Wordwatch Software: PPC Adwords campaign managers heard of, tried, or actively using this?

[flowsimple]

I've been trialing WordWatch for about a month. I'll admit I've been skeptical from the start. I don't quite understand the results they're delivering or how it works.

So I did a search for "Wordwatch review" hoping someone out there could shed some light or help me decide whether this software was worth keeping. But all I can find are two suspicious and badly written posts, immediately raising red flags. (Penuguin should have eliminated crap sites using the Flesch-Kincaid reading level, but I digress.)

**Wordwatch premise: **They take over keyword bidding to maximize budgets and clicks. They monitor the Adwords campaign to find an "optimal" bid price. Two questions about this premise:

1. How is it different than using the Google settings for optimize for clicks or conversions?
2. Since Google Adwords is based on a Vickery auction, wouldn't lowering my bid only lower my position?
   1. Bearing everyone has the same QS, then lowering my bids to the range between 2 positions does not increase my actual cost.

I have Wordwatch enabled for a few of my campaigns. Their interface leaves a lot to be desired. They don't report the activity or the changes they make to the campaigns from the dashboard. I had to go into my Adwords Change History to track what they were doing. And lo and behold they're also adding long tail keywords to my ad groups.

Bottom line I didn't notice any huge impact, and I don't see how it's better than Google's own version of campaign settings. I don't know that they're really legit. But their marketing was so convincing, and they raised $1.4M that I need other opinions.

Any one with some pro/cons, or yay/nays?

[warcom]

We've been trialling WordMatch for around two weeks now and I am a bit suspicious as to whether or not any of what they do is actually automated, or if they are just outsourcing management to [insert low cost of living country here].

The only trend I can see by using, the 'Adword's Change History' is that every day they increase around 5 keywords, and then every third day, they decrease 3 words.

It all seems a little strange to me, as I would expect a lot more to be happening than this.

• Paul.

[PeterAlexLeigh]

Hi Pashmina,

I'm currently going through a similar thought process to yourself.

I was wondering if you came to a conclusion about Wordtracker?

Anything would be useful!

Thanks - Alex

[john4math]

I'd be interested in seeing your reviews as well.

[briankb]

Thanks for posting this reply. I agree completely, it's a mistake to expect the supplier to volunteer the best price.

Did you ever publish your reviews for the other PPC software you mentioned above?

[Mark_Jay_Apsey_Jr.]

Pashmina-

We have been testing close to ten different PPC software solutions over the last 3 months and I will probably be releasing my findings in another month that hopefully will be useful to people. There is no one size fits all approach, so depending on what you specifically what you need and what you want to do, will determine what software makes the most sense.  I am managing over $150k a month in PPC spend so what I need might be different then you....

Googles tools are solid tools that work. But there is a reason that all of these other companies are in business and selling software and collecting money from companies.....googles tools are free and if they were as good these other companies would be out of business.  Googles tools are a little cumbersome and arent really user friendly but they get the job done. But there is one HUGE fundamental difference that no one seems to want to talk about.  If you go to a car dealer and you want to negotiate the best deal on a car and you will spend up to $40,000, do you walk in and write them a check for $40k and tell them use your system to get me the best possible deal?  NO WAY.  But that is what you do with google. We cut them a check and load our ad accounts and then allow them to tell us how to optimize our bids. Fundamentally that is also enough to make you a little nervous and look for other tools......

Having said that we have tested the "wordwatch" system. (The fact that they raised $1.5 million is better than if they were broke but doesn't guarantee their success).  This is what we have found so far:

• They have made some PPC changes related to normal analysis that has saved us some time. On average I am saving 2-3 hours of analysis a week because of the data and recommendations.
• Typically systems will make recommendations and require you to go in and make changes. Their system will actually go in and make them directly. (Good and bad news)
• Their negative keyword recommendations and long tail keywords have been helpful.
• Their GUI isn't great.
• Their dashboard is ok but the fact that it doesn't have an audit/change report is a weakness.

This system is a light system. If you are managing fairly simple campaigns in a business that is fairly stable and you didn't want to do any PPC work then this is a solid value for the cost....and there really is no risk with a month to month contract/pay as you go.

Let me give you another recommendation that is more expensive but more robust. wordstream.  They also have a freemium trial. There are some things I dont like about the system but overall it is a powerful system and provides more tools and functionality than wordwatch and has worked well with our MCC system importing the data directly.....Worth comparing for you.......

Hope this helps.

Mark