Feeling nervous for your Adwords/PPC interview? To help you ease your anxiety, we have prepared a list of popular and common questions that you can expect for your PPC/Adwords interview.
1. What are Adwords?
Advertisers place bids on certain keywords which helps their advertisement to be displayed by Google. In fact, keywords are the basis of an Adwords account.
It is a type of pay per click advertising technique, which helps businesses and services get featured in the Google Search Network and Google Display Network. Adwords are typically keywords that have a concise text attached to it.
2. How does Adwords help businesses?
As and when the user searches using the relevant keywords, the advertisement gets displayed. It helps businesses to tap into potential buyers. A business looking for the faster result would typically rely on AdWords more. It helps businesses by getting leads and traffic at a much faster pace in comparison to other search engine tactics. It is also a great budget saving marketing choice.
3. What is meant by Ad Trafficking?
It is the placement strategy of the ad in order to produce the most effective result. An ad trafficker, in consultation with the client develops, an ad campaign which would help the business tap in as many customers as possible.
4. How does Ad rank work?
The ad rank is essential as it denotes how many clicks you are getting. An ad rank depends on the cost per click or CPC, the quality score and the expected result. It takes into account various factors like device, location, time, search terms and the likes. A good ad rank means the ads will appear on a relevant channel as and when required. Poor ad rank may lead the ad to not getting displayed at all.
5. How can you best use Ad group?
An ad group lets the search engines better classify your ads and also gives you a significant amount of control over whom to advertise to. Your presentation can be planned accordingly helping you get the best result.
6. What do you need to do to get higher conversion rates?
Possible answer:
There are several ways to get a good conversion rate. The first step towards it would be identifying the pain points. Some of the easy ways to boost conversion rates are using relevant images, testing the entire user experience (right from the ad presentation to the landing page), and testing the check-out page.
7. What steps are needed to be taken to improve the quality score?
In order to determine the cost per click, a quality score is assigned. It depends on the relevance as well as the quality of the keywords you have been using. Landing page experience plays a crucial role in this whole scenario.
8. How many characters are allowed in Adword ads?
It can be up to 80 characters. Out of which two headlines of 30 characters each are allowed along with a description line, which must be condensed within 80 characters. Spaces are included in the character count.
9. What is the best way to describe CTR and how do you calculate it?
CTR or click through rate is a report card on how your ads are performing. In order to calculate there is a simple formula which is clicks divided by impressions.
10. What is conversion tracking in Google Ads?
Conversion tracking in Google Ads lets you find out what happens after a user clicks on your ad. It helps you identify how well your ad campaign is performing and offers data relating to lead generation, sales, downloads, email sign-ups, and other key actions for your business. This way it helps you optimize your keywords, bids, ad text, etc.
11. What is understood by keywords? How many types of keywords are there?
Keywords are the words and phrases that help users navigate to the webpage of the business citing it. It helps the users find relevant services or products and businesses who use them in order to get the customers directed to their pages.
Broadly speaking, there are 3 types of keywords – long-tail, short-tail, and medium tail. Some other types of keywords are intent-targeting, customer defining, product defining, geo-targeting, short-term, long-term, and LSI. Based on how they are used, they help make web pages optimized.
12. Which option cannot be changed once the Google account is created?
After the account has been created, the user may change the time zone once. However, he cannot modify or change the currency he chose. These details are used to determine how a user is billed.
13. What is the use of frequency capping?
This method determines how many times a particular user sees a specific ad. It helps to not impose or distract the user in any way.
14. Can you name some adwords ad extensions?
Extensions are additional information to help ads perform better. It can be either automated or manual. Some automated extensions include seller rating, automated call, previous visit, etc. Examples of manual extensions are App, location, message, price, etc.
15. What is the difference between automatic and managed placements?
A placement means the location of an ad in the Google display network. While the Automatic Placement targets contextual settings, Managed Placement would mean placing the ads where the prospective buyers are known to spend more time and thus, more likely to see the ad.
16. What according to you is the most important metric to check the performance of a particular campaign?
Possible answer 1
Identifying and measuring each campaigns’ KPI’s or Key Performance Indicators are the best way to track success for ad campaigns. I take special care into measuring how persistent pain points are getting affected after the launch of the campaign.
Possible answer 2
To measure the success of a campaign, I look into total traffic generation and the sources of it, CTR or Click Through Rate, CPC or Click Per Click value. I also consider the other metrics related to conversion such as CVR, CPL, average page views, bounce rate, time spent by viewers on page and number of returning customers.
17. What is understood by API?
Application Interface Service helps developers interact directly with Google Ads Server. It ensures most effective utilization of the ads, especially for those with large or complex Google Ads accounts and campaigns. It gives more power to the advertisers as they can modify ads according to their need.
18. Other than CPC which bidding method would you prefer?
Though CPC is a very popular method to carry outbidding, CPM or Cost Per Thousand Impression is also a great choice. It can also work with lower bids as the advertiser is charged per thousand impressions.
19. Can you elaborate on the process of Google auction?
The advertiser decides the maximum budget he would allocate for an ad. Then Google takes into account the quality of the ad, the bidding amount and the expected clicks. Depending on these factors Google determines where to put the ad.
20. How can you enhance landing page quality?
Possible answer 1
There are several ways by which the quality of the landing page can be improved. The page should be relevant enough and not too difficult to navigate or understand. It should have a clear call of action message.
Possible answer 2
One great way to boost the performance of the landing page is to add relevant images. Infographics are also known to function very well. Presence of too many links can actually adversely affect the quality of the landing page. Care should be taken to incorporate only relevant information and related resources. They should be properly aligned with the business objective in the landing page.
21. How can negative keywords be leveraged?
The greatest advantage of using negative keywords is the fact that the ads are only shown to a filtered audience or viewer. Depending on the relevant search query of a user, ads are shown to them instead of everyone searching with the required keywords.
22. What is the process of estimating Return Of Ad Spend?
In order to estimate the return of ad spends, a simple ratio is measured. The ratio is to evaluate how much is spent in proportion to the sales. For instance, for every 1000 INR spent, if 5000 INR sales are made, then the ROAS is typically 1 is to 5.
23. Can you use trademark terms for AdWords?
Trademark terms can be used in ad text by the trademark owner and third-parties that are explicitly authorized by the trademark owner. However, trademark terms used by unauthorized parties are considered trademark violations and can be taken down by Google. There are, however, exceptions for generic use, etc.
24. What is the best method to optimize your CTA in AdWords?
Possible answer 1:
CTA or call to action is the most crucial part of the AdWords. It needs to be planned carefully. Avoiding ambiguity and keeping the CTA clear and crisp helps greatly in the performance of the AdWords.
Possible answer 2
A good CTA is the most crucial aspect of AdWords. All depends on how the CTA is constructed. A well-structured CTA should create no hesitation in the mind of the user. Thus, using persuasive language is always more welcome. It should sum up the next step and leave no room for doubt.
25. How do you measure PPC success? Which PPC tools would you be using to accomplish that?
The best way to ascertain the PPC success rate is to find out the CTR or Click Through Rate. It can be found out by dividing clicks by impression. Some useful tools for this purpose are WordStream Advisor, AdWords Performance Grader, Google Analytics, Twitter analytics and of course, Google Ads Editor.
Adwords/PPC HR interview questions and answers
Here are some HR interview questions:
26. Why did you choose a career in Adwords/PPC?
Possible answer 1:
I am a marketing aspirant, and in this digital age, AdWords proficiency can help me reach my goal of being an expert in the PPC domain. The demand for the profession is high, and I enjoy working with budgets and ad copies.
Possible answer 2:
I would find it motivating to help the business grow with my marketing strategy and tactics. Adwords provide a challenging, yet exciting opportunity to help advertisers make a meaningful impact.
27. If a project demands, would you be willing to work overtime?
Possible answer 1:
Although I believe in sticking to the deadlines, in case of need, I am open to finish what needs to be done. Work is always my top priority.
Possible answer 2:
Absolutely. I very well understand how time-sensitive the field of AdWords is. I have no problem with spending as much time is required to help launch a successful campaign.
28. Do you think spontaneity helps in your profession? Would you describe yourself as spontaneous?
Possible answer:
Absolutely. Without being spontaneous, it is not possible to respond fast to market needs. I am spontaneous and believe by being agile and proactive I can deliver the best results for my clients.
29. What are the common challenges in your profession?
Possible answer 1:
This profession demands high alertness. Being open-minded, up-to-date and well-informed are the essential elements of the profession. A moment of lapse in being attentive can be highly detrimental from not just the career standpoint, but can also incur losses for the business.
Possible answer 2:
Staying ahead of the competition is the biggest challenge. Keeping track of the competitors and estimating their every move can be not just difficult but also overwhelming at times. However, it is also an opportunity to outshine all the competition.
30. How do you work best – individually or in a team?
Possible answer 1:
I can work well in both scenarios – individually as well as in team settings. There is some part of my job that I prefer to do alone and for any other part, I always welcome assistance and suggestions.
Possible answer 2:
I am a team player. An individual is not enough to launch a good campaign. All hands or brain in the team are always important in order to deliver the best results.
31. What are your weaknesses and how do you overcome them?
Possible answer:
Being a shy person, verbal communication sometimes becomes a problem for me. I am trying to overcome it by taking public speaking classes.
32. Do you have any questions for us?
Here are some of the questions that you can ask the interviewer:
- Is there a team for PPC or will I be an individual contributor?
- What would you like me to know about the team culture?
- If selected, will I be occasionally allowed to work from home?
Tips for answering PPC/Adword interview questions
Let’s take a look at some of the important interview tips:
- Adwords Certification
Take the Adwords exam and make sure you maintain a passing score at the time of the interview. It will help you fulfill certification needs, if any. - Knowledge
Brush up any information you can lay your hands on regarding the AdWords. A pro tip is to go through blogs by popular industry experts. - Numbers matter
If you have previous experience in the field, then make sure that you can provide numbers as to how much profit you contributed to and what were the major learnings during the process. - Competitive advantage
Remember to learn of as many scenarios and examples as you find relevant. It would show that you have the required edge for the post. Also, go through the JD and point out how you match the requirements the best. - Confidence
As a prospective AdWords or PPC specialist, you must exude confidence. If you are hesitant, then trusting your ability might become a difficulty for the recruiter. Carry a calm and composed demeanour.
Popular Adword blogs and Youtube Videos
- Google Ads blog
- Neil Patel blog
- The Wordstream blog
- Google AdWords tutorial for beginners
- Google Adwords Fundamentals in Hindi
- Google Adwords tutorial step by step walkthrough
- Google Adwords Fundamentals by Intellectual Indies
- 5 Tips For Increasing Your Google Adwords Quality Score by Neil Patel
- 5 Ways to Make Google AdWords More Profitable (Improve Your CTR)
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