Category: Google

So you start an AdWords campaign and you start to get traffic. You're doing all the things they tell you to do - you've got Google Analytics installed and you've got conversion reporting configured. You know exactly which keywords and ads are working and which are not - so now you can start really optimizing your account. How long will it take you to paint yourself into a corner? If you're not careful - it could be quicker than you might think...

When there is a problem that needs fixing - start your checks with the most likely cause. That's good advice in general - but even more so with Google AdWords. More than once I have found myself delving deep into account structure and global settings to "fix" a problem only to have a Homer "D'Oh" moment... here are a few of mine, and in this show and tell post, I'd like to hear some of yours!..

Google have just made a big announcement about the big announcement they are going to make about AdWords on the 22nd April - and there are a bunch of predictions about what is likely to be included. The one thing that we can be almost sure about is that it's not going to be one big thing, but rather a number of changes and tweaks to the way in which AdWords works. some will be substantial in their own right, but might not impact much - others could be very small in terms of the changes, but massive in the way in which they affect campaigns...

Since the introduction of enhanced campaigns I have been frustrated by the apparent need to link a Google Places account to AdWords to get location extensions to appear. Many of my smaller clients do not have a Google Places account. We stress the importance of this and most are happy to set it up - but this implies the inevitable wait for a verification code from Google... and this can cause a month or more delay. But then, almost by chance, we discovered a secret doorway back to the way things used to be.... follow me.......

Are you using your remarketing lists to target search (RLSA) - if you're not, you should be. It can be extremely effective. But in light of recent site policy changes made by Google don't get caught in the same trap we fell into!..

One of the keys to a successful AdWords campaign is getting your ad noticed in the search results. There are a number of ways to do this - its good to include sitelinks and location, call and social extensions, these are all part of the normal campaign set up and if you are not adding these as a matter of course, you should be. but these extensions aside, the ad copy you present is the most important feature of how you bait your hook. Most blogs will tell you about using triggers - calls to action that induce the click include words such as Now, Today, Rush, Don't Miss, Claim, etc. all designed to encourage the reader to click on your ad...

Sometimes the most innocuous of changes can have ripples that become surfing waves before you even realise. Google have just released news of a change that is to be rolled out during February that will subtly change the way in which conversions are reported in Adwords. Here are the bones of the changes:..

If you've installed Google Analytics code on your site it's always good to know if it's working... If you have Chrome you can install the Google Tag Assistant extension - or you can wait a few hours and check if there have been any visits - but how would you like to know immediately if the code is working - especially if you need the code to be checking across sub-domains, for example?..

One of our clients has a cancer facility. In Canada. We have been running some effective remarketing campaigns for them for a couple of years based on a simple combination list of All Visitors less Converted Visitors - we have also been running an RLSA campaign and a campaign to the "Similar to" lists - pretty standard stuff. Yesterday our lists got disapproved and closed. Not the ads, not the campaigns - the lists themselves. The messages on the campaigns referred to the fact that the lists could not be used...

So you're running your business. You've put everything into getting it to this point. And now you're ready to embark on the next step - getting more customers. Everywhere you look people are talking about Google AdWords - Heck, you even got a voucher through the mail.... if you spend $25 Google are going to give you $75! How can that be a bad deal? And it's simple. Google are going to walk you through it... So you open the box...