A real life example was when the film Bruno came out, I had to add in many negatives to a campaign that targeted a brand term. If I hadn’t of added in negative keywords then we may have spent money on irrelevant clicks.

Thanks for the additional points (and the comment)!

I would also say don’t ‘auto-optimize’ your ads. It prevents a true A/B test from occuring.

The longer you do it.
The humbler you get.

-Tom Hale

You’re exactly right. Auto-optimization does not take into account your conversion rates. So if you are testing ads for conversions, you absolutely need to have your ads set to rotate evenly.

Thanks for commenting!

Nice – poorly researched day-parting is definitely a don’t! Any time you limit your ad’s exposure, you should have a pretty good reason (i.e. conversion data) for doing so.

As for writing boring ads – your first priority is to the basics: benefits, calls-to-action and keywords (relevancy). Beyond that, especially in a creative-squashing environment, you will need to think outside the box. Review what your competitors are doing – and be different. What about your client’s services/products makes them stand out – write that into your ads. It’s the little things that will help your ads to become exciting and extraordinary!

With regards to writing boring ads – many of my clients would get upset if I started getting too creative, so I often find myself limited to just writing solid – benefit rich adverts (that can be a little boring). Any advice for writing non-boring adverts that won’t upset my clients?

I would like to add that a lot of my clients have random time scheduling on their campaigns when I first see them (like 8am – 11pm Mon – Fri, 10am – midnight Sat & Sun) – I think unless there is conversion tracking data that suggests there are no sales outside these times – this is a DON’T!

Thanks.

I really like #1. It’s really a common sense thing. I’ve inherited accounts where it was literally Campaign 1, Campaign 2, Ad Group A, Ad Group B. Who does that??? Giving them “real” names allows for quick navigation and reporting – and a lot less headaches.

Thanks for commenting!