The document provides 5 easy fixes to improve PPC performance: 1) Disable the display network to focus on search, 2) Remove broad match terms which are too general, 3) Break keywords into specific ad groups for better targeting, 4) Simplify match types for clarity, and 5) Create ads and landing pages that match searcher intent to provide users what they want and improve metrics like click-through rate. Determining intent involves testing different ad and page options using PPC and measuring factors like clicks and time on site.

1. 5 Easy Fixes to
Dramatically Improve
PPC Performance

2. About John Crenshaw
Digital marketing for 7 years
Owner: Razorlight Media
@johncrenshaw
RazorlightMedia.com/blog/

3. About Razorlight Media
SEO, PPC, Content Marketing
Two Focus Areas:
1. Local B2C (dentists, roofers, restaurants, Realtors, etc)
2. B2B Service (Crane builders, warehousing /
fulfillment, architecture firms, etc)

4. This presentation is about AdWords
Some concepts apply to other networks
(BingAds, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc)

6. Strong returns on nearly all campaigns
Why no positive ROI?
1. How you manage
2. How you measure

7. Easy Fix #1
Disable the display network

8. Why no display network?
1. Completely different strategy from
Search
2. Time consuming
3. Can be expensive to find what
works

9. Easy Fix #2
Remove “Broad Match” Terms
(modified broad OK)
dentist – Broad match
+dentist – Modified broad match
“dentist” – Phrase match
[dentist] – Exact match

10. Why no broad match?
[dentist]
Matches:
dentist
“dentist”
Matches:
dentist
Cincinnati dentist
Find a dentist
Etc…
dentist
Matches:
dentist
Cincinnati dentist
Find a dentist
Facial surgeon
Dennis the Menace
Etc…

11. Easy Fix #3
Break keywords into specific ad groups
Before
Ad group 1 - Auto glass, Windshield repair, Windshield
replacement, New car window, Broken car window, Cracked
windshield, New windshield, Cracked car window

12. A better structure
After
Ad group 1 - Auto glass
Ad group 2 - Windshield repair
Ad group 3 - Windshield replacement
Ad group 4 - New car window
Ad group 5 - Broken car window
Ad group 6 - Cracked windshield
Ad group 7 - New windshield
Ad group 8 - Cracked car window
Etc…

13. Bonus!
Now you can write more targeted ads

14. Easy Fix #4
Simplify your match types
This:
[cincinnati dentist]
“cincinnati dentist”
+cincinnati +dentist
Is the same as this:
+cincinnati +dentist

15. Easy Fix #5 (the not quite so easy but incredibly powerful fix)
Create ads & landing pages to match
searcher intent

16. What is Searcher
Intent?

17. Answers the question, “I want to…”
“Accountants in Cincinnati”
I want to…find an accountant in Cincy

18. Not always obvious…
“Dentist in Cincinnati”
I want to…find a dentist WITHIN 20 MILES OF MY HOUSE
Afterall, I only go twice a year.

19. And then…
“Bank in Cincinnati”
I want to…find a bank WITHIN 5 MILES OF MY HOUSE
I’ll be going once a week – it needs to be nearby.

20. Enter: Personas
“SEO company in Cincinnati”
I want to…find an SEO company; I don’t know exactly what I
need, otherwise I would have searched a specific service
like “link-building” or “content marketing”; I want them local
because I feel more comfortable meeting face-to-face; I
don’t have a large budget and am just starting
out, otherwise I’d use my referral network instead of
searching the web; I’m looking for a list of companies to
research because I didn’t search for a specific company; I’m
relatively high in the funnel stage; I’d respond to blog posts
and remarketing because I’m not quite ready to give up my
email…

21. Why is intent
important?

22. It gives searchers what they want…
And when you give searchers what they want, you give
Google what it wants.
Google rewards you with…
Higher CTR
Lower CPC
Better organic rankings

23. A real-life example
Search term:
Cincinnati birthday parties

24. What’s the searcher’s intent?
Parents researching places to have a
kid’s birthday party in Cincinnati, or…
Parents researching birthday party ideas
for a kid’s party in Cincinnati.

25. Ads - Give them what they want
Original ad
$1.04 CPC
1.77% CTR
New ad (targeted toward intent)
$0.45 CPC
3.19% CTR

26. Landing Page - Give them what they want
A list of places in Cincinnati to have a
kid’s birthday party, or…
A list of creative ideas for a kid’s birthday
party.

27. SEO Bonus!

28. Write a bomb description for SEO!
Which would you click on?

29. How do I determine
searcher intent?
Using PPC of course!

30. How to determine searcher intent?
1. Optimize PPC campaigns
2. Brainstorm possible intents
3. Create ads to test intent
4. Create landing pages to test intent
5. Measure CTR, bounce rate, time on page, etc
6. Use successful ads to help with description copy

31. Recap – 5 Easy Fixes
1.Disable the display network
2.Remove broad match terms
3.Create specific ad groups
4.Simplify your match types
5.Create ads & landing pages to match searcher
intent

32. John Crenshaw
@johncrenshaw
www.RazorlightMedia.com/blog/