I start with $0.05 and all or most keywords are active. Those that are not active usually have a pretty low minimum like $0.10.
After a day of running, most of the 5 cent keywords become inactive and require a CPC increment to 10 cents. I do that and let it run for another day. Then I see the same thing and have to increase the CPC to 20 cents. Then 40. Then 50. Then $1. Then $5.
Old campaigns that I haven't touched in a long time are doing fine with steady bids. As a side effect of that, I'm now afraid to tweak them and just let them run.
Anyway, back to the new campaigns -- do you think clicking on your own ads might help and keep the min CPC in the 10-20 cent range? It seems that it would be cheaper to constantly click your own ads at 10 cents than to pay $5 per click when yours is either the only ad for the keyword or one among only 2 or 3 others shown.
If anyone knows the answer please share.
Does clicking on your own ads help keeping min CPC down?
bcc1234, personally I'd advise against clicking on one's own ads as a means of 'fooling' the AdWords system into calculating a better Quality Score, and thus a lower minimum bid. Just my $0.02, but to me doing so amounts to a 'band aid' measure -- and a distraction from what should be the main pursuit, which is creating ads/keywords that get great quality scores because they're highly relevant and carefully targeted.
I can't see your account of course, but if you feel that your ads and keywords are already brilliantly targeted to each other, and yet you still find your keywords going inactive, then I'd suggest contacting AdWords support and asking them to offer you 'optimization' advice, specific to a particular campaign.
I'd start by asking about the campaign that is most important to you, and if the advice from support results in improved results, then it may well serve as model for your other campaigns.
AWA
:)
You mean it does, don't you?
Heheh. A classic example of why I love this Forum so, AlexMiles. ;)
AWA
