Recently Google has announced a new change, to essentially remove the Pay Per Click (PPC) Managers ability to bid on an exact match keyword in Google AdWords. Given I’ve had skin in the Search game for a decade, you’d think I’d be used to Google making an announcement that turns my daily work and strategy upside down. But the reality is, I’ve always loved User Experience (UX) as much as I’ve loved search, so usually the updates help and re-enforce a strategy we were already implementing. Google, this time is different.
Why Exact Match is Great
Here is a quick lesson on how exact match is used. First, exact match is great for keywords you know will convert. You are essentially telling Google, if someone searches “New Orleans Saints” you want your ad to show. However if anyone searches any variation of “New Orleans Saints” like “New Orleans saint” or “New Orleans sain” the ad would not show.
You can see in this situation, someone searching “New Orleans Saints” may or may not be looking for the Saints team or info. But the beauty of exact match is, you get a lower cost per click because exact match is less likely to be used by your competitors. Your competitors are more likely to bid on a phrase match of anything dealing with the Saints football team.
Tell the Truth Google, This is About Money
Why does this matter you ask? Sure, in our example above it is just as likely someone searching “New Orleans Saints” is actually looking for the the Saints football team. It is about the advanced PPC managers ability to control the spend and bids. Google’s change to allow close variants in exact match bidding would increase the Cost Per Click (CPC) for all exact match bids, forcing the brand to spend more and in turn Google making more money on every campaign. In Google’s announcement, they position the change as helping the PPC manager. I, along with many other PPC managers, protest.
In 2013, almost 91% of Google’s $55.5 Billion in revenue came from advertising alone, according to Business Insider. So, it leads me to ask, really Google? You want me to spend more on a keyword I know will convert exactly as I’ve entered it, just because you want to think for me?
Well folks, I’m fighting back and I’m asking you to join my cause. Sign this petition to tell Google you can think for yourself. As Brad Geddes said, “Google was forced to make changes last year after the uproar was too loud to ignore; hopefully, they will do it again.”
