AdWords & Analytics Sessions at SES Chicago

Next week on December 7th and 8th, you can catch presentations by the Google AdWords team at SES Chicago. We'll be offering practical tips on how to quickly improve your search and display ads performance in the following sessions:

• What's New and Exciting with Google Analytics: the latest tools and reports from our Analytics platform.

• Getting the Most Out of AdWords Optimization Tools: improve your campaigns with recently added AdWords features like the Opportunities tab, new data segmentation options, and custom alerts.

• The Next Generation of AdWords Bidding: Conversion Optimizer: learn how the Conversion Optimizer tool can help you achieve double digit percentage increases in conversions without increasing the cost per conversion.

Finally, if you want to learn more about AdWords optimization tools, you can also watch a video walkthrough of the improvements we've made to AdWords this year. Ariel Bardin, the lead Product Manager for the AdWords web interface, will take you through the major new features and give you tips on managing your campaigns more efficiently.

Posted by Miles Johnson, Inside AdWords crew

Reminder: Google sessions @ ad:tech NY next week

If you're planning on attending ad:tech or Content Revenue Strategies (CRS) at the Javits Center in New York City next week, we hope you'll come and meet the Google ads team while you're there. Over November 4 and 5, we'll offer a series of sessions designed to give you practical tips for improving your search and display campaigns.

The Google Ads Factory Tour, 11/4-11/5/09

The Factory Tour will span 10 hours of live workshops designed to give you an overview of Google's latest measurement and optimization tools. Here's the full two-day agenda:

Wednesday, November 4 - Optimizing Search & Display

11:00am-12:00pm AdWords Optimization Tools: Smarter Search Management

12:00pm-1:00pm Conversion Optimizer: The Next Generation of AdWords Bidding

2:00-2:30pm Google Content Network: Matching Solutions to Advertisers

2:30-3:30pm Google Content Network: Creating Effective Campaigns

3:30-4:30pm Google Content Network: Optimizing for Results

4:30-5:00pm Automating Content Network Campaigns Through the AdWords API

Thursday, November 5 - Measurement, Ads Quality, Mobile & Local

11:00am-12:00pm Google Campaign Insights: What to Measure and When

12:00-1:00pm Google Campaign Insights: A Behind the Scenes Look at the Technology

2:00-3:00pm Google Analytics & Website Optimizer: Making the Most of Your Traffic

3:00-4:00pm Google Search Ads Quality: What It Is and How to Improve It

4:00-5:00pm Local and Mobile Ads: How to Use Location to Drive Results

You can stop by for a single session, or stay for the whole event. The Factory Tour is open to all exhibit hall and conference passholders. For more information, check the ad:tech events page.

Content Revenue Strategies, 11/5/09

Formerly known as ADSPACE, CRS is the only expo dedicated to AdSense and contextual advertising. Sessions will focus on maximizing performance on Google’s Content Network as well as emerging blog, video and social media networks.

We'll also have AdWords and AdSense optimizers available to answer any questions you have about improving your contextually-targeted campaigns. Stop by the Optimization Lounge to get customized tips and share any feedback you have for the Google ads team.

If you haven't yet signed up for ad:tech or CRS, registration is still open. You can enter the promotional code 20EXNY9 to receive 20% off an ad:tech full conference pass. If you're only attending CRS, enter the code CRSGoogle to receive $100 off the price of your CRS conference pass.

Hope to see you next week.

Posted by Austin Rachlin, Inside AdWords crew

Announcing the first Seminars for Success summit

From August 11 - 14 the Seminars for Success will host its first summit featuring in-depth training on Google's online marketing suite. Daily workshops will cover Google AdWords, Google Analytics and Website Optimizer along with special sessions on social marketing, mobile strategies and more. The summit will take place in Burlington VT, and you can register online for one or all four days of the summit.

If you can't make it to the summit, there are also a number of other seminars occuring over the next few months:

AdWords 101: Beginner and 201: Intermediate

September 14-15: Washington DC Area

September 28-29: Columbus, OH Area

October 5-6: New York City Area

October 26-27: Chicago, IL

November 2-3: Berkeley, CA

November 16-17: Charlotte, NC

December 7-8: Scottsdale, AZ

Adwords 301:Advanced Account Optimization and AdWords 302: Advanced Conversion Optimization

August 4-5: Denver, CO

August 25-26: Toronto, Canada

September 1-2: Atlanta, GA

September 23-24: New York, NY

Analytics: Introduction and Analytics: Advanced

July 29-30: Los Angeles, CA

September 16-17: Chicago, IL

September 17-18: Canberra, Australia

September 24-25: Sydney, Australia

October 22-23: Melbourne, Australia

Website Optimizer

July 31: Los Angeles, CA

For more information about Seminars for Success, including registration details, course outlines, and past attendees' comments, please visit http://www.google.com/awseminars.

Posted by Amanda Kelly, Inside AdWords crew

Google Analytics seminar in India

For those of you reading the blog in India, we're hosting a Google Analytics Conversion University Seminar at the Google Gurgaon, India office on August 8th, 2009. Google Conversion University is an open event for anyone interested in learning more about how Google Analytics helps you make smarter business decisions based on your website data. The seminar will include a variety of experts in the field including in-house Analytics product experts and Google Analytics Authorized Consultants.

For registration and more details, please visit: www.getGAready.in. Read more about this event on the Official Google India blog.

Amanda Kelly, Inside AdWords crew

Google and OTX present: The Brand Value of Search

You may use your AdWords campaigns to drive people to your site or to drive sales online, but did you know that paid search can also be a powerful brand-building tool?

In a recent study, Google and the OTX research firm explored how search can impact branding across five travel product categories: Air Travel, Car Rental, Cruise, Hotel and Online Travel Agency.

Join us on Thursday, April 30th at 1:00pm EST to learn how paid search can:

• Lift key metrics for your brand
• Increase traffic to your site

You can register here to attend.

Posted by Amanda Kelly, Inside AdWords crew

Join us at ADSPACE next week

If you're in San Francisco next week, come see us at the ADSPACE conference and expo on Wednesday, April 22nd. This first-time event will teach advertisers how to maximize returns from contextual advertising platforms, like Google's content network. ADSPACE is taking place alongside ad:tech San Francisco and will be a gathering for small to mid-sized advertisers and publishers– it’s a great opportunity to network with us, and other advertisers and publishers.

Members of the Google AdWords team will be present at ADSPACE, and here are a few sessions where you can hear from them, which we think you'll enjoy:

Back to Basics in 2009 - Follow the User (Keynote)

Wednesday, April 22nd, 9:00am - 10:00am

In this session, Brad Bender, Product Management Director at Google, will cover an insights-driven approach to understanding what web users and prospects want, how publishers can use that information to build a better online presence, enhance the user experience and, ultimately, drive the best possible results.

Workshop Series: Placement vs. Content Ads

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2:00pm - 2:30pm

Find out the differences between the various targeting options offered and how your advertising approach to each option must take these differences into account.

Speaking: Rajas Moonka, Group Product Manager, Google

Tools and Technologies: Using Targeting and Optimization to Achieve Success

Wednesday, April 22nd, 10:15am - 11:15am

With hundreds of thousands of publishers across various contextual networks, as well as text, video and graphical ad units, managing a contextual advertising campaign can often feel overwhelming. This session introduces advertisers to cutting edge technologies that make contextual advertising easier and more profitable. Andrew Silverman will be specifically speaking about the role Google's Conversion Optimizer plays in making this happen.

Speaking: Andrew Silverman, Product Manager, Google

If you register for a conference pass with our Google promotional code ADSPACED, you'll receive a 20% discount on the price. With the ADSPACE conference pass you'll have access to all ADSPACE sessions and keynotes, an ADSPACE attendee lunch, and the ad:tech San Francisco Exhibit Hall. You can find additional information on the official site, including the complete conference schedule, who’s speaking, and who’s already signed up to exhibit.

We hope to see you in San Francisco next week!

Posted by Emel Mutlu, Inside AdWords crew

Meet the AdWords team at SES New York

If you're planning on attending Search Engine Strategies in New York next week, we hope that you'll come see us. Members of the AdWords team and other Googlers will be speaking at a handful of sessions, so please stop by and say hi.

Here are a few sessions that we think you'd enjoy:

Preview the new AdWords interface

Wednesday, March 25th, 10:45am to 12pm

You may have read that we're testing a new AdWords interface. In this session we'll be doing an in-depth preview of the new interface. If you have questions or feedback about the new interface, please send them to us ahead of time.

Speaking: Ariel Bardin and Angela Lai, AdWords product and engineering leads

More info

Pay Per Conversation

Tuesday, March 24th, 1:45pm to 2:45pm

Many marketers agree that the current state of the economy is having an impact on their marketing plans. That's why every dollar and click matters. Every click is a potential customer trying to engage you; will you continue the dialogue or have them bounce off your landing page just moments after they arrive? This session will show you how to identify missed conversations and what you can do to improve them and your PPC ROI.

Speaking: Sandra Cheng, Product Manager for Google Website Optimizer

More info

The State of Search - A Maturing Marketplace or Poised for More Growth?

Wednesday, March 25th, 1pm to 2pm

As ROI and performance become increasingly important, will search gain a larger share of advertising revenues? This panel takes a hard look at the current value proposition of search and what the future holds for the North American search marketplace.

Speaking: Jon Diorio, Group Product Manager, AdWords & Monetization Products

More info

Advanced Keyword Research

Thursday, March 26th, 10:30am to 11:45am

How many keywords do you need in your paid search account? What keywords are your customers searching for? How do customers find products after they reach your site? This advanced session will demonstrate how to target the right terms in your paid and organic search marketing, and you'll learn where these keywords should be used.

Speaking: Frederick Vallaeys, AdWords Evangelist, Google

More info

Ads in a Quality Score World

Thursday, March 26th, 2:15pm to 3:30pm

More and more, ranking well in paid search listings is less and less about how much you pay and more about the "quality" of your ad campaign. But what goes into making up your quality score? In this panel, we'll take a closer look at quality factors and give tips on increasing the perceived relevancy of your campaigns.

Speaking: Frederick Vallaeys, AdWords Evangelist, Google

More info

We're looking forward to spending some time in the Big Apple; hope to see you there.

Posted by Amanda Kelly, Inside AdWords crew

Conversion Optimizer increases conversions and decreases CPA

We've just completed a new analysis on the performance of campaigns which have adopted Conversion Optimizer. We found that on average, these campaigns achieved a 21% increase in conversions while at the same time decreasing their CPA by 14%.

The analysis compares the performance of Conversion Optimizer campaigns with a control set of campaigns and represents the average impact of Conversion Optimizer. The actual impact will vary from campaign to campaign (and a small number of advertisers could conceivably perform better without Conversion Optimizer).

If you would like to learn more about Conversion Optimizer, the results we've seen, and how it can help you get more conversions and lower CPA, join us for one of the three webinars we are hosting March 18-19th. 

Posted by Amanda Kelly, Inside AdWords crew

Meet our Product Management Director and Product Evangelist at SMX West Santa Clara

Have you ever wondered who actually works on innovations for Google AdWords? Have you wanted to talk to them, give them your feedback, and ask them questions directly?

This week, you can chat with us in person at the SMX West conference in Santa Clara, CA. Two leading members of our AdWords team will be at the conference to share some insights about our recent releases and to answer your questions.

On February 12th at 10:00am, Nick Fox, Business Product Management Director on the Google's AdWords team, will be participating in the Up Close With Google AdWords Quality Score Panel, in which he'll share his thoughts about Google ads quality and how Google thinks about online search marketing. Nick will also be taking questions from the audience at the event, so if you're attending the conference, please stop by.

Later in the afternoon, you'll also be able to meet Fred Vallaeys, AdWords Product Evangelist. Fred will be on the Ask The Paid Search Reps Panel on February 12th at 1:30pm. This will be a moderated Q&A panel with representatives from the major search ad networks. Fred will be there to answer any questions you have about Google AdWords. Make sure to stop by and bring your best questions with you, or ask them ahead of time using Google Moderator. He'll also be at the Google booth right after his session.

We truly enjoy the opportunity to meet our AdWords advertisers in person and hope to see you in Santa Clara this week.

Posted by Emel Mutlu, Inside AdWords crew

Visit the Google Marketer's Playbook at ad:tech New York

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

The next session will be held at the 2008 ad:tech New York show November 3rd and 4th, and the talks are open to all exhibit hall pass holders. To obtain a free exhibit hall pass, visit www.ad-tech.com and click on the 'register' link next to the show you will be attending. Following the talks, attendees will be able to participate in live Q&A sessions with the experts.

The Google Marketer's Playbook at ad:tech San Francisco, Miami and Chicago have already passed, but you can watch recordings of the sessions in this YouTube playlist. These videos are also live on the Google Business Channel which also contains more presentations and webinars about Google's business products and advertising solutions.

Posted by Amanda Kelly, Inside AdWords crew