Paid search

Paid search marketing is an excellent way to capture business, especially among those who are actively seeking a solution to a problem that your product/service solves. When compared with SEO, paid search ads can provide premium placement, more impressions and a more controlled/refined listing in search results.

Paid search tips

  • Conduct extensive keyword research:
    • Bucket similar keywords
      • Ad groups comprise a single keyword bucket (and thus share the same ad copy and landing page)
      • Campaigns group keyword buckets into higher categories – and typically share the same budget
    • Launch campaigns with a proactive list of negative keywords (account level, campaign level and ad group level)
    • Understand keyword intent (if not sure, conduct search manually and observe the types of pages that rank organically for the query)
  • Ensure ad copy and landing page content mesh well with targeted keywords
  • Name campaigns and ad groups in a consistent manner for easier reporting and filtering
  • Check for any automated assets that don’t make strategic sense
  • If targeting own-brand terms, include negative terms to weed out improper intent (‘login’, ‘review’, etc.) and ensure ad copy focuses on desired intent
  • Check location targeting to ensure it’s correct (e.g. people in the actual area vs those who are interested in the area)
  • Monitor queries that lead to impressions and clicks, continually adding irrelevant or poor performing terms to negative keyword lists; consider that Google/etc. are only providing some of the query data so the queries list is very incomplete
  • Observe results by segments and adjust bids or exclude as necessary:
    • device (computer/mobile phone/tablet)
    • location
    • day of week, time of day
    • audiences (age grouping, income, gender, other)
    • ‘partner’ network (vs search engine)
  • Heavily scrutinize Microsoft Ads traffic:
    • Campaigns will likely have impressions from native ad placements (see ‘Audience ad’ figures – this is included by default!) – heavily scrutinize this traffic (and look to exclude, if necessary)
    • Fraud is prevalent among partner sites (Look for keyword searches run on partner sites that have nothing to do with the content of the partner site)
    • Sometimes searches are generated by cheap display ad campaigns that lead users to a page of search results (i.e. much less intent)
  • Test broad match
  • Adopt automated bidding where makes sense – and give automation time to learn
  • Add Audiences for observation (and, possibly, for eventual exclusion or prioritization/focus)
  • Consider portfolio bidding to allow for a max CPC when using automated bidding strategies
  • Exclude learning phase from evaluations
  • Understand time lag for conversions and factor that during analysis/reporting
  • Look beyond the ad platform to improve conversion rate: landing page, form, etc.
  • Utilize Experiments functionality for testing
  • Use lifetime value (versus transaction value) when evaluating profitability and setting targets
  • If e-commerce, consider promoting bundles for higher transaction values
  • Consider uploading customer lists to help inform bidding engine
  • Conversion tracking:
    • Consider including microconversions being sent back to the ad platform
    • Consider sending hashed email addresses (etc.) to the ad platform to help with attribution
    • Consider sending CRM data to the ad platform to help with attribution
    • Consider server-to-server connections with ad platforms to enhance conversion data

Paid search resources

  • Google Ads Keyword Planner – generates keyword ideas and shows Google search volume; region selection available; easily add keywords to your AdWords account; ad preview tool; requires AdWords account to access
  • Microsoft Ads Keyword Planner Tool – generates keyword ideas with search volume; requires Microsoft account to access
  • Keyword Tool – provides keywords searched for in various services (Google, YouTube, Amazon, etc.) along with related data; limited data for free – paid users gain more keywords and relevant data
  • KW Finder – generates keyword ideas with volume and competition figures; limited number of searches free – pay for full access
  • Google Trends – displays and compares keyword search volume over time; accompanied by news stories that could be affecting search volumes; localized breakout; related searches; email notifications available
  • Ahrefs – advanced keyword research tool that includes keyword bucketing features; paid search competitor insight reporting (albeit incomplete); wider toolset includes many features relevant for SEO; paid service
  • SEMrush – advanced keyword research tool; paid search competitor insight reporting (albeit incomplete); reports based on URL entered: wider toolset includes many features relevant for SEO; paid service
  • SpyFu – displays paid search keywords and competitive organic search keywords along with other paid search marketing ad budget metrics; to note, tends to provide a very incomplete picture of the entire landscape; paid service
  • KeywordSheeter – keyword ideas generated from inputs and positive/negative keyword filters
  • Google Ads Transparency Center – view search ads currently running by advertiser
  • The Search Monitor – brand defense tools (e.g. affiliates bidding on brand terms)