{"id":23653,"date":"2024-03-13T15:56:56","date_gmt":"2024-03-13T10:26:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.karooya.com\/blog\/?p=23653"},"modified":"2024-03-13T15:56:57","modified_gmt":"2024-03-13T10:26:57","slug":"ppcchat-whats-on-you-mind-in-ppc-this-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.karooya.com\/blog\/ppcchat-whats-on-you-mind-in-ppc-this-week\/","title":{"rendered":"PPCChat | What\u2019s on you mind in PPC this week | 12th March 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This week’s PPCChat session covered different topics that were on PPCers minds. Implement consent mode, Google Ads limiting country targeting exclusions last week and more topics were covered by host Julie F Bacchini<\/a> during the discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Q1: What is on your mind this week in PPC? I will pull out topics and put them into threads to make conversations easier to follow.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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I’m just FOMO’ing so much today because of SMX. Really wish I could be there. @BorisBeceric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m still processing Google Ads limiting country exclusions. I do not like what that signals. https:\/\/www.seroundtable.com\/google-ads-limits-country-exclusions-37024.html<\/a> @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

@NeptuneMoon<\/a> The exclusion exclusion worries me too. I\u2019ve been thinking about the concept of guardrails or guide rails to get automated targeting\/bidding working properly faster. Location is a very important constraint. @Pete_Bowen<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consolidation. I really don’t like how much of a Footprint a few companies have. @JuliaVyse<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I usually do not exclude a lot of locations, I select \u2018people in or regularly in\u2019 under location settings. That takes care of the spillover that occurs due to \u2018regularly in & interested in\u2019. @alimehdimukadam<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

@JuliaVyse<\/a>  yep, with great power comes great responsibility – seems they don’t consider that a bit. Also surprised how little Amazon has been in the news, it’s only ever antitrust cases involving Meta & Google. @BorisBeceric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This isn\u2019t related to PPC current events, but I\u2019ve been thinking a lot more about how to automate and aggregate data from multiple sources into one clean dashboard (e.g. shopify data, google ads data, and GA4 analytics all into one beautiful report that plays nicely together). I know there are tools for this, but I haven\u2019t been able to find the right solution yet. Still seems like it would be pretty custom based on the client – anyway, if anyone has any thoughts they would be welcome! @MicheleJaeger1<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Basically, I want to reduce the amount of time I spend on reporting @MicheleJaeger1<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

@MicheleJaeger1<\/a> I highly recommend app.agencyanalytics.com… it’s saved us so much time. @KimRoutley<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Q2: Getting clients to implement consent mode was brought up just before the chat so please discuss that topic in this thread.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Consent mode really isn’t all too complicated o implement with the right partner or consent solution.
I think it is a no-brainer, especially considering G can limit your reach or terminate your agreement with them if they find you aren’t compliant with privacy laws. @BorisBeceric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still feeling very confused about the implications of consent mode, and who is impacted. E.g. if you exclusively target the US in ads, but every once in a while have some visitors from Europe. Also, I\u2019m still working through an issue with Shopify where I think enabling it screwed up our Shopify data. @MicheleJaeger1<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Q3:  Google Ads limiting country targeting exclusions last week, how are you feeling about this?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Didn’t they also get rid of the report that showed where your ads were actually showing up (versus where it was targeting or matching), which is the one that told you what countries to exclude in the first place? @revaminkoff<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Awful! it’s going to be a problem for serving, but also for billing.  @JuliaVyse<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can still see this data! But you have to build the report in Report Editor. Once in report editor, put \u201clocation\u201d into the search bar at the top of the metrics column. Then choose Country\/Territory (user location) to see where people physically were when they saw your ad. @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think removing exclusions is going to potentially get them into hot water? At least I hope so? Playing around with what gets targeted is one thing, removing options to NOT target things is quite another. I\u2019d imagine even big brands will take issue with this? @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just wait until people run ads in countries they don’t serve plus paying that tax – also, many will never find out. @BorisBeceric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exactly- especially as they are looser with some of the location matching in other campaigns. You now almost have to deliberately exclude countries you don’t want to show in, whereas before google was better at staying within your proactive targeting. @revaminkoff<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have excluded countries I\u2019m not targeting for years for just this reason. @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This came up in a new account audit today. The target location was US. @alimehdimukadam<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

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I really hope this is not testing the waters to bring greater restrictions on geo exclusions at more detailed levels too. @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that I love this “hack”, but language targeting can reduce ad impressions and clicks from other countries that do not prominently use the language of your target audience. @Realicity<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

G Ads will show in languages you don\u2019t target too. @NeptuneMoon<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

@Realicity<\/a> Those cushions are not going to shake themselves  @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So PMax can’t tell the difference between Quebec and France. That means our French Language campaigns sometimes get the French digital media tax even though we’re focused on store locations and we have NONE in France. it’s such a mess.  @JuliaVyse<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 @NeptuneMoon<\/a> Wouldn\u2019t changing this setting to people in or regularly in fix bulk of the issues? @alimehdimukadam<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

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You would think so, but not always. @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

@alimehdimukadam<\/a> it’s down to iOS14. Google is admitting they actually don’t know where someone is, and making it everyone’s problem. @JuliaVyse<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, also that location is PII. @ferkungamaboobo<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

@NeptuneMoon<\/a> Yes.  I believe that users in other countries are using devices\/browsers\/etc. set to the specific language.I see if with campaigns here in the US were Spanish searches come in from these devices.  Often specific keyword variation negatives will clear this up. @Realicity<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, they also can\u2019t locate you very precisely either @JuliaVyse<\/a> – which when looking at country targeting is not as much of  problem (but clearly still is a problem). The bigger issue is Google thinks I am located 30 minutes from where I actually am. That is huge for local advertisers.@NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

@NeptuneMoon<\/a> That reminds me of when I was at SMX East in NYC and gave a talk on Local PPC.  I showed how wifi and phone Location on\/off combinations affect Gs ability to “locate” your current location. John Lee was in the audience, pulled up his phone and did a search with his WiFi off and Location Off. His phone provider AT&T was telling Google he was back in Louisville. @Realicity<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks for adding more context @JuliaVyse<\/a>, @ferkungamaboobo<\/a>, @NeptuneMoon<\/a> . Wasn\u2019t able to connect the dots myself. @alimehdimukadam<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

@Realicity<\/a> we used to do an annual Florida trip and for months afterward, I got ads targeted for FL. I live in PA\u2026@NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You should ideally be using that “people located in” setting though, to try to make it better  – unless you have a travel client, etc. @revaminkoff<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The taxes and service fees are making this problem so much worse than it was before – (I also have the Quebec \/ France issue, and it’s driving the client nuts) @revaminkoff<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

@NeptuneMoon<\/a> not to mention B2B. due to my corporate internet settings, when I’m home I’m in Vancouver (west coast). when I’m in the office, still in Vancouver, it thinks I’m in Toronto. @JuliaVyse<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google doesn’t want people to know how the sausage is made. And they seem to view exclusions as restricting their machine learning from doing its job (shows who the machine learning is ultimately benefitting). I’m sure this is a minor thing at a system-wide level, but for some advertisers it’s mission-critical. @robert_brady<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Q4: Is there a reporting solution that lets you pull all your data in one report – Shopify, G Ads, GA4 etc.) that you have found?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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I\u2019ve been using Swydo for several years now. Super easy to use and does what I need it to (pull in data from ad platforms, GA4 and Google Sheets). @Austin_Dillman<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah swydo is good. @BorisBeceric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also use Swydo. @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Excel. I so rarely used unmodified numbers in reports which sounds like cooking the books, but it was more cutting out data that is a pain to do otherwise. \u00a0@ferkungamaboobo<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I use Oviond. It\u2019s been great! @alimehdimukadam<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

thanks all – I have found that I want to report using campaign groups (more on the product level) than the actual campaign level, so it\u2019s been hard to find a way to properly automate.\u00a0 I feel like I finally have a good Excel report, it\u2019s just very time-consuming. @MicheleJaeger1<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

@MicheleJaeger1<\/a> Swydo lets you filter reports by campaign labels so if I\u2019m understanding you correctly, this is something you could automate. @Austin_Dillman<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

@MicheleJaeger1<\/a> \u00a0Automating the excel & connecting to Data Studio would help. I had a different use case, with the help of GPT-4 & Google Scripts\/Solutions, was able to automate data collection in a Google sheet that was connected to Data Studio. \u00a0@alimehdimukadam<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0@alimehdimukadam<\/a> that sounds awesome. @MicheleJaeger1<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can Swydo pull in Shopify data? @robert_brady<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Q5: How are things going on Meta for you all?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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David Herrmann (who is my go-to on Meta advertising) has had a lot to say lately: @NeptuneMoon<\/a> https:\/\/x.com\/herrmanndigital\/status\/1766152082887704818?s=20<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

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Each time I’m tempted to add Meta ads to my portfolio David rants about stuff breaking over there and I have a change of heart. \u00a0@BorisBeceric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meta really frustrates us. We are currently dealing with a client account as well as ours that has been disabled for unusual activity. This is been almost one week. Their support is almost as bad as Google’s. @WillieCampos<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It really is astonishing how terrible support on these platforms is for paying customers (advertisers). @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would argue Meta’s support is worse than Google’s…@revaminkoff<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

@WillieCampos<\/a> that’s their usual MO when an account gets frozen – little to no communication as they examine the potential points of entry. @BorisBeceric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

@WillieCampos<\/a> here’s a rundown of that situation:Prevent A Business Manager Compromise:
Spoke with our rep who shared with us that they were working with an agency partner who just had their BM compromised (hacked). When this happens Meta Freezes all assets within the account. This means not only your assets, your employees, but also your clients. So if you have 100 client accounts attached to your BM, even those you are no longer working with, they too will be frozen. And this can take days\/weeks to sort through and fully understand how\/why the compromise occurred. Meta looks at every source of entry to fully verify it was a hack and not just a bad actor within the account.
The reason you don’t hear anything while the account is frozen is due to privacy issues that limits the amount of information the internal team can share while investigating the compromise.
The main source of bad actors gaining access to an account? Former employees or agency partners still having access to the account. No this doesn’t mean they are the ones being the bad actors (while it can certainly happen) it is these accounts that most commonly get hacked from spam or phishing accounts gaining entry into your business account. So the things you can do to minimize this:
Remove former employees who may have at one time had manager or admin access. Even former employees that have access to running ads can be problematic as bad actors can still run up ad spend within accounts they have access to. Remove your BM from former client accounts because if they are ever hacked, your BM can be frozen as well, until Meta’s investigation of that compromise is complete. Make sure all active members of your team have 2FA enabled. Ensure there are at least 2-3 admins on the account as Meta sends a confirmation to 1 additional admin in the event that there is a status change of any of the other admins\/managers within the account. @BorisBeceric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks, @BorisBeceric<\/a> for the rundown. @WillieCampos<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is amazing to me too how the manager account level is an afterthought as to how the system is designed to function. Like is was built and functions, but at its core, platforms are designed to be one advertiser one account with access. @NeptuneMoon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cutting as much as possible. the local media rule here in Canada is just bullshit. @JuliaVyse<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For sure, but then again everything in the platform is so clunky. It’s almost as if they built everything pulling all-nighters because they suddenly realized there are agencies running ads out of many accounts.@BorisBeceric<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Q6: How about a \u201cbusiness of PPC\u201d question. How do you handle when a client is late in their payments?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Used to be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n