If you haven’t noticed yet, but Google has changed the bakcground color surrounging the Google Adwords Ads.  I personally think it’s hidious and a little bit too, too feminine.  What are your thoughts?

When doing a search for “oil spill”  BP obviously comes up number 1 in Google Adwords paid placement up top.  When clicking on the link, it redirects me to a Youtube video.  Please see both pictures below by clicking on them both.   Google’s display url policy clearly states that this is a no-no.  How, do you wonder that BP is getting away with this?  Is this a glich in the Adwords system, or is there more to it?

This past week, Google has introduced a new “Analyze Competition” feature in the Adwords interface.   It can be found under the “opportunities” tab.

The feature examines the account’s activity over two weeks, and lists categories that represent the products/services you’re advertising. These are based on search terms and are matched up against your keywords, ad text, and landing page text. For each category associated with the account, users will see a bar graph highlighting individual performance compared to the performance of other advertisers in the category.  For questions on how to use this to increase your CPA or Click Thru Rate, please contact us.

-Ryan Walker

Google TV unveiled today to bring the web, dvr and cable together in one search-able device. Watch this video.

Google today announced the introduction of new keyword match type on Adwords pay per click.  The ‘Broad Modifier’ lets you implement keywords that have more possibilities than phrase match but on the other hand is stricter than broad match.
To introduce the new variation, you need to add a plus symbol (+) before one or more broad match keywords. Each keyword that follows a (+) needs to appear in the user’s search exactly or as a close match. Close matches will include singular/plural forms, misspellings etc.  For more detailed information on how this works, contact and Adwords Agency (preferably ours )
Initially the new match type will be rolled out in the UK and Canada. These keywords will provide a halfway house between broad and phrase for those advertisers who are looking to achieve more ROI on Adwords without spending too much on budget by introducing multiple broad matches.
Below is an image from Google that shows how the new keyword match type will work:
This move from Google helps in a way to simplify the building process for users who don’t have much experience with the platform. Some sceptics may also say that it makes it easier for advertisers to run these types of matches for longer and spend more money, rather than becoming quickly disillusioned with broad match and pausing the account altogether.  This all remains to be seen.  Check back for an update.

-Ryan Walker

CEO Gazelle Interactive

We have been successfully using Google Adwords Target CPA bidding and Adwords Remarketing together over the past two weeks. One of our clien

We have been successfully using Google Adwords Target CPA bidding and Adwords Remarketing together over the past two weeks. One of our clients has recieved and 30% conversion increase in sales while their CPA has dropped from $32 to $28. This is outstanding short term results. For more on how to implement this or for our agency to help your Google Adwords account out, contact us at 888.814.8599 or info@gazelleinteractive.com.

-Ryan Walker

http://ping.fm/UsJ7a

Google announced a new enhancement to Conversion Optimizer “Target CPA Bidding,” that let you set a bid that reflects the average amount you

Google announced a new enhancement to Conversion Optimizer “Target CPA Bidding,” that let you set a bid that reflects the average amount you

Google announced a new enhancement to Conversion Optimizer “Target CPA Bidding,” that let you set a bid that reflects the average amount you’d like to pay for a conversion rather than the maximum you’re willing to pay for it. “To enable Target CPA bidding, visit the Settings tab in your account, select ‘Focus on Conversions,’ and click ‘Advanced Options.’ Note that Conversion Optimizer is only available for campaigns that have implemented conversion tracking and have received at least 15 conversions in the last 30 days. We hope that having the additional Target CPA bidding option will make it even easier for you to boost your AdWords ROI. Of course, if you’re happy using Max CPA bids with your Conversion Optimizer campaigns, then there’s no need to make any changes to your campaigns,” noted Google.

-Ryan Walker, Gazelle Interactive

Google remarketing is definitely working. I was looking at a tahoe last week and today got served with 8 tahoe ads. Yesterday 3 of them.

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Weekly Agency Update
The latest from Google for you and your clients

Google AdWords Tip: Should You Capitalize small words such as “to”? Answer = NO http://ping.fm/erU3y

A client of mine was showing 0 indexed urls in Google Webmaster tools this morning, out of 6000 urls. In panic mode, we eventually found ou

A client of mine was showing 0 indexed urls in Google Webmaster tools this morning, out of 6000 urls.  In panic mode, we eventually found out that Google Webmaster tools has been having this error since this morning.   This is from Google’s own blog.

The indexed URL counts for Sitemaps that you have submitted in Webmaster Tools may be showing zero (0) indexed URLs for some sites. We are aware of this issue and are looking into it; you do not need to take any action. This will have no effect on your site’s performance in search results.

RT @TechCrunch The iPhone Leak Gets Ugly: Police Raid Gizmodo Editor’s House, Confiscate Computers http://tcrn.ch/c7gt9X

Dear Advertising Professional,

We’re writing to let you know that today we’re retiring the Google Advertising Professionals program and rep

Dear Advertising Professional,

We’re writing to let you know that today we’re retiring the Google Advertising Professionals program and replacing it with a new AdWords certification program. The new program provides agencies with comprehensive, strategy-focused training and certification on the latest tools and best practices for managing AdWords accounts. Raising the bar for AdWords Certification The new AdWords Certification Program has been improved in all areas with updates to training materials, exam requirements, member eligibility and program benefits. To retain certification, you’ll have 6 months to move over to the new program. Here’s a summary of what’s new: New, comprehensive curriculum designed to improve strategic and tactical knowledge Introduction of annually refreshed advanced level exams illustrating competency in search, display, reporting and analysis To match the updated training materials, we’ve increased the exam requirements for individual qualification to two – Advertising Fundamentals and one advanced exam We’ve reset individual & company spend criteria – company spend has been reduced to a $10,000 minimum, and we’ve removed a minimum spend requirement for individual qualification Starting today, you can change your account profile settings to opt-in to the new Google Partner Search – an online, searchable directory of certified partners While we switch to the new program, there’s a six-month grace period, so if you’re currently certified you don’t need to panic – but we recommend moving to the new program as soon as you can to benefit from our improved training and new program marketing. Take the new exams for free As you’re associated with a qualified company we’d like to offer you a voucher to take two certification exams to gain individual qualification at no cost. Your personal voucher code is below and is valid through the 6 month grace period. You’ll need to enter this code when taking the exam – you can learn more about accessing the exams here. 218596847 To see all program improvements you can visit the Help Center and, as always, we’d like to hear your thoughts or ideas on how we can make the new program even better. Sincerely, Google AdWords Certification Program team 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043 You have received this mandatory email service announcement to update you about important changes to your AdWords account.