#i had the chance to throw away the url when I moved blogs but i didnt bc like my alias Nia its too good 😞😞😞

[vaniliens]

On another note I Have been thinking of just fucking off to a different social media under a new alias for a while now but i hate every other social media,,,, i hate tumblr too but its the least egregious one. Everything else is video centric or twitter cestpool or . idk Pinterest????? Making a new account & blog here might be fun but idk,,, switching between the old vaniliens blog & this one back when i was setting it up & everything was so complicated; its not as easy as switching between instagram accounts 😞 So sad that im stuck here until someone makes a tumblr 2 thats not transphobic and is actually financially stable

[audaciousanonj]

Deltarune Weblinks - Egg

Clicking on the “furthentic cardboard box” led to discovery of a link: [frosted cereal box]

This link takes us to “holidaygirl1225′s blog”, a cheery pink website with a rainbow title, christmas ornaments, and music.

uh. the music is a liitttle disturbing. The text says it’s called “ Cat Petterz 2 OST (Corrupted) - No Cats “. A look into the inspect elements calls it “/assets/audio/midi-holiday_country.mp3″ with an underscore. Not to be confused with “/assets/audio/midi-holiday-country.mp3“ with two hyphens, which is what plays on the *other* holidaygirl1225 blog page that I’ve seen (the one you can get to by clicking the “game glitches and secrets webring” banner at the bottom of the sweepstakes page).

Anyway. It’s your classic “story about a glitch” blog post, which i will transcribe here.

As you may know, Cat Petterz 2 is one of this admin's favorite games. To those that don't know, it's a game where you take care of a cat and raise it. Sounds simple, right? XD

Actually, the game has a REALLY deep animation and breeding system... So players have been able to hex edit the game data to create brand-new pets.

If you download the right mods, you can raise birds, hamsters, cars, cartoon characters, and even more. Mewmewqueen's Sympton family pack is a great example of how far things can go.

However, you have to be careful, because, not all mods are very compatible. When pets fall in love, an egg appears and it hatches into a new pet that combines the animation and visual data of the two parents. Meaning, if you try to breed a hamster and a car, you'll either get a complete freak of nature XD Or, worse, you'll get this message.

"Incompatible pet"

Then the game will freeze and the music will glitch out.

I was so scared of seeing this message as a kid, I would punish my pets so that they would NEVER fall in love. If an egg did appear, I would throw in the trash right away.

Until one day...

You may notice that the url for the link is “egg.” So, obviously, i clicked on it, and-

completely black background, grey textbox, white text. I will copy the text below:

If you have no pets, it's known that there's a rare chance for an egg to appear giving you a random pet. This is the only way to get some of the secret cats in the game, which are still super rare on top of THAT.

So it's a lot of waiting for eggs, hatching them, and throwing away tons of cats trying to get the perfect character (This caused other problems but I'll explain that another time XP)

But, one day when I was trying to get the ultimate cat, something weird happened.

An egg showed up on my screen, but there was a message with it. "SPECIAL"

I was really excited. I've never gotten a special egg before. In fact I'd never even heard of it at all. I sat there for an hour waiting to see what it would turn out to be. Maybe I would be the first one to discover a brand-new cat?

But what was weird is, the egg never hatched. I started to worry that it was some kind of glitch, so I decided to try and get rid of it before it hurt my computer... and that's where things got REALLY strange.

No matter what I did, I couldn't move or throw away the egg.

I tried clicking it over and over, and in the end, all that happened is it made some sort of weird sound.

This freaked me out so much I deleted the game and reinstalled it. ... but the egg was still there. (Obviously XP)

Now that I'm older I think what happened is, I had so many mods installed that the egg didn't know what to hatch into? But at the time I thought my computer was haunted or something, or the egg was going to kill me XD

After a few hours of freaking out, I eventually faced my fears and loaded up the game again. The egg was there, but it didn't seem to be doing anything. So I started raising it like it was a normal pet, brushing it and playing with it and stuff.

By the end of the day, I actually started thinking it was a cool pet and maybe I could try to figure out how to upload it online as a mod.

I wasn't able to do that though.

The next day when I opened the game, the egg was gone, with a message that said it "left home due to happiness."

Usually the message is "(pet) left home due to sadness" and only happens because you neglected your pet. It's not supposed to happen because you were nice XD

One last thing!

The egg actually had a name but I don't remember what it was. It's been driving me crazy ever since. If anyone else has ever seen an egg in their game like this PLEASE email me. PLEASE. First one gets 100 cheasy points from me XP

What does this mean? heck if i know, I’ll leave the theorizing to others.

Here’s an interesting thing though. You know how I said the website was just a black background? welll...

You can’t see my mouse, but I was clicking and dragging and i saw the rainbow title asset. A quick inspect element showed the truth: the title and christmas ornament are still there, just hidden.

[rexelectus]

● – || @moralhymn​ sent:  1. What makes you the most emotional about your muse? / 7. If you could “borrow” one aspect of your muse and apply it to yourself or your own life, what would you borrow? / 17. Why do you think you connect to your muse?

munday questions || accepting 

Thank you for sending these in you precious peach! You are amazing and should have lots of great kisses and huggles! 

● – || What makes you emotional about your muse? What doesn’t make me emotional about Noctis Lucis Caelum? That should really be  the question. There are so many things that make me emotional about him. Since I got this question twice I’m going to talk about different things for each question. In this essay, I will discuss his relationship with Lunafreya. I refuse to write her out of Noctis’ story for the sake of having ships. I won’t do it. I’m going to spill some tea but I, personally, won’t follow a Noctis back {not from Iris or Cindy or any blog I run} if I see that Lunafreya is cast aside or rejected from someone’s portrayal for the sake of ships. While I understand how someone portrays their muse is their business, rejecting a major female character who is the basis of a muse’s personality and lifestyle for the sake of ships makes me annoyed. I’m really passionate about this, if you can’t tell. 

Lunafreya’s existence is a huge portion of Noctis’ story. It is not only a huge point in his story but also in his character development itself. From the minute he was born he was told that he is going to be married to her. They grew up as close friends. Even when they were separated, they stayed in contact. Long before Prompto she was his closest friend. Yes, they were/are to be married but they were friends first. I firmly believe that he loves her. A lot. Whether it is romantically or just as a close friend for me, personally, depends on the Lunafreya I am writing with. I instantly default to that he loves her as a close friend unless we’ve talked about it. As they grow up they write to each other practically daily. They share that connection, whether near or far. She is a huge part of his life. He does so many things throughout his life, throughout his journey, just with her in mind. He’s dedicated to her, not just because of his duty to the throne, but because they are friends/lovers.  He’s withdrawn as a person. He confides in her and she in him. While he was injured for a good portion of his life, Noctis only had Lunafreya. She got him to blossom and open up little by little. 

While Ignis and Gladio taught him how to follow his duty, Lunafreya taught him how to follow his heart. She taught him how to feel and listen to what his heart was wanting. Also, can we talk about how he looks at her? Noctis, whether as a child or as a young adult, looks at Lunafreya with so much love. He’s in awe of her. Of her strength. Of her passion. Of her beauty. Of her wisdom. Of her ability to lead. When he sees her speak in Altissia, you can tell that, in that moment, he recognizes that he wouldn’t have any one else by his side. That their destiny to be together is the right one. He realizes, while looking up at her through the crowd of thousands, just how lucky he is to call himself her King and how excited he is to marry her. 

Now, we get to get sad. He beats himself up when she dies. Yes, he’s partially still torn up about his father dying, but Noctis genuinely is devastated when she dies. “All I wanted was to save you.” He knew she was sick. All he wanted was to be there by her side and help her and instead he watched as Ardyn stabbed her and took her away from him. “I’m sorry .... I couldn’t be there for you.” Need I say more sad quotes? He loved her so much, whether as friends or lovers, that losing her after his father broke him. He didn’t get to say goodbye or to tell her how he felt about her. He didn’t get any of those things. He wasn’t able to save her or be there for her because someone took away that choice for him. Now, if we pretend video game canon doesn’t exist and the book does, Noctis does eventually get married to Lunafreya. They have children. They get the happily ever after that I firmly believe they both deserved. It’s really sweet and they have a very happy marriage.  While yes, they were an arranged marriage, he did love her. It’s not a loveless marriage. It’s one of faith, warmth, love, and strength. 

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. 

● – || If you could ‘borrow’ one aspect of your muse and apply it to yourself or your own life, what would you borrow? If I could ‘borrow’ one aspect of Noctis’ and apply it to myself. . . Honestly, his bravery and his adversity. No matter what comes his way he always faces it with everything he has. While he may be small in stature, he uses what his father, Ignis, and Gladio have raised him on in order to “walk tall” every day. He carries himself well and faces every challenge he is thrown with his entire being. He doesn’t give up easily and doesn’t let people walk all over him. As a whole, his ability to “walk talk” paired with his bravery and adversity is what I want to apply to my life. Just like Noctis does, I want to be able to keep moving forward and walking tall regardless of what life throws at me. 

● – || Why do you think you connect to your muse? I think I connect to Noctis for a laundry list of reasons. I think I connect to him because I love his story. I love the plot of his game and of his life. It’s really well developed and a beautiful story. Honestly? I love his personality. I love how he definitely walks in his father’s footsteps. He’s noble, courageous, brave, withdrawn, playful, wise, caring, passionate, strong. Frankly, I love that he is his father’s son. 

I connect most to Noctis with his desire to being understood. While I’m not as withdrawn as he is, I’m still pretty drawn into myself. For both Noctis and I it is hard to ask for help because we are always told to stand on our own two feet. All Noctis wants is for someone to listen to him. He wants someone who hears him out, who he can talk to about anything no matter what it is. Who makes him laugh -- genuinely laugh and smile for real -- who he can also go to about the serious things without the walls of it being because he’s the Prince. He wants someone who understands him genuinely as a person. 

While he can talk to the Luna, Ignis, and Gladio about those things, the person he can really fall on is Prompto. Yes, I know he can rely on Ignis and Gladio. Yes, I know he can really fall on Gladio {I refer to the ‘when you stop focusing I focus for you’ quote} because he’s his Shield. However, you can’t deny that his bond with Prompto is special just like Gladio’s with Iggy’s is special. No, I’m not talking about shipping. I’m just talking about friendship. All of the guys are close like brothers, don’t get me wrong. They’re all close and bonded until the end of time. Just in different ways. Prompto, though he’s not Ignis or Gladio’s number one choice for a friend for Noctis, is Noctis’ number one choice for himself. While Gladio and Ignis understand Noctis to a degree , Prompto understands Noctis through and through. He’s his best friend. Prompto makes Noctis laugh, is there for him when Noctis just needs a friend. Movie nights? Video games? Pizza by the lake? Prompto’s there. Gladio and Ignis understand Noctis from the point of him being their King. While all three of the guys are close to Noctis, Noctis knows that he can rely on Prompto who understands him as a person. 

Sappy Taea time. I have my own Prompto. Some of you know her, some of you don’t, but her name is Rissa aka @strictomiles​. While yes, she plays my main Shield/ GladNoct ship partner, she is also the Sora to my Riku {aka she’s @lightheartedwarrior and I’m @darkheartedprince}. In case you didn’t know, just like in the KH fandom, Rissa and I have matching URLS here too. Stricto Miles in Latin means ‘Drawn Knight’ and Avulsus Princeps in Latin means ‘Withdrawn Prince’. To quote my first promo on this blog, which was a dual promo for the two of us, “By the shadows you vowed to protect me, and by the light I vowed to lead you.” Just like Prompto with Noctis, all day any day if you ask who I’m talking to there’s a good chance the answer will be Rissa. Rissa and I met in a different fandom from Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy and instantly clicked. We can talk about anything and everything no matter what it is or when it is. Just like Prompto with Noctis we just get each other. We had no awkward friendship phase we instantly connected and I wouldn’t have it any other way.  And, just like Noctis with Prompto, Rissa is my best friend and I love her to the ends of the universe and back.

So, that’s why I connect to Noctis.

[drummingncise]

ryker do you EVER think before you speak

alright.... so. back in 2014ish when i was still sort of active on my timelord bbc moriarty blog i decided to make a blog for the master, because why not, right? i was already playing one evil mastermind, another couldn't hurt.

so back then, when my url was masterofyourrace, alan cumming was the fc i picked out for a post-simm master. i think i was just coming off of a month-long grounding where all i had to occupy myself with was watching the last of the timelords eps on on-demand and felt pretty okay with the master's characterization. (i'd previously watched the utopia arc, dw) (though this could be wrong and might actually have been why i decided to make jim a fobwatched timelord named the spider)

and then uhhhhh. idk what happened. i lost muse, i guess? and i decided to delete the blog to use the email for another chara, probs an oc. i'd also put jim on hiatus bc i kind of lost muse for him too.

and that was the end of alan cumming master.

and then came august of last year. (wow, realised that this blog is a year old already, holy shit) i was two weeks shy of starting my second year of college (which didnt go well, thanks to depression and unchecked add), vaguely active on my sirius black blog and thinking "hey, i miss playing the master" because of an incredible fanfic i read, which is linked on my verses page under "v: you are not alone".

so what do i do? i rewatch all of simms episodes to regain muse, remember that i used alan c as a regeneration, and shit devolves from there.

i decide to move alan's place around on the master's timeline, make him an alt jacobi/pre-simm master (bc there are not that many resources for jacobi) and start watching the good wife, because i love alan c.

then, i find out that alan c is scottish, and i fall in love all over again. so i flesh him out a bit more.

alan c master is scottish. he starred in cabaret three times, and won a tony for the 98 production, just like alan c actually did. this is where the similarities stop.

for one, alan c is human and was in the spy kids movies and probably does not pine for his childhood best friend.

alan c master, however. he is helplessly in love with the doctor, is quickly heading into a war he does not want to be a part of, and hates everything about his home planet.

so he runs, so much like the doctor did. he steals a tardis, plays the emcee three times in cabaret, rouges his nips, and pines.

and then, i find out: alan c is going to be in an episode of doctor who with jodie as 13. i add that episode (s11 e8, the witchfinders) to his timeline.

the last time the master had seen the doctor, he was attempting to throw him into the eye of harmony after killing the two humans that got involved. (aka the 1996 movie.)

after regaining a body (through being a weird slime snake thing and hijacking another timelord's body. the previous inhabitant of the body's mind was completely gone, idk why.), he visits his daughter on gallifrey, picks up this awful 4:4 beat in his head, becomes a diplomatic emissary between the time lords and the daleks, because he's the worst of the time lords and he'd make an impressive dalek, and sustains several bumps and scrapes and maybe a few laser gun wounds.

now, he's only a little bit war-weary, suffering from the drums where he hadn't before (thanks to timey wimey shit ill never be able to explain coherently. basically it boils down to "the classic masters didnt mention the drums so they must not have had them, and also since it was heavily implied that the gallifreyan council put them in his head (during the war, after giving him a new set of regens) to use as a signal, he shouldn't have them until he goes through the war, so he doesnt.") and sees the doctor, full of hope, and sadness, and blonde and a woman and he realises once again just how madly in love with them he is. (the blonde reminds him too much of a young boy he used to run through fields with, a boy whose mother's photo album he stole and now keeps on his tardis, locked tightly and far away from any prying eyes)

(tangent: 13 is the only doctor that is shorter than any of the masters.)

so maybe he flirts with ryan sinclair to piss the doctor off, even though she doesn't realise who he is, and plays the part of king james 1 very, very well.

(another tangent: is 13 blonde and a woman because of rose? more at 11.)

and he decides "fuck the war" and picks up a human companion, parker james (my oc over @pjsuper), to travel with.

he hasn't yet watched his daughter die, hasn't yet lost his capacity for love and forgiveness, and just wants to see his friend again.

so getting to see 13 again in 17th century lancashire really helps his mood.

however, the war catches up to him. he manipulates it in his favor, before eventually getting killed and gifted a new set of regenerations in exchange for helping gallifrey win the war.

he doesn't hold up his end of the bargain, too pissed off at finally having the chance to die and stay dead forcefully ripped from him, at having this 4:4 beat constantly pounding and threatening to crack his skull open, at having to watch the life fade from his daughter's eyes as she lays in his arms, unable to regenerate.

the war scars him. he's lost so much he can't even fathom it.

so he fobwatches himself into a human, runs to the end of the universe, hopes that this will be it, that he'll never have to face the horrors of war again. only to be found by the doctor and his companion, one miss martha jones, and he's given a new life. one born out of anger and hurt and betrayal and loss, and he blames everything on gallifrey, and the doctor, and nothing will change his mind about it.

until "get out of the way," which fills him with hope once more. he gets sucked back into the war, trapped and tortured until he can escape, and regenerates into missy. (that trapped and tortured hc comes straight from ty over on the dw rp discord server, because i adore it and ty's master.)

with missy comes the kiss they've waited thousands of years to give, and "two hearts. and both of them yours" and a fractured friendship starting to finally heal, until it's brutally cut short by a knife in the back and a regeneration back into a man, who's fc is alan van sprang.

alan van sprang master i haven't gotten the chance to flesh out as well yet, but i want to.

[thedeviltohisangel]

How The Night Changes//3//Out Of My Head

 Duncan and Olivia go public.

Smut warning

For the other parts go to my URL /writing, drop any future wishes for these two in my ask box or DMs!

Olivia watched from the sidelines of the briefing room as her mother deftly avoided almost every single question that was sent her way in the manner only she knew how. She had to stop herself from rolling her eyes knowing that at least a few cameras were glancing at her every once in awhile.

Once her mother had had enough of the press pool, she allowed her secretary to retake the podium and joined her daughter as they exited the room.

“I would like you to take on some new tasks, Olivia.”

“I have enough on my plate with my new dance company. I don’t know how much more my bandwidth can stretch.” Her mother stopped walking so the entourage around them stopped as well.

“A moment with my daughter please.” The crowd dispersed save for the one agent that simply moved a couple steps away. “You are not allowed to criticize me, Olivia. I need you to take on the traditional roles of the First Lady. I cannot be both and you are the only person I trust.” She allowed to eyes to roll now.

“You are not my ruler, mother.”

“I am your president and I am your mother.”

“In that order?” Olivia questioned with a smirk. “You want me to pick china and visit schools, fine. But just know the owed favors are stacking up.” Clare smiled at her daughter with a knowing a glint to her eyes. She had no one to blame but herself for the cutting tone her daughter’s voice could take. As much as Olivia would hate to ever admit it, she had been made in her mother’s image. She was as much a part of the Underwood rise to power as Francis had been. Even if Olivia wasn’t an Underwood.

The next day, Olivia found herself at Fort McNair to reveal a plaque dedicating a library to her father. She held her smile and handshake firmly for as long as it took for the cameras to stop flashing. The press had seemed thrilled to find that she was going to have a more public persona as First Daughter and Olivia’s newly appointed assistant informed her that morning that chatter about her fashion had caused one of her favorite boutique website to crash leading up to her first official appearance. It was a boost to her confidence as she had stood pacing before the dedication, mumbling her speech over and over again even though there had been no need to memorize it. Olivia was constantly thinking of worst case scenarios and coming up with her contingency plans. Her father had instilled in her that, in case of emergency, save yourself first.

“Heading home, miss?” Henry, her head of security, asked as he shut the car door behind him.

“No.” He didn’t need elaboration on where that meant she wanted to go. Ever since Duncan had gifted her a key a few weeks ago, Olivia had been spending more time at his apartment than her own. He had offered her a drawer, some space in his closet but when he saw just how much stuff she was transitioning over to his place he quickly purchased another dresser and had a contractor over to discuss a closet expansion. Annette had asked him, last time she was over, why he had a collection of Bath & Body Works candles in his linen closet and Duncan had barely stuttered out that he was getting into the Christmas mood early this year. It was getting more and more difficult for them to attend public events separately and after the last charity ball when Duncan threatened a man that if he ever touched Olivia like that again he’d lose his hand, they decided that their domestic bubble would have to burst. He promised he’d devise a perfect way to do it but Olivia had also given the strategy some thought. A lot of thought.

She called his name as she slipped her black leather boots off by the door but he didn’t answer so she assumed he was still at work. With a deep sigh, she made her way into his kitchen intent on finding the bottle of wine they had opened the night before but hadn’t had time to finish because of the way his hand was creeping up her thigh under the table.

A piece of paper on his island caught her attention and she opened it to find his blunt handwriting.

Olivia,

You’ve left before I could wish you luck for today and assure you that you’re going to kick ass today. With any crazy thing your mother decides to throw at you. I promise, my little sweet pea. Just don’t let the new media attention get to your head. I’ll always be here to remind you that you’re not Meghan Markle but you are more than a princess to me. You are my Queen and I your loyal follower.

Forever in love with you,

Your donut

PS May dropped off an entire green bean casserole for you in case things didn’t go well today and you need comfort before I am home.

Olivia wiped the tear that was gently tracing it’s way down her face at his kind words. She doesn’t know why she was lucky enough to have the boy who kissed her behind a tree in South Carolina when they were eight grow up into a man who made her wildest dreams come true. The boy who she had a crush on grew up to be the man she loved and loved her back.

She brought the bottle and a bowl of casserole sinfulness into the bathroom with her, undressing and applying a watermelon scented mask to her face before dipping into Duncan’s underused tub.

Duncan walked through the door to his apartment, the SUV parked across the street from his building alerting him to her presence even before the ankle boots discarded by the door did. He draped his suit jacket over the tall chairs sitting at his breakfast bar, letting his AP watch drop to the counter as he made his way to the only door with light slipping from underneath.

“Hi, Donut,” she murmured as her eyes stayed closed, showing no signs of removing herself from the tub of relaxation and self-care she had nestled herself in.

“Something happen today that didn’t make the news?” He had been following her day as closely as he could from his office, watching her speech as she gave it, reading up on articles after the fact. “You sounded wonderful and intelligent. Everyone from the Times to fashion blogs were praising you.” She turned just her head in order to look at him.

“I felt like a little puppet. Selena wouldn’t let me write my own speech. Jennifer burnt me trying to steam my shirt while I was wearing it and didn’t even bother to apologize. Colonel Maysel said it was a let down the President wasn’t there. I sounded perfect, Duncan, but I felt like a sheep in wolf’s clothing.” She looked away from him again. Olivia wasn’t sure if she would ever feel comfortable being vulnerable in front of him but she was trying. He loved her and it was daunting to feel less than perfect when he was constantly looking at her like she was.

“First, let me help you wipe that pink stuff of your face so I can kiss you properly.” Duncan was methodical in everything he did and the first step into making her feel better, in his mind, was to remind her that he loved her. He pulled a washcloth from the vanity and sat down next to the tub, dipping it into the warm water before gently smoothing it over her skin.

“I’m sorry for dumping on you. No one asked me how I was today. I haven’t had a chance to talk about it until you got home.” His heart fluttered at the notion that his apartment was home to her. That it was a place they inhabited together and was the foundation for the life he hoped they continued to build together.

Once he was satisfied with how much of her face mask he had gotten off, his lips pecked hers quickly at first before she leaned over the edge further in order to urge him closer to her. When Duncan felt the need to come up for air from kissing her, he held her forehead against his and kept their eyes locked.

“You are in the innermost circle of the most powerful person in the world. You have power, Olivia, and yes today maybe didn’t go the way you were hoping but the potential is there. Don’t let anyone sideline you. Use the platform your father and mother gave you and make everyone regret they ever doubted you. Show everyone around you that your mother isn’t the only Underwood with power.” Her gaze shifted to the wall behind him as the gears started cranking at an inhuman speed inside of her head.

“My turn,” she whispered. Duncan nodded.

“You’ve done so much to help them, Olivia. Prove you’re so much more than just their asset. You’re the fucking centerpiece.” Her eyes snapped back to his.

“Our turn.” It was the first time she ever saw a look of confusion sweep across his face. “Think about it. My mom, your mom. Your uncle. We’ve both been their assets for our whole lives. I’ve gone above and beyond to get my parents what they have and where has that gotten me? You...You are the most intelligent, driven man I’ve ever met and where is your output going? Into a shared pot that you get almost none of. We’ve hidden in their shadows, willingly, for so long-”

“We reclaim the light,” he breathed, finishing her thought for her.

“We’ve been so nervous of them finding out about us but we take our insecurity and make it our power. We get out there first, we start and steer the narrative. For our benefit.”

“I’ve never been more fucking turned on in my life.” Duncan was strained against his pants, standing up in order to remove them and his shirt before helping Olivia rise from the tub. There was no time to get to the bedroom with the way the blood was thumping in his head, telling him to fulfill his most basic instinct of loving her and claiming her.

She pulled him down on top of her so her back was on the shag rug, helping his briefs down with her feet and not at all surprised when he sprung free already slick and hard.

He moved to kiss her chest and to begin working his way down to the apex of her thighs when she pushed him just far enough for their roles to be reversed, her straddling him.

“I’ll let you worship me all day tomorrow. Now I just want to fuck you.” She sank down onto him as a string of expletives fell out of his mouth among his breathless moans and pants. He knew that eventual the girl that was obsessed with the color blush and tulle and making vanilla extract from scratch would return to him but for now he was going to enjoy his most sacred fantasy he used on nights without her. Her hips moved with him inside of her with an ethereal grace he had only ever known her to possess. His hand twisted into her hair, giving him access to her neck and something to ground himself as his climax started to build.

“Fuck, Olivia. Slow down,” he panted as he involuntarily bucked up to meet her with each pulse.

“Hold on, Duncan. Come with me.” Her hand moved from where it had been cupping his face to her clit and Duncan surprised himself by not finishing right then and there at the sight of her touching herself.

“Dreams do come true,” he whimpered into her neck as her own breaths came quicker and quicker before the two of them were cascading over the edge of ecstasy together. They stayed chest to chest, catching their breath, Duncan pressing feather light kisses over every inch of her face that he could reach.

“You dream about me touching myself?” she whispered into the silence they had surrounded themselves in. He chuckled.

“After than time in Wales, fuck yeah. I feel like a little boy who still has a massive crush on you and can’t help but remind myself you’re really with me sometimes. It was an inopportune time to say something so cringey-”

“You had a crush on me?” she giggled.

“I’ll start tickling you,” he threatened which only served to make her laugh more prolonged. Duncan loved that sound. The sound of her happiness. She had been told for so long that her happiness was secondary to the power and prominence of those around her and he was certain he would never let her feel that way again. “How about we order a bunch of those rolls from the bakery down the street and watch Pretty Woman until we fall asleep?” Olivia nodded excitedly, carbs and Julia Roberts sounding like the perfect night to her.

“And we can plot how we will take back our throne,” she replied dramatically.

“I thought you said my jaw was your sturdy throne?” She merely hummed as she kissed him once more. Tomorrow Olivia was stepping into the light and she was only hoping she didn’t get burned.

The next day when Olivia arrived at a local elementary school to participate in their pretend election in honor of election day, Duncan was with her. Hand in hand they strolled into the school and visited the classroom where kids had written letters to her mother to celebrate her being the first female president.

They hadn’t missed the gaps and whispers at how she had company this time nor did they miss the heightened flashes when he had whispered into her ear causing her to blush and smile. Duncan was acutely aware of the fact that his phone had not stopped vibrating since he had stepped out of the car to the lens of cameras.

Olivia sat at a tiny desk next to a little girl who was coloring a picture of an American flag. “Is that your boyfriend?” the little girl giggled as she pointed her crayon at Duncan who was watching silently from the side. Olivia looked directly into the camera as she spoke, imagining it was her mother.

“Yes, he is. And I love him very much.”

[devilsbound-a]

*ﾟ· ˚  ✧ wolfie zaharov ⁞ ❛ devil in me.  /  introduction.

what’s up sluts ! admin fox here with yet another blog & yet another character .... if we’ve never met before, damn ya lucky ! but anyways lmao i’m fox, i’m twenty years old ( twenty-one next month woop woop ) and my pronouns are she/they but really whatever u wanna use is fine. this muse is kinda old but i’ve never played him in a group setting so i’m really excited to throw my garbage son into the world ! if you’d like to plot with wolfie, just give this post a ♡ or message me !

pro tip: add /mobile to the end of my url so it is easier to read !

⋆ ◦ ° ☾ matthew daddario + cis male + he/him — have you met wolfgang ‘wolfie’ zaharov? they are a twenty-eight year old known around town as the dirtbag. they currently work for the savages as a pimp, though they are also a preacher. they are a bisexual scorpio, which means they are amicable + hard-working, as well as selfish + untrustworthy. all black clothing. shaky tattoos. rosaries laying over chest hickeys. 

*ﾟ· ˚  ✧ wolfie zaharov ⁞ ❛ devil in me.  /  history.

wolfie is ajax anderson’s oldest kid ( that people know of lmao ), and he was raised by the man. his mother abandoned him with his dad when wolf was just two months old, being a drug-addict stripper that certainly wasn’t looking for the responsibility of raising a child; wolf has no memory of his mother, and the only information he has of her is the name on his birth certificate. 

ever since he was a teenager, ajax always raised wolfie to be his heir, to follow his father’s footsteps and to, one day, run the town’s local brothel. wolfgang was never interested in it, actually. for as long as he could remember, wolfie was always disgusted by his dad’s actions. he hated the life of crime, hated that his father was running a brothel, hated the gang running the town. 

wolfie’s version of teenage rebellion was to join the local church. he swore celibacy and to uphold God’s words when he was just seventeen, being one of the youngest preachers in town. wolf spent a couple of years traveling the world to spread the word of god after that, and the time away from his family and his town only made him realize the mistake he had made. 

deep down, wolfgang has always been amoral with a penchant for trouble. as he stood in front of a packed church reciting the bible, all wolfie wanted to do was hang out with the cute guy from the bakery next door and smoke some weed. he drowned his personal demons for years, denying his own pleasures because that was what he was taught to do. about five years ago, however, he simply couldn’t do it anymore. 

wolfie came back to valdez about eight years ago, and at one point he simply broke. he came back to his father with his tail between his legs, begging for a job and some comfort. it was balthazar’s idea that he kept his day job as the town’s preacher: despite his wrongdoings wolf is still a very religious man, and balthazar caito saw advantage in having some good blackmail material on the local church in case he ever needed it. 

*ﾟ· ˚  ✧ wolfie zaharov ⁞ ❛ devil in me.  /  personality.

wolf is... an ass. he does only what he wants to, either it be having sex with strangers, beating someone in a bar fight or nearly overdosing on a friday night. he has no impulse control, and doesn’t care how his actions may affect the people around him. 

despite his infidelity when it comes to romantic relationships, wolfgang is loyal to the core when it comes to everything else, which is why he didn’t leave the savages when his father did. wolfie started our with the savages, he intends on dying with ( and for ) them.

he can be pretty arrogant too--- wolfie knows he’s a hot mess, but he’d rather focus on the ‘hot’ than the ‘mess’. 

will probably hit on you. and your sister. and your dad. and your mom. 

he’s still a good shoulder to cry on, if you need. during his years as a preacher wolfgang became a pretty good therapist, and he still gives off advice to anyone who may come to him. ( he’s the definition of ‘do as i tell you not as i do’. )

*ﾟ· ˚  ✧ wolfie zaharov ⁞ ❛ devil in me.  /  appearances.

he’s 6′5, with a mess of dark curly hair he hardly ever brushes. 

always with a scruff bc he’s too lazy to shave everyday, though he never lets it turn into an actual beard. 

he has a bunch of tattoos, none of them very well done. most of his tattoos are black and white and can easily be considered doodles. usually only gets a tattoo when he’s plastered. 

wolf has a silver nose ring on the left nostril, but he doesn’t wear it too often anymore. 

dresses in mostly black or dark clothing; he’ll put on a leather pant whenever he’s trying to get fucked but usually he’s in slacks and a black button down. 

*ﾟ· ˚  ✧ wolfie zaharov ⁞ ❛ devil in me.  /  plots.

a best friend — more like a confidant, the one person that gets to see wolf with his guard down; probably one of the few people in town that doesn’t underestimate him.

a childhood friend — wolfie left town at eighteen, and he also left this person behind. maybe they had a lot of plans of moving away together, of escaping life in a small town and becoming somebody together in the big city; instead, frank walked away in the first chance he got and abandoned this muse without second thought.

an ex — they dated for around two years, maybe even lived together for a while ? either way it ended horribly because wolf just couldn’t keep it in his pants.

a friend with benefits — wlf doesn’t do exclusive relationships very well, but he’s great in the sex department; this character would know that well, since he is constantly hitting them up for some fun with no strings attaches. 

an enemy — maybe they had beef before wolfie moved away, maybe they just met. either way, thy are constantly butting heads, maybe even brawling a couple of times.

a hate-sex type of fling --- they hate each other for some reason, can never be in the same room without screaming at each other. that is, until they’ve had a couple of drinks and end up sleeping together as often as they fight.

a protective friend --- wolf definitely doesn’t have his shit together. maybe this person doesn’t either, but that doesn’t stop them from caring for wolfie like the mother he has never had. 

workers --- wolfie currently runs his father’s old brothel. maybe some of the escorts work for him ? we could always add more to this plot, maybe wolfie is also a regular client, maybe the escort hates his guts, maybe they feel protected by him.

a neighbor — maybe they get along, maybe they hate each other with the passion of a thousand suns. who knows ?

a roommate --- wolfie is probably the worst roommate ever; he’s constantly bringing strangers home at late hours, he drinks and do too many drugs in the living room, probably doesn’t know how to clean up after himself. he makes really good food and pays his part of the rent on time, though. 

a party friend — wolfie loves to go wild, and this person isn’t stopping him. in fact, quite the opposite, with the two constantly egging each other on.

a cuddle buddy — wolfgang is definitely a touchy person, and so is this muse. they are always pda’ing in public, though it’s very platonic for the both of them.

a partner in crime — wolfie is constantly up to no good. some nights it’s just sitting in a parking lot drinking his weight on vodka, some nights it’s nearly getting killed in a knife fight at the local bar. whatever it is, this person is always there to back him up.

a childhood best friend — this two were attached by the hip all throughout their childhood and teenage years. in the past couple of years they grew apart, and are now trying to light up that flame again; which creates several awkward hang out sessions and late nights of doing the weird stuff they used to do as kids.

[buckybarnesstar]

Warmth

Note: i finally have a new laptop, guys! so maybe I can post a lot more! :) hope you all didn’t miss me too much, hehe ;) anyways, this was such a cute request! thanks so much for sending this in, darling! i hope you enjoy it; feel free to leave comment! .c 

Request:  Do you think you could do a request where the reader gets cold really easily and Bucky keeps her warm? In a fluffy kinda way. Thank you for taking the time to read this, whether you write it or not.

Damn Tony and his 60 degree temperature. You wanted to sleep in, get some much needed rest and wake up refreshed. Instead, it was 6am, you were tired as hell, and you were absolutely freezing. Sure, it was extremely easy for you to get cold, but you went to sleep perfectly warm in your mountain of blankets. But as soon as the AC kicked on, the cool air hit you full-force, goosebumps littering your skin as if you were standing in the middle of a blizzard…nude. You tossed and turned, trying to make a blanket burrito, stuffing your face under your pillow, attempting to get warm without having to take a scolding hot shower. Your body started to shiver and you could feel your toes getting cold in your fuzzy socks. You grumbled expletives as you turned onto your back again. “Friday, tell Tony that I hate him when he wakes up. Please and thank you.” You muttered, throwing your blankets off of you. Not even Friday was “allowed” to mess with the temperatures. Tony knew how easily it was for you to get cold, but he never listened when you asked for him to keep it higher in your room. You’d definitely have to warm up in the shower. You quickly got a pair of clothes and walked into the bathroom, readying your shower. Sadly, it didn’t help at all. If anything, the cold air hit you tenfold when you stepped out. You grabbed a sweatshirt and a pair of leggings, deciding to blow dry your hair so it wasn’t cold and wet. After getting dressed and ready for the day, you left to the kitchen to make some hot chocolate. Hopefully that warmed you up. If it didn’t, you were going to march into Tony’s room and demand him to personally turn the AC up. And if that didn’t work, you’d break it. It was silent throughout the tower, the others probably won’t be up anytime soon. Yesterday’s mission took a lot of energy from the team, which is why you wanted to do what they were: sleeping in. You sighed and flicked on the kitchen light, the sun hadn’t risen enough to give out enough light just yet. You jumped upon seeing Bucky sitting at the island, his own hand holding a cup of coffee. He looked up at you and smiled gently, setting his cup down. “Mornin’, Y/N.” You smiled and crossed your arms, forcing yourself to talk through your shivers. “Good morning, Bucky. Did you sleep well?” You walked over to the pantry and dug through a box of hot chocolate packets. It was nearly empty because of how many times you’ve had to drink this during the summer to stay warm. Bucky sighed softly. “Not really. I guess you didn’t either, seeing as you’re up so early?” He watched you reach up for a mug, huffing when you couldn’t reach it. He chuckled and walked over to help you. He stood behind you and held your waist, his right hand resting on the bit of skin showing from your sweatshirt riding up. You relaxed back on your feet when he reached for the mug and handed it to you. Bucky smiled softly as you thanked him. “Ar-are you cold?” He asked, casting his eyes away from you. He had felt the small goosebumps on your skin. You scoffed and walked over to the fridge. “I slept alright, then I woke up from the AC turning on. So, yeah. I’m very cold.” You frowned and Bucky nodded, watching you get your hot chocolate ready, pouring the milk into a saucepan over low heat. Bucky took a moment to study you. You looked tired, your lips were set in a pout because of your current state, and the sleeves of your sweatshirt were pulled over your knuckles. He loved the way you looked after waking up. He thought you were the most gorgeous thing. Bucky went back to his stool and you followed behind, blowing your hot chocolate. You sat on the stool beside him, setting your cup down. “Tony keeps it too cold, don’t you think?” You sighed, resting your forearms on the island. Bucky did the same, his bare arm brushing against your sweatshirt covered one. You mindlessly pressed your arm against his. It felt so warm, as if he might have a fever. Bucky shrugged and sipped on his coffee. “No, not really. I don’t get cold or hot. I guess it was part of the serum.” He explained shortly, looking down at you. His eyes fell to your arm resting against his and you couldn’t help but notice. “Y-you feel warm.” You slowly pulled your arm away, not really wanting to.  Bucky could see you shivering still. Your legs were gently bouncing and his mind came up with a crazy idea. He took a chance. “What if I warmed you up? I-I could, I mean, I could hold you?” Your eyes widened and he felt his heart race. “O-or not, I can-Sorry I shouldn’t have even-” You smiled and moved your arm back against his. “Please?” Bucky let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. You two finished your drinks before Bucky walked beside you into the tv room. The sun was rising faster now and it let a little warmth into the tower. Just not enough. Bucky grabbed a maroon colored blanket from a closet full of winter blankets and old decorative pillows. He sat on the couch and tapped his thigh, smiling at you. You felt yourself become shy, but nevertheless, sat in his lap. You instantly sighed and cuddled into him, the warmth radiating from his body was way too inviting. He chuckled and kept his right arm over you under the blanket, resting his hand on your thigh as you brought your legs into yourself. He decided to keep his metal arm over the blanket that was draped over the two of you. He knew it would be even colder than the temperature in the tower. Bucky sighed and relaxed into the couch, looking down at you. He couldn’t ignore how perfect you fit. Your shivering had calmed down and you cuddled further into him. You could feel his thumb caressing against your leg, the movement making your stomach flutter with butterflies. “Better?” He whispered, his warm breath hitting the top of your head. You moaned as a reply and nodded. He smiled and pressed his lips to your head. He let his eyes close and was drifting off to sleep until he felt you shifting against him, and suddenly felt your freezing cold fingertips brush against his neck. He jumped, only because he wasn’t expecting it. “Geez, Y/N, you really are cold.” He spoke softly, rubbing his hand up and down against your thigh. You nodded against his chest. “Fuck Tony.” You whispered, pulling a gentle laugh from Bucky. He took another chance and pulled your left arm down by your elbow, his right hand searching for your left one. Your heart sped up in your chest as Bucky held onto your hand, his thumb caressing along the top of it. His hand was much bigger than yours, but it was so, so warm. 

Bucky relaxed under you again and his breathing began to slow down. It was comforting and it made you sleepy. Letting a yawn escape, you let your eyes shut as you allowed yourself to fall asleep. 

Little did you know, Bucky was watching, smiling down at you. The breath coming from your nose tickled his neck and he felt his stomach flutter. He had always harbored a crush on you and it took a bit of courage to offer to warm you up, it surprised him at how easy it was for you to say yes to him. But he was glad he asked because now he won’t have to wonder ever again what it’s like to hold you in his arms.

Permanent Tag List: @debbielovesbucky @abloggernamedsecretly, @untrusted-statue, @our-teenwolf-fam, @littlemissacorn, @amazonprincess-diana, @dontfuckwithkezolas, @letsrunwithdreams, @thyotakukimkim, @widowbite-legit, @learisa, @heidijames28, @kindnesswins, @theassetseyeliner, @thatsportyavengerpower, @fantasticallyabnormal, @jenn0755, @this-blog-belongs-to-v, @lostinspace33, @morganosborn101, @mxye, @tieddown-withbattleshipchains, @miraisnotavailable, @ballerinafairyprincess, @unluckyybuckyy, @earinafae, @betherz5683, @wagatla, @frickin-bats, @sparklydestiel, @charlesgrey1875, @potterhead1265, @domcaaa996, @poshspicehaz, @tori1385, @thelifeofadino, @bubblyanarocks3, @jaybird6232, @curlyexpat, @chimera4plums, @gallifreyansass, @ria132love, @saharzek, @fridamoss, @tongueofareadywriter, @seamaiden, @killpop-writes, @jaydenval, @ccrossfire, @cassandras-musings, @armpratt, @katsfandump, @mcfuccfairy, @mystic-platypus77, @apinkdevil, @myclock, @nea90sweetie, @khindhearted, @yikesbuckster, @melconnor2007, @corolux, @kapolisradomthoughts, @keithseabrook27, @umwhatandrea, @womderland-fandom 

(if you want to be added or removed, or if you’ve changed your URL and want to be tagged still, message me! strike or no notification while your name is here, it means I couldn’t tag you! check your settings! .c)

[mavengers]

Covers (Part 3)

Bucky Barnes x reader, Steve Rogers x reader

Warnings: angst, this is a flashback chapter, takes place when the reader went missing from the Avengers, happy Bucky at the end. Yes, I’m aware the timeline is messed up, and I’ll clear some foggy details in part four.

Words: 2.6k

All credit goes to Marvel.

Part One  Part Two

Tags: @just-an-ambiverts-fandoms @chrisevansisdaddy04 @dellabellas @fab-notfat @marvel-af (url change? idk, tagged just in case), @loudandobnoxiousxxxx @sammieamiami-blog @shamvictoria11 @till-theendofthelinebuck 

You stood at the back of the dimly lit room, watching intently as he threw the doctor across the room, guns instantly raised at him. He didn’t react though as he sat up, his chest heaving with heavy breaths. He was broken. And you didn’t blame him. You wanted to approach him, but he was too unstable. He’d throw you across the room just like he did with the doctor, but his eyes met yours and your breath caught in your throat.

You knew this would happen eventually. You knew he would recognize you. He gave you a look that shattered your heart more than anything had ever done. When Pierce walked into the room, his eyes were still locked on yours. You felt tears running down your cheeks; this was all your fault. You could’ve gotten him out of this. You could’ve. His metal arm flinched, his hand turning to subtly point to the left; he was pointing to an emergency exit. But you were frozen in place, fear swallowing you whole as Pierce yelled order after order at him, before slapping him straight across the face. Only that was when Bucky tore his eyes off you. “Prep him.” He said. You shut your eyes tight, nausea taking over you as guilt settled in. Bucky knew who you were. He knew you were undercover. He knew you worked for SHIELD. He knew you could get him out of this, and you didn’t. Now he was going to have his brain put through a blender again, and he was telling you to get out and go back to SHIELD. He was telling you he’d be okay. But what about you?

“He’s been out of cryo too long…” Another doctor started to say, but Pierce cut him off. You watched Bucky’s eyes train on the ground in front of him.

“Then wipe him. Start over.” Pierce turned around, walking away as Bucky was pushed back into the seat, a mouth guard placed in between his teeth and restraints going across his arms and chest. With one last pained look at you, you mouthed ‘I’m sorry’ as you opened the exit, leaving HYDRA behind forever, but with one promise.

You would bring Bucky Barnes back to Steve Rogers. You owed Steve this. You owed Bucky this.

You shot up out of bed, your heart racing and tears streaming down your cheeks. Looking at your phone, you saw it was 4:34 am. You were due on the quinjet in a little over an hour. Normally, you wouldn’t have even spent more than fifteen minutes waking up before going out on a mission, but you figured you needed the extra time to calm down, so you got out of bed.

Phone in hand, you dialed a phone number as you paced around the kitchen. The phone rang three times before Nick picked up. “I need more attention placed on finding Barnes. Please, Nick. I need to find him.”

“Nightmares bothering you again?” He asked, his voice groggy on the other end as you undoubtedly pulled him out of his own sleep.

“It feels like just being around Steve sets it off. I just can’t take the guilt anymore. I owe this to both of them. Let me set up a team.” You begged, feeling your anxiety rise again.

“I’ve already had some of my best agents on it for months, we don’t have any leads.” He said, trying to rationalize.

“Put dad on it. Put Daisy and Fitz on it. Put Mack and Melinda on it. That faction of SHIELD is still secret. They’re the only ones I trust to find him. And when they have a solid lead, I’ll pick up Barnes.”

“You’re not going to sleep until I give you this, are you?”

“No,” You answered, your voice lowering when you head Steve’s door being opened. “I have to go,” You hung up the phone, pocketing it and moving back towards the stairs, where Steve was coming down them. “Morning, babe.” You chirped, pecking him quickly on the lips.

“Morning, Diana. Hey, are you still going to after Tony today?” He asked. You gave him a tight smile.

“Yeah, I’m going to head out now. I just heard that there’s a blizzard in Tennessee, and if Tony gets frostbite, I’ll never hear the end of me leaving him there to freeze.” Which wasn’t entirely untrue. Tony would give you hell if you let him freeze, but that wasn’t the reason you were leaving. You were leaving because you needed to do something to keep your mind off the guilt that was driving away sleep. Steve nodded, smiling.

You were on the quinjet within minutes and it was in the air in even less time. After you put the plane on autopilot after the coordinates were set in place, you pulled up all the information you had on Barnes and began studying it. You marked down other known Hydra bases and sent it all to your phone, deleting everything from the quinjet’s computers. No one could know you were planning on tracking down Barnes. Especially not Steve.

You landed the quinjet about a mile and a half from where Tony had last sent his coordinates, and you trekked there through the snow. You were only about 50 yards away when a blast of heat nearly knocked you backwards, and you gasped as the bar, Tony’s location, burst into flames. Taking off into a sprint, you ran towards it as Tony ran out, people in chase behind him. You called after him, but all he could do was point to the bar that was beginning to collapse, and yell a name at you that you didn’t recognize. You normally would have never gone in with little to no information on what was inside, but the way Tony was shouting at you, it was important. You huffed, gathering all of your energy before ducking your way inside the bar.

Everything was on fire, of course, and the smoke was making hard to see and making it hard to be. You called out the name that Tony had yelled at you, and you called it out multiple times until you heard a faint whimper. Getting on the ground, you saw a little boy huddled underneath one of the tables. “Harley... “ He didn’t answer, just curled up more into himself. You went to reach for him, but he continued to cower away. “Hey, buddy, Tony wants you to get out of here, okay? I’m his friend, I’m not going to hurt you. My name’s Diana, I work with Tony, I’m here to help. Come on, you gotta come with me.”

You smiled when he grabbed onto your hand, and you pulled him from underneath the table. You got up from your crouched position, but let out a scream when a large weight suddenly knocked you onto your stomach, pushing Harley about three feet in front of you. You looked to your left, cursing when you saw the large wooden beam that had fallen on top of you. Harley hurried over to you, quickly using all of his strength to lift the beam the one centimeter you needed to get out. You used your back to lift it a little more, before ducking back and rolling from out underneath it.  Taking deep breaths as you continued to lay on the ground, you almost didn’t hear the low whimper that left Harley’s mouth. Looking up, you tried to keep your cool as Aldrich Killian, someone who had been on SHIELD’s radar for years, pressed a gun to the back of Harley’s skull.

Standing up, you held your hands up as a show of peace. “I should’ve known this was all you.” You muttered.

“Actually this was all experiment 283’s doing,” you glared at him. “All their names get lost in the process of extremis- it’s easier to just call them what they really are.”

“Experiments?” You asked angrily. “That’s what these people are to you? Experiments? You’re a monster, Killian.”

“No. A monster,” one of his hands slid down to grab Harley’s throat, and you tried to ignore the panic bubbling inside of you. “Would be kidnapping Tony’s little friend here, and turning him into an experiment.”

“Over my dead body. What do you want?” You asked. He dropped Harley, and you quickly grabbed him, putting him to stand behind you.

“I want you to retire,” he said simply. “God, it would kill the Captain for his precious subordinate to just disappear. Good thing he doesn’t know that she’s been spying on Hydra for the past six months and knows where his best pal is.”

“So that’s your play? Blackmail?”

“Blackmail, and,” he tapped his watch, a holographic screen popping up and showing Pepper, strapped to a post, screaming and crying of pain as her skin glowed a dangerous red. “I’ll kill her. So what will it be?”

You sighed, biting your lip. You knew what you had to do, you just wished you had gotten a chance to say goodbye to Steve. You couldn’t risk him getting involved in this if you gave him any clue that you were alive. You reached up to the shoulder of your suit, ripping off the “A” patch, and placing it in Killian’s hand. “Harley, go find Tony,” you said, nudging him in the direction of the door as more pieces of debris began falling around you. He went, running towards the exit and giving you one last look before leaving, and you exhaled, knowing that you could at least do right by him. “I’ll go. I’ll retire. But if I find out you’re going after Tony or Pepper or any of my friends, I’ll see to it that your death will be nothing short of painful.” You turned around, leaving Killian in the bar that was turning to nothing but ashes before your very eyes, and you left.

The bitter cold air seeped through your suit as you pulled out your phone, dialing Nick’s number. He picked up on the second ring. “New plan. I’ll find Barnes myself, but I need a place to lay low in the meantime. I’ve been compromised.”

Two months later you were traveling the globe, and as promised, a safehouse would be set up for you upon arrival. Every hit on Barnes meant a new location, forcing you to go as far as Bucharest. That was where you were currently, living a few miles out of the city. Each morning you would take a cab to the outskirts, where Bucky was last seen on satellite, and you’d scope out the location, keeping your eyes and ears open for the familiar face of James Buchanan Barnes. This was week two, and today you were sat outside a coffee shop, wearing a hat and sunglasses. Your jacket’s collar was zipped up to cover your mouth and a newspaper sat delicately in your hands, although your eyes were everywhere but.

You stiffened up as a man, about 6 feet tall with long brown hair and a month’s worth of facial hair coated his cheeks, approached a street vendor. He picked up pieces of fruit, inspecting them as he made friendly talk with the vendor. Had you not known this man and all he had done- all he had been made to do-, you wouldn’t have suspected anything out of the ordinary about him. He fit in well here, he seemed comfortable, and here you were, about to muck it up for him.

You watched as he left the stand, and you watched him leave, turning a corner before you got up and followed him. As comfortable as he looked, you knew his days of looking over his shoulder were far from over, and you had to play this right. You slid your sunglasses off and pulled your collar down as you tried to make yourself seem as less inconspicuous as possible.

He stopped in front of a building, opening the door behind him and you silently slipped in behind him. But he heard you, of course, super-soldier hearing and all, but he gave you a friendly smile. “New here?” He asked.

“No, actually. Visiting my grandmother, she’s come down with the flu, so I figured I’d come over and take care of her. Sort of pay her back for all the times she took care of me when I was younger and sick.” You smiled back when the smile never left his lips.

“Well before you do that, do you maybe want to come in with me? I can make us some coffee. It’s not every day I see someone friendly looking in this part of town.” You smiled still, but you were surprised that he would invite you in so readily. How did he manage to be this trusting of others after everything?

“I’d love that.”

Bucky’s apartment was small. There was a mattress on the floor in the corner, only a sleeping bag and a pillow covering it. He had a juice jug holding his utensils and a metal kitchen table. You sat across from him, both of you sipping quietly at your coffee, and surprisingly, it wasn’t awkward. It was a comfortable silence, and you realized that he was probably relishing in the fact that for once, the person sitting across from him wasn’t trying to kill him. “Hey,” you said softly. He hummed in response as he looked at you, his piercing blue eyes staring back into yours with an unexpected warmth. “Do I look familiar to you at all?” You asked hesitantly. His eyes scanned your face, and you watched him, looking for any sense of recognition. He shook his head, looking at you curiously, and you could sense some walls beginning to go up. “Well before I get started, I need you to trust me,” you held your hands out over the table, showing him you meant no harm, and he put his mug down, looking at your hands. “I’m a SHIELD agent, I worked undercover at HYDRA for a while. My job was to keep an eye on you. Give you someone to trust until it was safe to bring you back home. I failed at making sure you were safe,” your voice cracked a little as a single tear slipped from your eyes as the memory of his pained cries filled your ears. “And you did trust me. You knew my loyalties weren’t with HYDRA and you knew who I really worked for. And on a really rough day, you told me to leave; you told me to get out of this mess and I did. But the guilt of leaving you behind haunted me for months on end. It only got worse when I’d go home at the end of the day and see Steve, my boyfriend- or maybe not anymore, I’m not sure if he’d still consider me that thinking that I’m dead right now- and I couldn’t tell him about you because it wasn’t safe for him to know. He doesn’t exactly think rationally when it comes to you, so I was ordered to keep everything a secret. I’ve spent the past two months searching for you.” You finished, looking up into his eyes to see an unreadable look in his eyes. It looked like a mixture of confusion and trying to remember you.

“You had red hair.” He said suddenly. You nodded.

“I had to look the least like myself as possible, or my cover would be blown and they’d kill me without a second thought.”

“Are you here to bring me back home?” He asked.

“Will you let me bring you back home?”

[atc74]

Blood Bond - Chapter 12

Word Count: 1306

Warnings: Mild language, angst

Characters: Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester, Moira Stewart, Ainsleigh Stewart, Rowena, Crowley, Cas, Mary Winchester

Pairing: Sam Winchester x Ainsleigh Stewart, Dean Winchester x Moira Stewart

Summary: A blood bond oath must be honored or there will be consequences for each generation until the bond is fulfilled. With each generation that passes, the bond requires more. How much will each family have to give before the bond is satisfied? Is it too late to break the curse after more than 300 years?

A/N: This was co-written with the amazingly talented and twisted, my Angel of Angst, @chelsea072498. We are beyond excited to bring you this story.  We hope you love it as much as we do! We will be alternating posting each chapter and will be posting Sundays and Wednesdays unless life gets in the way! An enormous thank you and a large bottle of wine is owed to the best beta EVER @just-another-busy-fangirl. Laura, thank you for your patience and keeping us on track!

Don’t want to miss out? You can add yourself to the tag list here.

Blood Bond Masterlist

The Bunker, Lebanon, Kansas ~ Spring 2017    

Sam packed his bag quickly and left that night without saying anything to Ainsleigh. Dean found Moira holding her sister on their bed as she cried.

“I'm sorry, Moira,” Ainsleigh repeated the words over and over. She noticed Dean in the doorway, watching them, an apologetic look marring his features. “Dean, I'm….”

“Sammy left for a few days.” Dean took a deep breath. “He's taking some time to process this. He'll be back and then the three of you are going to take a trip.”

     “A trip?” Moira looked at him.     

 “We'll talk about that later.”    

  Ainsleigh looked at her sister. “Can I sleep in your old room? I don't want to go back in mine….not with Sam gone.”    

  “Yeah, of course.” Moira helped her to feet. “I'll be right back,” She said as she looked into Dean’s eyes. “Don't go anywhere. Please.”     

 Dean nodded and sat on the bed, his legs and hands shaking. He was going to tell her the truth. He had to. He owed her that much. She was having his child and he was sending her away to protect them both.        

Moira walked in, slammed the door and looked at him. “I know you, Dean Winchester. I know that you're planning something.” She sat next to him. “You’re sending me away.”

     “Moira, I can’t protect you and the baby.” Dean looked into her blues eyes, tears forming in the beautiful emerald orbs she loved. “Sweetheart, I told Sam to take a few days and once he’s back, he’s going to take you and Leigh and go to one of the cabins.”

     “You’re going to come at some point, aren’t you?” Moira asked but she knew; Dean wouldn’t come if he could help it. In his mind, staying away from her was the only way to keep her and the baby out of harm’s way.

 “I can’t keep you and our baby safe!” Dean moved to his knees in front of her. “I’ll come when it’s time for you to have the baby. I’ll be there to meet our little princess.” He smiled sadly, as his hand rubbed her still flat stomach. “Moira, I really do care about you.”

     “Yeah,” She looked away. “Sure.”

     “Damn it, woman!” Dean kissed her. “What do I have to do to get you to agree to this?”

     “I will never agree to this!” Moira cried. “Dean, I’m safer with you. You can protect us!”

     Dean shook his head. “This is your chance to get out. Sam and Leigh too. Any of the cabins have enough room for the three of you, two babies, and maybe by the time Sam and Leigh have another child…”

     “Don’t send me away, Dean. Please,” Moira begged. “I won’t go!”

     “Yeah, you will.” Dean smiled. “You’ll go because you know it’s the best thing for our baby.” He kissed the top of her head. “Moira, please. I need you to go with Sam and Ainsleigh. I’ll come as often as I can to see you.”

     “Liar.” She snapped.

     “Moira,” Dean looked into her eyes. “I’ll come. I promised you the night of their wedding that I would give you everything I had. I just need to know that you are both safe. I will come. I promise.”

     “Yeah, we’ll see about that.” Moira took a deep breath. “I love you.”

     He kissed her fingertips. “I know.” He pulled her into his arms. “That’s why I have to protect you and our child.”

 ~*~

Whitefish, Montana ~ Late Summer 2017

     “I hate it here.” Moira looked out the window. “It’s raining again.”

     Ainsleigh walked in, her discomfort evident on her face. “Why did Sam have to go on that damn hunt?”

     “He’s a fucking Winchester and they’ll never leave the life.” Moira’s hands instinctively went to her ever growing stomach. “Leigh, things will change when the babies come. Again.”

     “Sam said he’s going back to the bunker permanently. He doesn’t like Dean working alone.” Ainsleigh waddled over to her sister and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. “I’m sorry, Moira. I’m sorry he hasn’t come like he promised.”

     “He tried.” Moira closed her eyes. “Dean tried. I saw it the last time he was here. He wanted to stay, that or he wanted to take me with him, he wanted to…” She stepped away from the window. “None of that matters. What does matter is that you and Sam are doing better.”

     “Yeah, but my husband is going to be living several states away. But Sam will come see me. I know that.” Ainsleigh smiled. “He loves me…”

     Moira smiled at her sister. “I know that.”

     “Dean loves you, Moira.”

     “No,” Moira shook her head. “I’m done having that conversation, Leigh. Dean and I talk everyday. I feel like he’s checking in with me. It’s like he feels he has to answer to me for the things he’s doing.”

     “He does,” Ainsleigh said. “He almost got himself killed in Dallas with that shapeshifter.”

     “Don’t bring that up again, please.” Moira grabbed her phone. “I’m taking a nap.”

     Moira sent the text to her brother-in-law.

    Get your ass back here. Your wife is about to give birth.

     “Do with that what you will, Sam Winchester.” Moira started to text Dean, but stopped. Her hand moved to her stomach. 

     “Fuck this.” She grabbed a bag from the closet and started throwing things into it. She packed another bag full of baby items. She’d left the bunker when he asked. She’d waited patiently for him to come visit her and he did, in the beginning. 

     Moira was not going to give birth without the father of her child.      She opened her bedroom door just as Ainsleigh closed hers. Moira would message her sister and Sam once she was on the road. She knew everyone would be furious but she needed to be with Dean.

 ~*~

     Dean looked at the rain falling down. “We’re only half an hour out.”

     “Ainsleigh isn’t answering her phone!” Sam was frantic. “Neither is Moira!”

     “It’s probably the weather. The cell towers have interference or something.” Dean was covering as best he could the fact that he was scared too. He couldn’t let his brother see his fear. He pulled his phone out and dialed Moira’s number for what seemed like the hundredth time.

     Just as he thought her voice mail was going to pick up, he heard a  weak, “Dean?”

     “Moira?” Dean knew something was wrong. “Sweetheart….”

     “I needed you, Dean. I was going to the Bunker but I...My water broke...I’m in labor and I’m alone and I’m scared.”

     “Shit!” Dean’s foot pushed down on the gas.

     “Dude!” Sam looked at him. 

     “Moira’s in labor! She’s….Where are you?”

     “I’m….Oh God!...It’s hurts! Dean, I’m…..”

     “Shh, Sweetheart, deep breath.” Dean pulled into the gravel driveway of the cabin. “I’m coming, Sweetheart. I’m coming. Try and remember where you are….”

     Sam was out of the car and rushing into the cabin, calling out for his wife as soon as Dean had slowed down. “Ainsleigh? Leigh?”

     “Sam!” Her voice was full of fear. 

     Sam raced up the stairs two at a time and saw her sitting against a wall. He scooped her into his arms and carried her to their bed.

     “Moira….gone…”

     “Dean’s going after her.” Sam kissed her forehead. “Baby, we have to concentrate on you right now. How far apart are the contractions?”

     “Not very….Less than a minute.” Ainsleigh took a deep breath. “I’m scared.”

     Sam was terrified too but he would never tell her that. “Babe, I made it back in time.  Don’t worry.” He kissed her softly. “I need to go grab a few things.”

     “Sam, call Dean.”

     “Leigh?”     “He’ll get to Moira in time. I want to be on the phone with my sister when I give birth.”

Chapter 13 - Coming Soon

Blood Bond Tag List:

@winchesterprincessbride

@like-a-bag-of-potatoes

@mamaredd123

@death2thevirgin

@tankcupcakes

@dustycelt

@ashstrom87

@spntrista

@feelmyroarrrr

@docharleythegeekqueen @paintrider13-blog

@just-a-touch-of-sass-and-fandoms

@just-another-busy-fangirl

@waywardjoy

@ellen-reincarnated1967

@iwantthedean

@d-s-winchester

@winchester-lover95

@bellatrix-skr

@itseverythingilike

@ohmychuckitssamanddean

@badsongwinchester

@maui137

@kitchenwitchsuperwhovian

@tas898

@evansrogerskitten

@hexparker

@grace-for-sale

@melbelle45  

@grrlplay  

@scxrchy

@goldenolaf25

@charliebradbury1104

@driadgoch

@janewaymarco

@meeshw777

@alicat-life

@jinksy-ride-with-your-ass

@crystalleeannluvsu

@redheadedbitchchester

@autopistaaningunaparte

@stileslover13-blog

@hellsmother

@growningupgeek

@mogaruke

@mamapeterson

@mrswhozeewhatsis

@mamabear82nd

  **If your URL is crossed off, we cannot tag you**

[samiam03x]

How to Set and Forget AdWords Campaigns with these 5 Ad Optimization Rules

Managing your ad campaigns can be incredibly tedious.

You probably don’t need me to tell you that though, because you’re looking at them every day.

You’re also making the same changes on a monthly, weekly, and even a daily basis.

And it’s not like you can just quit AdWords either.

Google has reported that businesses make an average of $2 in revenue for every $1 they spend on AdWords.

That makes it a vital part of your digital toolkit, and an even bigger part of your ROI.

The problem is that the work is never done. And it never will be either.

Luckily, you have options just below the surface of default settings in AdWords that can help lessen the amount of time you spend tinkering with your campaigns.

Adwords gives you the option to automate some of the more tedious elements of your campaign.

Because your only option shouldn’t be to hire the work out.

Many small businesses simply can’t afford to do that.

They also can’t afford to go take a marketing class to learn “secrets” they’ll never use.

The good news is that you can save time in the future by automating the processes you’re already doing manually.

I’m going to show you how to optimize your automated AdWords campaigns.

Automation is critical

Let’s start with the basics.

I already mentioned that the average AdWords spend doubles your revenue, but what else should you be looking for?

The trouble with traditional PPC campaigns is that the effective ones often require constant babysitting to see results.

And the repetitive process of adjusting, activating, or deactivating ads can take up too much of your time.

That’s why automation is so important.

It kicks in when the time is right, which means you don’t have to constantly monitor the ad to get the result you want.

So your biggest objective, quantitatively, is to create an ad with an amazing landing page that maximizes your click-through rate, or CTR.

Depending on your niche, a “good” CTR can be anywhere from 2 percent – 25 percent, or even higher.

More to the point, failing to optimize your ads means your competitors are edging you out.

In fact, Smart Insights found that being at the top of SERPs increases your CTR by 31.52%.

Which means if you can get a search results page that looks like this:

You’re not only cashing in on SEO; you’re doubling down with your ad campaign.

You stand a better chance of getting a higher CTR, which means more leads and more sales.

And this is where automated rules can save the day.

Automated rules are actions you can have AdWords perform automatically across your campaigns.

Running these rules requires you to set which conditions have to be met for the rule to trigger.

Keep in mind that automation is just a process that allows you to take the campaigns you’re already running and spend less time on them.

If you don’t have the right practices already in place, you’ll just be automating bad habits.

Lack of routine, not knowing what to look for, when to look for it, and why to look for it means you’re unable to fix problems when they arise.

You’re throwing your (or your client’s) money away.

And since you’re reading a blog article about PPC, it’s pretty obvious you want different results.

With these automations, you’ll have the ability to skip the routine tasks to focus on strategy and growth instead.

So let’s get started with the backend and move down to individual ads.

1. Optimize your campaign first

One of the fundamental concepts of PPC is setting the right overarching parameters for your ads.

Missing the mark on a technical detail can sink your campaign before it even starts, leaving you with the assumption that tasks are automated when nothing is happening.

For example, the effectiveness of segmentation and targeting of your ad are directly tied to basic elements like copy and coloring.

That doesn’t even touch on the landing page you use.

All this means your automation starts well before you ever log into your AdWords accounts.

You have to begin by knowing your targets and the results you want, and then constructing compelling copy, images, and link your ad to a useful landing page.

So let’s walk through what this looks.

Let’s say we want to run a display campaign via AdWords.

You’ll fire up your dashboard, go to your campaign, and be met with a page that looks like this:

As you can see, I’ve highlighted the options to select.

This will run a display campaign with the goal of acquiring leads.

You also want to make sure you select a standard display campaign so that you can choose your settings and targeting.

You’ll also need to input your website URL.

Then input your campaign name and targeting information.

For this example, I’ll call it Business Owners and target Seattle, WA.

Next, you’ll need to decide on bidding.

What you choose for this depends on your objective, but since we’re talking about automation, I’m going to opt for the “Automatically maximize clicks” option.

This will automatically set your ad to bid for the lowest possible cost-per-click (CPC).

If you choose to select a different bid strategy, here are your options:

As you can see, there are four automated options or a manual bid setting. Leave that be for now.

You’ve successfully set up automation for your campaign now. Next on the list is your ad groups.

2. Now get the ad groups right

At this point, you’re ready to set the targeting parameters for your ad.

Koozai recommends breaking down and targeting your ads to these general categories before you start to make changes in AdWords:

Location

Device

Income

Interest Categories

Gender

Age

Once you’ve determined where to target your ads, it’s time to set them up.

Start with audiences, which provides a breakdown of online actions and interests. You can see here I’m keeping with the business owner theme.

Next, move on to demographics.

For this particular ad group, let’s say I want to target male and female business owners who are between the ages of 20 and 35.

They’ll be in the top 30% of household income with no children.

Now select your keywords, topical targeting, and the last big piece: automated targeting.

Automated targeting a great tool for letting Google AdWords display your ad to customers similar to the ones you’ve targeted.

You can either opt out of automated targeting, which limits your audience to only the parameters you’ve selected.

Or, you can choose between conservative and aggressive automation strategies.

Conservative automation will keep your audience very narrow, but will still put your add in front of similar demographics.

This a great option for businesses that want more conversions and are okay with getting clicks that are a bit outside their optimal audience.

Aggressive automation widens your audience even more and places your ad in front of a wider but still similar group of people.

Use this setting when you want way more conversions and are okay picking through some potentially low-quality leads.

But if you’d rather keep the ad group tight, then select no automated targeting.

Whichever one you pick is determined by your goals and how prepared your sales team is to handle less-than-ideal leads.

3. Set individual ad performance parameters

Now that you’ve set up your campaign and ad group, it’s time to dive into some individual automation elements.

Keep exposure equal

Google’s default setting is to prefer your best performing ads.

While this might sound like a good thing, it can skew your A/B testing results and will favor one ad over others.

To combat this, you want to ensure that your ads are set to “rotate indefinitely” so that each has an equal chance to perform.

This makes sure that one ad doesn’t get shown more often than others, which could skew your conversion rates.

Normally, you’d be forced to go into your AdWords dashboard and manually stop an over-shown ad, and that will affect the results of your A/B testing.

You’ll find this option under your settings tab in the individual ad group. It will look like this:

Once you’ve selected and saved the settings to rotate indefinitely, you won’t be saddled with the repetitive task of deactivating overperformers to get the results you want.

Pick the right device

There are so many devices to choose from these days it can make your head spin. Contrary to what you might think, advertising universally across all devices isn’t always a good idea.

I worked with a client once who was advertising on mobile, desktop, and tablets at first.

After a month, we sat down and parsed through the data. Tablets only had three clicks.

Compared to the 244 clicks from desktop, it was clear that tablets were a waste of time.

But don’t just take that advice and run with it.

It’s also worth considering that 33% of all Google search clicks are generated through mobile.

So just because one company isn’t met with success on a mobile platform doesn’t mean you’ll have the same results.

The same is true for the opposite sentiment as well.

Which means if you’re opting out of advertising on mobile, you should probably reconsider.

One former Google employee who’s now working as an SEO specialist recommends deciding whether you want to be viewed in apps or not.

You may be spending money advertising to kids who use mobile apps but wouldn’t ever touch your product.

The only way you’ll know for certain is if you try, but if your age demographic isn’t on the lower end of the spectrum, then an in-app ad might not suit you.

Pause or play?

Another automation miracle at the ad group level revolves around timing.

Wordstream recommends doing some hardcore data analysis before you get to the business of setting up times though.

For example, they found that they weren’t getting many clicks on the weekend, but the CTR was higher, and the cost per click was lower:

They used this information to take action accordingly.

Namely, optimizing ad budget and the timing allotment so that these ads could perform even better.

Don’t just rely on the default settings.

They’ll have your ads running 24/7, and you’ll burn through your budget.

The more specific you are, the better your results will be.

You can see here that I’ve set an example ad for certain times on Monday and Tuesday only:

And consider the types of ads you’re running.

You don’t need a Thanksgiving-themed advertisement to be running in the middle of summer.

Or a late-night all-nighter themed ad in the middle of the afternoon.

That’s just a waste of money and will spread confusion around your brand.

Time your ads appropriately.

Make sure you’re set to track

Analytics is everything in PPC.

Every action you take is based on data. Whether it’s increasing a bid or narrowing your audience, you want to know the analytics that back up your decision making.

Which means you need to make sure you’re actually connected to your tracking system before you miss out on valuable insight.

Make sure AdWords is connected to your Analytics.

Failing to do so would result in being unable to gather any reliable and usable feedback on your ads.

Make sure all of your ads are approved

Finally, you want to make sure your ads are approved.

To keep front page content appropriate for everyone, Google reviews every ad to ensure it complies with the AdWords advertising policies.

It usually takes less than a business day.

The review starts automatically when you create your ad.

Once it passes, you’ll be able to see the status change from “Under Review” to “Eligible.”

Sometimes an ad will come back “Disapproved” which means it won’t be shown to anyone.

Google will typically flag these and notify you.

Usually, this isn’t too much of a problem, but you may run across the status “With Issues.”

That typically means you’ve put content in the ad that can run, but only under certain instances.

You’ll probably find that ad performing less effectively if you’re not catering to an adult-only audience.

4. Fine-tune all the time

Even though you’ve automated your ads, that doesn’t mean your work is done.

So let’s focus on optimizing all these moving parts you’ve automated.

Refinement is an ongoing process that usually falls into two key categories: Keywords and A/B testing.

I want to start with keywords.

While keywords are usually the first step that most people think of, having this as a final check will help you make sure you’ve truly found the right keywords.

Then you can further optimize AdWords.

Your goal here is to find and remove (or replace) your low-quality keywords and even dial in your negative keywords (words you don’t want your ad to appear under).

This ensures that only people who will truly benefit from your ad see it and click on it.

As you can see here, I’ve decided that I don’t want any search terms related to retail service, food service, or multi-level marketing to display my ad.

This is just an example, but you can see the implications for not having your ad display for something you wouldn’t want to be associated with.

You’ll also want to take time to prune keywords by quality score.

Quality score is, as it implies, more of a qualitative analysis than the typical quantitative analytics you see in PPC.

It attempts to analyze the behavior of your ads and the people who click on them.

You can find your keyword quality score under the Keywords section of your Google AdWords dashboard.

You’ll have to select the Modify Columns tab that looks like this:

Scroll down until you see the Quality Score tab.

Click on it, and then select for your Quality Score to appear.

You’ll now be able to go back to your Keywords dashboard and scroll over until you see your Quality Score for each ad.

A low-quality score could mean that your ad isn’t effective. And that means Google will show it less and you’ll get fewer conversions.

High scores get better conversions at a lower cost-per-click.

You should always aim to improve this metric, and I recommend finding out what a good quality score for your industry is.

Anything less is likely a waste of time and money.

Once you fine-tune your keywords, you also want to conduct some serious A/B testing to help refine your ad’s performance.

A/B testing helps you narrow down the elements of your ads that perform better than others, which lets you find more ways to optimize your conversions.

You can test the copy, the image, the headline, and even the keywords.

As you can see in the example below, there can be two versions of the same ad that look vastly different:

This video from QuickSprout gives a quick rundown on how you can effectively split test in Google AdWords.

For example, if you want to test a headline, you’ll need to start by creating multiple variations to test their performance.

CrazyEgg shared 11 different ways this was accomplished by different brands.

Here’s one from a company called Logo Design:

They used numbers, ASCII characters, had a great offer and used a powerful CTA all in one little ad.

And their keyword, “logo design,” is strategically inserted to help generate more clicks.

It’s even bolded within the headline.

The possibilities for optimization and testing are endless.

5. Put yourself on a regimented schedule

Klientboost recommends building regular routines to help with checking and optimizing automation.

Your goal here is to make sure that you’re spending your time and your client’s money wisely, which will always require close attention to detail.

Falling behind or mismanaging your automation can still get you into trouble.

So how does it work? Follow this schedule:

1. Daily

Is anything broken? Are your ads running, and are the analytics looking in good health?

How are your budget trends?

Are any of your ads overspending, or only spending at certain times of day? That could point to an error.

Are your bids correct?

Are you paying too much for one ad? This could be removing budget from other areas that need it.

2. Weekly

Check if your overall trends are on-target. Are you getting good click-through rates and ROI for your ads?

Review A/B testing. Make sure you’re not spending money blindly and are A/B testing like I mentioned.

Using a tool like my A/B test significance calculator will help you know if you have statistically-significant data. Just put in the data for each variant and my calculator will tell you if you have enough data to draw conclusions.

3. Monthly

Review the data you’ve collected to see if there are any necessary changes.

Make changes as needed.

In general, are you getting results?

If not, look for ways to improve your ads or get results with other mediums.

Make these checks a part of your routine.

It’s not nearly as time-consuming as manually setting ads is, so this shouldn’t be too difficult a transition for you.

Schedule it in your phone, planner, email, or whatever you use to stay on track.

Conclusion

If you’re spending all of your time setting budgets and fiddling with bidding in your AdWords campaigns, you’re doing it wrong.

You have the power to automate the most tedious parts of your tasks and focus on the elements that yield results instead.

And it doesn’t have to be difficult. You already have all the tools you need.

Optimize your ads methodically.

Start with the campaign itself by setting the right approach from the start. Maximize for clicks, conversions, or whatever suits your goals.

Then work through your ad groups.

Set the target audience with laser accuracy by choosing the proper demographics, optimizing for specific devices, and pinpointing the right location.

Round out your approach by setting the right rules for individual ads. Make sure each is getting the right amount of exposure for accurate A/B testing.

Set appropriate time limits and ensure your ads haven’t been disqualified.

Then take time at the end of setting up your automation to fine-tune your keywords and conduct A/B tests to optimize ad performance.

Neglecting this step is like buying a supercar and putting standard fuel in it.

Finally, implement good habits to help you check your results.

You may not succeed on the first attempt, but with patience and diligence you’ll start to see your PPC campaigns begin to flourish.

And at the very least, you’ll have more time on your hands.

What strategies do you use to optimize your automated AdWord campaigns?

About the Author: Neil Patel is the cofounder of Neil Patel Digital.

http://ift.tt/2F6ePKC from MarketingRSS http://ift.tt/2tadXmS via Youtube

[alissaselezneva]

How to Set and Forget AdWords Campaigns with these 5 Ad Optimization Rules

Managing your ad campaigns can be incredibly tedious.

You probably don’t need me to tell you that though, because you’re looking at them every day.

You’re also making the same changes on a monthly, weekly, and even a daily basis.

And it’s not like you can just quit AdWords either.

Google has reported that businesses make an average of $2 in revenue for every $1 they spend on AdWords.

That makes it a vital part of your digital toolkit, and an even bigger part of your ROI.

The problem is that the work is never done. And it never will be either.

Luckily, you have options just below the surface of default settings in AdWords that can help lessen the amount of time you spend tinkering with your campaigns.

Adwords gives you the option to automate some of the more tedious elements of your campaign.

Because your only option shouldn’t be to hire the work out.

Many small businesses simply can’t afford to do that.

They also can’t afford to go take a marketing class to learn “secrets” they’ll never use.

The good news is that you can save time in the future by automating the processes you’re already doing manually.

I’m going to show you how to optimize your automated AdWords campaigns.

Automation is critical

Let’s start with the basics.

I already mentioned that the average AdWords spend doubles your revenue, but what else should you be looking for?

The trouble with traditional PPC campaigns is that the effective ones often require constant babysitting to see results.

And the repetitive process of adjusting, activating, or deactivating ads can take up too much of your time.

That’s why automation is so important.

It kicks in when the time is right, which means you don’t have to constantly monitor the ad to get the result you want.

So your biggest objective, quantitatively, is to create an ad with an amazing landing page that maximizes your click-through rate, or CTR.

Depending on your niche, a “good” CTR can be anywhere from 2 percent – 25 percent, or even higher.

More to the point, failing to optimize your ads means your competitors are edging you out.

In fact, Smart Insights found that being at the top of SERPs increases your CTR by 31.52%.

Which means if you can get a search results page that looks like this:

You’re not only cashing in on SEO; you’re doubling down with your ad campaign.

You stand a better chance of getting a higher CTR, which means more leads and more sales.

And this is where automated rules can save the day.

Automated rules are actions you can have AdWords perform automatically across your campaigns.

Running these rules requires you to set which conditions have to be met for the rule to trigger.

Keep in mind that automation is just a process that allows you to take the campaigns you’re already running and spend less time on them.

If you don’t have the right practices already in place, you’ll just be automating bad habits.

Lack of routine, not knowing what to look for, when to look for it, and why to look for it means you’re unable to fix problems when they arise.

You’re throwing your (or your client’s) money away.

And since you’re reading a blog article about PPC, it’s pretty obvious you want different results.

With these automations, you’ll have the ability to skip the routine tasks to focus on strategy and growth instead.

So let’s get started with the backend and move down to individual ads.

1. Optimize your campaign first

One of the fundamental concepts of PPC is setting the right overarching parameters for your ads.

Missing the mark on a technical detail can sink your campaign before it even starts, leaving you with the assumption that tasks are automated when nothing is happening.

For example, the effectiveness of segmentation and targeting of your ad are directly tied to basic elements like copy and coloring.

That doesn’t even touch on the landing page you use.

All this means your automation starts well before you ever log into your AdWords accounts.

You have to begin by knowing your targets and the results you want, and then constructing compelling copy, images, and link your ad to a useful landing page.

So let’s walk through what this looks.

Let’s say we want to run a display campaign via AdWords.

You’ll fire up your dashboard, go to your campaign, and be met with a page that looks like this:

As you can see, I’ve highlighted the options to select.

This will run a display campaign with the goal of acquiring leads.

You also want to make sure you select a standard display campaign so that you can choose your settings and targeting.

You’ll also need to input your website URL.

Then input your campaign name and targeting information.

For this example, I’ll call it Business Owners and target Seattle, WA.

Next, you’ll need to decide on bidding.

What you choose for this depends on your objective, but since we’re talking about automation, I’m going to opt for the “Automatically maximize clicks” option.

This will automatically set your ad to bid for the lowest possible cost-per-click (CPC).

If you choose to select a different bid strategy, here are your options:

As you can see, there are four automated options or a manual bid setting. Leave that be for now.

You’ve successfully set up automation for your campaign now. Next on the list is your ad groups.

2. Now get the ad groups right

At this point, you’re ready to set the targeting parameters for your ad.

Koozai recommends breaking down and targeting your ads to these general categories before you start to make changes in AdWords:

Location

Device

Income

Interest Categories

Gender

Age

Once you’ve determined where to target your ads, it’s time to set them up.

Start with audiences, which provides a breakdown of online actions and interests. You can see here I’m keeping with the business owner theme.

Next, move on to demographics.

For this particular ad group, let’s say I want to target male and female business owners who are between the ages of 20 and 35.

They’ll be in the top 30% of household income with no children.

Now select your keywords, topical targeting, and the last big piece: automated targeting.

Automated targeting a great tool for letting Google AdWords display your ad to customers similar to the ones you’ve targeted.

You can either opt out of automated targeting, which limits your audience to only the parameters you’ve selected.

Or, you can choose between conservative and aggressive automation strategies.

Conservative automation will keep your audience very narrow, but will still put your add in front of similar demographics.

This a great option for businesses that want more conversions and are okay with getting clicks that are a bit outside their optimal audience.

Aggressive automation widens your audience even more and places your ad in front of a wider but still similar group of people.

Use this setting when you want way more conversions and are okay picking through some potentially low-quality leads.

But if you’d rather keep the ad group tight, then select no automated targeting.

Whichever one you pick is determined by your goals and how prepared your sales team is to handle less-than-ideal leads.

3. Set individual ad performance parameters

Now that you’ve set up your campaign and ad group, it’s time to dive into some individual automation elements.

Keep exposure equal

Google’s default setting is to prefer your best performing ads.

While this might sound like a good thing, it can skew your A/B testing results and will favor one ad over others.

To combat this, you want to ensure that your ads are set to “rotate indefinitely” so that each has an equal chance to perform.

This makes sure that one ad doesn’t get shown more often than others, which could skew your conversion rates.

Normally, you’d be forced to go into your AdWords dashboard and manually stop an over-shown ad, and that will affect the results of your A/B testing.

You’ll find this option under your settings tab in the individual ad group. It will look like this:

Once you’ve selected and saved the settings to rotate indefinitely, you won’t be saddled with the repetitive task of deactivating overperformers to get the results you want.

Pick the right device

There are so many devices to choose from these days it can make your head spin. Contrary to what you might think, advertising universally across all devices isn’t always a good idea.

I worked with a client once who was advertising on mobile, desktop, and tablets at first.

After a month, we sat down and parsed through the data. Tablets only had three clicks.

Compared to the 244 clicks from desktop, it was clear that tablets were a waste of time.

But don’t just take that advice and run with it.

It’s also worth considering that 33% of all Google search clicks are generated through mobile.

So just because one company isn’t met with success on a mobile platform doesn’t mean you’ll have the same results.

The same is true for the opposite sentiment as well.

Which means if you’re opting out of advertising on mobile, you should probably reconsider.

One former Google employee who’s now working as an SEO specialist recommends deciding whether you want to be viewed in apps or not.

You may be spending money advertising to kids who use mobile apps but wouldn’t ever touch your product.

The only way you’ll know for certain is if you try, but if your age demographic isn’t on the lower end of the spectrum, then an in-app ad might not suit you.

Pause or play?

Another automation miracle at the ad group level revolves around timing.

Wordstream recommends doing some hardcore data analysis before you get to the business of setting up times though.

For example, they found that they weren’t getting many clicks on the weekend, but the CTR was higher, and the cost per click was lower:

They used this information to take action accordingly.

Namely, optimizing ad budget and the timing allotment so that these ads could perform even better.

Don’t just rely on the default settings.

They’ll have your ads running 24/7, and you’ll burn through your budget.

The more specific you are, the better your results will be.

You can see here that I’ve set an example ad for certain times on Monday and Tuesday only:

And consider the types of ads you’re running.

You don’t need a Thanksgiving-themed advertisement to be running in the middle of summer.

Or a late-night all-nighter themed ad in the middle of the afternoon.

That’s just a waste of money and will spread confusion around your brand.

Time your ads appropriately.

Make sure you’re set to track

Analytics is everything in PPC.

Every action you take is based on data. Whether it’s increasing a bid or narrowing your audience, you want to know the analytics that back up your decision making.

Which means you need to make sure you’re actually connected to your tracking system before you miss out on valuable insight.

Make sure AdWords is connected to your Analytics.

Failing to do so would result in being unable to gather any reliable and usable feedback on your ads.

Make sure all of your ads are approved

Finally, you want to make sure your ads are approved.

To keep front page content appropriate for everyone, Google reviews every ad to ensure it complies with the AdWords advertising policies.

It usually takes less than a business day.

The review starts automatically when you create your ad.

Once it passes, you’ll be able to see the status change from “Under Review” to “Eligible.”

Sometimes an ad will come back “Disapproved” which means it won’t be shown to anyone.

Google will typically flag these and notify you.

Usually, this isn’t too much of a problem, but you may run across the status “With Issues.”

That typically means you’ve put content in the ad that can run, but only under certain instances.

You’ll probably find that ad performing less effectively if you’re not catering to an adult-only audience.

4. Fine-tune all the time

Even though you’ve automated your ads, that doesn’t mean your work is done.

So let’s focus on optimizing all these moving parts you’ve automated.

Refinement is an ongoing process that usually falls into two key categories: Keywords and A/B testing.

I want to start with keywords.

While keywords are usually the first step that most people think of, having this as a final check will help you make sure you’ve truly found the right keywords.

Then you can further optimize AdWords.

Your goal here is to find and remove (or replace) your low-quality keywords and even dial in your negative keywords (words you don’t want your ad to appear under).

This ensures that only people who will truly benefit from your ad see it and click on it.

As you can see here, I’ve decided that I don’t want any search terms related to retail service, food service, or multi-level marketing to display my ad.

This is just an example, but you can see the implications for not having your ad display for something you wouldn’t want to be associated with.

You’ll also want to take time to prune keywords by quality score.

Quality score is, as it implies, more of a qualitative analysis than the typical quantitative analytics you see in PPC.

It attempts to analyze the behavior of your ads and the people who click on them.

You can find your keyword quality score under the Keywords section of your Google AdWords dashboard.

You’ll have to select the Modify Columns tab that looks like this:

Scroll down until you see the Quality Score tab.

Click on it, and then select for your Quality Score to appear.

You’ll now be able to go back to your Keywords dashboard and scroll over until you see your Quality Score for each ad.

A low-quality score could mean that your ad isn’t effective. And that means Google will show it less and you’ll get fewer conversions.

High scores get better conversions at a lower cost-per-click.

You should always aim to improve this metric, and I recommend finding out what a good quality score for your industry is.

Anything less is likely a waste of time and money.

Once you fine-tune your keywords, you also want to conduct some serious A/B testing to help refine your ad’s performance.

A/B testing helps you narrow down the elements of your ads that perform better than others, which lets you find more ways to optimize your conversions.

You can test the copy, the image, the headline, and even the keywords.

As you can see in the example below, there can be two versions of the same ad that look vastly different:

This video from QuickSprout gives a quick rundown on how you can effectively split test in Google AdWords.

For example, if you want to test a headline, you’ll need to start by creating multiple variations to test their performance.

CrazyEgg shared 11 different ways this was accomplished by different brands.

Here’s one from a company called Logo Design:

They used numbers, ASCII characters, had a great offer and used a powerful CTA all in one little ad.

And their keyword, “logo design,” is strategically inserted to help generate more clicks.

It’s even bolded within the headline.

The possibilities for optimization and testing are endless.

5. Put yourself on a regimented schedule

Klientboost recommends building regular routines to help with checking and optimizing automation.

Your goal here is to make sure that you’re spending your time and your client’s money wisely, which will always require close attention to detail.

Falling behind or mismanaging your automation can still get you into trouble.

So how does it work? Follow this schedule:

1. Daily

Is anything broken? Are your ads running, and are the analytics looking in good health?

How are your budget trends?

Are any of your ads overspending, or only spending at certain times of day? That could point to an error.

Are your bids correct?

Are you paying too much for one ad? This could be removing budget from other areas that need it.

2. Weekly

Check if your overall trends are on-target. Are you getting good click-through rates and ROI for your ads?

Review A/B testing. Make sure you’re not spending money blindly and are A/B testing like I mentioned.

Using a tool like my A/B test significance calculator will help you know if you have statistically-significant data.

3. Monthly

Review the data you’ve collected to see if there are any necessary changes.

Make changes as needed.

In general, are you getting results?

If not, look for ways to improve your ads or get results with other mediums.

Make these checks a part of your routine.

It’s not nearly as time-consuming as manually setting ads is, so this shouldn’t be too difficult a transition for you.

Schedule it in your phone, planner, email, or whatever you use to stay on track.

Conclusion

If you’re spending all of your time setting budgets and fiddling with bidding in your AdWords campaigns, you’re doing it wrong.

You have the power to automate the most tedious parts of your tasks and focus on the elements that yield results instead.

And it doesn’t have to be difficult. You already have all the tools you need.

Optimize your ads methodically.

Start with the campaign itself by setting the right approach from the start. Maximize for clicks, conversions, or whatever suits your goals.

Then work through your ad groups.

Set the target audience with laser accuracy by choosing the proper demographics, optimizing for specific devices, and pinpointing the right location.

Round out your approach by setting the right rules for individual ads. Make sure each is getting the right amount of exposure for accurate A/B testing.

Set appropriate time limits and ensure your ads haven’t been disqualified.

Then take time at the end of setting up your automation to fine-tune your keywords and conduct A/B tests to optimize ad performance.

Neglecting this step is like buying a supercar and putting standard fuel in it.

Finally, implement good habits to help you check your results.

You may not succeed on the first attempt, but with patience and diligence you’ll start to see your PPC campaigns begin to flourish.

And at the very least, you’ll have more time on your hands.

What strategies do you use to optimize your automated AdWord campaigns?

About the Author: Neil Patel is the cofounder of Neil Patel Digital.

from WordPress https://reviewandbonuss.wordpress.com/2018/03/01/how-to-set-and-forget-adwords-campaigns-with-these-5-ad-optimization-rules/

[filipeteimuraz]

How to Set and Forget AdWords Campaigns with these 5 Ad Optimization Rules

Managing your ad campaigns can be incredibly tedious.

You probably don’t need me to tell you that though, because you’re looking at them every day.

You’re also making the same changes on a monthly, weekly, and even a daily basis.

And it’s not like you can just quit AdWords either.

Google has reported that businesses make an average of $2 in revenue for every $1 they spend on AdWords.

That makes it a vital part of your digital toolkit, and an even bigger part of your ROI.

The problem is that the work is never done. And it never will be either.

Luckily, you have options just below the surface of default settings in AdWords that can help lessen the amount of time you spend tinkering with your campaigns.

Adwords gives you the option to automate some of the more tedious elements of your campaign.

Because your only option shouldn’t be to hire the work out.

Many small businesses simply can’t afford to do that.

They also can’t afford to go take a marketing class to learn “secrets” they’ll never use.

The good news is that you can save time in the future by automating the processes you’re already doing manually.

I’m going to show you how to optimize your automated AdWords campaigns.

Automation is critical

Let’s start with the basics.

I already mentioned that the average AdWords spend doubles your revenue, but what else should you be looking for?

The trouble with traditional PPC campaigns is that the effective ones often require constant babysitting to see results.

And the repetitive process of adjusting, activating, or deactivating ads can take up too much of your time.

That’s why automation is so important.

It kicks in when the time is right, which means you don’t have to constantly monitor the ad to get the result you want.

So your biggest objective, quantitatively, is to create an ad with an amazing landing page that maximizes your click-through rate, or CTR.

Depending on your niche, a “good” CTR can be anywhere from 2 percent – 25 percent, or even higher.

More to the point, failing to optimize your ads means your competitors are edging you out.

In fact, Smart Insights found that being at the top of SERPs increases your CTR by 31.52%.

Which means if you can get a search results page that looks like this:

You’re not only cashing in on SEO; you’re doubling down with your ad campaign.

You stand a better chance of getting a higher CTR, which means more leads and more sales.

And this is where automated rules can save the day.

Automated rules are actions you can have AdWords perform automatically across your campaigns.

Running these rules requires you to set which conditions have to be met for the rule to trigger.

Keep in mind that automation is just a process that allows you to take the campaigns you’re already running and spend less time on them.

If you don’t have the right practices already in place, you’ll just be automating bad habits.

Lack of routine, not knowing what to look for, when to look for it, and why to look for it means you’re unable to fix problems when they arise.

You’re throwing your (or your client’s) money away.

And since you’re reading a blog article about PPC, it’s pretty obvious you want different results.

With these automations, you’ll have the ability to skip the routine tasks to focus on strategy and growth instead.

So let’s get started with the backend and move down to individual ads.

1. Optimize your campaign first

One of the fundamental concepts of PPC is setting the right overarching parameters for your ads.

Missing the mark on a technical detail can sink your campaign before it even starts, leaving you with the assumption that tasks are automated when nothing is happening.

For example, the effectiveness of segmentation and targeting of your ad are directly tied to basic elements like copy and coloring.

That doesn’t even touch on the landing page you use.

All this means your automation starts well before you ever log into your AdWords accounts.

You have to begin by knowing your targets and the results you want, and then constructing compelling copy, images, and link your ad to a useful landing page.

So let’s walk through what this looks.

Let’s say we want to run a display campaign via AdWords.

You’ll fire up your dashboard, go to your campaign, and be met with a page that looks like this:

As you can see, I’ve highlighted the options to select.

This will run a display campaign with the goal of acquiring leads.

You also want to make sure you select a standard display campaign so that you can choose your settings and targeting.

You’ll also need to input your website URL.

Then input your campaign name and targeting information.

For this example, I’ll call it Business Owners and target Seattle, WA.

Next, you’ll need to decide on bidding.

What you choose for this depends on your objective, but since we’re talking about automation, I’m going to opt for the “Automatically maximize clicks” option.

This will automatically set your ad to bid for the lowest possible cost-per-click (CPC).

If you choose to select a different bid strategy, here are your options:

As you can see, there are four automated options or a manual bid setting. Leave that be for now.

You’ve successfully set up automation for your campaign now. Next on the list is your ad groups.

2. Now get the ad groups right

At this point, you’re ready to set the targeting parameters for your ad.

Koozai recommends breaking down and targeting your ads to these general categories before you start to make changes in AdWords:

Location

Device

Income

Interest Categories

Gender

Age

Once you’ve determined where to target your ads, it’s time to set them up.

Start with audiences, which provides a breakdown of online actions and interests. You can see here I’m keeping with the business owner theme.

Next, move on to demographics.

For this particular ad group, let’s say I want to target male and female business owners who are between the ages of 20 and 35.

They’ll be in the top 30% of household income with no children.

Now select your keywords, topical targeting, and the last big piece: automated targeting.

Automated targeting a great tool for letting Google AdWords display your ad to customers similar to the ones you’ve targeted.

You can either opt out of automated targeting, which limits your audience to only the parameters you’ve selected.

Or, you can choose between conservative and aggressive automation strategies.

Conservative automation will keep your audience very narrow, but will still put your add in front of similar demographics.

This a great option for businesses that want more conversions and are okay with getting clicks that are a bit outside their optimal audience.

Aggressive automation widens your audience even more and places your ad in front of a wider but still similar group of people.

Use this setting when you want way more conversions and are okay picking through some potentially low-quality leads.

But if you’d rather keep the ad group tight, then select no automated targeting.

Whichever one you pick is determined by your goals and how prepared your sales team is to handle less-than-ideal leads.

3. Set individual ad performance parameters

Now that you’ve set up your campaign and ad group, it’s time to dive into some individual automation elements.

Keep exposure equal

Google’s default setting is to prefer your best performing ads.

While this might sound like a good thing, it can skew your A/B testing results and will favor one ad over others.

To combat this, you want to ensure that your ads are set to “rotate indefinitely” so that each has an equal chance to perform.

This makes sure that one ad doesn’t get shown more often than others, which could skew your conversion rates.

Normally, you’d be forced to go into your AdWords dashboard and manually stop an over-shown ad, and that will affect the results of your A/B testing.

You’ll find this option under your settings tab in the individual ad group. It will look like this:

Once you’ve selected and saved the settings to rotate indefinitely, you won’t be saddled with the repetitive task of deactivating overperformers to get the results you want.

Pick the right device

There are so many devices to choose from these days it can make your head spin. Contrary to what you might think, advertising universally across all devices isn’t always a good idea.

I worked with a client once who was advertising on mobile, desktop, and tablets at first.

After a month, we sat down and parsed through the data. Tablets only had three clicks.

Compared to the 244 clicks from desktop, it was clear that tablets were a waste of time.

But don’t just take that advice and run with it.

It’s also worth considering that 33% of all Google search clicks are generated through mobile.

So just because one company isn’t met with success on a mobile platform doesn’t mean you’ll have the same results.

The same is true for the opposite sentiment as well.

Which means if you’re opting out of advertising on mobile, you should probably reconsider.

One former Google employee who’s now working as an SEO specialist recommends deciding whether you want to be viewed in apps or not.

You may be spending money advertising to kids who use mobile apps but wouldn’t ever touch your product.

The only way you’ll know for certain is if you try, but if your age demographic isn’t on the lower end of the spectrum, then an in-app ad might not suit you.

Pause or play?

Another automation miracle at the ad group level revolves around timing.

Wordstream recommends doing some hardcore data analysis before you get to the business of setting up times though.

For example, they found that they weren’t getting many clicks on the weekend, but the CTR was higher, and the cost per click was lower:

They used this information to take action accordingly.

Namely, optimizing ad budget and the timing allotment so that these ads could perform even better.

Don’t just rely on the default settings.

They’ll have your ads running 24/7, and you’ll burn through your budget.

The more specific you are, the better your results will be.

You can see here that I’ve set an example ad for certain times on Monday and Tuesday only:

And consider the types of ads you’re running.

You don’t need a Thanksgiving-themed advertisement to be running in the middle of summer.

Or a late-night all-nighter themed ad in the middle of the afternoon.

That’s just a waste of money and will spread confusion around your brand.

Time your ads appropriately.

Make sure you’re set to track

Analytics is everything in PPC.

Every action you take is based on data. Whether it’s increasing a bid or narrowing your audience, you want to know the analytics that back up your decision making.

Which means you need to make sure you’re actually connected to your tracking system before you miss out on valuable insight.

Make sure AdWords is connected to your Analytics.

Failing to do so would result in being unable to gather any reliable and usable feedback on your ads.

Make sure all of your ads are approved

Finally, you want to make sure your ads are approved.

To keep front page content appropriate for everyone, Google reviews every ad to ensure it complies with the AdWords advertising policies.

It usually takes less than a business day.

The review starts automatically when you create your ad.

Once it passes, you’ll be able to see the status change from “Under Review” to “Eligible.”

Sometimes an ad will come back “Disapproved” which means it won’t be shown to anyone.

Google will typically flag these and notify you.

Usually, this isn’t too much of a problem, but you may run across the status “With Issues.”

That typically means you’ve put content in the ad that can run, but only under certain instances.

You’ll probably find that ad performing less effectively if you’re not catering to an adult-only audience.

4. Fine-tune all the time

Even though you’ve automated your ads, that doesn’t mean your work is done.

So let’s focus on optimizing all these moving parts you’ve automated.

Refinement is an ongoing process that usually falls into two key categories: Keywords and A/B testing.

I want to start with keywords.

While keywords are usually the first step that most people think of, having this as a final check will help you make sure you’ve truly found the right keywords.

Then you can further optimize AdWords.

Your goal here is to find and remove (or replace) your low-quality keywords and even dial in your negative keywords (words you don’t want your ad to appear under).

This ensures that only people who will truly benefit from your ad see it and click on it.

As you can see here, I’ve decided that I don’t want any search terms related to retail service, food service, or multi-level marketing to display my ad.

This is just an example, but you can see the implications for not having your ad display for something you wouldn’t want to be associated with.

You’ll also want to take time to prune keywords by quality score.

Quality score is, as it implies, more of a qualitative analysis than the typical quantitative analytics you see in PPC.

It attempts to analyze the behavior of your ads and the people who click on them.

You can find your keyword quality score under the Keywords section of your Google AdWords dashboard.

You’ll have to select the Modify Columns tab that looks like this:

Scroll down until you see the Quality Score tab.

Click on it, and then select for your Quality Score to appear.

You’ll now be able to go back to your Keywords dashboard and scroll over until you see your Quality Score for each ad.

A low-quality score could mean that your ad isn’t effective. And that means Google will show it less and you’ll get fewer conversions.

High scores get better conversions at a lower cost-per-click.

You should always aim to improve this metric, and I recommend finding out what a good quality score for your industry is.

Anything less is likely a waste of time and money.

Once you fine-tune your keywords, you also want to conduct some serious A/B testing to help refine your ad’s performance.

A/B testing helps you narrow down the elements of your ads that perform better than others, which lets you find more ways to optimize your conversions.

You can test the copy, the image, the headline, and even the keywords.

As you can see in the example below, there can be two versions of the same ad that look vastly different:

This video from QuickSprout gives a quick rundown on how you can effectively split test in Google AdWords.

For example, if you want to test a headline, you’ll need to start by creating multiple variations to test their performance.

CrazyEgg shared 11 different ways this was accomplished by different brands.

Here’s one from a company called Logo Design:

They used numbers, ASCII characters, had a great offer and used a powerful CTA all in one little ad.

And their keyword, “logo design,” is strategically inserted to help generate more clicks.

It’s even bolded within the headline.

The possibilities for optimization and testing are endless.

5. Put yourself on a regimented schedule

Klientboost recommends building regular routines to help with checking and optimizing automation.

Your goal here is to make sure that you’re spending your time and your client’s money wisely, which will always require close attention to detail.

Falling behind or mismanaging your automation can still get you into trouble.

So how does it work? Follow this schedule:

1. Daily

Is anything broken? Are your ads running, and are the analytics looking in good health?

How are your budget trends?

Are any of your ads overspending, or only spending at certain times of day? That could point to an error.

Are your bids correct?

Are you paying too much for one ad? This could be removing budget from other areas that need it.

2. Weekly

Check if your overall trends are on-target. Are you getting good click-through rates and ROI for your ads?

Review A/B testing. Make sure you’re not spending money blindly and are A/B testing like I mentioned.

Using a tool like my A/B test significance calculator will help you know if you have statistically-significant data.

3. Monthly

Review the data you’ve collected to see if there are any necessary changes.

Make changes as needed.

In general, are you getting results?

If not, look for ways to improve your ads or get results with other mediums.

Make these checks a part of your routine.

It’s not nearly as time-consuming as manually setting ads is, so this shouldn’t be too difficult a transition for you.

Schedule it in your phone, planner, email, or whatever you use to stay on track.

Conclusion

If you’re spending all of your time setting budgets and fiddling with bidding in your AdWords campaigns, you’re doing it wrong.

You have the power to automate the most tedious parts of your tasks and focus on the elements that yield results instead.

And it doesn’t have to be difficult. You already have all the tools you need.

Optimize your ads methodically.

Start with the campaign itself by setting the right approach from the start. Maximize for clicks, conversions, or whatever suits your goals.

Then work through your ad groups.

Set the target audience with laser accuracy by choosing the proper demographics, optimizing for specific devices, and pinpointing the right location.

Round out your approach by setting the right rules for individual ads. Make sure each is getting the right amount of exposure for accurate A/B testing.

Set appropriate time limits and ensure your ads haven’t been disqualified.

Then take time at the end of setting up your automation to fine-tune your keywords and conduct A/B tests to optimize ad performance.

Neglecting this step is like buying a supercar and putting standard fuel in it.

Finally, implement good habits to help you check your results.

You may not succeed on the first attempt, but with patience and diligence you’ll start to see your PPC campaigns begin to flourish.

And at the very least, you’ll have more time on your hands.

What strategies do you use to optimize your automated AdWord campaigns?

About the Author: Neil Patel is the cofounder of Neil Patel Digital.

Read more here - http://review-and-bonuss.blogspot.com/2018/03/how-to-set-and-forget-adwords-campaigns.html

[reviewandbonuss]

How to Set and Forget AdWords Campaigns with these 5 Ad Optimization Rules

Managing your ad campaigns can be incredibly tedious.

You probably don’t need me to tell you that though, because you’re looking at them every day.

You’re also making the same changes on a monthly, weekly, and even a daily basis.

And it’s not like you can just quit AdWords either.

Google has reported that businesses make an average of $2 in revenue for every $1 they spend on AdWords.

That makes it a vital part of your digital toolkit, and an even bigger part of your ROI.

The problem is that the work is never done. And it never will be either.

Luckily, you have options just below the surface of default settings in AdWords that can help lessen the amount of time you spend tinkering with your campaigns.

Adwords gives you the option to automate some of the more tedious elements of your campaign.

Because your only option shouldn’t be to hire the work out.

Many small businesses simply can’t afford to do that.

They also can’t afford to go take a marketing class to learn “secrets” they’ll never use.

The good news is that you can save time in the future by automating the processes you’re already doing manually.

I’m going to show you how to optimize your automated AdWords campaigns.

Automation is critical

Let’s start with the basics.

I already mentioned that the average AdWords spend doubles your revenue, but what else should you be looking for?

The trouble with traditional PPC campaigns is that the effective ones often require constant babysitting to see results.

And the repetitive process of adjusting, activating, or deactivating ads can take up too much of your time.

That’s why automation is so important.

It kicks in when the time is right, which means you don’t have to constantly monitor the ad to get the result you want.

So your biggest objective, quantitatively, is to create an ad with an amazing landing page that maximizes your click-through rate, or CTR.

Depending on your niche, a “good” CTR can be anywhere from 2 percent – 25 percent, or even higher.

More to the point, failing to optimize your ads means your competitors are edging you out.

In fact, Smart Insights found that being at the top of SERPs increases your CTR by 31.52%.

Which means if you can get a search results page that looks like this:

You’re not only cashing in on SEO; you’re doubling down with your ad campaign.

You stand a better chance of getting a higher CTR, which means more leads and more sales.

And this is where automated rules can save the day.

Automated rules are actions you can have AdWords perform automatically across your campaigns.

Running these rules requires you to set which conditions have to be met for the rule to trigger.

Keep in mind that automation is just a process that allows you to take the campaigns you’re already running and spend less time on them.

If you don’t have the right practices already in place, you’ll just be automating bad habits.

Lack of routine, not knowing what to look for, when to look for it, and why to look for it means you’re unable to fix problems when they arise.

You’re throwing your (or your client’s) money away.

And since you’re reading a blog article about PPC, it’s pretty obvious you want different results.

With these automations, you’ll have the ability to skip the routine tasks to focus on strategy and growth instead.

So let’s get started with the backend and move down to individual ads.

1. Optimize your campaign first

One of the fundamental concepts of PPC is setting the right overarching parameters for your ads.

Missing the mark on a technical detail can sink your campaign before it even starts, leaving you with the assumption that tasks are automated when nothing is happening.

For example, the effectiveness of segmentation and targeting of your ad are directly tied to basic elements like copy and coloring.

That doesn’t even touch on the landing page you use.

All this means your automation starts well before you ever log into your AdWords accounts.

You have to begin by knowing your targets and the results you want, and then constructing compelling copy, images, and link your ad to a useful landing page.

So let’s walk through what this looks.

Let’s say we want to run a display campaign via AdWords.

You’ll fire up your dashboard, go to your campaign, and be met with a page that looks like this:

As you can see, I’ve highlighted the options to select.

This will run a display campaign with the goal of acquiring leads.

You also want to make sure you select a standard display campaign so that you can choose your settings and targeting.

You’ll also need to input your website URL.

Then input your campaign name and targeting information.

For this example, I’ll call it Business Owners and target Seattle, WA.

Next, you’ll need to decide on bidding.

What you choose for this depends on your objective, but since we’re talking about automation, I’m going to opt for the “Automatically maximize clicks” option.

This will automatically set your ad to bid for the lowest possible cost-per-click (CPC).

If you choose to select a different bid strategy, here are your options:

As you can see, there are four automated options or a manual bid setting. Leave that be for now.

You’ve successfully set up automation for your campaign now. Next on the list is your ad groups.

2. Now get the ad groups right

At this point, you’re ready to set the targeting parameters for your ad.

Koozai recommends breaking down and targeting your ads to these general categories before you start to make changes in AdWords:

Location

Device

Income

Interest Categories

Gender

Age

Once you’ve determined where to target your ads, it’s time to set them up.

Start with audiences, which provides a breakdown of online actions and interests. You can see here I’m keeping with the business owner theme.

Next, move on to demographics.

For this particular ad group, let’s say I want to target male and female business owners who are between the ages of 20 and 35.

They’ll be in the top 30% of household income with no children.

Now select your keywords, topical targeting, and the last big piece: automated targeting.

Automated targeting a great tool for letting Google AdWords display your ad to customers similar to the ones you’ve targeted.

You can either opt out of automated targeting, which limits your audience to only the parameters you’ve selected.

Or, you can choose between conservative and aggressive automation strategies.

Conservative automation will keep your audience very narrow, but will still put your add in front of similar demographics.

This a great option for businesses that want more conversions and are okay with getting clicks that are a bit outside their optimal audience.

Aggressive automation widens your audience even more and places your ad in front of a wider but still similar group of people.

Use this setting when you want way more conversions and are okay picking through some potentially low-quality leads.

But if you’d rather keep the ad group tight, then select no automated targeting.

Whichever one you pick is determined by your goals and how prepared your sales team is to handle less-than-ideal leads.

3. Set individual ad performance parameters

Now that you’ve set up your campaign and ad group, it’s time to dive into some individual automation elements.

Keep exposure equal

Google’s default setting is to prefer your best performing ads.

While this might sound like a good thing, it can skew your A/B testing results and will favor one ad over others.

To combat this, you want to ensure that your ads are set to “rotate indefinitely” so that each has an equal chance to perform.

This makes sure that one ad doesn’t get shown more often than others, which could skew your conversion rates.

Normally, you’d be forced to go into your AdWords dashboard and manually stop an over-shown ad, and that will affect the results of your A/B testing.

You’ll find this option under your settings tab in the individual ad group. It will look like this:

Once you’ve selected and saved the settings to rotate indefinitely, you won’t be saddled with the repetitive task of deactivating overperformers to get the results you want.

Pick the right device

There are so many devices to choose from these days it can make your head spin. Contrary to what you might think, advertising universally across all devices isn’t always a good idea.

I worked with a client once who was advertising on mobile, desktop, and tablets at first.

After a month, we sat down and parsed through the data. Tablets only had three clicks.

Compared to the 244 clicks from desktop, it was clear that tablets were a waste of time.

But don’t just take that advice and run with it.

It’s also worth considering that 33% of all Google search clicks are generated through mobile.

So just because one company isn’t met with success on a mobile platform doesn’t mean you’ll have the same results.

The same is true for the opposite sentiment as well.

Which means if you’re opting out of advertising on mobile, you should probably reconsider.

One former Google employee who’s now working as an SEO specialist recommends deciding whether you want to be viewed in apps or not.

You may be spending money advertising to kids who use mobile apps but wouldn’t ever touch your product.

The only way you’ll know for certain is if you try, but if your age demographic isn’t on the lower end of the spectrum, then an in-app ad might not suit you.

Pause or play?

Another automation miracle at the ad group level revolves around timing.

Wordstream recommends doing some hardcore data analysis before you get to the business of setting up times though.

For example, they found that they weren’t getting many clicks on the weekend, but the CTR was higher, and the cost per click was lower:

They used this information to take action accordingly.

Namely, optimizing ad budget and the timing allotment so that these ads could perform even better.

Don’t just rely on the default settings.

They’ll have your ads running 24/7, and you’ll burn through your budget.

The more specific you are, the better your results will be.

You can see here that I’ve set an example ad for certain times on Monday and Tuesday only:

And consider the types of ads you’re running.

You don’t need a Thanksgiving-themed advertisement to be running in the middle of summer.

Or a late-night all-nighter themed ad in the middle of the afternoon.

That’s just a waste of money and will spread confusion around your brand.

Time your ads appropriately.

Make sure you’re set to track

Analytics is everything in PPC.

Every action you take is based on data. Whether it’s increasing a bid or narrowing your audience, you want to know the analytics that back up your decision making.

Which means you need to make sure you’re actually connected to your tracking system before you miss out on valuable insight.

Make sure AdWords is connected to your Analytics.

Failing to do so would result in being unable to gather any reliable and usable feedback on your ads.

Make sure all of your ads are approved

Finally, you want to make sure your ads are approved.

To keep front page content appropriate for everyone, Google reviews every ad to ensure it complies with the AdWords advertising policies.

It usually takes less than a business day.

The review starts automatically when you create your ad.

Once it passes, you’ll be able to see the status change from “Under Review” to “Eligible.”

Sometimes an ad will come back “Disapproved” which means it won’t be shown to anyone.

Google will typically flag these and notify you.

Usually, this isn’t too much of a problem, but you may run across the status “With Issues.”

That typically means you’ve put content in the ad that can run, but only under certain instances.

You’ll probably find that ad performing less effectively if you’re not catering to an adult-only audience.

4. Fine-tune all the time

Even though you’ve automated your ads, that doesn’t mean your work is done.

So let’s focus on optimizing all these moving parts you’ve automated.

Refinement is an ongoing process that usually falls into two key categories: Keywords and A/B testing.

I want to start with keywords.

While keywords are usually the first step that most people think of, having this as a final check will help you make sure you’ve truly found the right keywords.

Then you can further optimize AdWords.

Your goal here is to find and remove (or replace) your low-quality keywords and even dial in your negative keywords (words you don’t want your ad to appear under).

This ensures that only people who will truly benefit from your ad see it and click on it.

As you can see here, I’ve decided that I don’t want any search terms related to retail service, food service, or multi-level marketing to display my ad.

This is just an example, but you can see the implications for not having your ad display for something you wouldn’t want to be associated with.

You’ll also want to take time to prune keywords by quality score.

Quality score is, as it implies, more of a qualitative analysis than the typical quantitative analytics you see in PPC.

It attempts to analyze the behavior of your ads and the people who click on them.

You can find your keyword quality score under the Keywords section of your Google AdWords dashboard.

You’ll have to select the Modify Columns tab that looks like this:

Scroll down until you see the Quality Score tab.

Click on it, and then select for your Quality Score to appear.

You’ll now be able to go back to your Keywords dashboard and scroll over until you see your Quality Score for each ad.

A low-quality score could mean that your ad isn’t effective. And that means Google will show it less and you’ll get fewer conversions.

High scores get better conversions at a lower cost-per-click.

You should always aim to improve this metric, and I recommend finding out what a good quality score for your industry is.

Anything less is likely a waste of time and money.

Once you fine-tune your keywords, you also want to conduct some serious A/B testing to help refine your ad’s performance.

A/B testing helps you narrow down the elements of your ads that perform better than others, which lets you find more ways to optimize your conversions.

You can test the copy, the image, the headline, and even the keywords.

As you can see in the example below, there can be two versions of the same ad that look vastly different:

This video from QuickSprout gives a quick rundown on how you can effectively split test in Google AdWords.

For example, if you want to test a headline, you’ll need to start by creating multiple variations to test their performance.

CrazyEgg shared 11 different ways this was accomplished by different brands.

Here’s one from a company called Logo Design:

They used numbers, ASCII characters, had a great offer and used a powerful CTA all in one little ad.

And their keyword, “logo design,” is strategically inserted to help generate more clicks.

It’s even bolded within the headline.

The possibilities for optimization and testing are endless.

5. Put yourself on a regimented schedule

Klientboost recommends building regular routines to help with checking and optimizing automation.

Your goal here is to make sure that you’re spending your time and your client’s money wisely, which will always require close attention to detail.

Falling behind or mismanaging your automation can still get you into trouble.

So how does it work? Follow this schedule:

1. Daily

Is anything broken? Are your ads running, and are the analytics looking in good health?

How are your budget trends?

Are any of your ads overspending, or only spending at certain times of day? That could point to an error.

Are your bids correct?

Are you paying too much for one ad? This could be removing budget from other areas that need it.

2. Weekly

Check if your overall trends are on-target. Are you getting good click-through rates and ROI for your ads?

Review A/B testing. Make sure you’re not spending money blindly and are A/B testing like I mentioned.

Using a tool like my A/B test significance calculator will help you know if you have statistically-significant data.

3. Monthly

Review the data you’ve collected to see if there are any necessary changes.

Make changes as needed.

In general, are you getting results?

If not, look for ways to improve your ads or get results with other mediums.

Make these checks a part of your routine.

It’s not nearly as time-consuming as manually setting ads is, so this shouldn’t be too difficult a transition for you.

Schedule it in your phone, planner, email, or whatever you use to stay on track.

Conclusion

If you’re spending all of your time setting budgets and fiddling with bidding in your AdWords campaigns, you’re doing it wrong.

You have the power to automate the most tedious parts of your tasks and focus on the elements that yield results instead.

And it doesn’t have to be difficult. You already have all the tools you need.

Optimize your ads methodically.

Start with the campaign itself by setting the right approach from the start. Maximize for clicks, conversions, or whatever suits your goals.

Then work through your ad groups.

Set the target audience with laser accuracy by choosing the proper demographics, optimizing for specific devices, and pinpointing the right location.

Round out your approach by setting the right rules for individual ads. Make sure each is getting the right amount of exposure for accurate A/B testing.

Set appropriate time limits and ensure your ads haven’t been disqualified.

Then take time at the end of setting up your automation to fine-tune your keywords and conduct A/B tests to optimize ad performance.

Neglecting this step is like buying a supercar and putting standard fuel in it.

Finally, implement good habits to help you check your results.

You may not succeed on the first attempt, but with patience and diligence you’ll start to see your PPC campaigns begin to flourish.

And at the very least, you’ll have more time on your hands.

What strategies do you use to optimize your automated AdWord campaigns?

About the Author: Neil Patel is the cofounder of Neil Patel Digital.

[ericsburden-blog]

How to Set and Forget AdWords Campaigns with these 5 Ad Optimization Rules

Managing your ad campaigns can be incredibly tedious.

You probably don’t need me to tell you that though, because you’re looking at them every day.

You’re also making the same changes on a monthly, weekly, and even a daily basis.

And it’s not like you can just quit AdWords either.

Google has reported that businesses make an average of $2 in revenue for every $1 they spend on AdWords.

That makes it a vital part of your digital toolkit, and an even bigger part of your ROI.

The problem is that the work is never done. And it never will be either.

Luckily, you have options just below the surface of default settings in AdWords that can help lessen the amount of time you spend tinkering with your campaigns.

Adwords gives you the option to automate some of the more tedious elements of your campaign.

Because your only option shouldn’t be to hire the work out.

Many small businesses simply can’t afford to do that.

They also can’t afford to go take a marketing class to learn “secrets” they’ll never use.

The good news is that you can save time in the future by automating the processes you’re already doing manually.

I’m going to show you how to optimize your automated AdWords campaigns.

Automation is critical

Let’s start with the basics.

I already mentioned that the average AdWords spend doubles your revenue, but what else should you be looking for?

The trouble with traditional PPC campaigns is that the effective ones often require constant babysitting to see results.

And the repetitive process of adjusting, activating, or deactivating ads can take up too much of your time.

That’s why automation is so important.

It kicks in when the time is right, which means you don’t have to constantly monitor the ad to get the result you want.

So your biggest objective, quantitatively, is to create an ad with an amazing landing page that maximizes your click-through rate, or CTR.

Depending on your niche, a “good” CTR can be anywhere from 2 percent – 25 percent, or even higher.

More to the point, failing to optimize your ads means your competitors are edging you out.

In fact, Smart Insights found that being at the top of SERPs increases your CTR by 31.52%.

Which means if you can get a search results page that looks like this:

You’re not only cashing in on SEO; you’re doubling down with your ad campaign.

You stand a better chance of getting a higher CTR, which means more leads and more sales.

And this is where automated rules can save the day.

Automated rules are actions you can have AdWords perform automatically across your campaigns.

Running these rules requires you to set which conditions have to be met for the rule to trigger.

Keep in mind that automation is just a process that allows you to take the campaigns you’re already running and spend less time on them.

If you don’t have the right practices already in place, you’ll just be automating bad habits.

Lack of routine, not knowing what to look for, when to look for it, and why to look for it means you’re unable to fix problems when they arise.

You’re throwing your (or your client’s) money away.

And since you’re reading a blog article about PPC, it’s pretty obvious you want different results.

With these automations, you’ll have the ability to skip the routine tasks to focus on strategy and growth instead.

So let’s get started with the backend and move down to individual ads.

1. Optimize your campaign first

One of the fundamental concepts of PPC is setting the right overarching parameters for your ads.

Missing the mark on a technical detail can sink your campaign before it even starts, leaving you with the assumption that tasks are automated when nothing is happening.

For example, the effectiveness of segmentation and targeting of your ad are directly tied to basic elements like copy and coloring.

That doesn’t even touch on the landing page you use.

All this means your automation starts well before you ever log into your AdWords accounts.

You have to begin by knowing your targets and the results you want, and then constructing compelling copy, images, and link your ad to a useful landing page.

So let’s walk through what this looks.

Let’s say we want to run a display campaign via AdWords.

You’ll fire up your dashboard, go to your campaign, and be met with a page that looks like this:

As you can see, I’ve highlighted the options to select.

This will run a display campaign with the goal of acquiring leads.

You also want to make sure you select a standard display campaign so that you can choose your settings and targeting.

You’ll also need to input your website URL.

Then input your campaign name and targeting information.

For this example, I’ll call it Business Owners and target Seattle, WA.

Next, you’ll need to decide on bidding.

What you choose for this depends on your objective, but since we’re talking about automation, I’m going to opt for the “Automatically maximize clicks” option.

This will automatically set your ad to bid for the lowest possible cost-per-click (CPC).

If you choose to select a different bid strategy, here are your options:

As you can see, there are four automated options or a manual bid setting. Leave that be for now.

You’ve successfully set up automation for your campaign now. Next on the list is your ad groups.

2. Now get the ad groups right

At this point, you’re ready to set the targeting parameters for your ad.

Koozai recommends breaking down and targeting your ads to these general categories before you start to make changes in AdWords:

Location

Device

Income

Interest Categories

Gender

Age

Once you’ve determined where to target your ads, it’s time to set them up.

Start with audiences, which provides a breakdown of online actions and interests. You can see here I’m keeping with the business owner theme.

Next, move on to demographics.

For this particular ad group, let’s say I want to target male and female business owners who are between the ages of 20 and 35.

They’ll be in the top 30% of household income with no children.

Now select your keywords, topical targeting, and the last big piece: automated targeting.

Automated targeting a great tool for letting Google AdWords display your ad to customers similar to the ones you’ve targeted.

You can either opt out of automated targeting, which limits your audience to only the parameters you’ve selected.

Or, you can choose between conservative and aggressive automation strategies.

Conservative automation will keep your audience very narrow, but will still put your add in front of similar demographics.

This a great option for businesses that want more conversions and are okay with getting clicks that are a bit outside their optimal audience.

Aggressive automation widens your audience even more and places your ad in front of a wider but still similar group of people.

Use this setting when you want way more conversions and are okay picking through some potentially low-quality leads.

But if you’d rather keep the ad group tight, then select no automated targeting.

Whichever one you pick is determined by your goals and how prepared your sales team is to handle less-than-ideal leads.

3. Set individual ad performance parameters

Now that you’ve set up your campaign and ad group, it’s time to dive into some individual automation elements.

Keep exposure equal

Google’s default setting is to prefer your best performing ads.

While this might sound like a good thing, it can skew your A/B testing results and will favor one ad over others.

To combat this, you want to ensure that your ads are set to “rotate indefinitely” so that each has an equal chance to perform.

This makes sure that one ad doesn’t get shown more often than others, which could skew your conversion rates.

Normally, you’d be forced to go into your AdWords dashboard and manually stop an over-shown ad, and that will affect the results of your A/B testing.

You’ll find this option under your settings tab in the individual ad group. It will look like this:

Once you’ve selected and saved the settings to rotate indefinitely, you won’t be saddled with the repetitive task of deactivating overperformers to get the results you want.

Pick the right device

There are so many devices to choose from these days it can make your head spin. Contrary to what you might think, advertising universally across all devices isn’t always a good idea.

I worked with a client once who was advertising on mobile, desktop, and tablets at first.

After a month, we sat down and parsed through the data. Tablets only had three clicks.

Compared to the 244 clicks from desktop, it was clear that tablets were a waste of time.

But don’t just take that advice and run with it.

It’s also worth considering that 33% of all Google search clicks are generated through mobile.

So just because one company isn’t met with success on a mobile platform doesn’t mean you’ll have the same results.

The same is true for the opposite sentiment as well.

Which means if you’re opting out of advertising on mobile, you should probably reconsider.

One former Google employee who’s now working as an SEO specialist recommends deciding whether you want to be viewed in apps or not.

You may be spending money advertising to kids who use mobile apps but wouldn’t ever touch your product.

The only way you’ll know for certain is if you try, but if your age demographic isn’t on the lower end of the spectrum, then an in-app ad might not suit you.

Pause or play?

Another automation miracle at the ad group level revolves around timing.

Wordstream recommends doing some hardcore data analysis before you get to the business of setting up times though.

For example, they found that they weren’t getting many clicks on the weekend, but the CTR was higher, and the cost per click was lower:

They used this information to take action accordingly.

Namely, optimizing ad budget and the timing allotment so that these ads could perform even better.

Don’t just rely on the default settings.

They’ll have your ads running 24/7, and you’ll burn through your budget.

The more specific you are, the better your results will be.

You can see here that I’ve set an example ad for certain times on Monday and Tuesday only:

And consider the types of ads you’re running.

You don’t need a Thanksgiving-themed advertisement to be running in the middle of summer.

Or a late-night all-nighter themed ad in the middle of the afternoon.

That’s just a waste of money and will spread confusion around your brand.

Time your ads appropriately.

Make sure you’re set to track

Analytics is everything in PPC.

Every action you take is based on data. Whether it’s increasing a bid or narrowing your audience, you want to know the analytics that back up your decision making.

Which means you need to make sure you’re actually connected to your tracking system before you miss out on valuable insight.

Make sure AdWords is connected to your Analytics.

Failing to do so would result in being unable to gather any reliable and usable feedback on your ads.

Make sure all of your ads are approved

Finally, you want to make sure your ads are approved.

To keep front page content appropriate for everyone, Google reviews every ad to ensure it complies with the AdWords advertising policies.

It usually takes less than a business day.

The review starts automatically when you create your ad.

Once it passes, you’ll be able to see the status change from “Under Review” to “Eligible.”

Sometimes an ad will come back “Disapproved” which means it won’t be shown to anyone.

Google will typically flag these and notify you.

Usually, this isn’t too much of a problem, but you may run across the status “With Issues.”

That typically means you’ve put content in the ad that can run, but only under certain instances.

You’ll probably find that ad performing less effectively if you’re not catering to an adult-only audience.

4. Fine-tune all the time

Even though you’ve automated your ads, that doesn’t mean your work is done.

So let’s focus on optimizing all these moving parts you’ve automated.

Refinement is an ongoing process that usually falls into two key categories: Keywords and A/B testing.

I want to start with keywords.

While keywords are usually the first step that most people think of, having this as a final check will help you make sure you’ve truly found the right keywords.

Then you can further optimize AdWords.

Your goal here is to find and remove (or replace) your low-quality keywords and even dial in your negative keywords (words you don’t want your ad to appear under).

This ensures that only people who will truly benefit from your ad see it and click on it.

As you can see here, I’ve decided that I don’t want any search terms related to retail service, food service, or multi-level marketing to display my ad.

This is just an example, but you can see the implications for not having your ad display for something you wouldn’t want to be associated with.

You’ll also want to take time to prune keywords by quality score.

Quality score is, as it implies, more of a qualitative analysis than the typical quantitative analytics you see in PPC.

It attempts to analyze the behavior of your ads and the people who click on them.

You can find your keyword quality score under the Keywords section of your Google AdWords dashboard.

You’ll have to select the Modify Columns tab that looks like this:

Scroll down until you see the Quality Score tab.

Click on it, and then select for your Quality Score to appear.

You’ll now be able to go back to your Keywords dashboard and scroll over until you see your Quality Score for each ad.

A low-quality score could mean that your ad isn’t effective. And that means Google will show it less and you’ll get fewer conversions.

High scores get better conversions at a lower cost-per-click.

You should always aim to improve this metric, and I recommend finding out what a good quality score for your industry is.

Anything less is likely a waste of time and money.

Once you fine-tune your keywords, you also want to conduct some serious A/B testing to help refine your ad’s performance.

A/B testing helps you narrow down the elements of your ads that perform better than others, which lets you find more ways to optimize your conversions.

You can test the copy, the image, the headline, and even the keywords.

As you can see in the example below, there can be two versions of the same ad that look vastly different:

This video from QuickSprout gives a quick rundown on how you can effectively split test in Google AdWords.

For example, if you want to test a headline, you’ll need to start by creating multiple variations to test their performance.

CrazyEgg shared 11 different ways this was accomplished by different brands.

Here’s one from a company called Logo Design:

They used numbers, ASCII characters, had a great offer and used a powerful CTA all in one little ad.

And their keyword, “logo design,” is strategically inserted to help generate more clicks.

It’s even bolded within the headline.

The possibilities for optimization and testing are endless.

5. Put yourself on a regimented schedule

Klientboost recommends building regular routines to help with checking and optimizing automation.

Your goal here is to make sure that you’re spending your time and your client’s money wisely, which will always require close attention to detail.

Falling behind or mismanaging your automation can still get you into trouble.

So how does it work? Follow this schedule:

1. Daily

Is anything broken? Are your ads running, and are the analytics looking in good health?

How are your budget trends?

Are any of your ads overspending, or only spending at certain times of day? That could point to an error.

Are your bids correct?

Are you paying too much for one ad? This could be removing budget from other areas that need it.

2. Weekly

Check if your overall trends are on-target. Are you getting good click-through rates and ROI for your ads?

Review A/B testing. Make sure you’re not spending money blindly and are A/B testing like I mentioned.

Using a tool like my A/B test significance calculator will help you know if you have statistically-significant data.

3. Monthly

Review the data you’ve collected to see if there are any necessary changes.

Make changes as needed.

In general, are you getting results?

If not, look for ways to improve your ads or get results with other mediums.

Make these checks a part of your routine.

It’s not nearly as time-consuming as manually setting ads is, so this shouldn’t be too difficult a transition for you.

Schedule it in your phone, planner, email, or whatever you use to stay on track.

Conclusion

If you’re spending all of your time setting budgets and fiddling with bidding in your AdWords campaigns, you’re doing it wrong.

You have the power to automate the most tedious parts of your tasks and focus on the elements that yield results instead.

And it doesn’t have to be difficult. You already have all the tools you need.

Optimize your ads methodically.

Start with the campaign itself by setting the right approach from the start. Maximize for clicks, conversions, or whatever suits your goals.

Then work through your ad groups.

Set the target audience with laser accuracy by choosing the proper demographics, optimizing for specific devices, and pinpointing the right location.

Round out your approach by setting the right rules for individual ads. Make sure each is getting the right amount of exposure for accurate A/B testing.

Set appropriate time limits and ensure your ads haven’t been disqualified.

Then take time at the end of setting up your automation to fine-tune your keywords and conduct A/B tests to optimize ad performance.

Neglecting this step is like buying a supercar and putting standard fuel in it.

Finally, implement good habits to help you check your results.

You may not succeed on the first attempt, but with patience and diligence you’ll start to see your PPC campaigns begin to flourish.

And at the very least, you’ll have more time on your hands.

What strategies do you use to optimize your automated AdWord campaigns?

About the Author: Neil Patel is the cofounder of Neil Patel Digital.

How to Set and Forget AdWords Campaigns with these 5 Ad Optimization Rules

[survivorkvaloya]

Episode #5: “I Didn't Come Back To Be A Stupid @$$” - Andreas

Not quite sure what to make of this tribe of 5 but I find in this one theirs no where to hide because I can almost guarantee Jackson is going to be a middle man between Danielle and I, and everyone knows that in this tribe I would be the one they send home. But luckily for me, I have Gage and Christine's students on my tribe so If I send them home it weakens them come merge, but following the murder of 3 returnees early on I can NOT have a repeat of Easter Island, so I need to get over my phobia of returnees. 

MKAY COOL I COULDN"T HAVE ASKED FOR A BETTER SCENARIO IT'S LITERALLY 4 V 1 IS THIS HOW SANDRA AND VARNER FELT

~*~Tales From Reflection Island~*~ Hi. I'm pissed. I was so excited to finally win my first tribal immunity and FINALLY not have to worry about being voted out, but that was short lived. Brett, my flop ass mentor, was voted out on the other tribe almost unanimously. What the HECK. So my gay ass is shipped off to reflection island where I have to "reflect on what went wrong" or whatever. But it ain't my fault Brett is a flop! He was the mentor. He was supposed to know not to get voted out. AND THEN we have a tribe swap.... While I'm on reflection. You know what happened to the last person on reflection island during a tribe swap? They were voted out unanimously the same round they returned (rip Connor). So when I come back I'm gonna have some serious work to do. Going onto a tribe of 5 is scary in itself, not being there when the tribe is formed is even worse. the ONLY saving grace in this whole situation is the reflection ritual or whatever the heck its call. Bc I'm always doing #that and I PICKED AN URN WITH AN IDOL PIECE IN IT WOOOO. Now I have 2/3 pieces! This makes it so much easier to get that last piece and make an idol. And that could save my ass in this tricky situation. My plan once I come back is to victimize myself, talk to everyone, be so devastated by the loss of my mentor, act paranoid, and find that last piece. Wish me luck!

Im actually really frustrated right now, we could have easily won immunity but Lauren messed up very basic instructions and just completely fucked us over. Now we have to go to tribal. Lol 4th tribal out of 5 ugh. So anyways this tribal should be easy however we know how this game goes, the easy vote never happens. But none the less this allows me a valid reason to take Christine's student out which would have completely destroyed all her numbers which means shes 1 which isnt a huge threat. Im just worried about idols ,and tribal on my 200th day is ANNOYING. Anyways i need to go calm down phew. Old Andreas is coming out lmao 

So jackson and I had a plan to throw the torch pass challenge and use lauren to get out andreas. funniest part: we didn't even have to throw because lauren posted at the wrong time and fucked it all up! I'm trying to make everyone hate her now so she feels like she has to vote with us. jackson was hesitant at first about voting andreas but he's warmed up to it. I hope he stays with the decision. I really think him and I can fight our way through this game. 

i got my 2nd idol piece from fucking hell of looking through numbers! van who??

So I think I already did a confessional but oh well. This tribe swap isn't looking good for me. I ended up not getting the idol piece because Chelsea already got it so that was super annoying. BUUUUT. I got reward this time and Ryan ended up getting his 2nd idol piece from it. I'm happy bc that means we have 2/3 in our posession and I think that he's 100% loyal to me. He's said over and over that this is our idol and I truly believe that. We've been friends for so long that I doubt that he would be using an idol that we both found against me in any way. I'm trying to talk to everyone every day but it's hard when it's one world. I hate it so much fuck fkjdsn. Andreas is kinda annoying and very pushy when it comes to this game. He created an alliance with Jackson and I, which I don't think I'll stick too, to try and talk about the vote. From what I can tell at this point, the vote is going to be Andreas anyway. Although Lauren fucked up in the challenge, people are wanting to keep her around for a throwaway vote if we lost next time (which we are going to if we're going to be keeping the weak players anyway). I'm starting to get annoyed with not being in power. Chelsea is running around only talking game yet telling me that other people will inform me with the plan... I- There is no way that I'm gonna be able to get her out and if god forbid we went to tribal again, it would be Lauren. I'm thinking of teaming up with Lauren to vote out Chelsea if it came down to it, I don't know if that would be the right move but right now, I feel like she's running the game and I want to be the one that takes her off of the high horse that she's sitting on. 

Hi I'm Jackson and this is my third confessional, just in time for the third generation of tribes. Ever since the swap, I've kind of had a heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach. Not because I was put on a tribe with people I can't work with - in fact, I've had good interactions with everyone on my new tribe in the past, and best of all, I'm reunited with my closest ally Chelsea. Instead, the feelings of dread come from the fact that a lot of power was given to the two of us to start making moves of our own, and it's scary to no longer be floating in the background, hiding behind our mentors. Still, Chelsea and I both feel like we can't shy away from the opportunity we've been given. So, we planned to throw the immunity challenge. I had two objectives in mind for this. The first was to allow Colin to join our tribe after his return from exile, as he's someone I really trust and I couldn't guarantee his safety if he went to another tribe. The second was to vote out Andreas, who I see as one of the smartest and most well connected players in the game. We were going to have Chelsea pretend her internet went out, which I'm honestly not 100% sure would've worked without attracting suspicion. But then Lauren decided to do what I think she does best: go inactive without explanation. Since she queued her post for the wrong time, our torch lighting was out of order from the get go, and we had no chance of winning unless Lauren came online at just the right time (which she didn't). So yeah, we lost, and I guess me and Chelsea got our way. Right off the bat Lauren was scrambling. She came to me and Chelsea for help, asking us to stay united as original Ersfjorden members, which normally I'd roll my eyes at because she's suspicious af to me but was happy to hear in this specific moment. With me, Chelsea, and Lauren, we have three, and can vote out Andreas like we planned (or, at least, like Chelsea pushed really hard to and I agreed only after talking to my mentor because I'm a weenie). Andreas was acting pretty jumpy too. I think he really doesn't want to get voted out on his 200th day of tumblr survivor, and yeah, I get that and I'm gonna feel real bad casting my vote. He really helped me get my footing on Ersfjorden 2, and we could've had a nice working relationship even though he probably would beat me at the end. Anyway, he came to me pushing hard to get Lauren voted out to keep the tribe strong, and I told him I was definitely on board. His worry was not that Danielle would flip on us (more on that later) but that Lauren would somehow make an idol with Chelsea, who I can tell he doesn't totally trust. Joke's on him - Colin has the idol piece that everyone thinks Lauren has, but I'm not gonna tell anyone. I tried to reassure him that Chelsea's on our side too, and I'm hoping his guard is down. Danielle is the wild card. Even though we could vote out Andreas without her (assuming Lauren isn't the fucking mastermind of the millennium), I wanted her to be in on this vote because I think she will stick with me postmerge. Ryan likes her, and I don't want to go against him (yet). So I told Danielle that Lauren was pushing for Andreas, and she seemed tentatively supportive of the idea to vote him out now with Lauren being the next to go if we lose again. She also sent me her reward, which was a clue to an idol piece hidden somewhere on the blog. Long story short, the URL involves a five digit code starting with a 7 and including no repeating digits. It's basically impossible to determine the URL from that (unless i've already gotten it right but someone got their first and the page was deleted?) without more info, and I don't think the hosts would give such a difficult riddle. So yeah I think she didn't send me the entire clue (she withheld some of the digit hints), which kind of annoys me because she's trying to gain my loyalty by supplying intel but she doesn't trust me enough to let me have a chance at finding it myself. Also I shared literally all the details about JD and Liam's shitty alliance on Ersfjorden2 that locked out her and her student, so I feel like I'm giving out more than I'm getting back. But anyway, though she says she's on board for the Andreas vote (making it 4-1 against him), I worry that she's concerned about my relationship with Chelsea. I also worry that she's closer to Andreas than she claimed (and than Ryan thought), and that she might have ratted me out to him. While it doesn't seem like there's a lot he could do if he did know we were targeting him, there's a slim chance he could try to pull Lauren over. In that case, it'd be either me or Chelsea going, and considering how many more limbs I've gone out on than usual this week, I'm not feeling super safe. So yeah, that's about it, so unless something changes in the hours before the vote tomorrow, this is it. I'll be voting for Andreas and hoping I didn't get duped.

Looks like everything is still good to go with the Andreas vote. Sorry bud! The ship has sailed ~ 

Whelp, operation save Brett was a flop and I'm sad. But on the bright side I'm in love with this swap! It's nice to be reunited with Ryan and I'm glad QuilLynn is still with me. JD also seems really nice and then I haven't really talked to Nicholas yet. I'm glad we were able to win immunity but I'm kinda worried for Lauren. I feel like Jackson and Chelsea will help her but we'll see.

Going into tribal its been really quiet and that's been scaring me. No one is really talking to me besides Jackson but I could just be acting like a crazy person but who freaking knows. Hopefully this tribe votes out Lauren but maybe tonight, as my 200th night in TS will be my final.  I hope not though, I don't wanna be a pre-merge flop. 

Omg so the whole point of last vote was to get rid of Brett bc he is a bigger threat then jack and he would be more likely to be able to convince Lauren and Christine to flip. And of course we don't tell jack about the vote bc he really wanted Chelsea, but then of course he fucking ends up on my swapped tribe. I'm really happy I'm with Gage again bc he's definitely someone I trust and he's really nice, I'm also kinda glad to see lily And I'm hoping we can continue to work together. Jack ahhh I didn't tell him about the last vote so I don't think he trusts me anymore but he's nice. So that leaves Liam as the only person I hadn't met yet, I exchanged like 2 words with him and then he tells Ryan that he's talked to me the most? Like how is 2 lines a lot of conversation?? I mean I feel bad for him being super busy with 2 jobs and everything but he doesn't talk to me a lot and when we actually do talk it's always at 3 in the morning. So anyway last night Liam goes up to me and says hey I have an idea for if we ever have to go to tribal council, and he was talking about how me him and jack should work together and I agreed to it of course bc you should never really say no to alliances bc that's sketchy. I also found out that it was Liam and JD who created the majority alliance, like this boy seems kinda power hungry tbh. Anyway Kalfjorden looses immunity which is fine but I just hope it's not Chelsea, Andreas or Danielle. And then apparently Lauren has been super inactive and messed up on the challenge so it would make sense to vote her out and everyone seemed on board or whatever. But then in the all girls alliance, that I like the idea of but don't really feel comfortable with half the people in it, lily talks about how we gotta save Lauren. And at first I'm like wtf Lauren is cute and all but she's not the most active and I don't care about her that much. And Lily says that all the newbies are on board to vote together to vote out FUCKING ANDREAS. Like wtf I love Andreas?? And he's trying at this game unlike Lauren. And also lily goes oh yeah it'll be nice to vote out Andreas so that we can keep up student numbers like??? I'm a mentor??? I'm of course willing to work with students but not when they say they would like to vote out all the mentors lmao. I would tell Andreas but I won't bc I need to keep up my trust with lily especially since we're on a 5 person tribe where there's no room to hide. Anyway I could see if I could possibly talk to Jackson who I don't know well if he'd be willing to vote Lauren, ahh idk what I'm gonna do I hate this. 

Im actually very concerned I may be going home tonight and part of me is thinking that perhaps i should throw my vote at Chelsea incase an idol is played. I don't see Christine letting Lauren go without a fight and I would be a great person in her eyes to take out pre-merge. Heading into this vote im super concerned, probably more then i've been in a while which is super scary. I didn't come back to be a stupid ass but its so freaking quiet, and I don't see Lauren going without a fight.