As another holiday season edges near, we started thinking about all the things we’re thankful for this year. Over the past twelve months, Google has spoiled us again and again with new search engine marketing tools and upgrades that we adore. It’s our turn to say thank you for the pay per click (PPC) contributions Google has given us, so we’re taking this time to highlight the top five things to be thankful for in PPC this year.
5. A Little Site Called YouTube
As consumer attention shifts from traditional ways of advertising like print and radio, marketers are constantly looking for new channels to reach consumers. This year, Google opened up the second largest search engine to advertisers: YouTube. This year over 3 million users visited YouTube per day, uploading an average of 20 hours of content per minute. As the 4th largest site on the internet, YouTube presents a tremendous opportunity for advertisers to extend their reach.
YouTube can be targeted through either automatic or managed placements in the AdWords content network. If you choose automatic placements, your relevant ads may appear on YouTube, but if you would like to specifically target YouTube, simply add youtube.com to your list of managed placements. Advertisements on YouTube through content network placements are possible in any ad format: text, image, or video. In addition, the new ability to buy promoted videos directly in AdWords gives advertisers a “one-stop-shop” for Google ad buys.
4. New Tools in the Box
Google has always had a strong focus on innovation and improvement, and they didn’t let us down this year. Recently Google offered advertisers several new tools including a new beta keyword tool, the insights for search tool, and the beta placement tool.
The new keyword tool showcases the enhanced usability of the new AdWords interface and offers new insights into keyword search data. You still have the option of searching individual terms or using your website to generate keyword suggestions, but the data is now organized more clearly than in the old keyword tool.
The new tool also presents month-by-month estimated clicks, impressions, CTRs, and local search trend analysis, which is particularly useful for advertisers taking advantage of AdWords geographic targeting capabilities. Another new feature of the keyword tool is a categories sidebar which allows you to view keywords directly related to a category, such as “Apparel” or “Hobbies & Leisure”. Thanks to these additions, the new keyword tool makes sifting through keyword suggestions and identifying potential ad groups exponentially easier.
Another great addition to the AdWords toolbox is the insights for search tool. This new tool gives advertisers a glance at geographic and search volume data relevant to any given keyword. Enter a keyword and everything you want to know about the geographic search patterns is now in your hands. You can choose to view patterns on the global, national, or local levels, set a time period, pick a search format, and even select categories to further investigate. This is a fantastic tool for advertisers who are interested in geo-targeting for their clients. With new and thorough data, you can now make more informed decisions when choosing to embark on a national or regional campaign.
We’re also excited about the newly released placement tool which is still in beta testing. It runs in a similar fashion to the keyword tool, but offers new data for content network placements such as impressions per day, ad formats supported per site and several other useful features.
3. The Opportunities Are Endless
The newly created opportunities tab provides PPC managers with ideas to improve client performance by analyzing budgets, campaigns, ad groups, and keyword performance. Suggestions for additional keywords are generated for specific ad groups which can be added directly to your account with one click. The opportunities tab is also the new home of the tools directory, so you can now find all your favorite keyword, change history, and conversion tracking tools in one easy-to-find location.
2. Conversion Tracking Wonders
In late September Google introduced view-through conversion tracking for display ads in the content network. The new view-through conversion tracking measures conversions that occurred within 30 days of the display ad appearing, but did not result from a direct click on the ad. The tool helps advertisers to see which sources conversions are coming from, and thus which advertising efforts are best optimized. It’s a great tool for pinpointing which ad format—text, image, display, or video—is performing most effectively and which needs improvement.
Google also launched the many-per-click conversion data which illustrates how many conversions came from the same click or visitor within a thirty day period. Because one click might result in multiple conversions, especially for B2C companies, such as ecommerce sites, this tool can be very helpful for tracking the full long-term value of clicks.
Besides adding new tools, Google has decided to open the conversion optimizer, a very useful tool for testing the effectiveness of landing pages, to accounts with 15 conversions in the last 30 days. Small business advertisers can now benefit from using the conversion optimizer for their smaller-scaled accounts. Expanding the tool is a great step towards leveling the playing field between big and small advertisers, and opens the door to increased conversion efficiency for a large number of businesses.
1. The New Google AdWords Interface
The number one thing we are thankful for this season is the new AdWords interface. Introduced in the spring, the new interface has a modern and updated look with easier navigation and new tricks up its sleeve. Updated tabs, easy campaign navigation through the left side bar, direct editing in the campaign level, and a variety of other features has made the new interface an advertiser’s dream application. Now standard, the new interface illustrates Google’s constant drive for innovation and usability. The new interface has made it easier for you to make edits on multiple levels and presents data in an organized, easy to read fashion. New additions and changes, such as recent updates to the MCC, are still occurring, and we look forward to seeing AdWords get better and better through the years to come. For now, they’ve done quite enough to earn our thanks.
