One of the more compelling aspects of online advertising is the ability to measure and track ROI. This, however, is a misconception.
How Dicks can really hurt your Google AdWords account (part I)
You already know that it’s easy to lose money on Google AdWords, yet I’m amazed by how many accounts I see that are not only losing money on an ongoing basis, but the account holders don’t even realise it. When I walk them through how they’re losing money and demonstrate by how much, they’re sometimes/usually/often horrified and quickly make the … Read More
11,000 hours of AdWords experience: yours for the taking
On Thursday June 21st I will be running an experiment. I will be distilling over 11,000 hours of Google AdWords experience into a 45 minute presentation. I guarantee that if you attend you’ll walk away with actionable information that can be used to improve your ROI. I also guarantee that you won’t have heard my views and ideas elsewhere.* This … Read More
Google remarketing: persistence or stalking?
Google’s remarketing allows you to reach people who’ve visited your website. The question isn’t whether or not the system works. We’ve picked up new work at a low cost. The question is whether or not the basic strategy is a good idea.
The limits of automation
The Inside AdWords blog recently announced that Google have raised the number of automated rules from 10 to 100. Don’t be tempted. Don’t consider automation.
Ad Nauseum
Effective AdWords Management is an increasingly elusive beast, but mastering the basics of AdWords really isn’t difficult. So why do so many companies make the same mistakes time and time again?
AdWords landing pages: good news for the savvy, bad news for the incompetent
Google have been been steadily promoting the importance of landing pages for the past few years, and have now announced a new algorithm that gives more weight to landing page quality. Many advertisers roll their eyes in anticipated frustration whenever Google announce such changes, but I believe that the new algorithm offers savvy advertisers more opportunities than pain. Ultimately little … Read More
PPC or SEO?
Why either/or? Some food for thought: – Good organic rankings won’t last forever. SEO is a moving target. – If people click on your ads then they’re working. * – PPC is more accountable. * – PPC gets quicker results. * – SEO is free. (Except it isn’t.) * = assuming that you’re doing it right. Some common misdecisions: (not a real … Read More
Google: AdWords and organic results are merging (ish)
Google have always maintained a strict separation between their paid ads and organic listings, yet I believe that this has now changed. At least in terms of strategy.
Google take misleading to a whole new level
Most businesses choose to take advantage of the persuasive powers of numbers at some point, but a recent post on Google’s Inside AdWords left me less than impressed: “Advertisers often wonder whether search ads cannibalize their organic traffic. If search ads were paused, would clicks on organic results increase and make up for the loss in paid traffic? Google statisticians … Read More