Did you want to create a category DSA campaign, but there were many categories, and you wanted to target only some of them? How do you choose the correct categories for a PPC campaign? This article looks at practical steps to easily and accurately select the correct categories for your PPC campaign for maximum success.
Get a list of category URLs
The first step is to get a list of URLs for all the categories you want to include in your DSA campaign. If you have access to the CMS, you can get these URLs directly from there. If not, don’t despair; you can use a sitemap or web scraper to get this data.
Analyse data from Google Analytics
For the next step, it is necessary to obtain the relevant data from Google Analytics. Download the landing page report. I recommend at least for the last 365 days. Yes, I decided to still use GA3 since the data was still being collected until June 30. If you have a large site (there were 191 216 pages in this report), I recommend filtering the number of sessions.
Combine data into one report
To better analyze your data, pair your list of category URLs with your Google Analytics data into a single report. I recommend using Google Sheets and the simple VLOOKUP function for this purpose.
Filter relevant categories
The next step is to filter out URLs you have paired with Google Analytics and have sufficient sessions and a reasonable conversion rate. This way, you’ll identify the categories with the best potential for success in your PPC campaign.
In the following example, I excluded two URLs with low conversion rates. Because these URLs were not performing well through other (primarily organic) channels, I didn’t want to advertise them in PPC campaigns.
Create a feed page for Google Ads
Based on the filtered categories, create a page feed you upload to Google Ads. This will ensure that your DSA campaign contains only the URLs you selected.
Create a DSA campaign using a page feed
Finally, it’s time to create a dynamic ad campaign using the page feed you created. In this case, the important thing is to set Google to only use the Page Feed and select the correct feed.
This way, you can effectively target relevant categories and achieve maximum success in your PPC campaign.
Choosing the proper categories for your DSA PPC campaign may seem complicated, but it’s necessary to achieve success in your online advertising strategy. However, using analytics tools such as Google Analytics and Google Sheets, you can quickly identify and target relevant categories to help you achieve better results and increase conversions. Feel free to experiment and adapt your strategy according to the results. With this approach, you’ll be well on your way to a successful PPC campaign.
Remember, this process will need to be repeated once in a while. I recommend an interval of at least two times a year.
