The Paid Search Podcast | A Weekly Podcast About Google Ads and Online Marketing

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Jason Rothman - https://rothmanppc.com/
Chris Schaeffer - https://www.chrisschaeffer.com/

Show Notes:
We've heard a lot of buzz lately about performance max, so this week we're doing a deep dive into performance max campaigns starting with what exactly they are, what we like about them, what we don't like about them, and how we think they'll be most effective. 

(8:03) What is performance max?

(15:43) What we like about performance max

(30:40) What we don't like about performance max

(40:17) When we would use performance max

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Adventures by A Himitsu https://soundcloud.com/a-himitsu
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Please support our sponsors because they make the show possible!
Get Opteo for free for two months - https://opteo.com/psp

Chris Schaeffer - https://www.chrisschaeffer.com/
Jason Rothman - https://rothmanppc.com/

Show Notes:
There are a lot of things that can cause stress when you're managing a Google Ads campaign including new competitors, Google Ads changes, and people. In this episode, Chris and Jason give scenarios that lead to stress and explain how they handle them. 

(7:02) Intro to topic

(9:42) Search terms are the most important part of Google Ads

(15:54) How keyword match types lead to success

(22:51) Stop searching in Google to see your own ads

(28:22) How to use broad keywords for success

(35:13) The two secrets to using responsive ads
- Use ad copy you like
- Balance your needs with Google

(42:42) Think critically about conversion data in Google Ads

We need your help! Please help us grow the show:
If you don't mind, please leave us a rating and review where you listen to podcasts and share the show with friends because it helps us grow the show and create more content.
 
Send us your questions here - https://paidsearchpodcast.com/contact-us/
Subscribe on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/ThePaidSearchPodcast
First 100 Episodes - https://paidsearchpodcast.com/archive/   

Adventures by A Himitsu https://soundcloud.com/a-himitsu
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/2Pj0MtT
Music released by Argofox https://youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/MkNy

Submit a question or comment

Please support our sponsors because they make the show possible!
Get Opteo for free for two months - https://opteo.com/psp

Jason Rothman - https://rothmanppc.com/
Chris Schaeffer - https://www.chrisschaeffer.com/

Links:
About Ad Strength for responsive search ads - https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9921843
About location insertion for responsive search ads - https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9773001
Check out Ryan Suchit’s YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBu-8pX2ff0HOurz7TxQEqA
Ryan’s video about location insertion in responsive search ads - https://youtu.be/k_ukaHbtJ_E

Show Notes:
With the changes to expanded texts ads coming in July, we recently released 3 episodes doing a deep dive into responsive search ads. Since then there have been two interesting things we've learned regarding the ad strength tool and an advanced location feature. In this episode, we investigate if our ads are being limited due to ad strength and discuss how we're responding. We also share an advanced location feature that you'll absolutely love and have a chat with the man who told us about it, Ryan Suchit. 

(7:45) We need to talk about ad strength on responsive ads
Are your ads being limited due to ad strength? The campaign is being throttled in some way, but we don't know how much you’re being limited. 

(31:20) Advanced location feature in responsive ads 
If Google knows the location of your user, they will put the city, state, or country (depending on which option you select). If they don’t know, they’ll put in your default text.

(42:27) Interview with Ryan Suchit

We need your help! Please help us grow the show:
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Send us your questions here - https://paidsearchpodcast.com/contact-us/
Subscribe on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/ThePaidSearchPodcast
Subscribe to the newsletter - https://paidsearchpodcast.substack.com/
First 100 Episodes - https://paidsearchpodcast.com/archive/   

Adventures by A Himitsu https://soundcloud.com/a-himitsu
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/2Pj0MtT
Music released by Argofox https://youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/MkNy

Submit a question or comment

Please support our sponsors because they make the show possible!
Get Opteo for free for two months - https://opteo.com/psp

Jason Rothman - https://rothmanppc.com/
Chris Schaeffer - https://www.chrisschaeffer.com/

Show Notes:
We're back with another Q&A with some amazing questions from our listeners about targeting a national campaign for good results, software as a service (SaaS) keywords, blocking websites in a dynamic remarketing campaign, SKAGs for e-commerce, and how NFTs might affect Google Ads.

(4:04) Targeting a national campaign for good results
I’m running Google Ads campaigns in one location and was getting good results. I’ve scaled it out to more locations (national), ran exactly like I had it in my one location, but the conversion rate has completely dropped. How should I target a national campaign for good results? 

(12:08) Software as a service (SaaS) keywords
I am a Google Ads freelancer with a couple of clients and I wanted to see if you would be interested in covering SaaS products a little more specifically. There are situations where I am targeting keywords that 100% target the services a client offers. I'll spend months trying to get it to work. They have a bunch of people reach the “book now” page and for the most part, they drop off.  I just can't fathom why the keywords I have selected wouldn't work at all.

(21:29) Blocking websites in a dynamic remarketing campaign
Shopping has been the real game-changer for our little online store. This past weekend I launched our first dynamic retargeting campaign, where the specific product someone looked at is marketed back to them. Since we launched, I’ve been playing whack-a-mole constantly! I add websites to my exclusion list daily, hundreds of them. Now I check every site individually to ascertain legitimacy. This is a losing game, I don’t have the time to eliminate hundreds of websites every day! So, isn’t it better to just not let Google do automatic placements, make a list of websites that I know are legitimate websites, and only target those?

(31:22) SKAGs for e-commerce
I believe that the way I go about setting up google ads using SKAGs for an E-commerce store may be a bit old school. Do you guys have some advice on the best way to advertise products to B2B customers that will "in theory" drive the most conversions?

(38:38) NFTs effect on Google Ads
Do you think NFTs will impact Google Ads or how we use them? Do you think companies will start to search for NFT specific marketing companies?

We need your help! Please help us grow the show:
If you don't mind, please leave us a rating and review where you listen to podcasts and share the show with friends because it helps us grow the show and create more content.
 
Send us your questions here - https://paidsearchpodcast.com/contact-us/
Subscribe on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/ThePaidSearchPodcast
Subscribe to the newsletter - https://paidsearchpodcast.substack.com/
First 100 Episodes - https://paidsearchpodcast.com/archive/   

Adventures by A Himitsu https://soundcloud.com/a-himitsu
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/2Pj0MtT
Music released by Argofox https://youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/MkNy

Submit a question or comment

Please support our sponsors because they make the show possible!
Get Opteo for free for two months - https://opteo.com/psp

Chris Schaeffer - https://www.chrisschaeffer.com/
Jason Rothman - https://rothmanppc.com/

Show Notes:
Continuing to delay your start on Google Ads is a huge opportunity cost and you’re also letting your competitors take market share from you by allowing them to get further and further ahead on Google Ads. Don't wait! In this episode, we're explaining how you can get started easily and safely. 

(7:49) How long should you give your campaign before you expect to see results? 
Results take time. Wait a minimum of 90 days.

(10:20) How to set your first month’s budget
It will vary depending on the business, but don't budget more than you can afford to lose in 3 months if you didn't get a single conversion. For most businesses, $1000 per month is a good jumping-off point.

(15:34) Turn search partners and display network off on campaign
If you're new to Google Ads and concerned with your budget, you want to focus your advertising on Google only. 

(21:14) Location targeting with advanced options
People are constantly on the move. Go as wide as possible in your service area.

(31:35) Bidding
Start by using automated bidding with max clicks.

(35:29) Match types 
Try using broad match with max clicks or phrase match; exact match can restrict your results. The most important thing is having good keywords. 

(43:17) How to find a good set of no brainer, high-value keywords you can't get hurt with 
There is no fool-proof method. The key is to test and learn.

(48:36) Ads
You only need 1 responsive ad in the ad group. Do not include the name of your company in that ad.

(50:18) Extensions
Extensions are different parts of the ad that can show up under your ad copy such as call extensions, call-outs, site links, and structured snippets. You don't get to control how often they show up.

(51:38) How you can track leads
Calls from ads, website calls, and lead forms 

We need your help! Please help us grow the show:
If you don't mind, please leave us a rating and review where you listen to podcasts and share the show with friends because it helps us grow the show and create more content.
 
Send us your questions here - https://paidsearchpodcast.com/contact-us/
Subscribe on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/ThePaidSearchPodcast
Subscribe to the newsletter - https://paidsearchpodcast.substack.com/
First 100 Episodes - https://paidsearchpodcast.com/archive/   

Adventures by A Himitsu https://soundcloud.com/a-himitsu
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/2Pj0MtT
Music released by Argofox https://youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/MkNy

Submit a question or comment

Please support our sponsors because they make the show possible!
Get Opteo for free for two months - https://opteo.com/psp

Jason Rothman - https://rothmanppc.com/
Chris Schaeffer - https://www.chrisschaeffer.com/

Show Notes:
We're officially 300 episodes in, so this week we're talking about the state of Google Ads, what’s changed, and where we’re at now six years after launching the podcast.

(4:52) Introduction to the topic - how Google Ads has changed since the beginning of PSP

(12:52) Limited ad status, the system flagging ads
Contact support for help, otherwise ignore if you’re getting volume.

(17:48) Perfect results are still possible, but you have to get creative
Phrase being looser sometimes means more exact match.
Phrase is sometimes like BMM or broad.
Using conversion value/cost aka ROAS a lot more. Conversions matter more now that we can’t see or control as many search terms.

(29:00) Unlucky Accounts - can’t see a lot of search terms
Some accounts are only showing 20% of search terms. That makes it hard to do good work. 

(34:19) Impression Absolute Top Percentage
The crucial data column tells you exact where you’re at.

(41:10) Responsive ads bring volume
If you want volume, give into responsive ads.

(45:10) Weird Search Partners data 
Keep an eye on this one if you see 90% of clicks or even 100%, unnaturally low CPC, and no conversions.

(47:58) Opportunity cost is the biggest loss
Start a Google Ads campaign or hire a professional. There's outstanding potential. 

(51:29) Stop screwing up your Google Ads account
Managers are making too many changes. Have some patience. Strategies take time to develop. Give it at least 90 days or spend more money. 

We need your help! Please help us grow the show:
If you don't mind, please leave us a rating and review where you listen to podcasts and share the show with friends because it helps us grow the show and create more content.
 
Send us your questions here - https://paidsearchpodcast.com/contact-us/
Subscribe on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/ThePaidSearchPodcast
Subscribe to the newsletter - https://paidsearchpodcast.substack.com/
First 100 Episodes - https://paidsearchpodcast.com/archive/   

Adventures by A Himitsu https://soundcloud.com/a-himitsu
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/2Pj0MtT
Music released by Argofox https://youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/MkNy

Submit a question or comment

Please support our sponsors because they make the show possible!
Get Opteo for free for two months - https://opteo.com/psp

Chris Schaeffer - https://www.chrisschaeffer.com/
Jason Rothman - https://rothmanppc.com/

Show Notes:
In the last episode, Jason and Chris discussed how to build a YouTube campaign In Google Ads. This week they're discussing what kind of results you can expect from your YouTube campaign after it's built by running through various campaign metrics and offering some ideas about how you can improve your campaign. 

(7:20) Views vs. Impressions
Impression - thumbnail is shown (in-feed) or video is watched under 30 seconds (in-stream); View - the video is watched more than 30 seconds

(9:43) View rate (percentages)

(17:27) CPV (Cost Per View)
Can be as low as $0.01; typically $0.03 - $0.07

(20:21) Clicks and Cost Per Click
CPC looks high because it accounts for total spend divided by clicks

(24:12) Conversions

(27:39) Earned
Views, subscribers, shares, likes

(32:54) What should I expect from a YouTube campaign?
High volume on gaming, music, and entertainment content, rare lead generation or sales, opportunities to build your assets, cheap testing

(36:39) How can I improve my YouTube campaigns?
Use exclusions, define your goal metric then test and optimize for it

We need your help! Please help us grow the show:
If you don't mind, please leave us a rating and review where you listen to podcasts and share the show with friends because it helps us grow the show and create more content.
 
Send us your questions here - https://paidsearchpodcast.com/contact-us/
Subscribe on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/ThePaidSearchPodcast
Subscribe to the newsletter - https://paidsearchpodcast.substack.com/
First 100 Episodes - https://paidsearchpodcast.com/archive/   

Adventures by A Himitsu https://soundcloud.com/a-himitsu
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/2Pj0MtT
Music released by Argofox https://youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/MkNy it's 

Submit a question or comment

Please support our sponsors because they make the show possible!
Get Opteo for free for two months - https://opteo.com/psp

Jason Rothman - https://rothmanppc.com/
Chris Schaeffer - https://www.chrisschaeffer.com/

Show Notes:
YouTube is a powerful tool but is typically underutilized with people focused on search. The good news is that if you have experience with search campaigns and marketing, YouTube is very doable. In this episode, Chris and Jason explain the types of ads you can run on the platform, walk through bidding strategies, and offer some examples of audiences and content targeting. 

(7:41) What ads can you run on YouTube?
In-stream and In-feed video ads (formerly discovery ads)

(15:03) What bidding strategy should you use?
CPM (focuses on impressions) and CPV (focuses on views)

(20:29) Where do I show my video ads on YouTube?
Audiences (people), videos (content), demographic

(28:13) What are some example audiences?
Interest & habits - Sports: golf enthusiasts, Olympics fans
In-Market - Baby: early childhood education, toys

(34:34) What are some examples of content targeting?
Topics, keywords, placements

We need your help! Please help us grow the show:
If you don't mind, please leave us a rating and review where you listen to podcasts and share the show with friends because it helps us grow the show and create more content.
 
Send us your questions here - https://paidsearchpodcast.com/contact-us/
Subscribe on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/ThePaidSearchPodcast
Subscribe to the newsletter - https://paidsearchpodcast.substack.com/
First 100 Episodes - https://paidsearchpodcast.com/archive/   

Adventures by A Himitsu https://soundcloud.com/a-himitsu
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/2Pj0MtT
Music released by Argofox https://youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/MkNy it's 

Submit a question or comment

Please support our sponsors because they make the show possible!
Get Opteo for free for two months - https://opteo.com/psp

Chris Schaeffer - https://www.chrisschaeffer.com/
Jason Rothman - https://rothmanppc.com/

Links:
About optimization score - https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9061546

Relative CTR - https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2454071
 
Understand your conversion tracking data - https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6270625

About view-through conversions - https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6270625

Show Notes:
In this episode, Chris and Jason break down 5 data columns in Google Ads that they consider underused or get asked about frequently.

(5:33) News - Facebook shares plunge more than 20%

(9:30) Optimization score
Optimization score is an estimate of how well your Google Ads account is set to perform and is able to determine your campaign's goal through your bid strategy. 

(17:54) Relative CTR
Relative CTR measures how your ads perform on Display Network sites compared to other ads on the same sites. 

(28:45) Conversion Value/Cost
Conversion value per cost estimates your return on investment. It's calculated by dividing your total conversion value by the total cost of all ad interactions. 

(32:53) View-through conversions
View-through conversions tell you when customers see, but don't interact with your ad, but then later complete a conversion on your site. 

(42:39) Active Bid Adjustment (at the ad group level)
Bid adjustments allow you to show your ads more or less frequently based on where, when, and how people search.

We need your help! Please help us grow the show:
If you don't mind, please leave us a rating and review where you listen to podcasts and share the show with friends because it helps us grow the show and create more content.
 
Send us your questions here - https://paidsearchpodcast.com/contact-us/
Subscribe on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/ThePaidSearchPodcast
Subscribe to the newsletter - https://paidsearchpodcast.substack.com/
First 100 Episodes - https://paidsearchpodcast.com/archive/   

Adventures by A Himitsu https://soundcloud.com/a-himitsu
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/2Pj0MtT
Music released by Argofox https://youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/MkNy it's 

Submit a question or comment

Please support our sponsors because they make the show possible!
Get Opteo for free for two months - https://opteo.com/psp

Jason Rothman - https://rothmanppc.com/
Chris Schaeffer - https://www.chrisschaeffer.com/

Links:
About click share - https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6299696
About negative keywords - https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2453972

Show Notes:
We're back with another Q&A with some awesome questions from our listeners about click share, bounce rate vs. engaged sessions, transitioning a complex setup to the new "SKAG" structure, and the differences among broad, phrase, and exact match negative keywords. 

(4:37) How do I get to the top of the search and maps?

(18:05) Re: your brand campaign episode - what if your company name is also a keyword for the company? [our company name] is the same keyword [clients] might search for.

(23:25) Let's say my click share is 60% and I have 60 clicks. I know that the meaning is that there are 40 clicks that I could have received, but didn't. My question is does it mean the 40 clicks went to my competitor’s ads? Or it could have gone to my organic ad or my competitor's organic ad? Does click share measure from a potential click from paid media only?

(33:31) With bounce rate becoming obsolete and being replaced in GA4, do you think Google has been calculating it wrong all this time? Can you shed any insights on how bounce rate and engaged sessions may differ or be the same?

(39:58) How do you transition from a very complex setup with multiple campaigns and ad groups that are time-consuming and low performing to the new SKAG structure?

(45:33) I'd appreciate you talking about negative keywords and how precise they are now versus in the past and if things are changing in the less "word for word" Google Ads world we live in today. And what are the differences in broad, phrase, and exact match negative keywords if any?

We need your help! Please help us grow the show:
If you don't mind, please leave us a rating and review where you listen to podcasts and share the show with friends because it helps us grow the show and create more content.
 
Send us your questions here - https://paidsearchpodcast.com/contact-us/
Subscribe on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/ThePaidSearchPodcast
Subscribe to the newsletter - https://paidsearchpodcast.substack.com/
First 100 Episodes - https://paidsearchpodcast.com/archive/   

Adventures by A Himitsu https://soundcloud.com/a-himitsu
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/2Pj0MtT
Music released by Argofox https://youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/MkNy

Submit a question or comment