AdWords Updates Display URL Policy – New Policy Still Falls Short

January 14, 2010

2010-01-14_081646 Google has finally updated their Display URL policy so that if you use a shared domain (such as blogspot), then you need to be more accurate in your portrayal of the destination URL.

For instance, if your URL was: mybusiness.blogspot.com, all you had to do was use blogspot.com in your destination URL and you would meet the policy. In fact, you could have even used YourCompetitor.blogspot.com as the display URL and taken them to your page.

While blogspot is an easy one to pick one, I think that this ruling occurred (and will be modified one more time) because of the sudden influx of Google.com URLs.

Legitimately Use Google.com as Your Display URL

If you use Google Apps or Google Pages, then you can have a site hosted at:

sites.google.com/a/Customize

If site.google.com/a/Customize is the destination URL, you can use Google.com as the display URL.

With Blogspot, every site has a subdomain and therefore this is an easy ruling to apply.

With Google pages and Google sites, the URL is a folder and not a subdomain and therefore makes it difficult to pick a URL that accurately describes where the user is going.

In fact, you may see destination URLs that are: Google.com/AdWords or Google.com/Coupons that actually go to sites.google.com/a/SpammyOffer.

This is a good move from Google, it just needs to go further to clarify how to handle folders within a subdomain or what constitutes ‘additional information’ that is actually relevant to the consumer.

Written by Brad Geddes aka eWhisper · Filed Under Blog, Google AdWords | 1 Comment

The First AdWords Seminar of 2010 Will be in Houston

January 13, 2010

The AdWords Seminar for Success series is heading to Houston.

When: February 16th & 17th

Where: Hilton Houston Westchase

9999 Westheimer Road

Houston, Texas 77042

The AdWords Seminar Curriculum has been completely revamped based upon feedback from previous attendees. We’re now offering a two day seminar. Each day is optional; however, we’re offering a discount to those attending both days.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Before you read the new curriculum, don’t forget the fun goodies you also get for attending:

$100 AdWords Credit ($50 if you register for a single day) **Must Register 7 Days in Advance
2 USB Thumb Drives with Presentation Materials (1 for each day)
Other Google Goodies

See What Other Attendees Have Said:

Curriculum Day 1

AdWords Seminar 301: Advanced Account Optimization
Morning Session	Afternoon Session
Psychology of Search Best Practices for PPC Success Understanding Keywords Keyword Research Long Tail Keywords Wide vs. Deep Keywords Negative Keywords Search Query Reports Discovering Effective Keywords AdWords Keyword Tool Spidering Websites Competitive Research Creating Compelling Ad Copy Connecting with the Searcher Unique Selling Proposition Benefits vs. Features Landing Pages that Convert Showcasing the Answer Where to Send Traffic Best Practices Usability Overview Advanced Optimization Techniques Boosting Your PPC Traffic Dynamic Keyword Insertion Ad Preview Tool Increasing Page Views Increasing PPC Conversion Rates Ad Copy Calls to Action Optimizing Landing Pages Open Q&A	Quality Score Demystified What is Quality Score How Actual CPC is Calculated Quality Score Factors How to Increase Your Quality Score Using Keyword Reports Beyond Text – Multimedia Ads Video Ads Image Ads Widget Ads Display Ad Builder Content Network Deep Dive Overview of the Content Network Data: Placement Performance Report Demographics Reports Content Network Optimization Placement Targeting Enhanced Campaigns Content Campaign Organization AdSense Preview Tool Ad Planner Advanced Geographic Targeting The Technology Effectively Reaching Local Audiences Local Business Ads Geographic Performance Reports AdWords Editor: Quick and Easy Account Changes Live AdWords Editor Demo Making Large Account Changes in Minutes Google Analytics Implementation Open Q&A
**Bonus Presentation: Marketing in a Down Economy

Brad – GREAT JOB! you managed multiple experience levels beautifully. I learned a lot. Already seeing better results from my Adwords campaigns. I’m sure I’ll attend another session.

Steve Hodgdon

I flew from Japan just for this seminar, and it was worth every penny. I know there are many people who teach AdWords, but no one is as specific as he is, and he doesn’t mind sharing the information with you. When it comes to AdWords, he is the one to listen.

Taka

President

lpo-consulting.com/

Curriculum Day 2

AdWords Seminar 302: Advanced Conversion Optimization
Morning Session	Afternoon Session
Setting Profitable Business Goals Putting Your Ad Dollars to Work Ad Delivery Bidding Types Max CPC Preferred Bidding Conversion Optimizer Budget Optimizer Learn How to Track Conversions Implementation Measurement Exploring ROI and Profit Calculating Bids Effective Bidding Strategies Position Preference Ad Scheduler Basic Advanced Time Sensitive Ads By Location My Client Center Successful Account Organization When to Create Campaigns Content vs. Search Budget Geography Product or Service Types Ad Scheduling When to Create AdGroups Organizing Ads and Keywords	Find Effective Messages through Split Testing Overview of Testing Ad Delivery Methods Statically Relevant Information Ad Copy Testing Advanced Ad Writing Split Testing Ad Copy Ad Performance Reports Landing Page Testing Where to Send Traffic for Testing How to Test Page Layouts Split Testing Landing Pages URL Performance Reports Profit Per Impression Combined Landing Page and Ad Testing Variations Understanding the Reports Lifetime Visitor Values Be More Productive Using AdWords Reports Keyword Report Search Query Performance Other Reports Google Analytics Reporting Site Overlay Conversion Funnels AdWords Account Navigation Click Quality and Reporting Even More Tools for Effective Research Ad Planner SK Tool Trends Widget Ads Resources Open Q&A
**Bonus Presentation: Actionable Items: Step-by-Step: How to Maximize Results for Your Limited Time

First, I flew down to your conference in Houston not really having any expectations on what I was going to learn in a one day seminar over something that has “paralysis by analysis” written all over it like Adwords. However, I feel afterwards, it was one of the most positive and understandable conferences that I have ever attended.

You did a great job in explaining and relating the information into a plan that even an ‘amateur’ like myself can understand. I have taken a lot of the information and began to implement the ideas into actual measurable results.

I just wanted to send you a note in appreciation for your time and thank you for all the information that you provided. I hopefully will get to goto another seminar in the future.

Neal Freeman Catalog/Assistant eCommerce Manager Dallas Cowboys Merchandising

I flew from Japan just for this seminar, and it was worth every penny. I know there are many people who teach AdWords, but no one is as specific as he is, and he doesn’t mind sharing the information with you. When it comes to AdWords, he is the one to listen.

Taka

Great seminar. A lot of interesting information. You can tell that Brad knows exactly what he is talking about. Thank you so much.

Valeri Volkov

United City Group Clearwater, FL

Brad I wanted to write and thank you again. My staff and I came away with a lot of very useful information. Having been a long time user, I thought I understood AdWords, Analytics and landing pages well. I wasn’t even close to the level of what I know now. I should have done this long ago. If the ideas running through my head were gears in a machine there would be smoke coming from them. Truly eye opening.

Jay Papineau

IT Manager

Northwest Clinical Research Center

I learned an amazing amount from in the Seminars for Success Advanced Adwords course in two short days early this week. Brad taught us a huge number of you-gotta-know-this Adwords lessons that are turning into money in the bank for us already 3 days later. I think this seminar was probably the best money I have ever invested in a seminar.

Walt Monk

Owner

WebWelcomer.com

You did a great job in the seminars this week. You totally are an expert on the subject and that was great to see. Well worth the money for the seminar and the education I got. I have been working on adwords for about 4 years now mostly part time, took the basic classes two years ago in Dallas and so it was great to move to the next level of knowledge. I feel empowered! Please email me when your new book comes out.

Kenneth H. Butler

Butler Information Technologies, Inc.

Within a few hours my goals for this 2 day Seminar in Toronto had already been achieved, I thought it was a very interesting and helpful Seminar. Brad, I admire your enthusiasm and wide range of knowledge. Keep up the good work! I would recommend this Seminar to anyone who has a basic knowledge about Adwords and Analytics. For Analytics you need to know a bit more about the technical implementation though.

Dennis

Wicked Media NV

I attended Brads 301 and 302 google adwords seminar in Toronto this past week and was a little skeptical at first if i would learn anything useful. Well I was quite impressed with his knowledge and actually did learn a lot about adwords and google analytics and how to get to the proper reports that show you how to fine tune your account. I highly recommend the workshop to SEM professional. Brad has a lot of tools and advice that you can don’t find on the standard web sites about how to use adwords. thanks!

John MacKenzie

President

EthicalHost.ca

The seminar was probably worth far more than 10 times the cost. I was astounded to see how much useful information Brad was able to deliver in one day. My only quasi-negative comment: It might have been too much good information. I’m a little overwhelmed just thinking about where to start with all the positive changes I can now make with our internet marketing.

Rick D. from Minneapolis

Very informative for me – I was concerned most of it would go over my head but it was about right. Great presentation and question handling; the Adwords ‘tour’ explained the tools available and led to a number of changes to my ads, keywords and website. Excellent value.

Anonymous

I really enjoyed the 2 days of advanced seminars in Chicago. Brad is obviously very educated in the ins and outs of AdWords. My only suggestion is I would have personally benefited from a little more time spent on more advanced AdWord bidding and advertising tactics.

Anonymous

Thank you, Brad, for a terrific presentation. Right on target, insightful, and full of strategy.

Debbie Formica

Martindale’s Natural Market

I really enjoyed the 2 days of advanced seminars in Chicago. Brad is obviously very educated in the ins and outs of AdWords. My only suggestion is I would have personally benefited from a little more time spent on more advanced AdWord bidding and advertising tactics.

Bill S.

I attended your AdWords seminar a few days ago in Chicago. I just wanted to thank you for the excellence in the material you have provided to me. I really appreciate your passion for internet marketing as I have similar passions. I have loved designing and developing websites since I discovered them when I was 12… The tools that you gave me will now allow me to cause the websites that I work on for clients truly be successful and not just sit on the web doing nothing. I am also inspired by your story and career. Thank You so much!

Brian Groce

Clear Notions Studio

I think you are going to save me thousands and hopefully one day 100’s of thousands once my campaigns get bigger.

James Bird

marshalfirth.com

I’m an affiliate and this type of training is essential and you guys delivered the best quality in content I’ve even seen about the subject of adwords. I left the seminar feeling more confident about this interface, but I sure would have been glad to pay extra for access to recorded video sessions. Maybe that’s something you guys could offer soon? Thanks very much.

Charlie Perez.

Brad is a genius–and I don’t say that about a lot of people. He knows Google adwords inside and out. I was thoroughly impressed by his presentation.

Anonymous

Brad, great job with the seminar. It was taught well and at a good learning pace. You handled the array of questions from simple to hard with great explainations and analogies. I will probably be calling you for some personal phone consultations for my larger ppc clients. All the best!

Tony Mandarich

Mandarich.com

I attended your “Google Adwords Seminar for Success” sessions in Austin earlier this week. I just wanted to say I really appreciated the content you offered. Your material was well balanced. I was fearful that because my company is not a product-selling company that we would not benefit from your information. That couldn’t have been further from the truth. Your seminar validated to me that the direction we have taken so far is appropriate. It is good to see and hear from an expert that we have made good decisions about our Adwords strategy. Your information and tips have given me new things to think about and to use when looking for new keywords to use, and as well to examine our existing keyword performance.

Stu Roberts

Director of Information Technology Nelson Architectural Engineers, Inc.

Investigative Engineering & Forensic Technology

The Google Adwords seminar by Brad Geddes was the most informative and enlightening one I have ever attended. The day flew by and the information gleaned was more than most two-day sessions I have attended.

Jeff Cunningham

Cunninghamn Gas Products

CunninghamLiving.com

Very informative for me – I was concerned most of it would go over my head but it was about right. Great presentation and question handling; the Adwords ‘tour’ explained the tools available and led to a number of changes to my ads, keywords and website. Excellent value.

Matt Nelson

I attended this conference in order to learn the latest Adwords developments, and in this respect, I found it to be most useful. We are using Adwords tools daily, so know more about them than the average user. Still, it is useful from time to time to take a step back and listen to an expert who is obviously plugged into the latest, as well as upcoming, developments. Brad is an exceptional speaker, offers insightful views about marketing theory, and is a technical master. Aside from that he demonstrates during his presentations a willingness to roll up his sleeves and delve into the nuts and bolts of how to manage Adwords to improve ROAS for clients.

Chris Lude

Denver-PPC.com

Written by Brad Geddes aka eWhisper · Filed Under Blog, Speaking Events | 1 Comment

New Videos for the Week of 1/8/2010

January 8, 2010

The year is still very light on videos.

Google did finally make a playlist of content network basics. These videos are not new, but as there’s very little new this week; and the content network is so important; its worth highlighting their videos again.

New Videos from AtGoogleTalks

Written by Brad Geddes aka eWhisper · Filed Under Blog, Video | Leave a Comment

My PPC New Year Resolutions

January 7, 2010

My newest Search Engine Land columns is out titled: My PPC New Year Resolutions. This article looks at things to change in 2010.

My main 2010 PPC resolutions are:

Track everything
Lose the long tail weight
Try more rich media ads across the content network
Focus on post conversion communication
Be more creative

I wrote an article for SEL two years ago about cleaning up your account from last year that you can find here: New Year’s Resolutions For Your PPC Campaigns.

These two articles should help get you a jump-start on PPC in 2010.

Written by Brad Geddes aka eWhisper · Filed Under Blog, PPC Info | Leave a Comment

Google Grant Owners – Apply for More Free Advertising

January 6, 2010

I don’t write about Google Grants very often; but it’s a fantastic program that Google offers to give non-profits some free marketing dollars.

Google determines how much you receive every month, and then you get an account that you can manage with a few restrictions – the two biggest ones are:

Can’t advertise on the content network
Can’t bid over $1 per click

Google is doing some kind of content network experiment for Google Grants where you can get $500 of free content advertising. The only catch is that Google employees will build and manage this account. Honestly, it sounds like Google is either doing a controlled test to gather data or teaching their managers how to run content network accounts. In either case, Google Grant users can get some free ads.

Written by Brad Geddes aka eWhisper · Filed Under Blog | Leave a Comment

New Videos For the December 09 Holidays

January 1, 2010

The holiday weeks have left us fairly light on videos the past two weeks. Since I missed the holiday video post, I’ve included both weeks together (which still makes this lighter than past weeks).

There aren’t any must see videos. If you’re into Analytics, than this Q&A video with Avanish & Nick will keep you entertained for 20 minutes.

Since we mostly talk marketing on this blog, we rarely examine some of the other videos that can be found. I’m a big fan of Google Tech Talks. Google has experts come into their offices several times a month to give presentations, answer Q&A, etc. All of these videos are recorded and stored on YouTube. The latest is about Personal Informational Management. This is approached from the tech provider standpoint about how different people organize info and how you can offer services.

As I’m an organizational junkie. I have meeting rules, Outlook rules, email rules, RSS rules, etc that would drive most people crazy; but they let me get a tremendous amount done; I like examining the different ways that people use technology to pick up tidbits here and there. It also helps with making system workflows when you want to organize your information to be part of someone’s daily life.

Videos from the Week of 12/24/09

New Videos from AtGoogleTalks

New Videos from Google

New Videos from GoogleChannelUK

New Videos from Google Developers

YouTube Direct: Getting Started Guide

New Videos from googletechtalks

Situating Personal Information Management Practices within an Organization

New Videos from google analytics

Episode #4 – Web Analytics TV With Avinash Kaushik and Nick Mihailovski

Videos for the Week of 12/28/09.

New Videos from Yahoo Ad Buzz

The Best of Yahoo! Ads in 2009

Written by Brad Geddes aka eWhisper · Filed Under Blog, Video | Leave a Comment

Keyword Research & Refinement in 3 Easy Steps

December 16, 2009

I recently wrote an article for RSS Ray promoting the podcast I’ll be on later today called: Keyword Research & Refinement in 3 Easy Steps.

It’s looks a simplistic process for:

Finding keywords
Grouping keywords
Refining keywords

While more advanced readers will want to user more tools and processes than outlined in this article; it’s an easy way to get started with your keyword research and refinement.

Full article on RSS Ray Blog: Keyword Research & Refinement in 3 Easy Steps.

Written by Brad Geddes aka eWhisper · Filed Under Blog, Keyword Research | Leave a Comment

Listen To RSS Ray Interview me on Wednesday

December 14, 2009

I’m going to be on WS Radio’s Online Marketing with RSS Ray on Wednesday (12/16/09) at 1:30 pm EST discuss advanced keyword research with Brian.

You can tune in live on Wednesday and listen to the show. There will also be an archived version that you can listed to at a later date.

RSS Ray is also known as Brian Offenberger when he’s not on the air.

Hope to see you there.

Hear Me On wsRadio.com “Online Marketing with RSS Ray,” live at 1pm Eastern/10am Pacific

Written by Brad Geddes aka eWhisper · Filed Under Blog | Leave a Comment

New Google & Yahoo Videos for the week of 12/11/09. Bonus SES & Wordstream Videos.

December 11, 2009

Most of the new videos this week are for developers. If you’re on the more technical side; take a look – there’s a lot of good stuff.

For advertisers, there are two key videos to watch this week.

The first is one of the new features Google Analytics just added – the ability to make notes inside your analytics account. Video here: Google Analytics Annotations.

On a global average, conversion rates do not average much by position; however, there are exceptions. Fred (one of my favorite people at Google) did a short video on how to find conversion rates by position in Google Analytics. Video here: AdWords Conversion Rate by Ad Position.

Here are the rest of the new videos for this week.

If you’ve ever wanted to learn about Wordstream (an interesting keyword tool with a free version to test out) or wonder what is happening at SES Chicago this week; at the bottom of this post is an overview of Wordstream and the SES videos.