AdWords Content Campaigns: Keywords Don’t Matter - Themes Do
As first reported in my SEW Columbus presentation (below), Google’s algorithm for matching Content-network-targeted ad groups to Adsense publisher site content treats keywords very differently than Google treats keywords and ad groups directed at the Search network.
The Adsense algorithm works this way: it examines all of the keywords in an ad group, together with the text of the ad(s), and determines a Theme for the ad group. It then displays the ad group’s ads in Adsense units on publisher sites whose content has been determined to match a similar or identical Theme.
So individual keywords in a Content campaign don’t matter; what matters is that they “add up” to a Theme that the algorithm can match to publisher sites’.
This is one of the reasons why only a relatively small number of keywords should be used in Content campaigns. You shouldn’t need more than 30-50 keywords to establish your ad group’s Theme - and in fact, Google tells me that any number or 50 risks “confusing” the algorithm.
This is also another good reason why you should always create separate Content campaigns - i.e., you should have separate campaigns for the Search and Content ad groups - so you can more safely establish Themes and daily budgets for your Content campaigns. More on this in future blog posts.
So what are these mysterious Themes? Google confirmed for me that the Themes match exactly the list of Categories displayed when you’re setting up an AdWords site-targeted campaign.
I’ve listed the categories - all 594 of ‘em - in this Microsoft Word file: Google AdWords Content Themes. The “outdented” categories are the Major ones - and each subsequent indented list is a sub- or sub-sub-category.
What can you do with this knowledge? Well, for starters, you should construct your Content ad groups - the keyword lists and ad copy - such that it’s likely that Google’s Adsense algorithm will match the ad group to the Theme you feel best corresponds to your advertised site/product/service.
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May 22nd, 2007 at 5:57 pm
Great post, David. Thanks for sharing the blog with me. David
August 23rd, 2007 at 6:49 pm
Hey David,
Lovely meeting you at SES. Thanks for sharing this resource and advice on creating a separate campaign for contextual advertising.
Have a safe journey home.
Cheers,
Lorna Li
December 15th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
So you’re saying that if my site for example sells ipod’s it’s better to create adgroups with the keywords “mp3 players” and “consumer eletronics”
than adgroups like ipods, apple etc.
Basically since there not a specific theme for ipods the best thing that can happen if we use keywords like ipod and similar is that google matches our adgroups to mp3 players or consumer electronics.
So why not just use: “mp3 players”, “consumer electronics”.
Am I on the right track with this one?
One more thing I would like to hear your opinion about.
Lets’s again take ipod for example.
If I use keywords like “mp3 players” and “consumer electronics” as a seed keywords in my adgroups will my ads be shown on sites that are only about ipods?
Thanks
February 24th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Great post! I have a silly question, perhaps. Let’s say that I sell a software service (I do), such as “GPS tracking,” but there are many ways a searcher can look for our product, depending on how they perceive it.
For example, we currently buy keywords like “fleet management,” “vehicle tracking” and GPS dispatch software.”
Are you saying that all those keywords, should I put them and their variations in focused ad groups, would need to fall under one the categories you compiled?
What happens if there isn’t an exact match for an ad group?
Thanks!
Rod