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So, here's my question...Has anybody heard of Google artificially inflating hits by having someone in their office click on their AdWords client links to improve the click through (and make themselves money)?
Running a successful video ad campaign isn’t just about creating engaging ads; your campaign settings are also crucial. Below are four tips to keep in mind when designing your campaign:Geo-Targeting: When you set your language and location settings, focus your advertising to regions or areas where you conduct business.Selecting Sites: If you’re using site targeting, use the site tool to select sites that are of interest to your audience. If there is a specific demographic that you’re trying to reach, use demographic site selection to find the right sites.Selecting Keywords: If you’re running a keyword-targeted campaign, it is important that you have tightly formed AdGroups; make sure that all of the keywords in an AdGroup revolve around a specific theme or topic.Bidding: Bid appropriately. Manage to cost-per-play goals: set the maximum you would like to pay per impression, but optimize to achieve target cost-per-play and audience reach goals.
On Saturday, September 23rd, the AdWords system will be unavailable from approximately 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. PDT due to system maintenance. While you won't be able to log into your accounts during this time, your campaigns will continue to run as usual. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Since Google AdWords allows for real-time ad reporting and optimization, we want to make sure that you take advantage of the flexibility to improve your ads and media mix -- and get more out of your advertising campaigns.Here are several things that you may want to consider while managing your account:Watch that play rate: If you find that your play rates start falling off, it probably means that the same users are seeing your opening image and don’t want to rewatch your video. If this is the case, try adding new video ads to your campaigns. If producing new video ads is not possible, then at least consider alternating between new opening images. You can also extend the reach of your campaign by either adding more sites with site targeting or new keywords that we can use to target your ads contextually.Bid for Impressions: When you bid on a CPC (cost-per-click) basis, our technology tries to maximize the number of clickthroughs you’ll receive. If your ad fully conveys your message without requiring the user to click through to your site, this could lower your overall quality score and in turn signal our system to not serve your ad. With CPM (cost-per-thousand impressions) bidding, you assign a value to a user seeing your ad – our system then optimizes delivery in order to show the ad to more people. CPM bidding helps you maximize your exposure across sites in the Google content network.Exclude irrelevant placements: By using negative keywords and the site exclusion tool you can block your ads from showing up alongside content that may not fit with your specific marketing objectives.Focus on playback metrics: You probably want to increase the total amount of time that your audience spends engaging with your brand. By maximizing the duration and number of plays your video ads receive, you can achieve this goal. CTR (clickthrough rates) are important, but you shouldn’t weed out placements or sites based solely on an ad’s clickthrough rate.
Have you ever wondered why AdWords offers you so many options? Or why, just when you think you know the program inside and out, something changes?Listening to our advertisers, we understand that while some love AdWords just the way it is, others feel it is rather complex, that perhaps it changes too often for your comfort, and that not everything running under the hood is fully explained...
An image is worth a thousand words. Now, how much is an image and a video worth? It’s been three months since we released video ads on the Google content network and we've seen a variety of interesting ads during that time – some that performed well and others that weren't quite ready for prime time. Over the next three weeks, we'll be sharing some of the key attributes of the ads that performed well. We'll start by sharing the tips below on creating rich and engaging video ads.First, make sure that the opening image is engaging. Here are a few tips for the image:Memorable Image: Your opening image must capture the user's attention, and keep it.Vibrant Colors: The opening image has to entice users to hit play, so catch their eye with rich, sharp colors.Text: Although a stand-alone image can work as an opening image, we suggest that you include a few words to describe the product, service and/or company you are promoting.Call-to-Action: An opening image with a call-to-action is highly recommended. Informing the user that they can learn more by clicking play usually increases play rates.Multiple Sizes: In order to increase the number of placements where your ads can show, include an opening image in all of the following sizes 300x250, 250x250, 200x200 and 336x280. Please note that your image may be resized if it doesn't fit one of these sizes.Second, you'll want to review these tips to ensure that the content of your video ad itself is as compelling as possible:Key Messages: Because users may not watch your entire video, make sure you deliver your key messages early in the video.Keep it Engaging: Video should be entertaining, informational, and relevant. Unlike TV advertising, you only have a captive audience if they choose to continue watching your ad. Whenever it appears on a site, your video ad will be your only communication with that site’s users, so it’s important to be clear about what your business offers. And remember, your audience won’t just respond to what you say, but how you say it.Short and Sweet: Although videos can be up to 2 minutes in length, we’ve found that users start dropping off significantly if ads are longer than 45 seconds.Make it Audible: Video ads allow you to use both sight and sound to communicate with your consumers – so make sure that the voices and/or soundtracks you use complement your overall message. If you are using a soundtrack, the music should not drown out any voices.Call-to-Action: Make sure you communicate to your users what you’d like for them to do – visit your store or site, call a phone number, complete a purchase – so they’ll have clear next-steps once the video’s completed.Now, to check out these tips in action, take a minute to watch this ad for Zero-G. (Note: The advertiser whose ad is featured will not accrue clicks or impressions, so feel free to enjoy the ad.)We hope you've found these tips helpful and please join us next week when we’ll cover monitoring performance and optimization.
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