Hey there, colleagues! I really need some assistance. I've been assigned a task by the higher-ups to verify whether our contractor is effectively utilizing the monthly budget of $10,000 on contextual advertising through Yandex Direct and Google AdWords. I have access to a few resources: 1. downloading xls from Yandex Direct (contractor's personal account) for advertising campaigns with spending funds, 2. access to Yandex Metrica, and 3. access to Google Analytics (without spending funds).

There hasn't been any SEO work on the site before, and it's never been done. My experience is primarily based on following SeoPult's recommendations on internal optimization, generating reports on the positions of promoted keywords in PS, and managing content.

I've been spending the last three days haphazardly combing through everything I can find on the Internet about contextual advertising, and I've come to the realization that this approach isn't sustainable.

Folks, I need your guidance on where to begin. Is it even feasible to prepare a report from such raw data? Do analytical services exclusively display statistics for the most recent 90 days? How can I assess the impact of advertising and targeted/non-targeted budget spending if the source data (before the campaigns were launched) is unavailable?

Some background: one of the employees contributed to the disbandment of the web development department, introduced his own contractor, and personally collaborated with them. The entire contract was heavily skewed in favor of the developer, resulting in the delayed launch of a new website by a year. There was no promotion, and essential dоcumentation for ordering contextual advertising is missing.

I genuinely appreciate your help in advance!

Given the resources at your disposal, it's important to approach this task strategically. While your experience may be primarily focused on internal optimization and keyword tracking, delving into the realm of contextual advertising analysis requires a different set of skills and tools.
To begin, harness the power of the data available to you. By downloading the xls from Yandex Direct, you can start by meticulously examining the spending trends of the contractor's advertising campaigns. Look for patterns, anomalies, and areas where the budget allocation may not be optimized. Additionally, utilize Yandex Metrica and Google Analytics to gain insights into user behavior and engagement on the website. This will provide valuable context when assessing the impact of the advertising efforts.

In absence of historical data, focus on the present and the future. Analytical services often do provide statistics for the most recent 90 days, so leverage this window to evaluate the performance of the advertising campaigns. Look for key performance indicators such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and cost-per-acquisition to gauge the effectiveness of the spending.

It's essential to approach this task with a critical eye, especially given the irregularities in the contracting process. Investigate the delay in launching the new website, noting any impacts this may have had on the potential success of the advertising campaigns.

Furthermore, consider conducting a thorough competitive analysis to benchmark the contractor's performance against industry standards. This will help provide a broader context for your assessment.

While the task at hand may seem daunting, a meticulous and strategic approach using the available resources can provide actionable insights into the effectiveness of the contextual advertising spending. It's crucial to maintain a strong sense of objectivity and attention to detail as you navigate through the data and circumstances. If needed, consider seeking additional expertise from professionals specializing in contextual advertising and data analysis to further strengthen your findings.

Yes, some initial assessment can be made based on the available data. No, the statistics in analytical services encompass the entire period since the installation of the counter, with the exception being search phrases imported from Google Console to Google Analytics, which does not apply in this case.

Amidst the absence of connections between campaigns and counters, analytical services are expected to initially capture certain data.

Questions for the contractors:
- Why were the counters not linked to campaigns and accounts immediately upon the launch of the ad? This reflects negatively on the contractor.
- Have the goals in the conversion tracking counters been set up? If not, it indicates a lack of concern for the quality of traffic by the contractor.
- Why has access to Yandex accounts not been provided for your campaigns? Granting access is standard practice, and this raises suspicions of hidden activities.

The initial steps to take:
- Check the reports of analytical systems by traffic sources. Look for the advertising systems and review performance indicators such as bounce rates, time on site, and average viewing depth. Also, check for goal conversions if they are set.
- Compare this data with other traffic sources, considering poor indicators like high bounce rates (over 30%), short time on site (less than a minute), and low viewing depth (up to 2 pages). These indicators may vary based on the site's specifics.
- Compare the expenses of advertising campaigns with their quality in the counters. Spending the most on a campaign with poor efficiency is unfavorable. Contractors often allocate budgets inefficiently, such as for YAN campaigns.
- If there is a request upload from the systems, examine the frequency and relevance of these requests to your products. Also, check if a small group of high-frequency requests is draining the budget.

These initial actions allow for scrutinizing various aspects and questioning the contractor extensivel

Before delving into the analytical reports, it is essential to assess the efficacy of the advertising campaign itself.

First and foremost, I advise examining:
- The settings and parameters of the advertising campaign. Often, a few adjustments can significantly enhance its efficiency.
- The presence of common negative keywords for the campaign.
- Segregation of impressions on search and the Yandex advertising network.
- The optimal display strategy's cost-effectiveness.
- The existence of ad extensions.
- The inclusion of additional links.
- Whether the keywords have been cross-referenced.

It is important to monitor:
Whether each phrase has its own advertisement. While this may be labor-intensive, it is often justifiable, particularly for high-frequency and competitive phrases.

Targeting the wrong keywords.
Slow-loading pages.
Changing algorithm.
Pages aren't optimized for search.
AI-generated content.
Low-quality content.
Mobile-friendliness.
Monitor and analyze SEO results.