This post originally appeared on the TechWyse blog. Many thanks to Ryan Stephenson, a client, for bringing it to our attention and asking us to share this content with our other customers!
Managing paid search ads for the past 3 years has taught me a lot about the big two competing content networks, Google and Bing. The simple yet true fact is that all content networks are not made equal. However, a smart online advertiser will seek opportunity anywhere and must determine a methodology to make multiple content networks work simultaneously for a host of different outcomes.
One tool that I have been using for the last year to manage Google ads is a services known as WordStream. This tool is incredible for building and maintaining campaigns. It offers a next level functionality above and beyond the excellent free tools offered by Google. Google in fact pulls their keyword API from this service, impressive! The point here is that I have always had handy tools to utilize for Google ads and thus would gravitate to their content networks from a daily execution standpoint. However, by potentially neglecting other content networks like Bing because of their less then comparable Ad interfaces this innately is leaving opportunity on the table. Until now!
With WordStream, I now I have an ace up my PPC wizard sleeve! WS can now provide an easier method to incorporate the Bing management system, which alleviates the anxiety of managing cumbersome Ad interfaces, like the Microsoft AdCenter has proven to be. On August 2, 2012 WordStream posted a blog called "To Bing or Not to Bing," and what an appropriate question!
“For countless advertisers who are considering whether to advertise on Bing (and Yahoo!). The pros are pretty clear. Advertising on Bing gives you access to roughly 30% of the search market.”
WordStream in essence has helped level the playing field for content network advertising in the fact that their interface will significantly help the integration of both Google and Bing campaign data. This added functionality enables marketers to port campaign data easily into the WordStream tool, mirroring what has been setup in Adwords. This is a massive time saver which allows for allocating more time for set ups or further optimization.
For any IM agency managing a large volume of PPC accounts on a monthly basis, time management is critical! If there are content networks that are known for being notoriously slow, difficult to navigate and/or set roadblocks in terms of campaign setups, marketers will obviously be reluctant to manage these networks. The real message that I want to convey here is that WordStream is not only a powerful tool for managing Paid Search, it also saves a significant amount of time managing accounts week over week. The benefit to the client (which of course is the end result) is campaigns likely to show more bang for your marketing buck, lower cost per acquisitions and higher quality scores. There are a host of other impressive little tools that WordStream offers but you’ll have to demo those yourself!
This post originated on the WordStream Blog. WordStream provides keyword tools for pay-per click (PPC) and search engine optimization (SEO) aiding in everything from keyword discovery to keyword grouping and organization.