management friendly alpha-beta by caitlin halpert
Post on 12-Jan-2017
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#SMX #23B @Caitlin_Halpert
Get the benefits without the downsides of endless ad groups
Management-friendly Alpha-Beta
#SMX #23B @Caitlin_Halpert
How I’m going to win!!
• Why are we having this debate? Why?
• Alpha-‐Beta defined What?
• I do not accept your misconceptions! How?
#SMX #23B @Caitlin_Halpert
How to maximize “nurses uniforms”?
Query / Keyword Max CPC Avg Pos Cost Conv CPA
nurses uniforms 2.15 $3,035.39 561 $6.17
+nurse +uniforms $1.10 2.39 $234.29 69 $3.84
[nurse uniform] $1.35 2.30 $897.43 154 $6.80
[nurse uniforms] $1.50 2.00 $1,903.67 338 $6.37
#SMX #23B @Caitlin_Halpert
Alpha-Beta campaign structure We aim for query control through exact match, single-‐keyword ad groups, paired with broad/broad modified match keywords, and exact match negatives for mapping
BETA (query mining) Broad and +BMM
ALPHA (query sculpting)
[Exact]
#SMX #23B @Caitlin_Halpert
Single-keyword ad groups & negatives
Query Reports Alpha Campaign 1:1 Mappings best query ever
stupid query
Performance negative
AG/KW: [best query ever] - [best query ever]
Negative in all beta campaigns
Query Keyword Ad Landing Page
#SMX #23B @Caitlin_Halpert
Alpha-Beta account structure in practice
Account
Campaign
Brand -‐ Alpha
SKAG 1
SKAG 2
SKAG 3
Campaign
Brand -‐ Beta
SKAG 1
SKAG 2
SKAG 3
Campaign
Non-‐Brand -‐ Alpha
SKAG 1
SKAG 2
SKAG 3
Campaign
Non-‐Brand – Beta
SKAG 1
SKAG 2
SKAG 3
#SMX #23B @Caitlin_Halpert 9 A Harte Hanks Company
Alpha-Beta gone wrong!
190 active campaigns in Google
346,536 Active Keywords § 85% are flagged as low search volume § 9% of active keywords are fully eligible
In the last 30 days: § 2% of keywords had more than 10 impressions § 37 keywords rendered conversions
#SMX #23B @Caitlin_Halpert
Ease management in 3 steps
Careful keyword selection
Aim for high data-‐density
Review & update keyword lists
#SMX #23B @Caitlin_Halpert
Misconception #2: Betas are “lesser” keywords that eventually will be paused
#SMX #23B @Caitlin_Halpert
Beta selection is just as important! Betas mine new queries AND roll-‐up data from lower volume queries that will never be promoted to alpha
For any variation you’re considering: § Is there search volume or past performance to show that there’s sufficient data? Use the Keyword Planner
§ Is there a unique landing page? If resources are tight, is it worth the investment?
§ Is there unique messaging? Will that additional modifier fit in the ad copy?
§ Are you further segmenting campaigns (e.g. geography)? Use fewer betas to start when segmentation is required
If the product falls in an easy to identify category, keep it simple and have catch-‐all head terms to start
#SMX #23B @Caitlin_Halpert
Copying Alphas is lazy § [pink dresses] is different from [dresses pink]
§ +pink +dresses is not different from +dresses +pink
For type/product/theme coverage, start with the site as a guide, but minimize variations § +cotton +nurse +uniform – YES
§ +pink +nurse +uniform – YES
§ +pink +cotton +nurse +uniform – NO
Use your brain.
#SMX #23B @Caitlin_Halpert
Misconception #3: Alpha-‐Beta requires excessive keyword build-‐out for full product coverage
#SMX #23B @Caitlin_Halpert
Use Dynamic Search Ads! Use DSA for what it’s designed for – ensuring coverage across your product set
Use DSA to find new Alphas & Betas
Outlier: Certain retailers cannot use DSA because of policy reasons so an automated system to maintain coverage across 10,000+ SKUs is acceptable, but bidding is difficult
#SMX #23B @Caitlin_Halpert
Misconception #4: It’s hard to maintain clean query mapping in Alpha-‐Beta
#SMX #23B @Caitlin_Halpert
Maintain your keywords Optimizations
Bleeders
Irrelevant
Promotions
Demotions
LSV
Non-‐Converters
#SMX #23B @Caitlin_Halpert
Remove low search volume (LSV) keywords
LSV keywords are not serving • Or, not serving as often as they would if matched to higher-‐volume keywords
LSV keywords are a waste of time • Unique ad creation is a large time investment with no pay-‐off
LSV keywords change over time • [gopro2 hd] might have had volume 3 years ago, but it doesn’t now – CUT IT • [wine Christmas gifts] only has volume from Nov 15th-‐Dec 25th – PAUSE & MARK AS SEASONAL
#SMX #23B @Caitlin_Halpert
Remove non-converting keywords
Some keywords are logically a good fit, but after months still don’t convert
§ Have they been given a chance (had bids above first-‐page recommendations)? – PAUSE
§ Is there search volume, but CVR is too low? – PAUSE
§ Is search volume so low that data-‐based decisions are impossible? – PAUSE
There’s a difference between pausing & no longer serving and pausing & redirecting queries to a higher volume keyword
§ Understand which you’re doing but know there’s little risk in pausing a non-‐converter that’s had it’s chance
#SMX #23B @Caitlin_Halpert
Do these things!
• Top performers deserve special attention • Set up for long-‐term query sculpting
Alpha-‐Beta SKAGs
• Keep keywords simple – it’s easy to add more • Think about data-‐density Selection
• Keep Alpha-‐Beta clean with negative & alpha updates • Remove low-‐volume & non-‐converters Maintenance
#SMX #23B @Caitlin_Halpert
What’s wrong with “keyword coverage”…
Query / Keyword Max CPC Avg Pos Cost Conv CPA
Brand.com $9013.76 2185 $4.13
[Brand.com] $.80 1.0 $1978.16 470 $4.21
[Brand misspelling 1] $.80 1.0 $2009.61 526 $3.82
[Brand misspelling 2] $.80 1.0 $2093.21 492 $4.25
[Brand misspelling 3] $.80 1.0 $2063.74 445 $4.64
96% of the spend on the “misspelling” Alphas is actually from the correct spelling query
#SMX #23B @Caitlin_Halpert
What do SKAG ad group builds look like?
Campaign Ad Group Keyword Headline Desc Line 1 Desc Line 2 Display URL
Brand -‐ Alpha brand.com [brand.com] Brand.com -‐ Official Try Our New Widgets Today! Best Deal Available Now. Brand.com
Brand -‐ Beta brand name +brand +name Brand Name -‐ Official Try Our New Widgets Today! Best Deal Available Now. Brand.com
Brand -‐ Beta brand.com +brand.com Brand.com -‐ Official Try Our New Widgets Today! Best Deal Available Now. Brand.com
Non-‐Brand -‐ Alpha cool product [cool product] Buy a Cool Product Try Our Cool Product Today. Best Deal Available Now. Brand.com/Cool-‐Product
Non-‐Brand -‐ Alpha new cool product [new cool product] Buy a New Cool Product Try Our New Cool Product Today. Best Deal Available Now. Brand.com/New-‐Cool-‐Product
Non-‐Brand -‐ Alpha other product [other product] Buy a Other Product Try Our Other Product Today. Best Deal Available Now. Brand.com/Other-‐Product
Non-‐Brand -‐ Beta cool product +cool +product Buy a Cool Product Try Our Cool Product Today. Best Deal Available Now. Brand.com/Cool-‐Product
#SMX #23B @Caitlin_Halpert
• Performance warrants unique keyword – corresponding alpha neg will fix mapping issues Alpha promotion
• When problem query exists as an alpha Confirm alpha negatives
• Fixes cross-‐matching when a target keyword exists & term does not qualify for alpha promotion
Ad group level negatives
• If misspellings or alternative keyword variations are capturing the same queries as other keywords
Pause/remove keywords
4 ways to fix bad mapping within Alpha-Beta
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