Single Keyword Ad Groups – How and When to use SKAGs

Does SKAGs ring any bells? Yes, SKAGs- are the terms Genz uses to refer to single keyword ad groups these days. (Let’s leave it to Millennials to give it an appropriate trendy name for optimising ad group campaigns.)

Lately, SKAG Google Ads are in the wind again as the PPC community has cracked SKAGs as a consistently profitable strategy for a successful paid campaign. But before rushing into anything about How and When to use SKAGs, let’s understand what single keyword ad groups are:

The ad groups in Google Ads, known as Single Term Ad Groups (SKAGs), include just one keyword rather than 30 keywords per ad group. They are helpful for PPC advertisers since they allow for more streamlined account management.

PPC marketers utilising Google Ads often think about ways to optimise their campaigns, such as boosting their Quality Score, raising their CTR(Clickthrough Rate), and decreasing their ad spending without sacrificing results.

We saw a 28.1% boost in click-through rate and a Quality Score rise from 5.56 to 7.95. (out of 10). Whence came to our success?

Using ad groups comprised of just a single term. Although this strategy is less well-known than others, astute marketers are using it to get the most out of their pay-per-click campaigns. Learn the steps that I took to do the same thing.

What is Quality Score?

Quality score is among the crucial metrics in the Google Ads account, impacting the cost per conversion(CPC) the client pays. Studies have shown increasing quality scores have a drastic impact on CPC. What is the Quality score? The quality score comprises three distinct factors: Expected CTR, user experience concerning the landing page, and Ad relevance. 

What are single keyword ad groups?

Per the name, single Ad Groups are Ads with one keyword. You may have numerous keywords running in your ad group. In reality, Google has always recommended including 10–20 keywords in each ad group.

However, the challenge with this strategy is that it’s tough to create advertisements that are highly relevant to every term in an ad group. That’s the main obstacle between you and the coveted higher Quality Score. When you come down to an Ad, several different keywords are placed in one Ad, which are irrelevant to that particular Ad. Writing an ad with precise keywords won’t be feasible.

How to improve quality scores with a single keyword group?

The research was conducted by Clicteq, which ran a sample Ad to examine the impact of implementing single keyword ad groups. Clicteq found that the CTR was up 28.1% for the next two months. They also found out that the average quality score was from an impression-weighted average of 5.56 to 7.95. This study analysed data from a Google Ads account targeting the K-12 market.

If the advertisements maintained an average rank of 2.4 during the test period, the increased CTR must have resulted from using the single-keyword ad groups. No changes were made to the ad extensions or keyword pool that may have increased CTR and skewed the results.

How to ensure data reliability with a single keyword ad group

It’s important to remember that testing strategies alter somewhat while using PPC. The biggest challenge in verifying the validity of test findings is the dynamic nature of search results.

If you do a search and then reload the website, for instance, you may see that the ads have changed. Most marketers have adverts between their search results depending on how much money they’re willing to spend.

Most businesses also use several various versions of ad text. Consequently, a pool of ads is likely to have forty distinct messages. Then, along with ten other advertisements, yours will be chosen by Google to appear in specific select searches.

As a result, pollution is relatively common, and you’ll need to take an average.

How to Determine the best keywords for your site

• Include all three sorts of matching keywords in your single keyword ad groupings.
• Make sure that each keyword ad group has its own unique advertisements.
• To begin, implement significant modifications to your ad text and test them across a large audience (e.g., your offer, USP).
• Then, proceed to evaluate secondary, ancillary aspects (e.g., punctuation, capitalization).

Conclusion

Ad relevancy and click-through rate (CTR) increase the Quality Score algorithm and may be significantly improved by using single-keyword ad groups.

When your Quality Score rises, your cost-per-click drops, if you want to create ad groups based on a single term, you should include the abovementioned points to make a well-optimized campaign and deliver favorable and fruitful results.

Adapts Media is a Dubai-based digital marketing firm with clients all over the world. Our Ads operational team is proficient in adapting trends of various paid media platforms to provide desired results in a short span of time. Reach out to us today, and let’s build your brand together.