Partners Blog
What's new @ Google? Tips and tools for agencies
AdWords API update: Local Database Sync available
Monday, September 29, 2008
Our AdWords API team just announced the
AdWords API Local Database Sync
project. The
AdWords API
provides developers a way to manage large accounts quickly and easily by connecting directly to the AdWords platform, and this project is aimed at helping to improve that efficiency.
The scripts that make up the project can be used to schedule reports using the AdWords API, store the results in a local database (using SQLite), and then run queries against the database. Since keeping your AdWords account information in a local database that's updated by calls to the API can be faster and more cost-effective than calling the API directly multiple times, the API Local Database Sync will help developers who don't yet have a way to synchronize their local database.
For more information on this project and lots of technical details, visit the
AdWords API blog
and the project's
home
on the Google Code site.
Posted by Cathy Bishop, Creative Team
Using Google Analytics reports in AdWords
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Make your
Google Analytics
reports work double-time for you: first, use them to make decisions about how to optimize your client's site, then use the data to create successful AdWords campaigns.
The Referring Sites report in Google Analytics is where you'll find details on web pages that are driving traffic to your client's site. By looking at this report, you can identify relevant sites that attract users interested in your client's offerings. These are the perfect sites on which to place your client's ads.
Import the referring sites from Analytics into a
placement targeted
campaign in AdWords. That way, you'll target your client's ads to users who will find them most relevant. For details on how to do import the referring sites from Google Analytics into AdWords, check out the short video below.
Posted by Will Crew, Agency Team
Optimize for the Conversion Optimizer
Friday, September 19, 2008
If you're interested in using Google's
Conversion Optimizer
tool for your clients' campaigns, but are having trouble meeting the requirement of 100 conversions over the past 30 days, we'd like to help. We've compiled some tips below to boost your clients' conversions in order to be able to use the Conversion Optimizer for their keyword-targeted campaigns.
- If your client is willing to increase advertising spend, and:
is regularly hitting their budget, you can
increase their budget
.
is not usually hitting their budget, you can
increase their CPCs
in the ad groups of the affected campaign. Higher CPCs can help improve their Ad Rank, which can lead to better-converting clicks.
- If your client is not willing to increase their advertising spend, they may consider
moving their conversion tracking code
to a more prominent - yet still valuable - page on their site.
For example, if your client sells insurance, they can move the code from the "Thank You" page after a signup to the page where someone requests a quote. They'll still see data for meaningful actions on the site, while increasing the likelihood of receiving conversions since more people reach the quote page. [Note: if they do move the conversion tracking code, wait about two weeks before implementing Conversion Optimizer to allow the system time to adjust to the change.]
For more tips on reaching the conversion threshold requirement for the Conversion Optimizer, visit our
Help Center
.
Posted by Cathy Bishop, Creative Team
Tool Tip: Preview your ads
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Searching for your clients' ads can be a daily occurrence, especially for a time-sensitive or high-priority campaign. But what if you want to see an ad in a campaign targeted to another geographic location? Or, what if you don't want to accrue any extra impressions, since searching for an ad repeatedly can change the position in which you see it?
The
Ad Preview Tool
will allow you to search for the ad you're interested in without accruing impressions. It's your window into which ads are active and running across the country or around the world.
[Click to view full size image]
Access the Ad Preview Tool in the Tools menu of your account or through the direct link
here
and get a new view of your ads.
Posted by Brian Tanaka, Optimization Specialist
Fall's Industry Newsletters
Friday, September 12, 2008
The latest AdWords Industry Newsletters have hit the streets and are ready to help you and your clients make the most of your AdWords advertising. If you have clients in the Entertainment, Tech B2B, or Auto verticals, check out the highlights below for a taste of what you'll find inside.
Entertainment & Media
: Learn easy editing tips with AdWords Editor.
Tech B2B
: Take advantage of a free YouTube channel to reach new audiences for your business.
Auto
: Expand your reach in three different ways with Google Maps.
More topics await inside each newsletter, so be sure to browse through any that are relevant to you. And if you'd like to subscribe to any of the newsletters, please drop us a line at awnewsletter-feedback@google.com.
Posted by Cathy Bishop, Creative Team
So trendy
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
The next time you're researching keywords in the
Keyword Tool
and want a better sense of the popularity of your potential new terms, try adding some columns to your results. The Keyword Tool now displays
more information
about a keyword's approximate search volume, so you'll be able to see trends over time.
For example, the keyword "back to school" shows a strong search peak in August, while searches for "back to school movie" stay relatively consistent all year, thanks to diligent Rodney Dangerfield fans.
To add columns to your results, use the "Choose columns to display" drop-down menu to select the data you'd like to see after you've entered your keywords into the Keyword Tool.
Knowing when to expect spikes in traffic can help you allocate your clients' budget to the most appropriate times of the year. And knowing that there are so many Rodney Dangerfield fans out there just may help you get a head start on your holiday shopping list.
Posted by Stephanie Blake, Agency Team
Map it out
Friday, September 5, 2008
When a store is just a few clicks - rather than a few miles - away, customers may come from across the street, or across the globe. And as you know, specifically targeting campaigns to the areas where your clients' customers are located helps drive more sales. Here are two resources to help you find those customers, wherever they may be.
The
Geographic Performance report
, now available in the
Report Center
in your AdWords account, will help you uncover the locations where your ads are most successful. For example, it's possible that your client's pirate costumes are a huge hit in Florida. You'll be able to see where the clicks to your ads are coming from, and
target campaigns to ideal locations
to "hook" those customers.
For a broader view, you can use the Map Overlay report in
Google Analytics
to see where the traffic to your client's site is originating. Watch the video below for a step-by-step guide on how to use the report to gain insight into where you might want to target your AdWords campaigns. By identifying geographic areas where users are already interested in your client's site, you can adjust the targeting of your campaigns to reach new customers. Now if we could only find a treasure map, too.
Posted by Laura Hood, Creative Team
AdWords Editor guide
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
We've recently created the
AdWords Editor guide
to give you an at-a-glance look at the features and functions available in the latest version of our free account management tool. Whether you're looking for a quick overview of the product or want a cheat sheet of keyboard shortcuts,
download
the PDF guide and use it when you're ready to start managing your clients' campaigns online.
Posted by Lindsey Wall, Agency Team
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