9 replies to this topic

[Searchaware]

Hi all

I was wondering if people would like to share their experiences of the various bid management tools available for the likes of Overture and AdWords.

I have been looking at a few such as the offerings from GoToast and BidBuddy as we are starting to find that we could do with some of the daily management of PPC campaigns being automated.

I would be very interested to hear which bid management tools others used or indeed methods people used to remain efficient without the need for software tools to manage campaigns.

Thanks

Simon

[Haystack]

I would be very interested to hear which bid management tools others used or indeed methods people used to remain efficient without the need for software tools to manage campaigns.

Hi SearchAware, you generally need to have a fairly high ad spend on some competitively priced terms to justify using a bid tool. The clear priority in a bid tool is to make sure it's an accepted tool for the PPC programs you want to monitor.

I don't know if this applies to your business, but some people are adjusting their bid strategies for different day parts. For example, if they're in a B2B they'll drop their bids to the minimum through the night then bid high during business hours. Not all programs have this level of bid management but if it's something you might find valuable check around.

Bidrank might be worth checking as well but you'd probably be better off with a web based product.

Are you currently tracking your conversions? If not, I'd invest in a tool to do that before a bid monitoring tool. You might find that you can simply outbid your competition and still turn a positive ROI, or that certain terms don't convert at all, so drop rather than monitor them.

[Searchaware]

Hi

Thanks for the comments - very useful.

We do track conversions as a priority including the detail of which search engines/campaigns that they come from using a very good web service. (I don't think I can include a link can I?)

We are simply looking to automate a bit more. I will follow up on some of the points you suggested.

Thanks

Simon

[Haystack]

Hi Searchaware, you could link to the service you use, but mentioning it would probably be enough since most people on here know how to use a search engine. If you post a link make sure it's not an affiliate link designed to make you a buck or two.

Keep in mind that really effective PPC campaigns generally have a ton of search terms listed. When this is done, there are usually quite a few terms that don't need to be monitored due to the lack of competition. However, if you have some terms you now know convert like crazy, keeping them in the top-3 might be worth automating.

[Hippo]

I just recently went through the process of trying to determine which PPC Bid Management software I would use. Here is the process I used:

Determine your budget for the software.
Determine if you prefer web-based or PC-based.
Determine if you want to monitor just Overture or AdWords also.
Determine if you want to monitor several accounts at once or just one at a time.

If you answer these questions and narrow your selection to just the approved programs (Overture approved that is), you will likely come down to just one or two options.

I am very happy with the decision I made. In fact, I am working on a review of the many products I tried out. It will eventually be on my website, but Jill and I have even talked about a brief version on her newsletter. Let me know if you are interested. I can share more about what I learned in my review of the many choices. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have as well.

[Haystack]

Thanks for sharing, Corey. Much appreciated.

What did you find out about pricing based on volume of search terms? Did you see pricing based around that particular metric?

[AussieWebmaster]

Hi Searchaware, you could link to the service you use, but mentioning it would probably be enough since most people on here know how to use a search engine. If you post a link make sure it's not an affiliate link designed to make you a buck or two.

Keep in mind that really effective PPC campaigns generally have a ton of search terms listed. When this is done, there are usually quite a few terms that don't need to be monitored due to the lack of competition. However, if you have some terms you now know convert like crazy, keeping them in the top-3 might be worth automating.

No affiliate links allowed... DAMN why not make a couple of bucks in return for good advise?

LOL....

Okay I have used a pile of trackers and bid watchers but the best one is KeywordMax... it tracks numbers of clicks and has great trusted status with the big engines... it is also a great ROI tracker.... it offers a free trial so see for yourself, and not that expensive either...

Guess I will have to get a link to the thread and send it to them and have them pay me a press release fee!!!

I use it and may private label it down the road but am yet not affiliated with it!

[Haystack]

Hi AussieWebmaster,
welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing.

[Searchaware]

We have been using Statlynx from Traceworks to actually track activity from our listings and see where the conversions are coming from.

By and large it has proved to be very effective and usually pretty accurate. It allows you to set up specific tracking URLs for PPC, links and PFI although occassionally the PFI links can be slightly less accurate due to the way the links are presented in partner sites.

Thanks for the pointers on Bid Management tools...

Simon

[Hippo]

The programs I reviewed were PC-based, not web-based. I found that PPC Bid Monitoring programs basically fell into three categories:

1. PC Based (less expensive - one purchase and you are set)
2. Web Based (generally more expensive and priced via keyword/month)
3. Full Service (firms that will monitor your program for you)

I prefer PC Based as it allows me to do what I want. PPC Pro is going for a good price and allows me to manage several campaigns at once. I like the idea that I will always be #2 for many terms. It is a great selling point to my customers.

By the way, if you package your PPC Pro program with accounts at Conversion Ruler, you will be able to track ROI. I have done this and went from about $50 per day for one client down to $30 per day. I was able to remove unproductive terms and still get the same quantity sales per month. Deb Brisson at Conversion Ruler and Jed Young at PPC Pro are extremely hepful in setting all this up.

If anyone has any other questions about these PC-based programs and their value I would enjoy talking with them. Feel free to call, e-mail or post to this forum. You can also chat with me on my site.

I have now completed my review of Bid Management Software. I will contact Jill soon to see if we can get a sumary on the newsletter for all to review.

Edited by CoreyCreed, 05 September 2003 - 02:20 PM.