Do you Audit your Google Optimizers work?

[huebdoo]

Now working in a big corporate company after working in a smaller company that made a fortune on CPC online.

This company relies (a little too heavily to me) on Google optimizers to do the keyword and ad layouts

Question? Do you audit and optimize your keywords that you receive from your Google optimizers?

I notice way way too much of Broad Match keywords versus [Exact Phrase] keywords

I look forward to your thoughts

I know I personally added around 1500 specific words to ours.

-Jade

[vayapues]

I am responsible for the SEM in my company. They depend on me for the entire strategy. Actually, bottom line is they just want leads.

I have a budget, and sit alone in my office undistrubed all day. As long as leads pour in, they are happy. I don't get audited, but I do put a regular report together and send it to them.

Not sure if they read it or not.

[B-Double-U]

I audit all of them for one reason and one reason only....

It's in *their* best interest to give you ads and words that produce traffic.

Advertising networks want to bring you the exposure and have their visitors click through, that's where they make their money.... It's your job to convert them into buyers. If I have a fishing shop.... I don't want the keywords water, pole, fish etc.... That would bring in hundreds of thousands of visitors that aren't going to convert (most likely).

This is why I dropped MSN. I gave them a list of keywords. They chose which words they liked....dropped my specific 3 and 4 word terms that converted and replaced them with global terms. End result: lots and lots of irrelevant traffic with a nice big price tag.

The only ones I let go through are from Overture (YSM), because it is so hard to get keywords up and on with them... I let them place them up and then I manipulate them once they are in the account.

I can't think of any reason NOT to audit them.... That would be like not balancing your checkbook.

[cline]

When you say "Google optimizers", exactly who are you referring to? Google employees, or an outsource PPC management firm?

Originally Posted by huebdoo

I notice way way too much of Broad Match keywords versus [Exact Phrase] keywords

There are some differences of opinion on this, and different approaches. Have you thought of asking them why things were done as they were?

[shor]

Pretty sure the OP is referring to Google Creative Maximizers (click for Sydney opening ) whose job includes:

* Building relevant, researched keyword lists for campaigns.
* Categorising keywords into scalable groups.
* Proactively monitoring and analysing campaign performance data.
* Leading efforts to improve ad relevancy in your region.
* Suggesting ways to improve performance.

Working with an in-house team, we simply use Creative Maximizers to suggest ad copy (lots) and keyword permutations (few) that we haven't got in our existing campaigns, while keeping an eye on our many accounts (technically this is the job of the account manager, but the more eyes the merrier right?).

When creative maximizers are largely responsible for optimizing your AdWords campaigns I've seen varying results, usually just depends on the quality of the CM and how effectively the client communicates with the CM - to a degree the same pros/cons with hiring a SEM agency. Naturally it is to Google's advantage that you spend more - the difference between achieving this through a high CPC, little/no optimization account that eats up its budget quickly and through a highly efficient account (that hence should attract a greater % of spend) is up to you ensuring the CM is working together with you towards achieving the latter.

To answer the OP's question - open an ongoing and regular channel of communication with the CM, discuss your strategy with the CM so that you are both on the same page with regards to optimization and who does what. You shouldn't have to be 're-optimizing' or auditing a CM's work, that's wasting your time.

[davecarberry]

It's great to use them if it makes your job easier...but if the conversions are bad then it's only Google that profits. They aren't going to optimize your campaign.

You can utilize what they have and make modifications based what your internal conversions are. Their CM's don't typically measure that and I doubt they can judge your company's Return on Investment or Cost Per Aquisition.

"Test what they send, but don't over spend"