The long awaited, much discussed Yahoo and Bing merger is now upon all of us, and as such it’s time to start transitioning.  As part of the merger all Pay Per Click advertising, management and reporting previously accomplished through Bing or Yahoo will become centralized in the Microsoft AdCenter.  What this means is that anyone who currently advertises through Yahoo’s Sponsored Search Marketing must transition their accounts over to Microsoft AdCenter.  Along with the physical transition, which should have been prompted by your Yahoo representative, you’ll now be required to manage your accounts and campaign via AdCenter.

What Needs to Be Done Now

If you advertise on Yahoo, and mange your own accounts, by now you should have been contacted by your Yahoo account representative.  They should have supplied you with two documents, an Excel spreadsheet detailing your accounts and a PDF detailing the transition options.  Thankfully this transition step appears fairly straightforward, as all you’re required to do is inform Yahoo and Bing of your preferred method of transferring accounts.  This first step is accomplished by completing an Excel document and returning it to your representative.

For transferring accounts, or creating new ones, there are three options:

Option 1 – Keep your existing AdCenter account and augment Yahoo accounts if necessary

Option 2 – Create a new AdCenter account and import 3rd party structure

Option 3 – Create a new AdCenter account and import your Yahoo structure

What Needs to Be Done to Move Forward

Once you’ve received confirmation that your new accounts and campaigns have been created in Microsoft AdCenter you’ll need to log in and verify the changes have been made correctly.  At this point you should notice that all of the new campaigns have arrived paused, note that you’ll be required to un-pause them to finalize the transition process.  If you’re familiar with AdCenter this should be a straight forward process, however if you’re new to AdCenter I’d suggest you take time to learn the intricacies of the interface and how it differs from Yahoo’s Sponsored Search interface.  The Microsoft adExcellence site is a great resource center for learning how to work in AdCenter.

All of us at Page1Solutions are wishing you the best of luck with your transition, thankfully thought with how well Yahoo and Bing have set this up there should be little luck involved.

Let’s  start by resolving what exactly the “Broad Match Modifier” is and why it was introduced.  Within Google AdWords there are a variety of settings that dictate how your campaign operates, of them the ‘broad’, ‘phrase’ and ‘exact’ keyword settings dictate how closely a search term must resemble your keyword for an ad to be displayed.  These keyword restrictions increase in degree of qualification, from ‘broad’ to ‘exact’, to ensure more selective ad display at the higher levels.

One of the more common complaints with AdWords, which ultimately led to the development of the “Broad Match Modifier”,  is that keywords matched at a ‘broad’ level display ads for a variety of unrelated keywords.  On the other end of the spectrum however is the concern that if you set the same or similar keywords to a ‘phrase’ or ‘exact’ level they may not generate enough traffic for a successful campaign.  The ‘Broad Match Modifier’ was designed to address this complaint by offering a new setting situated between the ‘broad’ and ‘phrase’ match levels.  Ideally this new setting will provide a dynamic blend of the benefits of the ‘broad’ and ‘phrase’ settings.

Now that we’ve established what the “Broad Match Modifier” is it’s time to move on to its application and benefits.  Employing the “Broad Match Modifier” is more challenging than the other keyword match types because it’s not a selectable option.  Instead you have to create a new ‘broad’ matched keyword set and add “+” signs to keyword phrases you desire modified.  Please note that I’d advise against changing existing keywords, instead duplicate your desired keyword list and save it as a test campaign prior to adding the “+” sign. Completing this step will ensure you have two separate campaigns to compare results from and you won’t lose any historical data.

So I’d imagine by now you’re probably wondering where exactly you add the “+” signs to utilize the “Broad Match Modifier”?  Guess what, you get to decide and there are a few varieties that let you control how the keyword phrases are modified.  For a demonstration let’s use an example of a shoe store trying to advertise for ‘men’s formal shoes’.

- At the broad level ‘men’s formal shoes’ could trigger anything from ‘men’s formal shoes flea market price’ to ‘how to clean men’s formal shoes’

- At the phrase level ‘men’s formal shoes’ could trigger ‘leather men’s formal shoes’ but not ‘men’s leather formal shoes’

With the ‘Broad Match Modifier’ you can not only  select exactly which words or phrases must be in the search query but in what order, if any.  For example, we could utilize’”+men’s’, ‘+formal’ and ‘+shoes’ to display ads on any search query that has all three of those word (or close variations).  If we wanted to further specify the search query we could use ‘+buy’, ‘+men’s’ and ‘+formal shoes’ to mandate both the first two keywords, and the last phrase, were present in the search query with nothing between ‘formal’ and shoes’.

To conclude, I’ve been impressed by not only Google’s introduction of the ‘Broad Match Modifier’ but the results I’ve obtained by using it.  If your campaigns currently target ‘broad’ keywords I’d suggest a trial campaign that utilizes the ‘Broad Match Modifier’ to analyze the effectiveness of your current campaign and keyword list.

As mobile devices with the ability to browse the internet become increasingly popular advertisers are beginning to catch up to this new marketing avenue.  While Pay Per Click (PPC) ads have long been delivered to mobile devices there is now a more prominent belief that mobile devices present a viable advertising opportunity, one that should be viewed and targeted separately from traditional PPC campaigns.  Google AdWords supports this notion by allowing users to target specific devices and carrier options through PPC campaigns and ads.

PPC users can create a mobile device specific campaign by simply altering their campaign’s settings to target iPhones and other mobile devices with Internet browsing capabilities.  This first step will effectively limit your campaign to mobile devices, but this is only the beginning of what needs to be done.

Campaign focus and ad copy are the key to a successful mobile device specific campaign.  To ensure an effective campaign you must first determine whether your services or product are more likely to entice someone browsing on their mobile device?  If the value of your service is greater to someone on a mobile device, than say a computer, you may have found a viable, cost effective campaign that can generate an impressive return on investment.  After establishing this vital component it’s time to create compelling ad copy that specifically targets individuals browsing via their mobile device.

Imagine you’ve just broken a tooth or been involved in a car accident.  In each of these events you’re in need of assistance, but maybe unsure of what to do next or who to turn to.  The next logical step for an ever growing population with mobile devices is to browse the internet for a prompt solution.  To effectively target mobile users in need of more immediate assistance a dentist or lawyer could deliver an ad that communicates their ability to assist you.  For example, you’ve been hit from behind in your car and aren’t sure who’s liable for the accident.  As the other driver tries to belittle the situation you consider your options, Google ‘car accident lawyer’ and see an ad displaying ‘Call for immediate road side assistance and legal advice if you’ve been hit’.

The aforementioned ad provides a compelling call to action, and promise of service and subsequent benefits that will help alleviate the situation at hand.  One of the more challenging components of advertisement is translating your ads into business; it’s simply not enough for them to be seen.  But with a sophisticated, well planned approach to mobile device advertising you can capitalize on a target market in need of immediate assistance.

First Violet, now Google?

For all of us who use Google on a regular basis it was intriguing to see some of the minor aesthetic changes that Google representatives have been hyping for months come to fruition in the past week.  The most dominant of those changes, to me at least, is the change in shading behind the top Sponsored links – obtained, managed and delivered through Google AdWords.  Following in the footsteps of Violet from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Google has altered their shading, and in my opinion drawn more attention to the ads while also potentially increasing users’ comfort with the advertisements.

What effect this will have on click through rates (CTR) and campaigns may be marginal, but you can rest assured that the decision was planned, calculated and very likely in Google’s best interest.  As such, I’ll speculate that Google is aware that the change in shade will increase CTR’s and ultimately lead to more use of ads, subsequently increasing Google’s revenue.

Their ‘official’ response to the matter:

Starting today and ramping up to 100% globally by the end of this week, we’ll be changing the background color for ads that appear above the search results on Google.com as well as our local domains. The ads, which currently have a pale yellow background, will change to have a pale purple background. This change is part of the ‘look and feel’ update to our color palette and logo that we made back in May of this year to keep the Google results page looking fresh and modern. This is purely an aesthetic change to our ads and won’t have any impact on the way we target or serve advertisements on Google.com.

]]> http://www.ppc101blog.com/?feed=rss2&p=351 0 http://www.ppc101blog.com/?p=348 http://www.ppc101blog.com/?p=348#comments Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:01:23 +0000 Graham S. http://www.ppc101blog.com/?p=348 Not more than a week ago I’d polished off this blog post and was ready to publish it, but after being confronted by a number of the issues outlined in today’s post I thought that reworking it to include my experiences would add a personal touch.  Today’s post addresses the effects of and solutions to pending and disapproved ads, as part of the ongoing “Why Can’t I See My Ads?!” series this post should assist you in identifying and resolving pertinent issues related to ads with either a pending or disapproved status.  The root causes of these problems are generally quick to spot and solve, but it certainly helps if you know what you’re looking for so you can effectively resolve the issue.

Pending Status

“Simple stuff here”, that was my introduction to this section no more than a week ago.  Guess what?  No longer is this how I feel in regards to pending ads.  All this because the last week has drastically illustrated the value of circumventing any campaign restrictions imposed by pending ads.  The logical, commonly practiced maneuver of creating new ads and awaiting their approval before switching to them is a practice everyone should follow.  But when larger campaign alterations are required, such as creating or altering ad groups within a campaign, complications can arise.  In my case these complications arose from creating ad groups for a once single faceted campaign, this in turn ensured Google had to reapprove all of my ads as they had been ‘altered’.  A week later my ads are still pending, and my monthly budget plan has been skewed to the point that when the campaign is back live substantial alterations will need to be imposed.

So what can be done?  Well for one, if you’re not pressed by time and are simply awaiting approval from Google you don’t need to sweat a pending status.  Instead, use this time to analyze and optimize your campaign and check back on your ad’s status in a few days.  On the other end of the spectrum are campaigns that will be negatively affected by pending ads and the subsequent time and clicks lost by this hindrance.  For such campaigns make sure to create new ads every time so as to avoid ad restrictions or delays.

Disapproved Status

As we move onto the more involving, and certainly challenging component of this post ,ad disapproval will become our focus.  The following paragraphs outline the strict, rigid policies Google upholds for the use of trademarks, adherence to their content policy and URL consistency across ad groups.   Since these restrictions all provide independent causes for ad disapproval the following paragraphs aim to address each one individually.

Content Policy

Google AdWords adheres to a consistent, though often overreaching, policy that parallels traditional restrictions imposed on the advertisement of illicit and immoral products or services.  Ad display for gun and alcohol sales, escort services, bulk marketing materials, traffic devices, etc. are all heavily regulated if not banned.  If your ads have been disapproved for issues regarding content policy you may want to consult this list for specific content and country restrictions.

The key to resolving content policy issues is to not only understand what you’re allowed to advertise, but in what form and description.  If your ads are being disapproved for reasons related to content policy I’d urge you to take the time to study the policy and how it affects your specific product or service, and then rework your ads and keywords to adhere to Google’s policies.

Trademarks and Intellectual Property

Of all the reasons for ad disapproval covered in this post this is by far the most subjective one as Google adheres to a strict policy regarding intellectual property as to avoid any potential conflicts.  Unfortunately this can result in ads being disapproved for breaches related to trademarks and other components of intellectual property even when you’re rightfully permitted to use such terms.  As such, ad disapproval is often the result of Google overreaching rather than my ads’ wording and you may be forced to resolve this issue with a Google rep.   If confronted by this issue I’d suggest you double check your ad copy and if something still isn’t right then move forward by contacting a Google representation.  I’ve been more than impressed by their assistance at quickly determining and resolving such issues, and I understand that they’re only adhering to such a strict policy to ensure they’re covered.

URL Inconsistencies

Finally we have ad disapproval based off URL inconsistency, thankfully this is a straightforward issue and will mark the end of this post.  Ads disapproval for URL address inconsistency can be simply resolved by correcting one of two problems: either your ad group has multiple URL’s or there is an inconsistency (error) in one of the URL’s.  Regardless of the problem this complication is easily resolved by double checking your work for consistency.  Note that each ad group is only permitted one URL for the landing page, so if you’ve correctly entered the URL’s this may be the issue at hand.

As an online marketing agency we want to commend the lawyers, and honestly any individual, who stands up for victims of elder abuse.  Unfortunately, too often the perpetrator is of kin to the victim ensuring those that stand up for the rights of the elderly aren’t always thanked – from all of us at Page 1 Solutions ‘Thank You’.  The rest of this post is centered on a number of agencies that you can contact regarding elder abuse, each serves a wide array of purposes from reporting elder abuse and neglect to more proactive measures.

International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse(INPEA)

The organization is focused on the global dissemination of info regarding elder abuse, and further they’re committed to any and all forms of prevention.

National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (AAA)

Primary function is to build the capacity of its members and organizations to help older people live in their community with dignity and choices.

National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (NCPEA)

An association of individuals dedicated to protecting and serving the lives and dignity of America’s elderly population.  Their goal is to identify, and develop a clear understanding of abuse and subsequently provide direction and leadership to prevent it.

Thanks for reading, and remember every small action can make an impact in the lives of others!

While we work ourselves through this problem there will be numerous references to how Quality Score impacts Ad Rank, for more information on Google AdWords’ Quality Score you can check out Kate Field’s series on this critical component of AdWords’ ranking system.

Ad Rank

Ad Rank = CPC Bid x Quality Score

Given the above formula it would appear a prominent Ad Rank (position) is easy to achieve, and in many non competitive markets this is true.  But when targeting competitive markets, those that are in either high demand from a large population or because of their inherent value, you quickly realize why Quality Score is so critical to Ad Rank and display.

In competitive markets simply increasing the Cos Per Click (CPC) bid isn’t going to solve the problem of low Ad Rank; as you’re now liable for paying the elevated bid which may exhaust your daily budget in one or two clicks.  This scenario, and the real life application, can be discouraging as your campaign is confronted by low Ad Rank and exuberant CPC bids.  The superficial solution is to drastically increase your bid, a method far too common and often invoked to increase ad position when Quality Score is low.

The primary peril of excessive CPC Bids is the limitation they place on your traffic, so to counteract this issue lets focus on how improving your Quality Score translates to higher Ad Rank.  The most applicable methods for confronting low Ad rRank and high CPC bids include: adding geoqualified and longtail keywords, improving your campaign’s Click Through Rate (CTR), targeting keywords with historically high CTR, and maintaining a high level of relevancy between your keyword, ads and landing page.

To maintain brevity and simplicity in this post let’s look at one single method of increasing Quality Score, for more detailed approaches continue on to Kate Field’s series on Quality Score.  As highlighted above one of the primary ways to increase your Quality Score is to drastically improve your campaign’s click through rate (CTR).   By targeting, and restricting your campaign to, keywords that have high CTR’s you demonstrate to Google that your ads and product are relevant to searchers.  In return Google AdWords rewards you with a higher quality score that increases your ad position, lowers your CPC and can even increase ad exposure.

While increasing CTR is only one of the many methods for improving your Quality Score the process is for the most part visible and achievable by any AdWords’ users by restricting your campaign to keywords with a good CTR and targeting new keywords that emphasize relevancy and motivated searchers over a large number of impressions.   For more information on the perplexing issue of “Why Can’t I See My Ads?” return to the initial post where the series is outline, or for more information regarding quality score click here.

While there is no single definitive answer to why your ad isn’t showing, I’m going to highlight a few of the more pertinent and common reasons.  In doing so I hope to clarify some of the issues that restrict ad display and subsequently help you learn more about Google AdWord’s inner workings.  Read along and you’ll quickly realize why it’s so critical to have an efficient, well organized campaign manager and how they can alleviate your stress.

In today’s blog post I’m going to address budget restraints, future posts related to ad display will focus on ad rank, disapproved ads, and a tantalizing piece on the Infinite Realm of the Internet (essentially the chaos theory).

Budget Restraints

To ensure this section doesn’t remain too abstract I’m going to put forward a pretty basic example to exemplify why your ads will never show 100% of the time.  If a client of ours begins a $3000/month campaign we’re going to set daily parameters of a $100/day budget.  This budget mandates that Google stops the ads from displaying once the $100 has been spent, but Google takes this one step farther by displaying the ads on a rotating basis to ensure they don’t only display for the first few hours of the day.  So if your ads aren’t being displayed sit back and relax, it’s likely your daily budget has either expired or your ads are being carefully presented on a calculated interval.

On the other end of the spectrum, meaning the ugly side, your budget may not be large enough to bid on certain keywords.  This problem may arise when starting a new campaign, ad group or set of keywords, or even as the market becomes more competitive and Cost Per Click (CPC) rises.  When working with a tight budget an AdWords user may be forced to consolidate their keywords to specific queries instead of a broad match.  If the campaign is being poorly managed, it’s very possible that your daily budget may only accommodate one or two clicks when targeting keywords with a high CPC.  In this case, the best plan of action is to rework the campaign so more specific (and hopefully cheaper!) keywords are utilized.

Make sure to check back for future posts related to Ad rank, Disapproved ads, and a tantalizing piece on the Infinite Realm of the Internet. Additionally, I’ll be routinely checking the blog for questions and comments so feel free to leave your thoughts!

In the following post I’m going to detail some methods and questions critical for analyzing the value of your Pay Per Click campaign’s leads.  These have been addressed here to assist you in the analysis of your Pay Per Click campaign, and ideally will guide you in analysis of the value of a lead, the ROI you’re campaign is generating and ultimately what can be done to improve your campaign.

What Qualifies as a Lead?

First, let’s start by clarifying what a lead delivered from the internet encompasses.  Is it simply someone visiting your website, or do you designate a lead as someone who completes a special action like emailing or calling you?  This step serves as the base for all future analysis, so make sure you’ve correctly defined what a lead constitutes to you, why they’re qualified as a lead and how you’re tracking them.

What is The Value of a Lead?

Upon establishing what qualifies as a lead it’s time to start tracking the value of such a lead.  It’s likely you already have a method of evaluating leads, but note that an online lead may differ drastically when compared to a more traditional lead.  Leads should be evaluated in a comprehensive manner that covers short and long term value, overall value, ROI based upon service performed and any other valuation deemed pertinent.

One of the more general and utilized metrics in evaluating lead value is the denomination of short versus long term lead value.  Short term value will differ vastly among business disciplines, a lawyer may see an immediate return on investment if a lead translates into a legal representation in court, while a dentist may see ROI increase with time.  Acknowledging when and where the lead will convert into a profitable endeavor is vital to ensure you give it the necessary time and attention.  When evaluating a lead’s value be sure to include associated long term value, often derived from referrals, reviews, multiple visits, etc, to ensure your evaluation of a lead’s value is comprehensive.

This post was designed to offer a short, albeit broad, overview of evaluating the value of a Pay Per Click lead.  It’s probable that most of this information isn’t new, but what needs to taken out of this post is that all of this information is valuable to you and your Pay Per Click manager.  Maintaining an open, well communicated relationship with each other will ensure leads are generated for the type of business you want and that your campaigns operate at their full potential.

Your professional practice has suddenly become the manufacturer of a typical household commodity such as … a bag of potato chips.

In the grocery store environment, your product sits on the shelf alongside many other well-known bags of potato chips.  Competition is fierce on this limited shelf space.  Fortunately, business has been good for you thanks to years of proper placement in the most popular stores.    Because of your visibility, shelf presence and solid marketing skills, “life is all that and a bag of chips.” But, are you missing out on the opportunity to “dip” into extra profits?  Unfortunately, Yes!!!!

PREPARE FOR THE BIG GAME

So, let’s pretend.  The shopper enters the grocery store and walks along the checkout stands hunting for the usual items.  Suddenly they remember, “Oh, I need to pick up some chips for the March Madness basketball party this weekend.”   Hopefully, your product is the first they see when they get the notion to buy chips.  If you aren’t easily visible on one of the rented end caps, the shopper will set a course for the potato chip aisle.  Once they head down the chip aisle, your selling chances have dropped dramatically.  Let the mass picking and choosing begin.

As a savvy business marketer who stays on top of current trends, you need to capitalize on the timely opportunity.  Your chips need to be the first choice for every “big game party” to cash in on the profits.  How do you stand out, seize the moment and make a big splash?  What do you do?

You need an additional layer to your Internet marketing techniques.  Consider renting space on the end cap of the store aisle (or in the case of your practice, rent “the end cap” of the Internet.)  Make your chips extremely visible when shoppers have a sudden change in their buying habits.

“END CAP” MARKETING

So how does this analogy relate to your practice?

Your shoppers have different needs at different times.  To gain their business, your product needs to be in front of shoppers at key times, in key places, (hence, my “end cap” analogy).  The Internet marketing technique called Pay-Per-Click (PPC) is like a rented end cap of the Internet which places your product/service in front of shoppers at just the right time.  Today, shoppers expect to find the things they want, when they want them.  PPC campaigns help with that.   Occasionally, well-placed and timed PPC campaigns can yield huge returns and profits.  Don’t make the shopper hunt for your services while allowing them to look at the rest of your competition.  Get your product in the prime location, in the top of the first page of Internet search results via PPC.

PPC & SEO

Let’s talk Search Engine Optimization (SEO).  SEO places your product on the appropriate (chip) shelf where shoppers expect to find you.  This can take an amazing amount of time, money and resources.  It’s a necessary strategy, but sometimes proper SEO isn’t enough.  Some of the most successful practices rely on a healthy mix of both SEO and PPC techniques, not just one or the other.

The calendar year has peaks and valleys regarding customer needs and spending habits.   Consumers receive tax refunds and may spend more in the springtime.  Shoppers like to look and feel their best in the summer months, therefore they may buy differently during this season.   Events can affect the spending habits of local and national communities.  PPC can bring your practice an extra spike of business.  You need to consider when it’s time to place your commodity on “the end-cap” of the Internet for the biggest gain of profit and revenue.  However, never give up on the ongoing marketing push that SEO brings.  Diversify your Internet marketing techniques with PPC and SEO.

So, just as current events and spending trends take place in your industry, make sure to get your business on the “end-cap of the Internet” when the “big game” is near.  Don’t miss out on extra profits that PPC can bring to your Internet marketing plan.