How to Use Google AdWords "See All Keyword" Feature

Relevancy is, without a doubt, the most important element of all online marketing. I can't stress this enough. Getting one's marketing message in front of a select group of individuals whom actually welcome it, and at a time and place that is acceptable by them, is absolutely key to any successful online marketing strategy. Also key, is getting that high quality exposure at the best possible price.

Today, I'd like to discuss one of Pay Per Click's most underused tools, the "See All Keywords" feature from Google AdWords. This feature was previously known as the "Search Query Report" in older versions of the Google AdWords interface, and does exactly as its name suggests... shows advertisers all queries that have triggered their ads. For marketers, this information is undeniably irreplaceable!

How to Use the "See All Keyword" Feature
To "See All Keywords", follow these directions:

1. Navigate to the appropriate level within the account. The "See All Keywords" feature can be used on the account, campaign, and adgroup levels.

2. Click the "Keywords" tab.

3. Select the date(s) that you'd like to review. Please note that there is a 2 to 3-day delay when using this feature. For example, Monday's data won't likely be available until Wednesday or Thursday.

4. Select "See All Keywords" from the "See Search Terms" drop-down option.

At this point, I prefer to export my data into Microsoft Excel where I am able to color-code, sort, and organize it to my liking. To do this, click the "Download" button located just above the report, and select your desired options.

Why Use the "See All Keywords" Feature
Why is learning which queries triggered an ad important? Once an advertiser has a clear understanding of how Google will match their ads with the queries it receives, they can then better optimize and fine-tune their campaigns for relevancy, while saving money in the process. For example:

Improving Quality Score
PPC marketers understand that today's Google is all about relevancy, so much so that it utilizes an algorithm, dubbed Quality Score, to determine which ads rank, where, and for how much per click. In fact, Google is so committed to providing relevant results for its users that it promises advertisers top-placement at lower-than-average click fees just for being relevant. Imagine that... pay less to rank higher.

One way in which advertisers can improve their Quality Scores is by improving their Click-Through Rates (CTR) - the number of times an ad is shown versus being clicked. To do this, advertisers will want to be sure that 1) they are in fact bidding on the most appropriate keywords for their business, and 2) that the impressions they do receive are of the highest relevancy. In other words, it does a company no good to display an ad for "Nike Socks" when all they sell is shoes.

By utilizing the "See All Keywords" feature, advertisers will be able to see which keywords they're ranking for and will be able to adjust. In the previous example, a Nike shoe retailer will be able to see that they're being ranked for "sock" related terms and can therefore negative match these terms and any others they deem unfitting. Another option may be to change Match Type for a specific keyword as well. These changes will limit an ads exposure, thereby limiting its impressions and improving their overall CTR - same number of clicks, but shown less. And, as I've already mentioned above, removing unwanted impressions boosts click-through rates, which in-turn boosts relevancy, which in-turn boosts Quality Score, which in turn means getting higher search engine placement at lower costs.

Removing Unwanted Clicks
This is a no-brainer, really. Search engine marketing is unique in that it allows advertisers the ability to market directly to those individuals that want to know more about a company's products and services. With this level of accuracy, why would a company choose to waste their time and, more importantly, their money advertising to anyone else? Well, they wouldn't necessarily.

By utilizing the "See All Keywords" feature, advertisers will be able to determine whether or not a keyword is a good fit for their campaign just by reviewing the many queries related to it. For example, if a campaign includes the keyword "Jack Black", as in the boutique brand of men's skin care, but Google seems to only match it to those queries relating to the actor Jack Black, than this particular keyword will likely need to be removed. Keywords with alternative meanings or interpretations are often at times poor keywords to include within a campaign. There are of course exceptions to this, but in most cases an advertiser can eliminate unwanted, irrelevant clicks by avoiding such terms altogether. By doing so, an advertiser will make their overall campaign cheaper, and better their cost-per-conversion (CPC).

Finding Alternative KeywordsOne last incentive to using the "See All Keywords" feature is getting a first-hand look at the exact verbiage used when a company's target audience searches for their products and services. Such insight will pay mass dividends, especially when used in accordance with a company's PPC campaign, as well as other online and offline marketing strategies. Knowing which keywords a company's target audience uses will not only help advertisers to better understand their audience's needs, but also help them to find new, relevant keywords to which they can now bid on... thereby increasing the overall relevancy of their campaign.

Furthermore, any knowledge gained from using this feature can be applied when managing other accounts from other providers. Should you decide to negative-match a keyword on Google, you'll most likely want to do so on Bing as well.

posted by Karl Ribas on Monday, November 14, 2011

Source : Karl Ribas Consultant

Posted in: Google AdWords,SEM