Powerful keyword matching tips:
I am working on a new AdWords Optimizer and one of the modules I am developing is around keyword matching. I have noticed that MOST beginning AdWords users do not use keyword matching correctly so I wanted to come up with some simple tips and rules to follow.
While there are many ways to use keyword matching, I hope you may find these tips useful.
Keyword matching and new Ad Groups:
Whenever you launch a new Ad Group I recommend the following:
* First two weeks - only use exact matching
Why? To dominate in AdWords, you need to get into the top positions and when you start with exact match only you can ensure to write more targeted ads and get a higher click-through-rate. This in turn will boost your Quality Score which will help you vs. all the other advertisers that are competing for the same keyword.
* Week 2-4 - expand to phrase matching
Why? Same reasons as above. I like to start out bidding WAY high for my keywords to show Google who is the man and then gradually lower my bids. This will ensure that I get a very high CTR to start out with and I can then gradually lower it without losing my position. However, such a startegy is VERY costly, which is why I only recommend using it on a limited basis and starting with exact match and then moving to phrase match is highly recommended.
* Week 4+ – expand to broad match
Personally, I LOVE broad matching because it can give you A LOT of traffic. However, it is also very dangerous because it can give you A LOT of traffic that does not convert. So, I would recommend the following.
a. Lower your max. cpc for broad matching due to the expected lower conversion rate.
b. NEVER use broad matching in an Ad Group that does not have negative keywords
Broad matching is powerful but you MUST protect yourself from bidding for keywords that are not targeted. How to find them will be a subject of another post.
Lastly, once an Ad Group has been running for more than a month, I usually have all three keyword matching options enabled across all keywords in my Ad Group and I just adjust the bid prices at the keyword level to maximize my ROI.
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