Adwords - Is it better to pause or delete old campaigns

villageloop · #1 (**permalink**) 04-09-2009, 06:28 PM

Hello,

In the past I have usually just paused old campaigns that I no longer want to run in adwords. (same thing with keywords).

Whether they were underperforming or lost a test scenario or expired, it really didnt matter. I even do this with keywords.

However, now as some of my accounts have aged, I am getting a cluttered dashboard with many paused campaigns. I am about to clean up some of them, however I am curious how google views a paused campaign or keyword.

It is my understanding that the overall CTR of your account and campaign can effect your individual ads. Does a poorly performing paused campaign effect your overall performance?
What about a poorly performing deleted campaign or keyword?

Is there any information about this anywhere?

What are the pros and cons of pausing vs. deleting campaigns and keywords?

Thanks in advance.

SnerdeyWebs · #2 (**permalink**) 04-10-2009, 04:42 PM

Pause is just fine and then set it to show only active so it's not cluttered

Edit the poor ones but the ones that say your not 1st on a page are ok. Just the quality score is affected.

It's best to streamline and keep the best performing ones active.

confettiguru · #3 (**permalink**) 04-11-2009, 04:17 AM

Love this question. My dashboard is cluttered too.
My problem is how to completely get a deleted campaign off the dashboard.
For instance, if I had campaign promoting 2008 widgets and now here we are in 2009 how do I tell Google to just get rid of it for good?

I've been using google adwords since October 2001, so as you might imagine I've got quite an accumulation of dated widget campaigns.

villageloop · #4 (**permalink**) 04-13-2009, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SnerdeyWebs

Edit the poor ones but the ones that say your not 1st on a page are ok. Just the quality score is affected.

It's best to streamline and keep the best performing ones active.

So a poorly performing PAUSED ad will still affect my overall quality score of my campaign?
Or a poorly performing PAUSED keyword will affect my overall quality scopre of my ad group?

Are these statements correct? If so then I would want to delete these not just pause them.

Thanks

deepsand · #5 (**permalink**) 04-17-2009, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by villageloop

So a poorly performing PAUSED ad will still affect my overall quality score of my campaign?
Or a poorly performing PAUSED keyword will affect my overall quality scopre of my ad group?

Are these statements correct? If so then I would want to delete these not just pause them.

No, no, no & no.

Neither Campaigns nor Ad Groups have Quality Scores; each instance of a Keyword/Phrase stands alone in this regard.

Duncan Pollock · #6 (**permalink**) 05-05-2009, 09:39 PM

I'm sure that you can instruct Google to show you only your Active Campaigns. The paused ones will still be there, but you can "clean things up" and avoid your present clutter.
Yes? No?

Duncan

deepsand · #7 (**permalink**) 05-05-2009, 10:28 PM

Correct.

The current AdWords interface, on the Campaign Summary pg., has 3 options at the top-right : Show All, Show all Active, & Show all but Deleted.

Similarly, the current beta of the new interface offers Show All, Show All enabled, & Show all but Deleted, where enabled appears to be the equivalent of Active.

bestpay · #8 (**permalink**) 05-19-2009, 10:13 AM

For me it's like SnerdeyWebs said, pause the old campaigns and then have a view just to show active campaigns.

I works for me!

Bestpay

NikaH · #9 (**permalink**) 06-19-2009, 08:30 AM

Answer from Google Employee:

Great question. There is no difference between pausing and deleting in terms of Quality Score. And, because you can always 'undelete' Deleted keywords- there really isn't much difference in function either. I think 'deleting' just makes some people nervous

deepsand · #10 (**permalink**) 06-20-2009, 08:07 PM

There is a common and legitimate need for a "pause" feature, owing to the fact that "undelete" is not universally available. In fact, even the near ubiquity of "pause" is relatively new, owing to the high demand from users for such; Google, for one, was quite late in providing such function.

forumer12 · #11 (**permalink**) 09-02-2009, 01:58 PM

Pausing has no negative effect in terms of quality score or statistics, and yes you can just select "Show Active" and it won't show any of the Paused/deleted campaigns. But if you pause them and in 2 years never come back to them again, you might as well delete them to clean up your account.
__________________
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SouthamptonAngel · #12 (**permalink**) 11-04-2009, 06:31 AM

I would delete in such circumstances, especially given the recent changes within Adwords.

deepsand · #13 (**permalink**) 11-04-2009, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthamptonAngel

I would delete in such circumstances, especially given the recent changes within Adwords.

What specific changes have been made which would make pausing undesirable?

SouthamptonAngel · #14 (**permalink**) 11-05-2009, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deepsand

What specific changes have been made which would make pausing undesirable?

Google have recently been issuing a number of warnings/suspensions to various individuals and companies with Adwords account. Many of the users that have been affected are associated with affiliate marketing, but not all.

Some accounts have been declared as being undesirable for adverts that were, in some instances, placed months or even years ago. In some instances, problems have been caused where account holders set up advertising campaigns in the past that were within the Adwords guidelines at the time and later paused those campaigns, without necessarily intending to use them again.

The Adwords team have confirmed in recent weeks that any such paused campaigns will still be checked for "quality" and to ensure that they meet current guidelines.

So unless you're sure that your current paused campaigns will meet all future guideline changes, then it's advisable to delete them.

deepsand · #15 (**permalink**) 11-05-2009, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthamptonAngel

Google have recently been issuing a number of warnings/suspensions to various individuals and companies with Adwords account. Many of the users that have been affected are associated with affiliate marketing, but not all.

Some accounts have been declared as being undesirable for adverts that were, in some instances, placed months or even years ago. In some instances, problems have been caused where account holders set up advertising campaigns in the past that were within the Adwords guidelines at the time and later paused those campaigns, without necessarily intending to use them again.

The Adwords team have confirmed in recent weeks that any such paused campaigns will still be checked for "quality" and to ensure that they meet current guidelines.

So unless you're sure that your current paused campaigns will meet all future guideline changes, then it's advisable to delete them.

Not necessary; you can edit any and all aspects of paused listings.

BTW, how can one be "sure that ... campaigns will meet all future guideline changes" without a time machine?

SouthamptonAngel · #16 (**permalink**) 11-06-2009, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deepsand

Not necessary; you can edit any and all aspects of paused listings.

BTW, how can one be "sure that ... campaigns will meet all future guideline changes" without a time machine?

That's the whole point: since you have know way of ensuring that your campaigns will meet all future guideline changes, you leave yourself open to QS hits and potential bans if you pause, rather than delete, given Google's current approach.

deepsand · #17 (**permalink**) 11-06-2009, 07:06 PM

The point is that you cannot know how any future changes will affect any ad listing, including active ones.

Therefore, to posit that deleting inactive listings, rather than pausing them, will be beneficial to future active listings is wholly speculative.

SouthamptonAngel · #18 (**permalink**) 11-10-2009, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deepsand

The point is that you cannot know how any future changes will affect any ad listing, including active ones.

Therefore, to posit that deleting inactive listings, rather than pausing them, will be beneficial to future active listings is wholly speculative.

Of course they'll affect active ones, but presumably you're keeping a close eye on your active campaigns?

If you're constantly reviewing your paused ads, then no problem with pausing the campaign.

But if you want less hassle and to remove the issue of running into future problems, then simply delete them.

deepsand · #19 (**permalink**) 11-10-2009, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthamptonAngel

Of course they'll affect active ones, but presumably you're keeping a close eye on your active campaigns?

If you're constantly reviewing your paused ads, then no problem with pausing the campaign.

But if you want less hassle and to remove the issue of running into future problems, then simply delete them.

Setting aside the issue of the value lost by deleting potentially reusable copy, there remains those of :

the extent to which a change in the QS of one listing affects others; and
how such might be detected.

What empirical evidence is there to support the 1st?

How might the 2nd be accomplished?

Absent either, to hold that inactive listings are best deleted remains conjecture.

SouthamptonAngel · #20 (**permalink**) 11-11-2009, 06:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deepsand

Setting aside the issue of the value lost by deleting potentially reusable copy, there remains those of :

the extent to which a change in the QS of one listing affects others; and
how such might be detected.

What empirical evidence is there to support the 1st?

How might the 2nd be accomplished?

Absent either, to hold that inactive listings are best deleted remains conjecture.

]

There's no "value lost by deleting potentially reusable copy" because of the way that the Adwords system works - it's always possible to retrieve "deleted" ads, ad groups and campaigns.

It's well known that an account quality score is used within the system: it's one of the reasons why a high quality, established account will receive lower CPCs than a newer account without an established history (or than an older account with a history of low QS)

If you don't believe me then give it a try!

Web Marketer · #21 (**permalink**) 11-18-2009, 06:43 AM

there is no difference in pausing and deleting your campaigns as it doesnt affects your QC....

deepsand · #22 (**permalink**) 11-18-2009, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthamptonAngel

... it's always possible to retrieve "deleted" ads, ad groups and campaigns.

Once again, "always" cannot be guaranteed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthamptonAngel

It's well known that an account quality score is used within the system: it's one of the reasons why a high quality, established account will receive lower CPCs than a newer account without an established history (or than an older account with a history of low QS)

Evades the question.

Once more, what empirical evidence is there to support the contention that the QS of any one or more listings, active or inactive, has a material effect on the QS of others?

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