What is Average Position?

First of all, we must understand what Average Position refers to. Put simply, it’s the position or rank that an ad most commonly appears in, with ’1′ being the top spot. You can see the Average Positions of keywords, ads, ad groups, campaigns and accounts on your AdWords interface.

An Average Position of 1 – 8 normally means the ad appears on the first page, whereas 9 – 16 normally means it’s showing on the second page.

Furthermore, a typical Google results page will show up to three ads above the organic listings, while the other positions appear on the right-hand side(in some cases, all ads appear on the right-hand side and there are no ads in the centre top position, if no advertisers have a high enough Quality Score and bid). As you can imagine, this ‘divide’ in positions has its own effect on ad performance.

Biggest misconception

Possibly the biggest misconception that advertisers have regarding their Average Position is that higher is always better. Unfortunately, things are rarely that simple and there are a few important issues that come into play here.

For a start, depending on your industry, searchers are likely to behave in different ways. Take two very different keywords as an example: ‘emergency 24hr plumber’ and ‘divorce lawyer’.

Common sense suggests that appearing in one of the top couple of positions for ‘emergency 24hr plumber’ will stand your ad in good stead, assuming it’s a well-written and highly relevant ad, of course. Whereas somebody searching ‘divorce lawyer’ is likely to spend a lot more time in their search, reading more ads and often clicking through to a number of sites before finally choosing their provider.

Therefore, it’s quite possible – indeed, likely – for our lawyer to prefer a position lower down on the page, as it might generate a satisfactory number of leads and at a lower cost, rather than vying with one or two competitors for the top slot. Our plumber, on the other hand, may need to appear in one of those top positions in order to bring in the desired number of leads.

Don’t take our word for it…

However, we don’t recommend you base your strategy on supposition. At least, not when there are perfectly good statistics available! Take a look at your account stats and see for yourself how Average Position affects other metrics – the Click Through Rate and Conversion Rate being two particularly pertinent metrics in this case. The results may surprise you.

Your first port of call on your AdWords interface should be the Segments drop-down. Choose ‘Top v Side’ to see how your account performance changes when your ads are appearing above the organic listings compared to when they appear on the right-hand side.

Second, you can look more closely by filtering your stats based on Average Position. Look at the variations in your CTR and Conversion Rate at different positions, and you’ll see for sure if there’s an Average Position you should be working towards.

And in any account worth its salt – with many relevant and specific keywords matched with highly relevant ads – there is usually no shortcut to achieving that ideal Position across the board. Your AdWords account benefits from constant monitoring, reviewing and adjustment, and getting that Average Position (at the right price) is no different.

No time for vanity!

Finally, if there’s one piece of advice we would offer any advertiser regarding their Average Position, it is to put vanity aside. Many an advertiser has spent money that didn’t need to be spent by pursuing the top spot regardless of all else. So don’t do it! Look at the Average Position that works for your company and let that determine your strategy instead.

What do you need to do to make this work?

You will first need an AdWords account, and secondly a Google Analytics account which is linked to the AdWords account. Thirdly you need a phone provider. The AdWords and Analytics accounts are freely available and very simple to set up. However, choosing the right kind of phone provider is key to the whole process. To be able to track phone calls you need to have a unique phone number for every person who lands on your website, in the same way that you would track a web enquiry using cookies which are unique to each person who visits your website. Clearly having a unique number for everybody is silly, if not impossible, to implement yourself, not to mention expensive. However, there are companies out there who can do the job for you at very little cost (if you need to find out more, contact us).

Once set up, how does it work?

Assuming you have everything set up correctly, then you will need to then import the conversion data from Google Analytics. You only need to do this once; however, it is worth noting that as you are importing data from Google Analytics there will always be a delay in the stats (around 2 days). It’s not instant as a web enquiry or lead conversion would be, but still very useful nonetheless for optimising your account.

Benefits

The benefits are fairly clear. You will be able to see exactly which keywords, ad groups or campaigns are sending you the most phone calls, and then optimise your account accordingly. We use call tracking with a number of our client accounts and the results are astounding. Assuming your business generates enough calls to warrant implementing this type of tracking, of course!

If you have any questions or would like more information on how this works, please contact us.

The aim of these emails is to get you to login into your Google AdWords account through an address which does not actually belong to Google, or to provide credit card or banking details by informing you that a recent payment has not cleared.

How do you know if an email is not from Google? Many of these emails are very, very convincing, using Google logos and appearing to have been sent from an official Google email address. So it is not always easy to spot. The easiest way to spot them is to roll over any link and check the link address is legitimate. DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK. If you are concerned there may be an issue with your account then go direct to Google and login to your account, rather than clicking any links in the email.

If you do receive an email which is not from Google, then you should report it using this form. You may also forward the email to phishing@google.com

Below is an example phishing email

Google has this week revealed that for selected ads in the top three positions, the ad headline will now incorporate the advertiser’s display URL. So we go from this:

To this:



Many advertisers are still not clued up on the last change to ads in the top three positions, where the headlines were extended to incorporate the first description line (so long as the line ends with proper punctuation). So just a matter of months since Google last changed their ad headlines,  and they’re at it again! The world of AdWords is nothing if not fast-moving.

So what’s the consensus on this latest format?

Unsurprisingly, Google tells us the new headlines are a change for the better. And their reasons are fairly clear: as an advertiser, your brand will be more prominent in your ads, and searchers will have a better idea what site they’re going to before they click.

Of course, there are other factors to consider. Many advertisers rely on their headline and first description line to get across vital parts of their ad. This is particularly the case for longer keywords, where they may need the space to include their keywords. The new-style ads can include the display URL as well as the headline and description line, but only if the full headline reaches 68 characters or less. However, for most advertisers, every character is precious and is used up accordingly.

But it’s not all bad news. After all, the new style headlines will make your company name more prominent which means that your brand will make more of an impact on the searcher. Particularly if they make a number of searches during their session, which is common in most industries.

What’s more, although Google are changing things around in the headline, they’re not actually taking any room away from advertisers. On the contrary, they’re actually giving your ad more ‘real estate’ on the results page. And that is always good news for advertisers!

N.B. We wonder whether this change has got anything to do with the recent dispute between Interflora and M&S, where Interflora took legal action against M&S when the latter bid on the keyword ‘interflora’ in its AdWords campaign. In March, the Advocate General gave his opinion on the case, suggesting that the proprietor of a trademark has a case if the ads leave confusion over whether the advertiser is the trademark owner or a competitor.

Of course, placing the brand more prominently in the ad means this confusion is much less likely to arise. Everyone is – hopefully – happy.

And meanwhile, it can be pretty fascinating looking at the search stats that Google has accrued over the past few years – even for those non-geeks among us!

Whether it’s the predictable – the peak in searches for ’roast turkey’ every December, shortly and inevitably followed by an increase in ‘gym membership’ searches…

…or the slightly disheartening. See here how a pre-festive excitement about ‘santa’ is steadily on its way to being overtaken by one for ‘x factor’.

Though it’s not just these regular, annual trends that Google Insights highlights. As we look at a period of a few years, we can see the longer-term trends that may continue to shape the coming years. For example, most of us have been affected in some way by the global recession, but we can see how dramatically interest in ‘property investment’ has fallen since 2004.

Equally, the sudden onset of harsh, cold winters across the UK is reflected in the recent spikes for searches on ‘snow tyres’ – not something anyone seemed to care about much before the 2009 – 2010 winter!

Whether it’s trends in weather, business or pop culture, Google Insights offers a great tool in seeing just what our fellow searchers are interested in these days. But it’s also a pretty useful tool for tracking interest in your own industry, so long as you understand a couple of important factors about the Insights tool first.

For one thing, Google Insights does not help us estimate the amount of traffic a keyword will attract. Google ‘normalises’ the data, meaning that for each region, interest is shown on a scale of 0 – 100, allowing for different regions to be compared on an equal footing. So the graph doesn’t show the amount of traffic that a keyword has or should attract, but rather the likelihood of that keyword being searched in that area on a regular basis.

By the same token, a downward curve on the graph doesn’t necessarily mean less traffic for that keyword; it just means a decline in the share of traffic. If the number of Google users in an area (i.e. the population, for the purposes of this tool) grows, but the number of people searching on a certain terms stays the same, then this would show as a ‘decline’ in the Insights data.

So when might you need Google Insights? As we’ve seen above, it’s a great tool for investigating certain seasonal trends. Even if your industry isn’t an obvious candidate for seasonal fluctuations, there are countless factors that might nevertheless mean cause regular rises and dips in demand. And if your industry is seasonal, then the it doesn’t necessarily follow that people will be searching for your product or service at the time you think they should be. Google Insights helps you be better prepared.

Once you have a good idea of the seasonality of your industry or product, Insights can help you decide how best to market it. For example, by helping you find those features of your product that will attract the most searches, or by looking at how your competitors are positioning themselves in the market. If you’re interested in opening up your advertising to take in new regions, Google Insights can show you where there’s most interest in your product. And to further help you keep abreast with your marketplace, ‘Rising Searches’ shows you which related keywords are rising in popularity.

Here is the list…

Google Instant search for A...

A for Argos
B for BBC
C for Currys
D for Debenhams
E for Ebay
F for Facebook
G for Google Maps
H for Hotmail
I for ITV
J for John Lewis
K for KLM
L for National Lottery
M for MSN
N for Next
O for O2
P for PayPal
Q for QVC
R for Right Move
S for SKY
T for Tesco
U for Youtube
V for Virgin
W for BBC Weather
X for Xbox
Y for Youtube
Z  for Zara

See any surprises?

Google have released what they call a “quantum leap in search”. Instant search, does exactly what it says, while you are typing results will appear immediately, this is instead of the current (old) way of a search being made then having to click to show search results.

Now of course, I am not going to say this is bad, that would be crazy! Google have made an already very simple experience even simpler and faster, and anybody who complains would be plain silly. However from a pay per click perspective, there one or two fairly big issues.

When you make a search using the new Instant search. Ads appear as they normally do, above and to the right of results. And like the search results these ads change as you make your search, which is the whole point. But from a PPC perspective, we concentrate fairly heavily on CTR (click through rates).

So when you start to make a search i.e. london plumbing job. You begin with “London” as you complete the word results appear, then the second word “plumbing”. The results change again, and finally “job” the results change for a third time to show the results you were looking for, but in the meantime depending on your keyword set up, this could have represented upto 3 impressions to your account, instead of what should actually be just one.

That is the first part of the issue. Secondly if you take the search term “london plumbing job” it is pretty obvious what the person is looking for. However if the searcher stops typing after say 2 words “london plumbing” as they can see search results, they may assume that the results relate to plumbing jobs, and click on an ad which is not actually relevant to them, costing the advertiser money and the user time.

Obviously Google may be aware of these issues, and have solutions, certainly for the potential of increased impressions. It initially looks like this new search could represent a reduction in quality to Google Adwords advertisers.

Watch this space.

Update: Google have released further information on how Google Instant will affect Ads.

So it seems CTR and impressions on the face of it may not be affected, however it does not stop users clicking on irrelevant ads. Do you have an opinion? if so please leave a comment on how this may affect the relevancy of clicks on paid ads.

Clearly if you’re allowed to do it and you feel like it could give you an edge over your competitors, then why not? Although I would imagine there will be a change fairly soon, or as soon as Google spots this. So if you are looking for an advantage then you may have to be quick…

Step one is to learn about the AdWords system, and below are some links to Google resources which you should be visiting and using. If you’re serious about managing your own account then there is no quick fix. Knowledge is power and the system, features and interface is constantly changing so you need to learn all about it and then keep learning. It’s probably not what you want to hear but it’s the truth. So below are some vital links that you should use:

AdWords Help Center Find out pretty much anything you need to know about your AdWords account.
AdWords Video Tutorials and Online Classroom Watch some videos on variousAdWords subjects.
Google AdWords Blog Google’s official AdWords blog for all news, information and tips.
Google AdWords Support forum Post a question and get an answer from one of the many people on this forum who spend their time helping others out.

Assuming you are up to speed and have a good knowledge of the AdWords system, then you will want to know how to put these skills into action and create your own ‘magic wand’.

Firstly, you’ll need a plan. Why are you using AdWords? Branding exercise, page views, newsletter sign ups, client contacts, sales, etc. – there are many possible reasons and it’s important to have a firm idea of your reasons and keep your eye on them at all time.

It’s like writing a story. If you know how it ends then it’s going to be easier to plan the whole story.

So, with your plan in place, what next… A good account structure is vital, so where to start? Well, look at your account like this:

Campaigns

• Split campaigns based on networks. The Display and Search Networks are very different and should be treated accordingly with different budgets, ads and keywords.
• Split your campaigns based on your products or services. It may not always be right to separate each individual product, but certainly the main categories should be split.
• Split campaigns based on location targeting. Traffic will vary in quality, price, scheduling and other factors so if possible they should be grouped separately for more control.

Adgroups

• You can have 2,000 ad groups per campaign, so don’t be afraid to use up your allocation. If in doubt about grouping keywords, then create a new ad group.
• Name your ad groups clearly, to represent the keywords within that group. It makes life much easier when it comes to monitoring your account.

Keywords

• Research, plan then analyse. Getting your keywords right is important, especially if working off a budget. You could be using 1,000 keywords and getting plenty of traffic, but are they the right keywords and do they give you the best ROI? So research, plan then analyse. Sounds like fun!
• Test different matching options and attribute different values to each match. In most cases you’re going to be prepared to pay more for an exact match than a phrase or broad match.
• Use negatives. I’ll say again, use negatives. Unless your account is full of exact match keywords, which is unlikely. Negatives can be used at campaign or ad group level and you can also take advantage of the different keyword matching options. So unless you’re promoting “free” products then set that as a broad match negative. Or, if you see an exact phrase that you don’t want your ads to appear for, set that negative as an exact negative. Most importantly, constantly improve you negative keyword list.

Ads

• Speak to the potential client through your ad. Make sure the ad makes sense and relates to what they’re searching for.
• Make you ad stand out, with great copy but also use the ad extension tools. Show your location, add ad site links so there are more options to click on, and add phone extensions so you can be called directly from your ad.
• Make use of the display URL. Show the user you’re taking them to the right page on your website, and not just taking them to your home page.
• Test ad variations with small changes to find the optimum performer.
• Everything is important in your account but it’s your ads that are visible, so pay particular attention to them.

Analysis

This is a big one, and also not so simple to explain. You’re probably also busy which is why you were looking for the magic wand in the first place. But it’s still vital that you keep a close eye on certain important factors in your account.

• Every account works differently. Different keywords will mean different Click Through Rates (CTR), Quality Scores (QS) and Costs Per Click (CPC). So it’s not possible to tell you what your CTR should be, but these are the basics you should be analysing and improving. You can find these stats in the columns on the green tabs in your account. Your QS can only be seen on the keyword tab or by running a report.
• Impression Share tells you the % of the available market your ad is being shown to. If it’s low then it may mean your budgets are low, your rank is low or your account is not working well so is being beaten to the punch by everybody else in your industry. It is worth noting that if you market on Google Partners then some only show the top three ads. If you are below position three your ad won’t get shown but will be recorded as a lost impression, so be aware it’s not always possible to achieve 100% and you shouldn’t worry too much if you don’t.
• Run search query reports. Find out what search terms your ads are actually triggering for. You may find some bad ones in there if you haven’t been checking.
• Identify keywords that work well for you and focus on them. Improve the ads, focus on the max CPC, improve their impression share, etc.
• Test different destination URLs on your website or, better still, A/B  test the same page with small differences to see what effect that has on returns.
• Use an analytics package like Google Analytics and look at your bounce rates, average time on site, etc.

So, in conclusion

There is no secret. Well, there is, but not a simple one. Google want your money, so mostly the system is transparent; even Quality Score is well documented these days. The system itself is complicated if you don’t learn how it works. The actual work and analysis may be daunting but the information is there for you if you want to learn it. However, time is money, so the question most business owners should be asking is how much is my time worth and would it be more cost-effective to have somebody else do the management?

The information above by no means covers every aspect of what should be done, or indeed what a professional would do or look out for. But, if you’re struggling to manage your account and want to improve it yourself, then some of these steps should be helpful to you.

So, Google released the ability to modify your broad match keywords globally yesterday (14/07/2010). This new feature allows you to target broadly but without your ads triggering for variants such as related searches, synonyms (e.g. clever and smart) and stemmings (e.g. sing and singing). See below Google’s own representation of how the new keyword modifier works.

So, how best to use it. Google will warn you (assuming you already use broad match widely) not to implement this across your account as you will likely lose much of your traffic and conversions. This is true for some accounts but, used correctly, this new feature is a fantastic option for most advertisers and should not be overlooked.

There are various ways you could implement this into your account or clients’ accounts.

1. If you use all match types then you could use it as another match type option with a different maximum CPC
2. If you do not use broad match, then you could test some modified broad match with a level of control
3. Use a part modification and focus the modification on your product keywords, etc.

All the different options are interesting and useful depending on how your account is run. However, the most interesting in terms of complete control is option 3. For instance, you will notice in the above image I have highlighted the first modified broad match example. This example shows how you can modify part of the phrase “formal shoes” which means that your main product keyword will appear, giving you a degree of control over the main keyword and at the same time allowing you to expand your search.

And there’s more. When you use broad match across your account, you will often find that Google chooses to show an ad for a keyword which is actually attributed to another ad group. For instance, if you are a plumbing company you might have an ad group for plumbing repair and another for plumbing services. If you use broad match then you may see your repair ad showing for your services ad. However, if you use the modifier on the repair and service keyword it would prevent Google from showing the wrong ad.

So essentially this is a win-win for all advertisers, allowing further control and new testing opportunities. Well done Google. It seems they have been listening to advertisers on this one. Perhaps they are even now looking at allowing further keyword match modifications, e.g. the ability to have a broad keyphrase with part of it exact match. Then we really would have control, but don’t hold you breath.