5 AdWords Filters to Make Your Job Easier

One of the first things I do when auditing a PPC account is check to see how the AdWords account is set up.

In addition to the settings, I like to see what filters have been created. And often I find there are very few – or none at all.

Filters are essential for getting a quick view of various metrics. They can allow you the ability to identify low hanging fruit opportunities, or problems that need immediate attention.

Filters are also necessary for keeping tabs on your account, and allows you to check on new campaign performance, keyword changes, and ad copy updates. Additionally, they don’t take a long time to create.

Filters are the ultimate PPC management tool.

Haven’t set up filters? It’s time that you did.

Setting up filters is very easy. The Filter tab is located under the main AdWords tab:

They can be applied to any of the main tabs. Therefore you can create filters for your campaigns, ad groups, ad extensions, keywords, and dimensions. Saving your filters allows you to apply them as part of your account management strategy.

Whether it’s a brand new PPC account or one that you are taking over, setting up filters early on will help you not only manage your campaigns better, but also identify problem areas and opportunities more quickly.

Here are five simple AdWords filters that you can put in place today:

1. Campaign Filter by Search and Display

While this may seem like a no-brainer, it can be a lifesaver if you are managing an account with a mix of search and display campaigns.

Setting up simple filters to sort your campaigns can provide you with a quick view of only certain campaigns, instead of having to sort through them.

2. Keywords Below First-Page Bid Filter

If your budget allows, this type of filter can generate the kinds of low hanging fruit opportunities I previously mentioned. Setting up a filter for these keywords can identify terms that are not showing on the first-page, and can be an opportunity to increase bids for these terms.

While a keyword may be below the first-page bid, it may have a higher cost than you want to pay. Create another filter that shows your keywords with a CPC above your cost threshold amount.

This will help you segment the high cost-per-click terms and determine strategies for how to manage them.

3. Keywords with Low Quality Score Filter

Because quality scores change based on a variety of factors, it’s important to monitor your keywords with a low quality score. Creating a filter for these allows the ability to address these, or determine if they should be paused.

For example, you can create a filter that shows quality scores of three or less. If over time you make relevant changes (such as more targeted landing pages or revised ad copy), and the quality scores don’t change, it would be wise to pause the keyword.

4. Ad Group Testing Filter

Creating a filter for ad groups is crucial, especially if you are monitoring newly created ad groups. For example, you can create several pilot ad groups in order to monitor the quality scores over time.

By creating a filter that sorts on the ad group name containing the word “pilot,” you can watch the effects of your optimizations over time and see how they impact the quality scores.

5. Ad Copy Performance Filter

Incorporating a filter to manage ad copy performance is also critical for effective management of your campaigns. Let’s say I want to see how well my ad copy for downloading a whitepaper is performing.

I can create a filter that shows which ads have converted, containing the text “download” in the ad:

This filter gives me a quick view of how well this type of ad is performing, and helps me determine if I should adjust the ad copy or not.

There are an infinite number of filters that you can set up in your accounts. Once you create your key filters, use them on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis to check on your account performance.

There are many things that you can monitor, and creating a base-set of filters can help manage your paid search accounts more effectively. Let filters make your job easier.