Just curious when you guy's launch a campaign does your Ad show up for a good 3-4 hours then all suddenly it just drops down to the 3rd page? For example I had one market I could bid 1 dollar on the front page, but after 4 hours or so I had to bid 3 dollars to be in the position I was earlier? I'm pretty sure it's not because of my Ad CTR which granted I'm sure it can be approved, but from what I was told generally it's because you have to bid extremely high and collect a lot of data before you start dropping your Bids. In other words giving AdWords time to "love" your ad before dropping bids?
That's common if your ad doesn't perform. Google normalizes CTR by position so if you kick off a campaign in spot 3 and your performance, relative to the other ads that are served in that position, is poor your position will drop like a rock. This happens faster on high volume keywords where Google can make the call quicker. The bid high early to collect data is a completely flawed strategy but that's another post all together
Interesting. I'd imagine if you bid back up and start collecting data and optimizing you'll be able to keep dropping them back down to that bid price?
Before I upped my bids to play in that space I would introduce some ads or tighten up my keyword/ad combination. If you had high positioning and got pushed back due to a low QS (CTR) and up your bids with the same ad(s) in play it's likely you'll repeat the cycle. I tend to try and start in lower positions and optimize my way up. I've found it to be the least expensive path to get the position(s) I want at a CPC that makes sense. I wouldn't say I do this 100% of the time but more often than not it's the path that works for me.
From your testing and experience have you had QS that have read GREAT, butt he CPC continues to go down on the bid after time? I have a few affiliate offers I'm promoting and I know there is money to be made in these markets because I see other affiliates promoting them. They are CPA offers and every one is getting paid the same I'm positive on that, but my bids are reading GREAT and I'm still losing a ton? I had another affiliate tell me that it's probably not my ads, but just lack of spending in that area to get my cost down lower if that makes any sense?
That last part is somewhat true. If your in a high cost niche with a limited budget; then Google will control the frequency of your clicks through out the day. In doing so they will either drop your position, or only show your AD a couple minutes every hour or so. This usually occurs, when your daily budget can be reached in less than 20 clicks. If your bidding $5 a keyword, with a daily budget of $85; then Google will control your AD position more than usual so you will not pass your budget while sharing the clicks throughout the day. As a simple test, choose to run your AD only from lets say 4 PM - 6 PM. There is an option where you could select such a thing. You will notice that your AD position will improve.
You must raise your CTR and ad relevance. I had the same problem but it was corrected later with this strategy.
I think both of you guys are confused on my question I'm asking. From what I've been told is that when you get your QS up to great and your ad converting good that your prices will stay take a long time to drop even though you have a GREAT QS. For example I've mentioned this before, but I know one guy that tested his ads for a 6 month period he never ever changed his ad, so in other words he used one ad it carried the same CTR over this 6 month period. He was spending around 1-3k a day well after 6 months his bids went from 1.80 to 10 cents a click. It was somewhere in that range I know it dropped dramatically. I think having a HIGH CTR IS VITAL, but honestly I think it's how long you been spending on that keyword. Such as carry good history for month straight and spending a ton.
Could be, but I don't think it a QS issue. I think it's just lack of spending in that market. Which granted high CTR does improve your click cost, but what I've notice it's a matter of how long you've carried high CTR for particular keywords for example say you've been carry a pretty good CTR over a 6-8 month period well your bids should just keep dropping by spending even if you kept the same ad.
That's what I was thinking... Does your Min Bid drop too? or does it just stay at great and 0.05? See what I'm saying say you was paying 1.50 a click then 6 months later it went down to 40 cents a click, but your Qs score was always at great at 0.05 or did the 0.05 drop after time and the QS stayed at great? See what I'm getting too?
So you do know what I'm talking about. Just curious does it take a LONG time to drop down that low? and does your CTR improve much when it drops that low or does it just continue to drop like that with out much improvement to your ads because you have been spending over months?