Disabled Adwords

[AussieWebmaster]

The most annoying part of AdWords (well the algorythm for placement is up there) is the disabling.

What are the methods you have found that help counter this. It gets tricky when some go offline for CTR of say 3%.

Apart from working on improving CTR there are ways of working the term back (changing from braod to phrase to exact)... moving the term to a new separate campaign... etc.

[andrewgoodman]

One method to use is "rampant negativing."

Using negative keywords to ensure your ads are not displayed on common phrases that are NOT relevant to your business will raise your CTR. Such common phrases can be found by using the AdWords keyword tool.

This is hard work in areas where new common searches are popping up all the time, though. It's a full-time job to go in and add celebrity and company names as negative keywords so the term (eg.) "going bankrupt" doesn't get disabled because of buzz around Mike Tyson's money problems or Marlon Brando's lack of them.

[AussieWebmaster]

I think we have a new industry term "rampant negativing"... love it. And I agree it is a great method.

[Mikkel deMib Svendsen]

If you have already got a keyword disabled I found many ways to get it back - depending on the frequency of searches for that keyword, number of other advertisers and general click rate.

I usually start out with narrowing down the keyword segmentation - adding negatives, using phrase match (or exact phrase match, if phrase match is already used) or by selecting new, longer search phrases (OK, that dosen't really get the old keyword back, but might get some of the users in that group of searchers).

Next, I look closer at what the copy of the other ads look like and not the least, what the editorial results are like. Low CTRs on AdWords can sometimes be because the editorial results are just so good - just as very high CTRs can be an indication of the opposite. After looking at the text of the other ads I try to change my ads so they stand out more. Sometimes you see 7 ot of 10 titles in a search result almost identical because everyone did "the right thing" and placed the keyword first in the title. Well, sometimes that single company that stand out with a title that dosen't have the keyword first (or maybe not at all) win most of the clicks. I've experienced just that. Creativity wins (thats what I like so much about the AdWords "game")

Finally I often chose to go in with a "over-bidding" strategy, paying whatever it takes, outbidding everyone, to stay as close to the top as poissible and build better CTR. Once the keyword have decent CTR (I usually let it run for a few thousand impressions) I start lowering the bids until I reach a level of CTR that will keep me in but at a CPC I can live with.

It generally seems to work pretty well, but off course there will always be keywords you just can keep in. Drop them and move on, is my best advice :)

[AdWordsRep]

In addition to those provided by Mikkel deMib Svendsen, here are a few tips for re-enabling a disabled keyword - especially one that has been very difficult to keep running:

* First delete the keyword everywhere it occurs in your account. If it is disabled in one place, it will be disabled everywhere it occurs. And if you don't delete them all, then it is still disabled - and you won't have success re-using it.

* Re-use the keyword in a new Ad Group. Consider following Mikkel deMib Svendsen's advice about making it a "phrase match" or [exact match] if was broad matched before.

* Ideally, your 'problem keyword' would be the only keyword in the new Ad Group (other than negatives).

* If the keyword is broad matched or "phrase matched" then use negative keywords to your advantage, to prevent your ad from showing for searches that are not relevant to what you offer.

* Shop for negative keywords in the first 100 or so search results for that keyword. (Or more, if you have the time and patience. :) )

* Write the best possible ad that is about exactly the same thing as the keyword.

* Consider putting the keyword in the ad's headline, while keeping in mind Mikkel deMib Svendsen's advice. At the very least, make sure the headline is clearly about the same thing as the keyword.

Using these tips, and Mikkel deMib Svendsen's, you'll have your best shot at recovering a problem keyword.

AWR