your campaigns, you should add these terms to your negative keyword list. Doing so will increase your click-through rate (CTR) because your ads will receive more clicks without wasted impressions, thus decreasing your CPC as well.

Another way to use the Search Query Report is to check the match type you’re currently using for exiting keywords. Also, you can create more tightly knit ad groups based on common groups of search queries. The Search Query Report is an excellent tool to help optimize your paid search keyword menu and lower your average CPCs for your campaigns.

3 Tips for Content Network Success

by Sonya Wood

By now, Google’s content network is old news. We all know the advantages of running ads on a network with thousands of sites. Advertisers can reach a greater audience, create brand awareness and even hand pick which sites on which they want their ads to be displayed. The content network also offers the flexibility of testing different ad formats including text, images, rich media and gadget ads. Even though we might have all tried our hand at advertising on a content network, most of us have not seen the success we would like. Why are the results not as strong as other online advertising efforts, such as sponsored search many people wonder? The answer is quite simple; people are looking directly for you or your products and services on search. With the content network, your ads can appear if there is relevant information on the page.

There are a few simple tips that can help your content campaigns become a success. First, choosing the right ad format is critical. Since people are not actively seeking you, your ads must be enticing enough to get them to turn their attention away from their task and click on your ad. There are many ad formats that can be used on the content network. Image or video ads tend to get higher click-through-rates. Make sure the ad has a strong call to action. Another benefit of using images or videos is the ability to include a logo of your company. Since the content network allows advertisers to pay per click, it doesn’t matter how many impressions your ad gets, as a matter of fact it is a means of branding your company.

Not all sites are created equal. That is why it is essential to run placement reports on a regular basis. Review your data and it will be clear that many sites are poor performers. Next, exclude these sites from your campaigns so that your ads will not appear on them any longer. This should help your click-through-rate as well as help to spend your budget on sites that are actually working well.

Lastly, placement reports also help to show which sites are performing. If there are sites that are converting or getting a good click-through-rate, then they are more valuable than others. That is why advertisers should bid higher for those placements that are working well. This will ensure that your ads are showing up more often. If there is one site that is performing dramatically better, you can also break it into its own managed placement campaign and allocate a unique budget.

Advertising on the content network can yield great results as long as the campaigns are clearly monitored and adjustments are constantly being made.