Google Ads Audit for Cyber Security MSSP







Google Ads and Analytics – Cloud Range 197-846-5621

May 3, 2022


Summary

The account underwent some changes approximately six months ago, which has made the ads more efficient and effective. However, there are still multiple opportunities to improve targeting and performance within the account structure, including bid strategies, keyword targeting, ad extensions, scheduling, and bid adjustments. 


The current status is outlined, followed by recommendations.


Current Status

The following two charts represent the last two years:


The following three charts represent the last 16 months:


The following charts represents recent 6 months:


Overall, the ad account is set up well and has been effective. There are noticeable changes that occurred last fall. The audit initially started with a two-year analysis. However, the above charts show that as of last September, the cost per click and cost per conversion went up, while the number of conversions went down. Thus, this audit will focus on the last six months. 

  • Over the last six months, the click-through rate (CTR) and conversion rate have improved, and the cost-per-conversion and average cost-per-click (CPC) have stabilized and are more in line with industry standards. 

  • When comparing the last six months to the last two years, the number of impressions has gone down. That is due to having more search campaigns and less display campaigns, which was a good change to better target our audience.

  • In terms of account performance, over the past six months, 184,000 impressions were generated, resulting in 5,270 clicks and 69 conversion-actions. That yielded a 2.87% CTR on ads and a 1.31% conversion rate. While that has improved from the 0.79% conversion rate in the two-year analysis, it is still lower than the 3-4% ideal rate. Total spend was $23,200 resulting in an average cost per conversion of $336 and average cost per click of $4.40. Those costs are higher than they were in the two-year analysis, but they are in line with typical B2B accounts. 

The following charts represents the last two years:

The following charts represents recent 6 months:

 

  • The above charts show that recent changes put more focus on search and desktops, both of which are good changes for this account.

  • There is also increased use of Google Search Partners. However, it is not recommended to continue to use Google Search Partners because the conversion rate is much lower while the cost per conversion is much higher. 

  • The account uses multiple bid strategies, including Maximize Conversions, Enhanced CPC, Manual CPC and Target Impression Share. Some strategies, such as Manual CPC, are not performing as well as others and should be modified. Others, such as Target Impression Share, are focusing more on impressions than on clicks and conversions. 

  • Display ads have seen a drop in performance. The ads generate 26% of impressions, but only 2% of clicks and 3% of total conversions. 

  • Over the last six months, the top performing search ads have a 3.48% CTR and display ads have a 0.24% CTR. 

  • Most ads have driven users to fill out a form, versus making a phone call. (This is in large part because Google could not recognize or verify the phone number on the website.)

  • Top-producing keywords are line of business, competitors and branded. “Cyber range” is the #1 with both broad and phrase match being used in one ad group.

  • No ad scheduling was found in use on the account, meaning ads are running around the clock. Locations are all set to “USA” or “USA and Canada,” except for one campaign that was set to “Global.” There is some concentration of conversion activity during the middle of the week with Tuesday as the peak. The most popular time of day for conversions is between 3-4 CT.

This is a partial list of audience segments:

  • The technophile, IT & technical, antivirus & security software, and network & enterprise security segments are showing high click-through rates, but there are no bid adjustments to better target them. 


Goal:

  • CTR and conversion rates for search ads consistently at 3.5% or higher


Recommendations: 

  • Modify bidding strategies based on goals. Specifically, to drive more conversions, it makes sense to use the Maximize Conversion strategy initially to improve performance. After approximately three months of data, the bidding strategy can be changed to best optimize both spend and results. 

    • For example, the Target Cost per Action strategy optimizes for conversions by targeting a specific cost per action, and the Target Return on Ad Spend strategy optimizes for conversions by targeting a specific ROAS. 

  • The display campaign should be updated, since the same verbiage and images have been running for a long time. Display ads will continue to remarket to users who have been to the website.

  • Stop or limit use of Google Search Partners to better target our audience.

  • Keywords should be updated to include new competitors and additional business areas, including OT security, cyber simulation training, cyber labs, etc. Competitors’ websites can also be plugged into the keyword planner to see what keywords they are registering for and take those if applicable. 

  • Use bid adjustments to better target optimal days and times that our audience converts. Ads will still run around the clock, but priority will be given to ads during the workweek and approximate work hours (such as between 7am – 6pm). 

  • Also use bid adjustments to better target our ideal audience, including the IT, technophile, antivirus & security software, and network & enterprise security segments.   

  • Focus on USA and Canada.

  • Use a mix of phone call-based and form-based ads during office hours. Use form-based ads only outside of office hours.

  • QUESTION- I don’t see anything on here about what we should be spending to maximize our click throughs.  If we spend 4x, will we get 4x or are we not hitting our max today?  We want to generate as many qualified leads as possible, and that may mean putting more money toward it once we pare down what is working