Module 3.2: Optimize your Search network campaign (PART 2)

Question 1

According to Google’s best practices: Automating Your Bidding Strategy, how do you take advantage of auction-time bidding with AdWords?

Answer 1

Bid to the user’s auction-time context.

Why: Dynamic bids made in real time often lead to better results.

Question 2

According to Google’s best practices: Automating Your Bidding Strategy, how do you manage bids more efficiently in AdWords?

Answer 2

Save time on account maintenance by automating your bids.

Why: Automated bids may save time that you can spend on other areas that are vital to your account’s health.

Question 3

According to Google’s best practices: Automating Your Bidding Strategy, how do you pick the right bidding strategy?

Answer 3

• Automate your bidding based on the most accurate conversion data available.
  Why: Better conversion data means smarter automated bids.
• Organize like-performing keywords into bidding portfolios.
  Why: Well-defined portfolios give you more transparency and control.
• Choose a strategy that aligns with your main business goal.
  Why: Automation will manage your account to focus on that goal above all else.

Question 4

According to Google’s best practices: Automating Your Bidding Strategy, how do you test your automated bid strategies?

Answer 4

• Keep each bidding test simple, consistent and focused on one KPI.
  Why: Adding other new elements as you test automated bidding can muddy your test results.
• Choose the largest campaign that you’re comfortable experimenting with.
  Why: In testing, more data means more confidence and faster results.
• Start with targets that align with your historical CPA or ROAS.
  Why: Overly-aggressive targets can affect your volume and cloud the comparison with your historical averages.

Question 5

According to Google’s best practices: Automating Your Bidding Strategy, how do you improve your automated bids?

Answer 5

• Try to keep performance targets, ads and campaign daily budgets fairly steady.
  Why: Steady targets lead to steadier performance. Algorithms take time to adjust to significant changes and conversion delays.
• Diagnose and resolve issues from significant performance changes as quickly as possible.
  Why: Big performance changes likely indicate a technical issue or implementation error.

Question 6

According to Google’s best practices: Adjusting Bids to Maximize Profits, what are the four steps to profit driven bidding in AdWords?

Answer 6

1. Define a formula that calculates total profits from AdWords.
   Why: You need a formula to measure and optimize for profit in AdWords.
2. Run a broad-scale manual bid test.
   Why: Get an edge in the auction by finding profitable bid opportunities faster than others can.
3. Evaluate results and measure your profit.
   Why: Identify areas for improvement as you analyze results.
4. Use automation to adjust your bids.
   Why: Free up your time so that you can focus on other strategic priorities.

Question 7

What are Google’s 5 best practices for automating your bidding strategy?

Answer 7

1. Take advantage of auction-time bidding with AdWords
2. Manage bids more efficiently in AdWords
3. Pick the right bidding strategy
4. Test your automated bid strategies
5. Improve your automated bids

Question 8

What are Google’s 3 best practices to optimize for cross-device conversions?

Answer 8

1. Capture all possible cross-device conversions in AdWords
2. Find insights on all cross-device conversions
3. Set bids and messaging based on cross-device behavior

Question 9

According to Google’s best practices: Optimize for Cross-Device Conversions, how do you capture all possible cross-device conversions in AdWords?

Answer 9

• Consider longer conversion windows, even up to 90 days if it makes sense for you.
  Why: Users who research across multiple devices generally take longer to convert than someone who uses a single device.
• Enable cross-account conversion tracking (if warranted by your account’s structure).
  Why: Don’t let your account structure limit your cross-device visibility. Cross-account conversions report multi-device users’ interactions with you across accounts.
• Deploy the same conversion tag for your desktop and mobile sites, and implement in-app conversion tracking as well.
  Why: In order to measure conversions across devices and between apps and browsers, you’ll need to have consistent tracking in place.
• Avoid conversion tags that only fire conditionally.
  Why: Cross-device tracking performs best when it’s aware of as many conversions as possible. Conditionally firing your AdWords tag can limit your insight.
• Design your apps and mobile and desktop sites to facilitate cross-device actions.
  Why: The customer journey will look different depending on their context. If a user can’t convert on her current device, make it easy to save and convert later.

Question 10

According to Google’s best practices: Optimize for Cross-Device Conversions, how do you find insights on all cross-device conversions?

Answer 10

• Include cross-device conversions in your “Conversions” column.
  Why: This allows you to use automated bidding to drive more cross-device conversions.
• Understand the difference in performance uplift between mobile and desktop.
  Why: The uplift rate will vary across different devices. Awareness of those differences (by segmenting by device), helps to set bid modifiers and mobile-preferred ads.

Question 11

According to Google’s best practices: Optimize for Cross-Device Conversions, how do you set bids and messaging based on cross-device behavior?

Answer 11

Adjust your bids based on what you see in your “Conversions” column.
Why: Your bids should reflect the value, cross-device or otherwise, that is captured in your “Conversions” column.

Tailor ads to align with what someone can realistically complete on their current device.
Why: Users are more likely to complete a task if they know that task will be achievable in their current situation.