iskandarX Society SEO - Being Negative Has Never Been So Positive

For most Google AdWords advertisers, the true measure of success is conversions. After all, conversions often represent sales or, at the very least, new leads. So it’s no wonder why search marketers are constantly seeking out new ways and creative uses of online tools to improve conversions. The new Search Query Report from Google AdWords has the potential to dramatically improve conversions by helping advertisers find a wealth of negative keywords for their campaigns.




Using Broad Match? Beware of Expanded Keyword Matching

Many advertisers are unaware that use of broad match in Google AdWords automatically displays their ads for keyword searches that do not match their keywords, such as synonyms or misspellings of keywords. Termed “expanded keyword matching”, this feature is automatically applied to all broad match keywords. Expanded keyword matching is defined by Google:

“With broad match, the Google AdWords system automatically runs your ads on relevant variations of your keywords, even if these terms aren't in your keyword lists. Keyword variations can include synonyms, singular/plural forms, relevant variants of your keywords, and phrases containing your keywords.

For example, if you're currently running ads on the broad-matched keyword web hosting, your ads may show for the search queries web hosting company or webhost. The keyword variations that are allowed to trigger your ads will change over time, as the AdWords system continually monitors your keyword quality and performance factors. Your ads will only continue showing on the highest-performing and most relevant keyword variations.”
 -- Google AdWords Help

Until recently, advertisers did not have any insight into which expanded match keywords were displaying their ads. In May, Google released a new reporting tool – the Search Query Report – which shows actual queries that searchers used to find your advertisements. The three main types of expanded match concerns for advertisers are: 1) competitors brand names as synonyms, 2) foreign languages as synonyms, and 3) non-related synonyms.

Example 1: Competitors' Brand Names as Synonyms

My team recently ran the search query report for a major automobile manufacturer client. Because conversion occurs offline for a business selling large goods such as cars, our measurement in this case was not necessarily online sales as conversions, but rather key performance indicators (KPIs) on the manufacturer's website.
When we ran the search query report for this client, we found that Google had served this client's ads for queries on competitors' names, even though we specifically had chosen against using competitor brand names as keywords. In other words, it would be similar to a search for the term "Coke" displaying an ad for "Pepsi", even though Coke might not be purchasing the keyword "Pepsi" for its advertising.

Example 2: Foreign Languages as Synonyms

With this same automobile manufacturer client, we also found that queries for the client's own brand name in other languages displayed the client's ads, even though we specifically chose to advertise only in English for these campaigns. We found searches for the client's name in Hebrew, Japanese and Spanish.

Example 3: Non-Related Synonyms

Further, we found several queries that somewhat stretched the concept of synonyms. For example, one keyword in this campaign is "small cars" – a common search for those shopping for compact cars. However, Google's expanded keyword matching considered the term "small" synonymous with terms such as "miniature". While "small" and "miniature" are somewhat similar, their similarity is completely dependent on the context in which they are being used. In our example, for instance, a search for the term "small cars" is more likely to be relevant for compact vehicles while a search for the term "miniature cars" is more likely to be relevant for small car toys.

Irrelevant Synonyms Reduce Conversions

Some advertisers might review the previous three examples and consider expanded keyword matching a positive benefit to their ad campaigns. However, the main problem with these is that advertisers cannot adequately target ad copy or landing pages to ad respondents from these queries because they are not completely relevant to the advertiser’s offering.

To illustrate this point, consider the example of foreign language synonyms. If a searcher is using a foreign language in a search query, chances are that the searcher does not expect to find ads and websites in English, but rather that particular language. If an advertiser instead purposefully chose foreign language keywords, the advertiser would likely also create ads in foreign languages and websites or landing pages in foreign languages to improve our conversion potential.

When we ran the search query report for other advertisers, in the case of one advertiser, over 6% of the queries were clearly not relevant – not an insignificant amount. This statistic reaffirms the importance of reducing the irrelevant keyword queries, allowing advertisers to refocus budget on better performing terms.

Stopping Irrelevant Synonyms and Queries

While expanded keyword matching may seem very frustrating, how does an advertiser opt-out of expanded keyword matching and stop the irrelevancy madness? There are two options:

1.Use Only Phrase or Exact Keyword Match Options
Unlike broad match, phrase and exact match do not incorporate the expanded keyword matching option. However, by excluding broad match, advertisers risk missing out on highly relevant traffic, for instance, that might misspell a keyword or use additional keywords that the advertiser has not accounted for.

2.Couple Your Broad Match with Extensive Negative Keyword Selections
Of these two options, coupling negative keywords with your broad match campaigns is likely the more optimal choice. By disallowing irrelevant queries through the use of negative keywords, advertisers allow themselves maximum keyword flexibility while also reducing irrelevant impressions and clicks.

The Negative Becomes Positive: Using the Search Query Report to Find Negative Keywords

By using the search query report to find these strange synonym and keyword variations, advertisers will find a wealth of negative keyword possibilities. Using the search query report to find and add negatives to their campaigns, our automobile manufacturer nearly doubled its KPI rates from Google AdWords in less than one week.

How to Run the Search Query Report

The search query report can be found in the Report Center of the Google AdWords interface. To create a search query report, follow these simple steps:

1.Click on the “Create Report” link in the Report Center to create a new search query report.

2.Select the “Search Query Performance Report’ for Report Type.

3.In the Settings, choose “Account” for level of detail and “Summary” for the view. If this is your first search query report and your account and campaigns were running before May 2, 2007, select a start date of May 2, 2007, the first day which search query report data is available. Otherwise, if your account and campaigns were started after May 2, 2007, you may select the ‘All Time” option, which will provide data from your account’s start date until present.

4.Under Advanced Settings and Add or Remove Columns, there are three essential   columns of data that you’ll need to make informed decisions about which keywords from these queries should become negative keywords.

First, you’ll need the actual “Search Query” itself to see the keywords used in the queries. Next, the “Cost” column is helpful to see how much of your budget is being spent on these specific keyword queries. And lastly, the “Conversion Rate” will help you identify which queries are bringing the most qualified traffic to your site.

5.Once the report is complete, review the search query column to see specific queries used to trigger your ad. Determine which of these keywords is relevant to your campaigns, and create negative keywords for those that are irrelevant.

While the expanded keyword matching option can be frustrating as advertisers realize the possibly numerous irrelevant queries that triggered their ads, the search query report provides an excellent way to target these disadvantageous queries while still allowing maximum keyword flexibility through broad match.