Maximizing with Mischa

Mischa, an AdWords optimization specialist, shares his keyword streamlining strategies – tips for identifying ineffective keywords and maintaining a clutter-free account.

Mischa says...

Do you ever look at your AdWords account and think, "There are enough keywords here to fill a large oil tanker"? If so, it might be time to look at which keywords to keep and which to throw overboard.

Unfortunately, when faced with an oil tanker-sized pile of keywords, you may not have time to assess every individual keyword. To efficiently make decisions about your keywords en masse, try these keyword streamlining strategies.

Step 1: Delete duplicate keywords

The first step toward streamlining your keywords is getting rid of clutter – you can do this by eliminating duplicate keywords. This will make it easier to evaluate your keywords, since you won't need to sift through all the duplicates.

The easiest way to locate and eliminate duplicate keywords is with AdWords Editor, a free, downloadable application for managing your account.

To find duplicate keywords using AdWords Editor:

1. Go to Tools > Find Duplicate Keywords.

2. When specifying the criteria for your search, try the following:
Word order: Select "Strict word order"
Where duplicate keywords are located: Select "In the whole account (across all campaigns)"
Match types: Select "Duplicates must have the same match type"

3. Click Find Duplicate Keywords.

Your duplicate keywords will appear grouped together – you can now easily compare and delete keywords straight from this list. To best determine which keywords you should eliminate based on performance history, make sure that you have conversion tracking enabled, and that you're viewing your keywords' performance statistics in AdWords Editor.

When comparing duplicates:

• Delete the duplicate with the lower conversion rate.
• If your duplicates' conversion rates are similar, delete the duplicate with the lower clickthrough rate (CTR), since it has a lower Quality Score and adds less value to your account.

Once you've deleted all your duplicates, remember to post the changes to your AdWords account.

Step 2: Optimize inactive keywords

Now that your keyword lists are duplicate-free, you can focus on further streamlining your keyword list by optimizing keywords that are inactive for search. Keywords marked inactive for search have lower Quality Scores, which can negatively impact your account's overall performance. To prevent this negative impact, you'll want to take action on inactive keywords. Optimize, adjust bids, or delete – but don't just leave them alone.

Optimize	To reactivate these keywords, try optimizing to increase their Quality Scores. Make sure your keywords are organized into tightly themed ad groups, and try to include the actual keyword in your ad text. Get more optimization tips »
Adjust bids	If your keywords remain inactive after you've thoroughly optimized them, and you don't want to delete them from your account, you can raise your maximum cost-per-click (CPC) bid to activate them. Learn how to adjust your bids »
Delete	If your keywords are still inactive after optimizing and adjusting your bids, or if you do not want to raise your bids, delete your inactive keywords. Learn how to delete keywords »
To quickly find all inactive keywords using AdWords Editor, follow these steps.
	Want more tips from Mischa in the next issue? Send your questions to techb2c-newsletter@google.com.