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Keyword Zoom from ClickEquations

July 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

This is a guest post from Alex Cohen, Senior Marketing Manager at ClickEquations.


People tend to think of paid search through the lens of keywords: You pick keywords, bid on keywords and figure out which keywords are good and bad.

Searchers, the people you’re trying to reach, don’t type in keywords. They type in search queries. The keywords you purchase and match types you choose, along with your bids and Quality Score, determine how many search queries you get exposed to. The relevance of your text ad determines how many click.

That relationship between search queries, keywords and text ads is one of the truths of paid search. But, analyzing that relationship is actually very cumbersome with most paid search tools. There’s one report for keywords, another for search queries and yet another for text ads. You, the analyst or paid search manager, are left to do the heavy lifting to stitch the pieces together in order to target the right queries with the right message.

Connecting these pieces is a technology problem and one that we at ClickEquations have solved with our latest feature, Keyword Zoom.

Keyword Zoom makes it possible look inside the performance of any keyword and directly manipulate the queries that have driven up cost or lifted revenue and tune the relationship between those queries and specific ad copy.


Keyword Zoom allows you to see:

  • The search queries that the keyword attracted and how each performed
  • The ad copy that was shown to the people who entered these queries
  • Complete performance statistics and metrics for that keyword

You can easily:

  • Turn a search query into a new negative keyword so don’t waste money on irrelevant search queries
  • Add a search query as a new keyword of any match type to attract more searches like that, boosting sales
  • Edit existing ad copy or create new ads or variations to improve the alignment of queries to text ads

“Paid search advertisers bid on keywords but money is actually spent and earned on search queries.” said Craig Danuloff, President. “Keyword management is no longer enough. Only by looking inside the performance of any keyword, and mining search queries to stop ineffective clicks and increase targeting can accounts truly be optimized in today’s competitive and expensive PPC marketplace. Keyword Zoom is the first and only tool that brings keywords, search queries, text ads and detailed analytics data into one screen with editing tools. It’s the best way to target the best prospects with the most relevant message.”

Keyword Zoom is integrated directly into the ClickEquations paid search platform, which enables full reporting, editing, optimization and automation of PPC campaigns.

Watch this video to see Keyword Zoom in action:

Filed Under: paid, Paid Search Strategy, ppc, Search Keywords, SEM

Paid Search Analytics – Are Missing Search Queries Costing You Money?

June 16, 2008 By 3 Comments

Let me ask you something: Which words did prospects actually type in before clicking your ad? If you’re using Google AdWords, that question can be surprisingly hard to answer.

What is a Search Query?

Let’s start with some definitions:

  • Keyword – the phrase you buy, paired with a match type, to reach prospects

  • Search Query – the actual phrase someone types in that triggers your ad

For example, if you buy the keyword “philadelphia restaurant” as a phrase match, your ad could be triggered by the search query “french philadelphia restaurant”. This could be a problem if you’re selling Italian food.

Why do Search Queries Matter?

There is tremendous value in search queries. When you think about it, they’re really a low cost form of primary research. By examining the actual language your prospects and customers use, and how well those words convert, you can:

  1. Expand Your Negative List - Clicks from searches related to products you don’t sell are often wasted money. Build out your negative keyword list to stretch your budget.

  2. Build New Campaigns - No keyword research tool can give you all the ways people will search. As you see trends in searches, you can separate out new campaigns and ad groups to target those people explicitly. Maybe you start with “philadelphia restaurant” and discover that “good philadelphia restaurant” brings more attractive searchers.
  3. Prioritize Your Bids - You know your target ROI, but how much should you bid? If you just look at the keyword level, you could be missing out on some insight. Maybe “philadelphia restaurant” is unprofitable at a $1.00 bid, but “philadelphia restaurant reservation” is worth the spend.

How do I find Search Queries?

You can get some search query data in Google AdWords, but Google decides which data it will disclose and which queries remain hidden. To run a report, log into AdWords and click on the Report tab. Create a report and select “Search Query Performance”. Pick the time period, segment (ad group, campaign, etc.) and metrics that matter to you. Now run the report.

Now you can see some of the search queries with the metrics you chose (CPC, CTR, etc.). This is a good place to mine for synonyms, modifiers and the like. You’ll quickly notice, however, that AdWords doesn’t give you the full picture. Many times they lump a group of terms together as “XX other unique queries”, as in this image:


You can’t fix what you can’t measure. I’ve noticed that it occurs more frequently on words with fewer impressions. I’m a bit surprised that there could be unique queries for exact match terms. How is that exact match?

I recommend looking at queries at least once a week, especially if you’re launching a new product or experimenting with broad match. To get even more leverage out of your queries, run them through the same keyword research tools you used the first time around.

Want more online marketing advice? Alex Cohen is an optimization blogger over at Digital Alex. By day (and night and weekend), he’s also an interactive marketing generalist at Commerce360, a venture backed paid search technology company outside of Philly.

He is currently seeking speaking opportunities – alex@alexlcohen.com

Filed Under: adwords, ppc, SEM, Web Analytics

5 Worst Practices in Web Analytics

February 5, 2008 By Leave a Comment

There’s a lot of talk in the measurement community about best practices–accepted methods to measure and optimize a website.

Of course, if you’re not following these, chances are you’re operating with one or all of the 5 worst practices in web analytics.

#5 – No Segmentation

Many of the out of the box web analytics dashboards and reports lump together all sources and churn out one summary metric. If this is all you’re reporting on, it’s time to slice and dice those numbers.

Averages lie. Start segmenting your data to find interesting differences. Break down results by traffic sources. Look at paid search analytics by ad group. Set benchmarks with historical email campaign results and compare new campaigns to those standards.

Break away from lumpy reports.

#4 – Goals? Forget ‘Em

“Is that good or bad?” is among the most common questions asked about web analytics data. Our conversion rate is 1%. We had 1,000 more visits today. How are you supposed to interpret trends?

Web analytics tools are great at producing data, but they don’t answer questions. Analysts answer questions.

Good analysis happens when you look at the data. Great analysis happens before you see any data at all. It starts by defining your business questions, goals and identifying the metrics that will help you gauge success.

#3 – Skip The Summary

Tools are full of endless screens of data. Simply amassing the right information into a dashboard is a start. Unfortunately, just having a set of data doesn’t convey the story behind the numbers.

In a marketplace short on web analytics understanding, you need to connect the dots. A summary helps combat scarce time and less technically inclined audiences.

Tailor your summary to the different audience types. 1 page for execs is enough. You can probably be a bit more in-depth for directors and managers. Cut out key points for anyone actually doing the work, e.g. copywriters or technical folk.

#2 – Ignore External Data and Context

Getting the data in your tool reasonably close to reality is a job in and of itself. It’s so tempting to believe all the answers can be found in what’s readily available at hand. Sadly, it’s just not always the case.

External events add context to your analysis. Site changes, market events, competitive initiatives–they can all have an influence on how many people come to your site and what they do there.

Start documenting key events and noting them in reports. Put them as events right on trend charts. Seek out access to tools like Hitwise, Compete, Quantcast and other competitive intelligence to understand how global trends influence your site’s local trends.

#1 – Leave Out Insights and Action

Commenting on all of the trends you see draws attention to notable changes. Gathering and charting the data can help illustrate trends and a little explanatory text can narrate what you see.

That’s great for people who aren’t close to the data, but it only raises a whole new set of questions.

Instead of single charts, pair each notable data point with a corresponding insight and recommended action. Sure, you won’t have all of the answers, but it’s a great place to start.

You can count on “What happened? What does that mean? What should we do about it?” being the first 3 questions you hear, so come prepared.

-> If you liked this post, you might also enjoy my recent post about a basic method for website analysis at Digital Alex.

Filed Under: Web Analytics

Alexs 1 Month Web Analytics Boot Camp

November 16, 2007 By 2 Comments

News flash: You’ve just been hired or moved into a position with serious web analytics responsibility. The only problem? You’re completely new to web analytics.

I found myself in this exact scenario when I transitioned from direct marketing at my first job to interactive marketing at my previous employer. I’m going to save you the bumps and bruises with Alex’s 1 Month Web Analytics Boot Camp. It’s a 4 week course to set you on the path to web analytics stardom.

Week 1 – Stock Your Web Analytics Library

Newton quipped, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulder of giants”. You can excel by learning from the pioneers and luminaries in the field. Stock your nightstand with my 3 favorite web analytics books to jumpstart your learning.

  1. Web Analytics: An Hour A Day – Avinash Kaushik’s tome is the most current text on web analytics in the market. More than that, it’s written in an approachable, plain language fashion with practical, day-by-day guides. This is the must read primer of the moment.

  2. Web Site Measurement Hacks – Eric Peterson of Web Analytics Demystified is one of the founding voices in web analytics. This handy book from O’Reilly is a great read and a useful reference when you get in a jam.
  3. Big Book of KPIs – Again, Eric Peterson offers a great resource with standard definitions of a variety of key performance indicators. When you’re lost in a sea of jargon, or not sure how a number is or should be calculated, this is the go-to book.

Week 2 – Join The Web Analytics Community

Fortunately for the newbie, the web analytics community is fairly active and vocal online. You can often find answers to the most esoteric questions and get direct responses from the experts themselves.

Stop number one is the Yahoo Web Analytics Forum. This community message board is invaluable for two reasons. First, its archives are chock full of great information from years of user generated content. Second, it’s actively read by the best and the brightest who genuinely like to help people. Common courtesy on the board dictates that you search for your question in the archives first.

If you’ve exhausted the resources of the forum, you can find a wealth of free data out there on the prominent web analytics blogs (like this one). There are too many good ones to name in this one location, but here are a few besides Manoj’s blog to get you started (make sure you check their blogrolls for more):

  • Occam’s Razor by Avinash Kaushik – Useful web analytics how-tos in easy to understand language
  • Web Analytics Demystified by Eric Petersen – Eric is an authoritative voice in the community and very much a thought leader.
  • Analytics Talk by Justin Cutroni – Justin is the Google Analytics guru. He literally wrote the book on it.
  • Immeria by Stephane Hamel – Stephane is a fixture in the web analytics community and creator of the Web Analytics Solution Profiler.
  • The Commerce360 Blog by Craig Danuloff – Craig waxes philosophic on all interactive marketing topics, with a particular bent toward search engine marketing and Omniture. Disclosure: I work at Commerce360
  • SemAngel by Gary Angel – Gary is president of SEMPhonic. SemAngel focuses on paid search and web analytics.
  • GrokDotCom by Future Now – Bryan Eisenberg and the gang touch on a variety of interactive marketing topics beyond measurement, but everything ties back to improving the experience for the person using your site.
  • Digital Alex by me, Alex Cohen – If you like this post, you might like some more of mine.

When you’ve had enough reading and need some socialization, join or start a Web Analytics Wednesday meetup in your area.

Week 3 – Investigate Training Options

Training can be a catalyst to quickly move you from clueless to competent to great. The Web Analytics Association, which you should join, has foundational training sessions call Base Camp.

Webinars are often a good source of free information. Vendors like Omniture and WebTrends feature different speakers on a variety of topics (though, be ready for some salesy content).

Research companies like Marketing Sherpa conduct topic specific training, such as their upcoming landing page teleconference. The Google Analytics team even put up some videos on YouTube. Market Motive features some free and subscription content from a stellar set of teachers.

For a broader perspective on web analytics, consider the certificate course at the University of British Columbia. If your company is loyal to one particular tool, then you may want to consider getting certified in that particular tool. Either of these options will deepen your skills and provide a valuable point of differentiation on your resume.

Week 4 – Plan Out The Next 6 Months

As you grow more familiar with the basics of traditional web analytics, you need to develop a plan to expand your view of measurement and build your skill set. Spend the fourth week plotting out your growth over the next 6 months.

The eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit is the perfect place for a newbie to get exposed to a huge variety of speakers, topics and vendors. My first one in DC was eye opening and they only get bigger and more diverse each year.

As you’ll quickly learn, web analytics is all about action. Getting experience in multivariate testing is a great way to put measurement to work. You can start by orienting yourself to any number of the vendors: Offermatica, Google Website Optimizer, Optimost, Sitespect, Widemile, Kefta, Memetrics, and Vertster.

Quantitative data can only get you so far. Integrating voice of the customer (VOC) into your web analytics tool kit will go a long way. This can be a simple pop-up survey to something more complex from the likes of Foresee, Opinion Labs or iPerceptions.

One thing I recommend to any analyst is that you expand beyond web analytics. Learn about user experience, search marketing, search engine optimization, email, etc. Gaining some level of facility in these areas makes you not only a more well rounded professional, but also a better analyst.

–> Read more of Alex Cohen’s thoughts on interactive marketing and web analytics at Digital Alex.

Filed Under: Web Analytics