Lean Search Marketing | How to use 5s to Organize the PPC Keyword Factory

January 27, 2008 |

As I stated earlier this year, one of my personal goals is to get lean in the way I work. This mostly includes using tools and techniques from the lean tool box such as JIT for deliverables, 5 Whys for problem solving, and 5s for Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaign organization. I should clarify that just because I am using these tools does not in any way suggest this is ‘real’ lean. However, beginning to use the tools in a repetitive, disciplined manner, creating a foundation of quality to build from, will eventually allow me to expand my reach into other principles that make up the lean management system.

The process of starting with quality first is written about in detail in Dr. Jeffrey Liker’s new book Toyota Culture: The Heart and Soul of the Toyota Way. When Toyota opens a new facility employees do not begin to practice lean in its entirety from day one. Instead, the focus (for 2 years or more) is strictly on repetitive processes that ensure quality, over meeting production demands, is the top priority. Only once employees master their on the job quality training are they introduced to cost cutting, inventory control and continuous process improvement processes.

The process of focusing on quality first, before continuous process improvement also applies largely to managing Paid Search. This is especially true when inheriting an existing (or several) ‘set and forget’ PPC accounts. This is where a lean tool such as 5s can help reverse engineer messy PPC accounts and set things in order (literally) before improving results for the client.

Organizing the Keyword Workspace with 5s

In short, 5s is a Japanese term that stands for Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain. Anyone who has inherited a ‘set and forget’ PPC account and knows better than to randomly organize keywords any which way but loose will understand that there is a process that has to happen in order to figure out what it is you are dealing with. This is how using a tool like 5s comes in handy – this is what I do:

1. Sort – When seeing an existing account for the first time sort through the campaigns and ad groups to understand the campaign structure, approach and map the current state. Things to look for here would be something like a clearly defined brand campaign or whether or not it makes sense to turn ad groups into campaigns in order to create more targeted ad groups.

2. Set in Order - Once you have an understanding of what it is you are dealing with begin to reorganize for quality score. For instance, make sure all brand keywords live in their own campaign and respective ad groups. If campaigns are set to both the Search & Content Networks – break these out into their own campaigns.

3. Shine – Once you have reorganized the campaigns for quality score clean up any remaining keywords, ad groups or campaigns that are ambiguous and probably won’t drive the quality traffic or conversions you are looking for. Alternatively, add keywords that are obviously missing.

4. Standardize – Once the campaigns are back on track develop a process for repetitive campaign and keyword organization and expansion. One way to do this effectively is through the use of Search Query reports.

5. Sustain – Now that you have a standardized process for campaign and keyword organization that targets quality score be diligent in ensuring quality is built into all PPC campaigns, new or old, before you begin to test and optimize further.

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