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Paid Search Marketing

Paid search marketing is a critical tool for any marketer or small business owner. But it’s not easy. From navigating the world of bidding, to writing ad copy that resonates, to setting up Google Ads conversion tracking and more: there are a lot of skills that fall under the paid search marketing umbrella. At WordStream, we’re here to help you refine those skills. Check out our paid search marketing blogs and get the knowledge you need to succeed.


9 Mistakes that Sabotage Your Ads (And How to Fix Them)

If you're making any of these common online advertising mistakes, your ad costs are going to soar. Learn what to avoid and how to fix these common ad problems in AdWords, Facebook, and Twitter.

Brad Smith
June 8, 2016 | Facebook Ads

RLSA for Competitive Markets: A Ridiculously Awesome Way Forward in PPC

AdWords RLSA campaigns in and of themselves won't move the needle, because they tend to steal conversions for your regular search campaigns. However, combined with social ads, they make for a ridiculously awesome way forward in PPC! Learn the full strategy here.

Industry Reactions to the Big News from #GoogleSummit

The industry is abuzz with changes announced at this year's #GoogleSummit. See what the experts have to say about the updates.

10 Things You Need to Know About the New Google Maps Local Search Ads

Google has announced big changes coming to Google Maps! Learn all about the next generation of map ads, how the new Google Maps Local Search Ads work, and how this ad type can drive more local foot traffic to your stores.

The 8 Best (Free!) Google Ads Tutorials for Beginners Right Now

Starting to advertise online is intimidating. Especially when it feels like gambling—i.e., there is an auction? We dive into our 8 best AdWords tutorials in this informative post.

Google Expanded Text Ads: 10 Things You Need To Know

Did you know that expanded text ads are 2x bigger than today's AdWords text ads? Expanded Text Ads were one of several huge AdWords changes Google announced Tuesday – if not the biggest. Find out everything you need to know about the new ad format here!

A Sneak Preview of the New AdWords Interface

A new AdWords interface is coming in 2017! Larry Kim takes you behind the scenes at Google for a sneak preview of the brand-new AdWords interface.

5 BIG Changes Coming to Google Ads: Everything You Need to Know

It's a mobile-first world, and Google knows it! Google has announced big changes coming to AdWords, including much larger mobile ads, responsive display ads, local ads on Google Maps and more. Learn all the details, plus how you should make the most of the new features.

7 Totally Underrated Free Google Ads Tools

Ready to diversify your PPC toolset? Add these totally underrated, super-useful free Google Ads tools to your repertoire!

Shopping Ads Now Included in Google Image Search on Mobile

Shopping ads are now eligible to appear in the Google Image search results. Learn what this means for online retailers and Google alike!

12 Remarketing Audiences You Should Be Targeting in PPC

Learn how to leverage remarketing campaigns to layer rich audience data on top of keyword search intent to get the biggest bang for your buck!

Maddie Cary
May 16, 2016 | Display Ads

5 Brilliant Competitive Advertising Strategies to Outsmart Your Competition

Competition can be good for business! Want to get in front of your competitors' customers and turn them into YOUR customers instead? Of course you do! Learn five brilliant competitive advertising strategies so you can do just that.

6 Easy Google Ads Bidding Strategies for Newbies & Math Haters

Math is hard. AdWords bidding is harder. If you hate math or you're new to PPC, here are our tried and true, super-simple tips for setting and adjusting your AdWords bids.

These Coding Skills Will Make Every PPC Specialist More Valuable

You don’t need to be a full-fledged programmer to do PPC, but these basic coding skills will make you a better, more efficient PPC specialist!

Google Maps Now Considered Extension of Google’s Core Search Site

Google announced yet another major change to their ad serving methods this week--Google Maps now falls under the umbrella of the Search Network!

!Mas PPC Por Favor! How to Break into Bilingual PPC

Ready to start building an international or multilingual PPC campaign? Check out our best practices for doing PPC in other languages first!

5 Awesome AdWords Scripts for Beginners

AdWords scripts are a great way to save time and automate part of your PPC workflow. Check out these five free Google AdWords scripts for beginners, to help you track Quality Scores, pause low-performing keywords and other important, repetitive tasks.

5 Lazy Tips to Cut Your PPC Budget in Half

Making your PPC budget go further doesn't have to mean sacrificing quality or working all the time. Here are five easy, even lazy ways to cut your PPC budget in half.

Spring Cleaning! 4 PPC Account Audit Tips To Save You Money

It’s that time of year again. You’re pulling out your colorful shorts and lighter sweaters. You’re looking at your disaster of a pantry and asking yourself if you should impulsively buy that labeler.

Google Adds NEW Interactive Ad Format Targeting Gamers

AdWords just released a brand-new, interactive ad format just for game developers. Get the lowdown here!

3 Weeks After Google Killed Side Ads, Here Are 5 More Takeaways

Wondering how the death of the right side ads will impact your account? Check out these new trends spotted by SEM data scientists!

29 PPC Tools You Need to Try This Year

Even monkeys use tools to get their jobs done faster! Here are Larry Kim's 29 favorite PPC tools to try this year for increased productivity and higher performing PPC campaigns.

Still Confused About Google’s Recent Changes? Erin Sagin Explains [VIDEO]

Still confused about Google's recent SERP shakeup? Right-side ads are gone, but how will it affect your campaigns? We explain in a quick video.

The New Google SERP: 3 Changes & 3 Things That Haven’t Changed…Yet

Google just unrolled the biggest change to the SERP in years. How is the loss of right sidebar ads affecting CTR, CPC, paid ad inventory and more? Check out the early data...

Mark Irvine
February 23, 2016 | Paid Search Marketing

Google Kills Off Side Ads: What You Need to Know

Google changed history by announcing that ads will no longer appear in the right sidebar next to search results. What does the change mean for you?

Larry Kim
February 22, 2016 | Paid Search Marketing

Google Ads Benchmarks for YOUR Industry [Updated!]

We all want to create unicorn ads that have the highest CTRs and the best conversion rates. But a good metric for one industry isn’t necessarily good for another. What numbers should you be looking to beat in your industry? We dug into our data.

Do You Know Who Your Competitors Are? The 5 W’s of PPC Competitor Analysis

Do you need to do competitor analysis for PPC? YES! Find out how - plus when, why, who your competitors are, what tools to use for competitive analysis and more...

Maddie Cary
February 17, 2016 | Paid Search Marketing