Anton E. Konikoff
Acronym Media
December 4, 2006
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Another job interview at Acronym..
Anton:
Why do you think ad
testing is important?
Candidate:
Mmm.. So that you
can increase the click
through rate….?
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Why Engage in Ad Testing?
• Get quantifiable insights in a controlled
environment
• Understand messaging effectiveness
• Identify the most attractive product
offerings/benefits
• Create the optimal search campaign that
maximizes ROAS/ROI
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
More Compelling Image?
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Responder Set
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Clear Winner!
39.3%
58.1%
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Search Provides a Perfect Platform for Testing
• Google democratized the concept
– Everyone feels like a research pro
– Need for careful experiment design
• Keeping it simple (for now)
– CTR and conversion rates
– Memorability, brand perception by demo next?
• Direct Marketers’R’Us
– No assumptions; let customer voice be heard
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Fundamentals of Ad Testing – Where Can You Test?
Google/MSN – Allows for a controlled
environment with Ad Rotation
• Ad Rotation – Ability to rotate multiple creatives for a
group of similar keywords.
• Google automatically delivers the ad with the higher
Click-through Rate (CTR) more frequently.
– Turn this option off when doing ad testing to ensure
equal delivery of ad variations
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Ad Testing on Google
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Fundamentals of Ad Testing - Where Can You Test?
Yahoo & Other Engines- Ad rotation is currently
not available in Yahoo! and Tier II engines
– These engines have a 1:1 keyword-ad copy
relationship
– Ad tests for Yahoo! and other engines can be
conducted by rotating in different ads at
different times
• Example: For 2 weeks, use ad copy A. For the
next two weeks, use ad copy B, and so on
• Changing with Yahoo Panama release
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Fundamentals: Key Metrics
• Click-Through Rate (CTR)
– How attractive is your ad or offering
– Which messaging is more effective
at driving traffic
– A high CTR allows ads to maintain the same
position with lower bids due to increased Quality Score
• Conversion Rate By Ad
– Ultimate measure of success!
– Capability to track both on a keyword and ad creative level
through Google Value Track and similar systems
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Effective Ad Testing
Strategies
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Ad Testing Setup
How Much to Test?
• Small budgets: 3-4 ads
• Larger budgets: 5+ ads
• Allow enough time and spend
Data sample size
• How much data should be collected before
evaluating ad copies?
• At least 100 clicks, ideally at least 1,000 clicks
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Tactics For Title Lines/Display URL
• Title Lines
– Leverage your titles lines to closely
match the keywords in your ad group
• Display URLs
– Use display URL to test additional messaging:
• Paltalk.com/FreeTrial” vs. “Paltalk.com” as display URL
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Description Lines
• Keep your title line consistent to test
descriptions, then test titles
• Create a variety of description lines
using a themed approach:
–
–
–
–
–
Price Points
Official Site
Time Sensitive/Urgency
Promotional Offers
Language Variations
“All Time Low Price!”
“Visit Official Site”
“Buy Now!” “Apply by 12/6”
“Save 50% With Coupon!”
“Join Now” Vs. “Signup Now”
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Klutz Toys – Themed Copy Testing
• Tested three themes of ad copy across all ad groups
• Discovered that the “Award-Winning” theme had the
highest CTR with a 11.72% and highest conversion rates
Award-Winning
How-to
Unique
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
More Granular Ad Testing
• Punctuation
‘Try Free Today!’ vs ‘Try Free Today.’
• Capitalization
Sirius.com vs SIRIUS.com in display URL
• Proper Case vs. Sentence Case
‘Get Free Trial Now. Vs.. ‘Get free trial now.’
• Accent Usage vs. Non-Accent Usage
Useful in foreign language campaigns
• Keyword Insertion vs. Non-Keyword Insertion
Using Keyword Insertion in titles will almost always increase CTR,
but not necessarily improve the conversion rate
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Sirius Radio Case Study
• $30 rebate OR Low Subscription Fee of $9.99/month
• Test Period: 1 Month
$30 Rebate
PPC Referrals
Click-Through Rate
Conversion Rate By Ad
Free Trial
$30 Off
One Free Month
27,856
28,412
4.5%
3.5%
3.5%
1.5%
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Ad Testing: Path to Success
• Start with the most straightforward test
• Try multiple (and radical) hypotheses
• Keep up a testing regimen
TEST TEST TEST, then INVEST
• Set aside a budget for testing
• Reserve multivariate testing for Stage 7
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Be curious. Don’t settle. Always Be Testing.
“What we have to do is to be forever curiously
testing new opinions and courting new
impressions.”
Walter Pater
English Writer and Critic, 1873
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995
Contact Information
Questions?
(or for a visit to the top of the Empire State Building):
Anton Konikoff
Acronym Media
anton@acronym.com
www.acronym.com
Search Marketing Experts Since 1995