Getting Your Message Across in Paid Search: Why Campaign Organization Matters
All Signs Point to...Where?
Imagine for a moment the internet as the world’s largest department store, brimming with goods and services of all shapes and sizes. Not your typical department store, to be sure, for there are no shelves or aisles, and the goods for sale exist as pixels in cyberspace rather than in actual space. There is, however, one definite parallel in this analogy: signage. Just as brick and mortar stores have signs that lead customers to the proper departments and merchandise, the internet is full of links that are labeled to convey to users where they are headed. That said, imagine what confusion would ensue if real life stores messaged their signage as poorly as some internet vendors label their links! Consider the example below:
The query is “men’s running shoes”- a strong indicator that the user is searching for, not just any type of shoe, but specifically: running shoes…for men. The first two ads do a good job of answering directly to the user’s query. The third ad in the lineup fails to repeat any part of the query outside of the head term, “shoe.” Think about this: if you are a customer searching for men’s running shoes, are you liable to follow the sign that says “Men’s Running Shoes” or the sign that says merely, “Designer Shoes”?
There is a name for the concept that we’re illustrating here: “information scent.” The idea is that internet users on the hunt for information look for cues- in the form of images and text- that indicate they are on the right track. Repeated studies on this topic support the fact that users will abandon a trail where the scent of information is not strong enough. This is called “hub and spoke” surfing: when the cues are weak, internet users retreat back to the place where they started- i.e. their “hub.” In fact, our own data across multiple paid search accounts and multiple industries shows again and again that users are more likely to click on ads that repeat their search query.
The point to be taken here is that your ad copy and your landing page copy (and copy on pages even further down the funnel) needs to be written to respond directly to the user’s search query. Generic messages will not suffice. Ad copy should repeat the search query (as closely as possible, that is). Furthermore, you should look for other clues within the query to determine what precisely the user is on the hunt for, to provide an ad that answers directly to their needs. (e.g., Is your user ready to purchase, or merely in research phase? Are they a luxury shopper or are they looking for a deal?)
And this is where proper organization of your paid search campaigns becomes a major issue. We know from Google’s quality score guidelines that greater weight is given to ads within ad groups where keywords are closely related to one another. But there is yet another reason to have closely themed ad groups besides the fact that Google wants you to do it this way: the more closely related your keywords are to one another, the easier it is to write ads targeted directly to each search query. Read on and we will show you why.
Ad Group Example 1: Everything and the Kitchen Sink (or, How Not to Do It)
It seems almost obvious that you should not cram every single keyword you have into a solitary ad group, but we frequently encounter real life instances like the example below:
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buy running shoes |
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cheap running shoes |
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cheap tennis shoes |
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new running shoes |
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nike running shoes |
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running shoe |
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running shoe sale |
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running shoes cheap |
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running shoes for women |
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running shoes reviews |
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running shoes wide |
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running shoes narrow |
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soccer shoes |
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women running shoes |
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shoes running |
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shoes sale |
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running shoes women |
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cheap shoes |
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discount shoes |
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mens running shoes |
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running shoes for men |
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running shoes men |
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running shoes sale |
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discount running shoes |
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run shoes |
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black shoes |
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best running shoes |
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running shoes discount |
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running shoes on sale |
Imagine trying to write an ad for this sprawling set of keywords. Where do you start? Do you talk about men’s or women’s running shoes? Do you speak to the customers who are searching for quality shoes (e.g. “best running shoes”) or the ones looking for cheap shoes? And what of the customers who are searching for alternate types of athletic shoes? About the best you can manage here is a very general ad that encompasses all types and quality of athletic shoes.
Ad Group Example 2: The Targeted Ad Group
We’ve extracted from the above example keywords focused strictly on discount running shoes. Note how much easier it is to write an advertisement targeted to this particular set of keywords:
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cheap running shoes |
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running shoe sale |
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running shoes cheap |
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running shoes sale |
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discount running shoes |
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clearance running shoes |
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running shoes discount |
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running shoes on sale |
Since price-conscious customers are most likely to be persuaded by claims of discounts, low price and free offers, we might try something like the advertisement below:
25% Off Running Shoes
Guaranteed Lowest Price.
Free Shipping – Shop Now!
This is likely to generate a far higher click through rate than the general ad we would have to use for the keywords in the prior example.
Thus you can see how dividing a general list of keywords into specific themes enables you to write far better ad copy. But there is a step beyond this that must also be considered: your landing page. Customers are compelled by specific copy on your landing pages the same as they are by specific messages in your ads. Just as we recommend segmenting your keyword list into highly focused ad groups, we recommend creating specific landing pages, and here’s why:
Landing Page Example 1: Generically Speaking
The screenshot below depicts the landing page for the Under Armour brand ad, based on the query “women’s running shoes.” The ad, which fails to repeat the query, leads to a general page for running shoes that presents a couple of problems: 1) Poor information scent- not only is there is no sign of the term “women’s shoes” anywhere near the top of the page, but the image shows a male runner and is likely to send the wrong message to searchers 2) More burden upon the user – the user must scroll around the page to figure out where the women’s shoes are located on the site. Why not make it easier for them by landing them directly on a page for women’s shoes?
Landing Page Example 2: Getting Down to Specifics
Our second example comes from the Road Runner sports website, which offers a far better user experience for the query “women’s running shoes.” Note that they have created a page specifically for women’s running shoes, which boldly repeats the query at the top. In an instant the user can see that they are in the right place and can begin perusing the desired merchandise without having to navigate their way to it:
Returning to our department store metaphor: you can see from these examples that, with some thought and organization of your ad groups and their corresponding landing pages, you can provide better “signage” for your customers, guiding them more easily along the path to purchase. Certainly, for major categories such as men and women’s shoes, it is worth the investment to create landing pages that speak directly to a user’s query.
Campaign organization is one of the things we focus on most heavily at 360Partners- we believe that is the key to superior performance in the paid search results. We can help you improve the organization of your paid search campaigns. Contact us today at SearchMarketing@360Partners.com for a free account evaluation.
