We Are a Google Partner Specializing in Search Marketing and Search Optimization.
Can your budget be too low for Google Ads? Yes, it can be, based on the market and Google defined minimum bid to appear in the Google Ads auction.
So, what happens when your budget it too low in Google Ads?
You do not get ad impressions.
You get sporadic clicks and typically not during business hours.
You do not spend your daily budget.
You are not getting good click traffic.
Here’s the big catch, if your Google Ads budget is too low to support high click cost keywords (your first page bid), then Google tries so hard to meter out your program through the day that they literally do not deliver even your daily budget.
This continues through the month and accounts that really need a budget and cost per click boost to be competitive may deliver only a few hundred dollars of click activity with a budget of several thousand dollars.
To fix this problem, increase your budget, increase your cost per click and take a very careful look at your keywords (are they too narrow) and your ad serving schedule.
As a Google Partner and Bing Partner, I feel like I can speak with authority on this topic. In AdWords alone, I manage an actual monthly ad spend for clients of over $120,000 per 30 days or $1,441,776 yearly. As an experienced account manager I have to say that I simply hate broad match.
Don’t get me wrong, I like using broad match modifiers for keywords, but I feel that for most clients broad match is simply a way to bleed cash out of a pay per click account.
Google AdWords and Bing Ads (especially Bing Ads) Love, Love, Love broad match keywords. Heavy use of broad match without a reality check on the terms your ads are showing for is lining their pockets with your cash.
McCord Web Services is a Bing Partner and Accredited Bing Ads Professional.
If you don’t believe me, click just one of your high click volume broad match keywords and then click the drop down to view search queries. You will be shocked to see what is there.
Even with a huge and extensive negative keyword list, the way both Google and Bing Ads show your ads on synonyms for your broad match keyword would simply not be a good fit for most businesses that are focused on direct action or lead conversions and sales.
I hate to say never, but as click costs rise in an account the first thing I do is move out of broad match, use only broad match modifiers, phrase match and exact match. I end up with a much better cost per conversion and better overall results.
We Are a Google Partner Specializing in Search Marketing.
Broad Match Keyword Match Type – this is the most used AdWords keyword match type and the most unfiltered type. It is used almost exclusively by inexperienced AdWords managers.
AdWords loves the broad match keyword match type as it generates lots of traffic, many clicks, and increases their payment.
I personally do not like to use broad match and prefer to use instead broad match modifier which looks like this in the AdWords control panel +keyword +here.
Here’s what Google AdWords says about broad match keywords:
“When you use broad match, your ads automatically run on relevant variations of your keywords, even if these terms aren’t in your keyword lists. This helps you attract more visitors to your website, spend less time building keyword lists, and focus your spending on keywords that work.”
“Broad match is the default match type that all your keywords are assigned if you don’t specify another match type (exact match, phrase match, or negative match). The Google AdWords system automatically runs your ads on relevant variations of your keywords, including synonyms, singular and plural forms, possible misspellings, stemmings (such as floor and flooring), related searches, and other relevant variations. To help deliver relevant matches, this match type may also take the customer’s recent search activities into account.”
What Google does not say is that if your broad GPS fleet management for example Google would show your ads and generate click charges on broad matched keywords like: adware gps, air lq fleet, at&t fleet oakland park blvd, azuga device, blacklist gps, cyntrx customer service, dash cams for fleets, digital fleet, usft, fleetsharp instructions. These are real keywords and real terms found in an AdWords account that are showing ads and accruing clicks. I personally find these terms very untargeted and I would not want my clients paying for clicks for those terms.
Instead, I recommend a very careful use of broad match and prefer using a broad match modifier keyword. See Wednesday’s blog post for an explanation on broad match modifiers.
We Are a Google Partner Specializing in Search Marketing,, Mobile, and Display.
Yes, organic search results have shrunk in your traffic reports due to a change in how people are now using search engines. Here’s why.
Search Advertising
By search engines boosting search ads on the results page, getting rid of ads on the right sidebar on many devices, and by making the ads larger with site links and other helpful extensions, readers are clicking ads versus scrolling down the page to find organic results.
Smaller Screens
As more viewers are searching on tablets and smartphones, the organic placements are increasingly difficult to find and require too much effort to scroll to. Viewers are instead staying on the first screen they are shown that typically have location specific results which appear to be very relevant to their search – even though these are typically paid listings.
Competition
Businesses are finding that to be highly competitive in their marketplace, they simply must be in pay per click and need to have top positioning on the page. Because organic results have slipped so far below ads and Google My Business organic listings, businesses are having to pay for advertising to be seen.
If you need exposure and need AdWords to help drive it, I encourage you to review our AdWords Manager services page. Pricing will be increasing soon, so now’s a good time to start a program at lower set up fees.
