Does Impression Share matter in Google Ads?

Summary

In this episode of Inside Google Ads, Jill Sasin Gales explores the concept of impression share, a key metric representing how often ads are shown compared to their eligibility. She emphasizes the importance of managing budget and ad rank to improve impression share and discusses the Auction Insights report, which offers insights into competitor performance. The episode outlines strategies to increase visibility, such as adjusting targeting and bids, while also encouraging users to engage with optimization challenges. Overall, it highlights the importance of understanding these metrics for effective Google Ads management.

Takeaways

• 😀 Impression share measures how often your ad is shown compared to how often it could have been shown.
• 📈 A low impression share can indicate budget constraints or low ad rank due to bid and quality issues.
• 💰 Increasing your budget or improving ad quality can help raise your impression share.
• 🔍 You can also increase impression share by narrowing your ad targeting, such as focusing on fewer locations or keywords.
• 📊 The auction insights report provides valuable competitor data, showing how your impression share compares to competitors.
• ❗️ Auction insights do not reflect overall market share but rather competition in specific auctions.
• ⚖️ Key metrics in auction insights include overlap rate, outranking share, position above rate, and top of page rate.
• 🤔 Use auction insights to identify areas for optimization, such as adjusting keyword targeting or bids.
• 👥 It's important to regularly check auction insights but not obsess over them; monitor trends instead.
• ✅ Maintaining a campaign-level impression share of at least 10% is generally advisable for effective ad performance.

Q & A

What is impression share in Google Ads?

Impression share is the percentage of times your ad was shown compared to the total opportunities for it to be displayed. For example, if your ad could show on 100 searches but only appeared on 11, your impression share is 11%.

Why is impression share important for advertisers?

Impression share helps advertisers assess their ad visibility in the market. Understanding this metric allows them to optimize their budgets, bids, and overall ad strategies.

What are the two main reasons for losing impression share?

The two primary reasons for losing impression share are budget constraints and low ad rank. Budget loss occurs when there isn't enough money allocated to show the ad, while rank loss happens due to either low bids or poor ad quality.

How can an advertiser increase their impression share?

Advertisers can increase their impression share by raising their budget, improving ad rank through higher bids or better ad quality, or narrowing their targeting to fewer locations or keywords.

What is the auction insights report, and what does it show?

The auction insights report provides data on competitors in the same auctions, showing their impression share, overlap rates, outranking shares, and other performance metrics, allowing advertisers to understand their competitive landscape.

What is a common misconception about the auction insights report?

A common misconception is that the auction insights report reflects overall market share. Instead, it shows the impression share of competitors based on the same keywords and targeting used in your campaigns.

How can auction insights help optimize ad performance?

Auction insights can help identify competitors, evaluate their performance relative to yours, and determine if you're losing impression share due to competitive bidding or if your ad quality needs improvement.

Why might a small local business see different competitors than a larger department store?

A small local business may see a department store in its auction insights if both are targeting the same keywords. However, the department store may not see the local business unless it specifically looks at related campaigns, as their keyword targeting might differ significantly.

What is Jill's personal preference regarding impression share at the campaign level?

Jill prefers campaigns to have at least a 10% impression share at the campaign level, as anything lower may indicate inefficiency in ad spending and visibility.

How can advertisers engage with Jill for further assistance on Google Ads?

Advertisers can engage with Jill by sending her an email or voice note via Instagram to discuss their Google Ads performance and any questions they might have.