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7 PPC Community & Google Team Insights

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2 years ago

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Google has added many automated tools over the past years including Smart Bidding, Responsive Search Ads, and close variant keywords.

Performance Max campaigns are the latest addition to this increasing list of automated PPC tools.

And it might be the most revolutionary campaign type so far in Google Ads.

Performance Max campaigns let advertisers promote their products & services across all of Google’s advertising channels – YouTube, Display, Search, Discovery, Gmail, and Maps from a single campaign.

Traditionally, to run ads on all of Google’s networks, you needed different campaigns and creatives for each channel.

But Performance Max rolls all of that into one campaign, simplifying the effort to reach customers.

It’s a fairly new campaign type, so best practices are still evolving.

To help build more knowledge around this topic, I recently spoke to product team members at Google who built Performance Max. (You can watch the full PPC Town Hall episode below.)

From early best practices to their roadmap, they shared a great deal and even answered several questions I had collected from the PPC community.

Here are some takeaways about Performance Max campaigns.

1. Performance Max Takes Priority Over Other Shopping Campaign Types

If you’re running a Performance Max campaign alongside a shopping or a smart shopping campaign for the same product (or groups of products), the Performance Max campaign takes precedence.

That means the Performance Max campaign ads will show to users instead of the ads from the Smart Shopping Campaign.

This is similar to how Smart Shopping campaigns are prioritized over Standard Shopping campaigns when running simultaneously.

When Smart Shopping campaigns upgrade to Performance Max by the end of Q3 in 2022, they will continue to be given priority over standard shopping campaigns.

When you upgrade a smart shopping campaign to Performance Max, your ads will serve on other channels such as Search, Display, Discover, YouTube, and Gmail by default.

So when making the transition, you should definitely revisit and review your creative assets to make sure they are all set up correctly.

2. Upgrading Smart Shopping To Performance Max Doesn’t Mean You Have To Advertise On All Channels

If you’ve loved the convenience of Smart Shopping campaigns and don’t like the prospect of your ads serving in more places, you’re not required to add all assets to a Performance Max campaign.

If you connect your merchant feed but don’t provide any other assets such as a video, images, and text, your Performance Max campaign will only serve shopping ads.

Ginny Marvin, Google’s Ads Liaison said,

“For shopping, when you link a GMC feed to a Performance Max campaign, but add no other assets, the campaign will be eligible to serve Shopping formats across Search, Display, YouTube, and Gmail.”

This points to a broader tip: While there is no way to select which channels you want ads from Performance Max to appear on, you can achieve this to some extent by being selective about which assets you add to the campaign.

3. Keywords From Search Campaigns Take Priority Over Performance Max Targeting

While Performance Max cannibalizes traffic from shopping campaign types, it is intended to run alongside your existing search, display, and YouTube campaigns. They are designed to be less cannibalistic in those scenarios.

When running a search campaign alongside Performance Max, Google will first try to show ads from the search campaigns.

Ginny Marvin said,

“​If the keyword is identical to the query (or spell corrected), Search will be prioritized. Otherwise, prioritization is based on Ad Rank. The keyword must be eligible.”

The key here is about “eligibility.”

If an advertiser has tried a keyword without success and removed it or added it as a negative keyword in their search campaign, the Performance Max campaign may still decide to show an ad for it.

The search campaign wasn’t eligible to show an ad, so the Performance Max campaign filled in with incremental traffic.

Whether it decides to step in depends on whether it believes the incremental impressions can lead to the advertiser reaching their stated goal at the specified target.

And that leads to our next learning.

4. Reporting Accurate Conversion Data To Performance Max Yields Higher Quality Conversions

Google says that Performance Max is primarily a performance-driven campaign type with conversion goals as its target. Like all automation, it makes decisions informed by conversion data you feed into the system.

So when you set up a Performance Max campaign, make sure to report the kind of conversions that matter for your business.

Instead of calling a lead a conversion, consider only reporting a conversion when a lead is qualified or when it turns into a sale.

In the case of ecommerce, consider not just reporting sales but also using conversion adjustments to account for returns and repeat purchases that may affect the lifetime value of a new customer.

Google has recently introduced Enhanced Conversions for Leads which makes reporting high-quality conversion data easier than ever.

5. You Cannot Allocate Specific Budgets To Channels

In a Performance Max campaign, you cannot allocate budgets to specific channels yourself.

But Google’s machine learning takes care of that dynamically in real-time across all channels. It tries to optimize for your stated goal and prioritizes the channels that best help it achieve that goal.

According to Google, manually allocating budgets constrains Google’s ability to use its machine learning powers.

If you set monthly budgets manually across specific channels, you’re basically returning to regular search, display, and other campaigns that may be already running in your account.

But remember the trick about selectively submitting assets to a Performance Max campaign to control which channels it can show ads. This, along with running multiple Performance Max campaigns, can restore some control.

Ultimately, ask yourself why you want that control, though.

Andrew Lolk said in another PPC Town Hall episode that when advertisers demand control, they often really mean they want actionable insight.

Advertisers are happy when automation drives good results but get frustrated when they can’t explain those results to clients and offer strategic advice.

Google promises to build more insights for Performance Max campaigns.

6. You Can Optimize For Getting New Customers Using The New Customer Acquisition Feature

One complaint of another automated campaign type, Smart Shopping, was that it would sometimes prioritize remarketing and take credit for conversion from someone already in your pipeline, perhaps due to a non-PPC effort like SEO.

In these cases, the automated campaign may be overstating its own utility and do a poor job of growing a business with new customers.

You can avoid this by telling Google to focus on new customers and by sharing your first-party data about who your existing customers are.

And to help you with that, Google released a New Customer Acquisition goal beta through which you can optimize for new customer acquisition and maximize performance from that audience segment.

To get access now, you can reach out to your Google Ads representative or wait for the impending public launch of this new capability.

7. Account Level Negative Targeting Is Supported

While Google doesn’t want advertisers to micromanage targeting, Performance Max campaigns will respect account-level negative keywords and negative placements.

Some advertisers have said it can be beneficial to exclude undesirable geo locations or, at the very least, think very carefully about settings like whether you target physical locations or locations of interest.

Automation can make many guesses to find new pockets of conversions but waste a lot of money in the process.

When you have already tried certain keywords, placements, or geo targets and haven’t found them to work, use the exclusion capabilities to forbid the automation from testing these things again at your expense.

Conclusion

Performance Max campaigns show a lot of potential for advertisers, but they are radically different from the other campaign types we’re more familiar with in Google Ads.

A whole new set of best practices will evolve as more advertisers try this new campaign type.

But until then, we’re learning all we can by asking Google questions and listening to digital marketers who’ve already tried their hand at Performance Max.

Watch the full April 13, 2022, episode of PPC Town Hall for more:

More resources:

Featured Image: Sammby/Shutterstock

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All the best things about Ahrefs Evolve 2024

Published

10 hours ago

on

October 25, 2024

By

All the best things about Ahrefs Evolve 2024

Hey all, I’m Rebekah and I am your Chosen One to “do a blog post for Ahrefs Evolve 2024”.

What does that entail exactly? I don’t know. In fact, Sam Oh asked me yesterday what the title of this post would be. “Is it like…Ahrefs Evolve 2024: Recap of day 1 and day 2…?” 

Even as I nodded, I couldn’t get over how absolutely boring that sounded. So I’m going to do THIS instead: a curation of all the best things YOU loved about Ahrefs’ first conference, lifted directly from X.

Let’s go!

OUR HUGE SCREEN

CONFERENCE VENUE ITSELF

It was recently named the best new skyscraper in the world, by the way.

 

OUR AMAZING SPEAKER LINEUP – SUPER INFORMATIVE, USEFUL TALKS!

 

GREAT MUSIC

 

AMAZING GOODIES

 

SELFIE BATTLE

Some background: Tim and Sam have a challenge going on to see who can take the most number of selfies with all of you. Last I heard, Sam was winning – but there is room for a comeback yet!

 

THAT BELL

Everybody’s just waiting for this one.

 

STICKER WALL

AND, OF COURSE…ALL OF YOU!

 

–

There’s a TON more content on LinkedIn – click here – but I have limited time to get this post up and can’t quite figure out how to embed LinkedIn posts so…let’s stop here for now. I’ll keep updating as we go along!



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11 Tips For How To Find Great Writers

Published

12 hours ago

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October 25, 2024

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11 Tips For How To Find Great Writers

Great content is the backbone of any successful SEO strategy.

Content provides information to users, facilitates ranking in the organic search results, and can be a significant driver in attracting backlinks to your website.

But how and where one sources such amazing content depends on a few factors. For one, you can write your own content, if you have the skills and time to do so.

On the other hand, you could hire a professional writer to craft content for you, but you need to know where to look!

Need an excellent writer? Consider these top tips on how and where to find experienced content writers.

1. Assess Your Content Needs

The first step to finding a great writer is to determine what type of writer you need. Believe it or not, there are many different kinds of copywriters and content writers (yes, they’re different), and they bring different specialties to the table.

Is your goal to craft SEO-friendly content that ranks in search engines? You’ll need a writer who understands on-page SEO best practices and the nuances of keyword usage.

Is your goal to drive conversions from a landing page on your website? You’ll need a direct-response copywriter skilled in sales copywriting and buyer psychology.

Also, these writers may advertise their services on different platforms, so it’s important to consider your needs early on so you know where to look!

Content Writers Vs. Copywriters

If you are looking for a writer who specializes in long-form, SEO-friendly content, you’ll want to find a content writer. Some examples of content writers include:

  • Blog writers – when your goal is to drive organic traffic, build brand awareness, and engage readers.
  • Article writers – when you need in-depth articles (for websites, magazines, or online publications) that educate readers on specific topics.
  • SEO writers – if you want to improve your website visibility and organic traffic to webpages.
  • Technical writers – for writing manuals, how-to guides, software documentation, and white papers.
  • Social media content writers – when you need short-form content for social media platforms like Instagram, X (Twitter), Facebook, or LinkedIn.

Now, if you are looking for a writer specializing in persuasive writing that compels people to take action (like buy a product or sign up for a service, you’ll want a copywriter.

Some examples of copywriters include:

  • Direct response copywriters – who specialize in writing sales letters, email campaigns, landing pages, and ads that inspire action
  • Sales copywriters – when you need product descriptions, sales pages, or promotional materials
  • Email copywriters – who write email sequences for marketing campaigns, newsletters, and product launches
  • Brand copywriters – who specialize in writing content that conveys your brand’s voice, tone, and values to build your brand identity (may include website copy, slogans, or ads)

Some content writers and copywriters offer several services. For example, it’s common to find a content writer who does blog writing, article writing, and SEO content.

However, copywriters and content writers are notably different in what they aim to achieve – sales vs. traffic, respectively.

Consider what you are trying to accomplish with your content and search for a writer with that skill set.

2. Browse Reputable Writer Directories And Platforms

Now, it’s time to find a writer. Easier said than done, right? Business owners are spoiled for choice when it comes to the number of freelancer websites available, but not all are created equal.

Ask Your Professional Network

Before venturing to a freelancer website, I suggest asking your professional network whether they know of any writers they might recommend.

Not only will you then get a referral from someone who can vouch for the writer’s services, but you’ll save a ton of time in your search.

Reach Out To Your Network

I highly recommend reaching out to your existing network to find writers who have a track record of proven results.

A referral from someone within your industry is even better. Ask them about their experience working with the writer and what results they generated.

Niche Facebook Groups

Facebook is a great source of freelance writers, especially within niche-specific Facebook Groups.

For example, if you’re looking for a travel writer, look for groups like the Association of Travel Writers or Travel Writers Exchange.

Many Facebook Groups also allow you to post jobs to find writers for hire.

LinkedIn Search

LinkedIn is a popular professional networking site that allows you to search for consultants, brands, and freelancers.

Simply use the LinkedIn search bar to find a “writer,” “copywriter,” “SEO writer,” etc.

You’ll see individuals who rank at the top for these keywords. Be sure to check out their portfolio and recommendations.

College Job Boards

Many university students are looking for part-time jobs and contract opportunities.

Check out your local university or college websites to see if they have a job board, then post the requirements of the role.

Content Agencies

Content marketing agencies specialize in content strategy and content writing, often for a variety of platforms.

While their rates may be more expensive than working with a freelance writer, you can often trust that there’s a higher degree of quality control.

You may also be able to source content for social media, email, and your website – all in one place.

Writer Directories

Writer directories like Compose.ly and blcklst.com allow writers to publish their portfolios, post their rates, and apply for jobs.

Some sites allow you to post an open role, while others allow you to contact the writers directly. Again, look for writers with an active portfolio and, ideally, client testimonials.

3. Request Content Examples

Once you’ve found a writer (or several) that you’d like to work with, it’s time to request more information.

Hiring a writer is a financial commitment, so do your due diligence to assess their portfolio and skills.

Always ask for examples of their work – particularly work related to your niche.

Unfortunately, stealing content examples is common practice online, so you don’t always know what you are getting; if they can send you an example with their name in the byline, that’s a safer bet.

Human Writers Vs. AI Content

The prevalence of AI-generated content has been on the rise. With tools like ChatGPT and contents.ai, it’s easy for businesses to turn to this fast, cheaper form of content.

But there is a lot of personality, uniqueness, and quality lost in AI content.

For one, AI content lacks the history of lived human experience to tell stories, provide relatable examples, and solve modern problems in your content.

Human writers are able to empathize with your readers and buyers, incorporating this sentiment and psychology into the content.

Also, with AI content, you’re at risk of generating material that’s identical to other pieces of content that are on the web.

This can hurt your brand and your SEO. Human writers are able to craft a unique story that’s specific to your brand voice and audience.

AI content has its place – such as in content planning and drafts – but should not be the basis of your entire content strategy.

While cheap, AI content can end up costing you in terms of brand visibility, user trust, and conversions.

4. Interview The Candidates

When “chatting” with a writer, a lot can be lost in translation via email or messenger. It’s always best to get on a live call to assess whether the candidate is a good fit for your brand and needs.

Just as much as you are looking for a writer with the right skills, you want to be sure they are a good character fit. Communication is important throughout the entire content planning and writing process.

Here are some questions to ask during your writer interview:

  • What types of writing do you specialize in?
  • Do you have experience in our industry?
  • How do you approach research for a topic you’re unfamiliar with?
  • How do you incorporate SEO best practices into your content writing (if applicable)?
  • Do you have experience working with content calendars, marketing teams, or campaign strategies?
  • What is your preferred workflow (e.g., strategy provided by client, first draft approval, round one revision, final approval)?
  • What’s your average turnaround time for a [type of content]?

These questions will give you a better understanding of the writer’s skills, style, and approach to writing, helping you find the right fit for your needs.

5. Look For Case Studies And Reviews

Whether you’re using your referral network, social media, or writer directories to find writers, look for their case studies or client reviews.

Many professional writers will have a website where they showcase their work and/or recommendations on LinkedIn or social media.

This “social proof” will make it evident what kind of results they have been able to generate for their clients.

6. Assess Their SEO Knowledge

If your goal is to grow your traffic, you’ll want a writer who understands SEO and how to incorporate it into their content.

They may not be an SEO expert, but they should know on-page best practices, such as keyword usage in the page title, heading structure and hierarchy, and the importance of internal linking.

It’s appropriate to ask them a few questions about their expertise and to request examples of SEO content. If they have case studies that showcase measurable results, even better.

7. Ask How They Measure Success

On the topic of results, you should ask writer candidates how they measure the success of their content.

Though many factors go into content performance – not all of which they will have control over – it’s still a fair question to assess their approach to content writing.

For example, if they are an SEO writer, do they measure success by organic traffic and reduced bounce rate? Do they tend to look at the number and position of keyword rankings? A great SEO writer will pay attention to these metrics.

Similarly, if they are a sales copywriter, do they track conversions? How do they determine what makes their copy successful? Do they make updates to the copy to improve performance?

Not only will this consideration get you thinking about how you quantify results, but it will also help you identify a writer who is results-driven.

8. Understand Their Pricing Structure

There are many different types of pricing structures writers may use to charge for content.

The most common is price-per-word, where the writer provides a set cost per each word of content written.

Freelance writers can charge anywhere from $0.05 to $2.00 per word, depending on their experience.

Another common approach is cost per page/post. This is where the writer typically determines an approximate content length and set cost.

For example, a short blog post may cost around $150, whereas a long blog post may cost $300+. This option is great if you want the costs to be predictable.

Be sure to discuss the writer’s preferred pricing structure and rates before you start on a project. Ideally, get your agreement set in writing so there is no confusion over the terms.

9. Know What’s Provided In Their Services

Some SEO writers only include the content and the H1 and H2 tags. Others include all on-page SEO.

Even further, some provide keyword research or content planning. For any writer, ask what their services include and what needs to be provided by you.

Do they need you to do the keyword research and create the blog strategy? Get clear about that from the beginning.

You should also ask whether edits and/or rewrites are included. Complete rewrites are rare; don’t expect most writers to write an entirely new piece without compensation.

Typically, writers offer one to two rounds of edits, or a refund if they miss the mark.

10. Discuss Your Expectations

Hiring a writer is like any other professional relationship in that you need to discuss your expectations at the start.

Know what’s expected of you, make sure they know what’s expected of them, and outline a clear process when it comes to creating content together.

Note that some writers offer refunds, while others do not. Discuss this at the beginning (and get it in writing) before you find yourself in a pickle.

11. Know That Great Content Is An Investment

With all this talk about pricing and payment terms, you may be wondering, “How much does great content cost?”

Unfortunately, the answer isn’t simple. Writers’ rates vary based on their industry expertise, years of experience, the results they have generated for clients, their location, and a range of other factors.

But what remains true is that you get what you pay for. Don’t expect high-quality sales copy from a “cheap” AI content service. Don’t expect high conversions on sales pages written by a novice versus an expert.

When it comes to driving results, you’ll want a content writer or copywriter who understands the nuances of SEO and buyer psychology.

They likely have years of experience and a proven track record of delivering results for clients. And they likely aren’t cheap.

Consider what it’s worth to your business to have interesting, original, high-converting content. Do you want to pay pennies for basic copy? Or do you want content that will bring a return on investment (ROI)?

Final Thoughts

While there are mixed opinions on what constitutes “great” content and how much great content costs, it remains true that human writers are the source of the best content around.

Able to empathize with buyers’ experiences and craft unique stories, human writers are more equipped than AI to create content that resonates with an audience.

Finding the best writer for your brand depends on the type of content you need and the return you aim to generate from your content.

Your content “budget” should, then, be based on your willingness to invest in content that will achieve the results you want.

I recommend researching your options and outlining clear expectations with your writer from the beginning. That is the path to a positive writer-client relationship and great content for your brand.

More resources: 

Featured Image: Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock

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SEO

All the best things about Ahrefs Evolve 2024

Published

16 hours ago

on

October 25, 2024

By

All the best things about Ahrefs Evolve 2024

Hey all, I’m Rebekah and I am your Chosen One to “do a blog post for Ahrefs Evolve 2024”.

What does that entail exactly? I don’t know. In fact, Sam Oh asked me yesterday what the title of this post would be. “Is it like…Ahrefs Evolve 2024: Recap of day 1 and day 2…?” 

Even as I nodded, I couldn’t get over how absolutely boring that sounded. So I’m going to do THIS instead: a curation of all the best things YOU loved about Ahrefs’ first conference, lifted directly from X.

Let’s go!

OUR HUGE SCREEN

CONFERENCE VENUE ITSELF

It was recently named the best new skyscraper in the world, by the way.

 

OUR AMAZING SPEAKER LINEUP – SUPER INFORMATIVE, USEFUL TALKS!

 

GREAT MUSIC

 

AMAZING GOODIES

 

SELFIE BATTLE

Some background: Tim and Sam have a challenge going on to see who can take the most number of selfies with all of you. Last I heard, Sam was winning – but there is room for a comeback yet!

 

THAT BELL

 

STICKER WALL

AND, OF COURSE…ALL OF YOU!

 

–

There’s a TON more content on LinkedIn – click here – but I have limited time to get this post up and can’t quite figure out how to embed LinkedIn posts so…let’s stop here for now. I’ll keep updating as we go along!



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