If you haven’t checked the available AdWords column options lately, you may have missed Google rolling out segmented Impression Share. Impression Share (IS) is your delivered impressions divided by the number of times your impression was eligible to display. Previously IS encompassed both search and display data. If you run combined search and display campaigns, it was impossible to know your true IS for each network until now.
In early November 2012, Google rolled out changes to IS. These changes include separate IS for the search and display networks, hourly segmentation and the ability to view impression share through filters, charts and automated rules.
Segmented IS
Below is an example of how the different IS displays in AdWords interface:
At OPM, we consider it a best practice to separate search and display campaigns. Our clients previously had the advantage of knowing search IS separate from display IS before Google’s changes. However, this wasn’t the only change.
Hourly Segmentation
Wouldn’t it be nice if your budget was unlimited and IS was always 100%? Unfortunately, most campaigns are restricted by budget. The IS improvements allow you to view IS by hour. This gives more visibility into exactly when the IS is being lost.
Other Improvements
In addition to separate IS and hourly segmentation, there have been other IS enhancements as well. Users now have the ability to view IS in graph format:
If you are looking to quickly identify campaigns or ad groups with low IS, you now have the ability to filter by IS:
Google has also added IS as an option for automated rules. If you want to increase your budget any time your IS drops below a certain percent, you now have the option to control this through automated rules.
We have always viewed IS as a valuable metric, but with the new improvements it has become even more valuable. If you would like OPM to take your account to the next level, Contact Us for a free consultation today!
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