An AdWords Script to Track Quality Scores

Posted on August 14, 2012 by Martin Roettgerding

This script is outdated, but there’s a new one that is much better and much easier to use. Check out the newest Quality Score Tracker.[/su_box]Last month I wrote about AdWords Scripts and came to the conclusion that there is basically just one really exciting thing about them: You can share them! Besides Google, I haven’t found anyone doing that, so I’d like to make the first step.

The script I’m presenting here tracks selected keyword quality scores over time. If a quality score changes, it can notify you via email. The script also uses a Google spreadsheet to track the quality score of each keyword. Over time it logs the complete quality score history of your keywords in a simple, easy to use spreadsheet. Continue reading →

Mystery Solved: “false” in AdWords Search Queries

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Martin Roettgerding

For about two months people have been seeing strange queries in their AdWords search terms. These queries look like regular queries except that there’s the word “false” included – at the beginning, at the end or somewhere in between. Segmenting search queries by network quickly revealed search partners as the source. Continue reading →

A Closer Look at AdWords Scripts

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Martin Roettgerding

A few weeks ago, Google announced the introduction of AdWords Scripts. It’s not really news nor is it an epiphany, but since I couldn’t find any article going much beyond the official announcement, I wanted to share my own thoughts on the subject.

finding-adwords-scripts If you already have access, you can find the AdWords Scripts on the left menu on the AdWords interface under the heading Automation. Continue reading →

How to predict the Impact of Exactish Match

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Martin Roettgerding

Since Google has announced to change the matching behaviour for phrase and exact match, the reactions have ranged from unenthusiastic to strong criticism. Some advertisers have mentioned that they were going to test the new matching behaviour. Actually, you don’t have to.

Basically what’s changing here is the definition of the exact match – a phrase match is just an exact match that allows words before and after. The new exact match will cover “close variants” as well – where have we heard that before? A modified broad match also covers close variants. Might those be the same? Continue reading →

Targeting Search Partners

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Martin Roettgerding

In a recent post I wrote about segmenting search queries and the everyday things we can do with this. This time I’d like to go into an unorthodox strategy that benefits from this: Targeting specific search partners with AdWords.

Let’s be clear: Going after Google search partners directly is not possible with AdWords. What is possible is to identify and target certain search partners if they come with very distinct search queries. This strategy is not exactly new, but it is something that many people have probably never heard about. That’s why it’s perfect for this blog. Continue reading →

Why the Migration to “Optimize for Conversions” is a Good Thing

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Martin Roettgerding

A few months back Google announced to change the ad rotation setting for certain campaigns to optimize for conversions. This move has sparked some controversy, but I believe it’s actually quite beautiful.

ad-rotation-conversions

It’s important to note that only campaigns which meet certain criteria will have their ad rotation changed. These criteria are: Continue reading →

Segmenting AdWords Search Query Data

Posted on January 29, 2012 by Martin Roettgerding

When it comes to search query data, Google has always been a little protective. But in fall 2011, around the time when Google shocked search marketers around the world with their switch to SSL, I discovered something new on the AdWords interface:

Continue reading →

Would Google miss your Advertising Dollars?

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Martin Roettgerding

Over at the RKG blog, George Michie wrote an article on a very interesting question: How much do you matter to Google? Or, in other words: How much would it cost Google to lose an advertiser?

George looked at the decline of CPC’s in different scenarios of ad auctions where the top advertiser dropped out. He concluded that it matters a great deal how tightly packed an auction is. If there are a hundred advertisers with similar bids and quality scores the top advertiser is easily replaced with minimal declines in CPC’s. But even in loosely packed auctions the decline isn’t that big.

I was fascinated with the idea and started to play with the numbers myself. But I didn’t want to look only at CPC’s as they are just one part of the equation. While CPC’s matter a lot to advertisers, Google’s attention is on revenue. So how much revenue would Google lose if an advertiser dropped out of an auction?
Continue reading →

A new PPC Blog

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Martin Roettgerding

Hi everyone, welcome to PPC Epiphany. I’ve carried around the idea of setting up a PPC blog for quite some time. Now it’s here.

The plan is to make this an advanced blog, covering things about PPC that you don’t read anywhere else. There’s already a huge backlog of ideas for posts. The first one (coming very soon) is rather long and theoretical, others will be more hands-on. The focus will be on Google AdWords and search.

A few words about myself: I work at Bloofusion Germany as Head of SEM, overseeing a small team working on client accounts. As an agency we do a lot of research on both SEO and SEM, and publish a lot, usually in German.

For the moment, this blog is a personal endeavor. PPC has become a passion of mine and most of PPC happens internationally or in the U.S. Through #ppcchat I’ve experienced what a great PPC community there is out there and I’d like to be part of it. I just hope you’ll overlook whatever strange mistakes my English may hold 😉

So let’s see what happens. Have fun.

Martin