Adapt SEM FAQs
Have a question about our product and how it works to improve your PPC search campaigns? Just select the topic on the left to view the most commonly asked questions in that section.
Initiatives & Goals
What is an Initiative and why do I need one?
An Initiative is any grouping of SEM efforts that share a common goal. These may be specific campaigns, your entire account on one search engine (e.g. Google or Yahoo), or individual campaigns on each search engine.
When you create a CPA or CPC Initiative, Adapt SEM will produce bid, keyword, ad, budget, and other recommendations based on the goals you've specified.
What is a goal?
While SEM goals are unique to each company (i.e. increasing conversions, keeping down your CPA, generating leads, etc.), they primarily fall into two different categories: cost-per-acquisition (CPA) and cost-per-click (CPC). Just provide us with these dollar amounts and Adapt SEM can help you optimize your search campaign to reach your goals.
What is a CPA goal?
CPA means cost-per-acquisition. This is the maximum price you are willing to pay to acquire a new customer, lead, or sale. If you choose a CPA goal, just provide Adapt SEM with the dollar amount and we'll automatically produce recommendations to help you meet this goal.
How do I determine my CPA goal?
You may not know what your CPA is, but if you have a budget and know how many customer leads or sales you'd like to acquire, this simple formula will give you a starting point:
Marketing budget / Target number of (customers, leads, or sales) = Target cost-per-acquisition
Check out the section on CPA to learn more.
What is a CPC goal?
CPC means cost-per-click. CPC is an appropriate goal if you just want to drive traffic to a site or page. It's also appropriate if you don't have the ability to track acquisitions. In this case, your CPC goal reflects the maximum amount you're willing to pay per-click to attract visitors to your site.
See the section on CPC to learn more.
How do I determine my Initiative goal?
Since ad objects are unique to each company, determining a goal can be challenging. Here are some ways to determine your own goals.
Existing data from PPC campaigns will tell you, on average, what you've been paying per-click or per-acquisition. This data can provide realistic CPC or CPA goals for your company.
Companies often assign CPA targets for various marketing efforts. Your company may determine that trade show customers should be acquired at no more than $500 each, email campaign customers at no more than $25 each, and PPC customers at no more than $29 each. Check with your company to see if these metrics exist.
