Managing paid search ads for the past 3 years has taught me a lot about the big two competing content networks, Google and Bing. The simple yet true fact is that all content networks are not made equal. However, a smart online advertiser will seek opportunity anywhere and must determine a methodology to make multiple content networks work simultaneously for a host of different outcomes.
One tool that I have been using for the last year to manage Google ads is a services known as WordStream. This tool is incredible for building and maintaining campaigns. It offers a next level functionality above and beyond the excellent free tools offered by Google. Google in fact pulls their keyword API from this service, impressive! The point here is that I have always had handy tools to utilize for Google ads and thus would gravitate to their content networks from a daily execution standpoint. However, by potentially neglecting other content networks like Bing because of their less then comparable Ad interfaces this innately is leaving opportunity on the table. Until now!
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With WordStream, I now I have an ace up my PPC wizard sleeve! WS can now provide an easier method to incorporate the Bing management system, which alleviates the anxiety of managing cumbersome Ad interfaces, like the Microsoft AdCenter has proven to be. On August 2, 2012 WordStream posted a blog called To Bing or not to Bing, and what an appropriate question!
“For countless advertisers who are considering whether to advertise on Bing (and Yahoo!). The pros are pretty clear. Advertising on Bing gives you access to roughly 30% of the search market.”
WordStream in essence has helped level the playing field for content network advertising in the fact that their interface will significantly help the integration of both Google and Bing campaign data. This added functionality enables marketers to port campaign data easily into the WordStream tool, mirroring what has been setup in Adwords. This is a massive time saver which allows for allocating more time for set ups or further optimization.
For any IM agency managing a large volume of PPC accounts on a monthly basis, time management is critical! If there are content networks that are known for being notoriously slow, difficult to navigate and/or set roadblocks in terms of campaign setups, marketers will obviously be reluctant to manage these networks. The real message that I want to convey here is that WordStream is not only a powerful tool for managing Paid Search, it also saves a significant amount of time managing accounts week over week. The benefit to the client (which of course is the end result) is campaigns likely to show more bang for your marketing buck, lower cost per acquisitions and higher quality scores. There are a host of other impressive little tools that WordStream offers but you'll have to demo those yourself!
on
Word stream seems like it would be a valuable site for campaigning, now I’m wondering what other tools Google has at it’s disposal. Nice post. I think the majority of searchers use Google, but for consistency, it’s best to use both engines.
on
Thank you for sharing your insights and experiences with us. I also agree that diversifying would be a great solution.
on
This is a really good tip, I never thought before that many people used different search engines. Maybe it was common sense, but it’s true. I will use my advertising in several search engines from now on, I never thought about that before.
on
Why not diversify both networks? Always have the best of both worlds to create the largest audience possible.
I personally use Google Adwords but that’s just me. Google, as a whole, is far more superior than Bing and any other search engine company.
on
I would often joke with our account managers at Bing about how I would usually build my Bing campaigns in AdWords Editor, then import them into the AdCenter desktop app – it was easier than using their own app, which still had many bugs and lacked the bulk editing capabilities of Google’s.
I demoed Wordstream when it initially came out, and found it to be an interesting product. The two issues I had with it however was that it would hit a point where it couldn’t classify the remaining words in your keyword list, and it was usually still a pretty high percentage of the total list. Also, at the time I don’t believe it was de-duping either.
Regarding Content network, I would say Google has come a long way in the level of control it gives you over your placement on it – more so than Bing. But traffic quality continues to be a challenge, making it more difficult to allocate funds to it knowing that the same money could have been better spent on the search network.
on
I think it is a good idea to use both competing search engines. One of the best ways to achieve success is by not limiting yourself excessively. Using Google and Bing can go far in success. Wordstream definitely has the right idea.