How to test (and perfect) nearly everything in PPC
Columnist Andreas Reiffen adapts his talk from SMX London 2017 into a handy "how-to" for search marketers looking to improve ad performance through testing.
PPC (pay per click) is a key component of many online marketing campaigns. And while it can drive significant revenue, it’s also one of the most expensive ongoing costs in a campaign. Therefore, it’s key that you test your ads regularly, to make sure you aren’t letting any conversions slip through the cracks.
Testing and optimizing is an important part of our job as digital marketers. And I’m not just talking about perfecting your ad copy.
At SMX London earlier this year, I gave a talk on how we design and implement tests at Crealytics for both Text and Shopping ads.
Carrying on from that, this post will cover three methods you can use for successful testing, two types of testing to help you take performance to the next level, and five common pitfalls that testers often run into. I’ll also illustrate these points with examples from our own internal testing efforts.
Deciding which method to use
Designing a good experiment is actually the most important step in getting actionable results. Which testing method you use will depend on what data you have available and what variables you are trying to test. In general, there are three basic types of testing methods:
- Drafts and experiments
- Scheduled A/B tests
- Before/after tests
Each of these methods comes with pluses and minuses.
[Read the full article on Search Engine Land.]
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