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2012 was quite eventful for the AdWords Top Contributors. The year started with moving to the new home for the Community, which became the online meeting place for small business owners and online marketing professionals. AdWords Top Contributors helped tens of thousands of businesses find ways to get the best results from AdWords and provided the Community with exclusive tips and tricks. In October 2012, some AdWords Top Contributors visited the Googleplex in California for the AdWords Communities Summit. During this two-day event, they had a chance to meet with AdWords support and product management teams, to learn from each other, and to provide feedback to Google’s teams.

  

 We want to thank Top Contributors for their dedicated participation in the AdWords Community and for being the true advocates of online advertising. Our annual tradition is to recognize the most outstanding “above and beyond” efforts with the annual Top Contributors badge. The 2012 recipients for the annual AdWords Top Contributor badge (English) have just been announced! Drum-roll, and congratulations to:



In addition to the listed Top Contributors from the English Community, the badge was also granted to 25 other Top Contributors from our international AdWords Communities in French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish languages.

Congratulations! It’s time to enjoy the holidays, and look forward to a new exciting journey of 2013!

*Kim Clickunbroomer is now a Top Contributors alumni, but her contribution this year was and still is remarkable.

Post Posted by the AdWords Communities team

We recently introduced the availability of instant Floodlight conversion data for automatic, intra-day conversions in all DoubleClick Search reports, to bring you the freshest, most reliable campaign data. This is just one of the ways we’re doubling down in our reporting investments to help you make better decisions as the digital landscape grows broader and deeper across formats, devices and channels. Today, we’re excited to announce 4 new features that build on this by ensuring important business data is accessible and actionable within DoubleClick Search: our offline conversions API, Google Analytics data integrations, Formula Columns, and Web Query support.

With online advertising expanding across different ad formats, new devices, and multiple channels, it’s no surprise that reporting continues to be a challenge for marketers. In fact, 69% of business and technology leaders have pinpointed the inability to gather, understand, and act on all the data about their customers as a leading challenge. To answer this growing complexity, we at DoubleClick Search have been focusing on developing the right tools to power your business with all the insights you need. We want to make reporting on all your data easy, to help drive insights exactly when you want them, where you want them.

Event API for easy offline conversion integration

DoubleClick Search already lets you leverage a variety of solutions to report on conversions, including our proprietary Floodlight tag, AdWords conversion tracking, or Google Analytics goals. But we understand that online advertising also fuels offline conversions. To capture these lost conversions and bring offline into your online world, we’re announcing the open beta of our Event API for uploading offline conversion automatically. Upload new conversions to account for in-store transactions, call-tracking, or other offline activities, or edit existing conversions to account for discounts, returns, credit, or fraud through integrated API access. Today, you can combine this information with our Performance Bidding Suite to optimize your campaigns based on even more of your business data.

Google Analytics website data, with the rest of your search

Couple this with the integration of Google Analytics metrics, which incorporates statistics including bounce rate, page views, transactions, and revenue from Google Analytics, to get a clear picture of how search influences customer interaction on your website. These recent developments in reporting mean faster decision making with all your data holistically captured in DoubleClick Search -- all without mashing up and matching reports or worrying about the potential data drop off of reporting from separate tools. In the next few months, we’ll introduce the ability to use bid strategies with your website metrics, ensuring your campaign’s bid optimization is informed by important user engagement metrics.

Formula magic, directly in the interface
With this wealth of data at your fingertips, how do you more easily make sense of it all? In the past, you’d need to use a spreadsheet tool like Excel to create these calculated columns. Formula Columns lets you create your own customized columns, based on calculations that you apply to existing columns. Now, apply formulas directly in DS and streamline your workflow: track custom KPIs, re-express columns in your own terms, and calculate customized fees, costs, and weights, among other applications.

Web query for data, where you want it
And finally, when it comes to easily accessing all your important data right where you want it, we’re introducing Web query support: instead of scheduling or downloading a file to access your reports, DoubleClick Search now provides a URL that you can use to automatically download and refresh that report’s data -- directly in Excel. This makes it even easier for you to create common report templates in Excel and populate those with the latest DS data, removing the need to manually download and import reports.

Formula Columns, instant conversions, and Web Query support are are available now in DoubleClick Search. To learn more about the Event API or Google Analytics integration, please reach out to your Technical Account Manager, or our support team at ds-support@google.com.
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Still scrambling to stay ahead of the holidays? We want to help you make the most of the last 2 weeks of the year, so we’re extending our offer to double your AdWords Express investment. Just start using AdWords Express to attract new customers to your U.S. business, and you'll get a free advertising credit in January worth what you spend on AdWords Express ads between now and December 31, 2012.*


Reaching potential customers online is a snap with AdWords Express. Just select your business category, write an ad, and set your budget. Where and when your ad appears is managed automatically, and you only pay when potential customers click on your ad for more information. And in mid-January, you’ll receive a free advertising credit for that amount you spent on AdWords Express ads in December.*

Get started today at http://www.google.com/adwords/express/.

Posted by Richard Holden, Product Management Director, AdWords Express

*Terms and conditions
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We recently launched a new keyword column in the search term report to let you see exactly which keywords matched particular search terms. With this information at your fingertips, you can quickly and easily make better keyword and bid management decisions. But don’t take our word for it. We’ll let Top Contributors Calin Sandici and Moshe Avichai from the AdWords Community explain why the column is an important part of a healthy AdWords diet.


What’s so special about this new column?

Calin: You can now see in one simple table which keyword matches which search terms, for all the keywords in an ad group, campaign, or even the whole account, and you can act accordingly. It's cool, it saves time, it’s zero calories and it’s good for your health.

Moshe: Finally, there’s no need to guess which keyword triggers an ad.


What were your first thoughts when you heard the column was available?

Calin: For the first time, I can stay within AdWords and decide whether I should delete or pause a keyword altogether, or keep it and use some negative keywords to block unwanted impressions for irrelevant search queries. In the past I had to resort to the Analytics API to achieve the same effect. That’s no longer the case, because we now have access to a lot more information right in the AdWords interface.

How does it change the search terms report?

Moshe: Now the report is much more transparent. A campaign manager can see, at one glance, the complete funnel that triggered an ad: the original search term a user was searching for, through the keyword that matched the search term, and finally the ad group of the ad shown, all on the same page.

Calin: You no longer have to guess which keyword matched which search terms if you’re looking at more than one keyword. Previously, you could select one keyword at a time, and see the search terms that it matched. Now you can look at a whole ad group, campaign or account, see all the search terms that have caused your ads to show during a certain period of time, and right next to them, which keyword is "responsible" for a particular search term.

And finally, what do you hope to see from AdWords reporting in the future?

Calin: It could be great if we could import the Google Analytics metrics in the Keywords tab into the search terms report. Even if a search term doesn’t convert directly, if it leads to visits where one can see a large number of pages per visit or a low bounce rate, it may prove useful. In the absence of those metrics, we can only judge the search queries in terms of conversions.

Moshe: I am a great fan of the 80/20 Pareto principle: “You can draw roughly 80% of the conclusions from 20% of the data.” I have as much data as I need to run effective campaigns. As Calin suggested,  a better integration of presenting data from both Analytics and Adwords in a “unified report” could be helpful.

Discuss the new column in the AdWords Community, or check out the search terms report article in the AdWords Help Center.

Posted by Cindy Meyers and Virginia Roman, Editors, Online Help
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Advertisers use contextual targeting on the Google Display Network to reach new customers as they browse content related to their products and services. In March we launched Next-Gen Keyword Contextual Targeting, which enabled our display advertisers to manage their contextual campaigns with the same level of precision and granularity as search. In a few short months we’ve been delighted to see how it’s translated into real results for our customers, and today we’d like to shine a light on two specific examples.

Modcloth, an online retailer selling vintage inspired clothing, had been using contextual targeting on the Google Display Network as a way to scale their message across a wide variety of sites. Their challenge was figuring out which keywords were triggering which conversions across their multiple product lines. With keyword level reporting and optimization levers, Theresa Rockovich, Modcloth’s SEM Manager, was excited to finally put her SEM skills to work. “Before the ability to target and bid on keywords, we were barely making these campaigns profitable. Now that we’ve been able to adjust our bids and see which keywords are driving performance, margins are the healthiest they’ve ever been.” In nine weeks, their keyword-level optimizations helped turn three unprofitable contextual campaigns into some of their highest performers. Their jewelry lines saw a 460% increase in click-through-rates and their dresses campaign saw a 700% increase in ROI.

Andrew Wong, Marketing Director at Inflection, similarly took a search-focused approach to managing their contextual campaigns. “We took the shell of our search campaigns and copied them onto the Google Display Network” and created specific page URLs for each product line. After a few weeks of generating traffic, they turned on the Display Campaign Optimizer – the Google Display Network’s auto-optimization tool that automatically manages targeting and bidding – and the results were phenomenal. With the help of DCO, they increased conversions by 480% at a cost-per-action 10% lower than the rest of their display campaigns.



Keyword level targeting is one of the many reasons why our Display Campaign Optimizer  has improved in both accuracy and efficiency the past year. We've seen advertisers are usually able to reach their target cost-per-acquisition (CPA) in about two weeks, versus the two months it often took before these changes. Coupled with new bidding capabilities, such as real-time bidding, MaxCPC and Enhanced CPC, DCO is now available to use on ‘hybrid’ search and display campaigns.

And it gets even better
In addition to keyword targeting, bidding and reporting, today we’re announcing  new keyword status messages to assist advertisers troubleshoot for more effective and consistent keyword matching and delivery. Now you’ll know if a keyword is pointing to a suspended site, has been disapproved, or if it matches too few pages (Few Page Matches). We’ve also added a notification that alerts users with display-only campaigns when a Display Network bid - which overrides keyword bids when ads are shown on the Google Display Network - is in place. We recommend removing the Display Network Bid in display-only campaigns to take advantage of keyword level bidding. Click here to learn how.

Learn More
We look forward to seeing even more success stories as we continue to roll out these new features! To learn more about how to implement these strategies into your display campaigns, download the Google Display Network Guide here!

Posted by Katie Hamilton, Product Marketing Manager Google Display Network
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With the holidays rapidly approaching, check out our lineup of educational opportunities this week to maximize your advertising effectiveness through the end of the year:
  • Grab your eggnog for the last Learn with Google webinar of the season. On Wednesday, December 12th at 10:00AM PST, join us for the final session in our Remarketing Series to learn how to use Google Analytics to target website visitors interested in your products and services in the new year. Get more info and register now: http://goo.gl/tI0tl 
  • Looking for an edge during the Holidays?  Join us on December 13th at 11:00AM PST and learn how to create stand-out ads during the competitive holiday season.  Get more info here: http://goo.gl/2FwSp
  • Attention EMEA!  We are hosting a Holiday Hangout on Air on December 13th at 11:00AM GMT. Join us at this special time to learn how to get your ads ready for the Holiday season.  Get more info and register now: http://goo.gl/wrHgc
Hope to see you there, and make sure to stay tuned for additional education and training as we close out 2012!

Posted by Rob Newton, Inside Adwords Blog Team.
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Last month we announced the international rollout of the new Google Shopping model built on Product Listing Ads. Starting in February 2013, Google Shopping in ten more countries will be transitioning to a new experience built on Product Listing Ads. We believe these changes, and the improved user experience, will create new opportunities for merchants and help retailers of all sizes attract more customers to their stores. The new model will be rolled out completely by the end of Q2 2013.

To encourage merchants in Australia, Japan, Brazil, Spain, Italy, France, Netherlands, U.K., Germany and Switzerland to make this transition on Google Shopping, we are offering promotional credit. Merchants who apply and create a Product Listing Ad campaign promoting all of their products in Merchant Center by 12 April 2013 could qualify for this credit. They could also qualify for a monthly credit for 10% of their total Product Listing Ad spend.

To learn more and apply for promotional credit, please visit this page.

Feed Specification Updates

In an effort to improve the data quality on Google Shopping, we have updated our international feed specifications. These changes will take effect in March 2013. They will align our global product feeds more closely and enable us to surface better results to users. Advertisers who are using the reduced Product Ads feed spec will need to bring their feeds into compliance with these new requirements. For more information on the upcoming changes, please visit the Help Center.

In addition to this update, we will also be releasing a new set of Google Shopping program policies. The detailed policies will be announced in January next year.

Posted by Sameer Samat, Vice President of Product Management, Google Shopping.
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Back in October, we made it possible to import and view Google Analytics data in AdWords. We asked Jon Gritton, a Top Contributor in the AdWords Community, why he’s excited about this feature, and what it can offer advertisers.
Jon Gritton, Top Contributor,
AdWords Community
With AdWords as his primary business, as well as general Internet marketing consultancy, Jon describes his work as “a mouthful at the best of times!” He began using AdWords in 2002 while employed at a music distribution company, and has recently celebrated ten years using the program.

What were your first thoughts about this new ability to import Analytics data into AdWords?

To be honest my first thought was, “Why hasn’t this happened before?” It seems such an obvious thing to do now, but I guess that’s true of so many good ideas. The key thing that caught my eye was the Bounce Rate metric: when people on the Community say, “I get X clicks but no sales,” this figure can give them an instant insight into why their clicks aren’t turning into sales, much more quickly than mining through Analytics.

This launch brings some vital data right where you need it. It dramatically reduces the amount of cross-referencing and switching between products that you had to do in the past to analyze and apply the information presented by Analytics.

Can you talk more about the Analytics metrics that you now see inside AdWords?

All three of the metrics are telling you how your visitors engage with your website, and that’s a crucial part of the AdWords process. There’s no point sending people to a site that’s of no use.

Bounce Rate is a measure of how many of your visitors look at just one page of your site, then leave without going anywhere else. If you’re expecting your AdWords visitors to come to two or more pages for a visit, a high bounce rate is a sign of a problem. It’s like a customer opening the door to your store, walking in, then walking right back out again. You’ve got to look at why people are “bouncing.” There can be several reasons (sometimes more than one at the same time). Your site may be too slow to load and needs slimming down, or it may be that your site isn’t what the visitor expects, which might indicate you need to look at your ad copy or keywords to ensure you’re capturing the right audience.

Pages Per Visit and Average Visit Duration are other ways of looking at this visitor engagement, helping you gauge how effective your site is in supporting the AdWords campaign.  You can think of Pages Per Visit like our store visitor looking round lots of shelves and walking into several sections of the store, while the Visit Duration is obviously how long they spend in the shop.  



Anything advertisers should watch out for?

While it may seem clear that you want Pages Per Visit and Average Visit Duration to be as high as possible, bear in mind that they could also be high if the visitor can’t find what they’re looking for, or if the visitor finds your site hard to use.  Equally, a site that’s very quick and easy to use may have quite low figures here without indicating any kind of problem.  Like most things AdWords, you can’t really take one metric in isolation.

Tell us how you’re using these metrics.

For me the primary advantage is in identifying ads and keywords that aren’t “working” with my sites and the Bounce Rate is probably my favorite metric for this.  I hate high bounce rates - I hate the idea that people are coming to the site and just leaving, so I’m always trying to improve these figures.  Being able to see the rates right next to the AdWords components makes it a lot easier to start this process.

I’ve found the metrics can also act as a “defense” for keywords that might otherwise be slated for deletion.  I’ve found a number that I thought weren’t performing well because of poor clicks or conversions, but which I’ve now spotted actually do quite well for site penetration and time.  This data was always there in Analytics, of course, but it’s more “in your face” when you can see it as you work through an AdWords account.

Want to discuss the new Analytics import with other AdWords users? Take part in the discussion on the AdWords Community site. Or visit the AdWords Help Center to learn how to see Analytics data in your AdWords account.

Posted by Cindy Meyers and Virginia Roman, Editors, Online Help

The Google+ platform provides a fresh canvas to build and strengthen your digital brand while tying into all the marketing you already do with Google. From launching a new product using Google+ pages to engaging with your community of enthusiasts over Hangouts, join our Learn with Google webinar this Thursday for a look at ways your company can build its brand using social. Sign up on our webinar page to attend: Building a Digital Brand with Google+ (Thurs, Dec 6, 10am PT / 1pm ET)

After the Hangout, we’ll host a live Q&A with members of the Google+ team to answer questions about building a brand with Google+. RSVP on the Google+ Event page and add your questions as comments on that page.

With more than 100 monthly million active Google+ users, the time is now to focus on building your digital brand presence via the platform. Google+ has seen a wealth of brands engaging with users in creative, interactive ways. Brands created more than 1 million Google+ pages in just the last few months. For instance:
  • H&M -- The retail clothing company, with more than 2 million Google+ followers, uses tailored content, images and video to bring its fashions to life on the platform. They’ve utilized Ripples to identify their trendsetters and saw a 22% boost in clickthrough rate after implementing social extensions in AdWords.
  • Cadbury -- The chocolate maker has built a following of nearly 3 million users with a combination of creative posts, Hangouts on Air and even the launch of their Dairy Milk Bubbly bar. They’ve also installed the Google+ badge on the company’s web homepage, making it easy as chocolate to follow the brand.
Like the ideas here? Log on Thursday to learn more about how to create, capture and sustain demand for your brand using Google+. And if you’re going to miss this while you’re at SMX Social in Las Vegas, check back at the webinars page later for a recording.  

Posted by Becky Bowman, Inside AdWords team
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The holidays are crunch time for many advertisers out there, so we’re introducing a new holly, jolly Hangout on Air series on the Google Ads +Page. In this three-part series, AdWords specialists from the 866-2-GOOGLE support team will cover three important topics surrounding your AdWords performance during the holiday season.

December 6 at 11 AM PDT: How to keep your ads from going dark during the holidays 
We’ll discuss tips and tricks for how to manage your account effectively when you might be out of the office on holiday break.

December 13 at 11 AM PDT: How to create stand-out ads during the competitive holiday season
We’ll share the best strategies for setting yourself apart from your competition.

December 20 at 11 AM PDT: How to maintain the holiday momentum
We’ll tell you how to assess your holiday performance and engage your new customer base into the new year.

To join the Hangouts, just sign into Google+ and add the Google Ads +Page to your circles. Each week we’ll put up a post soliciting your questions. Then, on Thursday, navigate to your Stream where you’ll be able to view our Hangout live with just one click. See you there!

Posted by Courtney Pannell & Divya Vishwanath, AdWords Support