Ad scheduling is one of those areas where spending a little time can really pay dividends in your websites overall conversion rate. While most people know about this feature, few are using it, and even fewer are using real data to back up their decisions. It’s time to quit being lazy and stop guessing. Below are some steps to use Ad Scheduling to boost your campaigns success.
What type of business are you running?
Even before getting into the data, it’s important to consider the type of interaction you have with your customers. If you’re selling a service with a heavy reliance on customer phone support then you may consider limiting your ads to the hours that support is available (this is especially true if you’re on a tight budget). If the support team is available during regular 9-5 business hours, then you may consider changes to your scheduling that reflects this.
Reviewing Trends in Days of the Week
Try reviewing trends within your account for days of the week. Don’t get lazy and just part for weekdays and weekends like most people. Start diving into your data, as you may be surprised with what you find. There can often be outside factors pertaining to your products and services that you haven’t considered and are effecting particular days of the week.
To review account data over different time intervals click on the ‘Dimensions’ Tab. You can now segment your data by the following:
- Day
- Week
- Month
- Quarter
- Year
- Day of the Week
Review your metrics to find any obvious spikes (negative or positive). Make sure to check multiple metrics so that you have a good understanding of how the numbers are affecting each other. You can now use this data to make adjustments within your campaigns. For example, if there are specific days of the week that are experiencing a low cost per conversion, you may consider using the bid modifier to increase bids and gain additional traffic. This can potentially boost the number of conversions while still maintaining an appropriate cost per conversion.
You may want to look further then just the day of the week and also review data from the Month and Quarter. While you won’t be able to make changes in Ad Scheduling for these time periods it can help you when setting up monthly or quarterly budgets.
Reviewing Trends in Hours of the Day
Time parting once again goes back to the type of business you’re running or the types of products you’re selling. Have a look at your data to understand what it’s telling you. If you’re selling baby products, then you may see spikes in the morning or early afternoon from stay at home moms. If you’re selling poker sets and dart boards perhaps you’ll see late night increases that you want to take advantage of. Once again these are just guesses, its best to review the numbers to understand whether you’re right or not.
Just as with reviewing weekly trends, click on the Dimensions Tab and view by ‘Hour of day’. You’ll be able to see a list of how your campaigns have performed during different hours. You can now use this information to make adjustments accordingly.
Cutting Back the Budget Strategically
For those that are currently looking to reduce their current AdWords budget then instead of just cutting back your daily spend you may want to think about being a little more strategic. Use Ad Scheduling to reduce spend or stop spend on underperforming days and hours. You can then still maintain your normal spend during higher performing times.
