Semantic Search and User Sentiment in Pay-Per-Click Ads

With Google’s recent announcement of search becoming a predominantly semantic-based algorithm, the incorporation of contextual words and phrases is more prevalent than ever. While cross-channel optimization has always been an important initiative pertaining to overall marketing strategy, it is now required based on semantic search.

As you seek to update current ads or create new ones, consider how you can provide context and create relevancy among the ads and your website.

One of the key factors in these cross-channel optimization efforts is the incorporation of user sentiment. What are your customers interested in as pertains to your product or service? What are they currently speaking about in regards to your brand? To answer these questions, you should review a variety of tools including your business reviews, social media (Facebook posts, Twitter mentions, etc.), and trending search queries just to name a few.

Take the example below, user sentiment revealed this hotel’s TripAdvisor listing and Google + Local page indicate “valet parking” as a commonly discussed item.

Based on this information and the search volume commanded by “valet parking” related queries, the hotel was able to leverage their already existing Parking Package in their PPC campaign which has generated strong CTR and conversion. Namely, the hotel was able to assess user sentiment to incorporate within their PPC strategy which has evidently been awarded by Google based on the good performance of the ads.

As you explore new ways to refresh your ad groups and ad copy, be sure to consider the impact of semantic search and the importance of user sentiment to establish relevancy in your campaigns and optimize results.