Happy Holidays from Google AdWords!

In this new year Google is giving you $100 to promote your blog and boost your reader numbers. Try it for yourself before this offer expires on March 18, 2011.

Note: This is a non-transferable, limited promotion open only to those that received a promotional offer via direct mail. This offer is valid only through Google. Your promotional code and terms and conditions can be found in your direct mail piece. Promotional codes will not be distributed after you’ve created your account. Full T&Cs found here.

I have been using Google Adwords Vs Yahoo Search Marketing for quite some time now. Of course there is lot of different stuff with both the giant but I came across two major different between Google Adwords and Yahoo Search Marketing that could turn into a big discussion!

1. Quality Score:

Google’s Quality Score is on an individual keyword that you choose and is obtained at time when search takes place. You can also have low and high QS keywords in same ad group. With Google the broad match and phrase match keywords show you only average Quality Scores. Only the perfect match can show you even the close real QS, yet it is average since QS is based on things that occur during search.

Yahoo’s Quality Score are only to appear at the ad group level. This simply means that everything in the ad group is a backup for QS. Any bad QS keyword could easily drag down the others. Yahoo suggests that they organize ad group just like Google but then split up the ad groups by the number of traffic. This means with Yahoo I get 3 times as many ad groups than I get Google!

2. Match Type.

Google Phrase – Broad, Negative Phrase, Exact, Negative Broad, Negative Exact. Broad is a wild card for Google that would locate all keywords with any of the keywords in your phrase plus synonyms, singulars, plurals and anything before and after the term. Exact is just the exact nothing more or nothing less and Negatives also work the same way. If you wish to put in a singular then you have to put in singular as well. In case you go for negative match you will not have exact match for the same term. Google believes that a plural and singular keywords to be two separate words. Negatives could be done at the ad group and Campaign level!

Yahoo Phrase – Advanced, Standard, Excluded Words. Here Yahoo does not have any exact match. Advanced is simply like Google Broad and even standard is just like Google broad. But with Yahoo if you put in negative keyword match it would not be excluded if you have it as advanced or standard match. In case you put singular it would exclude the plural. Not like Google, Yahoo singular and plural keywords to be the same keywords and cannot be separated. Negatives could be done at the account level and ad group level only!

Of course there are many other differences like geo targeting, campaign settings and more, but these 2 I found it not very obvious in my understanding. However, if you are a newbie then I would say go try out Yahoo first because it is comparatively easier to get your ads placed then Adwords. Google AdWords is capable of delivering a lot of traffic, but their “quality score” formula makes it difficult for some people to get their ads shown on Google. Ensure you have a good stats program so you would know what the traffic does once it enters your site.

The ads, which officially debuted Thursday, work as AdWords usually do, serving up pages related to the search terms (rather than news results from specific publications). Josh Cohen, a business product manager for Google, described the results as "similar to what you see on regular Google searches or Google Book Search."

As the situation for print-news publishing has deteriorated over the past few years, some publishers looked to Google as, perhaps, a savior or at least a partner in ads sales. That was the Print Ads program, which Google flushed after two years. That announcement, made on January 21, was followed by the announcement in mid-February that Google is also scuppering its Audio Ads sales program for radio-spot placement.

Many observers pointed out that traditional publishers, some of whom are only recently coming around to the prospect of Google News excerpting their stuff, are likely to scream blue murder at the idea of the search giant making ad sales in proximity to their content.

But Ken Chan, commenting on John Battelle’s Searchblog, took a more sanguine view. "Good for Google," he writes. "Instead of getting all bent out of shape, the news media should be praying that Google succeeds and finds a way to monetize the news. Then, the rest of the news media can jump aboard the Google bandwagon ’cause they haven’t found a way to make money online by themselves."

Google Print Ads’ final day will be Saturday — one day after the Rocky Mountain News goes dark.

Source: Google News Blog, BetaNews

The more a business pays per keyword, the higher the ad will appear in the results. Best of all, the business isn’t charged for the ad to appear on the SERP. They are only billed when the ad link is clicked, taking the visitor to the business site. Before getting into the specifics of Google AdWords though, here is a brief history of pay-per-click (PPC) advertising.

History of Pay Per Click Google AdWords

Jeffrey Brewer and Bill Gross of GoTo.com (currently part of Yahoo) presented the first PPC search engine proof-of-concept at the TED8 Conference in 1998. Although Google began setting up search engine advertising in December 1999, it wasn’t offered to the public until October 2000. The concept went largely unnoticed because advertisements were charged per thousand impressions (CPM). Taking a page from Yahoo, whose ads were PPC since its introduction in 1998, Google switched to charging per page click. The concept then gained momentum for Google and attracted businesses both small and large.

Picking the Right AdWords

Google offers their advertisers a keyword tool that allows them to research what keywords are being searched on Google. These results can then be compared to what others are spending on advertising per keyword. As an aside, the added benefit of this keyword tool is the terms that are returned in the query can also be used for creating SEO sales copy on the site, but that’s another topic of discussion.

The more popular a search term is, the higher the cost to advertise for that keyword. What makes AdWords so appealing is that the business can choose words based on their budget and still get a target response.

For example, popular words are expensive if a business wants top placement. They can still choose to advertise at these words at a lower rate. They simply won’t be as high in a SERP. The real benefit, however, comes from lesser-known keywords that are still searched. A business might not get as many hits, but the hits they receive have targeted value. This means that users who search these keywords are more likely to be interested in the advertised website.

A business can spend anywhere between tens of dollars or thousands of dollars per month on keywords, since there is a great deal of control over how keywords are purchased. Best of all though, users can decide what keywords and terms their money is spent on, and can change their marketing campaign at any point to use other keywords.

Why Google AdWords Aren’t Enough to Equal Sales

Businesses can increase overall website hits by using Google AdWords, but that doesn’t guarantee sales. Once customers are driven to the website, it is up to the site design and content to entice customers to make a purchase. Successful websites usually include the following:

1. Content that focus on the customer, not the business.
2. Discussing the benefits (how life will be better for buyers), and not just the features (what is offered) of products and services.
3. An attractive site so customers feel secure doing business. Poor design equals poor sales.
4. Important information about the business (address, phone number, return policies, etc.) so customers feel the business is dependable.

Google AdWords is indeed a great way to drive traffic to a website, and the program allows customer to tailor a keyword campaign specifically for their needs. In conjunction with an informative and well-designed website, Google AdWords can help a business increase web sales.

If you are looking to make money online with Google Adwords then you must be capable to write effective ads. As you are eligible to have only few amount of space to create your advertisement, you must make sure to deliver your message to people powerfully and rapidly in order to capture their attention and get your appreciated click-thru. However, winning pay-per-click game is quite intricate and needs great amount of focus. So how do you write effective ads? First thing you need to do is to put yourself in to viewer’s shoes.

Think about the cause why a surfer would desire to know more about what you offer? What benefit he may get from your product? There are some of the basic reasons why people make a decision to buy something. These are:

1. To satisfy a need

2. To resolve a trouble or fear

3. To develop their personality

So the main stuff on which you need to concentrate is the title and description, they must be able to tell what your product and services comprises of and the advantage your product and service may brings. Know what your audience wants, as it is a key to any successful ad campaign. This might look like final, but your prime aim must not be to generate sale. Your prime task is to induce your potential visitor to take that first step to buy from you. You have to make your landing page, which is as forceful as your ad title or description. Take care that you incorporate a sign up form on the landing or home page so that the visitor could take the further step and request additional information about your product and service offered.

Next concentrate on maximizing your keyword usage. Using highly targeted keywords would certainly get you high quality viewers that are hunting for what is offered by you. This is so significant, as if you land up with the wrong audience you would no doubt pay for it in a superior cost per click and lesser conversions. Utilize quality keyword catalog to assist you uphold a bigger ad position. If you carry an attention grasping headline, a high-quality description, and a high ad place all joint together, you would certainly see more click-thru on your ad campaign.

On the other hand after some time your ads are not getting decent clicks, then you require trying to rewrite your ad description. Do provide different information this time. If in case your rates are the benefit you have over your rivalry then make use of it in your description. Use the word that literally grabs attention. Words such as “download”, or “free”, but don’t lie and make sure you follow Google’s terms and conditions. Use such words only if they are suitable with your campaign. Keep in mind to remain focused on your Google Adwords campaigns. Highlight the benefits of the product or service in the title and description. In addition, don’t be scared to try fresh methods to make a successful Adwords strategy.

Google AdWords Credits: $25.00
Promotional Code: 905624973143 (Updated)

Note: Promotional credit must be applied to a new AdWords account within 15 days of account creation and is valid only for new Google AdWords customers with self-managed signup accounts. Advertisers will be charged for advertising that exceeds the promotional credit. Advertisers will need to suspend their ads if they do not wish to receive additional charges beyond the free credit amount. Subject to ad approval, valid registration and acceptance of the Google AdWords Program standard terms and conditions. The promotional credit is non-transferable and may not be sold or bartered. Offer may be revoked at any time for any reason by Google Inc. One promotional credit per customer. Advertisers with self-managed signup accounts are subject to a $5 activation fee. Offer valid only for sign ups through the URL provided for the promotion.

Source: GoDaddy Web Hosting

Google AdWords Credits: $25.00
Promotional Code: 138614983861 (Updated)

Note: Promotional credit must be applied to a new AdWords account within 15 days of account creation and is valid only for new Google AdWords customers with self-managed signup accounts. Advertisers will be charged for advertising that exceeds the promotional credit. Advertisers will need to suspend their ads if they do not wish to receive additional charges beyond the free credit amount. Subject to ad approval, valid registration and acceptance of the Google AdWords Program standard terms and conditions. The promotional credit is non-transferable and may not be sold or bartered. Offer may be revoked at any time for any reason by Google Inc. One promotional credit per customer. Advertisers with self-managed signup accounts are subject to a $5 activation fee. Offer valid only for sign ups through the URL provided for the promotion.

Source: GoDaddy Web Hosting

Impressing targeted traffic is the only main task, which should be handled carefully for any site to do well or make a turnover. Luckily, there are now Internet marketing tools existing that assist the website owner to drive traffic to the website/blog. One of the most important and effectual among all these tools is Google’s AdWords, one of Google’s advertising services offered for Internet marketer. Being an Internet marketer you may know how Google AdWords works and how you need to work with it.

Google AdWords offers keyword variation that can be adapted to reach out on more prospects. Using this variation and derivatives could help you to increase the possibility of your ads being neatly served. Here, the ads emerge depending upon the keywords, which have been searched by users as opposite to precise match that calls for the keyword to equivalent the search accurately. In the meantime, a keyword text set to phrase match would only emerge when the precise phrase is queried on. A negative keyword is actually supportive in filtering not related pages.

Once you have determined on what title tag needs to be used in your ad campaign, you should now describe a budget so as to maximize your ad publicity. Google AdWords suggest a daily budget for every campaign you have. However, you are the one to determine upon the budget that is appropriate and reasonably priced. You must further decide upon the maximum cost per click. Google would provide an optional cost per click, but then you don’t really have to glue with this. Generally, a number one place is not perfect as it could as well draw unwanted traffic and ineffective clicks. Consequently, number two place is more favored as it could filter inadequate clicks and offer you traffic with a higher conversion rate.

Conversely, Google AdWords is one of the outstanding strategy and means in giving your website/blog maximum publicity. Nevertheless, Google AdWords must not be your sole advertising campaign try using Yahoo Search Marketing and MSN adCenter also. It would certainly help you find the powerful, highly targeted traffic that you desire.

Out of many strategies that were discussed, Category Exclusion tool is the more identified and simplified tool. The exclusion of squander web sites can be a lot easier hereafter. In Google AdWords section, all these simplifications are at your hand. It is the campaign management section. With your choice of the campaign, site exclusion can be done. Let us go into this further more a little later. But understand the essentiality of the exclusion.

With web sites amounting to the advantages of the world, it is unethical to have web sites that have a poor quality. The exclusion of the web sites will be based on the conflict and tragedy exhibited in the web sites. Also the juvenile entertaining jokes, weird pictures, profane language, provocative pictures etc are not entertained. Thus the exclusion will filter the sites and your ads find a safer position and commercially encouraging too.

Google AdWords is one the most preferred way of motivating site visibility and accessibility. There is loads of website that deals with Google AdWords, however now Google is planning to cut down on website ads that have landing pages, which takes longer time to load. The search giant would add a penalty to the “Quality Score” that is used to decide upon the placement of each ad received when coordinated with the search result.

This information was exposed on Google’s “inside AdWords blog” and this policy would start in up coming weeks in addition of a loading-time quality to the keyword analysis page in AdWords. Once the tool is been upgraded, the advertisers would have one month of time to make required changes and to speed up the load times before Google start levying penalties.

Once the consequences are in place, AdWords users would start to see their quality scores dropping. The lower score would certainly also raise a user’s minimum bid that decides the minimum cost an advertiser could pay per click. Google stated that several factors could hamper loading time, the most general being slow servers and several page redirects.

One of the main reasons of doing this is that the user must have best experience of not waiting long time for any landing pages to load. Interstitial pages, multiple redirects, extremely slow servers, and few other things, which could augment load times only keep visitors from getting what they desire: information about advertiser’s business. Second thing is that users are more probable to dump landing pages that load gradually, which could also hurt their conversion rate.