This Search Best Practice Checklist has been put together to provide a comprehensive list of optimization and account management tips which you should follow to drive the best possible results from your clients campaigns.
The page is split into the 4 major sections that influence search campaign performance:
- Ad Text
- Budgets
- Bids
- Keywords
Each section has a list of best practices which can positively impact the results of your search campaigns.
Keywords
Title
- Structure
- Coverage-Brand
- Coverage
- Coverage
- Creative
- Creative
- Seasonality
- Seasonality
Level
Beginner
Best Practice
- Structure account(s) to mirror site
- Include brand terms
- Cover all products
- Include relevant negatives
- Deep link to relevant landing pages
- Relate the creative to the keywords
- Have annual seasonal plan
- Have seasonal keywords and creatives ready,
- Structure
- Structure
- Structure
- Coverage – Brand
- Coverage
- Coverage
- Coverage
- Coverage
- Coverage
- Coverage
- Coverage
Intermediate
- Delete duplicate keywords
- Separate campaigns for converting keywords
- Separate campaign for top volume drivers
- Include brand misspellings
- Use generic keywords to drive awareness
- Use generic keywords to boost conversions
- Understand queries matched by keywords
- Keep reviewing kw set to capture new queries
- Keep reviewing kw set to filter unwanted clicks/queries
- Match keywords to search queries to enable targeted ad text
- Use product specific keywords to drive conversions
- Structure
- Structure Automation
- Coverage – Brand
- Coverage – Automation
- Seasonality Automation
Advanced
- Create testing environment for new keywords
- Flag keywords which are performing well and restructure if necessary
- Include brand territory terms
- Pull data from logs and automatically populate existing campaigns with relevant keywords.
- Flag queries which spike. Add keywords/incorporate them following year
Adtext
Title
- Creative
- Creative
- Creative
- Creative
- Creative
- Creative
- Creative
- Creative
- Seasonality
- Seasonality
Level
Beginner
Best Practice
- Include special offers in ad text
- Test brands in ad text
- Test DKI/static in ad text
- Test CTAs in ad text
- Test seasonal creative
- Match online and offline messaging
- Deep link to relevant landing pages
- Relate the creative to the keywords
- Have annual seasonal plan
- Have seasonal keywords and creatives ready,
- Creative
- Creative
- Creative
- Creative
- Creative
- Creative
- Creative
Intermediate
- Include delivery details in ad text
- Test offline messaging in ad text
- Test prices in ad text
- Test no. of products in ad text
- Include Third-Party Awards where possible
- Test capatilisation variations
- Keep trialling different creatives,
Bids
Best Practice
- Have annual seasonal plan
- Separate campaigns for converting keywords
- Separate campaign for top volume drivers
- Set CPC’s to appear in the most profitable position
- Be prepared to raise CPCs during seasonal peaks
- Create testing environment for new keywords
- Flag keywords which are performing well and restructure if necessary
- Keep up with ROI figures and alter CPCs accordingly
Level
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Budgets
Search/Content
- Search & Content
Title
- Seasonality
Level
Beginner
Best Practice
- Have annual seasonal plan
- Search
- Search
- Search
- Search
- Structure
- Structure
- Bidding and Budgeting
- Bidding and Budgeting
Intermediate
- Separate campaigns for converting keywords
- Separate campaign for top volume drivers
- Budget for maximum return
- Raise your budget caps to take advantage of positive ROI
- Search
- Search
- Search
- Search and Content
- Structure
- Structure Automation
- Bidding and Budget Automation
- Seasonality
Advanced
- Create testing environment for new keywords
- Flag keywords which are performing well and restructure if necessary
- Automate daily budget reports
- Keep up with seasonal trends and one off events that may lead to traffic spikes