Category: SEM

Is your PPC program behaving badly and blocking out perfectly acceptable traffic? Contributor Andrew Goodman looks at five ways to relax an over-tightened account. If a pay-per-click (PPC) account and the advertiser’s business model are functioning reasonably well, we often find that a business owner becomes heavily dependent on the PPC channel. “Max the volume!” and “We’re down from last year, I’m very worried” are typical (if vague) remits from clients and bosses deep in the thrall of this perennial growth-driving channel. If you’ve arrived late on the PPC scene, you…

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Most common PPC campaign mistakes can be easily rectified. With extra awareness, time and effort, you can adjust your optimization strategy to focus on ROI instead of CPA and get better results. With some changes to the way you approach your PPC activities as a whole, you can fine-tune your funnel and get higher-quality […] Most common PPC campaign mistakes can be easily rectified. With extra awareness, time and effort, you can adjust your optimization strategy to focus on ROI instead of CPA and get better results. With some changes…

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The platforms most digital marketers said they will invest in: Google (including YouTube) and Meta (Facebook and Instagram). Less than a quarter of digital marketers plan to invest in X, formerly known as Twitter, during the next 12 months, according to a Search Engine Land survey. And, the percentage of digital marketers investing in X continues to fall rapidly, down from 27% of marketers in Q1 to 17% in Q3 to date. Where marketers plan to invest. Google (including YouTube) and Meta properties Facebook and Instagram are the platforms most digital…

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Explore three actionable ways to leverage ad creative in your PPC campaigns while retaining data-driven insights for peak performance. Historically, PPC marketers are accustomed to spending hours behind a spreadsheet crunching numbers, analyzing bid models, finding statistical significance for test results, and carefully plotting the next move. PPC has been very logical, data-driven and more science than art. But the industry is shifting, and creative is arguably one of the best levers PPC managers have to optimize performance. As a result, performance agencies must adapt quickly and rebalance the scales between art and science.…

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The new AI-powered features were launched to help marketers better understand their audience and optimize campaigns more effectively. Google Analytics 4 has unveiled eight new features to improve app campaign measurement and performance. The additional AI-powered insights have been set up to give marketers a better understanding of how users behave across both web and app – all in one place. Why we care. The more insights you have into who your target audience is, the more effectively you can optimize campaigns and ensure content is as engaging as possible. The…

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From match type consolidation to blended campaigns and auto-applied recommendations, here’s what’s potentially in store for PPC marketers. Search marketing has evolved rapidly in the past 12 months. This trend will likely continue to accelerate over the next two years. Automation and AI have already revolutionized the search industry, and it’s worth considering what other changes could be coming our way in the future. Based on recent history and other indications from platforms like Google and Microsoft, here’s what might be in store for our PPC campaigns. 1. Match type…

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The large supermarket chain is rolling out its new data-driven, one-stop-shop ad platform to all marketers in the fall. Kroger is breaking away from Microsoft to take its advertising platform – Kroger Precision Marketing – in-house. The new system, which the grocer has spent the last year working on, is currently in beta but all marketers are set to transition in the fall. Why we care. With 2,700 stores across 35 states, Kroger is the largest supermarket chain in the US and has historically worked with more than 2,000 brands. Marketers…

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Acquisio’s platform takes a machine learning-supported approach to paid search programs. Acquisio, which provides SEM campaign management tools for enterprises and small businesses, was acquired by Web.com. Web.com has many thousands of small business customers, who buy web hosting and a range of digital marketing services, including search, social and e-commerce. The terms of the transaction, announced Wednesday, were not disclosed. Montreal-based Acquisio has invested heavily in developing machine learning and automation capabilities over the past several years. Web.com, based in Jacksonville, Florida, said in an email that it will be broadly applying…

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Impression share may not be the ultimate measure of paid search success, but columnist Jacob Baadsgaard shows how tracking this metric can lead to paid search improvements that can really boost your bottom line. Impression share is an interesting paid search metric. On the surface, you could argue that impression share is a fairly useless metric. In fact, I’ll admit that I’ve argued for years that impressions really aren’t an important measure of paid search success. However, while I still strongly believe that ROI — not impressions, clicks or conversions — is the ultimate gauge…

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Rewriting and testing your ad copy may not be the most glamorous way to improve your paid search campaigns, but columnist Jacob Baadsgaard points out that it can be an incredibly effective way to get more bang from your budget. When it comes to paid search, there is a lot to optimize. Amidst all of the keywords, bidding and landing page refinements you have to do on a regular basis, it can be easy to wonder, “Does my ad copy actually make a difference?” To make matters worse, there’s nothing…

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