Autotargeting
Autotargeting is an ad serving technology that is not based on keywords. It analyzes data in the ad and on the landing page and determines whether the ad matches the search query, user interests, or website content. Using autotargeting, you can attract additional targeted traffic by serving ads to an audience not easily reached through keywords.
How it works
For serving in search, autotargeting in real-time selects the ads that best match the user's query in terms of title, text, and landing page. Many factors are considered when selecting ads, including possible synonyms, word forms, related subjects, and negative keywords of the campaign and ad group.
For example, an ad with a text about space travel that leads to in-space.ru may be served when someone searches for tours to Mars.
In the settings, you can choose a specific query category to enable autotargeting for or leave all categories enabled:
- Targeted queries: The ad perfectly meets the user queries. For example, for the advertiser
in-space.rurunning the “Space travel” ad, the targeted query would be buy a space tour. - Queries mentioning competitors: Searches for the advertised product offered by competitors. For example, buy a space tour Fast rocket.
- Broad queries: Queries showing interest in a product exemplified by the ad. For example, choose a tour.
- Alternative queries: The user is looking for a product that can be replaced by the advertised product. The ad might also meet the query in this case. For example, buy an underwater tour.
- Related queries: Queries for products that might interest the user in relation to the advertised product or service. For example, buy a spacesuit.
Autotargeting runs in parallel with keywords and has the same priority with them. Statistics for autotargeting impressions are calculated separately.
- Why do I enable autotargeting
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Autotargeting doesn't rely on specific wording, but shows your ads for queries that have very similar meaning to the subject of your ad. It lets you cover a large number of long-tail keywords that are difficult to predict when creating your keyword list, because many of these are unique search queries. If the average CPA for autotargeting is too high and ROI is too low, decrease your bid for autotargeting.
To select ads for ad networks, autotargeting first analyzes known data about user interests. If this information is insufficient (for example, the user has been surfing the web from a new computer or recently deleted cookies), the technology focuses on the subject of the site.
For example, an ad about tours to Mars might be served to a user interested in outer space. If nothing is known about a user, they will see the same ad on a page with a similar subject.
- Why do I enable autotargeting
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Keywords in ad networks let you target only those users that have clearly shown interest in the subject set by these keywords. Autotargeting does not rely on specific wording and lets you serve your ads to users that were interested in related topics or similar products. With autotargeting enabled, you can expand your impression audience with no need to manually select a large number of keywords. If the average CPA for autotargeting is too high and ROI is too low, decrease your bid for autotargeting.
How to enable autotargeting
Autotargeting is available for the following campaign types on search and in ad networks:
- “Site advertising”
- “Ads for mobile apps”.
- “Dynamic ads”
- “Text & Image Ads”.
When setting up site or app ads in the Campaign Wizard, autotargeting is enabled by default. You can manage autotargeting categories, but you can't disable impressions for targeted queries.
- Site advertising
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To select autotargeting categories:
- Under Define audience, select Manual settings for the Audience parameter.
- Select the Targeting categories for which you want to display ads.
- Save your changes.
- Ads for mobile apps
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To select autotargeting categories:
- Under Define audience, select Advanced audience settings.
- Select the Targeting categories for which you want to display ads.
- Save your changes.
- Select the campaigns that host the desired groups.
- Select the groups that you want to edit.
- Click .
- Enable the Autotargeting option in each ad group.
Editing campaigns in expert modeIn the expert mode, you can only edit campaigns created before September 1, 2022. You can't create new campaigns there.
We recommend adding autotargeting to all ad groups along with keywords. When you create a new ad group, autotargeting is enabled by default. To enable autotargeting for your existing groups:
- Dynamic ads
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Autotargeting for dynamic ads is configured at the group level. When you create a new ad group, autotargeting is enabled by default. To enable autotargeting for your existing groups:
- Select the campaigns that host the desired groups.
- Select the groups that you want to edit.
- Click .
- For each group under Query categories, select the groups for which you want to show ads in search results.
- Save your changes.
- Image ads
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We recommend adding autotargeting to all ad groups along with keywords. When you create a new ad group, autotargeting is enabled by default. To enable autotargeting for your existing groups:
- Select the campaigns that host the desired groups.
- Select the groups that you want to edit.
- Click .
- Enable the Autotargeting option in each ad group.
- To enable autotargeting in search results, select the query categories to apply it to.
If ads are added to the group, examples of queries that would trigger autotargeting are shown for categories.
Under Brand mention in Yandex Search queries, select the queries that will be selected for serving your ads, either mentioning your brand or not. For example, you can use autotargeting in separate campaigns for brand search queries.
To serve ads without filtering by brand, enable both options.
Examples of autotargeting queries in different categories will vary depending on the brand mention settings.
Save your changes.
You can select query categories and brand mention settings in multiple ad groups using bulk actions, Direct Commander, or Yandex Direct API.
Keep in mind that any narrowing of targetings, including disabling autotargeting categories, decreases your coverage and might lower the effectiveness of your campaign. Disable a category only if it's inefficient. For example, if it exceeds the average price per install or brings non-targeted clicks.
Learn more about query categories.
Managing bids in a manual strategy
If you use a manual strategy, then set a bid. If you use separate bid management, set individual bids for autotargeting on search and in ad networks.
To set a bid:
- In the campaign list, select the campaigns and switch to the Bids and keywords tab.
- In the
--autotargetingline, click the
icon next to the bid value. - Enter the bid and click Apply.
We recommend setting the autotargeting bid at about the same level as the keyword bid.
What to do after you enable autotargeting
After autotargeting is enabled, ad serving starts based on the campaign and ad group settings. To achieve the best results, the system conducts a detailed set of calculations that are used to optimize your settings regularly. This is why we recommend that you leave autotargeting turned on for a few weeks.- Report Wizard
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Add the Impression criteria cross-section and the Impressions, Conversion (%), Goal cost, and Conversions columns. This shows you the total impression statistics. Note the Impression criteria column: if an ad was served through autotargeting, the column contains an icon.
Build a report using the Targeting categories cross section and the same columns (Impressions, Conversion rate (%), Goal cost, Conversions). You'll see statistics of impressions for the keywords selected in all categories. Queries that don't fit into any category are shown in the “Undefined” category.
To get the data for each query category, add to the report the Targeting categories filter criteria, and select the categories you need.
Compare conversions and goal cost for keywords and autotargeting in different categories. If the goal cost for autotargeting is too high, reduce the bid for it.
- Search queries
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Add the Impression criteria cross-section and the Impressions, Conversion (%), Goal cost, and Conversions columns. You will see which search queries triggered your ads. Note the Impression criteria column: if an ad was served through autotargeting, the column contains an icon.
Build a report using the Targeting categories cross section and the same columns (Impressions, Conversion rate (%), Goal cost, Conversions). You'll see statistics of impressions for the keywords selected in all categories. Queries that don't fit into any category are shown in the “Undefined” category.
To get the data for each query category, add to the report the Targeting categories filter criteria, and select the categories you need.
For obviously irrelevant search queries selected by autotargeting, we recommend disabling the category resulting in such queries, or find out negative keywords.
