For the last two to three months I volunteered myself to run the AdWords Campaign for my company. Although all the people who glance at my numbers think that I am doing a great job (2%+ click-through, 5%+ conversion), I am very unhappy with the results and the process has been very frustrating.
Like an addicted gambler, I literally spend every waking moment of my day wrestling with AdWords. But it never, ever, move in the direction I want it to move. Here are a couple of reasons:
- The so-called “advance matching” options never actually work. You can use as many phrases, and square brackets as you like, your ads will still show up in places it does not belong. Or worst, it will not show up when it is supposed to.
- Your maximum CPC – cost per click – is meaningless. You can set your CPC to $1.00, but your ad will only hit at .50 cents. Saving money is fine and all, but this is really bad when you are trying to estimate your budget and understand your cost basis.
- There are way too many tools that will send you in all sorts of direction. It’s frustrating when people tell you to use this tool and that tool to this and that, but in the end none of them work. The only thing that really work is waiting for the ads to run and collecting statistics afterward. There are no tools that can help you accurately predict or plan your campaign.
- No real time data. This makes it really hard to react to changing market conditions.
Like my boss said, it’s my gambling fix. Except here I am constantly betting out without looking at my cards. A real donkey move. Heeeee-Haaaww!