Ever since my days of composing film scores, I've said that simplicity is an art. In those days, I said it because I was not very good at composing and lacked the technical knowledge to compose complex scores. I had to write simple pieces. Now that I'm in marketing, I fully appreciate the meaning behind that statement. Complexity impresses marketers, but not customers. Customers want simplicity, convenience, and ease of use. This is why one of the best things you can do to optimize conversion rates is to "remove friction" in the buying process. When it comes to Google Ads accounts, I find the same principle to hold true. The more complex an ad account gets, the less likely it is to handle change. Markets change over time, buying patterns change, (Lord knows people change), and very little remains constant. Except for principles. If you understand the principles behind marketing and human psychology, you can build a stable foundation in all of your ad accounts that you proceed to build on over time. Complexity, when done right, is nothing but layered simplicity. One simple layer added onto another, and another, and another... begins to look complex. When done wrong, complexity is a jumbled mess with unnecessary steps and elements that exist for nothing more than the ego of the one who designed it. This is the backstory behind my facepalm when I saw an account with a $500/mo account-wide budget that had 214 keywords. Because of the 80/20 principle, I know that most accounts are going to be carried by a small batch of keywords. Those keywords may trigger many different search terms, but the terms that convert the most won't vary a ton. Most everyone learns what to search for in a given industry and they use that when they're ready to buy. So you really don't need to throw 214 broad match keywords into an account that can only spend $500/mo. You may not even need 214 keywords in an account that spends $5,000/mo. With so many keywords in an account, Google sends the budget toward the things people search first and/or search the most.

Hey Ad Masters! Time to post your questions for the next coaching call! If you want to cover something super specific, but can't share details publically, please share the question or request here and DM me the private details. I'll then share a tailored answer on the call without divulging private info. I'm looking forward to chatting with you all again! You can access the call using the info below, or by clicking the link shown for this week's call in the 'Events' section. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84165489431 Meeting ID: 841 6548 9431 Passcode: AMCSKOOL --- One tap mobile +13052241968,,84165489431#,,,,*43144275# US +13092053325,,84165489431#,,,,*43144275# US --- Dial by your location • +1 305 224 1968 US • +1 309 205 3325 US • +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) • +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) • +1 646 931 3860 US • +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) • +1 719 359 4580 US • +1 253 205 0468 US • +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) • +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) • +1 360 209 5623 US • +1 386 347 5053 US • +1 507 473 4847 US • +1 564 217 2000 US • +1 669 444 9171 US • +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose) • +1 689 278 1000 US Meeting ID: 841 6548 9431 Passcode: 43144275 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbfJB35cmU

Keyword match types have changed a lot over the years, as have the best practices surrounding them. Here's what I've seen: 2016 Best Practice: Exact match variants of top converting keywords. Phrase match to bring in more relevant search terms. No Broad match anywhere. Segment by relevance, largely using single keyword ad groups (SKAGs). 2021 Best Practice: Exact match variants of top converting keywords. Phrase match to bring in more relevant search terms. Very little Broad match, only to bring in new converting terms to add as exact match. Segment by intent, but tightly grouped to maintain relevance. 2023 Best Practice: Very few Exact match variants, only top converting keywords. Very few Phrase match keywords. Broad match in almost every ad group as primary keyword match type. Segment by intent with less regard for relevance. Reasons for changes: 1. Google changed how match types work, first wrecking the specificity of Exact match, then ruining Phrase match by making it a loose Broad Match Modified replacement. These changes were to match based on intent, rather than matching relevance between words used. 2. Google's automated bidding improved to the point that it surpasses manual bidding 9.5 times out of 10. Machine learning(ML) benefits from larger data sets and Exact/Phrase match didn't provide the variance to benefit from the ML. 3. People started using voice search much more frequently and searches became (and are still becoming) longer and more specific. This made it harder to match as many searches from the shorter, more general Exact and Phrase match variants of target keywords. 4. As more people started using Broad match, Google's matching algorithm got (and is still getting) much better at recognizing intent. This is all pretty abridged and based on my personal experience and opinion, but I see it holding true. It's wild to see things that were best practice to avoid becoming best practice to adopt. Never stop testing, learning, and growing!

Hey Ad Masters! Time to post your questions for this week's call! If you've already asked questions in a post since last week's call, I'll find them and post them in a comment here to save you the trouble. I'm looking forward to chatting with you all again! You can access the call using the info below, or by clicking the link shown for this week's call in the 'Events' section. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84165489431 Meeting ID: 841 6548 9431 Passcode: AMCSKOOL --- One tap mobile +13052241968,,84165489431#,,,,*43144275# US +13092053325,,84165489431#,,,,*43144275# US --- Dial by your location • +1 305 224 1968 US • +1 309 205 3325 US • +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) • +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) • +1 646 931 3860 US • +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) • +1 719 359 4580 US • +1 253 205 0468 US • +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) • +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) • +1 360 209 5623 US • +1 386 347 5053 US • +1 507 473 4847 US • +1 564 217 2000 US • +1 669 444 9171 US • +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose) • +1 689 278 1000 US Meeting ID: 841 6548 9431 Passcode: 43144275 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbfJB35cmU

Hey Ad Masters! I've been drowning in work as I overhaul 50-something accounts for an agency client, on top of my normal workload. That said, I'm getting pumped about the future of the Community and working on making it a better and more valuable experience. Please let me know if there is anything in particular you'd like to see that would compel you to tell all of your friends and colleagues to join this group because of the immense value. In the meantime, here are some ideas I've had for the future of the group (some near, some slightly less near): - Better Utilizing the Classroom The Classroom section of Skool is a place for structured learning and I'm currently under-utilizing it. I got to see under the hood of another group and was made quickly aware of my limited mindset regarding the classroom. - Moving forward, I plan to add a Resources section with all sorts of tools, expanded knowledge, swipe files, etc, to make it easier to find things that may help you as they've helped me over the years. - I also plan to add some dedicated training that can be unlocked as you gain points and level up. Most of the dedicated training I've been creating is geared toward new ad managers, whereas this coaching community is for those working in the trenches, but there are certainly things that apply to all experience levels and I could always create new training upon request. - The classroom is also a great place for community rules and explaining how to get points, provide feedback, etc. I'll pretty well hide everything behind the Level 2 lock, making it basically mandatory to make a post or comment so you can get some likes/points. - I may start adding the recorded coaching calls and Q&A clips to the Classroom as well, making them accessible by search in the community feed or through a dedicated Classroom set. (TBD) - I want to add more fun things to unlock. What would you want to unlock for hitting higher levels? I've added some free 1-on-1 coaching calls as rewards, but was thinking about adding a free account audit and/or some other rewards. Anything in particular sound good? I can't give my personal 1-on-1 time to everyone as the community grows, but I'm happy to give it while the group is smaller.