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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then, a Google Rep came along. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“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!”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so it went. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The carefully-selected brand keywords all switched to broad match, and bidding switched to “Target impressions share” (without Bid Limit!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The result?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ad spend for the brand campaign tripled, cost per lead increased 80%. Ad spend for the total account increased by roughly 10%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the worst part? The overall number of leads in the CRM system didn’t increase _at all_.
Remember:<\/strong> It’s Google’s job to make money for its shareholders. It’s your job to make money for your client.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Always, ALWAYS, question each and every recommendation a Google Rep or the Google algorithm makes before you apply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n