In a nutshell, Google has alerted advertisers that it will soon stop showing search queries that triggered ads when there is not “significant” data.
Google says, “We are updating the search terms report to only include terms that were searched by a significant number of users. As a result you may see fewer terms in your report going forward.” This change has rocked the Google advertising world with no one really sure what “significant” means to Google.
There are several reasons why this change is a challenge for Google advertisers. Advertising in markets that naturally have lower search volumes may see less search term data than those operating in higher traffic industries with higher search volumes. Advertisers may also notice higher ad spend wastage as you may not be aware of some of the keywords triggering ads.
This is why it is essential to have a qualified Geelong based Google Ads expert overlooking your Google advertising spend. DIYers while having great intentions generally have no idea of the ins and outs of the Google Ads system, ad spend management, Google policies and hidden gems that can really boost website exposure.
We’re already a step ahead
This means negative keywords are just as important as positive keywords now, if not more. We already knew this and have already been utilising a negative keyword strategy for our clients. In fact, negative keywords are the first lot of keywords we enter into the Google Ads system! It is important we highlight to Google the keywords we absolutely do not want to be found for, essentially cutting the bad fruit off the tree. Then and only then we focus on those search terms that are significant and super relevant to our clients.
Negative query management
Search term management becomes more challenging when search terms aren’t reported so we need to evolve our tactics for keeping poor keywords at bay to help reduce ad spend wastage.
As advertisers have less control over the queries that trigger ads Google Ads advertisers will have to move from a positive keyword management to a negative keyword management approach. Search term management which is one of the main aspects of management work we do has become a critical aspect of Google Ads campaign management.
Knowing when to add negative keywords and which negative keywords relate to specific businesses and industries is key. Utilising a negative keyword strategy is just as if not more important as adding keywords we want our clients to be found for on Google.
If you need help creating a Google Ads campaign drop us a line.
