#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
Visualizing Your PPC Competition
Now You See It!
#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
Senior Client Manager at Point It Digital Marketing
5 Years in PPC
Oversee $35M in Yearly Media
Global SEM Program Lead
20 Person Team
30 Languages
60 Markets
2015 US Search Award “Young Search Professional”
#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
What about Google removing sidebar ads???
#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
Does removing sidebar ads mean…
• My CPCs will spike?
• My impression share will tank?
• My conversions will disappear?
• Everything is horrible and my life is over????
The answer is…it’s too soon to tell.
My predictions?
• CPCs will see an initial spike, but impact will completely vary by vertical
• Position 4 will become both more valuable & less transparent
• Google will monetize that open real estate
#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
Okay, so what should I do right now?
• Keep an eye on CPC fluctuations, especially on your top converting keywords
• Evaluate impact by measuring what % of convs come from ads in Pos 4 or worse
• Read predictions, analysis, and thoughts from smart industry leaders:
No Right Side Ads Resource Compilation from @LukeAlleywww.avalaunchmedia.com/no-right-side-ads-in-adwords-resource
Most importantly…don’t panic! Give it time. Collect data, assess, and THEN take action
#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
5 W’sof
PPC Competitor
Analysis
#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
ASK YOURSELF…
WHO
are your competitors?
WHAT
kind of competitors
are they?
WHERE
are they competing with you?
WHY
are they competing with you?
WHEN
should you take action?
#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
WHO
are your competitors?
Assumption:I know exactly who my online competitors are!
Pull Auction Insights data to determine:
• Who are my relevant competitors in PPC?
• If domains showing ads with aren’t relative, are you bidding on the right keywords?
Then, take that data & make it actionable!
• No, not by starting at rows & rows of raw data in Excel…
• We’ll review my favorite PPC competitor analysis tools that can help you visualize your competitor trends
#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
WHAT
kind of competitors
are they?
Assumption:All my competitors are exactly the same
Research domains showing with yours ads to identify
• Affiliates
• CSEs
• OTAs
Understand if you’re getting the full story
• Can’t distinguish partners pointing to the same domain –it’ll all be lumped under “You” in Auction Insights
• Escalate non-approved trademark users
• Search Arbitragers
• Resellers
• “True” Competitors
#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
WHERE
are they competing with you?
Assumption:Non-branded keywords see the most competition
Label top performing keywords, including Branded!
• Don’t pull out your hair trying to monitor every single keyword
• Your “cash cows” are going to see the quickest impact if competitor enters and inflates CPCs to push you out
Set up alerts, reports, & automated bidding rules
• Set up automated Search Impression Share Reports
• Use Google & Bings automated rules when competitors getting more aggressive to maintain crucial impression share
• Test Google’s Portfolio Strategy: Target Page Location
#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
WHY
are they competing with you?
Assumption:I only need to worry about my copy, not my competitor’s
Review competitor ads regularly
• What are your competitors offering?
• Are they using clear CTAs?
• In a heavily occupied vertical, how are they standing out?
• I’ll share my favorite competitor ad monitoring tools in next slides
Test your messaging tactics
• The proof is in the pudding! Test copy to see what drives results
#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
WHEN
should you take action?
Assumption:I’ll worry about my competitors later
Later? You cray cray! Take action now
Don’t spend every waking moment obsessing Your first priority should be driving results for your account But competitors can rock your boat, and knowing how to
steer the ship is the first step in the right direction
Take your ego out of it, be smart, & use the 5 W’s
#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
My Favorite Toolsfor
Visualizing PPC
Competitor Data
#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS TOOL
Research US + INTL markets PLA vs. Paid Search trends Domain vs. Domain Desktop vs. Mobile ad copy
3rd Party ToolsNOTE: I was not paid by
any of these tools
#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS TOOL
Google vs. Bing ad copy First & last seen dates of ads
(how often competitor testing?) Ad lists with URLs
(including tracking parameters)
3rd Party ToolsNOTE: I was not paid by
any of these tools
#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS TOOL
Color-coded ad change grids Highlights top performing ads Venn diagrams of shared
keywords (paid & organic) Segments top competitors
(paid & organic)
3rd Party ToolsNOTE: I was not paid by
any of these tools
#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS TOOL
AdWords Keyword PlannerReview relative impression share for new keywords compared to
top market leaders &similar advertisers in your
keyword categories
Using Keyword Planner Tool
#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS TOOL
BrainLabs Auction Insights Script (my favorite!)
• Copy/paste their script into Google Sheet• Pull segmented campaign data• Pull segmented Auction Insight data• Throw both into Google Sheet• Automatically generates graphs that
illustrate competitive metrics alongside your trending CPCs
Using Auction Insights Data
#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS TOOL
Segmented ReportingCan segment Auction Insights data
by Time and/or Device to get the fuller picture of your competitor
trends
Using Auction Insights Data
#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
Don’t let your PPC competitors drive you crazy
Reactive PPC tactics can result in A LOT of wasted time & spend
Your approach should be smart & strategic
BE A SMART COOKIE
#SMX #XXA @MaddieMarketer
Check out my guest blog post on
Wordstream for more!
www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2016/02/18/
ppc-competitor-analysis