Author: Nils Rooijmans

Last week, one of my coaching clients asked how they could improve impression share for good-performing keywords.

Here’s my answer:

I am not sure if a “better impression share” is really what you are after; sometimes “worse” impression share leads to more profits.

The reason for this is that Impression Share (IS) includes all auctions where your ad showed (impressions), and all auctions where your ad is competitive enough to enter the auction (total eligible impressions).

NOTE: The total volume of searches out there might be much higher than your number of total eligible impressions because of your targeting and/or budget and bidding settings preventing you from entering the auction.

Impression share (IS) is the percentage of impressions that your ads receive compared to the total number of impressions that your ads could receive. Here’s an example:

Impression share = impressions (47) / total eligible impressions (100)

Thus, IS = 47%

It might very well be that with a CPC bid that is 200% of your current bid, you achieve an IS of 72%. However, your CPA might increase drastically because of your higher spend on acquisition.

That being said, there are some cases where it makes sense to try to increase your IS. Here’s how:

1) If you are happy with the current CPA, AND your campaign is limited by budget, meaning ‘Search lost IS (Budget)’ > 0% —> simply increase budget (I recommend steps of 20%)

2) If your current CPA is below your targets, AND your campaign is NOT limited by budget —> try increasing your CPA target (again, I recommend steps of 20%)

3) If your current CPA is around your target or higher —> 
   3.1) improve your targeting (add negatives, exclude low-perf placements, exclude low-perf locations, exclude low-perf audiences, exclude low-perf demographics) 
   3.2) improve your ad quality. Also see: https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6167130?visit_id=638516356303037699-3656695430&rd=1

– Nils

One of the characteristics of Google Ads Scripts that I probably don’t talk about enough is this:

Google Ads Scripts give you an edge over your competition.

Here’s why:

In an AI-driven world, where Google is trying to automate everything for the average advertiser, scripts allow you to automate the stuff at the edges.

It is at the edges where you make the difference and discriminate yourself from your competitors.

Here’s the thing:

Google Ads Scripts allow you to create automations that are unique for you and your clients.

(And the more uniqueness you create, the better you position yourself for this AI-driven future that levels our playing field.)

– Nils

Here’s a feature I often receive a great deal of praise for when I demonstrate it during my coaching sessions:

Segment by Conversion Action.

It’s an easy way to quickly discover the exact type of conversions generated by your campaigns.

Here’s what that looks like:

Notice how, in this example, the third campaign seems to generate a completely different mix of conversion actions than the first two.

Here’s the thing: segmenting by conversion action might give you insights that you would have completely missed if you only looked at the totals (and you have more than one Primary conversion action).

PRO TIP: If you try this and notice valuable insights, add custom conversion columns for each conversion action, and add them to your column set. Here’s how -> https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/11305866?hl=en

Your 5-minute action for today: if you have more than one primary conversion action, segment by conversion action and have a look at the results.

Do it now, the numbers just might surprise you!

– Nils

Here’s a question that rolled in from one of the participants of my last webinar on Google Ads scripts:

“If you manage more than 20 Google ads accounts, would you recommend to make use of MCC scripting via a Google spreadsheet where you can add the accounts IDs and thresholds? If so, what are the steps to realise this as it is an advanced method?”

Yes. Using a Google Sheet to manage the client accounts on which your script should run is a great way to keep your scripts setup organized.

For the scripts that run in my manager account, I like to use a Google Sheet that has a ‘config’ sheet inside the spreadsheet.

The config sheet has multiple columns, typically organized as follows:

• Column A: holds the IDs of the client accounts on which your script should run (REQUIRED)
• Column B: holds the label for campaigns in the client accounts on which your script should run (OPTIONAL)
• Column C: holds an additional filter for the campaigns; it holds a REGEXP to match campaign names for campaigns in the client accounts on which your script should run (OPTIONAL)
• Column D…N: hold the configuration variables for the script logic. Examples: click thresholds, ROAS targets, ‘out-of-stock’ strings landing page HTML, third-party API keys
• Column O: holds the spreadsheet URL for the output report
• Column P: holds the email addresses where the output should be sent

Here’s an example:

When the script in my manager account runs, it first reads all the information in this ‘config’ sheet inside the spreadsheet.

Then, it executes (in parallel) the script logic, for each individual client account in column A, using the config variables in that row for that specific client ID.

Everything is nicely organized in this one sheet.

No more tinkering with multiple settings in multiple client accounts!

Happy scripting 🙂

– Nils

Yesterday, I wrote about the “three words for maximum PPC growth”: Maximise Relevant Impressions

Many of you responded with a question:

“Hey Nils, what do you consider a relevant impression?”

My take on relevance is this: your ad impression should address (A) an explicit need, or (B) an implicit desire.

The best ads do both.

Here’s an example:

user query = “cheap VPN provider”

– Nils

PS:

This example is taken from the PDF ’23 Pillars of Great Ad Copy’. It’s a playbook to get more clicks and conversions from relevant ads. The PDF is part of GTA.

If you want to simplify account management, take back control, and improve results (or get your money back) -> sign up for Ed’s God Tier Ads.   

Use my discount code “NILS100” at checkout for $100 off. Pay once, get lifetime access to everything.

I’d still share these tips without the kickback… Ed’s pro tips have made me way more money than I’ll ever see from commissions, but a few extra bucks is nice!

Here’s the link again: https://app.godtierads.com/gta-bonus-bundle/apnnu

Maximise Relevant Impressions

– Nils

ICYMI: two weeks ago, I was invited by our friends from White Shark Media to join them for a webinar on the power of Google Ads Scripts.

We talked about how I got started with scripts and use them for the day-to-day management of accounts in my agency.

If you are new to Google Ads Scripts, it’s a great introduction.

WATCH NOW >>

Even if you’re already using scripts in your accounts, I think you’ll still find the discussion useful.

Sharing is caring!

If you have a friend who you think might benefit from this webinar, please consider forwarding them this email. Thanks!

– Nils

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”

T.S. Eliot

How far should you reduce or increase your (ROAS/POAS/CPA) targets?

To maximize your absolute PROFITs, you really need to test different target values in your smart bidding campaigns. 

Why? 

Because your targets directly influence your bids. And your bids influence the number of impressions, your ad position, the number of clicks, and ultimately your total conversion value.

This influence isn’t a linear relation though, it more or less follows a profit curve like this:

Here’s the thing: the exact shape of this curve differs per account, per campaign, and per time period.

To get to know the shape of this curve, we need to do some testing.

Here’s how I like to discover the shape of this curve for the campaigns in my account:

1. Create two versions of the same campaign (geo split, or run campaign experiment, 50-50 split)
2. Change ROAS/CPA target for the experiment  (+/- 20% change compared to the original)
3. Create a custom column that reports profit to easily monitor the difference in performance from the campaign view
4. Keep this experiment running for at least 14 days, and at least until the total number of conversions of both campaigns reaches 60
5. Re-adjust the target for the campaign that showed the least profit and go back to step 4

NB: if you are not already tracking profit in your account, you can create a custom column that uses this formula to report the profit estimate. Here’s how:

Replace 0.3 with your average profit margin.

Then, this is what the result will look like:

– Nils

Next week, I will be recording my session for SMX Advanced.

It is going to be about ‘Scripts for PMax’ and I feel like creating a new script.

So…

When you think about PMax campaigns and scripts, what script would you want me to create?

Thanks already for your ideas!

– Nils

“Getting your account structure right is hard. Re-structuring your account is harder.”

– Nils

Quick question: how many persons are involved in B2B buying decisions?

Quick answer: according to Google and ChatGPT, the typical buying group for a complex B2B solution involves 6-10 decision-makers.

10(!) decision makers…

That is a lot of convincing to be done.

If you are selling products or services via your website, that means your landers have some convincing to do.

In fact, this was one of the eye-openers for me from Ed Leake’s Landing Page Checklist Template: include benefits for all the persona / decision-makers involved in the sale process.

Here’s a screenshot of what that checklist looks like:

– Nils

PS:

If you join God Tier Ads, you will get access to multiple checklists like the one above that will help you set up and manage your Google Ads accounts.

If you want to simplify account management, take back control, and improve results (or get your money back): sign up for Ed’s God Tier Ads.

Use my discount code “NILS100” at checkout for $100 off. Pay once, get lifetime access to everything.

I’d still share these tips without the kickback. Ed’s pro tips have made me way more money than I’ll ever see from commissions, but a few extra bucks is nice!

Here’s the link again: https://app.godtierads.com/gta-bonus-bundle/apnnu

This email from Google (with the subject “Google Ads will automatically pause low-activity keywords”) landed in most of our inboxes in the last few days:

“Starting in June 2024, we will begin to automatically pause low-activity keywords. 

Positive keywords in search ads campaigns are considered low-activity if they were created over 13 months ago and have zero impressions over the past 13 months.”

Good/bad?

My take: I am confused.

Initial response: Google, please f#$k off with these automatically-applied changes. Warnings I can easily turn off, yes, please.  Notifications on ways to improve things… all good. Automatically-applied changes without my consent? NO WAY!

Second thought: Not sure this is a bad thing, after all? After all, 13 months of zero impressions… sounds like pretty useless clutter in the account, right? Potentially hurting the mythical account level QS, and complicating account management for sure.

Third thought: I am still thinking… If you have been thinking about this, please do share your thoughts. I would love to learn!

Fourth thought: Even if pausing low-activity keywords turns out to be a good thing (for the average account), here’s the thing: I still want to be in the know when this change happens. (Because it just might not be a good thing for my account.)

Which brings me to…

…my Change History Alerts Script.

URL: https://nilsrooijmans.com/google-ads-script-change-history-alerts/

What it does:
The script checks all the entries in the Google Ads change history of your account, and if there is a change by a user outside of your list of ‘recognized’ users, you will get an alert via email. The alert mail contains the number of changes as well as a link to the Google Sheet that lists all changes by unrecognized users.

Why you care:
It is all too often that people outside your team (or Google) make changes to the Google Ads accounts you manage. You want to make sure these changes are in line with your strategy ASAP. This script ensures you do.

Happy scripting!

– Nils

I mostly do the exact OPPOSITE of what Google recommends.

Here are some of my (unpopular?) approaches:

1. I test LOWERING the budget in campaigns that run on smart bidding. Immediately, I see a reduced cost in incremental conversions, making the additional conversions profitable instead of losing money. (Note: the previously unprofitable uplift in conversions is being hidden by the averages we all look at.)

2. I turn off all auto-recommendations. Immediately, I see a huge reduction of wasted ad spend on clicks that don’t convert.

3. I split out ad groups for different keywords, and use exact match and phrase match. Immediately, I see an increase in ad quality, higher rankings, and more clicks at a lower cost per click for the exact search terms.

4. I test REDUCING the number of assets, and pinning my best headlines in Responsive Search Ads. Immediately, I see an increase in conversions AND conversion value per impression.

5. I run standard search and standard shopping campaigns next to Performance Max campaigns. Immediately, I see the overall account performance increase (revenue and ROAS up, cost per conversion down).

Always remember: Google’s recommendations are in Google’s best interest, not necessarily yours.

– Nils

A few people have asked me the same question this month…

“What should a PPC expert measure/report?”

That is the wrong question.

The right question is:

“What does the client/boss measure?”

– Nils

PS: Personally, I take a lot of time to convince my clients that only three numbers truly matter: Google Ads spend, the Return, and my invoice. The specific ‘Return’ differs per client but is almost always either ‘Revenue’ or ‘Profit’.

Ever thought about getting rid of some expensive product feed management platforms that do not create that much value?

I am currently in the midst of a process like this.

Luckily, Kirk Williams has some great advice on how to do so without tanking results:

1. Start the new feed container before you get rid of the old container. (Best to let them run next to each other for a few months before shutting the old one down.)
2. Don’t migrate all products at once. Start with some middle-of-the-road products that do show significant volume, but aren’t in your top segments.
3. Make sure the item IDs in the new feed match the IDs from the old feed.
4. Make as many as possible feed attributes in the new feed match the data in the old feed.

Here’s the link to Kirk’s video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eitlnnP0_fc

Be sure to check out some of his earlier vids too, all great stuff!

– Nils

– Nils

Are you sending traffic to the best landing pages?

To answer this question, I like to periodically review the mapping between search terms and the “post-ad-click” landing pages.

The easiest way to do this is by creating a Google Ads custom report that shows a table like the one below:

Here’s how to do this in less than 3 minutes:

1. Go to Reports (upper right corner)
2. Create a custom report
3. Add as row: ‘search term’, ‘ad group’, and ‘ad final url’
4. Add as column: ‘clicks’, ‘conversions’, and ‘conv rate’

To analyze the data:

5. Download as Excel CSV file
6. Create table, sort by clicks, and then sort by search term

This way, you can easily find search terms that generate clicks to more than one lander, and decide on which lander is best.

Pausing keywords in ad groups and/or adding negative keywords will help you direct traffic to the optimal lander.

PRO TIP: Share this report with your client every once and a while to see if they know of any better landing pages for the top 100 search terms. This is especially valuable for retailers with lots of different product category pages and product detail pages. 

EXTRA PRO TIP: You can use a tool like easylanding.io to easily edit any text or images on your landing page in a WYSIWYG editor.

– Nils

Here’s my 6-stage cycle you can use to increase your PPC productivity and freedom without wasting a lot of time and money:

1. Define your PPC goals 
Be concrete, be specific, and don’t be shy about the numbers.

2. Eliminate
Remove all the tasks that don’t significantly move the needles for what you defined in the previous step. Be relentless; remove more than what feels comfortable. You should also apply this at the PPC account level — remove campaigns, ad groups, and keywords that only bring complexity but little results.

3. Document
Create a written Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for anything you do more than once. Think negative keyword management, tinkering with budgets, smart bidding targets, feed optimization, and ad copy testing. Start with the easy stuff — this allows you to prove the value of SOPs to yourself (and your team). Don’t try to document everything at once. Take small incremental steps. Improve the SOP every time you use it.

4. Delegate 
Bring in one or more contractors to run your SOPs for you. Make sure that they know they are allowed to improve the SOP as long as they update the SOP to reflect their changes and ask you for feedback.

5. Automate
Set up software automations to replace your contractors. This could be as simple as using automated rules, plugging systems together with no-code solutions like Zapier for reporting, or hiring a developer to write a Google Ads script for you.

6. Liberate
The ultimate goal is freedom — both geographical and from the traditional 9-to-5 structure. Work from anywhere, anytime you want. This flexibility allows you to focus on what’s really meaningful for your account, for your client, for your business, for you, and for your loved ones.

This brings me to Brian Dyson, the former CEO of Coca-Cola, who once said:

“Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them work, family, health, friends, and spirit, and you’re keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls — family, health, friends, and spirit — are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered.” 

– Nils

“A PPC expert is someone who, after many years, manages to remain confident enough to ABT and humble enough to keep learning.”

ABT = Always Be Testing.

Here’s a helpful model for this:

SOURCE: https://www.kaizenko.com/the-dreyfus-model-of-skills-acquisition/

– Nils

Here’s a question I get a lot:

“I’ve been running my shopping campaigns (or PMax) for some time now. How do I scale?” 

Multiple answers here, but Ed Leake summed it up pretty nicely:

– Nils

PS:

This diagram is part of the God Tier Ads framework. If you join God Tier Ads, you will also become part of an online community of PPC enthusiasts like Ed and me, where all members help you answer questions like the one above. If you want to simplify account management, take back control, and improve results (or get your money back): sign up for Ed’s God Tier Ads.

Use my discount code “NILS100” at checkout for $100 off. Pay once, get lifetime access to everything.

I’d still share these tips without the kickback. Ed’s pro tips have made me way more money than I’ll ever see from commissions, but a few extra bucks is nice!

Here’s the link again: https://app.godtierads.com/gta-bonus-bundle/apnnu