Internet Marketing Blog » Google Adwords

Google Tests Yet Another Ad Format

Marc — Thu, 19 May 2011 15:36:31 +0000

We recently caught wind that Google were about to test a new Ad format whereby the domain relative to an ad appears in the headlines of PPC ads. Sure enough, yesterday it was officially announced that this was being rolled out.

In recent months Google have been testing various methods of increasing the width of their ads after extensive research revealed this led to higher click through rates. These tests have included the concatenation of description lines one and two, or more recently that of the Headline and Description Line 1. This newest version of search ads will display the Headline text and Domain of your site at headline level, divided by a vertical bar. However, there are a few things to remember. If your Headline already contains your domain we are assured that the domain will not appear a second time. Also, this will not work if the total length of your Headline (including your domain) is above the 68 character limit (something to consider when designing headlines for brand related ads). Finally, if your ads are already heavy in brand related terms, this will free up space for more promotional ad text and stronger calls to action.

So, what does this mean for our ads? Well, this will mean that URL exposure is doubled, allowing for easier identification from the searcher as to which companies Ad they are clicking on. It seems that as a branding exercise this will favour better-known brands that have already built up trust levels, as their visual prominence further increases beyond those of their relatively unknown competitors.

Keep checking back in the coming weeks as we publish our findings on this and other new ad formats that we are currently in discussions with Google about.

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Freshen Up Your PPC Campaigns

Alan — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 08:10:31 +0000

To keep your PPC campaigns fresh and up to date it’s important to keep updating and adding keywords. This will keep you ahead of the game in your market place but a word of warning – it sounds easier to do than it actually is and maintaining momentum can be a challenge. Very quickly you can find that you are duplicating keywords and losing focus on your services and products. It's easy to wander away from relevant keywords so here are some ways you can maintain concentration:

Google’s Keyword Suggestion Tool

The Keyword Suggestion Tool can be found in the AdWords Tool section.

The suggested keywords are generated from data that has been built up from past Google searches. They are just suggestions so keep your website and its products and services in mind at all times so you don’t include something needlessly. The aim should be converting leads so needless amounts of traffic with low conversion rates should be avoided.

Search Query Reports in Adwords

A search query report shows which searches led to a minimum of one click on an advert. If your campaign is heavy in broad matching they can be useful. Aim to have your top keywords exactly matched to reduce the CPC and increase the Quality Score. You can also identify irrelevant traffic and also reduce irrelevant impressions.

Google Insights

This tool allows you to examine trends in your keywords and also provides extra information such as breakout keywords and the percentage number of searches carried out over a month.

At Click Consult, we help keep our client’s pay per click campaigns ahead of the competition.

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How A New Website Will Affect Your PPC Campaign

Laura — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:08:44 +0000

If you are launching a new website, this will have a major impact on your PPC account. In truth it can break your pay per click campaign. Launching a new website is a global change that has huge repercussions.

Over time you will naturally learn more about your audience, what engages them, how to provide a better user experience and how to maximize your conversion rates. With this your website will evolve. There may also come a time when your website needs to change its name or take a new URL. If you have looked into everything thoroughly and have an experienced PPC team to support you then this decision is likely to be a good one. Yet no matter how well prepared you are, there will be some bumps along the way.

The launch of a new website is a global change and will affect your performance quite severely.

Every PPC ad will need the display and destination URLs updating. This requires you to pause all your existing ads and launch new ones with the updated website information. Google AdWords will view these new ads as new submissions which means your Quality Score needs rebuilding.

Google AdWords then evaluates the website site or landing page. It can take time for this to happen.

Any global changes to a PPC campaign are flagged up. Search engines like to see slow, gradual changes which increase performance over time. By changing all the ads at once you can shock the system.

To get expert advice on how to manage global changes to PPC campaigns such as launching a new website contact us at Click Consult.

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The Right Questions to Ask

Laura — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:13:37 +0000

You may think that by managing your pay per click campaign alone you are saving money on management fees. However, it may be time to think again as hiring an agency can increase your PPC campaign’s performance and save your budget in the long term.

If you’re new to working with a PPC agency you may find the prospect daunting, and feel unsure of what you should be asking and how to identify whether their quotation is inline with their service offering. Here are some basic questions to ask any potential PPC agencies:

1. How is the Google Quality Score Managed?

This is based on ad text, keywords and landing page relevance. They should be aiming to provide you with smaller, targeted ad groups requiring fewer keywords. This then enables the agency to write specific ad text which will in turn increase your click-through rates. Keywords should be contained in the landing pages to ensure relevancy and ultimately increase conversions to sale.

2. What will the agency do first when the account is taken over?

The best response would be to carry out an account restructure or fix incorrect settings.

3. What reporting do they offer?

As a standard, you should be getting reports to outline completed work and also provide you with a concise analysis of the account.

4. Will the agency provide access to Adwords and Google Analytics?

A good agency will set up a Google Analytics account on your behalf and provide access to Adwords. However this should only be to view. Leave changes to the agency.

If you are looking for help with your pay per click campaigns contact us at Click Consult.

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Yahoo and Microsoft Finally Tie the Knot

Alan — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:07:56 +0000

After years of talking and protracted negotiations, Yahoo and Microsoft have finally agreed an Internet search deal. The full details of the deal are yet to be released but the basics are; Microsoft's search engine (Bing) will power Yahoo search and Yahoo will become the advertising sales team for Microsoft.

So how does this affect PPC? It is likely that Yahoo Search Marketing and MSN AdCenter will merge. The outcome will be a new paid search service run by Yahoo. These PPC ads will then show to both the Yahoo and MSN search traffic, increasing the exposure that the two could provide individually.

This means that if you currently run PPC on Yahoo and/or MSN you will need a new PPC strategy for Yahoo and MSN. If you currently only run PPC on Google then now is the ideal time to start on the new combined Yahoo/MSN. The increase in search volume means that there is an increased amount of potential traffic, conversions and ROI.

How will this affect Google AdWords? This deal’s sole purpose is almost definitely to try and compete with Google. So it is bad news for Google because its competition is now working together to try to dent its vast majority share of the UK and USA’s search traffic and PPC revenues. I personally believe that Yahoo and MSN are doing too little, too late and Google are so far ahead they cannot be caught or halted.

The truth is that this is one of the most exciting developments in Internet search and PPC in a long time and only time will tell if the deal will be a success for Yahoo and MSN or if Google will just continue to leave them behind.

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Beneficial Reading

Alan — Wed, 13 May 2009 06:14:08 +0000

Online press releases have quickly grown as a favourite way to create visibility and get noticed. It has easily become the most used and easiest internet marketing tool available to companies. The best part is that you do not even have to have something newsworthy to shout about. You just need to know exactly how to manipulate something annual or ordinary into something sensational or interesting. Online press releases hold great benefits for your company or business.

Benefiting from it all

The overall aim of a press release is to gain something from your efforts. So what exactly do you stand to benefit from publishing an online press release? First and foremost, a press release gets your name out there so that people will know who you are and what you offer. But that is not where the bus stops for beneficial press releases.

Every link that you add to your press release acts as a backlink to your website. Backlinks serve you well in upping your page ranking in the search results. This pushes the visibility of your website up and the more visible you are the better for your business.

When you publish an online press release with a reputable and world-renowned online site you are in the pound seats. This grants you instant recognition and credibility through that site.

Press releases are a great way to score some extra publicity without having to fork out a fortune for it. You just need to please your readers and leave them wanting more. This means that they will visit your website and hopefully generate business for you.

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The Different Pay Per Click Program Choices

Geoff — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:19:27 +0000

Internet searchers in the United Kingdom basically make use of the three main pay per click services. These PPC programs are provided by the three most used search engines; Google has AdWords, Yahoo has Yahoo! Search Marketing and MSN provides adCenter.

There is quite a lot of small pay per click services that operate in the UK as well as the PPC market is an extremely fast growing industry. The three top dogs in the industry are your best bets though as they have the most web traffic. This means your chances of getting highly targeted traffic are so much higher.

How to choose?

The PPC game is all about keywords that are specific to your business and you pay the search engine service for each time that a person clicks on your ad and visit your website. These keywords are bid upon by businesses and carry different values. What will be the deciding factor for which PPC program you choose will be what your specific product is and who your targeted audiences are.

Your PPC consultant will sit down with you and go over your PPC campaign with you. This is to determine the best suited program and bidding price within your budget. The three top programs work similar in that your ad is placed high on the search results page. What influences your bidding price and program choice would be several factors.

The demographics of your target audience are important. Statistics show that Google draw a younger age group while Yahoo draws a more mature visitor and is preferred by women as well.

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Is Google a Definite Winner?

Click Consult — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:25:11 +0000

Google has surprised us again with its ability never to stand still. Once again it widened its software capacities to give advertisers better and more precise tools, such as Google Ad Planner and Google Trends for Websites.
While MSN is still trying to create some sort of less or more acceptable AdCenter interface and Yahoo is battling for its survival, Google seems to be stepping over recent recession and markets slowdown, pushing straight through into new era with more targeted search options and attractive marketing products.
Due to current economical climate, advertisers are desperate to flog their products and services. While high street shopping has seen better days, online sales are growing year on year due to convenience and increased security for consumers and easiness to set up & manage and lower costs for retailers. This online growth can be largely attributed to Google Adwords and Natural Listings that deliver more traffic than Yahoo & MSN all together.
Our day spending time online is a part of our daily routine: we are searching for information, socialising, viewing videos, playing games, blogging, discussing products and services and all this may lead to an intended or impulsive purchase. This is why it is so important for advertisers to keep their ads running targeting specific segments and locations, getting ready for Xmas and post Xmas sales.

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Keyword Research Tool We Want More Of It

Click Consult — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:34:54 +0000

Building PPC campaign isn’t an easy task but what is even more frustrating is choosing keywords that you are going to use. Google keyword research tool has been recently much improved, but it’s still lacking that fine touch that could turn it into “ultimate killing machine”. The main improvement was in how Google presents its past search data, which moved away from just graphic presentation to some real numbers.
It’s great when you can see how many people are bidding on specific keyword or how many searches it had in previous months. It can help you to identify short and long tail terms and utilise your budget more efficiently. But… there is a catch, the data can’t be downloaded and copying the page or a screen printing is not of much use. Maybe in case of a small Pay per Click campaign with reasonable budget this problem won’t be of an issue, but in case of large and budget tight campaigns the ability to download and analyse the data is crucial. So why did Google go far but not far enough? From one hand, based on an assumption that keyword tool does provide us with valid results, choice of long tail and low competition keywords could heavily hit Google’s profits. From other hand, if neither keywords nor stats are 100% reliable, then Google has a right of stopping us from downloading this information. There is always a “fair option” that Google does play straight, but based on my experience it something very hard to believe in… unless we have more transparency.

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Google Adwords is the new Facebook

Alan — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 08:31:55 +0000

I am a PPC campaign manager and as such Google AdWords has become my bread and butter and by far the website that I visit the most. Microsoft adCenter and Yahoo Sponsored Search obviously also appear high on my list. But just like the way AdWords dominates the search market and PPC revenues it also seems to dominate my time. All but one of my customers use AdWords for their PPC campaigns but many do not use adCenter or Yahoo Sponsored Search.

This is one reason why I believe Google AdWords has become the new Facebook. Their have been many claims about how Facebook affected employee productivity when it became popular with many employees across the country logging during work hours. As such many companies have now blocked employees from navigating to Facebook, in my case I never go on Facebook in work not even on my lunch break, I do however spend all day logged into AdWords.

The second and more potent reason I believe that Google AdWords has become my new Facebook is that I now very rarely use it even at home. I may login on the odd occasion when I get several automated emails that draw my attention but on the whole I use it a fraction of what I used to. Facebook was always the first and last site that I went to whenever I sat down or left a PC, I didn't live off it like some people but I had to check it at every opportunity.

Google Adwords has now become the first and last site that I go to whenever I sit down at a PC. I'm very pleased to say that I really enjoy my job and I really want all of my campaigns to be as successful as they can be. Checking my accounts and making bid changes during my free time at home is now the activity that I choose to do ahead of logging into Facebook and ignoring the hundred irrelevant invitations that everyone sends me.

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