In order make smarter decisions while making changes for your Adwords account there is very useful tool called “Search Funnel Analysis“.  You can find this tool under the “Reporting and Tools”  tab and link to to “Conversions”. As you may know Google is attaching conversions to the last click made. But before making the last decision to buy or not users tends to come back to the website via different sources, because they are comparing prices and looking for the best deal. So it is important to know what was the role of adwords before getting the sale.

Search Funnel Analysis are providing 8 types of different reports:

• Assist Clicks and Impressions;
• Assisted Conversions;
• First-Click Analysis;
• Last Click Analysis;
• Top Paths;
• Time lag;
• Path Length.

I am following my next post about each of the search funnel report.

The latest Google update for Display Network Contextual targeting is that you will be able to use targeting not only by keyword themes, audiences and by topics.



To start using targeting by Topics, click on the Topics tab and select the topics you want to target. Also you are able to exclude particular topics where you do not want your ads to be seen.

This update will make live easier for many advertisers using Google Display Network. From now  there are 7 variations how you can reach your visitors on Display Network:

a. By Keywords Themes only;

b. By Topics only;

c. By Topics and Keyword Themes;

d. By Audiences and Keyword Themes;

e. By Audiences Only;

f. By Audiences and Topics;

g. By Audiences, Keyword Themes and Topics;

Google has just announced about new location targeting feature for search network. This feature will allow target your ads more precisely and reach more targeted audience for your business

• The first new advanced location option is “Targeting method” which allows to “Target using either physical location or search intent“, “Target using physical location: Device-based location signals” and “Target using search intent: Location terms in user queries“

Example:

You have MOT test service in Chelmsford and you want to advertise for people who are physically located in Chelmsford. You are not interested to show your ads for people who are located somewhere in UK and adding “Chelmsford” to their search queries. You can reach these potential clients with a new targeting option “Target using physical location: Device-based location signal“.

• Second new option is “Exclusion method” which allows to “Exclude by physical location only” or “Exclude by physical location and search intent“

Example:

You run uPVC doors installation company and are advertising installers based Leeds. You don’t want to advertise Doncaster installers and people who are based in Doncaster. There is an option “Exclude by physical location and search intent” which help to advertise your service only for people who are based in Leeds only.

Google has just announced about new Google Adwords ad rotation setting option: “Optimise for conversions: Show ads expected to provide more conversions“. This ad rotation setting will be showing ads that are converting better.

Before there were only two ad rotation settings:

• Optimise for Clicks – Shows ads expected to provide more clicks;
• Rotate – Show ads more evenly.

Ad rotation options that were available before helped to show ads with higher Click Through Rates more often. But there is a thing that ads with higher click through rates are not always converting better.

You have to enable Google Conversion Tracking if you want to be able to use “Optimise for conversions: Show ads expected to provide more conversions” option.

Following my previous post about “Get The Most From Google Display Network Advertising” here is  quick tips how to use “Contextual targeting” tool.  Google Adwords Contextual Targeting tool helps to generate themed keyword lists and ensure accurate targeting to your ads.

How to use this tool:

1. Contextual targeting tool can be be found under the “Reporting and Tools” tab.

2. Type the keyword you want to get a keyword list for.  Select location and languages options and click search.

3. Contextual targeting tool will generate the most accurate keyword lists to the phrase that you have  added.

4. Select the most relevant keyword lists and click on “Export to Adwords Editor” button. If you do not use Adwords Editor you can copy keywords manually to your ad groups via Google Adwords web user interface.

It may be frustrating to manage your PPC campaigns effectively on Display network. Thanks for Google, they have created Contextual targeting tool and prepared a list of suggestions how to get the most from Google display network.

1. Seperate Search and Display Network campaigns

2.  Create themed ad groups.

3. Set default bids at the ad group level only

4. Use 5-10 broad match keywords per ad group (Contextual targeting tool will help to find the most relevant keywords). Do not use long tail keywords.

5. Add negative keywords, placements and categories you want to avoid.

6. Test, refine and monitor. Find the best performing sites from “Automatic placements” list and add them to the list of “Managed placements”. Exclude the worst performing sites.

7. Use a different bidding strategy on “Managed Placements” and “Automatic Placement”