True story: One of my coaching clients was running a nicely separated brand campaign. Exact match keywords for the brand name and some popular typos. Manual CPC bidding.
Then, a Google Rep came along.
“Hey, why don’t we switch to broad match and automated bidding to increase leads and make sure no competitor will outrank you?”
“Sure, that sounds great!”
And so it went.
The carefully-selected brand keywords all switched to broad match, and bidding switched to “Target impressions share” (without Bid Limit!).
The result?
Ad spend for the brand campaign tripled, cost per lead increased 80%. Ad spend for the total account increased by roughly 10%.
And the worst part? The overall number of leads in the CRM system didn’t increase _at all_.
Remember: It’s Google’s job to make money for its shareholders. It’s your job to make money for your client.
Always, ALWAYS, question each and every recommendation a Google Rep or the Google algorithm makes before you apply.
– Nils