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Paid Search Campaigns What Makes The Heavy Lifting So Heavy
T IS A CRITICAL COMPONENT expanded keyword lists and
of the day-to-day tasks lowered bids for non-performing
that occur behind the terms.
scenes of any paid search
marketing campaign. It's commonly What remains hidden is the
experienced by those on the time-consuming back and forth
frontlines. It is a necessary with each engine in order to
evil. It is something that does ensure a perfect launch or
not need to be so complex and retrieve ongoing campaign
cumbersome--but often is. updates. As much as we try to
streamline our interactions with
Simply put, it is customer the engines, there will always be
service. But in this case it is a need for constant conversations
the engine's service of its and confirmations. If you haven't
customer--the agency. already today, please go thank
your campaign managers for what
It's only keywords and textlinks they frequently have to endure.
On the surface, our clients are As mentioned by Gord Hotchkiss in
presented with only the end a previous "Search Insider"
product--neat, detailed, article, those not connected to
executive-level campaign our industry tend to simplify
summaries and charts that what we do as nothing more than
indicate efficient search "typ[ing] phrases to drive ad
marketing performance tied with traffic." If only it were that
strategic recommendations. Often simple.
these summaries validate the need
for an ongoing search marketing The customer (agency) is always
presence. Clients also understand right...sometimes
such top-level tactics as
Each engine has its own campaigns, engine staffers simply
methodologies, terms and stated that they "don't know" and
conditions, processes and they "were not privy to that
policies. During the course of a information from upper
paid search marketing campaign, management." How can we set our
you may very well experience one client expectations when the
or some of the following issues engines themselves are unable to
that contribute to the "heavy provide guidance?
lifting," such as:
Without prior notification,
Regardless of client pedigree your set daily spend caps are
and potential, you're required to exceeded above a normal
invest a monthly minimum spend percentage. The engine claims
threshold. Last time I checked, there was an unforeseen "system
there was more than one engine in error," and kindly apologizes for
the marketplace. burning through a large percent
of your monthly budget.
The text creative that you
initially submitted, following Somehow another advertiser is
several stakeholders' approval, securing sponsored listings
has mysteriously been altered against your client's brand name.
based on what the engine "felt You're aware of the engine's
would perform better." policy and have taken action, yet
the advertiser's listings links
When they were asked for to a page that is not compliant
explanations on what the effect with the engine's existing list
of certain engine guidelines of guidelines. Poor result
(such as cosmetic changes in the relevancy is more important than
way a result would be listed) trademark infringement?
would mean for existing
Depending on your client's glitches, editorial oversights or
business, setting up a new overall lapses in customer
campaign requires coordination service, one question still
with several engine remains--can standardization
representatives that in some way minimize pain points and improve
serve the same purpose or do not engine-to-agency customer
effectively communicate. Remember service?
the days of ONE engine
representative handling ALL of Are these issues isolated
your paid search campaigns, incidents, or industry-wide? At a
regardless of vertical? recent conference, this was a
recurring topic of discussion
While these issues have not among a few SEM enthusiasts.
affected our client's campaign Feedback among the group was
performances, because experience mixed. There was no unanimous
allows all of us to set realistic engine winner or loser. For every
turnaround times and account of an engine that did
expectations, they have cost us something great, there was a
all additional hours in dealing horror story worse than any in
with the engines behind the the aforementioned list.
scenes. Maybe no one side is to
blame. Maybe these are just Thankfully, it appears that the
outcomes of our industry's engines are heading in a
tremendous growth spurt in the direction of standardizing some
past few years. Is there a fix? of their offerings, including
text creative character
Industry standards? limitations, soon-to-be-special
algorithms for determining a
While all engines do their best sponsored ad's rank, and
to fix any unforeseen system dayparting capabilities. This
will at least allow for a common indicates that our jobs will get
level of expectations around easier. I'm sure we can all say
process and procedures. How long that the various engines'
before standardized back-end customer service has improved
financial systems, electronic over the past few years, but it
insertion orders, trademark is not ideal. Agencies will
policies and agency relationship continue to offer solutions on
models follow? how this can be improved. Engines
will continue to make minor
Will things get worse before they improvements here and there. Our
get better? industry will continue to evolve.
We're in this together At the end of the day, our
interests should be aligned with
Every day brings another delivering value to our clients
announcement about an engine's and making the heavy lifting a
new technology, acquisition or ad little lighter.
management component. So, nothing
About the Author:
Erik Harbison writes about SEO, SEM and search engine optimization .
Read more articles by: Erik Harbison
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