The Definitive List of All PPC Chats | The PPC Blog by Matthew Umbro

All PPC Chats

Posted Feb.15, 2012 by Matthew Umbro, under

Here is the definitive list of PPC Chat Streamcaps. Click a topic for list of questions and to go to that particular streamcap.

PPC Chat in 2011

» Pay Per Click Keywords

Here were the questions asked during the April 12, 2011 session: View this streamcap

AdWords Modified Broad Match has now been around for 9 months. What trends have you seen and are you happy with the results?
What trends and results have you seen with session based broad match and is this match type beneficial or just plain costly?
What is your strategy for bidding on branded keywords? If you don’t bid on branded keywords, what is the reason(s)?
Do you bid on competitor branded terms? Why or why not?
Beyond search query reports and analytics, how do you find negative keywords?
Especially for campaigns with small budgets, competing with the big guys is tough. How do you stay in the game?
Do you pause or delete keywords that Google has deemed to have “low search volumes”?

» Pay Per Click Account Structure

Here were the questions asked during the April 19, 2011 session: View this streamcap

Search intent is a major factor of any campaign. How finely do you break out campaigns and ad groups?
How much of a factor is budget in determining account structure?
Especially in ecommerce campaigns, how do ad extensions play into account structure?
What differences & tactics do u employ when creating mobile specific campaigns (aside from creating a device specific campaign)?
Do you actively monitor the Dimensions tab and if so how does it help you make decisions?
Have you made use of the new AdWords advanced location options? If so, how have the results been?

» Small Business & Small Budget Campaigns

Here were the questions asked during the April 26, 2011 session: View this streamcap

How do you initially approach and/or develop a PPC campaign for a small business or a smaller budget?
How granular do you location target KWs w/ small budgets (eg: city, town, etc) & what do you do if KWs have low search volumes?
How does your ad and landing page testing strategy change for smaller campaigns?
How has the implementation of location and phone extensions helped generate in store traffic and/or phone calls for clients?
How do you justify additional PPC spend to clients when you have so little margin for error (and testing)?
Can the average small business owner succeed with limited PPC knowledge or is a specialist necessary?
Are lower cost PPC platforms like Facebook, adCenter, and 7Search worthwhile in terms of cost, volume of traffic, and effort?

» Facebook Advertising

Here were the questions asked during the May 3, 2011 session: View this streamcap

How do you sell Facebook advertising to clients? In other words, what merits & benefits of FB do you preach to clients?
For clients with lower budgets would you recommend a Facebook campaign instead of a keyword based PPC campaign? Why?
What target verticals or industries has Facebook produced positive results for your clients? And which have not?
From which FB ad destination URL have you seen better results, fan page or website landing page?
Discuss a unique way that you have used FB targeting in a campaign.
How has FB advertising helped (or hurt) your other marketing channels?
What do you consider to be a relatively good CTR for Facebook ads?

» Text Ad Writing for AdWords and adCenter

Here were the questions asked during the May 10, 2011 session: View this streamcap

What ad copy trick or technique do you feel is underutilized?
How do you write ads (especially headlines) when the targeted keyword is over 25 characters?
Conceding that landing pages aren’t always perfect, how do you write text ad CTAs when the LP conversion isn’t clearly defined?
When and how do you make the determination that an ad is either succeeding or failing?
Which AdWords ad rotation do you utilize? Do the optimization options actually provide better results than standard rotation?
Do you write ads differently for Google and Bing? If so, what are the reasons for differentiating the copy?
How do ad extensions impact the way you write text ads?

» Pay Per Click Landing Pages

Here were the questions asked during the May 17, 2011 session: View this streamcap

How do you define a “PPC Landing Page”?
Do keywords drive landing page development or do landing pages determine what keywords you purchase?
Will you take on a PPC campaign when landing page development isn’t an option? Why?
Aside from landing page basics (call to action, concise copy, short form), what is the number 1 item you must have on your LPs?
How extensive do you test landing pages for browser and screen resolution compatibility? What tools (if any) do you use to test?
Brad Geddes recently asked “Should Your Paid Search Accounts Care About Bounce Rate?” What do you think?
How does the size of your PPC campaign determine how much landing page testing there will be? Or does it not matter?
What messaging do you put on your LP thank you pages to keep the lead/customer interested in your brand?

» Selling Pay Per Click Services

Here were the questions asked during the May 24, 2011 session: View this streamcap

What is your number one value proposition when selling PPC to potential clients?
What resources do you use to not only sell PPC, but make yourself or your company stand out from the competition?
How much effort will you spend trying to win business (or what deliverables will you provide) before you ask for a decision?
How do you deal with potential clients who ask for guarantees or have unreal expectations?
Do you specifically sell AdWords to potential clients or do you vary by situation (ex: small budgets should just use adCenter)?
What are the challenges you face when you are doing the PPC work and acting as the sales person at the same time?
Google puts a big emphasis on using AdWords vouchers to win business. How much do you utilize them in the selling process?

» Managing and Optimizing Pay Per Click Campaigns

Here were the questions asked during the May 31, 2011 session: View this streamcap

For specialists at agencies managing multiple accounts, how often do you make optimizations (edit bids, add negative KWs, etc)?
If you are limited on time, what is the one report you would run and subsequently what is the action(s) that would be taken?
Once a campaign has been running for several months, are search query reports the number one source for keyword expansion?
Do multiple employees work on the same account, and if so, how does the change history report factor into the management?
When new AdWords features are announced, how proactive are you in implementing them in client accounts?
What tools or strategies do you use to map keyword & text ad performance over time in order to make actionable decisions?

» Google AdWords Remarketing

Here were the questions asked during the June 14, 2011 session: View this streamcap

How do you determine that remarketing is right for a client?
Do you still run other display network campaigns while running a remarketing campaign? Why?
What is your thought process when creating a remarketing list?
Can remarketing work when only using text ads or are image and video ads necessary to see positive results?
What forms of messaging have you used in remarketing ads to not only get customers back to your site, but also to convert?
Especially for clients striving toward lead generation, do you utilize different landing pages in your remarketing campaigns?
Aside from conversion and revenue figures, what metrics do you pay attention to while remarketing?

» Local Pay Per Click Campaigns

Here were the questions asked during the June 21, 2011 session: View this streamcap

When you initially build a Local PPC Campaign, do you prefer to start with “Geo-Modified”, “General Geo-Targeted” or both? Why?
What has been your experience with Google AdWords newer “Advanced Location Options” Campaign settings?
Do you receive higher QSs, CTRs and CPCs from Geo-Modified Keywords or Geo-Targeted General Keywords? Comparable?
How do you approach writing Text Ads for Local PPC Campaigns? Same or different for Geo-Modified & Geo-Targeted Campaigns?
How do you approach Keyword Match Types for Geo-Modified & General Geo-Targeted Keywords? ["+Minneapolis +pizza"] & ["+pizza"]
How do you approach Negative Keywords for Geo-Modified & General Geo-Targeted Keywords? -["frozen"]
Which Ad Extensions are working for your Local PPC Campaigns? To what avail?
How do you approach Landing Pages for Local Pay Per Click Campaigns? What is working? What has not?
Mobile PPC is Hot and Extremely Local! What’s working for your Local Mobile PPC Campaigns?

» The Ins & Outs of Ad Groups

Here were the questions asked during the June 28, 2011 session: View this streamcap

What have your results been when creating AGs (Ad Groups) where search intent is further along? Eg:”buy dress shoes” vs. just “dress shoes.”
Do you utilize separate Ad Groups for individual keyword match types? What have your results been?
How has the addition of the Modified Broad Match type impacted Ad Group expansion (or subtraction)?
Do you add negative Keywords at the Ad Group level? As a side note, discuss impact on CTR & conversion rate when adding negatives at AG level.
How and when do you determine whether a set of keywords within an existing Ad Group deserves its own Ad Group or Campaign?
What features and settings would you like to see at the Ad Group level?
Do you segment Ad Groups any differently between mobile campaigns and desktop/laptop campaigns?

» Understanding B2B & Ecommerce Campaigns

Here were the questions asked during the July 5, 2011 session: View this streamcap

Do you find your keyword QS’s differing dramatically between B2B & Ecommerce campaigns? If so, what do you believe are the reasons?
In lead generation campaigns with long sales cycles, how do you ensure leads (and sales) are tracked?
How involved do you become with helping clients nurture PPC leads and/or facilitate more purchases once a sale has occurred?
Often times landing pages are created for B2B campaigns. Do you ever create LPs for ecomm campaigns?
In B2B campaigns w/ specialized terms & audiences, what resources do you use to ensure text ads & LPs are accurate & effective?
Has demographic/audience targeting in Facebook and LinkedIn improved your B2B/ecomm conversion rates? 1 so more than the other?

» Client Reporting

Here were the questions asked during the July 12, 2011 session: View this streamcap

How often do you speak with clients to review reports and/or discuss campaigns?
What tactics do you use in reports to highlight successes (ex: written analysis, graphs, etc)?
How detailed are your PPC reports? Do you provide every single detail or just the highlights? Or a combination of both?
When clients insist on a high frequency of reporting, how do you ensure you spend more time optimizing than reporting?
When reviewing reports w/ clients discuss how you provide PPC education in order for them to understand what they are reviewing.
Shawn Livengood just wrote about 1-per-click & many-per-click conversions, Should I Use One Per Click or Many Per Click Conversions . How do you report these metrics?
Do you have a time limit as to how long an individual report should take? If so, how did you derive at this number?

» Google AdWords Keyword Tool

Here were the questions asked during the July 19, 2011 session: View this streamcap

Do you find value in the AdWords Keyword Tool? Why or why not?
Do you share Keyword Tool data with clients, especially when they are curious about average cost-per-clicks (CPCs)?
What is your first impression when the Keyword Tool shows a huge drop-off from a broad to phrase match term? Ex: if a broad match keyword shows 10,000 monthly searches, but then drops down to 100 phrase match monthly searches?
Why doesn’t Google show Modified Broad Match Keyword stats (or at least indicate the search volume and costs would be different)?
Discuss a unique way you use the Keyword Tool that others might not know?
Do you feel the Keyword Tool has made enough improvements over the years to warrant more trust from advertisers?
What data or feature would you like the Keyword Tool to show that it currently does not?
When beginning a campaign, does the Keyword tool help you determine what match types to put your keywords in?

» PPC Grab Bag

Here were the questions asked during the July 26, 2011 session: View this streamcap

How do you handle client access to PPC campaigns? And what happens if the client makes updates without alerting you?
Aside from sharing new features, do you find value in having an AdWords rep? If so, what is this value add?
How do you fight complacency? In other words, how do you continue to show clients your value when results start to plateau?
Talk about your initial impressions of the “Top vs. Side” report in AdWords?
As die hard PPCers, do you feel we sometimes make things too complicated and are too biased in our ways? How do you make sure you put yourself in your audiences’ shoes instead of yours?
Could PPC advertising be a legitimate college major (or at least a core area of a marketing/advertising major)?

» The Future of PPC

Here were the questions asked during the August 2, 2011 session: View this streamcap

Earlier this year Alex Cohen (@digitalalex) wrote The Dawn of Paid Search Without Keywords. What were your thoughts?
Why do you believe the last couple of years have brought so much emphasis to demographic/audience based targeting?
Aside from remarketing, how will demographic/audience based targeting continue to shift from brand awareness to actual sales?
What do you feel the negative ramifications are (and will continue to be) with demographic/audience based targeting?
What new PPC metrics need to be rolled out (created) in order to keep up with all the new AdWords/MSN/FB features we are seeing?
How has remarketing changed the landscape for display advertising?
How confident are you in PPC’s growth over the next several years from both a spend and career standpoint?

» PPC Conversion Tracking and Reporting

Here were the questions asked during the August 9, 2011 session: View this streamcap

As PPC managers, what is our role in helping clients determine and understand conversion tracking?
Do you setup your conversion codes to track revenue in both Google and MSN? If not, what do you use to track revenue (I’m speaking specifically to the conversion value within the AdWords & adCenter codes)?
Do you import goals from Google Analytics into AdWords? If so, do you find this reporting accurate and worthwhile?
Are you satisfied with adCenter’s conversion tracking? Why or why not?
How do you explain view-through conversions to clients and how much emphasis do you put on them?
Do you (or any of your clients) find value in a pageview conversion? If so, explain what this value is?
To accurately determine the success of PPC campaigns do phone call metrics need to be utilized? Why or why not?

» Psychology of PPC

Here were the questions asked during the August 16, 2011 session: View this streamcap

How do you feel PPC would change if searchers better understood the process in terms of setup and costs?
Why do you believe AdWords ads are looking more “organic” (ex: longer headlines, sitelinks, etc)?
Are PPC results harder to show when selling higher priced items or items that customers prefer to see in person first?(I would define a higher priced item as something like a bed or a washing machine.)
Have your results proven to you that different industries perform better in adCenter compared to AdWords?
What factors are most important to you when changing a bid on a keyword, placement and/or FB/LI ad?
Aside from monthly reports, what tactics do you utilize to make sure clients understand how successful a campaign is doing?
Do you feel the anguish against remarketing has decreased since its inception? Why or why not? There was heavy concern from searchers (invasion of privacy, etc) when it first began. Has this changed? Why?

» Ecommerce Pay Per Click Campaigns

Here were the questions asked during the August 23, 2011 session: View this streamcap

How do you initially target an Ecommerce PPC Campaign? Head Term Keywords for categories or Tail Terms for specific Products? Why?
How do you control Ecommerce PPC campaign targeting with Geo-Targeting and Negative Keywords?
What strategies and tactics do you use for Keyword Match Types for Ecommerce PPC? ["+running +shoes"]
How do you approach writing Text Ads for Ecommerce PPC Campaigns? How do you handle DKI, Call-To-Actions and Display URLs?
What has been your experience with Google AdWords Product and/or Sitelink Extensions for Ecommerce PPC Campaigns?
How do you approach Landing Pages for Ecommerce PPC Campaigns? What is working? What has not?
What have you experienced with Mobile PPC targeting for Ecomm campaigns?
Have you run any Facebook or LinkedIn Ecomm campaigns? How did they go?

» AdWords Product Feeds

Here were the questions asked during the August 30, 2011 session: View this streamcap

Do you tend to create 1 product target per account or multiples containing unique product types (Merchant Center attributes)?
Have you found product listing ads with optional promotional text to work better than those without?
Due to the nature of product listing ads, is optional promotional text even necessary?
Do you use product listing ads and product extensions as alternatives to bidding on keywords with less search volume? In other words, do you use these features as a “catch all” way of still having exposure for relevant terms?
Are product listing ads and product extensions necessary to keep up with, and differentiate yourself from the competition?
How do you recommend a client setup a Google Merchant Center feed when there is no developer on staff?
What is your bidding strategy for product listing ads as no average position is involved & you only bid at the ad group level?
Are there situations where you WOULDN’T run product extensions and/or feeds?

» Agency vs In-House PPC Management

Here were the questions asked during the September 6, 2011 session: View this streamcap

Melissa Mackey (@Mel66) blogged pros & cons of doing PPC in-house or hiring an agency, PPC In-House or Agency: Decisions, Decisions. Do you prefer to work in an agency working w/ several accounts or in-house working on just one company’s account?
In an agency setting, how many accounts is reasonable for 1 person to manage? Keep in mind account budgets, sizes, etc.
For agency PPC managers, how much time do you generally spend on accounts per week? How did you come to this figure? (Obviously this question involves many variables, but looking for your thought process here as well.)
What are some additional responsibilities that in-house PPC managers have that agency PPC managers do not?
Is there a certain point where in-house PPC management becomes necessary over agency management. If so, at what point?
In which setting, agency or in-house, have you personally provided the best PPC results?
AdWords has MCC & MSN the adCenter agency-client relationship feature. Do Facebook and LinkedIn need tools like these?

» AdWords Sitelinks

Here were the questions asked during the September 13, 2011 session: View this streamcap

Do sitelinks work better for the purpose of using more real estate or do you find the links to provide highly relevant clicks?
Aside from Google’s reporting, how do you track sitelinks metrics?
Would ad group level sitelinks be too cumbersome for management? Why or why not?
How do you determine which pages become sitelinks?
Which format of sitelinks do you prefer: stackable, 1 line or embedded? (by stackable I mean comprising at least 2 lines)
Do you see stackable and/or 1 line sitelinks being available on the right ads in the future?
What sitelinks messaging do you find works the best (ie: call to action, benefits, price, etc)? Or, since we haven’t had historically accurate reporting, what do you believe works best?

» Inheriting & Improving PPC Accounts

Here were the questions asked during the September 20, 2011 session: View this streamcap

When inheriting an account, do you prefer to create an account from scratch or reorganize an existing account? Or part of both?
How do you handle an inherited account with very low Quality Scores from poor management?
What is the most common mistake you see made in PPC accounts?
What do you use for organizing keywords and adgroups? i.e. Excel, Adwords Editor, sticky notes?
How much time do you take to reorganize or create a new PPC account?
Do you discuss changes you want to make with the client(or management) before you make the changes?
How do you report changes you have made to the client?

» Getting Negative

Here were the questions asked during the September 27, 2011 session: View this streamcap

How do you proactively conduct negative keyword research vs. solely being reactive?
From data analysis to implementation talk about the process of reviewing a search query report?
Do you share search query reports with clients? If so, what instructions do you give them?
How can Google and MSN better emphasize the necessity of negative keywords? As an example, should these engines provide predetermined negative keyword lists by industry, vertical, etc. that you can add to any or all of your campaigns?
Is it solely up to advertisers to exclude KWs & placements or must Google better qualify traffic (ie: session based broad match)?
How do you use match types with negative keywords both at the campaign and ad group level?
Do you ever review your negative keywords & placement exclusions for accuracy? In other words, do you ever review negatives to make sure they are still applicable?
Do you exclude products from showing in product listing ads? Why or why not?

» Dealing With PPC Struggles

Here were the questions asked during the October 4, 2011 session: View this streamcap

What proactive measures do you take to ensure client satisfaction when results are less than satisfactory?
What has been your primary reason for losing PPC clients?
Should we as PPC managers be more selective in the accounts we accept in order provide the best results? In other words, should we accept accounts that we know have poor website conversion funnels, little budget, etc?
How do you get through to clients who don’t seem to understand PPC and its implications no matter what you say?
Is there an industry to which you have had little success? Why do you think this is?
What management advice would you give your fellow ppcchat-ers to help ensure good client relations and/or performance?

» Pricing PPC

Here were the questions asked during the October 11, 2011 session: View this streamcap

How do you charge for your PPC services and management?
Is it fair to charge by percentage of total spend? In other words, whose to say a $2K account won’t take as long to manage as a $10K account? Should client ad spend be the metric that defines what a PPC manager makes?
For those that charge by percentage of revenue or leads generated, what is your rationale for this payment method?
Can PPC be sold in tiers w/ varying service levels (ie: plan 1 has 5 hours, plan 2 has 10 hours & a remarketing strategy)?
In general, do you believe clients underpay or overpay for our PPC management services? Why?
Have you ever worked at a company where PPC was an add on service & subsequently PPC fees were added as part of other services? In other words, have you worked at a web design agency that offered PPC as a service…or something along these lines?
If you do, how often do you tweak your pricing model and what would lead you to make adjustments?

» Ringing in the PPC Holidays Part 1

Here were the questions asked during the October 18, 2011 session: View this streamcap

Have you started advertising for the holidays yet? If so when did you start?
What results have you seen when creating campaigns and/or ad groups around generic terms such as “holiday gifts” or “gift idea?”
Have you created any unique display network/remarketing campaigns centered on holiday messaging/promotions? Results?
What messaging do you use specifically during the holiday season to further motivate consumers and improve conversions? Understanding that you can only work with the deals your client is running.
Do you create holiday specific landing pages? If so, what are some instances that these pages are necessary? In other words have you created pages around products on sale during the holiday season, special holiday giveaways, etc?
How do you (or can you?) prevent a huge drop in conversions & conversion rates after the holidays are over?
For non ecomm campaigns, what kind of trends do you see during the holiday season, ie: lower conversions, less clicks, etc?
How do you explain to clients the importance of PPC advertising during the holiday season?
How does your bidding strategy change during the holiday season (if it does)?

» PPC Theory – A Holistic Look at PPC

Here were the questions asked during the October 25, 2011 session: View this streamcap

AdWords recently blogged that Ads Are Just Answers. Where do you stand on this philosophy?
If you were looking to hire a PPC specialist what characteristics would you look for aside from “an understanding of PPC?”
Discuss how PPC is managed at your company. Does each client get a project manager? Do you act as both specialist and PM, etc?
How important are developers and information architects in contributing to successful PPC campaigns?
How much leeway do you have within your company to test new ideas, even if they may break the conventional PPC mold?
Do you believe one person can successfully provide effective PPC and SEO services to clients or is it one or the other? Why?
What can adCenter do to keep up with ad innovations and targeting methods put forth by AdWords, Facebook & LinkedIn?

» AdWords Display Network

Here were the questions asked during the November 1, 2011 session: View this streamcap

How do you determine if a client is ready for Display Network advertising?
How does your ad messaging differ on the Display Network vs the Search Network? In other words, why should I click your ad and leave the content I’m looking at if I’m on a Display Network site?
Discuss a Display Network campaign that saw great success. Why do you believe it did so well?
If you see Display advertising as a means of brand awareness, how do you determine success aside from clicks & impressions? What do you define as brand awareness in the GDN?
How has remarketing better helped your overall Display Network strategy?
When choosing Display Network placements what factors determine your selection?
What features would you like to see implemented within the Display Network?

» PPC Campaign Settings For Success

Here were the questions asked during the November 8, 2011 session: View this streamcap

What is your preferred method of ad rotation: “optimize for clicks”, “optimize for conversions” or “rotate?” Why?
How has the advent of advanced Location Targeting on Adwords affected your campaign targeting?
Do you find added value within adCenter campaigns when targeting by gender and age?
If your client DOESN’T have a mobile site, how does device targeting change (if at all)?
When dayparting & adjusting bids by times, do you find more value in spending more efficiently or improving conversion rates?
Describe a situation where you would choose to deliver your ads at an accelerated pace compared to a standard delivery?
Have you run experiments in AdWords (ACEs) and if so what value(s) do you find with this feature?
What additional settings would you like to see added to AdWords & adCenter? Why?

» PPC Trending

Here were the questions asked during the November 15, 2011 session: View this streamcap

What are some trends, quantitative and/or qualitative, that you have seen in PPC throughout 2011?
Why do you believe average PPC cost-per-clicks are rising?
Discuss a unique trend or set of competitive metrics you review that has been highly beneficial for optimization?
What specific trends differ when comparing keyword based advertising to audience based advertising (ie: Google vs FB)?
How do you portray and explain to clients how their campaigns are trending (ie: graphs, analysis, etc)?
As we move into 2012 what are some PPC trends you expect to see over the next year?

» Managing Larger PPC Accounts

Here were the questions asked during the November 29, 2011 session: View this streamcap

How do you define a “large” PPC account? (in this question I would also consider client interaction)
What is your most difficult task when managing larger accounts and how do you overcome this challenge?
What filters do you setup in larger accounts to quickly pinpoint areas in need of improvement?
Aside from #adwords Editor & @adCenter Desktop, what tools/programs do you use to help manage/automate tasks in larger accounts?
Which task(s) tends to get the most overlooked in larger accounts? Why?
When clients request new campaign builds (in existing accounts) what timeframe do you give them & what is your rationale?
What tactics do you use to avoid the overwhelming feeling of managing larger PPC accounts?

» Ringing in the PPC Holidays Part 2

Here were the questions asked during the December 6, 2011 session: View this streamcap

What were some Black Friday/Cyber Monday trends you noticed, whether it be keyword bids, ad copy techniques, etc?
Last week Lisa Sanner (@LisaSanner) wrote about Post Cyber Monday PPC plans. How are you assessing data/continuing holiday PPC to get more value (ie: revenue, etc) out of your holiday PPC efforts?
How are you utilizing Facebook PPC this holiday season to boost brand awareness and/or revenue?
What’s your PPC high and low for holiday thus far? (Brag, whine– let it all out)
Do you find your holiday landing pages (if you have them) to be driving much more significant revenue over regular landing pages?
What are the biggest differences between your PPC holiday strategy this year vs. last?
What promotions/ad copy will you be running directly after the holidays?

» PPC Rants and Raves

Here were the questions asked during the December 13, 2011 session: View this streamcap

What are your favorite things about PPC in general?
What do you love about @AdWords? In other words how does GA make you days brighter?
What is your favorite thing about @adCenter?
What other PPC platforms have you come to appreciate and why? FB? LinkedIn? 7Search?
What is are some things about @AdWords that just F’n piss you off?
What are some things that drive you F’n crazy about @adCenter?
For any PPC Platform or Tool, finish this sentence: What would make my job easier would be if _____________ .

» PPC In 2011 – Highs, Lows & More

Here were the questions asked during the December 20, 2011 session: View this streamcap

What 2011 PPC update have you found to be most beneficial, either for your clients or your own PPC management?
What 2011 PPC update has shown negative ramifications in your accounts or was an update that you just don’t agree with?
Talk about a surprising trend (good or bad) that you noticed this year.
How has the “Top vs. Others” report in AdWords altered your view of ad placement (if it has)?
Did remarketing and/or display advertising play more into your PPC strategy in 2011? Why or why not?
Did you run more FB & LI campaigns in 2011? Do you believe the effort was worth the reward (brand awareness, etc)?

PPC Chat in 2012

» PPC and Analytics

Here were the questions asked during the January 3, 2012 session: View this streamcap

What filters do you setup in Google Analytics to provide additional insights into your PPC campaign?
Do you import Google Analytics goals to AdWords? If so, do you report event tracking/virtual pageview conversions to clients?
@Bethany_Bey recently wrote “5 Questions You Need To Answer About Your PPC Account Using MCF” about the new multi-channel funnels report in Google Analytics in relation to understanding the role of PPC in the conversion process. How are you making use of the multi channel funnels report?
What insights do you glean from the paid keyword report in Google Analytics and what actions do these insights lead to?
Aside from PPC post click data, how do Analytics help you to optimize your PPC campaigns?
How much time do you spend reviewing analytics for your clients? If not much time what is the obstacle(s)?
What are your analytics Must Haves/Dos for any size PPC account?

» The Art of PPC Blogging

Here were the questions asked during the January 10, 2012 session: View this streamcap

Why do you and/or your company blog about PPC?
Is it a necessity for PPC agencies to keep (and consistently update) a blog? Why or why not?
What is your target audience(s)? Does this audience(s) influence how your blogs are written (ie: advanced topics vs. basic info)
Do you personally glean new info from blogs or do they act as more of a confirmation of your PPC tactics?
Which PPC blogs do you find to be the best for a) advanced audiences and b) novice audiences?
How do you generate ideas for new PPC blog posts?
What are some tips you would give others for blogging about PPC?

» Phone Call Tracking in PPC

Here were the questions asked during the January 17, 2012 session: View this streamcap

Aside from Google’s reporting, how do you track the authenticity of call metrics and mobile click to calls?
Which phone call tracking software do you find works the best? Why?
Do you include phone calls when calculating conversion metrics?
How do you impress upon clients the importance of tracking phone calls originating from PPC? Especially if they are unwilling to implement call tracking software?
Do you write ads with a call to action of “Call Us” (or messaging along these lines)? How effective are these ads?

» Extreme PPC Ad Copy

Here were the questions asked during the January 24, 2012 session: View this streamcap

Talk about unique messaging and/or formats you have used in search network text ads to make your ads stand out?
Do you find your more “nonconventional” ads to improve CTR? How about conversion rates?
How do you ethically distinguish yourself from the competition in ad copy?
Talk about the types of unique messaging you have used in sitelinks and/or to present your ad in a more distinguished light?
What resources do you use to create more interactive ads (ie: rich media ads, video ads, mobile ads, etc) & are you at a disadvantage if you don’t have access to create these types of ads (aside from the display ad builder)?
What are some techniques you use to create attention grabbing display and Facebook ads?

» Free and Paid PPC Tools

Here were the questions asked during the January 31, 2012 session: View this streamcap

What do you consider a “tool” to help you with PPC? Only applications? Only paid tools?
If you could only have one Free Tool and one Paid Tool, which would they be?
What are the best competitive research tools you’ve found? How do you utilize them?
What tools do you use for keyword research?
What are the best management tools(bids, writing ads, etc.)?
What tool would you like to see that is currently unavailable or not satisfactory?

» All About AdWords Editor

Here were the questions asked during the February 7, 2012 session: View this streamcap

What lesser known feature of AdWords Editor do you utilize and how?
Talk about how you use Excel in conjunction with AdWords Editor?
Can the ease & automation Editor provides act as a negative at times to account performance? Why or why not?
What are some areas in which Editor is either too complicated or tries to do too much?
What additional features would you like to see implemented in Editor?
For those agencies who have multiple employees working on an account, what guidelines do you setup with Editor?
Do you find value in the Keyword Grouper and Keyword Opportunities tools? If so, how?
With AdWords consistently adding features & making updates to the UI how often should a new Editor version come out?

» Branded PPC

Here were the questions asked during the February 14, 2012 session: View this streamcap

What is your “be all end all” reason for bidding on branded terms (or not bidding on branded terms)?
How does the search funnels & or multi channel funnels report play into how you bid & report branded vs. non-brand conversions?
Does the use of branded terms in your non branded ads improve CTR and/or conversions for example, a search for “basketball shoes” yields an ad with a headline of “Nike Basketball Shoes”?
Talk about how you report branded vs. non branded traffic? Do you provide metrics just for non-branded traffic?
In what situations would you recommend that a client NOT bid on their branded keywords?
For those running video campaigns, how have branded keywords & to a lesser extent remarketing lists played into this strategy?
What bidding requirements do you set up for branded keywords (ie: no branded keyword bid goes above $0.50, etc)?

» Working Together – PPC & SEO

Here were the questions asked during the February 21, 2012 session: View this streamcap

How much should a PPC specialist know about SEO?
For those working in agencies with both PPC and SEO services, how do these teams interact (if at all)?
Talk about your strategy for adding top searched organic keywords (from Analytics) to your PPC campaigns? Do you use site search reports to add new PPC keywords?
Can effective PPC text ads help with SEO copyrighting (both content and code)? Why or why not?
Do you up sell SEO to PPC clients? If so, what are the reasons you give to clients for trying SEO?
What is your best analogy when comparing PPC and SEO?

» PPC & Site Architecture

Here were the questions asked during the February 28, 2012 session: View this streamcap

How does a website’s architecture affect your PPC account builds?
What types of PPC data warrant new landing pages or updates to existing pages?
How involved are you with website conversion optimization in tandem with your PPC accounts (ie: shopping carts, buttons, etc)?
Have you been involved in website redesigns that factored in PPC data? How so?
From a website perspective, what are some easy updates that can be made to improve conversion rate?
Do you utilize any sort of landing page score system? How so?

» Text Ad Tips and Analysis for PPC

Here were the questions asked during the March 13, 2012 session: View this streamcap

What do you consider your best practice(s) for creating Text Ads? Formatting, Call-To-Actions, & Others?
Do you regularly use DKI? If so, in Headlines, Description, both? And have you noticed a positive or negative impact on Conversion Rates and/or Cost-Per-Conversion compared to non-DKI ads?
How have Extended Headlines affected your Call-to-Action placement & writing Description Line #1?
What is your current Display URL strategy? Keyword Rich? Call-to-Action/Benefit? And what’s working for your CTR & CRO?
If Top and Side Ads had the same CTR & Click Volume, and you could choose 1 consistent format, which would you choose and why?
What is your process for determining Text Ad winners and losers?
How do Conversion Rates of Text Ads play into your overall management of a PPC campaign when LPs can vary or are being tested?
Do you have a different process for analyzing and creating Text Ads for adCenter that is different from AdWords?

» PPC Campaigns in Their Infancy

Here were the questions asked during the March 20, 2012 session: View this streamcap

What expectations do you set with clients when kickoff off new PPC campaigns?
In general how much time do you let go by, or what trending do you see, before making optimizations?
How do broad and modified broad match keywords play into a PPC campaign’s infancy?
How do you determine a monthly budget when beginning a new PPC campaign (if you do at all)?
How extensively do you communicate with clients during a PPC campaign’s infancy?

» Spring Cleaning Your PPC Accounts

Here were the questions asked during the March 27, 2012 session: View this streamcap

How often do you review paused keywords and ad groups to potentially resume them?
Do you ever delete paused campaigns, ad groups, keywords and/or text ads? Why or why not?
How often do you review AdWords & adCenter account & campaign settings? Do you tend to find updates needing to be made?
Talk about the naming conventions you use for your individual accounts (campaigns & ad groups) as well as your company MCC?
How do you ensure all ads and landing pages are relevant and don’t contain out of date promotions?
Do you provide clients w/ monthly or quarterly strategy documents? If so what do these documents entail (not monthly reports)?

» Taking a Closer Look at Cost per Conversion

Here were the questions asked during the April 10, 2012 session: View this streamcap

How do you & your clients determine target cost per conversions (if you do at all)?
How has ad positioning affected your cost per conversions?
Is cost per conversion the primary metric you optimize for? Why or why not?
In what situations is a high cost per conversion OK?
Do you report many-per-click cost per conversions? If so, what insight or explanation do you share with clients?
How do you predict the implementation of extension level conversion metrics will influence your management and reporting?
Do you break out cost per conversions by conversion type or report at aggregate level? Why?

» Client Interaction

Here were the questions asked during the April 24, 2012 session: View this streamcap

Ideally, how often do you communicate with clients, whether by email, phone or in person?
Aside from showing great results, what are some things you do to improve client relations and build trust?
Equally as important, how do you convey poor performance or account setbacks to clients?
How important is the client’s participation in the PPC campaign? Do you convey expectations to clients?
How active are you with clients about discussing non PPC factors such as conversion rate optimization, SEO, etc?
What are some strategies you use to improve communication with unresponsive clients?

» New Keyword Match Types

Here were the questions asked during the May 1, 2012 session: View this streamcap

What are your hesitations with AdWords near phrase and near exact match types?
What are the positives of near phrase and near exact match?
Though early on, have you seen queries that prove or negate Google’s claim of showing your ads for “other, close variants?”
What are your early impressions of @adCenter‘s modified broad match type?
How do you believe these new match types will influence new account setups and PPC education down the line?
How will you be explaining these new match types to your clients?

» Keyword Matching & Control

Here were the questions asked during the May 8, 2012 session: View this streamcap

Now that @adCenter has BMM, what Percentage of Broad, BMM, Phrase and Exact Match Keywords typically make up your Campaigns?
Now that @adwords has Near Phrase and Near Exact keyword options, do you intend on using them and why?
What Percentage of 1 & 2, 3 & 4 and 5+ word keywords typically make up your Campaigns?
How do you use and mix Broad, Phrase & Exact Match Negative Keywords for your Campaigns?
How do you address Geo-Specific Keywords for Non-Geo-Specific campaigns?
Beyond Country & State targeting, how do you use Location Targeting & Settings for PPC control?
How would you change/fix/blow-up Keyword Match Types to address Control and Volume?
How does Device Targeting (desktop, tablet, mobile) affect your keyword matching and control?

» PPC Betas & More

Here were the questions asked during the May 15, 2012 session: View this streamcap

How do you find out about new PPC betas and subsequently, how do you go about getting whitelisted?
How do go about presenting betas to clients?
For those with Google teams or reps, how beneficial and/or prohibitive is your team for trying betas?
Does Google run too many betas at one time? Why or why not?
Historically, which betas (when they were betas) did you see good results from? Poor results?
If you were a Google AdWords engineer, what beta would you test?

2 Trackbacks / Pingbacks for this entry

Announcing CRO Chat: A Weekly Open Discussion About Digital Conversions | Search Marketing Blog
March 20th, 2012 on 8:26 am
[...] A couple of months back I started noticing a lack of regular open discussions taking place online centered around topics related to conversions, human behavior (UX), visual and psychological persuasions, and the optimization process for increasing conversions known as CRO. This is a big void as there are already vibrant groups openly discussing digital trends such as SEO at #SEOchat, blogging at #Blogchat, Social Media at #SMchat, and one of my all time favorites Pay Per Click at #PPCchat. [...]
7 Tips for Twitter Late Adopters on How To Twitter Chat | Search Engine People | Toronto
April 16th, 2012 on 6:25 am
[...] No worries. Most niche chats have their own website/blog, like Search Marketing Weekly or The PPC Blog, that will create summaries to fill you in. This reinforces why you should follow the tips on [...]

All PPC Chats

PPC Chat in 2011

PPC Chat in 2012

2 Trackbacks / Pingbacks for this entry

Leave a Reply

Search

Past Entries

Tag Cloud

Search The PPC Blog

Recent Posts