Matthew Umbro - Practical Ecommerce

Articles by: Matthew Umbro

Matthew Umbro

Matthew Umbro

Matthew Umbro is the Senior Director of Paid Search at Arbutus Digital, a leading marketing agency. Since 2007, he has helped clients worldwide across multiple industries run profitable pay-per-click accounts.

He is the founder of #PPCChat, a weekly X chat for industry specialists.

Matt holds a B.A. in Communication from the University of New Hampshire.

Contact Matt via email or LinkedIn.

Google Ads
Better Audience Targeting in Google Ads

October 5, 2025 • Matthew Umbro

The search giant has enhanced its targeting capabilities to resemble those on Meta, LinkedIn, and other social channels.
Google Ads
Google PMax Unveils Optimization Tools

September 7, 2025 • Matthew Umbro

Lack of transparency and flexibility frustrate Performance Max advertisers. Google is listening.
Google Ads
Google Ads Unveils RSA Asset Stats

August 6, 2025 • Matthew Umbro

In a helpful reporting update, Google Ads now shows click and conversion data for each headline and description line of Responsive Search Ads.
Google Ads
Google, Microsoft Clarify Ad Bidding

July 7, 2025 • Matthew Umbro

Google and Microsoft are rolling out updates to improve transparency while removing redundant (and confusing) bidding features.
Google Ads
How Google Ads Fits into AI Overviews and AI Mode

June 11, 2025 • Matthew Umbro

At this year's "Marketing Live" event, Google announced many updates to Ads. Most were AI-driven.
Google Ads
Google’s AI Max Ads Hone Search Intent

May 11, 2025 • Matthew Umbro

"AI Max for Search," Google Ads new campaign type, aims to understand searchers' intentions beyond keywords.
Google Ads
Google Ads Recommendations Worth Doing

April 7, 2025 • Matthew Umbro

Some recommendations from Google Ads can improve performance. Others, not so much.
Google Ads
Create Google Ads Scripts via GenAI

March 10, 2025 • Matthew Umbro

Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and others are fast and thorough, although not perfect.
Google Ads
Essential Google Ads Settings for 2025

February 9, 2025 • Matthew Umbro

Five campaign settings can make or break performance and often require overriding Google's suggestions.
Google Ads
Ad Strategies for Competitor Keywords

January 7, 2025 • Matthew Umbro

Google's ad platform has evolved, and so has bidding on competitor keywords.
Google Ads
Keywordless Search Ads Are Coming

December 5, 2024 • Matthew Umbro

The "death of the keyword" prediction isn't new, and Search campaigns without keywords already exist.
Google Ads
Dynamic Search Ads Tap Informational Queries

November 11, 2024 • Matthew Umbro

DSAs can attract valuable top-of-funnel shoppers to nurture and convert into customers.
Google Ads
My Top Google Ads Automated Rules

October 7, 2024 • Matthew Umbro

Automated rules can send alerts and adjust settings, resulting in streamlined oversight.
Google Ads
Holiday Promotions in Google Text Ads

September 10, 2024 • Matthew Umbro

Promoting holiday sales and events in text ads is tricky when Google picks the headlines and descriptions.
Google Ads
Google’s Search Tie-ups Are Illegal, Judge Rules

August 8, 2024 • Matthew Umbro

Google pays billions to Apple and other providers for being the default search engine.
Google Ads
Google Ads Alters Design, Broad Match, Payments

July 11, 2024 • Matthew Umbro

Three recent updates impact all advertisers to varying degrees, although the new interface design is the most obvious.
Google Ads
Google Ads Updates from Marketing Live 2024

June 6, 2024 • Matthew Umbro

Google announced over 30 new advertising features at this year's event. Here are the most impactful for merchants.
Google Ads
4 Google Ads Scripts to Free Up Time

May 12, 2024 • Matthew Umbro

Automating mundane tasks frees up time for account strategy and critical optimizations.
Google Ads
Google Ad Updates Reflect New SERPs

April 9, 2024 • Matthew Umbro

An ad's postion on the search results page is less important than its prominence, per Google.
Google Ads
Optimizing Google Ads without Keywords

March 10, 2024 • Matthew Umbro

Google's AI detects seachers' intent, lessening the need for keyword bidding.
Google Ads
Understanding YouTube Campaign Types

February 5, 2024 • Matthew Umbro

Google Ads offers seven YouTube campaign subtypes, ranging from reaching users while browsing to driving conversions.
Google Ads
How to Forecast PPC Costs and Revenue

January 7, 2024 • Matthew Umbro

Does increased spend on Google Ads produce more revenue? Here's a framework to help decide.
Google Ads
Google Ad Tactics for 2024

December 7, 2023 • Matthew Umbro

Google Ads is already incorporating AI into its interface. More changes are coming, including the elimination of third-party cookies.
Google Ads
Google Ads Holiday Timesavers

November 12, 2023 • Matthew Umbro

Don't waste time on menial advertising tasks. Here are four handy productivity boosters.
Google Ads
Value-based Bidding Drives Google Ads Success

October 12, 2023 • Matthew Umbro

Automated bid strategies based on conversion values and target ROAS produces the most profits.
Google Ads
Unpacking ‘Demand Gen’ Google Ads

September 3, 2023 • Matthew Umbro

Google's new top-of-funnel campaign type includes in-feed ads in YouTube Shorts.
Google Ads
Google Ads Streamlines Switch to Performance Max

August 13, 2023 • Matthew Umbro

Gradual is better when upgrading Dynamic Search and Display campaigns to Performance Max.
Google Ads
Google Ads Improves Brand Settings

July 19, 2023 • Matthew Umbro

Google sometimes co-mingles ads for brand and non-brand queries. The new settings ensure traffic and reporting are funneled to the right campaigns.
Google Ads
Reassessing Google Ads’ Broad Match

June 11, 2023 • Matthew Umbro

Broad match keyword types, once shunned by many advertisers, facilitate Google Ads' automation and machine learning.
Google Ads
How ChatGPT Complements Google Ads

May 4, 2023 • Matthew Umbro

Setting up pay-per-click campaigns is often laborious and time-consuming. Here's how AI can help with campaign structure, keyword selection, ad copy, audiences, and more.