Monitoring Serving Momentum After Launch
For a Shopping campaign launch, the primary concern out of the gate is serving momentum — its presence or absence. Average-size Shopping campaigns usually develop a consistent serving pattern within a week or two of launch, and sometimes faster.
During the period immediately after a Shopping campaign launch, we monitor impressions and CPCs. This allows us to optimize bids early on, further increase serving momentum, and minimize wasted ad spend.
Watching for Early Spend Issues
We are also looking for major issues, such as a single SKU, product group, or ad group consuming excessive ad spend.
Reviewing Search Queries and Product Feed Signals
We monitor the search queries that pull the campaign into auctions. That information is used to expand the negative keyword base and also optimize the individual SKU titles in the feed.
Using Early Performance Signals Before Conversion Volume Builds
Before conversions have occurred in sufficient quantities to use them as a metric for optimization, ad click-through rates, or CTRs, and product page engagement metrics from Google Analytics can serve as proxies for conversions.
Checking Tracking, Targeting, and Campaign Behavior
Post-launch, conversion tracking is checked for functionality and accuracy. Geo-targeting is monitored for anomalies, CPCs are checked for out-of-line behavior, and the campaign is scanned for errors or warnings.
Moving Beyond the Post-Launch Optimization Phase
This post-launch optimization phase typically lasts 3 to 6 weeks for an average-scale Shopping ad campaign. Coming out of the post-launch phase, the campaign has usually moved onto some form of automated bidding and is reaching its highest levels of performance since launch.
Shopping Campaign Launch Resources
For related information, visit Blastoff Advertising’s Shopping campaigns, PPC campaign management, product feeds, web analytics, and eCommerce results pages.
