PPC Optimization: How to do Effective PPC WIthout Breaking the Bank
Marc Macalua, Founder, SEO Philippines & VP – Marketing, US Auto Parts (Philippines)

But of course, Marc has to find a way to squeeze in an Ateneo trivia (and UAAP photos) in his introduction. I think everyone gets his point. :)

Moving on with PPC, he discusses the advantages of PPC, and why you should set up your PPC campaign: You get more targeted traffic in a short-term basis. You have near absolute control of your campaign (you choose your price, you choose your keywords, you pay only for success). It allows you to test real time with the fastest and most accurate feedback loop from any marketing medium.

The disadvantage. It’s an open auction that favors certain bidders, such as those which started earlier.

Marc specifically uses Google Adwords as his ad network model. Why Google Adwords? Because of Google’s dominance: 7.2 billion searches per month. 62% market share in July. Best ROI Rating, best customer service rating, best targeted capability rating. (Marc talks too fast! Heh!)

Marc jokes he’s not a Google employee, but admits he is bias towards Google (because of the reasons stated above). After Eric Hsu’s keynote just a few hours ago, I wonder what Eric must be thinking right about now. :)

Anyway. He continues by discussing about the basic steps in setting up PPC campaigns. He discusses keyword matching types: Broad Match, Phrase, Exact Match, Negative, and how to optimize those keywords. He also discussed the metrics to measure your PPC campaign’s success: impressions, clicks, CTR, CR, and ROI

LOLing at these PPC ads:
New Brain
Looking for a new brain?
Find exactly what you want to day.
www.ebay.com

Used Diapers
Buy used diapers now
Something something blahblah (I forgot the exact ad!)
www.ebay.com

Regarding negative keywords, he suggests to exclude traffic looking for the following: ‘free’, ‘download’, ‘picture’, ‘photo’, etc. Also, you simply just don’t bid for keywords you don’t sell. (Used diapers? New brain? Good job, ebay!)

Top 5 PPC Optimization Techniques

1. Campaign age matters.

2. Target low hanging keywords, i.e. high search volume, no competition keywords.

3. Increase Click Through Rate via Creative Ads. Use attention grabbing words like ‘powerful’, ’secret’, ‘exposed’; use creative display URls, and special symbols.

4. Segment keywords and networks. Bid based on purchase intention and inclination, separate search network and content network bids, use analytics tools to identify high converting keywords (and ads), watch your keyword ROAS.

5. Learn to Throttle Campaigns. Take note of timezones, holidays, and seasonality, i.e. Valentines Day in the Philippines, deactivate campaigns leading to out-of-stock SKUs, avoid bid wars — sometimes, it’s okay to be #2. Hmm.

Whew. That was fast. *inhale, exhale* Jampacked with information, though. I’m not complaining. :)

In Q&A, host asks if porn sites should be SEO-ed (or PPC-ed). Marc answers, “No. Because it’s evil.” And he goes, “Uh, why ask?” Okaaay. :P