How can you fix rising CPCs and declining ROAS in Branded Search?

A few key insights to consider:

Non-Brand vs. Brand Strategies: Strategies that work in non-brand settings may not directly apply to brand search campaigns.

Campaign Restructuring and Ad Copy Testing: Limited effectiveness due to how Google evaluates relevance in brand search.

Search Query Analysis: Identifying high-spending terms and refining negative keywords can be impactful, though it may offer limited scope for seasoned campaigns. Counterpoint: if you use broad match terms in brand campaigns, watch this closely.

UX Improvements: Enhancing mobile site speed is important, but SEM agencies usually don't directly control this lever. Consider tools like Nostra AI if you're on Shopify.

So what's the best area for impactful testing? Google's bid strategies.

Here's how I'd think about each of these options:

1. Target ROAS / Target CPA: Consider adjusting targets and monitoring their impact on KPIs to understand your marginal cost-per-conversion curve.

2. Target Impression Share: Avoid completely. I've seen a DTC apparel company waste $100K over 12 months with this strategy.

3. Maximize Clicks: Not ideal for efficiency-focused brand campaigns. Most should avoid.

4. Manual CPC (w/ Enhanced CPC): Contrary to Google's recommendations, manual bidding *can* work for branded search with the potential for >50% avg. CPC reduction.

While I don't want to minimize measurability challenges, if there's something *really* wrong with brand CPCs - i.e. 50-100% increase YoY - testing a different bid strategy or efficiency target can be a quick win.