How Specialized Generated 22% of its Website Traffic from Paid Search

Purpose of This Research

‍To identify the content and marketing strategy that contributed to 22% of Specialized’s website traffic coming from Paid Search by:

• ‍Assessing the brand’s focuses and priorities for the channel
• Identifying key timelines for experimenting and growth
• Highlighting macro elements of the strategy in detail

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Why Examine Specialized For Paid Search Insights?

• ‍Website Attribution. From May 2022 to April 2023, Paid Search has attributed for 22% (10.7M) of Specialized’s website traffic. ‍
• ‍Paid Traffic Growth. From the first half to the second half of the year, Specialized has seen a +15% increase in Paid Search traffic.
• ‍Investment. Specialized is continuing to grow their investment in the channel with a +18% spend increase from the first half to the second half of the period. 
• ‍Effectiveness. On average, Specialized generates 2.7x more Paid Search traffic compared to competitors like Canyon, Scott Sports and Trek.

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Key Takeaways

Specialized conservatively experiments with Paid Search spend over time. From May 2022 to April 2023, Specialized made above average spends for 33% of the year, or 4 out of 12 months, both during on and off biking seasons. 

• Actionable Recommendations
  Increase your ad spend above average for 3-4 months out of the year. Try a mixture of in-season or off-season months to analyze the effects of elevated ad spending during those periods. 

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With a spend of $531K in October 2022, Specialized saw the lowest CPC of $0.69. In this period, 30% of their top targeted keywords were not branded such as cascos bicicleta (bike helmet), and rockshox bicicleta (rockshox bike). 

• Actionable Recommendations
  ‍Keep ads short and to the point, communicating how the product is made by people passionate about the sport.

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Non-English speaking audiences respond to a more romantic ad copy compared to English-speaking audiences who enjoy a mix of functional and creative writing.

• Actionable Recommendations
  For Non-English speaking audiences, focus on selling the idea of a dream bike. For English-speaking audiences, focus more on accessibility, noting all the people your product can be for (ie. commuters or serious bikers) while signalling the variety of products and offerings.

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Specialized targets typically difficult broad keywords like “bike” or “e-bike” in non-English speaking regions like Brazil and Argentina.

• Actionable Recommendations
  Maintain a strongly branded approach in English and non-English speaking regions, but leverage typically basic and expensive keywords abroad in your target region’s native language.

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With a spend of $909K in April 2023, Specialized saw a MoM decrease in spend but improved CPC efficiency— reducing by 14% MoM. Specialized lowered the amount of average ad copies, keywords and landing pages in this period and maintained a entirely branded top keyword strategy.

• Actionable Recommendations
  Maximize branded and non-branded product keywords, (i.e. “specialized diverge” and “diverge”). Target people misspelling your brand with paid spend and stress how accessible your product offerings are with ad copy from the type of people who can ride the bikes to the disciplines you cover.

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From May ‘22 to Apr. ‘23, Specialized saw 10.7M visits from Paid Search.

68% of Paid Search traffic was generated by Mobile devices, with Desktop garnering 32%.

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During this time, they invested $8.4M into Paid Search...

64% of Paid Search traffic was generated by Mobile devices, with Desktop garnering 36%.

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…And saw an average CPC of $0.8. 

Mobile devices ($0.74) saw a -15% lower average CPC than Desktop ($0.87) devices. 

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Specialized’s Paid Search Spend & CPC Trends

May 2022 - April 2023

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October 2022 was the most cost effective month for Specialized.

Specialized spent $531K and generated 772K in Paid Search traffic, achieving the lowest monthly CPC ($0.69).

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March 2023 saw the highest paid search spend.

Specialized spent the most this month at $1.1M, generating 1M in traffic and the highest CPC at $1.

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Specialized’s Paid Search Traffic & CPC Trends

May 2022 - April 2023

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In April 2023, CPC decreased by 14% after Specialized applied learnings from previous months.

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In October 2022, Specialized ran 860 ad copies.

Specialized ran +4% more ads this month than average (827).

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207 unique keywords were used for targeting...

Specialized ran +3% more keywords this month than average (200).

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…in combination with 226 unique landing pages.

Specialized is on par with the average landing pages used in Paid Social ads.

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Out of the top 10 keywords targeted by Specialized in October 2022, only 30% are non-branded. 

Top branded keywords focus on products like “diverge” and “stumpjumper” and disciplines like “enduro”. 

Top non-branded keywords target general product searches like “bicycle helmets” (cascos bicicleta) and competitors like “rockshox”.

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86% of Specialized’s keyword categories in October 2022 featured the brand name in their ranking query. 

This indicates that they are aiming to be rediscovered amongst people who know their name but are looking for specific content like a “specialized e-bike” or “specialized diverge”. 

Top 4 Category Examples

• ‍Branded (“specialized”)
• ‍Branded Product ( “specialized diverge”)
• ‍Product (“bike helmet”)
• ‍Branded Discipline (“specialized mtb”) 

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Paid Search Ad Tactics

The top keyword for both of these ad examples is “Specialized”, inferring that people already aware of the brand will land upon it. 

• ‍For the Love of Biking: Copy with the top traffic share in October 2022 features a French-targeted ad. The ad is more romantic than the traditional North American messaging and aims to sell the idea of a dream bike to the viewer. This mid-funnel ad’s description boasts that “The Bike of Your Dreams is Available Here”.  

• ‍Solidarity: The second ad aims to communicate the intention and pillars of the brand by stating that Specialized is “Made For Riders, By Riders”. A very general ad, it aims to make the viewer aware of Specialized’s many offerings from Trail Bikes to Apparel and Kids’ Bikes.

Top Performing Branded Examples

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Paid Search Ad Tactics

The non-branded top keywords are much broader, top-of-funnel targets that rank simply for “bike” and “electric bike” in Portuguese.

• ‍Simple Titles: These ads follow a simple format that states the topic “E-Bikes” and the website “Specialized.com”.  

• ‍Short Descriptions: Both top non-branded ads start with the same copy to “Buy Specialized”, stating that their bikes are made with the best technology. The e-bike ad also supports readers by reassuring them that they can get shipping throughout Brazil. 

• ‍Choose Us: These ads aim to do one thing, reach prospective customers new to the bike scene who are broadly searching in a sea of options. 

Top Performing Non-Branded Examples

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In March 2023, Specialized ran 734 ad copies.

Specialized ran -11% less ads this month than average (827).

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150 unique keywords were used for targeting...

Specialized ran -25% less keywords this month than average (200).

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…in combination with 213 unique landing pages.

Specialized ran -6% less landing pages this month than average (226).

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Out of the top 10 keywords targeted by Specialized in March 2023, 100% are branded. 

Top branded keywords focus on regions like “usa” and “colombia” and products like “stumpjumper” and “diverge”. 

The simple “Specialized” branded keyword continues to lead the most traffic generation for Paid Search ads.

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While experimenting with a higher ad spend, Specialized increased the share of branded keywords to 92% (+7% from October 2022).

Top 4 Category Examples

• ‍Branded (“specialized”)
• ‍Branded Product ( “specialized diverge”)
• ‍Branded Demographic (“specialized usa”)
• ‍Branded Discipline (“specialized mtb”) 

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Paid Search Ad Tactics

• ‍Creative Copy: In March 2023, this ad saw a traffic share of 8.5%, which is +221% more than the average share of the top 10 ads for the period. Similar to the branded ad in October 2022, Specialized took the same title “Made for Riders, by Riders” but changed the description to let viewers know they are for everyone. “From Seasoned Pros & Weekend Warriors, To Kids & Commuters”. Instead of listing all their offerings they are attempting to reach audiences based on personas people can read and identify with. 

• ‍German Dream: The second German ad is similar to the French ad seen in October 2022. A slightly more romantic version, it explores the dream build any rider can find with Specialized.

Top Performing Branded Examples

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Paid Search Ad Tactics

• ‍Get Specific… One of Specialized’s top non-branded ads in this period focused on reaching people looking specifically for cycling helmets.  

• ‍…But Not Too Specific: Make sure prospects know that on top of helmets, you also provide other gear that is complementary to their biking experience.

• ‍Your Moment: The second ad takes an aspirational approach to reel in searchers broadly typing in “bike” in Spanish-speaking regions. They offer viewers the idea to think of biking as an escape from routine anytime but also now because they can order online seamlessly. The description in this copy ends with a list of the bike disciplines they service from road to mountain. 

Top Performing Non-Branded Examples

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In April 2023, Specialized ran 758 ad copies.

Specialized ran -8% less ads this month than average (827).

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147 unique keywords were used for targeting...

Specialized ran -27% less keywords this month than average (200).

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…in combination with 211 unique landing pages.

Specialized ran -7% less landing pages this month than average (226).

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In April 2023, Specialize maintained the 100% branded top keyword strategy.

A shift was made this month to focus even more on branded product keywords like “specialized allez” and “stumpjumper evo s works”. 

Note a unique addition to the top targeted keywords includes a misspelling of the brand name “Specielized”. 

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In April 2023, Specialized maintained a 92% share of branded keyword categories.

Branded product keywords saw a 29% MoM increase in traffic share from March 2023. 

There was a shift in category focus so that non-branded product queries saw a 25% increase in traffic share. 

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Paid Search Ad Tactics

April 2023 is the analysis period that saw two top branded English ads as opposed to one in English and one in another language. 

• ‍A Bit of Both: April 2023 top branded ads saw a stronger combination of the creative ad copy with typical sale creative. Both titles experimented with “Specialized Official Site” preceding or following other title text.
  
  Both descriptions have leaned towards keeping “From Seasoned Pros & Weekend Warriors, To Kids & Commuters - If You Ride, We’re For You” in the description in combination with text that encourages viewers to shop with Specialized while reiterating their broad spectrum of offerings.

Top Performing Branded Examples

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Paid Search Ad Tactics

The top non-branded ad copies are variations of each other that are different in very minimal ways. 

• ‍Length: The first ad features a full three-line description while the second ad intentionally cuts off after the start of the second line. 

• ‍Top Keyword: Both ads cover all bases, the first capturing people looking for electric bikes (using an accent on the word electric in Portuguese) as well as people typing without using an accent on the same word.

• ‍For Every Environment: The ads stress how versatile the product is for bikers of every discipline stating that they offer specific models for every practice environment.

Top Performing Non-Branded Examples

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Homepages represent over 47% of all landing pages linked to Specialized’s Paid Search ads.

The American homepage saw the highest use in ads (9.5%) followed by the German (4.8%), British (3.3%), Brazilian (3.2%), Mexican (2.9%) and Chilean (2.8%).  

Homepage

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The top featured landing page in ads that isn’t a homepage is the Road Bike collection page.

The page was used in 272 ad copies, representing about 3% of the ads. 

A clean product collection page, it features a hero banner followed by a series of shoppable bikes and frames.

Road Bikes

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Digital Advertising Data Source Caveat