1.
The Top 10 PPC
Marketing Hacks of All
Time!
Larry Kim,
Founder/CTO, WordStream
Feb. 27, 2015

2.
Three Things About Me (@larrykim)
1. Founder & CTO of
WordStream
2. (Slightly) Obsessed
with Quality Score
3. Had a Kid 9 Months
Ago (#ppckid)
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

3.
Photos From My Commute from Boston This Morning
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

4.
#10. Hacking
Quality Score
in AdWords

5.
Understanding the AdWords Auction

6.
How Quality Score Impacts Ad Position
• AdWords is Like Real Estate: It’s all about
Location!
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

7.
Quality Score Impacts Cost Per Click
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

8.
Quality Score Impacts Impression Share
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

9.
Impression Share 2x More Competitive on Mobile
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

10.
Quality Score Impacts Cost Per Conversion
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

11.
So.. Get a High Quality Score!
Duh,
Awesome!
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

12.
How is Quality
Score Calculated?!

13.
This is The Expected Click Through Rate Curve…
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

14.
Just Beat Account Avg. Expected Click Through Rate!!
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

15.
Quick Recap So Far …
• Below Avg. CTR = Low
QS
• Low QS means…
– Less prominent ad
positions
– Very low impression
share
– Huge CPC penalties
(+400% Tax)
– High Cost Per
Conversion (+64%)
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

16.
# 9.
Hacking Ad
Click Through
Rates

17.
Google Expects (A Lot) More Of Your Ads
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

18.
CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE 19
Forest vs. Trees

19.
Here’s a Map of the Forrest…
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

20.
Donkeys vs. Unicorns
Percentile Vs. Average CTR Designation
Bottom 50% n/a DONKEYS
Top 15% 2x
Top 5% 3x
Top 1% 6x UNICORNS
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

21.
CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE 22
Unicorns Ads
(6x Avg. CTR - HOW?!)

22.
CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE 23
Hunting Unicorn Ads

23.
Keywords With High Commercial Intent
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

24.
What About Dynamic Keyword Insertion? (DKI)
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

25.
DKI Doesn’t Produce as Many Unicorn Ads
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

26.
What About Ad Extensions?
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

27.
How To Write
“Unicorn Ads”?
(Top 1%,
6x Average CTR)

28.
Most Ads (+90%) Suck.
29Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

29.
The Hack: Ads That Trigger Emotions
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

30.
This Ad Gets 6x Above Avg. CTR
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

31.
Because Everyone Else Sucks
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

32.
# 8.
Quality Score
for Twitter &
Facebook Ads!

33.
Leverage Quality Score in Social PPC!
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

34.
Higher Engagement Rates = Lower CPEs!
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

35.
Quality Score on Facebook, Too!
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

36.
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

37.
Paid Promotion Yields Organic Exposure
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

38.
# 7.
People-Based
PPC Marketing!

39.
Facebook “People Advertising”
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

40.
Twitter “People Advertising”!
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

41.
The Hack: Think of PPC More Like Email Mktg.
Email Marketing
• Limit Number of Blasts To
Reduce Unsubscribes
• 0.5-2% Unsubscribes Each
Blast
• People Need To Opt Into
Your List
• Tons of Unqualified Emails
on the List
People Based Marketing
• N/A
• N/A
• N/A
• N/A
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

42.
Identity-Based Marketing
Opens Up a TON of New
and Exciting PPC
Advertising Use Cases!!

43.
How Does Stuff Go
“Viral”??
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

44.
Article Published Friday at 5PM EST
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

45.
Shared Story on My Social Media
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

46.
Promote to My List of Influencers
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

47.
Story Appeared in Marketing Land 2 Hours Later
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

48.
Exponential Growth

49.
Key Takeaway:
You need interesting content + influential people finding your stuff

50.
Identity Mktg Increases Chance of Getting Noticed
WordStream Articles
#ofSocialShares
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

51.
WordStream Articles
#ofSocialShares
Identity Mktg Increases Chance of Getting Noticed
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

52.
Identity + User Demographics = $$$
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

53.
CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE 55
# 6.
Quality Score for
Google Display
Network

54.
A 0.1% +/- in CTR yields +/- 20% in CPC!
Quality Score Exists on Google Display Network!!
Higher
CTR =
Lower
CPC
Higher
CTR =
Lower
CPC
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

55.
The Hack: Make Display Ads With Very High CTR
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

56.
About Those “Display Ads”…
• 67.5% of Display Ads are Plain Text Ads!
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

57.
CTR of “Display Ads” Based on Ad Format
Ad Format on
Google Display
Network
Click
Through
Rate
Text ads that are
formatted as
Images
0.23%
True Image ads 0.31%
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

58.
Huge Tax on “Text Display Ads” vs. True Image Ads
Google Display
Network Ad
Format
CPC (USD)
Text $2.31
Custom Image $0.48
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

59.
Push Display Ads To Your Offers
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

60.
Do a Conversion Path Analysis
Define audience
segments using
the pages that
most often lead
to a conversion
event
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

61.
Conversion Rates vs. Ad Impressions
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST
Conversion Rates Double With More Ad Impressions!

62.
Push Display Ads to Content
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

63.
~5% of Blog Content Gets ~50% of Social Shares
Promote These
Top 5% of Articles!!!
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

64.
These Emotions Make People Click on Things
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

65.
The Hack: Make Display Ads Look More Like Content
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

66.
CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE 68
# 5.
Get 3x More
Impressions on
Google Display
Network

67.
14 Display Ad Formats on GDN
• Vertical rectangle: 240 x 400
• Mobile leaderboard: 320 x 50
• Banner: 468 x 60
• Leaderboard: 728 x 90
• Square: 250 x 250
• Small square: 200 x 200
• Large rectangle: 336 x 280
• Inline rectangle: 300 x 250
• Skyscraper: 120 x 600
• Wide skyscraper: 160 x 600
• Half-page: 300 x 600
• Etc.
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

68.
Different Ad Formats Don’t Compete With Each Other
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

69.
Diversify Your Ad Formats = 3x Impressions
Ad Format Share of
Impressions
Leader board (728 x 90) 25.5%
Inline rectangle (300 x 250) 25.1%
Banner (468 x 60) 12.0%
Wide skyscraper (160 x 600) 10.1%
Large Rectangle (336 x 280) 8.6%
Mobile leaderboard (320 x 50) 7.4%
Half-page (300 x 600) 4.3%
Square (250 x 250) 2.8%
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

70.
CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE 72
# 4.
Crazy Mobile
Hack to Triple
Conversions

71.
Mobile is Very Different…
OMG a Call
Button!!
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

72.
Call Extensions Change Everything!!
Calls to Businesses worth on Average 3x More
Than Clicks to Websites!!
4. Captured
Lead
2. Calls
Business
2. Clicks On Ad
Desktop Search Conversion Funnel
3% Avg.
Conversion
Rate
Mobile Conversion Funnel
1. Sees Ad 1. Sees Ad
3. Visits Website
Landing Page
3. Lead
Captured!!
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

73.
Contact & Qualification Rate Evaporates Fast!
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

74.
Yet Mobile is Much Cheaper Than Desktop Clicks
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

75.
Forget Mobile Sites & Landing Pages!
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

76.
CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE 78
# 3.
New Gmail
Ads!

77.
Larry Kim (@larrykim)Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

78.
Subject Line and Teaser …
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

79.
Email Ad!
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

80.
The Hack: Target Your Competitor’s Emails
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

81.
# 2.
YouTube
Trueview
Ads

82.
CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE 84

83.
YouTube TrueView Ads!
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

84.
YouTube Ads Hack #1: Know Targeting Options
• Demographics: Age, gender, parental status.
• Topics: YouTube video or Google Display Network content
targeted by category or sub-category.
• Interests: A few thousand categories of specific topics
• Affinity audiences: People with a strong interest in your brand,
product, or service.
• In-market audiences: People in the process of buying
something.
• Placements: Add unique websites or placements within those
websites.
• Channels (YouTube Partner Channels)
• Videos (YouTube Videos)
• Sites on the Google Display Network
• Remarketing lists: Reach viewers based on their past
interactions with your videos or YouTube channel or Website.
• Keywords: YouTube viewers’ search queries.
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

85.
YouTube Ads Hack #2: Test Going Longform
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

86.
YouTube Video Promotion = More Organic Visibility!
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

87.
# 1.
First Mover
Advantage

88.
+1000 New Features Every Year!!
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

89.
+Post Ads for Google+
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

90.
My Google+ Story…
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

91.
Google+ Visibility Before and After!
After
Before
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

92.
The Top 10 PPC Hacks of All Time!
1. Say No to Low
CTR in AdWords
2. Unicorn Ads Get
+6x Average CTR
3. Exploit Quality
Score for Twitter
& Facebook
4. People Based
PPC Marketing
5. QS on Google
Display Network =
Cheap Clicks
6. Make Display Ads
Look Like Content
7. Triple Conversion
Rate with Mobile
8. Get in People’s Gmail
Inboxes!
9. YouTube Ads Boost
SEO Traffic, Too.
10.Always be First
Mover!
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

93.
You are Part of the Quality
Score Rebellion … and a
Traitor
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST

94.
Thank You
#SEARCHFEST!
@larrykim
Larry Kim (@larrykim) #SEARCHFEST