When we take over an existing paid search campaign and begin making changes to optimize performance, one of the first things we typically hear from a client is, “But I got more clicks before you optimized!” And a lot of times, they’re absolutely right. So why are we trying to get fewer clicks? Simple: We’re aiming for quality over quantity.
As an example, say you’re a B2B manufacturer that specializes in high speed metal stamping and rapid prototyping. (Yes, that really is a thing. And yes, we’ve developed paid search campaigns for it.) If you use Google Adwords’ keyword tool, you’ll find “metal stamping” has a high volume of monthly searches. If your ad copy and landing page copy contains the phrase “metal stamping” in all the right places, you’ll probably get a decent quality score for that term and begin seeing high impressions and clicks.
But unless you look at the other ad group suggestions Google comes up with related to “metal stamping” or dig through your matched search queries once your ads begin running, you may not realize those impressions and clicks could be coming from searchers looking for:
- metal letter stamps
- metal alphabet stamps
- stamped metal jewelry
- metal stamping supplies
- hand stamped jewelry supplies
Google considers all of these to be related search terms for “metal stamping.” Because both are consumer-oriented terms, some of them have high search volume. But the searchers who clicked on your ad without really reading the copy are not at all interested in “metal stamping” as your company defines it. You’ll be generating – and paying for – more clicks but driving fewer qualified visits.
This is where subtracting to get more comes into play. By eliminating not-really-related related terms through the use of phrase match keywords and negative keywords, your campaign will generate fewer impressions and clicks. But the searchers who see your ads will be looking for your version of “metal stamping,” and they’ll spend more time reading your site content, and they’re more likely to become potential customers.
So take a look at your current campaigns and their performance. Are you concentrating on impressions, or generating qualified visits?
