The Searchies

Most paid search campaigns evolve with time, information, and experience. Don’t expect to get the campaign absolutely right from the start. You can’t! You don’t have enough information! Paid search campaigns need to embrace trial and error to blossom. You may have all the experience in the world running paid search campaigns, but that alone will only take you so far in this business.

Generally, you can think about this evolution in terms of three distinct phases: launch, optimize, and sustain. Each phase should have its own goals, expectations, and challenges. Below, I’ve given a taste of how each phase will play out. In my upcoming posts, I will dig deeper into some specifics of each phase.

Launch Phase:

Calling the initial phase the “launch” phase is partly a misnomer. It generally includes all of the activities required to get a campaign up and running including the initial planning before the launch, the launch itself, and the campaign stabilization after the launch. Expect to spend about 1-4 months in this phase.

Optimize Phase:

You’ve gotten the campaign out the door, but now must meticulously care for it. During the “optimize” phase, you will see the greatest efficiency gains. These gains will come at the expense of trial and error. Try not to worry too much about the media budget spent on these tests. It’s not wasted at all. It’s the best money you’ve spent in the campaign so far. Expect to spend about 6-12 months in this phase.

Sustain Phase:

Congratulations! You’ve wrung out the last drop of insight; the campaign is seemingly on cruise control. Give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done then GET BACK TO WORK. The “sustain” phase is all about maintenance. Although the pace of intervention has slowed, you still need to keep your campaign fresh to maintain your performance results in the long run. In general, expect to spend the rest of the life of the campaign in this phase.

On final thought. Given the rapid change in the search landscape, your hard fought insights may become less relevant with time. Your audience may become more sophisticated or a competitor may outmaneuver you for clicks. Maybe the product landscape will change as well. Google may introduce some revolutionary new products that allows you to advertise on digital billboards, blimps, or the moon. When this happens, you may need to revisit parts of this process again. Don’t be stubborn about it. Just jump right in like you always do.

Note: This post pertains t0 the vast majority of paid search campaigns run today. There are some exceptions, most notably “blast” campaigns. These short-lived campaigns typically revolve around products with quick expiration dates like events and media. Given the daunting time constraints facing the marketer, the campaign will likely spend the most time in the “launch” phase and very little time in the “optimize” and “sustain” phases.