Autotargeting

Autotargeting is an ad serving technology that doesn't use keywords. It analyzes data in the ad and on the landing page and determines whether the ad matches the search query, user interests, or website content. Using autotargeting, you can attract additional targeted traffic by serving ads to an audience not easily reached through keywords.

How it works

Autotargeting runs in parallel with keywords and has equal priority. Statistics for autotargeting impressions are calculated separately.

Autotargeting settings in search results and Yandex Maps

Query categories

• Targeted queries: The ad perfectly meets the user queries. For example, for the advertiser in-space.ru running the Space travel ad, the targeted query would be buy a space tour.

• Narrow queries: The ad is broader than the user query. For example, for the advertiser in-space.ru running the “Space travel” ad, a narrow query would be buy a romantic space tour.

  Previously, these fell under targeted queries. Because of this, existing campaigns with configured targeted queries now include both the narrow and targeted categories. You can change this if necessary.

• Broad queries: Queries showing interest in a product exemplified by the ad. For example, choose a tour.

• Alternative queries: The user is looking for a product that can be replaced by the advertised product. The ad might also meet the query in this case. For example, buy an underwater tour.

• Related queries: Queries for products that might interest the user in relation to the advertised product or service. For example, buy a spacesuit.

If you add Text & Image ads to a group in a unified performance campaign, you can see examples of queries that would trigger autotargeting for each category.

Branded queries

• Queries that mention your brand, for example, for the Athlete sports store: buy running shoes Athlete or sports T-shirts Athlete.

• Queries that mention competing brands, such as buy running shoes Sports World or T-shirts for sports Olympica store.

• Queries that don't mention your brand or competing brands, such as cheap running shoes or buy T-shirt for sports.

You can use autotargeting in separate campaigns for branded search queries, or you can combine categories that mention both your brand and a competitor brand. Brand queries are search terms directly related to a company's brand. These include searches where the company ranks first in organic search results or is the manufacturer of the product being searched for. For example, if you launch ads for your “Good ads” service that helps configure Yandex Direct, then the query Good ads is a brand query for your campaign, while the query Yandex Direct isn't.

Examples of autotargeting queries in different categories will vary depending on the brand mention settings.

For more information about setting up autotargeting in unified performance campaigns and in the Campaign Wizard, see How to set up autotargeting in a campaign.

Query examples: in a separate window or as a file

You can view examples of queries for unified performance campaigns (if the group includes ads) in a separate window or download them as an XLSX file from the section to the right of the category settings. Examples are generated based on your provided texts, headlines, links, brand mention settings, and negative keywords. The window and file contains examples of queries for each category. Refer to these examples to choose the right category and add more negative keywords if you need to.

If necessary, you can tweak your settings and view new examples or download an updated version of the file. You don't have to save your changes to the group for the file to be updated.

Keep in mind that any narrowing of targetings, including disabling autotargeting categories, decreases your coverage and might lower the effectiveness of your campaign. Disable a category only if it's inefficient — for example, if it exceeds the average price per install or brings non-targeted clicks.

How to set up autotargeting in a campaign

Autotargeting is available in search results and in ad networks for the following campaign types:

Unified performance campaign

Autotargeting is a mandatory condition for placement in search results, in Yandex Maps, or in both search results and ad networks. You must select at least one query category for each ad group. When you switch placement from the Yandex Advertising Network to Yandex Search or Yandex Maps, autotargeting is automatically enabled for all query categories in each group. We recommend double-checking the settings when you change the placement location. You can only disable autotargeting for campaigns served in ad networks.

1. To enable autotargeting in search results, select the query categories to apply it to.

   If ads are added to the group, you can see examples of queries that would trigger autotargeting for each category.

2. Under Brand mention in Yandex Search queries and Yandex Maps queries, select the type of queries that should return your ads. These can be queries mentioning your brand, a competitor brand, or no brand at all. For example, you can use autotargeting in separate campaigns for brand search queries,

   To serve ads without filtering by brand, enable all options.

You can also enable autotargeting on the campaign page or on the Bids and keywords tab.

You can select the updated query categories and brand mention settings for multiple ad groups at once using bulk actions, Direct Commander, or the Yandex Direct API.

Conversions and traffic for site ads

When you set up a campaign to advertise a site in the Campaign Wizard, autotargeting is enabled by default, with all categories selected. To disable autotargeting categories:

1. Under Define your audience, select Manual setup for the Audience parameter.

2. Under Negative keywords and exclusions, select the categories for which you want to disable impressions:

   • Narrow queries
   • Broad queries
   • Alternative queries
   • Related queries
   • Queries that mention your brand
   • Queries mentioning competing brands

Ads for mobile apps

When setting up app ads in the Campaign Wizard, autotargeting is enabled by default. You can manage autotargeting categories, but you can't disable impressions for targeted queries.

To select autotargeting categories:

1. Under Define your audience, select Advanced audience settings.
2. Select the Targeting categories for which you want to display ads.

When setting up ads for mobile apps in a unified performance campaign, autotargeting can be enabled the same way as in a regular unified performance campaign.

Managing bids in a manual strategy

When using a manual strategy, set a bid for autotargeting in search results. In ad networks, the bid is set automatically.

For autotargeting in search results, automatic bids are enabled by default. The automatic bid is calculated as the group's weighted average bid per click before any adjustments:

Bid = (Bid1 × Clicks1 + Bid2 × Clicks2 + ... + Bid(n) × Clicks(n)) / (Clicks1 + Clicks2+ ... + Clicks(n)), where

• "Bid" is the bid for the keyword.
• "Clicks" is the number of clicks.

Let's say a group has two keywords:

1. Buy a trip to space with a bid of 50 rubles and 5 clicks.

2. Buy a trip to Mars with a bid of 100 rubles and 10 clicks.

The automatic bid for autotargeting in this group is calculated as follows: (50 × 5 + 100 × 10)/15 = 83.3 rubles.

The automatic bid can't exceed the maximum bid for any keyword in the group. This value is constantly updated, because it's determined not only by the bids themselves, but also by the number of clicks for each keyword in the group.

To set a bid manually:

1. Select the campaigns in the campaign list and go to the Bids and keywords tab.

2. In the --autotargeting line, click the icon next to the bid value.

3. Switch to “Manual bid”, enter your bid, and click Apply.

You can also change the bid using Bid Wizard, Direct Commander, or the Yandex Direct API.

As with bids for keywords, all adjustments configured at the campaign or group level also apply to the automatic bids.

We recommend setting the autotargeting bid at about the same level as the keyword bid.

If bids for keywords are not configured within the group, Yandex Direct algorithms will automatically select an optimal bid.

How to analyze the effectiveness of autotargeting

You can view autotargeting statistics in the Report Wizard and the Search queries report.

Report Wizard

Add the Impression criteria cross section and the Impressions, Conversion (%), Goal cost, and Conversions columns. This shows you the total impression statistics. Check the Impression criteria column: if an ad was served through autotargeting, this is marked in the column.

Build a report using the Targeting categories cross section and the same columns (Impressions, Conversion rate (%), Goal cost, Conversions). You'll see statistics on impressions for the keywords selected in all categories.

To get the data for each query category, add the Targeting categories filter criteria to the report and select the categories you need.

Use the Brand mention in queries cross section in the report to add brand mentions to the targeting categories.

Compare conversions and goal cost for keywords and autotargeting in different categories. If the goal cost for autotargeting is too high, reduce the bid for it.

Search queries

Add the Impression criteria cross section and the Impressions, Conversion (%), Goal cost, and Conversions columns. You will see which search queries triggered your ads. Check the Impression criteria column: if an ad was served through autotargeting, this is marked in the column.

Build a report using the Targeting categories cross section and the same columns (Impressions, Conversion rate (%), Goal cost, Conversions). You'll see statistics on impressions for the keywords selected in all categories.

To get the data for each query category, add the Targeting categories filter criteria to the report and select the categories you need.

Use the Brand mention in queries cross section in the report to add brand mentions to the targeting categories.

Add irrelevant queries to the list of negative keywords.

Learn more about evaluating campaign performance

Questions?