Happy Halloween from all of us on the Google AdSense team!
Monday, October 31, 2005
Happy Halloween
Remember when we explained how to create seasonal AdWords campaigns in advance of holidays?
Well, if you didn't set an end date for your Halloween campaign yet, here's a quick reminder to log in to your account and pause it. (You can always use it again next year.)
Oh, and happy Halloween from the Inside AdWords crew!
Well, if you didn't set an end date for your Halloween campaign yet, here's a quick reminder to log in to your account and pause it. (You can always use it again next year.)
Oh, and happy Halloween from the Inside AdWords crew!
Friday, October 28, 2005
AdWords success in 25 words or less: the saga continues...
Not long ago, we invited Inside AdWords readers to take their best shot at summarizing how to be successful with AdWords in 25 words or less.
We've received so many great responses that we can't fit them all in one post. Below you'll find a few of our favorites, listed in no particular order, with more to follow in the near future. Thanks to everyone who responded!
(And in case you're wondering, Brad G.'s entry coming first has nothing at all to do with the fact that he mentions Inside AdWords within his first three words!)
Brad G. writes:
Claudio L. writes:
Sean E. writes:
Stay tuned for part three! And, by the way, it's not too late to submit your own version either.
We've received so many great responses that we can't fit them all in one post. Below you'll find a few of our favorites, listed in no particular order, with more to follow in the near future. Thanks to everyone who responded!
(And in case you're wondering, Brad G.'s entry coming first has nothing at all to do with the fact that he mentions Inside AdWords within his first three words!)
Brad G. writes:
Here's my quick (writing on the train) 25 word list:
- Read Inside AdWords
- Map Campaigns
- Tightly Worded Ad Groups
- Compelling Ads Related to Keywords
- Use Negative Keywords
- Focused Landing Page
- Split Test Everything
- Measure All Results
Claudio L. writes:
Here's my shot at it...17 words.
- Your Keywords Equal Your Product, Your Service
- Your Keywords Hit Home!
- Your Customers Hit Your Order Pages!
Sean E. writes:
In 25 words or less...
- Keywords in Title
- Targeted Ad Groups
- Negative Keywords
- Exact and Phrase Matches
- Don't over tweak it! Wait for results
Stay tuned for part three! And, by the way, it's not too late to submit your own version either.
The facts about smart pricing
We've noticed a lot of talk recently about the phenomenon commonly referred to as 'smart pricing'. There are some misconceptions out there about this, so we wanted to provide a few facts about smart pricing and how to ensure you're maximizing your revenue.
1. Many factors determine the price of an ad
More than conversion rate goes into determining the price of an ad: the advertiser's bid, the quality of the ad, the other ads competing for the space, the start or end of an ad campaign, and other advertiser fluctuations.
2. Clickthrough rate doesn't affect advertiser return on investment (ROI)
The percentage of clicks that convert for an advertiser is the most important factor in an advertiser's ROI, so it's not only possible, but common, to have a low CTR and a high advertiser conversion rate. It's also possible to have a high CTR and a low conversion rate. Don't remove the AdSense code from your site just because it has a lower CTR - it may be one of your best converting sites.
3. Google doesn't make money from 'smart pricing'
In fact, we make less money, since the cost to advertisers is reduced in order to provide a strong ROI. Ultimately, this leads to higher payouts for publishers by drawing a larger pool of advertisers and rewarding publishers who create high quality sites.
4. Remember the old chestnut: "Content is King"
The best way to ensure you benefit from AdSense is to create compelling content for interested users. This also means driving targeted traffic to your site -- advertisers don't gain as much ROI when paying for generic clicks as they do for quality clicks that come from interest in your content. Good content usually equals a good experience for user plus advertiser, which can be much more valuable than CTR.
Keep in mind that like most Google technology, our system for calculating advertiser pricing gets updated regularly. We're constantly improving our ad products to benefit both the publisher and advertiser communities; what benefits one side ultimately benefits the other.
1. Many factors determine the price of an ad
More than conversion rate goes into determining the price of an ad: the advertiser's bid, the quality of the ad, the other ads competing for the space, the start or end of an ad campaign, and other advertiser fluctuations.
2. Clickthrough rate doesn't affect advertiser return on investment (ROI)
The percentage of clicks that convert for an advertiser is the most important factor in an advertiser's ROI, so it's not only possible, but common, to have a low CTR and a high advertiser conversion rate. It's also possible to have a high CTR and a low conversion rate. Don't remove the AdSense code from your site just because it has a lower CTR - it may be one of your best converting sites.
3. Google doesn't make money from 'smart pricing'
In fact, we make less money, since the cost to advertisers is reduced in order to provide a strong ROI. Ultimately, this leads to higher payouts for publishers by drawing a larger pool of advertisers and rewarding publishers who create high quality sites.
4. Remember the old chestnut: "Content is King"
The best way to ensure you benefit from AdSense is to create compelling content for interested users. This also means driving targeted traffic to your site -- advertisers don't gain as much ROI when paying for generic clicks as they do for quality clicks that come from interest in your content. Good content usually equals a good experience for user plus advertiser, which can be much more valuable than CTR.
Keep in mind that like most Google technology, our system for calculating advertiser pricing gets updated regularly. We're constantly improving our ad products to benefit both the publisher and advertiser communities; what benefits one side ultimately benefits the other.
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Where is that PIN?
You've earned your first $50 through the AdSense program and your account pages say that a PIN was mailed to you two weeks ago. But where is it?
We understand that this is a concern for many publishers, and what we've noticed is that PINs often take longer than 2 weeks to arrive in the US (and between 3-4 weeks for international PINs). To help set realistic expectations, the AdSense team has changed the PIN request wait period to 3 weeks instead of 2 weeks.
After waiting 3 weeks, you're welcome to request up to two additional PINs, and as before, you can enter any of the PINs that you receive, regardless of which one arrives first.
Just a friendly announcement from AdSense Support. If you're still curious about PINs, feel free to stop by the Receiving Payments help section.
We understand that this is a concern for many publishers, and what we've noticed is that PINs often take longer than 2 weeks to arrive in the US (and between 3-4 weeks for international PINs). To help set realistic expectations, the AdSense team has changed the PIN request wait period to 3 weeks instead of 2 weeks.
After waiting 3 weeks, you're welcome to request up to two additional PINs, and as before, you can enter any of the PINs that you receive, regardless of which one arrives first.
Just a friendly announcement from AdSense Support. If you're still curious about PINs, feel free to stop by the Receiving Payments help section.
'Dear Inside AdWords...' - where to ask questions and feeling lucky
The Inside AdWords inbox has been getting a steady stream of emails, and this week, we answer a couple more.
Nick, I’m glad you asked. Ever since we started Inside AdWords, we’ve received all sorts of different inquiries and requests in our email inbox—some AdWords related, some not. Basically, the rule of thumb is: email us at Inside AdWords if you have comments or feedback about the blog, or if you have general AdWords questions that we may be able to answer for the benefit of all Inside AdWords readers. For questions that relate specifically to your account, it's best to send them to the AdWords Support Team; they’re able to review your actual account details and give you the specific advice that you need.
Dear Mark: The “I’m Feeling Lucky” button on the Google homepage takes you directly to the most relevant website that Google found for your query. You won't see the search results page at all, but if you did, the "I'm Feeling Lucky" site would be listed on top. For example, if you're looking for the AdWords homepage, just type in “AdWords” and click "I'm Feeling Lucky" instead of the Google Search button. Google will take you directly to adwords.google.com. Since no search results are shown when the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button is pressed, no ads are displayed with this feature.
Do you have more AdWords questions? You know where to find us. Send them our way and we'll try our best to answer them in a future post.
Is the Inside AdWords email the proper channel for sending inquiries? –Nick A.
Nick, I’m glad you asked. Ever since we started Inside AdWords, we’ve received all sorts of different inquiries and requests in our email inbox—some AdWords related, some not. Basically, the rule of thumb is: email us at Inside AdWords if you have comments or feedback about the blog, or if you have general AdWords questions that we may be able to answer for the benefit of all Inside AdWords readers. For questions that relate specifically to your account, it's best to send them to the AdWords Support Team; they’re able to review your actual account details and give you the specific advice that you need.
What is the difference between Google Search & “I'm Feeling Lucky”? How does “I’m Feeling Lucky” affect how my ads are displayed? –Mark S.
Dear Mark: The “I’m Feeling Lucky” button on the Google homepage takes you directly to the most relevant website that Google found for your query. You won't see the search results page at all, but if you did, the "I'm Feeling Lucky" site would be listed on top. For example, if you're looking for the AdWords homepage, just type in “AdWords” and click "I'm Feeling Lucky" instead of the Google Search button. Google will take you directly to adwords.google.com. Since no search results are shown when the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button is pressed, no ads are displayed with this feature.
Do you have more AdWords questions? You know where to find us. Send them our way and we'll try our best to answer them in a future post.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Image ad answers
Last week, we let you know that image ads could be a valuable addition to your online advertising repertoire. Now, we'll answer some of the most frequently asked questions on the topic:
Because an image ad takes up the entire ad unit on a site in our content network, instead of being one of four text ads on a page, we use an effective CPM, or eCPM, model to rank all ads in the auction. This ensures that both CPC and CPM targeted text and image ads are evaluated in the same manner. As always, the highest ranking ad(s) will be served to our users. If this happens to be an image ad, this means that the ad has an eCPM that is greater than the sum of the next four ads that it out ranks.
Yes. Smart pricing applies to image as well as text ads that are served on the content network. For those who aren't familiar with this feature, smart pricing automatically discounts the cost of keyword-targeted content clicks if our data shows that a click is less likely to convert on that site. This helps you meet your ROI goals on the content network.
You can upload Flash ads in the same manner that you upload all image ads, but make sure you're aware of the following requirements. Flash ads must be 50K or smaller in size and utilize Flash versions 4 - 6. All Flash creatives should also support the clickTAG variable. The clickTAG is the tracking code assigned by Google to an individual ad. It allows Google to register where the ad was displayed when it was clicked, and helps advertisers determine the effectiveness of their campaign. On any click, Flash creatives should redirect to the URL specified in the clickTAG argument; there should be no other redirection in between.
The variable name must be spelled "clickTAG" (upper-case TAG; no space between click and TAG) and not "click tag," "Click Tag," or any other form. This is the proper code for the clickTAG parameter.
on (release) {
if (clickTAG.substr(0,5) == "http:") {
getURL(clickTAG, "_top");
}
}
Remember, Flash ads must follow the same Editorial Guidelines that apply to all image ads, with one exception: Flash ads may not be resized before submission.
So now that you have some more facts about image ads, have some fun outside of the text box ;)
How do image ads compete with text ads?
Because an image ad takes up the entire ad unit on a site in our content network, instead of being one of four text ads on a page, we use an effective CPM, or eCPM, model to rank all ads in the auction. This ensures that both CPC and CPM targeted text and image ads are evaluated in the same manner. As always, the highest ranking ad(s) will be served to our users. If this happens to be an image ad, this means that the ad has an eCPM that is greater than the sum of the next four ads that it out ranks.
I've heard that smart pricing can reduce the price of clicks on content. Does this also apply to image ads?
Yes. Smart pricing applies to image as well as text ads that are served on the content network. For those who aren't familiar with this feature, smart pricing automatically discounts the cost of keyword-targeted content clicks if our data shows that a click is less likely to convert on that site. This helps you meet your ROI goals on the content network.
I'd like to use flash ads, but how do I upload them?
You can upload Flash ads in the same manner that you upload all image ads, but make sure you're aware of the following requirements. Flash ads must be 50K or smaller in size and utilize Flash versions 4 - 6. All Flash creatives should also support the clickTAG variable. The clickTAG is the tracking code assigned by Google to an individual ad. It allows Google to register where the ad was displayed when it was clicked, and helps advertisers determine the effectiveness of their campaign. On any click, Flash creatives should redirect to the URL specified in the clickTAG argument; there should be no other redirection in between.
The variable name must be spelled "clickTAG" (upper-case TAG; no space between click and TAG) and not "click tag," "Click Tag," or any other form. This is the proper code for the clickTAG parameter.
on (release) {
if (clickTAG.substr(0,5) == "http:") {
getURL(clickTAG, "_top");
}
}
Remember, Flash ads must follow the same Editorial Guidelines that apply to all image ads, with one exception: Flash ads may not be resized before submission.
So now that you have some more facts about image ads, have some fun outside of the text box ;)
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
More on Google Accounts for AdWords
After our post about how we're updating the AdWords login system to Google Accounts, we received a few more questions from our readers. We want to ensure that you make it through the update process smoothly, so we're back to answer your questions and provide some best practices.
In order for your Google Accounts login to work for AdWords, you first need to go through the Google Accounts wizard. We'll be asking advertisers to do this over the next couple of weeks. You'll know you're being asked to update when instead of going to your account upon login to AdWords, you see the first step of the Google Accounts updating wizard.
If you have an account for Google Sitemaps, Google Groups, or Gmail, you already have a Google Account. When you update your AdWords login to Google Accounts, you can opt to use this same login email and password to access AdWords, so that you can move from AdWords to these other services without having to log in and out. You don't have to create a new Google Account to be able to access AdWords and other Google products; however, if you want to keep these two accounts separate, you can opt to create a new login email and password to access AdWords separately.
If you are a Client Manager and only use your My Client Center login to access your accounts, you just need to update your My Client Center login; you don't have to worry about updating the login to each individual account.
If, however, you work with a Bid Manager or other partner who accesses one of the accounts directly, then they will need to separately update their login to Google Accounts, and you would use your own updated Google Accounts login to access all accounts.
If you are an AdWords API user, or your AdWords account is accessed via the API or managed by a Bid Manager, check out these detailed tips and best practices.
Yes! Whether you are the only person who accesses your account, manage a team of users that access the same account, or use My Client Center to manage multiple accounts, you'll find the scenario that relates to you right here.
I tried logging into AdWords with the email and password I use for Sitemaps, but it doesn't work. What should I do?
In order for your Google Accounts login to work for AdWords, you first need to go through the Google Accounts wizard. We'll be asking advertisers to do this over the next couple of weeks. You'll know you're being asked to update when instead of going to your account upon login to AdWords, you see the first step of the Google Accounts updating wizard.
If I already have an account set up for Google Sitemaps, do I need to create a new Google Account to be able to access AdWords, Sitemaps, and all the other fun Google stuff?
If you have an account for Google Sitemaps, Google Groups, or Gmail, you already have a Google Account. When you update your AdWords login to Google Accounts, you can opt to use this same login email and password to access AdWords, so that you can move from AdWords to these other services without having to log in and out. You don't have to create a new Google Account to be able to access AdWords and other Google products; however, if you want to keep these two accounts separate, you can opt to create a new login email and password to access AdWords separately.
How will this impact people who are using My Client Center to manage multiple accounts? Are we going to have to update each account or just the Client Center login?
If you are a Client Manager and only use your My Client Center login to access your accounts, you just need to update your My Client Center login; you don't have to worry about updating the login to each individual account.
If, however, you work with a Bid Manager or other partner who accesses one of the accounts directly, then they will need to separately update their login to Google Accounts, and you would use your own updated Google Accounts login to access all accounts.
Do you have tips on updating my login if I work with API developers or Bid Managers to help manage my account?
If you are an AdWords API user, or your AdWords account is accessed via the API or managed by a Bid Manager, check out these detailed tips and best practices.
So, do you have a step-by-step guide or additional tips on how best to update my AdWords login to a Google Account?
Yes! Whether you are the only person who accesses your account, manage a team of users that access the same account, or use My Client Center to manage multiple accounts, you'll find the scenario that relates to you right here.
Monday, October 24, 2005
Make the most of your ad units
By placing multiple ad units on your pages, you give users more relevant ads to choose from, and you may reap the rewards from more clicks as a result. Here's where to go to see if your pages can benefit from additional ad units.
Already placed the code but are showing fewer units than expected? This is because our multiple ad unit system works best for pages with highly targeted ads and therefore may only display the first few units (See how a first ad unit is defined).
For publishers who are familiar with HTML, here are some advanced tips:
1) Create a channel (see AdSense Help for creating channels) for each ad placement. For example, if you have a leaderboard on the top of the page, a skyscraper on the right hand side, and another leaderboard on the bottom of the page, make sure you have a channel for all the top leaderboards, a second for the right skyscrapers, and a third for the bottom leaderboards.
2) Test the channels for at least a week to compare which position has the greatest clickthrough rate.
3) Make sure the the ad unit with the highest clickthrough rate is the first instance of the ad code that appears in the HTML. Since the first ad unit is always filled before the rest, you want to make sure that ad unit is located in the best placement on your page.
Already placed the code but are showing fewer units than expected? This is because our multiple ad unit system works best for pages with highly targeted ads and therefore may only display the first few units (See how a first ad unit is defined).
For publishers who are familiar with HTML, here are some advanced tips:
1) Create a channel (see AdSense Help for creating channels) for each ad placement. For example, if you have a leaderboard on the top of the page, a skyscraper on the right hand side, and another leaderboard on the bottom of the page, make sure you have a channel for all the top leaderboards, a second for the right skyscrapers, and a third for the bottom leaderboards.
2) Test the channels for at least a week to compare which position has the greatest clickthrough rate.
3) Make sure the the ad unit with the highest clickthrough rate is the first instance of the ad code that appears in the HTML. Since the first ad unit is always filled before the rest, you want to make sure that ad unit is located in the best placement on your page.
Friday, October 21, 2005
AdWords advertisers and Blogger: A perfect match?
We've heard from several of you that the Inside AdWords blog has come to serve as an important source of up-to-date information, communicated directly from the team behind AdWords. Similarly, the blog has provided an effective (and even fun) means for us to reach you, our valued customers. In fact, we've come to think of it as an online AdWords newsletter, and it functions rather nicely in that capacity.
Are you thinking what I'm thinking? That, just maybe, a blog might prove to be an effective newsletter for your customers as well?
Imagine it: A place where you could easily tell your customers what's new and interesting about your business, and where you could even show them photos of your latest collection of high fashion widgets from Paris. Perhaps you'd also like to get some useful feedback from your customers? Yep, you can do that too.
A blog is surprisingly easy to create and maintain - and we just happen to know a great place for you to start. In case you're wondering, you'll find lots of ready-made blog templates, so you don't have to be a designer to create a pleasing blog. And, to make it even more interesting, you'll find that it's entirely free.
AdWords advertisers and Blogger. A perfect match? Give it a try, and see what you think.
Are you thinking what I'm thinking? That, just maybe, a blog might prove to be an effective newsletter for your customers as well?
Imagine it: A place where you could easily tell your customers what's new and interesting about your business, and where you could even show them photos of your latest collection of high fashion widgets from Paris. Perhaps you'd also like to get some useful feedback from your customers? Yep, you can do that too.
A blog is surprisingly easy to create and maintain - and we just happen to know a great place for you to start. In case you're wondering, you'll find lots of ready-made blog templates, so you don't have to be a designer to create a pleasing blog. And, to make it even more interesting, you'll find that it's entirely free.
AdWords advertisers and Blogger. A perfect match? Give it a try, and see what you think.
Work some magic with the new troubleshooting wizards
For Halloween season we thought we'd highlight some of the AdSense wizards that can help you create a little magic of your own.
Are public service ads showing on your site? Need some help filtering ads from appearing on your site? The new AdSense troubleshooting wizards can help you solve these issues quickly. Almost like magic.
Are public service ads showing on your site? Need some help filtering ads from appearing on your site? The new AdSense troubleshooting wizards can help you solve these issues quickly. Almost like magic.
A quick heads up
Once again, straight from our tech team:
We'll be performing routine maintenance on the AdWords system from 9pm to 11pm PDT [?] today, Friday, October 21, 2005. While your ads will continue to run as normal, you won't be able to log into your accounts during this maintenance period.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
AdSense 101
Recently, we've received some emails from readers who are looking for more information about program eligibility and how to get started. To answer your questions we thought you might find some of our online tools and information helpful.
If you're wondering what AdSense is all about, the AdSense Quick Tour is a great place to start.
No matter how much or how little traffic your site gets, you're welcome to submit an application. And once you're approved, you can add your AdSense ad code to any of your websites that meet our program policies.
Ready to get started? Don't miss a step - review the Quick Start Guide, or for a more interactive tutorial check out the Getting Started with AdSense Demo.
If you're wondering what AdSense is all about, the AdSense Quick Tour is a great place to start.
No matter how much or how little traffic your site gets, you're welcome to submit an application. And once you're approved, you can add your AdSense ad code to any of your websites that meet our program policies.
Ready to get started? Don't miss a step - review the Quick Start Guide, or for a more interactive tutorial check out the Getting Started with AdSense Demo.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Google Accounts for AdWords
You may have seen a message in your account recently about how we're updating the AdWords login system to Google Accounts. To give you more information straight from the source, we asked Ann-Lee, from the Google Accounts team, to answer several questions we thought our advertisers might have.
What is a Google Account?
Do you have to have a Gmail account to update to Google Accounts?
What if advertisers prefer to keep personal and business accounts separate?
So, what should advertisers do now?
What is a Google Account?
A Google Account is a single email and password that gives you a simple and secure way to sign in to multiple Google services, without having to log in and out each time. Your login information is the only thing that will change. All your account information -- such as billing and campaign details -- will remain the same.
Do you have to have a Gmail account to update to Google Accounts?
No, you can use any of your email addresses as your Google Accounts login.
What if advertisers prefer to keep personal and business accounts separate?
You can opt to create multiple Google Accounts, and in this way, separate your personal from your business accounts.
So, what should advertisers do now?
Over the next few weeks, we'll be asking you to update your AdWords login to a Google Account when you first login to AdWords.
Though updating to Google Accounts will remain optional from October 19, 2005 until January 15, 2006, we advise you to complete the process and begin using your new Google Accounts login as soon as possible. After January 15, 2006, you'll need to update before you can access your account.
Monday, October 17, 2005
Reaching local prospects
A lot of advertisers – everyone from realtors to dog walkers, florists to dentists – take advantage of local targeting to specify the cities or regions (or even latitude and longitude coordinates!) where their ads should show.
For businesses which serve particular states, cities, or regions, this is an effective way of focusing your AdWords campaign on your target audience. So how does it work? If a San Francisco dog walking company creates a campaign targeted to the San Francisco area with keywords such as ‘dog walking’ and ‘dog walkers,’ their ad will show when a user, whose Internet Protocol (IP) address identifies her as being located in San Francisco, searches for those keywords.
Google can usually identify the IP address of the searcher to determine their location, then show ads targeted to the relevant area. However, some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) use a relatively small number of shared IP addresses for a large number of users. In these cases, since we can’t always determine the user’s regional location, we show national and global ads only.
But don’t despair! There’s a way to help ensure that your ads reach as many people as possible in your target area, including users whose location can’t be identified from their IP addresses. Here’s how: in addition to your locally targeted campaign, create another nationally targeted campaign with region-specific ad text and keywords. Our San Francisco dog walkers would target the entire United States, but use keywords like “san francisco dog walker” and “sf dog walking company.” Their ad text for this campaign would make it clear that their business was located in San Francisco as well.
For more information about creating local and national campaigns, check out this quick guide.
For businesses which serve particular states, cities, or regions, this is an effective way of focusing your AdWords campaign on your target audience. So how does it work? If a San Francisco dog walking company creates a campaign targeted to the San Francisco area with keywords such as ‘dog walking’ and ‘dog walkers,’ their ad will show when a user, whose Internet Protocol (IP) address identifies her as being located in San Francisco, searches for those keywords.
Google can usually identify the IP address of the searcher to determine their location, then show ads targeted to the relevant area. However, some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) use a relatively small number of shared IP addresses for a large number of users. In these cases, since we can’t always determine the user’s regional location, we show national and global ads only.
But don’t despair! There’s a way to help ensure that your ads reach as many people as possible in your target area, including users whose location can’t be identified from their IP addresses. Here’s how: in addition to your locally targeted campaign, create another nationally targeted campaign with region-specific ad text and keywords. Our San Francisco dog walkers would target the entire United States, but use keywords like “san francisco dog walker” and “sf dog walking company.” Their ad text for this campaign would make it clear that their business was located in San Francisco as well.
For more information about creating local and national campaigns, check out this quick guide.
Friday, October 14, 2005
We get letters
Shortly after our "Distorted images" post, we received a letter from Recipezaar publisher Gay Gilmore:
What a surprise today!
I would have loved to comment on what great results we have seen since we implemented image ads, but you guys don't allow comments -- I understand why ;-) -- so I thought I'd pop an email.
Well, nothing makes us happier than to hear about publishers seeing great results, so we followed up with Gay to learn a little more about their success:
We've seen a 34% increase in AdSense revenues by allowing image ads in our ad codes and implementing section targeting on key pages. These technologies by their nature mean that impressions may initially drop, however, we have still seen increased revenues because our eCPM has doubled. Making more money from fewer impressions is a GREAT thing.
Of course Google doesn't give us all the stats yet on image v. text v. site-targeted ads, so we can't be sure exactly what the cause is ;-).
AdSense now offers us a more competitive eCPM than other ad publishing networks (without the annoying banners or attention-grabbing layer ads), so we are sending more and more traffic to Google. Our users are happier too. Because our AdSense ads are super-targeted, our customers tend to view them as "additional content" rather than diversionary advertising.
Thanks for the Link Love ;-)
Gay, thanks for sharing this part of your AdSense success story - and how additional reporting will be useful for you. No promises, but we'll keep doing our best to give you what you need to maximize your AdSense earnings.
What a surprise today!
I would have loved to comment on what great results we have seen since we implemented image ads, but you guys don't allow comments -- I understand why ;-) -- so I thought I'd pop an email.
Well, nothing makes us happier than to hear about publishers seeing great results, so we followed up with Gay to learn a little more about their success:
We've seen a 34% increase in AdSense revenues by allowing image ads in our ad codes and implementing section targeting on key pages. These technologies by their nature mean that impressions may initially drop, however, we have still seen increased revenues because our eCPM has doubled. Making more money from fewer impressions is a GREAT thing.
Of course Google doesn't give us all the stats yet on image v. text v. site-targeted ads, so we can't be sure exactly what the cause is ;-).
AdSense now offers us a more competitive eCPM than other ad publishing networks (without the annoying banners or attention-grabbing layer ads), so we are sending more and more traffic to Google. Our users are happier too. Because our AdSense ads are super-targeted, our customers tend to view them as "additional content" rather than diversionary advertising.
Thanks for the Link Love ;-)
Gay, thanks for sharing this part of your AdSense success story - and how additional reporting will be useful for you. No promises, but we'll keep doing our best to give you what you need to maximize your AdSense earnings.
AdWords success in 25 words or less
Long ago, in the misty past, someone challenged me to sum up how to be successful with AdWords in 25 words or less. My best effort at the time is shown below, and I think it still serves as a pretty good summary.
However, I'm betting that one of our readers might do an even better job, so I invite you to put my version to shame. Send us your best effort, and sometime soon we'll publish the top results.
I can't wait to see what you all come up with! In the meantime, here's mine:
However, I'm betting that one of our readers might do an even better job, so I invite you to put my version to shame. Send us your best effort, and sometime soon we'll publish the top results.
I can't wait to see what you all come up with! In the meantime, here's mine:
- Targeted Ad Groups!
- Specific keywords describing your products
- Ads about same thing as the keywords
- Send user to a highly related page on your site
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Advertising outside of the (text) box
All AdWords advertisers are familiar with the text ads that show alongside the Google search results and across the Google Network. After all, each one of you has created at least one. However, not everyone is aware of the power of image ads. These graphical AdWords ads are served on content sites in the Google Network and allow you to reach your customers in a whole new way.
You can create image ads in both keyword and site-targeted campaigns, so you have control over the reach and placement of your ads. Creating a keyword-targeted campaign will allow your image ad to be placed on relevant content sites across our network, while you are able to choose the specific sites where you'd like your ad to show with a site-targeted campaign.
Whatever you decide, and we do suggest that you test and track your results, you can take advantage of both static and animated image ads. We accept image ads (.JPEG, .PNG, .GIF), as well as Flash (.SWF), which is a new addition.
Before you add a little image ad flair to your advertising campaign, make sure you review our Editorial Guidelines for this type of ad. These specify the do's and don'ts of image ad creation and steer you down the path to image ad success. Once you're comfortable with these guideliens, you can create an image ad using one of the five ad sizes accepted. Remember, you can create multiple image ads per Ad Group, and it's always best to test until you find what works best for you. Questions? Let us know, and we'll help clear them up.
You can create image ads in both keyword and site-targeted campaigns, so you have control over the reach and placement of your ads. Creating a keyword-targeted campaign will allow your image ad to be placed on relevant content sites across our network, while you are able to choose the specific sites where you'd like your ad to show with a site-targeted campaign.
Whatever you decide, and we do suggest that you test and track your results, you can take advantage of both static and animated image ads. We accept image ads (.JPEG, .PNG, .GIF), as well as Flash (.SWF), which is a new addition.
Before you add a little image ad flair to your advertising campaign, make sure you review our Editorial Guidelines for this type of ad. These specify the do's and don'ts of image ad creation and steer you down the path to image ad success. Once you're comfortable with these guideliens, you can create an image ad using one of the five ad sizes accepted. Remember, you can create multiple image ads per Ad Group, and it's always best to test until you find what works best for you. Questions? Let us know, and we'll help clear them up.
Spotlight on . . . Weblogs, Inc.
Recently, we caught up with Jason Calacanis from Weblogs, Inc. who shared with us how he's taken his AdSense earnings to a new level. We really enjoyed speaking with Jason, and knowing how much you enjoy hearing from your fellow publishers, we're featuring him as our newest case study. Check it out and find out how he went from making a few hundred dollars a day to $3,000 a day with AdSense.
Jason is enjoying success on other fronts these days - Weblogs, Inc. was just acquired by AOL last week. Our congratulations to the team.
Jason is enjoying success on other fronts these days - Weblogs, Inc. was just acquired by AOL last week. Our congratulations to the team.
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Target with even more precision
As we've mentioned, site targeting allows you to hand pick sites from our content network where you'd like to show your ads. Now, we're taking it to the next level. Last week, we introduced site sections, a feature that allows you to target a specific section or page of a site.
So, why are site sections useful? Many sites contain diverse content including only a limited number of pages that are relevant to your business interests. With site sections, you can choose to show your ads only on those pages. For example, imagine that an advertiser is selling soccer cleats and would like to target the site www.SportsExample.com, which contains a large volume of information about different sports. However, this advertiser doesn't want her ads for soccer cleats to show up next to articles about ice hockey or football. Instead of showing her ads across the entire 'SportsExample.com' site, she can limit them to 'SportsExample.com/soccer', the section of the site that contains relevant content.
If this sounds like something you'd like to try, you can add a site section when creating a new site-targeted campaign, or by clicking on the 'Edit Sites and CPMs' link in your existing site targeted campaign. Once you've added your site section and clicked 'Save,' your ads will be eligible to start showing on the pages that you listed.
So, why are site sections useful? Many sites contain diverse content including only a limited number of pages that are relevant to your business interests. With site sections, you can choose to show your ads only on those pages. For example, imagine that an advertiser is selling soccer cleats and would like to target the site www.SportsExample.com, which contains a large volume of information about different sports. However, this advertiser doesn't want her ads for soccer cleats to show up next to articles about ice hockey or football. Instead of showing her ads across the entire 'SportsExample.com' site, she can limit them to 'SportsExample.com/soccer', the section of the site that contains relevant content.
If this sounds like something you'd like to try, you can add a site section when creating a new site-targeted campaign, or by clicking on the 'Edit Sites and CPMs' link in your existing site targeted campaign. Once you've added your site section and clicked 'Save,' your ads will be eligible to start showing on the pages that you listed.
Monday, October 10, 2005
Searching for flexibility
We often hear the following question - "In AdSense for search, how can I change the default search from Google to my own site?"
Many of you already know that you can add up to three sites alongside the google.com search when generating your AdSense for search code. Now that you have added your own site(s), you also have the flexibility to select one of these to be the default search.
The simple key is to select your site in the example box on the "Search code" page on the AdSense for search tab, so that the selected radio button is next to the site you would like to appear as default. Then the code will automatically reflect your selection.
Many of you already know that you can add up to three sites alongside the google.com search when generating your AdSense for search code. Now that you have added your own site(s), you also have the flexibility to select one of these to be the default search.
The simple key is to select your site in the example box on the "Search code" page on the AdSense for search tab, so that the selected radio button is next to the site you would like to appear as default. Then the code will automatically reflect your selection.
Friday, October 7, 2005
Six AdSense optimization tips for forums
1. Format is important for multiple ad units
Placing a skyscraper above the fold on the left side of your forum seems to produce slightly better performance than other positioning. However, when using multiple ad units throughout the page our horizontal bias still favors the leaderboard. See the Forum Heat Map below for more details.
2. Display your ad units where repeat users will notice them
A leaderboard at the very top fits nicely next to the logo, but forum regulars tend to skip the header and go straight to the meat of the thread. Placing your ad unit above or below the first post can be more effective.
3. Place a leaderboard immediately after the last post
This provides users who make it to the end of a thread with a ‘next step’ when the content ends. If you place it after the footer, though, folks will move to the next thread before they even see the ad!
4. Use horizontal link units
Link units offer a wider range of relevant topics for users to browse. A horizontal unit can be placed near the top of your forum just below the header.
5. Opt-in to image ads
Supporting image ads increases the pool of ads –particularly cost-per-thousand-impression (CPM) ads – bidding to display on your site. Since forums tend to have lower click-through rates (CTRs) than other types of sites, CPM ads can improve revenue without the need for clicks. Please remember, however, that CPM ads come in both text and image formats.
6. Be sensitive to your forum community
Forums are highly interactive, so be sensitive to your users when implementing your AdSense ads. Be sure to blend the ads nicely, so they don’t appear overly intrusive – but don’t blend them so well they mislead your users! Every forum site is different and you know your community best, so as always use your own judgment to create the most positive experience for your users.
Placing a skyscraper above the fold on the left side of your forum seems to produce slightly better performance than other positioning. However, when using multiple ad units throughout the page our horizontal bias still favors the leaderboard. See the Forum Heat Map below for more details.
2. Display your ad units where repeat users will notice them
A leaderboard at the very top fits nicely next to the logo, but forum regulars tend to skip the header and go straight to the meat of the thread. Placing your ad unit above or below the first post can be more effective.
3. Place a leaderboard immediately after the last post
This provides users who make it to the end of a thread with a ‘next step’ when the content ends. If you place it after the footer, though, folks will move to the next thread before they even see the ad!
4. Use horizontal link units
Link units offer a wider range of relevant topics for users to browse. A horizontal unit can be placed near the top of your forum just below the header.
5. Opt-in to image ads
Supporting image ads increases the pool of ads –particularly cost-per-thousand-impression (CPM) ads – bidding to display on your site. Since forums tend to have lower click-through rates (CTRs) than other types of sites, CPM ads can improve revenue without the need for clicks. Please remember, however, that CPM ads come in both text and image formats.
6. Be sensitive to your forum community
Forums are highly interactive, so be sensitive to your users when implementing your AdSense ads. Be sure to blend the ads nicely, so they don’t appear overly intrusive – but don’t blend them so well they mislead your users! Every forum site is different and you know your community best, so as always use your own judgment to create the most positive experience for your users.
Setting (y)our Q4 goals
In case you’re wondering why we’ve been a bit quiet in the first half of this week, our team was taking some time to sit down and review our blog statistics and set new goals for this quarter. In the graph below, we’ve plotted out the number of Inside AdWords readers since we launched in May. As you can see, the graph is a nice “up and to the right”, as they say, but we’re still a bit short of our goal of having lots of Inside AdWords readers (see the shaded yellow region for more information). We’d like to take this opportunity to remind you that even if you don’t want to come visit the blog everyday, you can still take advantage of our site feed, or our posts-by-email in order to keep up with all the AdWords tips and updates we have to offer.
As we approach the busy holiday season, be sure to take a step back and think about your own goals as well. Whether you want to promote sales of your seasonal merchandise or to continue your trend of “up and to the right” performance, we hope that AdWords can help you attain your goals—in Q4 and beyond.
[Figure 1. Graph of Inside AdWords readership (October 2005)]
As we approach the busy holiday season, be sure to take a step back and think about your own goals as well. Whether you want to promote sales of your seasonal merchandise or to continue your trend of “up and to the right” performance, we hope that AdWords can help you attain your goals—in Q4 and beyond.
A day in the life of Spencer
When you write to AdSense - whether it's for help with payments, troubleshooting or general feedback - I might be the guy who writes back. Since so many of you have shared your stories with me, I thought it was only fair to tell you a little bit about my role here at AdSense.
I try to roll into the office fairly early to beat the Bay Area traffic. Then, fortified with extra strong coffee, I spend most of my day responding to publisher emails and working on projects to improve AdSense publisher support. Somewhere in the noon range I break for lunch at one of the Google cafes - my favorite menu item is the carne asada burrito with guacamole. Since the California weather has been nice, I've been eating outside with friends. In the afternoon, I sometimes take a break for a game of foosball. Our office is filled with world class foosball players, of which I am not one. So the games don't tend to last very long.
Most of my time, though, is spent writing to publishers over email. It's a good feeling when I've helped publishers get paid, or can troubleshoot a problem so that ads start to appear on their pages. Our publisher base has a lot of energy and is incredibly diverse. I can be working with a publisher from Oregon one minute, and the next minute I might get an email from Lebanon. The best part about my job is being able to help people all over the world. Plus, I get to see a lot of cool websites every day. :)
I try to roll into the office fairly early to beat the Bay Area traffic. Then, fortified with extra strong coffee, I spend most of my day responding to publisher emails and working on projects to improve AdSense publisher support. Somewhere in the noon range I break for lunch at one of the Google cafes - my favorite menu item is the carne asada burrito with guacamole. Since the California weather has been nice, I've been eating outside with friends. In the afternoon, I sometimes take a break for a game of foosball. Our office is filled with world class foosball players, of which I am not one. So the games don't tend to last very long.
Most of my time, though, is spent writing to publishers over email. It's a good feeling when I've helped publishers get paid, or can troubleshoot a problem so that ads start to appear on their pages. Our publisher base has a lot of energy and is incredibly diverse. I can be working with a publisher from Oregon one minute, and the next minute I might get an email from Lebanon. The best part about my job is being able to help people all over the world. Plus, I get to see a lot of cool websites every day. :)
Thursday, October 6, 2005
'Dear Inside AdWords...' - a couple of follow-ups
In my personal opinion, the best part of 'Dear Inside AdWords...' is having the opportunity to engage readers and advertisers to share their AdWords tips and to let us know when we’re not providing enough information. In the past, we've provided some solutions to your questions, and today, I've gathered a couple of follow-up emails that we've received in response to our posts.
Nice catch, Assaf. Thanks for sharing that tip!
With pleasure! There are two potential places where the served percentage will be displayed. Log in to your AdWords account, and go to the Ad Group of your choice. If your Ad Group contains only one ad, the served percentage will be shown to the right of the ad text as "Served - X %" under the number of clicks, CTR, and CPC information. If you have more than one ad in your Ad Group, click the "View all below" link to the right of the first ad (see first screenshot below), and you'll be taken to the bottom of the same page. Under each of the ads, you'll see the same "Served - X %" figure (see second screenshot below).
Thanks again to Assaf and Nelson for writing in to share their insight and ask for clarification. We'd love to be all-knowing, but sometimes we need a little prodding from you in order to provide all the information you may need.
Regarding your answer to Brandon H.'s question on searching for URLs that did not contain specific terms: you actually can do this, using the Find and Edit Ad Text Tool. If you go to Tools > Find and Edit Ad Text, check "Destination URL", choose "does not contain" in the drop-down menu, input in the box the tracking code, and then choose "Just show me these ads", you'll get all the ads that do not contain that term. -- Assaf G.
Nice catch, Assaf. Thanks for sharing that tip!
One of your posts mentioned that the 'served percentage' is located under the ad statistics in each Ad Group. I can't seem to find it. Can you point me in the right direction? -- Nelson W.
With pleasure! There are two potential places where the served percentage will be displayed. Log in to your AdWords account, and go to the Ad Group of your choice. If your Ad Group contains only one ad, the served percentage will be shown to the right of the ad text as "Served - X %" under the number of clicks, CTR, and CPC information. If you have more than one ad in your Ad Group, click the "View all below" link to the right of the first ad (see first screenshot below), and you'll be taken to the bottom of the same page. Under each of the ads, you'll see the same "Served - X %" figure (see second screenshot below).
Thanks again to Assaf and Nelson for writing in to share their insight and ask for clarification. We'd love to be all-knowing, but sometimes we need a little prodding from you in order to provide all the information you may need.
Wednesday, October 5, 2005
25 cent CPMs for Site Targeting!
In June, we launched site targeting, a feature that allows you to select specific sites in our content network where you'd like your ads to show. Now, we're lowering the minimum CPM bid required to target these sites to $0.25. You don't have to make any changes to your currently running site-targeted campaigns, but if you'd like to adjust your bids or create a new campaign, you can now bid as low as $0.25.
Remember, with site-targeted campaigns, you'll still compete with keyword-targeted ads for placement on the content network. Therefore, make sure you experiment to find the CPM that works for you. If you're looking to show up consistently on a highly popular website, you'll still need to bid competitively; however, the lower minimum bid will allow you to more accurately price your ad placements on a wider variety of sites.
Remember, with site-targeted campaigns, you'll still compete with keyword-targeted ads for placement on the content network. Therefore, make sure you experiment to find the CPM that works for you. If you're looking to show up consistently on a highly popular website, you'll still need to bid competitively; however, the lower minimum bid will allow you to more accurately price your ad placements on a wider variety of sites.
Tuesday, October 4, 2005
Money talks
If you could talk to your AdSense earnings, you'd probably give them a pep talk ("Grow, baby, grow!"). If your AdSense earnings could talk to you, they'd want you to get to know them a little better. Though your earnings can't talk, we're happy to talk for them - just watch our updated Payment Demo. This video presentation will help you get personal with your earnings by learning more about how our payment process works and what payment methods are available to you.
The Demo walks you through the steps you'll need to take to receive payments, including submitting your tax information, entering your PIN, and selecting a form of payment. And it also guides you through the EFT sign-up process we highlighted last week.
Maybe after you've watched our Payments Demo, you feel like you've had a good long heart-to-heart with your AdSense earnings. You can even provide feedback about your bonding experience through our Payment Demo feedback form.
The Demo walks you through the steps you'll need to take to receive payments, including submitting your tax information, entering your PIN, and selecting a form of payment. And it also guides you through the EFT sign-up process we highlighted last week.
Maybe after you've watched our Payments Demo, you feel like you've had a good long heart-to-heart with your AdSense earnings. You can even provide feedback about your bonding experience through our Payment Demo feedback form.
From the Inside AdSense International mail bag
Vladimir asks: Do you have any plans to offer other payment options to Russian publishers?
Inside AdSense says: We’re working hard to provide additional payment options to a wider set of publishers, but we don’t currently have a date for when new options may become available in Russia or any other location. At this time, publishers in Russia are only eligible to receive payments in US Dollar checks.
Publishers in some other locations may have additional payment options available to them: local currency checks or Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) .
We appreciate the patience of all our publishers while we work to expand our payment options.
Mark asks: European publishers have been experiencing pretty big delays with PIN deliveries. I was wondering why you have to send it by post and not by email?
Inside AdSense says: We mail each publisher a Personal Identification Number (PIN) in order to help verify publisher addresses, protect the personal information of our publishers, and ensure that payments can be received. We anticipate publishers will receive PINs 2-4 weeks after they are mailed, but it may take longer depending on your location.
We’ll always mail your PIN to the payment address in your account, so make sure that information is correct. If it’s not correct, you can alwaysupdate your information and request a replacement PIN. Although your payments will be held while you’re waiting for your PIN, please rest assured that you’ll still be able to access your account and continue to accrue earnings.
If you don’t receive your PIN, or if it has been lost, you're welcome to request up to two additional PINs.
Deepak asks: My website is built for India and targets the Indian population, but I’m based in Canada. Is there any way that I can ensure the ads are targeted to India?
Inside AdSense says: AdSense uses geo-targeting to ensure that your Google ads are always targeted to your audience wherever they are located. AdWords advertisers choose which countries they’d like to target, and AdSense serves appropriately targeted ads based on the IP address of your users. This means that your users in India will see a different pool of ads than you will see in Canada.
To preview what ads your users in India or many other geographic locations are seeing, we recommend readingour previous post on the AdSense preview tool.
Inside AdSense says: We’re working hard to provide additional payment options to a wider set of publishers, but we don’t currently have a date for when new options may become available in Russia or any other location. At this time, publishers in Russia are only eligible to receive payments in US Dollar checks.
Publishers in some other locations may have additional payment options available to them: local currency checks or Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) .
We appreciate the patience of all our publishers while we work to expand our payment options.
Mark asks: European publishers have been experiencing pretty big delays with PIN deliveries. I was wondering why you have to send it by post and not by email?
Inside AdSense says: We mail each publisher a Personal Identification Number (PIN) in order to help verify publisher addresses, protect the personal information of our publishers, and ensure that payments can be received. We anticipate publishers will receive PINs 2-4 weeks after they are mailed, but it may take longer depending on your location.
We’ll always mail your PIN to the payment address in your account, so make sure that information is correct. If it’s not correct, you can always
If you don’t receive your PIN, or if it has been lost, you're welcome to request up to two additional PINs.
Deepak asks: My website is built for India and targets the Indian population, but I’m based in Canada. Is there any way that I can ensure the ads are targeted to India?
Inside AdSense says: AdSense uses geo-targeting to ensure that your Google ads are always targeted to your audience wherever they are located. AdWords advertisers choose which countries they’d like to target, and AdSense serves appropriately targeted ads based on the IP address of your users. This means that your users in India will see a different pool of ads than you will see in Canada.
To preview what ads your users in India or many other geographic locations are seeing, we recommend reading
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