Interview 10 Google Adverts consultants and 9 of them will inform you that themed advert teams (a.ok.a. Hagakure) are the easiest way 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 lately, I posted this on LinkedIn:
I feel the comment-to-like ratio tells the story of how properly it was acquired.
Regardless of the controversy surrounding SKAGs, there’s an actual alternative for entrepreneurs to get extra out of their Google Adverts accounts with a SKAG method.
A have a look at Google Adverts account buildings over time
From 2014 to 2018, most accounts we audited at my company used advert group buildings primarily based on match kind, machine 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 varieties. Traditionally, this was actual, phrase and broad match modified.
Within the fashionable period, a SKAG might or might not comprise full broad match kind relying on the account specifics.
This construction turned so common 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 Adverts managers keyword-stuffed the headlines of the advert related to the advert group, they could possibly be assured that the advert would intently match the customers’ queries.
This construction performed Google’s High quality Rating recreation higher than the opposite buildings. By making certain “above common” advert relevance High quality Scores, CPCs went down and account efficiency improved.
Nonetheless, SKAGs have all the time had detractors. The primary grievance I’ve heard is that they’re arduous to handle and unimaginable to scale.
I imagine this to be a foul objection. Our largest SKAG account has over 2 million key phrases and we don’t discover it troublesome 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 arduous issues to get all the pieces out of Google Adverts potential.
Quick ahead to right this moment, Google Adverts now integrates AI into its search merchandise with:
And another large modifications:
- Low search quantity (LSV).
- Shut match variants.
AI merchandise like RSAs, sensible bidding and broad match all got here with the concept of “sign liquidity.” Something algorithmic requires sufficient sign liquidity to be taught and make good selections.
This understanding led PPC entrepreneurs to consider construction their advert teams and campaigns to greatest present Google’s AI with high-volume, high-quality data.
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 offered as that they had been traditionally.
Many seen the AI revolution mixed with modifications to matching as damaging to SKAGs.
The considering went that if the worth of SKAGs was intently matching advert teams to queries to allow larger advert relevance, then the broadening of eligible queries was certainly unfavorable for the technique. Plus, if knowledge quantity issues, extremely particular advert teams should be unhealthy.
These modifications, taken collectively, led individuals to develop two alternate options to SKAGs:
- Single theme advert teams (STAGs).
- Hagakure.
SKAG alternate options in Google Adverts
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 buildings.
The case research references growing key phrases by 10-fold and the variety of adverts by 30%, which “led to an virtually 40% bump in total conversions on the identical value of acquisition.”
The technique recommends constructing as few campaigns as potential and together with all the pieces (even Dynamic Search Adverts) within the marketing campaign(s). The thought being this could maximize sign liquidity and get essentially 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 intently observe a theme.
This ensures that adverts are principally related to the customers’ queries (approximating SKAGs) whereas growing click on and conversion counts per advert group by growing the key phrase depend 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 Adverts accounts primarily based on conjectures about sign liquidity.
- I don’t construct Google Adverts accounts primarily based on what Google tells me to do.
- I don’t select advert buildings as a result of they’re straightforward.
I select advert buildings primarily based on what works.
We’ve managed over 6,000 Google Adverts accounts at my company. I can see the POP search efficiency from accounts as they transfer from both Hagakure or STAGs into our SKAG method.
SKAGs constantly win, and that’s all of the argument I want.
However for many who wish to perceive the mechanism behind SKAGs successful, let’s go one stage deeper.
The premise of SKAGs successful is that the advert relevance is healthier. This results in larger 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 right this 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 stage. That’s the place sensible bidding is utilized and the place algorithms be taught.
Addressing sign liquidity issues
In case you are involved about sign liquidity (and try to be), make sure that sufficient SKAGs are contained throughout the marketing campaign that you simply’re reaching at the very least 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 stage.
- Filter for all adverts rated “beneath common.”
Shifting that to an “common” ranking ought to enhance High quality Rating by ~3 factors, which is able to cut back CPCs by 30%.
If all key phrases presently rated beneath common noticed a 30% drop in value for a similar click on and conversion quantity, what impression would you could have in your account?
I’d wager that quantity makes you assume it’s at the very least price a take a look at.
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