Isabel Holland, digital marketing manager, Marie Curie Visit the CharityComms website to view slides from past events, see what events we have coming up and to check out what else we do: www.charitycomms.org.uk

1. Sharpening Up Our Google Adwords
Account (in light of the policy
changes)
CharityComms: dealing with digital change
Isabel Holland, Digital Marketing Manager

2. Agenda:
1. The Situation
2. The Consequences
3. Adhere To The Changes & The Results
4. Bidding Above $2 & The (Limited) Results
5. Conclusions
2

3. The Situation
3
Cannot’s and musts:
• You can’t bid on branded keywords you don’t own
• You can’t bid on single worded keywords, exceptions being brand, medical conditions
and the approved list HERE (https://support.google.com/grants/answer/7587473)
• You can’t bid on overly generic keywords, example ‘free video’, ‘job alerts’
• You can’t have keywords in the account with a quality score <3
• You must geo target campaigns
• You must structure your campaigns with a minimum of 2 ad groups, 2 ads and 2
sitelinks
• You must hit a account CTR >5% for 2 consecutive months
• Your website must adhere to Google’s quality standards
Alternative to use Adwords express.
The good changes:
• You can use conversion optimizer to bid over $2

4. If You Fail
4
Your account is cancelled, you may request it to be
reinstated after you’ve adjusted your account to bring it
into compliance.

5. Adhering To Can Not’s & Musts
5
• Easy fixers:
∙ Remove non owned brand keywords
∙ Remove single keywords- 5 keywords, monthly impact 31 clicks. Hospice and
bereavement left as medical related.
∙ Remove overly generic- low QS & CTR keywords
∙ Geo target your campaigns
• Adhering to structure requirements:
∙ 4 ads in each adgroup (2 minimum)
∙ 4 sitelinks in each campaign (2 minimum)
∙ 2 ad groups- moved around campaigns, particularly difficult for geo
campaigns.

6. Adhering To Can Not’s & Musts
6
• Improving your quality score:
∙ Remove unnecessary keywords with QS <3- 10 keywords, monthly impact 57
clicks.
∙ Isolate poor quality score KWs- improving structure
• Improving your CTR
∙ Review unnecessary keywords with CTR >5%
∙ Isolate poor quality score KWs- improving structure

7. Results of these changes
7
Nov Dec Jan Feb
Quality score (avg) 6.8 6.9 7.2 7.3
CTR 5.18% 6.86% 8.76% 9.47%
0.00%
1.00%
2.00%
3.00%
4.00%
5.00%
6.00%
7.00%
8.00%
9.00%
10.00%
6.5
6.6
6.7
6.8
6.9
7
7.1
7.2
7.3
7.4
CTR & Quality Score

8. The Good Changes: bidding over $2
8
Conversion optimiser is an automated bidding strategy that
allows Adwords to manage your bids in order to drive your
selected conversion.
How to implement:
• Conversion tracking (not view of a landing page)
• 15 conversions in past 30 days
• Apply as a bid strategy on a campaign level: maximise
conversions, target CPA< target ROAS
• Implement on KWs with historical data

9. Results of these changes
9
£0.00
£0.20
£0.40
£0.60
£0.80
£1.00
£1.20
£1.40
£1.60
Nov Dec Jan Feb
CPC changes
Donation KWs
Fundraising KWs
Trekking KWs
Volunteer KWs

10. Conclusions
10
• You must adhere to the new changes
∙ Remove keywords no longer allowed
∙ Adhere to structure set up
∙ Improve account health
• Test conversion optimiser
∙ Use with caution and don’t expect dramatic results
for hard DR campaigns
∙ Ensure you have a high volume of conversions
coming through regularly
∙ Use alongside improvements in account health

11. A change is gonna
come: dealing with
digital changes
28 February 2018
London
#charitydigital

12. Visit the CharityComms website
to view slides from past events,
see what events we have
coming up and to check out
what else we do:
www.charitycomms.org.uk