Update on Improvements to Ads Quality

Google has improved the ad quality scores. These improvements better evaluate the precise quality of your ads and improve the way Google determines which ads show in the yellow region above the search results. AdWords has always accounted for the influence of ad position on CTR and removed it from the Quality Score. This specific improvement updates this system to make it fresher and more accurate.

The main features of the updation are –

1) More precise Quality Score calculation

2) Higher quality ads above the search results

These enhancements may cause changes to your ad position, spend, and performance. Let us wait and see.

12 Steps to Effective Online Budget Allocation

I got these points from a great article written by Mel Carson in adcenter community. According to mel, the 12 steps are –

1. Retention
2. Intention
3. Attention
4. Detention
5. Coordination
6. Collaborate
7. Differentiate
8. Speculate
9. Analyse
10. Plagiarise
11. Optimise
12. Economise

For the detailed version of this points, visit http://adcentercommunity.com/blogs/analytics/archive/2008/10/20/12-Steps-To-Effective-Online-Budget-Allocation.aspx

Seminars on Google Adwords & Analytics

There are in-person training for AdWords or Analytics this moth. See the schedule.

AdWords

November 3: Los Angeles, CA – AdWords 301: Advanced
November 5: Seattle, WA – AdWords 301: Advanced
November 13-14: Philadelphia, PA – AdWords 101: Beginner, AdWords 201: Intermediate
November 17: Las Vegas, NV – AdWords 301: Advanced
December 1-2: Honolulu, HI – AdWords 101: Beginner, AdWords 201: Intermediate
December 2: Washington DC – AdWords 301: Advanced
December 4: Houston, TX – AdWords 301: Advanced

Analytics

November 5-6: Los Angeles, CA – Analytics: Introduction, Analytics: Advanced
December 8-9: Seattle, WA – Analytics: Introduction, Analytics: Advanced
December 8-9: Montreal, QC – Analytics: Introduction, Analytics: Advanced

Sign up for Seminars at least 7 days in advance. For more information visit http://www.google.com/awseminars.

Separate Metrics for Google and Search Partners

Google has changed the way our Campaign Summary and Ad Group Summary pages show statistics. This will give us an additional level of facet into our campaign performance. Before, these pages divided statistics into two categories: search, which included Google and search partners, and the content network. Now, it will show one set of statistics for Google and another set aggregating search partner performance. Search partners include AOL, Ask.com, and many other search sites around the web. We can view ad group or campaign performance at a summary level, or broken down by different combinations of Google, their search partners and content network. It is heard that separate Google and aggregate search partner statistics will soon be available in the Report Center.

Google Marketer’s Playbook at ad:tech New York

The Google Marketer’s Playbook is a series of educational talks where their experts talk about strategies for making the most of AdWords and other Google products such as Google Analytics and YouTube. You can attend the Google Marketer’s Playbook and hear advice on topics such as optimization strategy, measurement and tracking, and increasing reach during the upcoming ad:tech digital marketing conferences.

The next session will be held at the 2008 ad:tech New York show November 3rd and 4th, and the talks are open to all exhibit hall pass holders. To obtain a free exhibit hall pass, visit www.ad-tech.com and click on the ‘register’ link next to the show you will be attending. Following the talks, attendees will be able to participate in live Q&A sessions with the experts. The Google Marketer’s Playbook at ad:tech San Francisco, Miami and Chicago have already over, but you can watch recordings of the sessions in this YouTube playlist. These videos are also live on the Google Business Channel which also contains more presentations and webinars about Google’s business products and advertising solutions.

Use Google Analytics to Optimize Your Ads

Google Analytics is one of the best webmaster tools in the internet. In addition to tracking traffic, you can use it optimize your landing pages and your pay per click ads. What you have to do is in Google Analytics check for Entrance Sources and Entrance Keywords. The keywords used to locate your site is really useful because if you know the most trendy keywords that people use to find your website then you can concentrate on those keywords in developing your content and your ad copy. For example, if you don’t have a web page related to one of your top 10 entrance keywords then you should possibly think about creating a landing page optimized for that keyword. Then start an ad group targeted for that landing page and using the same keyword. Google Analytics help you to optimize your website. You can improve your overall optimization and PPC will register pretty good leads.

Google TV Ads Announces New Partnerships

On October 16th, Google announced two strategic partnerships that will make it easier for advertisers to manage their Google TV Ads media buys within their existing systems. For advert isers who use CoreDirect, Google’s partnership with COREMedia Systems will allow you to view your Google TV Ads sales and response data next to your other media buys and results within CoreDirect. In addition, their partnership with Harris Corporation will help make more inventory available to Google TV Ads advertisers, helping them expand their reach to more potential customers.

AdWords Conversion Optimizer Available to Many more Camapaigns

Any campaign using AdWords Conversion Tracking with at least 50 conversions in the last 30 days is now eligible to use the Conversion Optimizer. Thus the Conversion Optimizer is now available to many more campaigns. Reports are coming from different PPC users that the Conversion Optimizer now delivers better performance overall. The Conversion Optimizer uses your conversion tracking data to get you more conversions at a lower cost. It achieves this by optimizing your placement in each ad auction to avoid unprofitable clicks and get you as many profitable clicks as possible. You might already follow a similar strategy by bidding higher for keywords that convert more often and lower for keywords that convert less often. But the Conversion Optimizer can adjust your ad’s placement based on many other factors, including the keyword’s broad match query, the user’s location, and the conversion rates of Google’s search and content partner sites.

Tips and Tools for Retailer – Maximize Your Holiday Sales

Google has compiled some tips and tools that can help you optimize your ad campaigns, marketing channels, and website for the coming busiest shopping season. Here’s an example tip you’ll find: specifically mentioning any special holiday promotions you are running in your ad text drives additional interest from consumers. Clear and compelling ads with season-specific text are good to generate more clicks. As for tools, Google has several offerings that retailers can use to help drive additional traffic and sales this holiday season. Best example is Google Product Search – which allows shoppers to search for and find things they want to buy online. You can use Product Search to promote your goods and drive holiday traffic to your store for free. With the holidays just around the corner, now is a good time to make sure that your site is in the best shape for maximizing your traffic and revenue. Please visit the Holiday tips page for more information, and remember – it’s never too early to start preparing for the season.

Note – Google Checkout is currently available only to merchants in the US and UK, and Google Product Search is currently available only to merchants in the US, UK, and Germany.

Visit Adwords Blog for more details

AdWords Editor 6.5 for Windows and Mac

On Tuesday, Google released version 6.5 of AdWords Editor. This release includes several features to help us navigate and manage our account, such as a new Keyword Opportunities tool, horizontal scrolling in the data view, and auto-sizing columns. New features are included and you can see them in the release notes. If you’re already using AdWords Editor, you’ll be prompted to upgrade automatically. This update won’t require you to re-download your account, and it won’t affect your comments and unposted changes. When prompted simply choose the ‘Update without Backup’ option. Then, after you upgrade, your account will already be in the new version of AdWords Editor.

If you’re not using AdWords Editor, go to Google website [http://www.google.com/intl/en/adwordseditor/] and download ‘AdWords Editor’.

Source – adwords blog