Google Content Network Buys
Some marketers have been very vocal about the lack of efficacy with Google Adwords content network. Perhaps they have not been judicious in their buys.
I have achieved some good results by using Google’s Adwords content network but I stay within some very tight guidelines.
Three keys to success for a buy at Google:
1) Look for Keyword bargains. They do exist! As long as you watch ROAS you can really scale it up with the content network. I have found this to be very good for tight niches or B2B.
2) Use brackets for exact matches on keywords to ensure tight control e.g. [widgets] instead of widgets.
3) If not using an exact match use “negative” modifiers to ensure you are not attracting the wrong keyword combinations e.g. -free
I still have a couple of complaints.
I would like to see the bidding system “decoupled” from the search network because there is no doubt in my mind that searches from the Google search system are more valuable than from the content network.
I am not saying the content network isn’t valuable, only it is not as powerful as Google’s returns. While Google has implemented a new pricing structure that adjusts the bid price based on the type of page the ad is served on I still have no idea how this works and in typical Google fashion they persist on keeping it a mystery.
I want more control over the type of sites or partners the ads appear on. I do like the fact I can target by country and it is easy to avoid locales that sport more fraud but it isn’t enough. I still continue to see low value targets in their network.
