PPC 102
Now that accounts have been established its time to create you tracking URLs. Each company is a little different in the way they handle this. Some will add a pixel or a tracking snippet on the pages necessary to track your results. Placing this code on your landing page tells you what your CTR or ‘click through rate’ is. This can tell you whether your creative (or ad) is effective, and by rotating different creatives you can gauge the performance of them.
Placing the code on the thank-you page will tell you CPL (cost per Lead or
Placing the code on every page will tell you different things like where your navigation is taking the end-user, what page they enter and exit on, and other analytical data.
These tracking abilities are the very bottom line of your PPC campaigns. This is where ½ of all PPC’s win or lose. It is crucial to have these elements available, whether by free tracking software like Google Analytics or Yahoo Marketing Console, or with more robust software available for purchase such as DirectTracks, WebTrend or many others that are available.
By this point you should already have your keywords assembled by using a free tool such as Google or Yahoo’s keyword tools, or WordTracker which allows up to 10 words in their trial.
It is important that you understand the difference between all PPC’s and spend time evaluating their traffic, and the competition. Expect to lose or break even, and hope for the best. But expect to spend some money on research expenses. Google and Yahoo are the big boys in PPC, providing 60% of the results, and they are more expensive in most scenarios. They have estimation tools that will give you a “heads-up” on what you can expect to spend, based on prior search parameters. Adjust your budget accordingly.
Do your homework reading about the different PPC engines and the type of venues that they operate in. Some place your ads in networks, some place your ads within their own results. This is another important element because your overall result can be dramatically increased or decreased based on the network that they place you in. A mortgage page is not necessarily the network page you want to be on if your marketing weight loss.
Here is an important checklist to use when shopping a secondary PPC company (list in PPC 101):
- Can I speak to someone on the phone?
- Do they have filters available? (i.e. non-US traffic)
- How do they handle Click Fraud?
- What networks do they operate in?
- Can you select which network to be in?
- How do they handle multiple clicks from the same IP?
- What tools such as IP blockers do they have?
- Can I upload a tracking URL to track keyword conversions?
- How current are your tracking and financial reports?
- What type of tracking do they have?
- Can I speak to someone on the phone?
• If you can’t speak to someone like a Sales Rep, what are the chances of getting IT help or credit for any click fraud that you might happen to find? I’m still waiting on callbacks from several PPC engines. My email said, “ We wish to spend a lot of money with your company. Please have someone contact me asap”. Would you have called?
- Do they have filters available? (i.e. non-US traffic)
• Several PPC engines have filters that they can “turn on” to filter non-US traffic, filters that block specific IP’s that you identify through your logs as being abusers, or even different traffic sources that (networks) are sending you bad traffic. Set these up before launching any campaign. What typically has to happen (normally) is you contact them, they say they will look into it, then if and when they call you bck they suggest that they turn off a couple of networks, turn on a certain filter or do something that is supposed to make a difference. But of course you need to make another deposit to see if it will even improve the situation. (refer to #5)
3. How do they handle Click Fraud?
• Click Fraud is simply this: the practice of clicking on a text advertisement served by a search engine for the sole purpose of forcing the advertiser to pay for the click. This can come from a competitor, someone trying to collect commissions from a network your ad is running on, or one of many other possibilities.
No PPC engine wants to admit to, or give credits for click fraud. The only tool you have to combat this abuse are your logs (the text filled documents that tell you everything that has happened on your site like visitors, referrals, in and out pages, etc.), and a good log analyzer. With this analyzer these reports that seem like pages and pages of gibberish in a text format will come to life, telling you just about whatever you want to know. Armed with this information you can go to your Rep and demand reimbursement. This is a whole other chapter in PPC 101,102, etc.
For right now just be sure they have stated they will give you credit.
4. What networks do they operate in?
• PPC Engines have networks that they serve ads to that you pay for within your PPC campaign, every time someone on one of the network sites click on one of your ads, both parties make a cut.
The problem here is that if I am paying a PPC engine to run an unsecured credit card ad, and the put it on all of their networks, (these include mortgage, real estate planning, investment and stock sites). The demographics of this network are all wrong, and your wasting your (or they are wasting your) money. This type of ad would need to go on an 18-35 demographic, with average earnings from 10k-35k per year.
5. Can you select which network to be in?
• Unless you get a Rep on the phone and ask “what networks do you operate in?”, or at least specify your target audience, you will waste a lot of money. The PPC won’t intervene unless you cut your spending or they have a reason to. Lycos actually allows you to turn networks on and off from their management console.
6. How do they handle multiple clicks from the same IP?
• The tracking software that I use lets me set the cookies to 1 click per 24 hours. If you click on one of my ads more than once in a 24 hr. period, my tracking will block that click from being recorded in my traffic details, but it will show me in other areas. I can also set certain tools to email or text me there is a problem with a particular campaign, keyword, or any parameter I put in place. So I can say,”If I receive more than 5 clicks from the same IP, (or even IP range), alert me by text message. This will not only save you money, but give you the ammunition you’ll need to convince the PPC Rep’s you know what your doing.
Although PPC engine have this ability, not many will spend the time to track it down…after all, they are the ones getting paid.
7. What tools such as IP blockers do they have?
• Many tools are available through different PPC engines that allow you to control your traffic. Some allow you to block IP’s, block URL’s (i.e. competitors), add negative keyword filters, install country filters and geographical filters, depending on your needs. Be sure to know these well, as PPC Management is just as much about identifying fraudulent traffic, as it is attracting good traffic.
8. Can I upload tracking URLs to track keyword conversions?
• Without inserting an image pixel or code snippets, PPC engine cannot track your ROI or your conversions, beyond CPC, CTR or basic information. A successful PPC Manager uses every possible piece of information to adjust his/her campaigns. In many cases (i.e. shared SSL application sites sharing the same certificate), these snippets will interfere with the platform or design of your website navigation. (This is my problem I am using as an example. There are many more). In this case I have to create specific URL’s for each engine, each search term and even the match type in order to track my campaigns effectively.
9. How current are your tracking and financial reports?
• My daily routine is to run daily reports for all of my campaigns to send to the CEO. Many PPC engines have weird ways of reporting traffic, some 3 to 4 days after-the-fact. Others require you to “order them” via email. They are all somewhat different, so set your reporting up prior to running your campaigns. I use an excel sheet with all my formulas preset. This way all I need to do is enter the clicks, the cost and the number of leads, and the spreadsheet does the rest.
Here are my column headers:
Campaign Name | Ad Name | Clicks | Click Cost | # Leads | Cost Per Lead | Spend Budget | Profit/Loss
I set these up for each PPC Engine, then down the left side I list the Campaigns.
10. What type of tracking do they have?
• I could include this in #8 or #9, but I have listed it separately because some PPC’s have specialized tools that you can use in your tracking efforts. One that I use is the Value= parameter. In Google Analytics for example you can insert a value to your conversion, and the tool will give you a bottom line ROI (return on investment), making your life a lot easier! So ask this question, there are a lot of great tools available for free from the guys your throwing your money at!
You can find some free “double-your-initial-deposit” HERE. I would even go as far as to contact they rep you got in PPC 101, and advise him that you have plenty of funding to spend on good traffic, and get a suggestion on what they can do or what they recommend you do to help accomplish this.
Be aware of the settings for each company such as the type of ad. Is it a CPC (cost-per-click), CPM (cost per 1000 impressions – or how many times it shows up within an entire page of other advertisers), and whether it is Search Advertising, Search Network Advertising, Contextual ads in the Network or Content Bids. There are many variables between the PPC’s, and I run on most of them so I know that being aware of their setting is very important.
Here is a list of the available PPC Engines and their minimum bid.
| Site Name | Minimum Bid | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | ||
| | $0.10 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | ||
| | $0.01 | | $0.01 | ||||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.05 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| £0.05 | | £0.02 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.00 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.02 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.00 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.25 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.05 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| $0.01 | | $0.01 | | $0.01 | |||
| | | | $0.02 | | | | |
| | | | $0.01 | | | | |
| | | | $0.01 | | | |
So by now you should have the following:
- A Rep
- A list of keywords (start small)
- A predetermined budget just for research
- An idea of where you want to run your ads
- What type of ads you want to run
- A spread sheet to record the analytics
- A list of what you need to insert into your site for tracking
Go ahead and get a Google and Yahoo account set up. It will take awhile to get Google’s Analytics and Yahoo’s Marketing Console setup.
In PPC 103 I’ll cover how to set your campaigns up across the major PPC’s, appropriate settings, conversion tracking and trends, as well as what to look at within your reports to boost conversions.
Gary R. Beal
No comments:
Post a Comment