【Google Ads in Taiwan】4 points to check for optimization Pt.2

Hello, I’m Leo Sato (@slamdunk772), the CEO of applemint, a web marketing service provider in Taiwan!

In my previous blog, I explained how to audit the basics of your Google Ads in Taiwan because there are many advertising agencies in Taiwan who lack even the basic settings.

In this blog, I would like to introduce 3 more somewhat intermediate-level check points to see whether your ad agency is managing your Google ads well or not.

After reading this, i strongly recommend you log in to your Google account and check it out!

Check 1. Excluding negative keywords

First, please check the negative keyword setting. Negative keywords refer to excluding certain keywords.

For example, if I exclude the keyword “AKB,” then my ads will not be displayed to users who search for “AKB”. Why do we need to exclude certain keywords?

For instance, if I were a soccer ball retailer, I want to display my ads to people who search for “soccer ball”. What if someone searches for “soccer ball Barcelona” and I don’t have Barcelona soccer ball?

I probably want to exclude the word “Barcelona”. If I do so, anytime the word Barcelona appears in the search result, my ads will not appear.

By properly setting the negative keywords, you can prevent the influx of irrelevant keywords. The negative keywords are usually “the more, the better”. In some cases, this may not be true but it’s usually the case.

Now, let’s see how to check the setting of the negative keywords. Click on “Keywords” and then click “negative Keywords”.

If you see a lot of keywords after clicking, it means you or your agency have spent some time excluding some keywords.

Check2. Match type

Match type is a setting that determines the conditions under which you want your search ads.There are 3 different types of match type. “” (phrase match) [] (exact match) and broad match.

You do not need to learn everything about the techniques of match type. The point is to check whether your agency is utilizing match type or not.

Let me show you how to check it. First of all, please log in and click on “Keywords”. (See below). You will then see a screen like the one below.

if you see quotations or brackets, it means that the agency is consciously adding match type to fulfill user’s search intention.

If you don’t see anything but just the keywords, it does not mean bad but it is a sign that your agency is not setting any limitation on the exposure of your ads.

In other words, if you do not see any symbols, your ad will be unconditionally exposed to a large number of users. Some of the unconditionally exposed ads are useless.

Check 3. AB test

You can implement AB test with Google Ads. I personally think AB test is a must for optimization. You will certainly want your agency to conduct AB-test.

Now, let’s take a look at how to check whether your agency is doing AB test or not. After logging in, click on “Drafts and experiments” as shown below:

If you do not see any signs of AB-test, you agency hasn’t done any AB-tests

Check 4. Google Ads Script

Google Ads has a function called Google Ads Script that allows you to automate various tasks using JavaScript. In our company, we use it to automatically extract reports and adjust bids every hour.

When we diagnose or audit another company’s Google account, we check whether the agency is running JavaScript or not. If yes, we think that the agency is ahead of the game. But even if JavaScript is not running, I think it’s acceptable.

To check the presence of JavaScript, go to “Tools” and click “Scripts”.

If there is nothing on the screen after you click on it, it is not set.

Summary

Lastly, I would like to summarize a couple of check points to see whether your agency is doing the right job or not.

1. Negative Keywords
2. Matchtype
3. AB test
4. Google Ads Script

I’m not sure if you are satisfied with your agency in Taiwan or not but there are many advertisers that are not satisfied with their Japanese agencies. If you agency isn’t doing any of the things that I’ve listed, it’s a bad sign.

If you have any questions about Google Ads in Taiwan, please contact us here. We look forward to hearing from you!