Taking Advantage of Search Lost Impression Share
April 18, 2018
What is Search Lost Impression Share?
Impression share is the number of impressions you’ve received, divided by the estimated number of impressions you were eligible to receive. Basically, it’s the percentage of people who are searching for your keywords who are not seeing your ads. When you put it that way…sounds pretty important, right? The factors impacting your impression share could range from not having enough daily budget to meet the demand to not ranking high enough in the paid search to have your ads consistently show. Your bid may be too low or your ad quality may be poor. So what can you do?
Improve the quality
If your SEM ads are not reaching everyone who is searching for you, adjusting the quality of the keywords, ads, and your landing pages (speed and content) can make a world of difference. Google will display your ads more frequently when you optimize each of these elements and ultimately improve the quality score of your keywords. Keep in mind, Google wants to show the ads most often that are leading to clicks and delivering a positive user experience in terms of relevance. As a Google Premier Partner, we are well-versed in all it takes to run a successful Search Engine Marketing program. Getting a strong share of voice with optimal ad presence should be a factor you’re consistently taking into account.
Make it rain
There are advantages to getting your message in front of your entire potential audience if you’re not seeing a diminishing return on your investment. One thing you can do is up your spend to take advantage of the lost impression share your losing because your budget is too low to meet the demand. We see a lot of clients with this opportunity. We recommend increasing your SEM budget whenever possible to ensure you reach more people trying to find you, especially if the campaigns are delivering a return on investment at their current cost per click. While all aspects of the marketing funnel are important, you know that this audience is already looking for you. They just need a push to make it to the right content—your content! And that’s what SEM does best.
SEM on paper seems really cut and dry—make an ad, pick some keywords, pay when the ad is clicked. But so much more goes into SEM than meets the eye. Targeting, ad quality, relevant keywords, engaging landing pages, and constant optimization and analyzation can be the difference between a successful campaign and wasted efforts. It’s a delicate balance between having the knowledge and experience and dedicating the time needed to make an SEM campaign successful.
