Interview 10 Google Advertisements specialists and 9 of them will let you know that themed advert teams (a.okay.a. Hagakure) are one of the simplest ways to construct search campaigns.
I’m the tenth.
I’ve been publicly standing up for single key phrase advert teams (SKAGs) for a while now – although I’ll admit it’s a controversial take. Most not too long ago, I posted this on LinkedIn:
I believe the comment-to-like ratio tells the story of how nicely it was acquired.
Regardless of the controversy surrounding SKAGs, there’s an actual alternative for entrepreneurs to get extra out of their Google Advertisements accounts with a SKAG strategy.
A have a look at Google Advertisements account constructions over time
From 2014 to 2018, most accounts we audited at my company used advert group constructions based mostly on match sort, gadget or SKAGs. By the latter half of this era and into 2019, SKAGs turned the dominant construction.
A single key phrase advert group is an advert group that incorporates just one key phrase duplicated throughout a number of match sorts. Traditionally, this was precise, phrase and broad match modified.
Within the trendy period, a SKAG could or could not include full broad match sort relying on the account specifics.
This construction turned so in style as a result of it made keyword-stuffing adverts easy. Provided that the advert group solely contained one key phrase, the variety of queries it was eligible for was small.
If Google Advertisements managers keyword-stuffed the headlines of the advert related to the advert group, they could possibly be assured that the advert would carefully match the customers’ queries.
This construction performed Google’s High quality Rating sport higher than the opposite constructions. By guaranteeing “above average” advert relevance High quality Scores, CPCs went down and account efficiency improved.
Nonetheless, SKAGs have all the time had detractors. The principle criticism I’ve heard is that they’re laborious to handle and unimaginable to scale.
I consider this to be a foul objection. Our largest SKAG account has over 2 million key phrases and we don’t discover it tough to handle. Even when we did, if it delivers even 1% higher efficiency for purchasers – that’s our job. It’s our job to do laborious issues to get all the pieces out of Google Advertisements attainable.
Quick ahead to at the moment, Google Advertisements now integrates AI into its search merchandise with:
And another huge modifications:
- Low search quantity (LSV).
- Shut match variants.
AI merchandise like RSAs, good bidding and broad match all got here with the thought of “signal liquidity.” Something algorithmic requires sufficient sign liquidity to study and make good choices.
This understanding led PPC entrepreneurs to consider methods to construction their advert teams and campaigns to finest present Google’s AI with high-volume, high-quality info.
In the meantime, LSV statuses meant many key phrases stopped serving, transferring these queries into Broad Match key phrases. Shut Match Variants meant queries weren’t as related to the key phrase texts supplied as that they had been traditionally.
Many considered the AI revolution mixed with modifications to matching as damaging to SKAGs.
The pondering went that if the worth of SKAGs was carefully matching advert teams to queries to allow greater advert relevance, then the broadening of eligible queries was certainly destructive for the technique. Plus, if knowledge quantity issues, extremely particular advert teams have to be unhealthy.
These modifications, taken collectively, led folks to develop two options to SKAGs:
- Single theme advert teams (STAGs).
- Hagakure.
SKAG options in Google Advertisements
Hagakure
Hagakure embraced the concept that sign liquidity was key to success. Popularized by an article on Suppose With Google, Hagakure is championed as the way forward for advert group and marketing campaign constructions.
The case research references growing key phrases by 10-fold and the variety of adverts by 30%, which “led to an almost 40% bump in overall conversions at the same cost of acquisition.”
The technique recommends constructing as few campaigns as attainable and together with all the pieces (even Dynamic Search Advertisements) within the marketing campaign(s). The concept being this might maximize sign liquidity and get probably the most out of Google’s AI-powered advert instruments like Broad Match and Sensible Bidding.
STAGs
STAGs are a little bit of a half measure. This construction lets advert teams balloon to many key phrases so long as they carefully comply with a theme.
This ensures that adverts are largely related to the customers’ queries (approximating SKAGs) whereas growing click on and conversion counts per advert group by growing the key phrase rely and enhancing sign liquidity.
Why I nonetheless stand by SKAGs
Each of those Hagakure and STAGs appear promising, however I nonetheless advocate for SKAGs.
- I don’t construct Google Advertisements accounts based mostly on conjectures about sign liquidity.
- I don’t construct Google Advertisements accounts based mostly on what Google tells me to do.
- I don’t select advert constructions as a result of they’re straightforward.
I select advert constructions based mostly on what works.
We’ve managed over 6,000 Google Advertisements accounts at my company. I can see the POP search efficiency from accounts as they transfer from both Hagakure or STAGs into our SKAG strategy.
SKAGs persistently win, and that’s all of the argument I want.
However for individuals who need to perceive the mechanism behind SKAGs successful, let’s go one degree deeper.
The premise of SKAGs successful is that the advert relevance is best. This results in greater High quality Scores and decrease CPCs. That is nonetheless largely true.
Even with broad match, LSV and shut match variants, the advert constructed for one key phrase remains to be extra related than the advert constructed for 5.
Have broad match, LSV and shut match variants made SKAGs at the moment worse than SKAGs in 2019? Sure. However they nonetheless beat STAGs and Hagakure.
In the meantime, the premise of STAGs/Hagakure working is sign liquidity.
Right here’s the issue:
Sign liquidity issues solely on the marketing campaign degree. That’s the place good bidding is utilized and the place algorithms study.
Addressing sign liquidity considerations
In case you are involved about sign liquidity (and you ought to be), make sure that sufficient SKAGs are contained inside the marketing campaign that you just’re reaching not less than 30 conversions monthly, ideally 100.
In the event you’re nonetheless skeptical, I’d suggest this:
- Pull in advert relevance scores on the key phrase degree.
- Filter for all adverts rated “below average.”
Transferring that to an “average” ranking ought to enhance High quality Rating by ~3 factors, which is able to scale back CPCs by 30%.
If all key phrases at present rated under common noticed a 30% drop in value for a similar click on and conversion quantity, what affect would you will have in your account?
I’d guess that quantity makes you suppose it’s not less than value a take a look at.
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