Creating Growth Strategies by Combining SEO and PPC Data

How to unify organic and paid search data to eliminate keyword cannibalization and maximize total conversion yield.

Speakers: Samet Özsüleyman, Abdullah Tanıdır

12 Mar 2024

Video Transcript

⏱ 18 min read• 3,211 words

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— Hi everyone. Welcome to Zyho Talks. I’m Samet. I’m here with Abdullah from our PPC ekibi. How are you, Abdullah?

— I’m good, Samet. Thanks. How about you?

— I’m doing great. Thanks. We talk a lot about SEO here. I want to discuss how we work with the PPC ekibi. Let’s talk about our collaboration and how we run our analysis. You have some questions too. Our main topic is combining SEO and PPC data for growth. I want to discuss how to improve our strategies. Let’s cover how to fix our weak spots. The first thing that comes to mind is this. How do we integrate high-converting PPC keywords into our SEO strategy? Let’s talk about that.

As SEOs, we use Google Ads search term reports. Do you use search terms from Meta or other social platforms? How do you analyze high-converting keywords there? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

— We integrate SEO strategies into our campaigns. For example, we use Dynamic Search Ads. We track which SEO keywords are active on the site. We use specific campaign models to capture these. We make sure we don't miss any opportunities. These help us discover long-tail keywords. For instance, we find four-word search terms. These are often overlooked by brands. They are hidden gems in the market. If these keywords drive conversions, we see potential. We share them with our SEO team. We tell them there is an opportunity here. We might even build custom landing pages for the client.

That is how we handle the search side. We also build audiences based on these topics. We use these discovered keywords to create target groups. We then deploy them across GDN or YouTube. Google now groups users who search for these terms. Even if the audience is broad, it works. We can show YouTube videos to these users. We can also target them via GDN. That is our integration process. For platforms like Meta, we focus on audiences. We cannot use search terms directly there. Meta does not have a search term input field.

We mostly use custom audiences we build ourselves. That’s our go-to strategy, Samet. That’s the summary.

— What about TikTok? Great summary. Can we get search term data on TikTok ads? Or is it just like Meta?

— Personally, I think the TikTok panel is more advanced than Meta. We can use those terms on TikTok. Keywords also matter on X, formerly Twitter. We can really lean into those keywords on these platforms. I don't have a specific example right now. But sometimes a single-product brand comes to us. They want to own that specific keyword. We treat that like a branding campaign. We aim to own that keyword across all platforms. That’s where we use it most.

— Super. That makes me think of an SEO strategy. Let’s tie this TikTok thing to SEO. Say our brand is "Samet." People might search for "buy Samet products on TikTok." Your PPC ekibi builds brand awareness. Users then search on TikTok or Google. Once that search volume hits a certain level, it’s a signal for us. We use that search volume to guide our strategy. We can create new pages or optimize for TikTok. We’ll integrate it all into our plan. That’s a great summary.

— It’s really useful.

— Exactly. One common question comes up with brands and PPC ekipleri. They ask about keywords where we already rank first organically. Does it help the PPC budget? What’s your take? Say I get you to rank first for "coffee." As the PPC ekibi. Do you shift budget to long-tail or high-conversion keywords instead? So, how do you execute the strategy there?

— It really depends on the client, Samet. If we rank first for "coffee," competitors are always there. You know how it is. We might lose our top spot on the SEO side if we stop. We usually don't recommend shutting it down completely. That’s my personal take. You need a small budget to hold that top position. We trim the budget there and shift it to other keywords. Also, we have specific terms we want to rank first for. We want to outrank certain competitors. We use PPC to push keywords from the fourth or fifth spot to the top.

It saves some budget, sure. But we never suggest turning it off entirely. You’ll lose that top spot. Now, if you're in a super niche sector, that's different. If the keyword is basically your brand, you can rethink it. You can cut the budget significantly if you have no competition. If nobody else is bidding on it. You can definitely scale it back or even shut it down.

— I agree. You mentioned long-tail keywords earlier. Let’s say we have a 4-5 word long-tail term. We checked Semrush data. No ads have run on this search term for months. I’m already ranking first. If there are no ads and it still converts, cut the budget. Move that spend to other channels or ad groups. I’m on the same page as you.

— We can run different strategies there.

— Exactly. People always ask if they should stop ads when they rank first. There are risks involved. I asked you because you’re the expert. I wanted a clear answer for our listeners. We get this a lot from you guys. I keep using Google Ads as an example. Listeners should think of this as PPC in general. It’s just a habit of mine. I know you guys run A/B tests on ad copy. You optimize ad groups or campaigns based on those results. I want to touch on that.

When running Search Ads, you create dynamic or custom meta tags. I mean the ad headlines and descriptions. How do you evaluate these? Could you share some insights on A/B testing for them?

— For ad copy, it doesn't matter if it's social media or Google Ads. Whether it's YouTube video or search, it’s mostly the same. We run A/B tests on everything. We also look at what the platform algorithms expect from us. If we use a search term. It must be on the landing page and in our ad copy. This indirectly boosts our quality scores. We use this method to lower our unit costs for cost-per-click. Beyond that, conversion rate is more important to us. We track which copy drives conversions. We focus on what users click. And if they complete a purchase or fill out a lead form.

User response is key for us. We run A/B tests on social media with multiple headlines and body copy. Whether it's search or social, platform-agnostic A/B testing is always vital. We run these tests to hit the right quality. We want terms that perform well organically and grab user interest. We aim to show users exactly what they are searching for.

— Here is a tip for our audience. If you have a PPC ekibi, look at your ad copy. Check your meta titles and descriptions. See which ones drive the best CTR. Better yet, look at what actually drives conversions. Use those insights to shape your SEO strategy. Maybe your current meta titles are too vague. Or maybe they are auto-generated. Your insights could change everything. We might get fewer clicks. But we will get way more conversions.

— Exactly, Samet. We should definitely collaborate with the SEO tarafı on this. Creating custom landing pages for these ads is a game changer. When you hook a user with specific ad copy. You need to deliver on that promise. Sending them to the right page is crucial for the next step. If you break that context, you lose them. Don't just dump them on the homepage or a random category page. You will lose the connection. And you will lose the customer. When we spot these opportunities, we align with the SEO departmanı. If we handle both PPC and SEO, we talk behind the scenes. We brainstorm together. We build a better strategy.

— Exactly. You touched on this earlier. You mentioned Quality Score. For those who don't know, let's dive into Quality Score. Let's talk about its connection to SEO. Can you explain Quality Score? What does it impact? What should we prioritize? I’ll add my own thoughts after.

— Sure. We usually prioritize Quality Score for search. We focus on high-intent keywords. These are the ones that drive sales or capture customers. Competition is fierce here. Brands fight hard in search and SEO. Combining PPC with SEO helps us stand out. But we have specific tactics to boost Quality Score in PPC. You must use keyword variations in your ad copy. This is for search. Also, your landing page must include these keywords. The page content must match the theme. Use related keywords too. If a user searches for a term, give them a matching headline. Send them to a page with satisfying content. Give the user exactly what they want.

I know the basic rule. If you satisfy the user's intent, Google rewards you in SEO. That’s why Quality Score matters to us. On the SEO side, we optimize landing pages with these terms. We also improve page speed and core web vitals. This boosts our visibility in search terms. It also lowers our PPC costs significantly. That covers the search side. We also feed these terms into GDN and YouTube. Google collects signals from everywhere. It even pulls data from other social channels. The algorithm views this as a whole. Everything supports everything else.

— I totally agree. You already mentioned the importance of keywords. I want to focus on something else. Core web vitals are the hardest part of SEO. The biggest mistake is optimizing the whole site. Instead, look at your top-converting landing pages. Core web vitals vary by page type. PDPs and PLPs have different HTML and CSS. You should prioritize tasks based on your data. That makes getting the work done much easier. Feed it your top 50 pages. Break them down by page type. You might find that investing in PDPs boosts your quality score. It’s a solid insight.

Everyone’s time is valuable. Dev team meetings are expensive. Their workload matters. Prioritize based on impact. Maybe fix core web vitals like CLS to boost quality scores. You can optimize plenty here. You mentioned text and copy earlier. Those are huge. If we create content that truly summarizes the page, we’ll feed your side well. Look at the big picture. Quality score isn't just for Google Ads. It reflects actual page quality. Google just gave us a metric for it. The Ads panel shows this, right Abdullah? Google gives your page a score out of 10.

— It gives a score out of 10. The exact formula isn't clear. But we have two metrics. Ad strength and landing page experience. It uses both to determine the quality score. We know this. It gives us data rated as good, average, or poor. If we spot a landing page issue, we talk to the SEO tarafındaki team. We check if we can build a custom landing page. Or we see if we can optimize the current one. If it flags an ad copy issue, we handle it operationally. We update our ad copy ourselves. Finally, it shows a quality score out of 10. Just like you said.

We might run A/B tests on different pages. Or try new landing page layouts. We focus on these to drive improvements.

— Great summary. We’ve already touched on upcoming topics. So I’ll keep this brief. What are your thoughts on the search term report? We integrate it into our SEO work. But hearing it from an expert like you would be very valuable.

— The search term report is key. In Google, we often bid on keywords we expect to perform. But the search term report reveals hidden gems. Users search for specific terms we never considered. Even the brand didn't think of them. Broad match helps us discover these related terms. We can capture a lot of traffic this way. We analyze these terms and add them to our campaigns. When launching new campaigns, we must collaborate with the SEO tarafı teams. As I mentioned, we need a landing page for these keywords. The SEO tarafında team can prep this in advance. We can build a custom landing page. Or, for high-traffic topics, we coordinate with the SEO tarafıyla team. They can prioritize SEO efforts for those specific areas.

It can definitely be prioritized for your side too. We use search term reports for many different things.

— I can give you an example. We get that data from you. Since you consult for huge clients, the data is massive. We're talking thousands of rows. When we request it via the interface, we can set some filters. Abdullah, maybe filter for impressions over 5 or 10. You could even add conversions. This makes it easier for you to send and for us to analyze. That data is incredibly valuable for SEO'da. For example, we find a keyword. It could be three words long or a long tail. We check the search volume and take action. But as you said, some terms don't show up in Ahrefs or Semrush. They don't even appear in my keyword search.

We only get those from the Google Ads search term report. With that data from you, I might launch a new landing page. Or I might find content gaps on my existing pages. I'll check the content cap. I won't find it there. But your report is super useful. Let's prioritize the search term report. Brands have different priority pages. It could be content or specific page copy. Optimizing those is huge. I'll use those search term keywords on the page. This boosts your quality score.

It’s all one big cycle. I’m helping your PPC budget too. Higher quality scores mean lower costs. If we align our strategy, we’ll drive real conversions for these brands.

— You’re spot on, Samet. I’ll add one thing. Don’t silo PPC and SEO. Think of them as one ecosystem. We always stress this in client meetings. Doing just PPC and ignoring SEO hurts your brand. It leads to wasted ad spend. Or doing only SEO and skipping ads? That might work sometimes. But if there’s heavy competition, you’ll miss out. Skipping social media ads is another story. It really depends on the platform. Some companies focus on LinkedIn or X. Others prioritize sales or leads via Google and Meta. That’s understandable. But don't ignore any platform entirely. Google collects signals from everywhere. We believe this impacts both SEO and PPC.

View digital as one unified ecosystem. Don't just look at search terms, SEO, or PPC in silos. Take a holistic approach. It’s much more effective.

— Exactly. That reminds me of something. When we worked on a brand together, you noticed something. You’d say. "I can't run Google Ads to this page." It turned out the page was blocked in robots.txt. Insights like that are valuable for us and the brand. Working closely together is key. Spotting errors and finding solutions as a team is incredibly valuable. Also, Abdullah, we have seasonal campaigns. Think Black Friday, New Year’s, or Back to School. How do you handle budget management for these? Can you share some final thoughts? These periods are huge for us in SEO too.

Especially in the brand's specific sectors. I’d love to hear your take on that.

— Take Black Friday. It’s a high-stakes, high-competition period. You must start early. Preparation is key. It’s not just about campaign types. We need A/B tests and landing pages. SEO tarafında, these pages need to rank early. Ranking early in SEO tarafında helps. It boosts quality scores. It gives us an edge in a crowded market. Don't wait until the last minute. Don't burn huge budgets. Start early. SEO tarafında, Google will trust your pages more. Run A/B tests with low budgets. Know your winning ad copy before the rush.

In high-competition seasons, target both core terms and long-tail keywords. Solid infrastructure is vital. The better your SEO tarafında setup, the better your results. Everything performs much better in the end.

— Exactly. If you have pages running campaigns for years, like Black Friday. Check your previous year's Search Console data. If you haven't yet, grab your PPC data too. As we mentioned, you can pull insights from the search term report. It’s full of useful details. Think about special days, like World Coffee Day or whatever fits your industry. Those niche days can provide great campaign insights. You might not always remember them. Both teams should discuss if you have a page ready to run ads.

Build a strategy together with the brand's guidance. Finally, don't overlook Merchant Center data. It offers some really valuable insights. You might find structured data issues in Merchant Center. Maybe a price formatting error or a feed problem. Collaboration is key to prepping for these big days. Time is often tight. You need those ads live immediately. If structured data errors kill your ads, you're in trouble. Check everything in advance to be ready.

— Let me add one quick point here. Great catch, Samet. We consider Merchant Center a must-have for our e-commerce clients. Google Ads campaigns rely on it. Whether it's Performance Max or other sales-focused models, they use Merchant Center data. They also pull from your site's SEO data. Even a tiny issue, like a bad robots.txt rule, hurts. It drags down your SEO performance. It also tanks your ad performance. Blocking the Google Ads bot kills your campaigns instantly. A feed error in Merchant Center can also wipe out your products. Your campaigns will suffer immediately.

Fixing these doesn't mean an instant recovery. It takes a long time. You'll likely burn through budget to bounce back. Constant monitoring is vital for both SEO and PPC. These are your digital assets. Think of SEO, PPC, and Merchant Center as physical branches. You wouldn't neglect a store. Treat your digital presence the same way and stay focused. Ignoring the digital side is a huge missed opportunity. Don't overlook technical issues. Focus on them. Support them with different tactics. Like the examples you mentioned, this really helps brands grow.

— I agree, Abdullah. That was a great chat. I hope our listeners enjoy it. I asked you every question on my mind. You answered them like a true expert. We already work together on many projects with our PPC ekibi in SEO. We wanted to show you our action-oriented approach. We shared what we face in our daily work. We hope these insights help you apply data from both channels to your strategies. We hope this video was useful. If you liked it, hit that like button. Don't forget to subscribe to the SEO channel. Abdullah, do you have any final thoughts before we wrap up?

— Sure. Thanks, Samet. This was a great conversation. If anyone watching has questions, drop them in the comments. We'll do our best to get back to you.

— Awesome. Wishing everyone a productive week. Take care. Goodbye.

— Catch you later.

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