{"id":632806,"date":"2024-08-30T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-30T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/peak-ppc-season-is-coming-5-tests-to-run-now\/"},"modified":"2024-08-30T16:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-08-30T13:00:00","slug":"peak-ppc-season-is-coming-5-tests-to-run-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/peak-ppc-season-is-coming-5-tests-to-run-now\/","title":{"rendered":"#Peak PPC season is coming: 5 tests to run now"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 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-6a36ecd617856\" 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-6a36ecd617856\" 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\/peak-ppc-season-is-coming-5-tests-to-run-now\/#Learn_essential_testing_methods_to_enhance_your_paid_media_campaign_performance_and_outpace_competitors_in_high-traffic_seasons\" >Learn essential testing methods to enhance your paid media campaign performance and outpace competitors in high-traffic seasons.<\/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\/peak-ppc-season-is-coming-5-tests-to-run-now\/#1_Channel_diversification_tests\" >1. Channel diversification tests<\/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\/peak-ppc-season-is-coming-5-tests-to-run-now\/#2_Landing_page_and_CRO_tests\" >2. Landing page and CRO tests<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/peak-ppc-season-is-coming-5-tests-to-run-now\/#3_Seasonal_creative_and_offer_tests\" >3. Seasonal creative and offer tests<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/peak-ppc-season-is-coming-5-tests-to-run-now\/#4_Incrementality_testing\" >4. Incrementality testing<\/a><\/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\/peak-ppc-season-is-coming-5-tests-to-run-now\/#5_Default_settings_testing\" >5. Default settings testing<\/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\/peak-ppc-season-is-coming-5-tests-to-run-now\/#Prepare_your_PPC_campaigns_for_high-demand_periods\" >Prepare your PPC campaigns for high-demand periods<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"subhead\" itemprop=\"alternativeHeadline\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Learn_essential_testing_methods_to_enhance_your_paid_media_campaign_performance_and_outpace_competitors_in_high-traffic_seasons\"><\/span>Learn essential testing methods to enhance your paid media campaign performance and outpace competitors in high-traffic seasons.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"bialty-container\">\nWe all love to take a little time away from the grind during the slow season (which for many of us is right now), but smart PPC marketers are also using the time to get in the prime position when the tide is higher.\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>In retail, that will fire up in October (probably earlier than ever this year).\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>In B2B, that means prepping for the end-of-year push that comes from needing to hit quotas and engaging brands about to be flush with new yearly budgets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>No matter your vertical or the particular timing, there are five tests I like to run during the slower season to help clients get learnings to leverage when the tide is high. Those are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"#h-1-channel-diversification-tests\">Channel diversification<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"#h-2-landing-page-and-cro-tests\">Landing page optimization<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"#h-3-seasonal-creative-and-offer-tests\">Seasonal creative and offer testing<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"#h-4-incrementality-testing\">Incrementality testing<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"#h-5-default-settings-testing\">Default settings testing<\/a> (TL;DR: find them and turn them off).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-channel-diversification-tests\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Channel_diversification_tests\"><\/span>1. Channel diversification tests<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When choosing a new channel to test, the first things to consider are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>How effectively it can help you reach valuable users.<\/li>\n<li>Where the right people spend their time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Depending on your company\u2019s size and goals, you can weigh the pros and cons of niche platforms with great targeting and intent (for SaaS, maybe that\u2019s relevant subreddits or a platform like Capterra) vs. bigger platforms with more reach and less precise targeting (<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube<\/a> or connected TV).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Once you choose your channel(s) to test, you must find some budget. Ideally, your brand or client has a test budget to play with, but if not, consider shifting the budget from the same stage of the purchase journey.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For instance, if you\u2019re looking to build awareness and you\u2019d like to test Reddit, assess how spend on platforms like GDN is performing to see if you can pull from there without impacting your revenue too dramatically.<\/p>\n<p>Timing-wise, I believe there are no bad times to run tests. Still, remember that your goal should be to learn.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If demand is relatively low, you\u2019re not running aggressive promotions and direct response is relatively soft, it\u2019s a particularly good time to test up in the funnel.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When you\u2019re weighing timing, use the tests to get information you can leverage in your peak season.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: Un-silo your PPC campaigns: 4 tactics for more cohesive marketing<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-landing-page-and-cro-tests\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Landing_page_and_CRO_tests\"><\/span>2. Landing page and CRO tests<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The soft season is also a good time to tweak your existing landing pages or launch new ones to see how they perform.<\/p>\n<p>The ultimate goals are to improve user experience and conversion rates \u2013 some of our clients have seen a 15%+ boost from these efforts.<\/p>\n<p>Build your list of landing pages to address based on a combination of impact (engagement volume) and opportunity (low CVR).<\/p>\n<p>You can assess this by looking at your data (spend, traffic and CVR) within your ad platforms or do some cross-channel assessments in GA4.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>First, test the higher-impact variables:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Copy above the fold.<\/li>\n<li>A layout that delivers impact at a glance.<\/li>\n<li>Adding different types of social proof.<\/li>\n<li>Form fields and copy.<\/li>\n<li>Different CTAs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To get the clearest insights when tweaking or revamping a page, duplicate it and run A\/B tests between the new and old versions. This <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\">app<\/a>roach also prevents performance from dropping if you\u2019re testing riskier changes.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: A\/B testing mistakes PPC marketers make and how to fix them<\/em><\/strong><\/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-3-seasonal-creative-and-offer-tests\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Seasonal_creative_and_offer_tests\"><\/span>3. Seasonal creative and offer tests<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There\u2019s only so much advanced testing of seasonal creative you can do (Christmas themes might not work in July, for example), but you can test how different specials, promotions and CTAs resonate with your users.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also a good idea to look for different opportunities to run seasonal PPC promotions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>For retail, the usual examples would be Mother\u2019s Day, Father\u2019s Day and other relevant secondary holidays.<\/li>\n<li>For B2B, the end of the quarter and the need to hit quota can leave room for limited-time promotions to test with your users.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Many industries can have their own seasonal spikes, too.<\/p>\n<p>Consider the academic calendar if you\u2019re in the education space or the enrollment period if you\u2019re in health and schedule some tests outside of high tide to get learnings to leverage.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: 3 tips for using promotions and discounts in paid search<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-incrementality-testing\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Incrementality_testing\"><\/span>4. Incrementality testing<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>One of my favorite testing initiatives for slower times is incrementality testing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Basically, test segments of your campaigns to see if they\u2019re actually driving the return you think they are or if users in those segments would be engaging or purchasing without seeing your ads.<\/p>\n<p>These can take the form of holdout tests or geo tests.\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>For holdout tests, create groups that do not receive your ads and measure their performance against similarly composed groups that are seeing your ads to gauge the difference.<\/li>\n<li>For geo tests (a form of holdout tests), identify specific geographic areas to suppress and measure the performance of those geos to those still getting served ads.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Successful learnings from these tests depend on a few key factors:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The right variable (and only one variable, whether that\u2019s geo or age or another factor).<\/li>\n<li>Identifying segments to compare that are close enough in composition to produce clean results.<\/li>\n<li>Enough data density to make a call on the level of incrementality your spend is driving.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you find that your campaigns aren\u2019t all that incremental, the next step is to determine where to reallocate the spend for greater impact.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Often, moving funds away from direct response and up the funnel to build brand awareness and reputation is a long-term play.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re thinking about when to start incrementality testing, the most common reason is that you\u2019re spending more but not seeing a higher return.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Another reason, though less common, is when your closed-won rate drops in the later deal stages. This suggests there\u2019s a chance to strengthen customer loyalty earlier in the process.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: <\/em><\/strong><strong><em>Incrementality testing in advertising: Who are the winners and losers?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-5-default-settings-testing\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Default_settings_testing\"><\/span>5. Default settings testing<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Yes, this is kind of an excuse to remind you to check your default settings (e.g., Google Search Partners, audience expansions in any channel, etc.).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>My rule of thumb is to turn off any settings that will give the advertising platform power to expand your campaigns.<\/p>\n<p>For smaller brands or brands without a sophisticated analytics set-up, it\u2019s best to just turn off these settings and monitor impact (I\u2019m guessing the impact will be improved efficiency).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Even for brands with more robust measurement systems that tell them that GSP and audience expansions are bringing in revenue, the slow season is a good time to do some on\/off testing to measure the effects in their campaigns.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: <\/em><\/strong><strong><em>Improve your Google Ads performance: 3 simple setting changes<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-prepare-your-ppc-campaigns-for-high-demand-periods\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Prepare_your_PPC_campaigns_for_high-demand_periods\"><\/span>Prepare your PPC campaigns for high-demand periods<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Human nature makes it hard to knuckle down when the sun is shining, and you\u2019re months away from seeing the traffic that will make or break your year. But your competitors are feeling the same pull to power down their laptops.<\/p>\n<p>Brands that run these tests now and have a system for analyzing and storing the results to deploy when the tide starts rising will have a big edge in crunch time.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Just remember that when you\u2019re patting yourself on the back in late December, you have your summertime self to thank.\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=\"Laura Schiele\" width=\"140\" height=\"140\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2022\/08\/Laura-Schiele.jpeg.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-fluid rounded-circle avatar-border\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2022\/08\/Laura-Schiele.jpeg.webp\" alt=\"Laura Schiele\" 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>Laura Schiele<\/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\/laura-schiele\/\" aria-label=\"opens in a new tab\"><i class=\"fab fa-linkedin\"><\/i><\/a>\n                                <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>                        Laura Schiele, Head of Paid Acquisition at <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jordandigitalmarketing.com\/\">Jordan Digital Marketing<\/a>, has nearly a decade of experience in paid media strategy and execution in both agency and in-house accounts and uses advanced analytics skills to scale growth within efficiency goals across Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, and more. Laura manages a large team of paid media experts remotely from her home in Burlington, VT.                    <\/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\/ppc-peak-season-tests-446111\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn essential testing methods to enhance your paid media campaign performance and outpace competitors in high-traffic seasons. We all love to take a little time away from the grind during the slow season (which for many of us is right now), but smart PPC marketers are also using the time to get in the prime&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":632807,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/08\/5-tests-to-run-in-preparation-for-peak-PPC-season-800x450.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[142591,107942],"class_list":["post-632806","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\/632806","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=632806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632806\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/632807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=632806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=632806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=632806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}