Pay Per Click - Best Practices - PPC Management Platforms

[joe.pistell]

Umer and Jeff, TY!

 

[todd.smith]

Joe my suggestion is first to pick up a copy of "Mastering Search Advertising" by Richard Stokes he has some incredible insight. Here is a link to his website Keyword Tracking and Keyword Suggestion Tool

I read the book checked out the software and if I still had my Chevy dealership I would be using his software. For a do it yourself operator like me I found the data crunch awesome. Anyway I hope this helps.

 

[Blake Arbogast]

One of the best full circle solutions (PPC management, analytics, page conversion) I have ever seen is provided by Web Analytics | Online Business Optimization by Omniture but damn it's not cheap.

Jeff,
What courses would you recommend from this company, there is a bunch.

 

[joe.pistell]

Trying to get time to review adgooroo.com

Here is proof that killer PPC management software can pay for itself.

Eye opening Video:YouTube - Introduction to the Google Ad Auction

...Our Chief Economist, Hal Varian, explains the AdWords Ad Auction and how your max CPC bid and quality score determine how much you pay for a click on Google.com.
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[umer.autojini]

Joe,

Have you tried having the Google adwords team build you a campaign... they do a alright job... I think it is free.

 

[kevinfrye]

Joe - any reason why you are ruling out an outside vendor to manage your ppc campaign? Is it cost? Trust? Or just that you want to be directly involved?

 

[joe.pistell]

Joe - any reason why you are ruling out an outside vendor to manage your ppc campaign? Is it cost? Trust? Or just that you want to be directly involved?

Kevin,

I built my own web site rather than use an outside vendors site.
I manage photos and data collection in-house rather than a vendor.
I am a glutton for punishment It slows me down, but, if there is "leverage" I am all for it!


I haven't ruled out a 3rd party, I just haven't got there yet. Here's how I run my sick world.

1st, I rank the project.
My plan was to start with a manual campain and see what I've got (done). The data that's come back is eye opening. Because PPC going to be a big part of my budget now, I like to know the space inside and out.

Take for instance that Goog PPC video. All I got to say is WOW. With that video, I now know what makes the PPC engine run (ad quality ties to PPC $ paid & ties to ranking position) and ad quality is driven by click thru rate, content relavance and landing page quality. Wow... What an eye opener.

So... PPC has been roaring along for years and I like to look outside our industry to see what "best of class" solutions are out there. Here again, I learn more crap. Then, after I got a wish list together, I look into our industry to see who's got what.


Kevin, If you have ANY ideas, I am all ears!

 

[Jason Walter]

Joe,

If you are interested feel free to give me a buzz. I manage my own adwords account, build my custom landing pages and create my banners. It may seem cumbersome and sometimes is but I do know a few ways to help streamline the process depending on how much you want to do. I have worked directly with google in order to help maximize my campaigns and understanding of Goole and how it works. I find doing it in house best solution for us because we can change the campaigns at the flip of a switch. If you eventually decide to go with a third party provider at least you will have a better understanding of how the whole process works.

We spend anywhere from $3k to $5k a month with google. Not sure how much you are wanting to spend...but like I said, PM me if you would like some help.

 

[NickCybela]

I would recommend a few different solutions, depending on your level of comfort.

For the expert...

Performics, they do Toyota, Chrysler and Lexus SEM as well as an increasing number of dealers. This is a good solution for dealers that are ready to start driving strategy.

Omniture, a lot of different tools there for an advanced user. But, as Jeff mentioned it's fairly pricey. Best Buy is in the process of migrating to this right now.

For the average dealer...

Cuneo, we've got a great tool with full on-demand reporting and industry leading expertise with A/B and multivariate testing capabilities

Dealer.com, they've got great tools with an easy-to-use interface that appears to work great within a Dealer.com website

A few notes (for the beginners)...
In general, you're looking at a 15-20% commission rate taken out of your budgets for a managed solution. If you're paying more than that it's probably time to look for a new provider. Even at those numbers, companies with dedicated staff or automated tools are always going to outperform individuals that have limited time split between SEM and the myriad of other dealership responsibilities.

Also, ask what happens to the click fraud charges. Occasionally, companies will pocket that instead of putting it back into your budgets.

 

[joe.pistell]

Nice Summary Nick. TY!