Editor's Note: As of December 1st, 2011, you will start to see Promoted Videos referred to as TrueView in-search and TrueView in-display.
Friday, October 29, 2010
YouTube Promoted Videos serves its 500,000,000th video view
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
For the UK: Learn how to expand your business internationally
Today, Wednesday October 27th, we�ll be hosting a live online course on international expansion opportunities for small and medium businesses in the UK using AdWords. This interactive presentation will be delivered by an Online Media Specialist and will take approximately one hour, including time for Q&A.
During the course we�ll provide you with information to help you start selling your products in other countries using AdWords and other Google tools. We�ll also talk about important things to keep in mind when advertising your products internationally.
First, we�ll have an overview of expansion opportunities in Europe and then we'll walk through different tools and practices to facilitate your business expansion. You�ll learn how to build multilingual campaigns using Export Adviser and Google Translation Kit.
The course will take approximately 1 hour today, Wednesday from 3pm - 4pm BST / GMT+1 (London).
If you're based in the UK and interested in this course, sign up now!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
The Report Center is retiring soon
Back in June we began moving AdWords reports into the Campaigns tab. Since then, we�ve copied over every key AdWords report, letting you quickly download your data from the same pages where you manage your campaigns.
In the next few weeks we�ll finish the transition and retire the Report Center entirely. From then on you�ll schedule and download all of your reports from within AdWords campaign management.
We�ve made the transition to this new style of reporting gradually, collecting feedback from advertisers and making adjustments accordingly.
For example, we heard that you had a hard time finding specific reporting options in your account. To help, we�ve added relevant FAQs to the download menus in the Campaigns tab, enabling you to find the views and metrics you�re interested in more easily.
If you�re currently downloading reports from the Campaigns tab, you�ve already adjusted to the bulk of the changes, and you�ll find that each of your scheduled reports have been copied to the Control Panel & Library. We�ll delete any old versions of scheduled reports from the Reports tab, and stop sending the emails associated with them, by early November. Shortly thereafter, we�ll remove the Report Center entirely.
To prepare for the retirement, you can compare the scheduled reports in the Reports section of your Control Panel & Library to the old versions of your scheduled reports in the Report Center, then make any necessary adjustments to make sure you�re getting the data you want, in the format you want.
If you�re looking for additional resources to guide you through the changes, you can visit the AdWords Help Center for articles on each report. We�ve also published a before and after guide to keyword reporting to give you a step-by-step tutorial to running one of the most popular AdWords reports.
Thanks again for your patience during the transition. If you have any additional feedback on AdWords reporting, please continue to send it our way.
In the next few weeks we�ll finish the transition and retire the Report Center entirely. From then on you�ll schedule and download all of your reports from within AdWords campaign management.
We�ve made the transition to this new style of reporting gradually, collecting feedback from advertisers and making adjustments accordingly.
For example, we heard that you had a hard time finding specific reporting options in your account. To help, we�ve added relevant FAQs to the download menus in the Campaigns tab, enabling you to find the views and metrics you�re interested in more easily.
If you�re currently downloading reports from the Campaigns tab, you�ve already adjusted to the bulk of the changes, and you�ll find that each of your scheduled reports have been copied to the Control Panel & Library. We�ll delete any old versions of scheduled reports from the Reports tab, and stop sending the emails associated with them, by early November. Shortly thereafter, we�ll remove the Report Center entirely.
To prepare for the retirement, you can compare the scheduled reports in the Reports section of your Control Panel & Library to the old versions of your scheduled reports in the Report Center, then make any necessary adjustments to make sure you�re getting the data you want, in the format you want.
If you�re looking for additional resources to guide you through the changes, you can visit the AdWords Help Center for articles on each report. We�ve also published a before and after guide to keyword reporting to give you a step-by-step tutorial to running one of the most popular AdWords reports.
Thanks again for your patience during the transition. If you have any additional feedback on AdWords reporting, please continue to send it our way.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Query Paths in Search Funnels
Hot on the heels of the new Search Funnels features that were recently launched, here�s another new feature: The Top Paths (Query Paths) report.
Broad match keywords in your AdWords account may be matched to a variety of keywords your users are searching for. You bid on certain keywords, but what about the actual queries that these keywords were matched to? You can see Keyword Paths within Search Funnels - and now, you can see Query Paths as well.
Within the existing Top Paths reports:
Select the Top Paths (Query Paths) option in the Dimension drop down menu to show you the actual queries that were matched to your ads and clicked prior to a conversion.
Note: this option will only show queries for search ads that were clicked, and not for impressions.
This data gives even more insight into the searches users make before finding and then purchasing on your site. With this information, you should be able to better target these users by seeing how they find you, and gain confidence in bidding on keywords that convert or assist in the conversion path.
Broad match keywords in your AdWords account may be matched to a variety of keywords your users are searching for. You bid on certain keywords, but what about the actual queries that these keywords were matched to? You can see Keyword Paths within Search Funnels - and now, you can see Query Paths as well.
Within the existing Top Paths reports:
Select the Top Paths (Query Paths) option in the Dimension drop down menu to show you the actual queries that were matched to your ads and clicked prior to a conversion.
Note: this option will only show queries for search ads that were clicked, and not for impressions.
This data gives even more insight into the searches users make before finding and then purchasing on your site. With this information, you should be able to better target these users by seeing how they find you, and gain confidence in bidding on keywords that convert or assist in the conversion path.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
See potential placements for Google Display Network campaigns
Since the inception of the Google Display Network, contextual targeting has helped you to reach users effectively. This type of targeting allows you to show your ads next to related web content that users visit across millions of sites on the Display Network.
Today, we�re announcing an AdWords feature that provides you with example sites in the Display Network where your ads may appear when using contextual targeting. The example sites are based on the keyword list you provide when creating your campaign, and are available for campaigns that are solely running on the Display Network. Starting this week, the feature will be available to a limited set of advertisers, and will become more broadly available in the coming weeks.
Since contextual targeting happens in real-time across millions of sites in the Google Display Network, with this feature, you get insight into the types of sites where your ads can appear. Seeing example sites before your campaign runs can help you to refine your keyword lists to ensure optimal targeting. Along with example sites where your ads can appear, you can also see a suggested bid for your ad group. The example placements we provide are meant as a guide to help you get a sense of where your ads can appear. They�re not an accurate representation of actual placements, which can vary with the dynamics of the ad auction once your ads are showing.
While this feature provides a deeper level of transparency before your ads run, as always, once your campaigns begins to run, you can access site- and URL-level reporting that shows the specific places in the GDN where your ads actually appeared.
To see potential placements when creating your campaign, your can click the "See potential placements" button when selecting keywords for display-only ad groups in the new ad group creation interface. Please visit our Help Center to learn more.
Today, we�re announcing an AdWords feature that provides you with example sites in the Display Network where your ads may appear when using contextual targeting. The example sites are based on the keyword list you provide when creating your campaign, and are available for campaigns that are solely running on the Display Network. Starting this week, the feature will be available to a limited set of advertisers, and will become more broadly available in the coming weeks.
Since contextual targeting happens in real-time across millions of sites in the Google Display Network, with this feature, you get insight into the types of sites where your ads can appear. Seeing example sites before your campaign runs can help you to refine your keyword lists to ensure optimal targeting. Along with example sites where your ads can appear, you can also see a suggested bid for your ad group. The example placements we provide are meant as a guide to help you get a sense of where your ads can appear. They�re not an accurate representation of actual placements, which can vary with the dynamics of the ad auction once your ads are showing.
While this feature provides a deeper level of transparency before your ads run, as always, once your campaigns begins to run, you can access site- and URL-level reporting that shows the specific places in the GDN where your ads actually appeared.
To see potential placements when creating your campaign, your can click the "See potential placements" button when selecting keywords for display-only ad groups in the new ad group creation interface. Please visit our Help Center to learn more.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
The Bid Simulator reaches a new level
A few weeks ago, we announced the launch of Estimated Top Impressions in the bid simulator. Today we�re announcing another improvement: the ability to view bid simulations across keywords in an ad group at once. With this launch, we hope to give you a faster and more scalable way of making bidding decisions across keywords in aggregate.
The ad group level bid simulator provides simulations for two types of changes:
Let�s take a closer look at an ad group where this is the case:
The highlighted row shows that, for the past seven days, the ad group received 339 clicks, costing a total of $182.37. Beneath this row, you can see simulations for the potential clicks, cost, and impressions that the ad group could have received had the keywords all used a single Max CPC bid.
In this case, if all keywords in the ad group had used a Max. CPC bid of $0.53, the ad group could have received an additional 49 clicks (for a total of 398) for about the same cost ($182). Thus, if clicks from all keywords in the ad group are equally valuable to the advertiser, it would make sense to set a single bid of $0.53 to all the keywords.
Note: For this type of bid simulation, look to see if the yellow dot is above the green line in the chart to the right of the table. If it is, this indicates that you may be able to get more clicks for the same cost.
If a few keywords in an ad group are especially profitable to your business (i.e. they convert at higher conversion rates or at higher values) you may choose to manage them separately by assigning keyword-level Max CPC bids. If this is the case, the bid simulator will display simulations for the remaining keywords in the ad group that use the ad group default bid. If you select a new ad group default bid, this bid will apply to all keywords in the ad group for which you haven�t specified a keyword-level Max CPC.
Here are two tips to help you get the most out of the bid simulator:
To see ad group level bid simulations, go to the �Ad groups� tab and look at the �Default Max. CPC� column in our chart icon.
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The ad group level bid simulator provides simulations for two types of changes:
- Applying a single bid to all the keywords in the ad group.
- Updating the ad group default bid (this only impacts those keywords that do not have their own keyword-level CPC bid and use the ad group default bid).
Let�s take a closer look at an ad group where this is the case:
The highlighted row shows that, for the past seven days, the ad group received 339 clicks, costing a total of $182.37. Beneath this row, you can see simulations for the potential clicks, cost, and impressions that the ad group could have received had the keywords all used a single Max CPC bid.
In this case, if all keywords in the ad group had used a Max. CPC bid of $0.53, the ad group could have received an additional 49 clicks (for a total of 398) for about the same cost ($182). Thus, if clicks from all keywords in the ad group are equally valuable to the advertiser, it would make sense to set a single bid of $0.53 to all the keywords.
Note: For this type of bid simulation, look to see if the yellow dot is above the green line in the chart to the right of the table. If it is, this indicates that you may be able to get more clicks for the same cost.
If a few keywords in an ad group are especially profitable to your business (i.e. they convert at higher conversion rates or at higher values) you may choose to manage them separately by assigning keyword-level Max CPC bids. If this is the case, the bid simulator will display simulations for the remaining keywords in the ad group that use the ad group default bid. If you select a new ad group default bid, this bid will apply to all keywords in the ad group for which you haven�t specified a keyword-level Max CPC.
Here are two tips to help you get the most out of the bid simulator:
- Check out ad group level simulations to find out if using a single bid for all the keywords in the ad group could save you time and money.
- If you view a bid simulation for a specific keyword and do not see click cost estimates, this is likely because the keyword doesn�t receive enough traffic. Consider managing low traffic keywords in aggregate by using the ad group default bid for them by deleting their keyword level bids.
To see ad group level bid simulations, go to the �Ad groups� tab and look at the �Default Max. CPC� column in our chart icon.
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Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Tracking your ad clicks with dynamic destination URLs
Today, we're announcing an update to ValueTrack, a feature for those of you who use third-party tracking software or have access to your web logs. Using the features previously announced, we made it easy to track your search and content campaigns separately by adding special parameters to your destination URLs. With the additional ValueTrack enhancements available today, you can track even more detail including the keyword matching option for your ad clicks.
Starting now, your destination URL can include the {matchtype} and {network} parameters. Here's a quick example of how you might use these parameters:
Let's say you have a keyword-targeted campaign running on Google search, search partners, and the Google Display Network. If your website is www.yoursite.com, you can use the new and existing ValueTrack parameters in your AdWords campaign to set the destination URL to: http://www.yoursite.com/?keyword={keyword}&matchtype={matchtype}&source={network}.
If an ad click comes from a search partner, and the keyword that triggered the ad, used cars, is a broad match keyword, in your web logs you will find that the ValueTrack parameters in the URL have been replaced with the following:
{keyword} = used cars{matchtype} = b{network} = s
In your web logs you will see: http://www.yoursite.com/?keyword=used%20cars&matchtype=b&source=s
To learn more about all of the ValueTrack parameters and see additional examples, visit the AdWords Help Center.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Learn about using Remarketing in a new course in the AdWords Online Classroom
This Wednesday, October 20th, we'll be hosting a live online course on remarketing. This interactive presentation will be delivered by an Online Media Specialist and will take approximately one hour, including time for Q&A.
Remarketing is a simple way to connect with your website visitors. After driving traffic to your site with search ads, you can then remarket to those people who reach your site by showing them tailored ads as they browse through sites on the Google Display Network.
During this session we'll take you through the benefits of using remarketing and how to set it up in your account. If you advertise with AdWords then we encourage you to attend.
If you're interested, be sure to sign up now!
Remarketing is a simple way to connect with your website visitors. After driving traffic to your site with search ads, you can then remarket to those people who reach your site by showing them tailored ads as they browse through sites on the Google Display Network.
During this session we'll take you through the benefits of using remarketing and how to set it up in your account. If you advertise with AdWords then we encourage you to attend.
If you're interested, be sure to sign up now!
Friday, October 15, 2010
Find information faster with mobile Ad Sitelinks
Cross-posted from the Google Mobile Ads Blog
We recently launched Mobile Ad Sitelinks, a search ad format that displays additional links to content located deep within your site. Available globally on high-end mobile devices, Ad Sitelinks are an easy way to introduce customers to multiple landing page options for your website.
Ad Sitelinks on mobile function similarly to�Ad Sitelinks on desktop. Currently, only two-line sitelinks will appear on mobile devices, with each line displaying one sitelink. As shown in the example below, a mobile ad from Oakley, Inc displays two links, driving users to the �Custom Products� and �Sunglasses� sections of the company�s site.
Desktop Ad Sitelinks�have been a useful tool, leading to an average increase of more than 30% in click-through rates. Because websites may not yet be optimized for viewing on mobile devices, navigating them to find information can be more difficult. As a result, we anticipate that mobile Ad Sitelinks will be similarly, if not more, effective on mobile as the benefit of deep linking and driving users further down the conversion funnel is even more valuable. Mobile Ad Sitelinks help by taking users directly to the specific content they�re looking for, enabling them to find information and complete transactions more quickly.
Since we�re constantly working to bring our experience with desktop advertising to the mobile web, starting with Ad Sitelinks is simple. If you�ve enabled Ad Sitelinks on desktop, your ads will automatically show on mobile phones -- provided your campaigns are opted-in to run on iPhone and other mobile devices with full Internet browsers.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Grow traffic with help from YouTube videos and AdWords
Editors note: Today�s guest bloggers are Troy Olson, Digital Advertising Manager, and Jeff Loquist, Search Marketing Manager, for ShoppersChoice.com. ShoppersChoice.com owns and operates a family of web stores with a wide selection of products, from barbecue grills and accessories to patio sets.
We started out with search-based advertising using Google AdWords. It helped us get traffic to our site BBQGuys.com at a relatively low cost � AdWords has been a great way to help us capture customers when they�re looking for a �BBQ grill� and other items we offer.
We happened upon marketing on YouTube almost by accident. In response to customer service calls, we started creating instructional videos to show people how to best use their BBQ grills. We were getting a lot of traffic and great comments. So we decided to build out our Brand Channel and add more content, such as recipes by Chef Tony. YouTube is great for conveying our company image, and distributing unique content that people can relate to, especially people who enjoy food and eating! Learn more about our �secret sauce� for success that combines YouTube and AdWords.
Posted by Gordon Zhu
We started out with search-based advertising using Google AdWords. It helped us get traffic to our site BBQGuys.com at a relatively low cost � AdWords has been a great way to help us capture customers when they�re looking for a �BBQ grill� and other items we offer.
We happened upon marketing on YouTube almost by accident. In response to customer service calls, we started creating instructional videos to show people how to best use their BBQ grills. We were getting a lot of traffic and great comments. So we decided to build out our Brand Channel and add more content, such as recipes by Chef Tony. YouTube is great for conveying our company image, and distributing unique content that people can relate to, especially people who enjoy food and eating! Learn more about our �secret sauce� for success that combines YouTube and AdWords.
Posted by Gordon Zhu
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
AdWords system maintenance on October 16
On Saturday, October 16, the AdWords system will be unavailable from approximately 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. PDT due to our regularly scheduled system maintenance. While you won't be able to log into your account during this time, your campaigns will continue to run as usual.
AdWords system maintenance typically occurs on the second Saturday of each month during the above times. We'll continue to update you here as we always have, but you may want to take note of our intended dates and times to help you plan for any scheduled downtimes further down the road.
AdWords system maintenance typically occurs on the second Saturday of each month during the above times. We'll continue to update you here as we always have, but you may want to take note of our intended dates and times to help you plan for any scheduled downtimes further down the road.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Even More Reasons to Join the Sitelinks Party
Since launching Ad Sitelinks last November, more than 100,000 of our advertisers have made use of the format to provide deeper access to their sites� relevant content directly from ads on Google.
If you�re still on the fence about using Sitelinks, or haven�t looked into it yet, here�s even more reason to add them to your campaigns: on average, campaigns that have used one-line Sitelinks have seen an increase in CTR of more than 10 percent, and those with two-line Sitelinks continue to see the bump of more than 30 percent that we noted back in June.
Others are seeing even larger performance boosts. After implementing Sitelinks on their branded campaigns, Nationwide Insurance saw their CTR rise by 73 percent and conversions increase 60 percent over a 90-day period. Check out their full case study here.
Sitelinks offer a great way to give users a variety of paths to take based on their interests. For instance, if you search for �engagement rings�, Blue Nile gives you three different additional links that they think will help meet your needs. Maybe you�re trying to get ideas for what�s popular right now in engagement rings, or already have something in mind that you�re ready to craft. In either case, this ad directs you the appropriate way.
If you�re looking for more information on how to implement and get the most out of Sitelinks, check out our new online course on the feature and read the FAQ in the Help Center.
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If you�re still on the fence about using Sitelinks, or haven�t looked into it yet, here�s even more reason to add them to your campaigns: on average, campaigns that have used one-line Sitelinks have seen an increase in CTR of more than 10 percent, and those with two-line Sitelinks continue to see the bump of more than 30 percent that we noted back in June.
Others are seeing even larger performance boosts. After implementing Sitelinks on their branded campaigns, Nationwide Insurance saw their CTR rise by 73 percent and conversions increase 60 percent over a 90-day period. Check out their full case study here.
Sitelinks offer a great way to give users a variety of paths to take based on their interests. For instance, if you search for �engagement rings�, Blue Nile gives you three different additional links that they think will help meet your needs. Maybe you�re trying to get ideas for what�s popular right now in engagement rings, or already have something in mind that you�re ready to craft. In either case, this ad directs you the appropriate way.
If you�re looking for more information on how to implement and get the most out of Sitelinks, check out our new online course on the feature and read the FAQ in the Help Center.
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Performance at Scale on the Google Display Network
One of our key goals is to help you drive better performance with your display advertising campaigns.
As users increasingly spend time across a growing number of sites, however, display advertising is becoming more challenging. Last year alone there were 47 million new web sites created*. Contextual targeting can help by automatically showing your ad to users on web pages related to your products on the millions of sites in the Google Display Network (GDN). But building and managing your campaigns can still be time-consuming. So how do you reach your target audience easily and efficiently while meeting your business goals?
Today, we�re launching two tools -- the Display Campaign Optimizer and the Contextual Targeting Tool -- to help you maximize your performance on the GDN, while saving you valuable time and resources.
Display Campaign Optimizer. This new tool automatically manages targeting and bidding for your Display Network campaigns with the goal of increasing your conversions while meeting your advertising objectives. You simply provide us with your target cost-per-acquisition (CPA), creatives and budget, and the Display Campaign Optimizer goes to work, showing your ads in all the right places, automatically. It monitors your campaign performance and, in real time, adjusts your campaign accordingly. Your campaigns stay optimized, as it �learns� and does more of what�s working and less of what isn�t. For example, Seventh Generation, a company that sells eco-friendly household cleaning, baby care and personal care products, was looking to connect with more �green� consumers across the web and get them to download coupons from their site for use in-store. After implementing the Display Campaign Optimizer, the tool delivered 60% of the coupons downloaded from their site, with a CPA 20% below their target. Further, analysis of our beta testers showed that on average, campaign using Display Campaign Optimizer were likely responsible for almost one-third of the accounts� total conversion volume with CPAs within 6% of their peer group CPA.**
The Display Campaign Optimizer is now available globally for larger campaigns running on the Google Display Network.
Contextual Targeting Tool. While the Display Campaign Optimizer is an automated solution that does all the heavy lifting on your behalf, the Contextual Targeting Tool helps you more efficiently build your own display campaigns. This tool is ideal for those of you who prefer transparency and control over your campaigns� targeting and bidding. The Contextual Targeting Tool builds tightly themed keyword lists for your display campaigns, which are used to contextually target your ads. Tightly themed keyword lists are the basis of effective contextual targeting. With this tool, you can build dozens, even hundreds, of ad groups in minutes, quickly scaling your campaign performance while ensuring accurate targeting and control over your campaign.
For example, if you sell yoga gear, normally, you might take the time to build out separate ad groups around each of your product lines, such as yoga mats, yoga clothing, yoga gear, etc. Inputting each product category into the Contextual Targeting Tool will generate even more tightly themed keyword lists. For example, inputting �yoga mats� into the tool generates more specific ad groups, such as designer yoga mats, thick yoga mats, yoga mats with designs, etc. These are all separate ad groups that can help you generate additional traffic and sales, that you wouldn�t necessarily think of creating when manually building out your campaigns.
This week, we�re beginning a phased launch of the Contextual Targeting Tool, and it will become available to more advertisers over the coming weeks and months.
Whether you�re looking for easier ways of building out your display campaigns or looking for a more robust, automated solution that continually optimizes bids and targeting, we think these tools will help you easily and efficiently achieve performance at scale with your display campaigns.
Posted by Woojin Kim, Product Manager and Shaun Seo, Product Manager
* Source: Netcraft Web Server Survey, Dec. 2009
** Source: Internal analysis of active beta testers, in comparison with peer group advertisers. Oct. 2010
As users increasingly spend time across a growing number of sites, however, display advertising is becoming more challenging. Last year alone there were 47 million new web sites created*. Contextual targeting can help by automatically showing your ad to users on web pages related to your products on the millions of sites in the Google Display Network (GDN). But building and managing your campaigns can still be time-consuming. So how do you reach your target audience easily and efficiently while meeting your business goals?
Today, we�re launching two tools -- the Display Campaign Optimizer and the Contextual Targeting Tool -- to help you maximize your performance on the GDN, while saving you valuable time and resources.
Display Campaign Optimizer. This new tool automatically manages targeting and bidding for your Display Network campaigns with the goal of increasing your conversions while meeting your advertising objectives. You simply provide us with your target cost-per-acquisition (CPA), creatives and budget, and the Display Campaign Optimizer goes to work, showing your ads in all the right places, automatically. It monitors your campaign performance and, in real time, adjusts your campaign accordingly. Your campaigns stay optimized, as it �learns� and does more of what�s working and less of what isn�t. For example, Seventh Generation, a company that sells eco-friendly household cleaning, baby care and personal care products, was looking to connect with more �green� consumers across the web and get them to download coupons from their site for use in-store. After implementing the Display Campaign Optimizer, the tool delivered 60% of the coupons downloaded from their site, with a CPA 20% below their target. Further, analysis of our beta testers showed that on average, campaign using Display Campaign Optimizer were likely responsible for almost one-third of the accounts� total conversion volume with CPAs within 6% of their peer group CPA.**
The Display Campaign Optimizer is now available globally for larger campaigns running on the Google Display Network.
Contextual Targeting Tool. While the Display Campaign Optimizer is an automated solution that does all the heavy lifting on your behalf, the Contextual Targeting Tool helps you more efficiently build your own display campaigns. This tool is ideal for those of you who prefer transparency and control over your campaigns� targeting and bidding. The Contextual Targeting Tool builds tightly themed keyword lists for your display campaigns, which are used to contextually target your ads. Tightly themed keyword lists are the basis of effective contextual targeting. With this tool, you can build dozens, even hundreds, of ad groups in minutes, quickly scaling your campaign performance while ensuring accurate targeting and control over your campaign.
For example, if you sell yoga gear, normally, you might take the time to build out separate ad groups around each of your product lines, such as yoga mats, yoga clothing, yoga gear, etc. Inputting each product category into the Contextual Targeting Tool will generate even more tightly themed keyword lists. For example, inputting �yoga mats� into the tool generates more specific ad groups, such as designer yoga mats, thick yoga mats, yoga mats with designs, etc. These are all separate ad groups that can help you generate additional traffic and sales, that you wouldn�t necessarily think of creating when manually building out your campaigns.
This week, we�re beginning a phased launch of the Contextual Targeting Tool, and it will become available to more advertisers over the coming weeks and months.
Whether you�re looking for easier ways of building out your display campaigns or looking for a more robust, automated solution that continually optimizes bids and targeting, we think these tools will help you easily and efficiently achieve performance at scale with your display campaigns.
Posted by Woojin Kim, Product Manager and Shaun Seo, Product Manager
* Source: Netcraft Web Server Survey, Dec. 2009
** Source: Internal analysis of active beta testers, in comparison with peer group advertisers. Oct. 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Custom shoes made possible with custom AdWords campaigns
Cross-posted from the Official Google Blog.
Mike Knapp and Michael Fox had always dreamed of founding a start-up. Jodie Fox (Michael�s wife) had always loved custom-made shoes. When her friends started asking her to design shoes for them and to bring these handmade shoes back from her travels, she, Mike and Michael saw a business opportunity. The trio founded their online custom shoe design company Shoes of Prey to share the design experience with the rest of the world.
The business first took flight in Australia, where the founders live and their company is headquartered. Their first customers were trusted friends, who tested the online creation tool and proudly wore their personalized designs. The ability to create custom shoes quickly went viral. It seemed that with each step they took, the initial testers received questions about where they found their fabulous footwear. Soon strangers began making purchases, and when the website spread to overseas locations, the team began offering different currencies to allow for international sales.
The team had already created an AdWords account to promote Shoes of Prey to online customers in Australia. As they expanded internationally, they created new AdWords campaigns targeted at English-speaking countries with currencies they could process. They used AdWords location-targeting to show ads in new locations: Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the U.K. and the U.S. Michael says, �Despite being based in Australia, it took only a matter of days for our first orders to start coming in from the other side of the world. It was exciting to see!�
Currently, about 10 percent of Shoes of Prey�s shoe sales come from AdWords customers�and about 40 percent of those sales are from international buyers. One of the main reasons they�ve been successful in reaching international audiences is the ease with which they can edit ad texts for each location. �Gift certificates have been really popular on our site,� Michael says. �So we use AdWords to promote our gift certificates. Key events for us are Mother's Day, Valentine's Day and Christmas.�
Michael then uses Google Insights for Search to identify each country�s peak search traffic dates for these occasions. �We time specific AdWords campaigns to target each of these events. Mother's Day is on a different day in different countries, so AdWords lets us run ads at different times of the year for the various countries, and edit the ads so they speak to users in those countries. For example, we�ll mention the price of our shoes in euro in Ireland and in dollars in the U.S.�
After only a year of operation, the founders have hired three new employees and have formed partnerships with local firms in Japan and Russia to localize their offering in those markets. �Early on in the life of our business, AdWords showed us the potential our business has for growth outside Australia, so we now offer Japanese and Russian versions of our website, complete with local marketing and customer support in those markets,� says Michael.
With AdWords, Michael, Jodie and Mike have been able to share their passion for custom shoes with international customers who share their love for customization. Their next step is to inspire all shoe lovers to design their own footwear. Michael tells us: �We're starting to experiment with the Google Display Network to help us find those first customers while they're browsing the web.� And they�ll continue to use AdWords location targeting and ad text customization to reach new international customers who might not know just how much fun designing shoes can be!
Mike Knapp and Michael Fox had always dreamed of founding a start-up. Jodie Fox (Michael�s wife) had always loved custom-made shoes. When her friends started asking her to design shoes for them and to bring these handmade shoes back from her travels, she, Mike and Michael saw a business opportunity. The trio founded their online custom shoe design company Shoes of Prey to share the design experience with the rest of the world.
The business first took flight in Australia, where the founders live and their company is headquartered. Their first customers were trusted friends, who tested the online creation tool and proudly wore their personalized designs. The ability to create custom shoes quickly went viral. It seemed that with each step they took, the initial testers received questions about where they found their fabulous footwear. Soon strangers began making purchases, and when the website spread to overseas locations, the team began offering different currencies to allow for international sales.
The team had already created an AdWords account to promote Shoes of Prey to online customers in Australia. As they expanded internationally, they created new AdWords campaigns targeted at English-speaking countries with currencies they could process. They used AdWords location-targeting to show ads in new locations: Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the U.K. and the U.S. Michael says, �Despite being based in Australia, it took only a matter of days for our first orders to start coming in from the other side of the world. It was exciting to see!�
Currently, about 10 percent of Shoes of Prey�s shoe sales come from AdWords customers�and about 40 percent of those sales are from international buyers. One of the main reasons they�ve been successful in reaching international audiences is the ease with which they can edit ad texts for each location. �Gift certificates have been really popular on our site,� Michael says. �So we use AdWords to promote our gift certificates. Key events for us are Mother's Day, Valentine's Day and Christmas.�
Michael then uses Google Insights for Search to identify each country�s peak search traffic dates for these occasions. �We time specific AdWords campaigns to target each of these events. Mother's Day is on a different day in different countries, so AdWords lets us run ads at different times of the year for the various countries, and edit the ads so they speak to users in those countries. For example, we�ll mention the price of our shoes in euro in Ireland and in dollars in the U.S.�
After only a year of operation, the founders have hired three new employees and have formed partnerships with local firms in Japan and Russia to localize their offering in those markets. �Early on in the life of our business, AdWords showed us the potential our business has for growth outside Australia, so we now offer Japanese and Russian versions of our website, complete with local marketing and customer support in those markets,� says Michael.
With AdWords, Michael, Jodie and Mike have been able to share their passion for custom shoes with international customers who share their love for customization. Their next step is to inspire all shoe lovers to design their own footwear. Michael tells us: �We're starting to experiment with the Google Display Network to help us find those first customers while they're browsing the web.� And they�ll continue to use AdWords location targeting and ad text customization to reach new international customers who might not know just how much fun designing shoes can be!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Finding your hidden treasure: international campaigns with AdWords
Cross posted from the Official Google Blog.
In 2000, Antoine Assi founded Middle Eastern export website www.aldoukan.com�it was one of the first e-commerce businesses in the Middle East. He was just 20 years old and he made time to develop the business in between computer science classes at his university. He needed a way to advertise his website from the comfort of his own dorm room, so he decided to test out Google AdWords.
His friends didn�t believe him when Antoine said he was going to sell and advertise traditional Middle Eastern foods and goods online. However, by 2004, his business had grown so rapidly that he decided to take leave from school to run it full-time. He then started his second company, www.mosaicmarble.com, which sells handcut decorative tiles online internationally.
Antoine believed there was a gap in the mosaic market and he wanted to share these artistic and historic decorations abroad. He knew there was a market for these tiles internationally�he just didn�t quite know where the opportunity existed. To identify these international growth opportunities, Antoine built on his knowledge of AdWords: He ran several AdWords campaigns, each targeted at the location and language of the test country.
From there, Antoine measured sales and percentage of website traffic from each country and campaign. He ended campaigns for countries with low sales volume and invested in campaigns for countries with higher sales volume and greater return on investment. Where he saw steady product sales, Antoine even had the company website translated into the language of the successful host country. As you can imagine, translating the site to the language of a country in which he�d already seen success only further promoted sales in that location.
Antoine refers to his AdWords campaigns as his hidden treasure, telling us that �the second month we started advertising on Google, we started feeling overwhelmed by the orders and the inquiries... We had to hire new employees on a weekly basis.�
Mosaic Marble quickly grew from two employees and eight artists to more than 40 employees and 120 artists. And the company�s website is now available in seven languages: Arabic, English, Finnish, German, Italian, Portuguese and French.
In addition to helping him expand his business, these international campaigns helped Antoine and his colleagues share these cultural icons with a larger part of the world. There are now homes and public spaces adorned with these ancient Greek creations in more than 50 countries worldwide. �Due to Google,� says Antoine, �we have customers such as the President of Congo, the Dubai Minister of Internal Affairs, the Princess of Jordan, and the Royal Music Academy of London.�
In 2000, Antoine Assi founded Middle Eastern export website www.aldoukan.com�it was one of the first e-commerce businesses in the Middle East. He was just 20 years old and he made time to develop the business in between computer science classes at his university. He needed a way to advertise his website from the comfort of his own dorm room, so he decided to test out Google AdWords.
His friends didn�t believe him when Antoine said he was going to sell and advertise traditional Middle Eastern foods and goods online. However, by 2004, his business had grown so rapidly that he decided to take leave from school to run it full-time. He then started his second company, www.mosaicmarble.com, which sells handcut decorative tiles online internationally.
Antoine believed there was a gap in the mosaic market and he wanted to share these artistic and historic decorations abroad. He knew there was a market for these tiles internationally�he just didn�t quite know where the opportunity existed. To identify these international growth opportunities, Antoine built on his knowledge of AdWords: He ran several AdWords campaigns, each targeted at the location and language of the test country.
From there, Antoine measured sales and percentage of website traffic from each country and campaign. He ended campaigns for countries with low sales volume and invested in campaigns for countries with higher sales volume and greater return on investment. Where he saw steady product sales, Antoine even had the company website translated into the language of the successful host country. As you can imagine, translating the site to the language of a country in which he�d already seen success only further promoted sales in that location.
Antoine refers to his AdWords campaigns as his hidden treasure, telling us that �the second month we started advertising on Google, we started feeling overwhelmed by the orders and the inquiries... We had to hire new employees on a weekly basis.�
Mosaic Marble quickly grew from two employees and eight artists to more than 40 employees and 120 artists. And the company�s website is now available in seven languages: Arabic, English, Finnish, German, Italian, Portuguese and French.
In addition to helping him expand his business, these international campaigns helped Antoine and his colleagues share these cultural icons with a larger part of the world. There are now homes and public spaces adorned with these ancient Greek creations in more than 50 countries worldwide. �Due to Google,� says Antoine, �we have customers such as the President of Congo, the Dubai Minister of Internal Affairs, the Princess of Jordan, and the Royal Music Academy of London.�
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
New Features in Search Funnels
We�ve received very positive feedback from advertisers using Search Funnels�the new set of reports launched in Conversions. Advertisers are beginning to understand the path to conversion beyond just the last click and are now able to give credit to assisting keywords and ads that customers saw and/or clicked before converting. Each buying cycle is different and Search Funnels is eliminating the guesswork over the roles your keywords are playing in the path to conversion.
And here�s the first round of improvements, as requested by you.
And here�s the first round of improvements, as requested by you.
Longer, customizable Conversion History Windows
A buyer may take longer to research and buy a vacation package rather than purchase movie tickets, for example. The funnel for various conversion types can differ greatly in regards to time to purchase and number of clicks to purchase. Now, you can adjust the time span, or Conversion History Window, to 30 days (default), 60 days or 90 days prior to a conversion to see the Search Funnel data leading to that conversion. With this feature, you can look further back into the history of your conversion paths.
Only show complete conversion paths
A percentage of surfers clear cookies from time to time, which can influence search funnels data by causing conversion paths to appear shorter by eliminating some upper funnel assists - impressions or clicks on your keywords - that may have occurred prior to cookie deletion. For instance, if a buyer clicks on one of your ads, then clears cookies, then goes on to click another one or your ads before making a purchase, the click prior to cookie deletion will not show up in your Search Funnels reports.
Now, you can sanitize the search funnel data you�re looking at by checking a box in your reports called �Only show complete conversion paths.� This option will filter out conversions that are from paths that are potentially biased by cookie deletion. As such, while you will end up analyzing fewer conversions overall, you will be seeing truer, more complete conversion paths. Use this option to strengthen your overall funnel analysis and understand how buyers are finding your products.
These new features were created based on feedback we received from Search Funnels users and we hope you find them useful as you experiment with, analyze, and optimize your portfolio of keywords.
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