Web Search & Marketing Newsletter: December 2011

Welcome to the latest edition of our monthly newsletter, which covers some of the recent trends and developments in the field of web search and online marketing.

In this month's issue we are focusing on Google AdWords and getting the best results from this form of online advertising. We're pleased to have been approached by Google in the past month to take part in a new pilot program for AdWords agencies - we are one of only 5 agencies selected for this in Australia. The aim is to develop our clients AdWords campaign through the full review and use of all the tools and techniques that are now available in the AdWords system and to get insights and advice from Google on how these can best be used. This newsletter looks at these opportunities and some of the key areas that we'll be focusing on over the next few months.

You can read more below, or you can also browse through previous editions of the newsletter, either by month or by subject. You can also follow us on Twitter for the latest developments during the month, or follow our Facebook page.

On to this month's edition...

New opportunities with Google AdWords

At the start of November we were approached by Google to take part in a new pilot program for AdWords agencies. As one of only 5 agencies selected in Australia, this gives us and our clients a great opportunity to make the most of the increasing range of tools and techniques that have been added to AdWords.

Web Marketing Workshop is already a Google AdWords Certified Partner, which reflects our qualifications and experience in running a wide range of Google AdWords campaigns since the service first began in 2002. We have now been selected for this new pilot program due to our ability to develop and grow our clients' accounts. With this new program, Google is testing new ways to support agencies, such as ours, to enable advertisers to make even better use of this powerful form of online advertising.

Over the past few years, and particularly in 2011, Google has been adding new tools and reporting functions to AdWords – some of which have been covered in previous issues of this newsletter. What's more, the ongoing development and usage of Google Analytics helps to add an extra layer of data and analysis to AdWords campaigns, which leads to improved targeting and performance.

 

Getting the best from AdWords

Google's own marketing and the relatively 'user-friendly' AdWords interface can make it appear to be a simple self-serve system for new advertisers, yet there are some increasingly complex requirements and techniques now available to help users get the best from this form of search marketing. Many new advertisers can therefore get caught out – including by some of Google's default settings – so that they can quickly spend their advertising budget with little return, and therefore get disillusioned by AdWords not working for them.

Of course it's in Google's best interests to make AdWords a success, both for advertisers as well as searchers, because this in turn will help make Google more successful as well! That's why Google is now looking for ways to better support agencies and to make AdWords campaigns a cost-effective method of marketing online for as many advertisers as possible, over a long term period.

As part of this pilot scheme (which Google is also running in the US and UK), we are receiving additional training, advice and insights across the full range of AdWords opportunities, which will help our clients develop their campaigns and provide a competitive advantages when using this increasingly popular service.

 

Enhancing AdWords results

As part of this new program, some of the techniques that we will be addressing in depth include:

Quality Scores – this is one of the key factors to help improve the cost-effective of any AdWords campaign, based on relevancy and content factors. Although there is some element of a 'secret formula' behind these figures at the keyword level, we will use Google's insights to refine these for our client accounts and so achieve a lower average CPC whilst improving ranking position and conversion performance.

Landing Pages – the point where searchers land on a website from the AdWords advert has always been important but has recently become a more significant factor within the Quality Score. We will use Google's input to identify ways of further improving the performance of these pages within AdWords.

Remarketing – this is a powerful way of displaying adverts to searchers who have previously visited a website. Conversion rates from remarketing can be impressive and we are continually testing this opportunity for our clients.

Ad Extensions – these offer additional ways of attracting visitors from AdWords, such as through location details, direct phone calls or sitelinks. We are also testing the use of Product Extensions through Google Shopping for ecommerce sites and will be implementing social media extension linked to the new Google+ service.

Mobile Marketing – mobile is becoming increasingly important for website traffic and AdWords offers a range of services to target this sector. We will be building on our experience of these campaigns and advising clients on the best opportunities for mobile marketing in 2012.

Display Network – Google is continually refining and expanding their network of sites that carry AdWords adverts, either in text, display or video format. We will be looking at new opportunities for advertisers using the range of options available, including audience and topic targeting.

We're looking forward to working closely with Google over the next few months to help our advertisers improve their campaign performance and advertising spend through AdWords. We are also providing a review service for other AdWords advertisers who may feel that they're not getting the most from their account, so that we can provide advice and recommendations to help improve their campaigns.

To find out more about this new initiative and how it can help your Google AdWords campaigns, please contact us now.

 

Follow us on Facebook & Twitter

Remember, if you use Facebook or Twitter, you can now follow our news and updates using these channels:

Regular updates will be posted through our main Twitter accounts:

• Web Marketing Workshop (latest developments in the web marketing field)
• Web Training Workshop (web search tips & advice, plus training courses).

More detailed information will be posted on our Facebook pages:

• Web Marketing Workshop for news, comment and trends
• Web Search Workshop for search marketing advice and tips
• Web Training Workshop for training course updates.

 

We hope you've found this month's newsletter useful. Please contact us if you need any more information on the items covered, or our advice on any aspect of your website's performance. Also, if there are any issues you would like to see in future editions of this newsletter, please submit your suggestions to us.