Does this look familiar?

Google First Page Bid Estimate and Actual Position

This inspiring sight is almost inevitable to anyone working in AdWords. Google takes care to inform you, in no uncertain terms, that your bid isn’t high enough to make the first page, and yet, when you look closer, your average position is still pretty good. Usually third or fourth. Definitely not on the second page.

Which just leaves all of us, search marketer and client alike, perplexed. What gives?

Anyone working in AdWords also figured out pretty quickly that it’s a mercurial creature, and often contradictory. Just because Google says something doesn’t necessarily mean that it means it, and the “below first page bid” situation is a prime example. In this case, a first page bid estimate does not equal the cost per click.

So just because Google says your bid is below the first page doesn’t mean that it actually is, and there are a few reasons why. Besides AdWords deciding to be contrary.

One, the first page bid estimate is just an estimate. That’s all. It’s an indication of how much you might have to pay to get on the first page, and not how much you actually will pay. In fact, you’ll often find that you pay less per click than your maximum CPC gives you room for. This is due to AdWord’s quality-based price system, which is a whole new beast of burden in and of itself.

Second, first page bid estimates only really work when a search query exactly matches the keywords that first page bid estimate is for. So if you’re using a broad or phrase match keyword, then forget about it; variations that trigger your exact keyword don’t make any difference in determining a first page bid estimate.

Third, Google search and the Google Search Network use different factors in determining pricing, ad position, and all that fun stuff. So that first page bid estimate you’re seeing? Only comes from Google search, not the Search Network, which is why you might be scratching your head at the huge disparity between the first page bid estimate that applies just to Google and the average CPC that applies to Google and the entire Search Network.

Finally, if you’re throwing your campaign around in more than one country, then the first page bid estimate comes from data from the country with the highest search volume for that specific keyword. Google does much better when you’re only targeting one country, so campaigns spanning multiple ones produce much less accurate first page bid estimates.

So the next time Google informs you that you’re below the first page bid in spite of all evidence on the contrary, that’s what gives.

Or AdWords just decided to be contrary.

Adwords, Bidding Strategies, Google, Google AdWords, Keyword Opportunities, PPC, search marketing

We all know how Google search works:  We type in a keyword, click search, and then Google displays a list of “relevant web pages” that is based on our search keyword. However this method is far from perfect.

While Google is constantly changing their search algorithm to improve these results we are wasting countless hours of our time sifting through unrelated web pages; and sometimes we don’t even find what we want.

The biggest cause of this problem is that there is a constant struggle for business’ to show up on the first page.  This creates a highly competitive environment where people will do anything to be seen “above the fold”. This battle dilutes the quality of search results.

In order to remedy this experience, Google is now attempting to improve the way we search.  Instead of basing their search results entirely on one keyword search, they are shifting to concept results. A concept result is a specific topic related to the keyword that is typed in. Google gives the following example:

For example, if you search for [principles of physics], our algorithms understand that “angular momentum,” “special relativity,” “big bang” and “quantum mechanics” are related terms that could help you find what you need. Here’s an example (click on the images in the post to view them larger):

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/

As you can see in the image there is a list of concepts on the bottom of the page. Once [principles of physics] is searched, Google provides a list of related topics to choose from.  By providing this list they are funneling traffic to qualified web pages that have content about that concept.

I see this as a great step in Search Engine Technology. I would like to see Google put this concept list at the top of each search results page.  This way when we search a keyword, we see the relative search concepts and then select the corresponding topic we are interested in.

This change has the promise to save Google searchers hours of time. Hopefully this is the future for Google search. We’ll keep you posted.

Add new tag, concept search, Google Search, Google updates, semantic search

In order to target smaller geographic areas Google Adwords allows advertisers to select a custom shape or radius to limit who sees their ads. However, It doesn’t always work the way it’s supposed to!

Recently we decided to select a 10 mile radius (the minimum reccommended by Google) to geo-target a local business in downtown San Diego. After running the ads for few days we noticed that our ads linked to keywords with the prefix ”san diego” were not showing up in Google. We then increased the keyword cpc bid up to an expensive $20 a click, but they still didn’t show. 

When speaking to Google about this issue they searched “san diego (keyword)” in the ad diagnostic tool and found our ad showing up in the top 3 positions every time. Nevertheless it was not showing up in our local searches. They then contacted their technical team and found that there was problem with their algorythym. 

The Fix? Google suggested targeting no smaller than a 20 mile radius, or to target by a city. We decided to change our geo-targeting to San Diego City as it is closer to our target market. Immediately after the change our ads showed up in the top positions. 

Google Adwords Advertisers beware: Do not geo-target an area smaller than a 20 mile radius!

geo targeting, geo targeting problems, geo-targeting small areas, geotargeting, Google adwords geo-targeting

This morning one of our accounts was chosen to be part of Google’s small test sample for their new Adwords interface.  My First Impression:  When Can we switch the rest of our accounts over? Google hit a homerun with this one.

The interface integrates the look and feel of Google Analytics with the functionality of the Adwords Editor. When switching over to the Beta version the first change noticed is the line graph jutting across the screen.  The new graph is very reminiscent of the one in Google Analytics. This is a good thing, as the graph serves its purpose well and turns trends into an easily comprehensible visual to look at.

The graph also allows the user to see two different metrics at the same time. This feature can be used at any level: Campaign, Ad group, and Keyword. Take a look at this next example, Impressions with clicks were chosen to compare at the Campaign level for the month of January. 

After the graph is noticed the next big change to Adwords is the new tab layout and organization.  Google reorganized the entire structure to make it resemble the Adwords editor. The hierarchy is on the left, which simplifies drilling into the different account levels.  However, the most convenient feature of this reorganization is the ability to change a bid, key word, or ad on the spot. With one click on the edit button a yellow box appears that allows editing without having to leave the page. Very convenient.

The following are examples of the new keyword and Ad editors:

Another new feature found within this beta is a new status/quality score. If everything is A-Ok, keyword status is labeled “Eligible”. Then when clicking on the left side of “Eligible” a box appears that breaks up the quality score into Relevance, Landing Page, and Landing Page performance. 

Quality score has always been a bit of a mystery so hopefully this new feature will give advertisers a better glimpse into what Google’s opinion of “quality” is.  

Other small changes implemented in the new beta include a new network tab that compares performance between the content and search network, and a tab that eliminates the long wait for the campaign settings page to load up.

Overall this new beta version is faster and far easier to navigate. There is no doubt that this version will increase efficiency and help advertisers save time and money. Hopefully Google will release the full version of this beta soon, because after using it for only a day it becomes difficult to switch back to the antiquated standard Adwords.

Adwords Beta, Adwords Beta Interface, Adwords Beta Version, Google Adwords Beta