2013 was kind of crazy. With the introduction of Google’s Enhanced Campaigns, the continued ascendance of Google Shopping/PLAs as an all-important factor in today’s digital strategy, and a steady stream of new features implemented across Google/Bing/who knows where else, we had plenty to talk about all year long. Luckily for us, more than a few of you out there were interested in reading about it, too!
With 2013 drawing to a close, it feels appropriate to take a look back at some of our best and most popular posts of 2013. It’s been a banner year here at PPC Hero, due in no small part to the work of the authors showcased below. So, without further ado…
#1. What is Considered A ‘Good’ CTR? June 12, 2013, by Kayla Kurtz
Our most popular post of 2013 – here Kayla asks the age old question: is your Click-Through Rate good enough? And how can you tell? It’s a pretty compelling post, so if you haven’t already read it, you’ve still got time before the ball drops tonight.
#2. The Total Guide To Product Listing Ads: Part 1, Setting Up Your Data Feed April 2, 2013, by Amanda West-Bookwalter
Tips and information on Product Listing Ads were in high demand throughout all of 2013, and this series spearheaded by Amanda West-Bookwalter was the answer – providing a practical, step-by-step process for you to get your own PLAs up and running with minimal technical issues.
#3. The Total Guide to Product Listing Ads: Part 2, How to Set Up Your PLA Campaign April 5, 2013
I’m not going to spoil the rest of this list for you, but get used to seeing entries from this series.
#4. 3 Easy AdWords Scripts to Analyze Your Account: Part 1 January 24, 2013, by Eric Couch
This post, by yours truly, kicked off a running theme of 2013 – a big discussion on the value of AdWords Scripts and all the neat things they can do, while touching on the some of the bigger issues of automation in PPC.
#5. The Total Guide to Product Listing Ads: Part 4, How to optimize your PLA campaign in AdWords April 12, 2013
Yep.
#6. Tools to Analyze Your PPC Competition March 28, 2013, by Kayla Kurtz
Another post from Kayla, this is a breakdown of several tools you can use for competitive research – along with some helpful tips on the best ways to make use of this mountain of data.
#7. 6 Cool New Advertising Options In Google AdWords July 25, 2013, by Sam Owen
This mammoth post from Sam Owen breaks down several AdWords features that were released this past summer. Some had been floating around in a beta state for awhile, others totally came out of the blue – but Sam was on point, breaking down Remarketing Lists for Search, Affinity Audiences, Simiar Users, and more.
#8. A Detailed Look at Google’s New Enhanced Sitelinks February 4, 2013, by Sam Owen
Coming hot on the heels of the Enhanced Campaigns announcement, Sam was on point again with a step-by-step walkthrough of how to implement the new Enhanced Sitelinks. Granted, they didn’t add *editor* support for this feature until about seven months later, but Google can’t be perfect all the time, right?
#9. What One Million Dollars In Spend Has Taught Us About Enhanced Campaigns May 22, 2013 by Jeff Allen
What list would be complete without an entry from Hanapin’s own President, Jeffrey Allen? This post hit like a wrecking ball, sharing some takeaways from our experiences with Enhanced Campaigns after dropping seven figure sums in to them.
#10. The Total Guide to Product Listing Ads: Part 3, How to optimize your PLA campaign in your data feed April 10, 2013
I bet you thought we were through with this series. Let’s just say that it was a really great idea on Amanda’s part to put this one together.
This is just a small portion of the massive body of work put together by the writers of PPC Hero this year. I highly recommend you take a look and see what Amanda, Sam, Carrie, Cassie, Kayla, Jeff Allen, Jeff Baum, Secret Jake, and others put together in the year that was 2013. If you’ve got a favorite article you’d like to see get some respect, post it in the comments. Otherwise – thanks for reading, and Happy New Year!
