With this AdWords feature, Google automatically uses an advertiser’s excess budget to post ads against keywords other than those the advertiser is actually bidding on. Not all advertisers have been invited to test this new feature, but from what I have read not many may want to. According to Google:

Automatic matching shows your ads on relevant search queries not already captured by your keywords. It works by analyzing the content of the landing pages, ads, and keywords in your ad group. It then shows your ads on search queries relevant to this information. The system will continually monitor your performance on these queries and adjust its matches accordingly. Automatic matching aims to show your ads only on queries that yield a high clickthrough rate (CTR) and a cost-per-click (CPC) comparable to or lower than your ad group’s current average CPC. This way, your ads receive additional targeted traffic at a similar cost to your current traffic. Automatic matching won’t allow your spend to exceed your budget, and it also won’t affect the traffic you’re currently receiving. In addition, automatic matching will have no impact if your campaigns already capture the majority of relevant traffic.

The challenge of this new feature is covered well in Scott Clark’s post about the 9 things he dislikes about automatic matching.

For those running your campaigns inhouse, I would decline this option for now and stay in control of your campaigns and budget. Be diligent about monitoring your CTRs on your keywords, test different landing pages and ads and adjust based on your conversion rates. My first impression of this feature is to not put it into practice until you understand its implications on your campaign.

Whether the SEO and Google Adwords specialists agree, not all B2B companies can afford to hire someone dedicated to their Adwords campaigns. And with many marketing departments getting smaller, the person in charge of the campaign most likely monitors it part time.

But developing Adwords campaigns are definitely not for the faint of heart. Changes have occurred that need to be understood so that your ad dollars are not wasted. And it more important than ever to monitor, track, measure and adjust your campaign so that you can maximize your campaign’s effectiveness.

In the past few days, I’ve seen a number of posts regarding some of these changes. This post is part one in a four part post that discusses Google Adwords features that you need to understand to avoid issues with your campaigns. These posts will include:

• Extended Broad Match
• Automatic Matching
• Landing page load times and quality score
• Display URL policy changes

Extended Broad Match

Keyword matching options within Google Adwords includes exact, phrase and broad. Exact keyword matching is just that – enter [social media marketing] and your ad will only display when someone searches for that phrase exactly. Phrase keyword matching will display your ad when the phrase is used within the search. So “social media marketing” would display when someone searches for “using social media to market your business”.

Originally, broad match was a way to ensure your ad displayed on any search that contained your term. By entering your keywords without brackets or double quotes around it (the default way keyword entries are added), your ad displays not only when any of the words are used within the search, but also when Google feels there is relevancy to the search and your ad. So your social media marketing keyword phrase would display for any search that contains “social”, “media” and “marketing” and possibly for someone searching for a PR agency.

At first glance, that sounds reasonable, but one must be cautious. Depending on the phrase, broad match can result in the ad displaying for terms that are not relevant.

To avoid wasting your budget on non-relevant clicks, you can:

• Avoid broad match all together and stick with exact and phrase match. This gives you total control over when your ads will run.
• Use it for phrases containing four or more keywords to lessen the chance that your ad will be displayed for non-relevant searches;
• Diligently identify non-relevant terms where your ad gets displayed and add them to your negative keyword list. Negative keywords eliminate your ad from showing when a search is made with that term in it. If I didn’t want my ad showing for searchs on real estate marketing, then I could add “real estate” to my negative keywords to eliminate my ad from showing when someone searched for “social media marketing for real estate”.

The next post will cover another broad match extension called automatic matching, where your ads will show on a broader set of relevant keywords chosen by Google.

As a B2B marketer, it’s frustrating to try and pry prospect information from those visiting your Web site. Most people want to get something for nothing – a white paper, podcast, software – without giving something in return. I understand that mentality as I too, won’t sign up for something unless I’m very, very interested in purchasing the product or at least entertain a sales call. Plus I relish the day I find just what I’m looking for without having to part with my personal information.

However, it is our jobs to get that information. The following are tips on how to make your PPC landing pages more likely to capture this precious contact information:

• Use a landing page – Sending people to your home page is a waste of time in most cases. People click on your ad because they are looking for something specific and your landing page should only discuss what they are looking for.
• Keep it simple – Cluttered, overly long landing pages scare away a visitor. They don’t have time to read a lot of copy. If there are too many things to do on the page, they’ll get frustrated and leave.
• Match the landing page to the PPC ad – Generic landing pages used for all of your PPC ads is a waste (like sending visitors to your home page). Make sure your landing page matches the specific call to action you put into the ad itself.
• Make the call to action clear – If you are trying to collect contact information, make sure what you want the visitor to do is very simple and easy to find. Put the form where they can easily see it as soon as they get to the page.
• Encourage visitors to give you their information – Make sure your privacy policy is posted and visible. Also, if you are giving something away like a paper or free product, send the link to the fulfillment in an email rather than including it on the thank you page. At a minimum, you will get a valid email address.

Other sources of tips for developing a PPC campaign and its associated landing pages:

• Better B2B Landing Pages – A Case Study – Modern B2B Marketing Blog
• Six Elements for Effective Landing Pages – Marketing Pilgrim
• Matching Keywords to Landing Pages for PPC Pay Off – ECommerce-Guide.com