search marketing experts since 1995 anton e. konikoff acronym media december 4, 2006
TRANSCRIPT
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Another job interview at Acronym..
Anton: Why do you think ad testing is important?
Candidate:Mmm.. So that you can increase the click through rate….?
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Why Engage in Ad Testing?
• Get quantifiable insights in a controlled environment
• Understand messaging effectiveness
• Identify the most attractive product offerings/benefits
• Create the optimal search campaign that maximizes ROAS/ROI
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Search Provides a Perfect Platform for Testing
• Google democratized the concept – Everyone feels like a research pro– Need for careful experiment design
• Keeping it simple (for now)– CTR and conversion rates– Memorability, brand perception by demo next?
• Direct Marketers’R’Us– No assumptions; let customer voice be heard
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Fundamentals of Ad Testing – Where Can You Test?
Google/MSN – Allows for a controlled environment with Ad Rotation
• Ad Rotation – Ability to rotate multiple creatives for a group of similar keywords.
• Google automatically delivers the ad with the higher Click-through Rate (CTR) more frequently.
– Turn this option off when doing ad testing to ensure equal delivery of ad variations
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Fundamentals of Ad Testing - Where Can You Test?
Yahoo & Other Engines- Ad rotation is currently not available in Yahoo! and Tier II engines
– These engines have a 1:1 keyword-ad copy relationship
– Ad tests for Yahoo! and other engines can be conducted by rotating in different ads at different times
• Example: For 2 weeks, use ad copy A. For the next two weeks, use ad copy B, and so on
• Changing with Yahoo Panama release
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Fundamentals: Key Metrics
• Click-Through Rate (CTR) – How attractive is your ad or offering– Which messaging is more effective
at driving traffic – A high CTR allows ads to maintain the same
position with lower bids due to increased Quality Score
• Conversion Rate By Ad – Ultimate measure of success! – Capability to track both on a keyword and ad creative level
through Google Value Track and similar systems
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Ad Testing Setup
How Much to Test?• Small budgets: 3-4 ads • Larger budgets: 5+ ads
• Allow enough time and spend
Data sample size• How much data should be collected before
evaluating ad copies?• At least 100 clicks, ideally at least 1,000 clicks
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Tactics For Title Lines/Display URL
• Title Lines– Leverage your titles lines to closely
match the keywords in your ad group
• Display URLs – Use display URL to test additional messaging:
• Paltalk.com/FreeTrial” vs. “Paltalk.com” as display URL
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Description Lines
• Keep your title line consistent to test descriptions, then test titles
• Create a variety of description lines using a themed approach:
– Price Points “All Time Low Price!”– Official Site “Visit Official Site”– Time Sensitive/Urgency “Buy Now!” “Apply by
12/6”– Promotional Offers “Save 50% With Coupon!”– Language Variations “Join Now” Vs. “Signup Now”
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Award-Winning
Unique
• Tested three themes of ad copy across all ad groups• Discovered that the “Award-Winning” theme had the
highest CTR with a 11.72% and highest conversion rates
Klutz Toys – Themed Copy Testing
How-to
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
More Granular Ad Testing
• Punctuation‘Try Free Today!’ vs ‘Try Free Today.’
• CapitalizationSirius.com vs SIRIUS.com in display URL
• Proper Case vs. Sentence Case‘Get Free Trial Now. Vs.. ‘Get free trial now.’
• Accent Usage vs. Non-Accent UsageUseful in foreign language campaigns
• Keyword Insertion vs. Non-Keyword InsertionUsing Keyword Insertion in titles will almost always increase CTR, but
not necessarily improve the conversion rate
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Sirius Radio Case Study
• $30 rebate OR Low Subscription Fee of $9.99/month • Test Period: 1 Month
$30 Off One Free Month
PPC Referrals 27,856 28,412
Click-Through Rate 4.5% 3.5%
Conversion Rate By Ad 3.5% 1.5%
$30 Rebate Free Trial
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Ad Testing: Path to Success
• Start with the most straightforward test
• Try multiple (and radical) hypotheses
• Keep up a testing regimen TEST TEST TEST, then INVEST
• Set aside a budget for testing
• Reserve multivariate testing for Stage 7
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Be curious. Don’t settle. Always Be Testing.
“What we have to do is to be forever curiously testing new opinions and courting new impressions.”
Walter PaterEnglish Writer and Critic,
1873
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Contact Information
Questions? (or for a visit to the top of the Empire State Building):
Anton KonikoffAcronym [email protected]
www.acronym.com