One of the most important things you can do to get all that you can out of your PPC campaigns is to practice granular ad group organization. This is because the more of your budget that you can funnel into granular ad groups, the better your results will be.
Basically, this means that your ad groups contain keyword phrases that are specifically the same in their search intent, as well as the same language that the searcher used in their query. Typically, I’ve found that this means each ad group’s foundational or anchor keyword be at least a 3-word phrase. No, this does not mean you throw out 1-2 word phrases.
Yes, “tv, hd tv, flatscreen tv and Panasonic flatscreen tv” could all be in the same ad group and you would sell some tvs. But, you wouldn’t have as good of a CTR and conversion rate as if you practiced granular ad group organization.
Plus, to which landing page are you sending your searchers? To your hd tv landing page? To your Panasonic tv landing page? To your flatscreen tv landing page? If you chose the first, you would be giving the shaft to those searchers specifically looking for a Panasonic. If your headline offered me a Panasonic and you took me to a page with a bunch of different brands, I would feel a bit shafted and would be more likely to bail.
If you chose the second, you would be assuming the searcher on the phrase “tv” was looking for a flatscreen. They’re more likely to bail. You get the point.
Like I said, this does not mean you leave out 1-2 word phrases because we know they carry a lot of needed volume and conversions. So, what do we do with them? Put them in their own campaign where you can better control them. Then, pull 3-word phrases that perform well enough to have their own ad groups and create them as you optimize your account.
So, how would this look?
Campaign #1 – Head Campaign – Ad groups would include “Flatscreen tv” and “Hd tv”
Campaign #2 – Flatscreen tv – Ad groups would include “Panasonic Flatscreen tv”.
Campaign #3 – Hd tv – Ad groups would include “lcd hd tv”
My head campaign would contain the ad group “flatscreen tv” that would drive a larger volume of traffic and conversions at lower rates and higher costs on average. But, one of its major functions is as a testing ground that will reveal 3-4 word phrases that should be their own ad groups.
Over time, I will be able to pull 3-word phrases that have performed well in the Head campaign that I have not given their own ad group and write a more specific and targeted ad for these searchers; as well as send them to the specific landing page that I know they are looking for. This will lead to increased CTR and conversions.
Over time, the money you spend on the Head campaign slowly shrinks because it gets transferred into the more granular ad groups you’ve consistently created over time in your other campaigns. As your budget is transferred, it is spent more wisely. This is a great way to build out the long tail in your PPC account.