If you want optimal performance from your ad campaigns there are three things that you should do immediately – like, right now – in order to make sure that your PPC campaigns are optimized and running smoothly.
- Minimize your list of keywords – There is some disagreement about how many keywords is enough to run a successful campaign. Some people say 2 or 3 is enough and other say 50-60. I say it’s somewhere in between. I’d suggest 10-20, 25 tops. Going above that number will water down your PPC campaign and lower its effectiveness.
- Remove underperforming keywords - Keep your highest converting keywords together in one group and remove the underperforming keywords. Place them in a group all to themselves. You can run them with another ad, but don’t water down your best keywords with slow moving or underperforming keywords. Remember, your keywords are a reflection of the company they keep.
- Separate Content Network and Sponsored Search keywords – Some PPC advertisers don’t use the Content Network at all, and that’s fine. There are pros and cons to the the Content Network. If you are one of those advertisers who like to use the network, at least separate your keywords for the Content Network from those that are Sponsored Search. This will allow you to make changes to your Sponsored Search campaigns without affecting the network and vice-versa.
If you do these three things right away – no waiting! Go right now and get it done – then I’m confident that you will see a marked improvement in your PPC campaigns.
LOL I know most people think that the more the better when it comes to having a list of keywords. I guess it’s not that true. I tend to use the Google Keyword tool to do a little research on what is in and what is out. Helps alot
I agree you need a decent number of keywords but this should be seen as per subject and not necessarily overall. If you have many products, you need lots of ad groups/campaigns to target each product.
I would keep any keywords that convert into a sale or lead. Once you determine your money keywords, optimize with negative match, create landing pages centered around the converting keywords and add variations to fully maximize results. Once I find keywords that convert,they typically will continue to convert month after month if optimized on a continual basis. Art