Start the financial year data-focused

When a new year starts or your financial year begins, it can be a great time to take stock and look at the previous 12 month’s data as part of your PPC management. If you want to make the most of your data and set up some insightful points of analysis then here is a five step list to get there. You can tackle them in any order but this is a suggested plan of attack:

Step 1 – compare month on month data
Take time to track the month on month data comparisons. This can highlight your peaks and troughs and any seasonal impacts. Now take data for the year and compare to previous annual totals. Compare the results for 2010 and 2011 for example. If you look solely at monthly data you can sometimes lose sight of the overall picture – a look at the year as a whole can help you clarify pay per click management success.

Step 2 – use graphs and visuals
One of the most insightful ways to use data is to drop it into graphs. This allows you to identify trends using visual representation. It makes the process slicker and easier with the use of data fed from Excel. You can transform existing reports which means you don’t have to start from scratch.

Step 3 – using trends for strategic planning
Year on year trends can be used to feed your strategic planning process for the next year. Have you identified that conversions take a dip in July? Do you find that you use account budget much less at the year start? For any negative trends formulate an action plan to tackle them proactively using as much account data as you can.

Step 4 – Keep an eye on the competition
A great way to advance you PPC management is to develop data snapshots of the competitive landscape. This allows you to compare and contrast over periods of time. Within AdWords you can access the Opportunities tab which provides a link which allows you to analyse your competitors. Monitor the success of your ads against those run by your rivals looking at clicks, click-throughs, impressions and position. Within Google AdWords, there are a range of sub-categories and standard categories which can be use to compare success. These are pre-determined by Google and cannot be amended or adapted.

Step 5 – additional reports
You can set up specialist reports for your records to add specific insights to your accounts. You may decide to analyse the top 20 keywords, or determine the best PPC campaign. You can analyse these performance metrics and then carry out some account expansion as a result. When carrying out ongoing account maintenance this type of information can be invaluable.

Tackling a new year with this data focused approach to pay per click management can help you start off full of vigour and energy. You can take your existing PPC accounts to new heights. At Click Consult we are experts in advanced PPC management and can ensure that you achieve your end goals.

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