We put one of our Google Adwords Campaigns to the test following Joseph Kerschbaum’s recommendations in his article in Website Magazine. Here are the results.
Part I
1. Separate Search and Content Campaigns
Keep search and content network campaigns separate. It stops results from one distribution channel affecting another.
Action – Changed campaign settings. Created separate ‘Content Only’ campaign.
Results – Due to the very large number of Impressions received in the content network compared to search, there is an immediate improvement in click through rate in our search campaign. This in turn has lowered our cost per conversion.
2. Broaden your Keyword Selection
Broaden your keyword selection. It enhances your ad exposure. Unlike search campaigns, don’t focus on click through rate, instead focus on conversion rate and cost per click.
Action – Added 22 extra, broader keywords to our newly created ‘Content Only’ campaign.
Results – No increase in number of impressions or clicks, contrary to our expectations.
3. Use a Call To Action in your Adcopy but No Need for Questions
Write ads specifically for the content network. Changing the ad copy is necessary as internet users are not actively looking for your product the way they are in search engines. For example, there is no need to use question marks in your title line, but do still include a call to action.
Action – Kept the same ad copy as our ads were already written in this format. However, we realized we needed to change the ad copy in the search campaign.
Results – Conversion rate has improved in search campaign. This means web users are receiving ads more targeted to their search which leads to a better conversion rate.
4. Optimize for Conversion Rate
Optimize for conversion rate, not click through rate. A higher number of people see content pages rather than search, so there will be a much larger volume of impressions, even though users are not specifically looking for your product. The focus on conversion rate puts more emphasis on improving your landing page.
Action – Improved landing page to look more professional.
Results – No increase in conversion rate in our Content Only campaign. Clearly we need to make more improvements to our landing page and ad copy.
5. Test Multiple Ad Formats
Experiment with multiple ad formats. Content network offers a larger range of websites with more opportunities for different ad formats.
Action – None. We don’t have a creative department, so it’s not viable to create other ad formats at this stage.
Results – Zero impact on our campaign.
Overall Results
| Name | Impressions | CTR | Avg Position | Cost / Conv. (1-per-click) | Conv. Rate (1-per-click) |
| Account A Original | 687802 | 0.02% | 2.93 | $1.13 | 24.35% |
| Account A New Search | 6334 | 1.52% | 7.58 | $0.99 | 29.17% |
| Account A New Content | 620605 | 0.01% | 2.53 | $3.71 | 6.67% |
Click through rate: significant improvement in search
Average position: a more real representation of the different average positions in search and content
Cost per conversion: significant decrease in cost, which improves the campaign’s return on investment
Conversion rate: noticeable improvement in search, which improves that campaign’s quality score
Since we could only use four of these five recommendations I’m pleased to still see a definite improvement in the results for this campaign. The improvement in the search click through rate and conversion rate is good for the account as a whole as these are factors crucial to quality score and when quality is improved our bids are lower.
Part II of the Content network recommendations will follow next month.
