{"id":628274,"date":"2024-07-19T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-19T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/why-single-keyword-ad-groups-still-matter-in-2024\/"},"modified":"2024-07-19T16:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-07-19T13:00:00","slug":"why-single-keyword-ad-groups-still-matter-in-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-single-keyword-ad-groups-still-matter-in-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"#Why single keyword ad groups still matter in 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a291ff4b81b1\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a291ff4b81b1\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-single-keyword-ad-groups-still-matter-in-2024\/#Delve_into_the_debate_over_SKAGs_vs_modern_ad_group_structures_and_find_out_why_SKAGs_might_still_be_your_best_bet_for_Google_Ads_success\" >Delve into the debate over SKAGs vs. modern ad group structures and find out why SKAGs might still be your best bet for Google Ads success.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-single-keyword-ad-groups-still-matter-in-2024\/#A_look_at_Google_Ads_account_structures_over_time\" >A look at Google Ads account structures over time<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-single-keyword-ad-groups-still-matter-in-2024\/#SKAG_alternatives_in_Google_Ads\" >SKAG alternatives in Google Ads<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-single-keyword-ad-groups-still-matter-in-2024\/#Hagakure\" >Hagakure<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-single-keyword-ad-groups-still-matter-in-2024\/#STAGs\" >STAGs<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-single-keyword-ad-groups-still-matter-in-2024\/#Why_I_still_stand_by_SKAGs\" >Why I still stand by SKAGs<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-single-keyword-ad-groups-still-matter-in-2024\/#Addressing_signal_liquidity_concerns\" >Addressing signal liquidity concerns<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"subhead\" itemprop=\"alternativeHeadline\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Delve_into_the_debate_over_SKAGs_vs_modern_ad_group_structures_and_find_out_why_SKAGs_might_still_be_your_best_bet_for_Google_Ads_success\"><\/span>Delve into the debate over SKAGs vs. modern ad group structures and find out why SKAGs might still be your best bet for Google Ads success.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"bialty-container\">\nInterview 10 Google Ads experts and nine of them will tell you that <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">theme<\/a>d ad groups (a.k.a. Hagakure) are the best way to build search campaigns. <\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m the 10th.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve been publicly standing up for single keyword ad groups (SKAGs) for some time now \u2013 though I\u2019ll admit it is a controversial take. Most recently, I posted this on LinkedIn:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"527\" height=\"589\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/07\/SKAGs-for-Google-Ads.png.webp\" alt=\"SKAGs for Google Ads\" class=\"wp-image-444262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/07\/SKAGs-for-Google-Ads.png.webp 527w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/07\/SKAGs-for-Google-Ads-302x338.png.webp 302w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/07\/SKAGs-for-Google-Ads-101x113.png.webp 101w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 527px) 100vw, 527px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>I think the comment-to-like ratio tells the story of how well it was received.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the controversy surrounding SKAGs, there\u2019s a real opportunity for marketers to get more out of their Google Ads accounts with a SKAG approach.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-look-at-google-ads-account-structures-over-time\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_look_at_Google_Ads_account_structures_over_time\"><\/span>A look at Google Ads account structures over time<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>From 2014 to 2018, most accounts we audited at my agency used ad group structures based on match type, device or SKAGs. By the latter half of this period and into 2019, SKAGs became the dominant structure.<\/p>\n<p>A single keyword ad group is an ad group that contains only one keyword duplicated across multiple match types. Historically, this was exact, phrase and broad match modified.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In the modern era, a SKAG may or may not contain full broad match type depending on the account specifics.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This structure became so popular because it made keyword-stuffing ads simple. Given that the ad group only contained one keyword, the number of queries it was eligible for was small. <\/p>\n<p>If Google Ads managers keyword-stuffed the headlines of the ad associated with the ad group, they could be confident that the ad would closely match the users\u2019 queries.<\/p>\n<p>This structure played Google\u2019s Quality Score <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> better than the other structures. By ensuring \u201cabove average\u201d ad relevance Quality Scores, CPCs went down and account performance improved.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, SKAGs have always had detractors. The main complaint I\u2019ve heard is that they are hard to manage and impossible to scale.<\/p>\n<p>I believe this to be a bad objection. Our largest SKAG account has over 2 million keywords and we don\u2019t find it difficult to manage. Even if we did, if it delivers even 1% better performance for clients \u2013 that\u2019s our job. It\u2019s our job to do hard things to get everything out of Google Ads possible.<\/p>\n<p>Fast forward to today, Google Ads now integrates AI into its search products with:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Responsive search ads (RSAs).<\/li>\n<li>Smart bidding.<\/li>\n<li>Broad match.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And some other big changes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Low search volume (LSV).<\/li>\n<li>Close match variants.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>AI products like RSAs, smart bidding and broad match all came with the idea of \u201csignal liquidity.\u201d Anything algorithmic requires enough signal liquidity to learn and make good decisions. <\/p>\n<p>This understanding led PPC marketers to think about how to structure their ad groups and campaigns to best provide Google\u2019s AI with high-volume, high-quality information.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, LSV statuses meant many keywords stopped serving, moving those queries into Broad Match keywords. Close Match Variants meant queries weren\u2019t as relevant to the keyword texts provided as they had been historically.<\/p>\n<p>Many viewed the AI revolution combined with changes to matching as damaging to SKAGs. <\/p>\n<p>The thinking went that if the value of SKAGs was closely matching ad groups to queries to enable higher ad relevance, then the broadening of eligible queries was surely negative for the strategy. Plus, if data volume matters, highly specific ad groups must be bad.<\/p>\n<p>These changes, taken together, led people to develop two alternatives to SKAGs:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Single theme ad groups (STAGs).<\/li>\n<li>Hagakure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-skag-alternatives-in-google-ads\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"SKAG_alternatives_in_Google_Ads\"><\/span>SKAG alternatives in Google Ads<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-hagakure\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Hagakure\"><\/span>Hagakure<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Hagakure<strong> <\/strong>embraced the idea that signal liquidity was key to success. Popularized by an <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thinkwithgoogle.com\/intl\/en-emea\/marketing-strategies\/search\/catawiki-hagakure-google-ads\/\">article<\/a> on Think With Google, Hagakure is championed as the future of ad group and campaign structures.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The case study references increasing keywords by 10-fold and the number of ads by 30%, which \u201cled to an almost 40% bump in overall conversions at the same cost of acquisition.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The strategy recommends building as few campaigns as possible and including everything (even Dynamic Search Ads) in the campaign(s). The idea being this would maximize signal liquidity and get the most out of Google\u2019s AI-powered ad tools like Broad Match and Smart Bidding.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-stags\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"STAGs\"><\/span>STAGs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>STAGs are a bit of a half measure. This structure lets ad groups balloon to many keywords as long as they closely follow a theme. <\/p>\n<p>This ensures that ads are mostly relevant to the users\u2019 queries (approximating SKAGs) while increasing click and conversion counts per ad group by increasing the keyword count and improving signal liquidity.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color has-css-opacity has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-background\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-i-still-stand-by-skags\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_I_still_stand_by_SKAGs\"><\/span>Why I still stand by SKAGs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Both of these Hagakure and STAGs seem promising, but I still advocate for SKAGs.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I don\u2019t build Google Ads accounts based on conjectures about signal liquidity. <\/li>\n<li>I don\u2019t build Google Ads accounts based on what Google tells me to do. <\/li>\n<li>I don\u2019t choose ad structures because they are easy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I choose ad structures based on what works.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve managed over 6,000 Google Ads accounts at my agency. I can see the POP search performance from accounts as they move from either Hagakure or STAGs into our SKAG approach.<\/p>\n<p>SKAGs consistently win, and that\u2019s all the argument I need.<\/p>\n<p>But for those who want to understand the mechanism behind SKAGs winning, let\u2019s go one level deeper.<\/p>\n<p>The premise of SKAGs winning is that the ad relevance is better. This leads to higher Quality Scores and lower CPCs. This is still largely true.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Even with broad match, LSV and close match variants, the ad built for one keyword is still more relevant than the ad built for five.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Have broad match, LSV and close match variants made SKAGs today worse than SKAGs in 2019? Yes. But they still beat STAGs and Hagakure.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the premise of STAGs\/Hagakure working is signal liquidity. <\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s the problem:<\/p>\n<p>Signal liquidity matters only at the campaign level. That is where smart bidding is applied and where algorithms learn.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-addressing-signal-liquidity-concerns\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Addressing_signal_liquidity_concerns\"><\/span>Addressing signal liquidity concerns<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you are concerned about signal liquidity (and you should be), <span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">ensure that enough SKAGs are contained within the campaign that you\u2019re reaching\u00a0<em>at least<\/em>\u00a030 conversions per month<\/span>, ideally 100.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re still skeptical, I\u2019d recommend this: <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Pull in ad relevance scores at the keyword level. <\/li>\n<li>Filter for all ads rated \u201cbelow average.\u201d <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Moving that to an \u201caverage\u201d rating should increase Quality Score by ~3 points, which will reduce CPCs by 30%.<\/p>\n<p>If all keywords currently rated below average saw a 30% drop in cost for the same click and conversion volume, what impact would you have on your account?<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d bet that number makes you think it\u2019s at least worth a test.\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"about-author\">\n    About the author<\/p>\n<div class=\"information\">\n<div class=\"author-module\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-3 text-center\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n                        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-fluid rounded-circle avatar-border\" alt=\"Matt Bowen\" width=\"140\" height=\"140\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/06\/Matt-Bowen.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-fluid rounded-circle avatar-border\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/06\/Matt-Bowen.png.webp\" alt=\"Matt Bowen\" width=\"140\" height=\"140\">\n                                            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-9\">\n<div class=\"about\">\n<div class=\"name\">\n                            <strong>Matt Bowen<\/strong>\n                        <\/div>\n<div class=\"row g-2 pt-2\">\n<div class=\"col-auto\">\n                                    <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/matt-bowen-digitalmarketing\/\" aria-label=\"opens in a new tab\"><i class=\"fab fa-linkedin\"><\/i><\/a>\n                                <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>Matt Bowen is the Director of Enterprise Acquisition &amp; Strategy at <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.logicalposition.com\/freereview?utm_source=SEL&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=bowen_SEL\">Logical Position<\/a>. Matt has spent 7 years managing Google Ads strategy for some of the largest firms in North America. He also runs strategy for Logical Position\u2019s entire book of business which represents the largest agency client count in North America. Logical Position is a multi-time Google Premier Partner Award winner and Microsoft Channel Partner of the Year Award winner.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/why-single-keyword-ad-groups-still-matter-in-2024-444260\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Delve into the debate over SKAGs vs. modern ad group structures and find out why SKAGs might still be your best bet for Google Ads success. Interview 10 Google Ads experts and nine of them will tell you that themed ad groups (a.k.a. Hagakure) are the best way to build search campaigns. I\u2019m the 10th&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":628275,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/07\/Why-single-keyword-ad-groups-still-matter-in-2024.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[142591,107942],"class_list":["post-628274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-google-ads","tag-ppc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=628274"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628274\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/628275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=628274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=628274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=628274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}