Whilst the internet offers marketers a great opportunity to display their products and services to a wide audience, the added caveat is that there will be many competitors to get in front of, in order to gain that attention.
Internet advertising methods such as PPC offer a great way to do this – but being able to perform PPC optimisation may be the difference between ads being placed above competitors, or not. If you run an online business that has been looking into the benefits that Google AdWords can have, in this blog we're going to explore an aspect that is so often overlooked– the auction insights.
The need to get in front of your competitors; this is why it's always important to be aware of what they're actually doing. Whilst you're able to control your ad bids in the programme, it's actually the performance of your competitors, which determine what you're required to pay, as well as where your ad will be placed.
AdWords' auction insights produce a report that allows you to compare your ad campaign's performance with that of others who are competing in the same ad auctions as you. By possessing this information, you'll be able to make better-defined decisions on your budgeting and bidding, as the report highlights the areas in which you may be missing opportunities to improve your campaigns' performance, allowing for better PPC optimisation.
Although there are third-party applications that can produce information on your competitors – they will never be as accurate as the reports produced by AdWords. Being a Google property, the program is obviously more in-tune with the search engine and how the ads it displays, perform.
The Different Aspects of An Auction Insight Report
Once you've got the data, what do you need to do with it? Here, we're going to take a look at these different aspects and how the expert PPC marketers put them to good use:
1. Who's Got The Most Share? This is the aspect that jumps out first for most people – which of your competitors is dominating the impression share? Other questions that may appear include: Who is competing for the share across each of your campaigns? What are your best-performing or worst-performing ad groups? And who is competing for the share on your best-performing keywords?
From these questions, you can understand who your business is really up against – as aside from those who offer the same products and services as you, there will be other businesses who may be competing against your bids, for other purposes that fall outside of what you're offering. You will also see how often your ads are outranking those of your competitors and how your overall impression share is when compared to others.
2. Taking Opportunities When They Present Themselves. Without looking at the auction insights, how will you know when a competitor has slowed down their ad campaign? When such moments occur,you should be ready to take the space, that has been freed up, for yourself –strengthening your presence on a search. Once you're able to advertise to a wider audience, you'll naturally have the opportunity to gain that all-important market share.
3. How Frequent/When Are Your Competitors Ads Showing? Auction insights allow you to see exactly on which dates and times your competitors are focusing on. This is important to know, as in relation to the last point, you'll be able to see on which dates and time they're really going for it – and when they are laying off. This will give you the knowledge of when to take advantage of your competitors' downtime and which areas are best to commit your budget to.
4. Who's Dominating The Different Devices? Just like understanding the last point, with knowing at what times your competitors are bidding for, knowing which type of devices they're targeting is similarly useful when you're going about PPC optimisation. Other questions you could ask are: Do our results correspond with theirs? And are there any opportunities to exploit, by bulking up our presence in areas in which they'relaying off?
5. Who's Market Share Is Moving (and When)? Another great aspect of using auction insights to do your PPC optimisation is the ability to organise and view data over along period. By organising a year's worth of data, say by on a month-to-month basis, you can spot any fluctuations in your competitors' market share – giving you an even better idea of those areas that are prime to exploit. For even more in-depth reports, you can even divide the data up to give figures on certain times of certain days – as well as the devices used to display the ads.
These are just a few aspects that need looking at if you want to run a successful PPC optimisation campaign. However, mastering the different techniques needed to get yourself in front of your competitors, may prove time-consuming and difficult to achieve – this is precisely when many forward-thinking businesses turn to a professional PPC company to help.
PPC Junkies – A Modern, Forward-Thinking Agency For Modern, Forward-Thinking Businesses
At PPC Junkies, we are a Google-affiliated PPC agency that holds a vast and varied experience in helping all manner of online business operations to establish advertising campaigns that have given them a major presence in the busy online world. Which a well-honed campaign undertaken by experienced professionals, you will not only reap the benefits that PPC optimisation can bring but you'll also be able to concentrate more of your efforts on other aspects of your business, safe in the knowledge that your website is gaining the attention it deserves.
Contact Us Today To Learn More About PPC
If you need any further information on how PPC optimisation can help you, or for any query on internet marketing in general, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us today. You can give us a call on 0118 380 0204 or alternatively, you can send us an e-mail at sales@ppcjunkies.co.uk