Google announced some changes to responsive search ads (RSAs) recently. Here’s how they’ll impact B2B advertisers: Ads might show just one headline, with the second headline at the beginning of the description. I have mixed feelings on this one for B2B. We often use the first headline either for the brand name, or to match the keyword; and then the second line is pinned with the CTA. This can still work with the single headline and the CTA at the beginning of the description, but I want to see the data. It might look odd in some cases. Campaign-level headlines and descriptions. This may or m ..read more

Competitor bidding in paid search: yea or nay? It depends! My initial answer is usually nay, because most advertisers aren’t ready to bid on competitor names. Competitor bidding can be expensive: Keywords automatically get low quality scores, pushing CPCs up. Conversion rates tend to be low – after all, the user was searching for someone who isn’t you. Competitor keywords can eat up your entire paid search budget! Close variants mean you might match to other competitors or even your own brand terms Here’s how to do it successfully: Set aside a dedicated budget for competitor bidding, se ..read more

Welcome to Beyond the Paid, the official website for Melissa Mackey. I’ve been in the search engine marketing space since the dawn of Google Ads (formerly AdWords) in 2002. Here are some of my recent articles in industry publications: 10 things to eliminate from your life to be more productive at work – most-viewed post on Search Engine Land in 2022 How and why marketers are revisiting PPC campaign organization How to make PPC automation work for lead gen Quality score in paid search: Vanity or valuable? Scale Your B2B Lead Generation With Discovery Ads A Complete Guide to Google Ads Editor Cl ..read more