Atomic Media

How to uncover hidden gems in your paid search accounts

Written on May 6, 2024 at 9:10 am, by admin

A PPC professional’s job goes beyond just launching paid search campaigns.

An equally important task is optimizing and scaling those campaigns for maximum effectiveness and impact.

This requires diving deep into the performance data to uncover valuable insights that can inform optimization strategies.

The data from your paid search campaigns contains a wealth of insights waiting to be uncovered. By analyzing metrics, keywords, competitive landscape and user paths, you can identify opportunities to improve targeting, messaging, budgets and overall campaign performance.

This guide will walk through some key reports, tools and analyses that can yield impactful insights for optimizing your paid search efforts.

Harness the power of ad platforms and campaigns 

Our friendly ad interfaces, Google Ads and Microsoft Ads, offer a wealth of powerful information if you know where and how to look for it. 

Metrics matter

Analyze key metrics like click-through rate (CTR), cost-per-click (CPC), conversion rate (CVR), conversion volume and cost-per-conversion across the different objectives and campaign types in your account and note any discrepancy or misalignment.

For example, let’s say you’re looking at a campaign and notice a high CTR coupled with a low CVR. What does this indicate? 

It could mean there is:

• A mismatch between your ad copy messaging and the intended audience.
• A misalignment in who your target audience is. 
• Or a need to refine your landing page experience. 

Testing will determine which element needs adjusting, but uncovering this misalignment provides a starting point. 

In another example, let’s look at cost-per-conversion. With a thorough conversion setup including conversion values, you can examine cost-per-conversion across the different conversion actions to understand the true value of a campaign. 

If a campaign has a high overall cost-per-conversion you may be inclined to turn it off. 

If you notice that segmented actions have a low cost-per-conversion for a high-priority action, you might be inclined to:

• Adjust your conversion scoring (primary vs. secondary).
• Update landing pages to feature the high-priority action more.
• Increase investment in the campaign because it drives high-quality conversion actions.

Keywords are cornerstone

Keywords are the foundation of a paid search account. Foundational keyword research often determines the entire structure and segmentation of an account.

Analyzing keywords post-launch is a typical part of account maintenance and provides a window into several important insights.

I always start by doing an n-gram analysis – a streamlined way to examine your keywords on a larger scale than combing through search query reports or keyword reports individually. 

N-gram analysis allows you to break down and group your keyword sets into themes, making it easier and clearer to discover otherwise hidden trends and areas of opportunity. 

I like to use these breakdowns to identify what themes show up most often with especially strong or weak performance (remember that metrics matter). 

• For themes with strong performance, you can consider creating new campaigns or ad groups to prioritize messaging, budget allocation, etc. 
• For those with weaker performance, you can incorporate negative phrase match keywords that align with the underperforming themes to save your ad spend and ensure you’re reaching the right audience. 

Understand where you are showing up

Take a look at your Auction Insights reports, they may surprise you. You often have an idea of who your direct competitors are, but that doesn’t mean that they are the only people in the ads auction that you are up against. 

Reviewing your impression share via the Auction Insights report regularly can help uncover hidden insights to help with competitor identification as well as keyword targeting and refinement. 

A couple of things to keep an eye out for and what kinds of insights they may uncover: 

• New advertisers listed that are aligned in industry, product/service with you: New competition to keep an eye on for market share availability, competitor research, potential conquesting opportunity. 
• New advertisers listed that are not aligned in industry, product or service: You may be targeting keywords that are pulling in queries that are less relevant than is ideal, either by match type or the term itself. 
• Large fluctuations in impression share (for yourself or other advertisers): This can indicate greater or reduced investment which can influence things like CPC, cost-per-conversion and in turn your bid strategies and ad spend budget allocations. 

Dig deeper: How to improve PPC campaign performance: A checklist

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Beyond the platform: Using Google Analytics 4 to dive deeper

In addition to the insights you can gather from the platforms themselves, you can also use other reporting and analytics tools to uncover more holistic insights about paid search. 

So many valuable insights can be found by delving deeper into the user journey of your customers. The conversion path reporting in GA4 is the perfect tool for this and allows visibility and insight into the number of touchpoints a user takes before converting, the different channels they interact with on this path and several associated metrics.

This insight helps you understand how paid search interacts with other marketing channels, letting you identify gaps or a need for further paid search coverage and develop a holistic omnichannel approach. 

For example, if you notice that the most frequent path to conversion is a journey that includes Paid Search > Organic > Paid Search, this may indicate that users aren’t far enough down the funnel to make a decision the first time they see an ad and are conducting deeper research before converting. 

You can use this insight to incorporate more nurture elements into your ad strategy, adjust landing page content, etc. 

Dig deeper: How to combine GA4 and Google Ads for powerful paid search results

Revealing untapped potential within your paid search accounts

There is an endless wealth of insights you can gather from your paid search accounts. Some that I have found to be impactful and have shared here for you are: 

• Focus on key metrics and their relationship to each other, your campaign objectives and campaign types. 
• Use n-gram analysis to uncover keyword themes, trends and areas of opportunity. 
• Be mindful of the Auction Insights report to monitor competitive activity, changes in investment and seek potential coverage gaps. 
• Use Google Analytics 4 conversion path reports to understand where paid search fits into the bigger picture.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of strategies for uncovering hidden gems in your paid search accounts, but it is a good place to start. 

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

Google unveils new ways to reach streaming audiences

Written on May 4, 2024 at 3:09 am, by admin

Google took center stage at the IAB NewFronts in New York City, pitching advertisers on their evolving streaming ad offerings.

The big idea: With streaming continuing to fragment audiences across various platforms and services, ad giants are competing to offer marketers unified solutions for reaching those viewers.

Why we care: This new means of doing programmatic will allow advertisers to manage video campaigns much more quickly through an already familiar platform. 

State of play: Google introduced a plan to “rethink programmatic TV” by having advertisers centralize their streaming ad buys through its web-focused demand-side platform, Display & Video 360 (DV360).

The company touted DV360’s ability to stitch together fragmented streaming inventory sources, reaching 92% of U.S. connected TV households, according to Sean Downey, Google’s president of Americas and global partners.

In one cited case study, SAP used DV360 to reach 29 million unique viewers, with 5.6 million incremental.

Between the lines: Google is replicating its strategy of using YouTube as the foundational driver for ad sales across streaming TV, leveraging DV360’s direct access to the platform’s dominant viewership.

• DV360 also pulls in third-party inventory like Disney’s streaming ad supply through a new partnership.

Google is adding new measurement capabilities like cross-device conversion reporting for connected TV campaigns.

Bottom line: The connected TV ad market is rapidly evolving and highly fragmented. Google is staking its claim as a unified solution, but it remains a wide-open field.

Google’s announcement. Display & Video 360 updates from Google NewFront

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

Google, DOJ make closing arguments in antitrust trial

Written on May 3, 2024 at 12:09 am, by admin

Google and the Department of Justice are presenting their closing arguments today and tomorrow in the government’s landmark antitrust case against the company that owns a global search monopoly.

Rewind. The 10-week, high-stakes legal battle probed the business practices of Googe Search last fall. 

• Catch up on all the issues at play in U.S. vs. Google antitrust trial: Everything you need to know.

Why we care: The outcome of this case could forever change how Google operates, which would have downstream impacts on search marketers. The ruling could lead to a leveling of the advertising market, meaning lower costs and more choice.

What to watch: The DOJ will summarise its significant allegations against Google on Thursday and Friday. Allegations come down to these three main points:

• Google used lucrative deals with partners like Apple to cement itself as the default search engine across devices and platforms.
• Google paid billions annually to secure those default positions – $26 billion in 2021 alone. (This includes $20 billion alone to be the default on Apple’s Safari browser, according to newly unsealed court records.)
• Google failing to justify why it pays so much beyond stifling competition

The other side: Google rejected accusations of anticompetitive conduct, asserting that users prefer its best-in-class search engine and that its dominance is not due to any alleged monopolistic tactics.

• “We are working very, very hard; for any given query we provide the best experience,” CEO Sundar Pichai testified. “That’s always been our true north.”

Bottom line: This landmark case carries existential implications for Google’s core search business if the DOJ prevails. 

What’s next: After closing arguments, Judge Amit Mehta will weigh the liability case before him. One potential (though unlikely) outcome could be a breakup of Google, which will be determined later if he rules against the company.

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

Small review site lost 91% of its Google traffic to affiliate-focused SEO content

Written on May 3, 2024 at 12:09 am, by admin

HouseFresh, a small, independent product review website that called out Google after being consistently outranked by larger publishers – has lost 91% of its Google traffic following the March 2024 core update.

In a new blog post, HouseFresh has virtually disappeared from Google Search results. Now what?, Gisele Navarro highlighted ongoing issues with Google’s product search results favoring “affiliate-focused SEO content” from big media brands, what they’ve learned and what’s next for the site.

Why we care. There has been a lot of anger about Google killing websites and industries in the wake of the March 2024 core update – and more is on the way in the form of Google’s new reputation abuse policy, which goes into effect after May 5.

Keyword swarming. Big media brands (e.g., Dotdash Meredith, Forbes) are using a tactic called “keyword swarming” and flooding the web with subpar content, yet dominating Google’s search results.

• Meanwhile, hollowed-out carcasses of legacy brands (e.g., DeadSpin and Money) pump out commercial (sometimes AI-generated) content, all designed to drive affiliate revenue while squeezing out every ounce of brand value that remains.

Traffic loss. HouseFresh also revealed how much traffic it has lost since October:

• “Since October 2023, we’ve gone from welcoming 4,000 people from Google Search each day to just receiving 200. And of those 200, most are adding ‘HouseFresh’ to their searches to find us specifically.”

Google doesn’t owe HouseFresh traffic. Navarro acknowledged that “Google doesn’t owe us anything. We don’t simply deserve to get search traffic because we exist or because we say we should.”

• She also hit back at people for “gaslighting us into thinking that our content is not helpful enough for readers.” (However, from what I saw, this was an honest critique, not gaslighting).

History repeats itself (again). SEO pioneer Mike Grehan discussed a similar experience that occurred at a search conference right after Google’s huge Florida update in 2003:

“So many attendees … felt that Google was putting them out of business.

One guy … explained loudly to the packed room that he had been the number one result at Google in his niche for two years, and his business was booming. Then, after the update, there was no sign of him in the SERP. 

I suggested that he, perhaps, should not have ‘bet the farm’ on this one source of revenue to sustain his business. I also suggested that, yes, we should go to Mountain View and visit Google. And when we see either [Larry] Page or Sergey Brin come through the reception, he should walk right up to whichever one it was, kneel down and kiss his ass ‘because he’s been sending you free customers for two years!’”

Google’s Florida update: 20 years since the SEO ‘volcanic eruption’,

None of this is new. People have complained about Google driving them out of business for 20+ years. That won’t make HouseFresh feel better – but the reality is Google doesn’t owe you traffic, rankings or a living.

What’s next for HouseFresh. Navarro promises to be “relentless” on every platform where it makes sense for them to be. Sounds a bit like diversification, doesn’t it?

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

Google restricts promotion of deep fake sexual content

Written on May 3, 2024 at 12:09 am, by admin

Google introduced new restrictions on deep fake sexual content for Shopping ads. Google also updated its general content policy prohibiting promoting synthetic content that has been altered or generated to be sexually explicit or contain nudity

Why we care. Google will issue a warning to advertisers if they violate this policy. Continued violations could result in an account suspension.

What changed. Google advertisers can no longer use Shopping ads to:

• Promote services that generate, distribute or store synthetic sexually explicit content or synthetic content containing nudity. This includes services that create “deepfakes” and other manipulated imagery.
• Create ads for content that provides instructions on the creation of synthetic sexually explicit content or synthetic content with nudity.

Enforcement. The enforcement started yesterday (May 1) for Shopping ads. For all other ad types, advertisers have until May 30 to make all necessary changes to ensure their ads fall within the scope of the policy.

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

7 ways to use the ‘inspect element’ tool for SEO

Written on May 3, 2024 at 12:09 am, by admin

The Inspect feature on Chrome (also called “inspect element”) lets you check under the hood of any page or website. You can use it to diagnose problems, test changes on your site and even spy on your competitors.

Right-click on any page and scroll down to Inspect to see the code with which the site is built. 

You’ll see the page on the left window and different tabs on the right with all the site’s code. You can expand and collapse elements to browse that page’s code. 

From the Elements tab, you can see what the page would look like if you edited, removed or added elements. You can also find information about how a website is set up. The Console, Sources, Network and other tabs can also help with more advanced technical audits.

It helps to know basic HTML and CSS, but you can answer many basic questions just from the Elements tab if you know what kind of code to look for.

1. What color is that?

Find the unique hex code for any color on the web by using Inspect. 

• Right-click on the element you want to see.
• Scroll down to find the color swatch and hex code.
• Click the swatch to play around with different colors for that element.

Every color has a unique hex code or a universal 6-digit code combo that represents the color. For example, pure white is #FFFFFF, pure black is #000000 and mint green is #98FF98.

If you don’t see the color you’re looking for, check for any parent element color settings that might override the child elements.

This is handy for solving questions like:

• What colors do users prefer? Can I find a fresh color to try?
• What color is my competitor testing for their call to action?
• Are my site colors following brand guidelines?
• Does that color combo follow usability guidelines?

2. What font is that?

Serif fonts are hot right now. You can find new fonts on any site by right-clicking the element and looking for the font CSS.

• Right-click the copy.
• In the Styles tab at the bottom, look for the same tag.
• Scroll down to the font tags.

If you see multiple fonts listed in the code, those are backup fonts. The first font is the default, which will appear if the user’s browser has access to that font. If that font isn’t available for some reason, the browser will fall back to the second font listed and so on through the list.

You can also check the font size and line height too.

Choosing a good font size depends on the font, line height and boldness. A good rule of thumb is to aim for a minimum of 14 pixels for body copy and 20 pixels for header fonts.

• H1: 30-34 pixels
• H2: 28-30 pixels
• H3: 24-26 pixels
• H4: 20-22 pixels
• Body: 16-18 pixels

3. Will that content change look good?

Use Inspect to see what a change will look like before going live. This is especially helpful if you need to take a screenshot to get approval before or after you go live with a page edit or if you want to check how a change will look on desktop and mobile first.

• Inspect the element you want to change.
• Double-click the copy you want to edit. 
• Edit the copy.
• Click outside the element.
• Make tweaks until you’re happy with it.

If the element you’re editing has multiple pieces of code within the element, like a link within a paragraph, you can right-click the copy and choose Edit as HTML to edit the entire selection.

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4. What image is that?

Find an image link, size and alt text by right-clicking to Inspect any image. 

Answer basic technical questions about any image:

• Does my image have good alt text?
• Is that image a duplicate?
• Is the image size too large?
• Could the image size impact page speed?
• Where is the original image source?
• What kind of image is my competitor using?

This works for any kind of image, including icons and background images. If you don’t see the image you want, look for phrases in the code like image, background, src, img, jpg, png or carousel.

5. What kind of link is that?

Use Inspect to check to see if your links are set up the way you want without actually clicking any links. Test whether links are set to nofollow or follow and if they open in the same or a different tab. Or use Inspect to find a redirect chain or 301.

• Right-click any link.
• Find the <a href> tag.
• Check what URL the target is linking to.
• Look for a tag like rel=“nofollow”, which tells Google to ignore that link for ranking purposes.
• Look for a tag like target=“_blank”, which tells the browser to open the link in a new/blank tab.

You can also confirm whether you got a new follow or nofollow backlink on another site. This is handy if you just want to check one link instead of running a check in a backlink tool like Ahrefs or Semrush.

If you check links often, you can also use browser extensions to automatically highlight different types of links depending on their tags.

6. Which piece of code is broken?

Troubleshoot issues with your site elements using Inspect. Once you figure out which piece of code is causing an issue, you can solve the problem. 

If you need to work with your developers or technical team to fix the problem, it’s easier to be able to highlight exactly what you need within the code.

• Right-click anywhere on the element.
• In the Elements sidebar, hover over each HTML element to find the one you want.
• Use the arrows to expand sections to see child code elements.
• The element that the code corresponds to will be highlighted on your site in the left window. Keep hovering and expanding until you find it.

7. What kind of schema is that?

Most sites let you check their site schema using Schema Validator. However, some sites block the Schema Validator bot from using the Fetch URL option directly. 

You can still check your competitors’ site schema with this tool or directly into the code.

• Go to the page you want to check.
• Right-click anywhere on the page and click View Page Source.
• Select all the page code (Ctrl+A and Ctrl+C).
• Go to https://validator.schema.org/.
• Click Code Snippet.
• Paste all the code (Ctrl+V).
• Click Run Test.
• You’ll see all the detected schema elements for that page.

If the validator tool seems incorrect or flags broken schema, you can check for any schema-like code directly in the markup. This is helpful if you’re trying to troubleshoot schema fields or discover why your schema isn’t appearing in the SERP.

• Right-click anywhere on the page.
• Expand sections in the Elements tag until you find the schema.org tags. Schema is usually contained somewhere in the <body> tag.
• If it’s not organized cleanly, right-click and edit as HTML, then copy the whole block into a Notepad program.
• If you still don’t see it, right-click on the page to View Page Source, then search for “schema” in the page code (Ctrl+F).

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

Did Google really lose search market share to Microsoft Bing in April?

Written on May 1, 2024 at 9:08 pm, by admin

Statcounter has updated its search engine market share stats for April – and the results are shocking. If they’re true. I’m doubtful – but hoping Statcounter will confirm whether these numbers are indeed accurate.

By the numbers. Google’s U.S. search market share in the U.S. fell to 77.52% in April, down from 86.94% in March and down from 88.8% in April 2023. Meanwhile:

• Microsoft Bing grew to 13.05% in April, up from 8.04% in March.
• Yahoo (!) grew to 7.3%, up from 2.48% in March.

See why I’m skeptical yet? How are Microsoft Bing and Yahoo growing that much in one month?

But wait, there’s more.

Google’s global search engine market share dropped from 91.38% in March to 86.99% in April. Meanwhile:

• Microsoft Bing grew to 5.8% in April, up from 3.35% in March.
• Yahoo grew to 3.06% in April, up from 1.1% in March.

There are other unexplainable swings – some bigger than others – found in other regions as well, based on Statcounter’s data.

But. Before you start cheering, the data seems suspect. Some are expecting Statcounter to “correct” these figures because these sorts of big swings seem impossible and unprecedented.

About the data. How does Statcounter get this data? According to its About page:

Stats are based on aggregate data collected by Statcounter on a sample exceeding 5 billion pageviews per month collected from across the Statcounter network of more than 1.5 million websites. Stats are updated and made available every day, however are subject to quality assurance testing and revision for 45 days from publication.

Based on this explanation, it’s entirely possible that at some point in the next 45 days Statcounter’s search market share data could change.

Why we care. My first thought after seeing these numbers was: they seem wrong. User behavior doesn’t change this rapidly. While SEOs and others have been heavily critical of Google over the past few years, often with good reason, I’ve never seen market share figures swing like this in one month unless there was a change to how the data was collected or there is some sort of issue with the data.

What Statcounter is saying. I’ve emailed the company to get some insight into whether these numbers are accurate. I’m told their staff is “checking things out.”

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

The future of search is social by Edna Chavira

Written on May 1, 2024 at 9:08 pm, by admin

Is your social media strategy keeping pace with the latest industry trends and innovations?

Deloitte’s comprehensive “State of Social Media” report reveals that social-first brands are achieving remarkable outcomes – including an average 10.2% revenue increase – by repositioning social at the core of their entire brand and customer experience.

In this can’t miss MarTech webinar, attendees will learn directly from two of Deloitte’s top social media and innovation experts who will share eye-opening insights from the “State of Social Media” report, including:

• The new “Share of Culture” approach driving vibrant social communities
• How leading brands are unleashing the power of creator partnerships through “Co-Creation”
• Why the future of search – and commerce – is inherently social

RSVP today for “Social Means Business, Serious Business–Driving Resilience Through Social Business Transformation” and get up to date on the latest trends and tactics driving real results.

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

6 ways to use AI for paid search account restructuring

Written on May 1, 2024 at 9:08 pm, by admin

As the paid search advertising landscape evolves, AI and language model tools are gaining traction in streamlining and optimizing campaign restructuring processes. 

Some paid search specialists are no longer content with the status quo. Others argue that our industry has been using AI all along and that the AI revolution is only a shift in terminology.

Many favor chatbots for answers, driven by a quest for efficiency, creativity and staying current. Julie F. Bacchini, managing director of the PPC Chat community, emphasized the last point during her weekly Slack chat on “Diversification in PPC.” 

One area where AI shines is streamlining the often tedious and time-consuming process of account restructuring.

Below are six practical ways AI can assist PPC managers when restructuring ad accounts.

1. Finding new keyword ideas for accounts

Keywords are the cornerstone of an ads account. 

To reorganize ad accounts effectively, you need to analyze the search term reports and identify fresh keywords to incorporate into ad groups or campaigns.

While necessary, this process can be time-consuming in large accounts. It’s especially confusing for B2B accounts, where separating consumer intent from commercial intent is key.

Here’s where AI can assist. There are tools in the market to help you:

• Analyze datasets: AI can identify new and valuable keywords that might have been overlooked.
• Surface statistically significant opportunities: Some search terms need more data before they are actionable.

AI tools don’t just identify new terms; they also assess statistical significance. This ensures you focus on terms with a proven track record of driving conversions.

Consider Optmyzr, a popular AI-powered tool that seamlessly integrates with platforms like Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising and automatically analyzes your search terms report.

Based on its analysis, it recommends relevant keywords for inclusion in existing ad groups or the creation of new ones.

This eliminates the need for manual data downloads, spreadsheet analysis and filtering.

Most importantly, Optmyzr utilizes statistical significance to ensure its recommendations are impactful.

2. Categorizing keywords by theme

Effective paid search campaigns rely on well-organized ad groups with thematically related keywords.

Another reason to restructure is if a previous ad manager accidentally added thousands of keywords from auto-recommendations or didn’t understand the importance of keeping ad groups tightly themed.

Grouping keywords by theme ensures your ads resonate with user search terms. This is where large language models like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini come into play.

Imagine this:

You can effortlessly paste thousands of keywords in a chatbox and ask the tool to organize all the keywords by theme.

Manually grouping thousands of keywords by theme can be an overwhelming task.

Enter large language models. By feeding these models your keyword list (even exceeding 2,000 keywords), they can identify and categorize themes with remarkable speed and accuracy.

Checking for duplicates is crucial because ad groups often have overlapping keywords. Keep refining the themed keyword list until it’s more manageable to reduce redundancy.

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3. Tailoring ads more closely to the user’s search query

This translates to improved ad relevance, higher quality scores and increased campaign effectiveness.

Once you have thematically grouped keywords, writing ad copy becomes a necessity.

You need to tailor your ad copy to the specific theme of each ad group, ensuring a more relevant and impactful message for users.

Restructuring often involves creating new ad groups.

Writing responsive search ads (RSAs) can be arduous because of the many headlines and descriptions needed. However, AI can help.

Let’s consider ChatGPT and the following prompt:

• “Write me 15 different headlines that are 30 characters or less for a Google Search Ad for my gourmet cookie business.”

Remember that human oversight is still important. While AI can certainly spur creativity, the human factor remains irreplaceable. In the example above, some AI-generated headlines might exceed the character limit or lack the desired punch.

The best approach is to leverage AI for initial brainstorming and then refine the generated content with your unique human touch.

4. Assisting with image creation

Google Ads’ AI-powered image generation tool accelerates the testing process and economizes time and resources by generating fresh imagery.

Reducing time and cost is particularly impactful for brands operating on limited budgets competing in a platform where images are an important tool.

Also, there’s a theory that platforms might prioritize content created with new features like AI generation. This could temporarily boost your ads while the platform gathers data on its tool.

While the exact impact is unclear, some advertisers can benefit from AI-generated images.

Take an online-only gourmet soup shop, for example. Unlike clothing with distinct styles, soup bowls can look similar across brands. This is where AI shines.

It can create unique and appetizing visuals for your soup, freeing you from reliance on seasonal photoshoots.

These images can offer variety for testing in an account that otherwise wouldn’t have many images.

Dig deeper: Creating Google Ads campaigns with Gemini conversational AI: How good is it really?

5. Predictive modeling in Google’s Performance Planner

Google’s Performance Planner is an example of AI-driven predictive modeling.

It allows advertisers to forecast how changes in campaigns could affect key metrics like conversions and clicks.

Leveraging the Google Performance Planner both before and after an account reorganization is an excellent method to showcase scalability.

It helps make informed decisions about budget adjustments and optimize campaigns for better results. 

6. Automatic bidding in ad platforms

When reorganizing ad campaigns and centralizing data, the reasoning is often to allow campaigns to leverage larger datasets and automatic bidding strategies to work effectively.

Bid strategies are not always considered AI but rather machine learning.

However, bid strategies use machine learning to automatically adjust bids based on various factors, such as the likelihood of a conversion or the competitiveness of an auction. So, in that sense, bid strategies can be considered a form of AI. 

Dig deeper: How each Google Ads bid strategy influences campaign success

AI-powered PPC optimization: Boosting efficiency and strategy

Despite being available for years, AI tools like Optimzr and various in-platform features frequently go unrecognized as AI, largely because the prevailing perception equates AI with chatbots.

However, AI encompasses more than just chatbots; it involves computers making decisions rapidly.

These technologies offer options for advertisers, encompassing everything from keyword research and ad group organization to writing RSA ad copy and generating images.

Predictive modeling and automatic bidding strategies enhance campaign optimization and save paid search managers valuable time, fitting perfectly within the broad definition of AI tools.

AI integration enables paid search managers to be more effective in building campaigns and changing accounts. This lets you transition into a more strategic role, moving beyond merely executing tasks to shaping strategies and outcomes.

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

How to boost your marketing revenue with personalization, connectivity and data 

Written on May 1, 2024 at 9:08 pm, by admin

Personalization is rapidly becoming essential for businesses to drive engagement, loyalty and revenue growth.

With declining website traffic from search and the phase-out of third-party cookies, companies must find new ways to maximize every visitor interaction.

Consumers now expect personalized, tailored experiences across all touchpoints, just as they receive on social media.

This article explores the foundational pillars of effective personalization, the role of AI in identifying segments and predicting journeys and real-world examples of how brands have boosted conversions through location-based, channel-based, behavioral and customer data-driven personalization tactics.

Why personalization is vital for marketing strategies

Two primary contributing factors are making personalization a vital component of the marketing strategy for businesses:

• As click-through rates from organic search drop – especially from top-of-the-funnel information-seeking queries – website traffic likewise declines. You need to engage every visitor because website visitors are even more important now than before. 
• The pending deprecation of third-party cookies has significantly challenged marketers to offer personalized experiences. Marketers should focus on first-party data collection and activation and onboarding a CDP to remove data silos and create a single unified view of the customer. 

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said last year that search will be much more personalized and ultimately about understanding what users want and helping them accomplish it. He also said AI has been transforming Google Search for years.

It is not about 10 blue links but the most meaningful, rich answers. Two-thirds of consumers prefer these tailored interactions, indicating a trend toward more intimate and user-centric search experiences.

Consumers today are already used to content tailored to their interests. Social media feeds respond to what engaged users in the past. As search also gets more personalized, consumers will expect personalized experiences at every touchpoint – even the websites they visit.

Personalizing the experience is complex. It necessitates a comprehensive customer data platform (CDP) that maintains unified and actionable customer profiles.

Brands must urgently connect their CDP with their CRM and CMS to create personalized experiences. For meaningful personalization, three things need to come together.

3 foundational pillars of personalization 

1. Harness your customer data

Implementing data-driven personalization can be challenging. Harnessing data effectively requires a sophisticated CDP capable of processing real-time information to craft diverse personalized experiences across the site. It also requires specialized data analysis skills and the creation of a comprehensive, unified customer profile. 

With sophisticated data processing capabilities, you can collect real-time data and leverage it to deliver diverse personalized experiences that matter most to your customers. 

• Unify customer profile: Unify data from various sources, creating a single, comprehensive profile for personalized experiences in the Customer Data Platform (CDP).
• ⁠Customer segmentation: Segment your customers by analyzing geolocation, browsing behavior and demographic data stored in the CDP.
• ⁠Target cohorts: Identify cohorts to target out of the segmentation, such as high-converting, high-revenue and high-LTV segments to target for personalization campaigns.
• Predict user journey: Predict users’ next actions and journey based on past actions for the target cohort. Analyze the probability of conversion for these users.
• Real-time personalization: Create personalized content for each target cohort based on the predicted user journey and conversion probability to deliver real-time personalization.
• Enrich customer data: Continue to enrich customer profiles in the CDP with real-time personalization data. This helps optimize segments and journey predictions.

2. Connectivity/journey

Connecting the omnichannel purchase journey with customer data and intent is challenging. However, ensuring a seamless, tailored experience across all channels, both now and in the future, is essential for keeping customers happy.

This requires fluid connections across various touchpoints to foster loyalty and revenue growth. As brands, we must ensure that simple workflows are defined for the most common use cases. 

3. Personalizing content and distribution workflows

Content strategy is a major hurdle for many organizations, with 90% finding it challenging to produce content that aligns with user intent. Brands must define content creation and distribution workflows to ensure the content reflects customers’ intentions. 

Establishing streamlined workflows, utilizing design systems, centralizing digital assets and deploying AI for content customization are key steps toward achieving this. Aligning imagery across touchpoints and using analytics to capture genuine insights are vital for meaningful engagement.

Types of personalization to consider

There are typically four types of personalization, all enhanced by AI-driven strategies and insights. 

Location-based personalization

• Refers to the customization of content, services or offers based on the user’s physical location. 
• Utilizes geographic data such as GPS coordinates, IP addresses or user-provided location information to deliver relevant and tailored experiences to individuals in specific locations. 
• Enables businesses to target users with location-specific content, promotions or recommendations, enhancing user engagement and satisfaction.

Channel-based personalization

• Involves tailoring content, campaigns, promotions or experiences to suit specific communication channels or platforms where users interact with a business. 
• Encompasses optimizing content for various channels such as websites, mobile apps, email, social media or messaging platforms to deliver a consistent and seamless experience across different touchpoints. 
• Aims to cater to the unique preferences and behaviors of users on each channel, ultimately enhancing engagement and driving desired actions.

Behavioral personalization

• Refers to customizing content, recommendations or experiences based on the past behaviors and interactions of users with a website, app or brand. 
• Utilizes data such as browsing history, purchase behavior, search queries and engagement patterns to deliver tailored content and recommendations that align with the user’s interests and preferences. 
• Aims to anticipate the needs and desires of users based on their actions, ultimately enhancing user engagement, satisfaction and conversion rates.

Explicit, customer data-based personalization

• Relies on information voluntarily provided by users, including user preferences, interests, demographics and past interactions with the brand. 
• Involves leveraging the direct input and explicit consent of users to tailor content, offers and experiences to their specific needs and preferences. 
• Utilizing first-party data lets you create highly targeted and relevant messaging that resonates with your audience, leading to improved engagement, loyalty and conversion rates.

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AI’s role in personalization

AI-driven personalization tailors experience for everyone by analyzing their interactions and preferences, avoiding the one-size-fits-all approach.

AI personalization significantly improves decision-making, reduces business risks and fosters brand loyalty. Here are three use cases for AI and how it plays a significant role. 

Identifying visitor segments to target

AI plays a pivotal role in dissecting visitor data to uncover meaningful segments. By analyzing visitors’ locations, devices, channels, browsing behaviors and interactions, AI models automatically group visitors into meaningful clusters.

Brands can then target these segments for personalized experiences and connected journeys. AI-driven segmentation empowers businesses to allocate resources effectively, optimize marketing efforts and enhance customer experiences.

Use AI for visitor journey prediction and optimization

Visitor journey stages represent the sequence of interactions a user has with a brand, from initial awareness to conversion and beyond. AI models meticulously analyze user behavior data, including website visits, clicks and session duration. 

By discerning patterns, these models categorize visitors into relevant stages, such as “Ready to buy,” “High LTV” (Lifetime Value) or “Dormant.” Brands can then strategically deliver personalized content tailored to each visitor’s specific journey stage.

AI-powered content creation/selection 

AI dynamically creates personalized content, ensuring relevance. It continuously learns from user interactions and precisely selects content for visitor segments. A/B testing and sentiment analysis aid in iterative learning and content optimization.

Ultimately, AI-driven content personalization ensures that each visitor receives relevant, engaging, timely information, fostering stronger connections and driving conversions. 

How brands can leverage personalization to boost revenue 

Here are two real-life examples where behavioral and channel-based personalization helped increase RFP submissions and conversions for a brand:

Goal: Increase ROI from the paid and email ‘spring campaign’

How we solved with channel-based personalization:

• Created a segment to identify visitors who are landing on the Spring campaign page from specific paid and email campaigns.
• Personalized the homepage to highlight the spring campaign details and send visitors to the spring campaign page.

Impact: 2X conversion rate for visitors from paid/email spring campaign.

Goal: RV resort wanted to drive more bookings from customers interested in long-term stays 

Steps we deployed: 

• Analyzed user flow on the website and identified visitor touchpoints to book long-term stays.
• Created a segment to identify visitors who are interested in long-term stays by looking at their page views on long-term stay pages.
• Personalized the homepage to highlight long-term stay-related content.

Impact: The customer witnessed 55% increase in conversion rate within a month from implementing behavioral personalization for the visitors interested in long-term stay.

Personalization, connectivity and data: The triad strategy for boosting revenue

AI is here to stay. Platforms will continue to leverage AI to deliver personalized experiences to their customers. By extension, personalization could soon become as essential as having a website.

Early movers that invest in the trifecta of personalization, connectivity and data will have the advantage over their competitors today and beyond.

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing