They say you only get one chance to make a first impression. When it comes to search engine marketing, that statement is true, but it could be modified to simply say you only get one chance to make an impression. Your business needs a presence on search engine results pages (SERPs), which is why marketers (like our own data nerds here at Square 205) track Search Impression Share.
This crucial metric provides valuable insights into the current performance and future potential of your search advertising campaigns. When combined with Cost per Acquisition (CPA), it becomes a powerful tool for optimizing marketing spend and achieving better results.
Understanding Search Impression Share
Search Impression Share helps marketers understand how often their ads appear in search results for target keywords. It’s the percentage of impressions your ads receive compared to the total number of impressions they were eligible for.
For the math lovers reading this, the formula is:
Search Impression Share = Actual Impressions / Total Eligible Impressions
Depending on the type of keyword, there are different goals to strive for:
- Branded Keywords: Keywords that include a variation of your brand or product name – >90%
- Non-Branded Keywords: Relevant keywords that do not include your brand or product name – ~80%
- Competitive Keywords: Popular keywords with high competition – ~50%
So, what does it mean if you’re not reaching these goals, and what can be done? Let’s dig in!
Analyzing Search Impression Share
Context is key, so it’s time to dig deeper into the Google Ads data to determine where there’s an opportunity for improvement.
Google Support breaks down how to enable columns to see your impression share statistics into more detailed segments. These include:
- Search Absolute Top Impression Share (Search abs. top IS): The percentage of your ad impressions shown in the most prominent position.
- Search Lost IS (Budget): The percentage of impressions lost due to insufficient budget.
- Search Lost IS (Rank): The percentage of impressions lost due to poor ad rank.
- Search Exact Match IS: The impression share for searches exactly matching your keywords.
From the campaign view in your Google Ads account, simply select “Columns” > Modify Columns and select the metrics you’d like to see.
These metrics help identify areas where your campaign may be underperforming and provide the insight needed to guide optimization efforts. If your impression share is low, it indicates a limited reach, which will result in missed opportunities. This is a clear indication that your competitors are outranking you, and there’s potential for growth.
How to Improve Search Impression Share
You can take several actions to fix a low search impression share in Google Ads. One of the simplest changes is to increase the budget. A higher budget allows you to be more competitive and show more frequently; however, that may not always be an option. But that doesn’t mean you’re destined for a low impression share. There are several other changes you can implement.
Improve ad quality
Google prioritizes higher-quality ads. Focus on creating relevant ads that match user search intent. You can do this by:
- Creating narrowly focused ad groups with similar keywords
- Writing compelling ad copy that’s highly relevant to the keywords
- Improving landing page experience and relevance
Increase bids
Even if you don’t raise your overall budget, you can increase individual bids if you’re using a manual bidding strategy. Raising your bid amount improves the likelihood of your ads being shown in auctions. This will result in an increased cost-per-click and, ultimately, fewer clicks per day, so ensure your ad is set up to filter out poor-quality traffic and that your landing page experience will meet or exceed expectations before taking this action.
Expand or refine keywords
Evaluate your keyword list. Is it too broad or too narrow? Ensure you have a comprehensive list of relevant, transactional keywords to capture relevant impressions.
Adjust targeting
While you may be able to serve a large target area, consider decreasing targeting to focus on areas where you perform best, increasing impression share for those specific locations.
Improve Quality Score
Google rewards high Quality Scores with better positions. Improve your Quality Score by focusing on relevance between keywords, ads, and landing pages.
Optimize ad schedule
Analyze historical data to set an ad schedule that prioritizes ad spend during times and days when you see the best performance.
Use ad extensions
Implement relevant ad extensions, such as sitelinks, images, promotions, and more, to improve ad visibility and quality.
Address any ad disapprovals or policy issues
Ensure your ads comply with Google’s policies to avoid unnecessary impression loss. For example, Google restricts certain content, such as ads related to alcohol, gambling, and certain healthcare products. Eliminating particular phrases can increase your impression share.
By implementing these strategies, you can improve your search impression share and overall campaign performance.
Below is an example of a client who used the above tactics to improve the majority of their impression share metrics while also improving the quality of leads the business is receiving.
Using Search Impression Share & Cost Per Acquisition to Plan Ad Spend
Budget plays a critical role in search impression share. However, that’s not the only metric a marketing team uses to determine how to utilize your ad spend. Cost per Acquisition (CPA) is another essential consideration to ensure your budget delivers optimal results.
CPA is the average amount spent to acquire a new customer or conversion. When analyzed alongside impression share metrics, it provides a comprehensive view of campaign performance and efficiency.
Here’s how we use these metrics together to help clients plan their marketing spend:
Identifying Opportunities
A low search impression share combined with a good CPA may indicate an opportunity to increase the budget or improve ad rank to capture more conversions at an efficient cost.
Optimizing Budget Allocation
By comparing Search Lost IS (Budget) across campaigns, we can identify which campaigns would benefit most from additional budget to increase impression share and potentially lower overall CPA.
Improving Ad Quality
A high Search Lost IS (Rank) suggests that improving ad quality, landing page experience, or bidding strategy could increase impression share without necessarily increasing spend.
Competitive Analysis
Search abs. top IS helps gauge how often you appear in top positions. If this metric is low but CPA is good, there may be an opportunity to bid more aggressively while maintaining profitability.
Keyword Optimization
Search Exact Match IS can highlight opportunities to refine keyword strategies, potentially improving impression share and CPA.
Take the Next Step to Maximize Your Budget
Search impression share and its related metrics provide crucial insights into the visibility and competitiveness of your search ads. When analyzed alongside CPA, these metrics become powerful tools for optimizing marketing spend and improving campaign performance.
Partnering with a digital marketing agency like Square 205 will ensure your marketing budget is carefully balanced and accounts for impression share and CPA. Our marketing experts make data-driven decisions to maximize the return on ad spend, resulting in the achievement of your marketing goals.
Contact us to start your project today!
