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Alpha Beta Evolved: The future of Paid Search

Written by Tyler Jordan | Jun 25, 2021 7:56:57 PM

The Alpha Beta process has been a best practice for the last decade or more. In the years since, however, Google has made a great many changes to the SERPs, ad practices, and the amount of control you have over exact match campaigns. Exact match campaigns aren’t really exact anymore, and the Alpha Beta process relies on Alpha keywords being exact.

We’ve taken the Alpha Beta process and modernized it for this new advertising world. We’ve added Gamma and Delta campaigns that help cast a broader net to feed the Alpha and Beta campaigns in your account. What follows is our strategy fully laid out so that you too can modernize your approach.


Remember: if you need further help with your accounts drop us a line!

 

Chapter 1. SEM Account Glossary of Terms

We can hardly expect to dive into the future of paid search without covering a bit of its past. This post covers off on a broad range of SEM terms so you can be up to speed on all of the relevant lingo.

Chapter 2. Google Ads evolved, The Alpha-Beta Process has to evolve too

The Alpha Beta process has been a staple in PPC for years, but it’s time for it to evolve with all of the changes made to the Google Ads platform over time. We’ve added Gamma and Delta campaigns to the mix, and changed how we treat Alpha campaigns to better capture relevant traffic.

 

Chapter 3. Single keyword ad groups vs small keyword ad groups

One of the key changes to our Alpha Beta Evolved process is the evolution from single keyword ad groups to small keyword ad groups. This helps mitigate some of the problems with Exact Match not being so exact anymore.

 

Chapter 4. Campaign Naming Conventions

 

Campaign naming conventions are an organizational necessity. Without a proper naming convention you’ll be left with a mess when reporting time comes around.

READ THE GUIDE

 

 

Chapter 5. SEM Messaging

 

With the dilution of exact match, creative and messaging has become even more important over the last few years. There are a number of additional features Google has implemented that offer you more control over what the user sees when your ad is shown.

READ THE GUIDE

 

 

Chapter 6. Message testing philosophy

 

If you’re not testing your ad messaging, you’re probably leaving a lot of clicks and conversions on the table. A steady refinement to get the perfect ad messaging is key to success with Google Ads.

READ THE GUIDE

 

 

Chapter 7. Display Campaigns and Retargeting

 

Showing ads when a user is expressing intent (ie: searching on google for a product or service) is a great way to get people in the door that are ready to buy. What if they’re just researching though? A robust retargeting strategy with Display can keep you top of mind throughout the decision making process.

READ THE GUIDE