Google Analytics - Cost Details & More

Cost Details

It is a good news for new users and webmasters that Google Analytics is free!

Google is offering this web analytics tool for no charge.

The free version is limited to only 5 million pageviews, month.

The users with active Google AdWords Account, however, will have an added advantage of tracking unlimited pageview.

It allows any webmaster to track conversion data for their website. It also enables the webmasters to track the flow of data and analyze the same to improve the performance of the webmaster.

Also, it is a great solution that makes the webmaster aware of the changes for customer retention.

Google Analytics & AdWords:

Google Analytics is completely integrated into the AdWords Account and campaign, making it convenient to track your AdWords ROI.

This integration is more easy and effective, as it saves the time and effort of the webmasters.

Analytics would be one tab among other tabs in Google AdWords Account.

This facilitates the user to shuffle between tabs for checking and analyzing the data for a better performance.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a free traffic stats program provided by Google to track detailed stats about the visitors who visits the website.

How to get started?

To start using Analytics, you need to sign in with your Google account.

If you do not have an Analytics account, then sign up for one now.

Google Analytics account can be created in two ways as mentioned below:

• Creating a Google Analytics account at: http://www.google.com/analytics

• Creating an analytics account within the Google AdWords account.

How it works?

The tracking code (code snippet) found in the analytics account need to be copied and pasted in the bottom of the content before the body tag is closed of the web pages you desire to track on the website.

Once the code is added to the website, it will start tracking the following statistics:

1. The number of people visiting the website.

2. Visitors exploring the site

3. The duration of the visitor, visiting the page/ pages etc.

It is a powerful web tracking tool provided by Google to track the performance of the website.

Therefore, if you are a business owner, it is the right time to get started and experience a growth for the same.

Product Extensions – Google AdWords Feature

Google has launched a new feature of AdWords, product extensions.

Product extensions will enhance and enrich your AdWords Ads with relevant information. The new feature allows you to use the existing Google Merchant Center account to highlight products directly in your search ads.

How It Works?

Whenever, the user types in the search query and if it happens to trigger your AdWords text ad; then text ad along with the products that are relevant to the searcher’s query, if any, from the Google Merchant Center account will be displayed.

Ad Format:

Below the AdWords text ad, the product extensions show the images, titles and prices in a plus box.

The advertiser will be charged the same cost-per-click (CPC), even when the user clicks the text ad or any of the offers in the product extensions plusbox. On the other hand, if the user just expands the plusbox without clicking, then the advertiser will not be charged.

Google has launched this new feature to improve the relevancy of the AdWords text ads.

This feature is more advantageous for companies looking forward to advertise specific, new products.

Images always catch the attention of the user, when it comes to the decision of purchase.

Therefore, this aspect of displaying specific and relevant products will enrich the text ads for better performance.


How to Get Started?

1. Log in to Google Merchant Center & add your Adwords customer ID to your account.

2. In the AdWords account, visit the campaign settings tab and check out for 'Ad extensions' heading and select "Use product images and information from my Google Merchant Center account”.

3. There is no requirement for any new campaigns or ad groups. Just update the keywords or change your text ads.

Product extensions are available to U.S. advertisers, but available in a limited beta outside the U.S.

AdWords Editor

AdWords Editor is a free and flexible Google application that helps in managing the ad campaigns in the accounts. The advertisers need to download the account, update campaigns with powerful in-built editing tools, and then upload the changes to AdWords.

Check out the following features of AdWords Editor:

1. Work Offline: It enables advertisers to download the campaigns and work offline, then upload the changes, as and when required to Adwords.

2. Visibility: It allows the advertiser/user to view the account, campaigns, ad groups, ads and keywords at various levels with clarity.

3. Saves Time: It reduces the time in managing the campaigns in a dynamic way; by its various options like: bulk changes etc.

4. Bulk Changes: It allows bulk changes in bidding, adding keywords, etc.

5. Copy / Move: It provides various ways to copy / move keywords, ads and ad groups. Also, allows the user to copy / move, campaigns between accounts.

6. Navigation: It allows very quick and easy navigation through the account. The tree view at the top level makes it easier to view the account, campaign and ad groups, to edit for desirable changes.

7. Proposed Changes: It facilitates proposed changes to be shared with other AdWords Editor users, prior to posting the changes to account for feedback.

Users can access to AdWords Editor Version 7.6.1, now available for Windows and Mac.

The version 7.6.1 supports ad scheduling, advanced location targeting, YouTube Promoted Video ads, and other features.

For more details, can visit: http://www.google.com/support/adwordseditor/bin/static.py?page=release_notes.html

An existing user of AdWords Editor will be asked for an automatic upgrade of the new version. The new users can download the same at: http://www.google.com/intl/en/adwordseditor/index.html

New Adwords Interface – Free Keyboard Shortcuts Stickers

Most of the advertisers, caught up with managing and maintaining more clients and adding more of them, would find it difficult to go about with the work.

Google has always added new enhancements and features to the AdWords accounts, to make the work more effective.

The primary objective and goal of the new AdWords interface is to help and manage the accounts both efficiently and effectively. Therefore, Google is offering free keyboard shortcuts, just like in Gmail. One needn’t use the mouse and instead, make the best usage of the shortcuts. In the new AdWords interface, advertisers have access to a number of keyboard shortcuts at the fingertips:

Take a look at the following:

1)Global Navigation

g then o - Leads to All Online Campaigns

g then c - Leads to Campaigns tab

g then r - Leads to Ad groups tab

g then k - Leads to Keywords tab

g then n - Leads to Networks tab

g then a - Leads to Ads tab

g then s - Leads to Settings tab

2)Table Navigation & Actions

j / k - Leads to next/previous row in the primary data table

x - Used to select the current row (For multiple rows, use Shift + x)

e - To Edit

p - To Pause

n - To Enable

d - To Delete

l - To Download


3)Editing Ad groups & Keywords:

e - To edit selected rows

Ctrl + Arrows -To move between editable fields

Ctrl + s - To save changes

Esc - To cancel edit mode

Google is giving away, keyboard shortcuts stickers, to help advertisers learn shortcuts faster.

If you live in the U.S., Canada, or other select countries, you can send your name and mailing address, and Google will mail you a set of stickers within a few weeks.

My Client Center (MCC) – New Interface

Google has thought about saving the time and effort of all those advertisers, who are managing more clients and aiming for more.

As part of the process, starting this week, users/advertisers can view a link on My Client Center (MCC) Dashboard that leads to the new interface that Google is testing.

The new interface has the new look and feel, also enhancements to make the advertisers work and effort more effective.

The same enhancements can be viewed as follows:

1) In-line editing Of Account Descriptions: This particular enhancement, saves time of advertisers in making changes to account names. It enables the changes to be done right away by clicking on the account description on the dashboard, instead of waiting for a new page to load.

2) Remove/Unlink Accounts: In order to unlink the client account from MCC, one had to creep into the client account and make the changes. Whereas, with the new interface, the client account can easily be unlinked from MCC, by removing the client account directly from MCC dashboard.
The new MCC interface provides the same functionality as before, along with the above mentioned enhancements.

However, Google is looking forward to introduce few more additional enhancements, to make the work more easy and effective.

As the interface is still in the development phase, few features can be viewed, one of which could be the “find client” search box.

Meanwhile, the advertisers can switch back and forth between new and old interface, for their convenience, in the phase of testing.

Therefore, test the new interface and watch out for more new upcoming features.

“Ads by Google” – “i” Icon

The common message, viewed by most of us near the ads of Google is “Ads by Google”.

The motive and purpose behind the display of the label by Google, is to create an awareness and understanding among the users/advertisers about the ads and their origin (where they come from).

As the advertising, online is becoming more sophisticated with improved technology and advertisers are geared to use more and more rich media ad formats like: Flash, interactive ads; Google, want to provide the same benefit to advertisers for those ad formats.

Due to the above decision taken, Google already started adding the message “Ads by Google” to the rich media ads too, and it wouldn’t affect the performance of ad creative and publisher’s site.

Further, you'll notice a small "i" (for "information") icon at the bottom right-hand corner of these ads, the same will expand when the user hovers over it. The message format was specifically designed for rich media ads. The new message of small icon “i” for information appears on your AdWords rich media ads, and shows up on standard AdSense ads as well.

Whenever, the users’ clicks on the icon, they will be taken to a page that helps the users to learn more about online advertising.

Google has tested the new message format on rich media ads and the same showed that it doesn't affect ad performance.

The New DoubleClick Ad Exchange Announced

The new DoubleClick Ad Exchange has been announced by Google, which is a real-time marketplace to sell and buy display advertising space.

The sellers in this Ad Exchange are large publishers, whereas, the buyers are ad networks and agency-run networks with their own technologies for ad serving and optimization. This would be a great opportunity for advertisers to advertise.

This would be more than an excitement for all the AdWords advertisers, as these Ad Exchange sites are now available to advertise as part of the Google content network in the AdWords accounts. These sites are made available in the AdWords accounts only when the Ad Exchange publishers choose to allow AdWords advertisers to compete for their inventory, and as long as the same inventory meets all AdSense policy requirements.

In addition, to the hundreds and thousands of placements that your ad can run in the Google content network, they will now as well, run on the high-quality placements on the Ad Exchange sites.

The advertisers’ ad’s placements will appear and function like any other placement in the content network. Same features can be observed as follows:

1. Appearance of the placements
2. Placement Performance Report to check the performance etc.

All the features still remain the same like: AdWords targeting, bidding, formats, reporting, and controls for the content network, only that high-quality sites are added to access for the advertisers.

Along with the above all the requirements need to be taken care in the Google content network.

If you haven’t used content network yet, then its time for you to venture and get more out of the Google AdWords for better performance and benefits.

For more information, for new DoubleClick Ad Exchange, you can learn from AdWords Help Center.

Google Adwords New Interface

Google AdWords new interface got with it, many changes in the way of working and managing accounts by the webmasters. AdWords campaign management has been redesigned to get your work done faster and more effectively and efficiently.

The following are few points that add value to the AdWords campaign management:

• Quicker Account Navigation

• Efficient Campaign Management

• Reduced Time & Effort

• Optimization Opportunities for Improvement

The new interface has changed, the way of managing the AdWords accounts by the webmasters.

HENCE IT'S WORTH A TRY

Keyword Research – Pay Per Click

Keyword research is one of the important aspects in Pay Per Click Advertising. This key step determines the quality traffic to the site.

LETS CHECK OUT , WHAT MAKES IT SO IMPORTANT:

1) Researching for the quality keywords helps the advertisers to target the right audience.
2) Researching for the specific keywords will drive the defined audience.
3) Researching for the relevant keywords will help advertisers to capture the audience, potential to the business.

In turn, all the above will be a source for better performance.
Each Pay Per Click program has its own process to make it more effective in terms of performance.

New Search Features in Google Adwords

Google launched the following new additional features to help advertisers to get better insight in search and target the right set of audience.
Data sources - New: Google added more data from Google News, Product search and Image sites, so that the advertisers/retailers can see for the data being searched by the target audience across the world. For example: retailers can stock more of those products that are in demand.
Category suggestions - Search: At times, advertisers wonder as to which category the term can also be listed in. Google is now providing suggestions related to the different categories the term can be listed in. For example: for the term “Media” the Insights for Search will display the related categories i.e. Entertainment and Travels.
Metros - U.S.: This feature helps the advertisers to drill down to specific geographic regions, or metros, to see the varying interests at different levels.

Updated - Display URL Policy

The following changes will be implemented, beginning the week of February 24, regarding multiple display URL domains in a single ad group. These changes are with respect to AdWords policy.

Multiple display URL domains will not be allowed in a single ad group. On the other hand, all display URL domains need to have the same top-level domain. These changes to the policy is applicable to all advertisers along with those ones with exceptions in the past.

Example 1: The display URLs in a single ad group that will comply with the change in the policy:
• www.abc.com
• www.mobiles.abc.com
• www.abc.com/mobiles/resources/
• www.abc.com/index.html

Example 2: The display URLs in a single ad group that will not comply with the change in the policy:
• www.abc.com
• www.abc.mobiles.com

The advertisers can use separate ad groups for each domain for convenience.

The ad’s display URL needs to match with the destination URL i.e. landing page URL.

I guess, the above mentioned information would help all advertisers to cross check to see whether their AdWords accounts will be affected by these changes.

YSM – Negative Keywords

YSM (Yahoo Search Marketing) – uses Excluded keywords, often known as Negative keywords in Pay Per Click Management. Excluded words feature provides the advertisers to block unwanted traffic.

Usage Relevant to Matches:
An advertiser can use this feature to keep away unwanted traffic by not allowing the ads to show up when the search query includes these word/words.

Excluded Words in the Account:

1) Account Level: Adding at the account level includes the following steps:

• Go to Administration tab.

• Click on “Tactic Settings”.

• On the “Account Tactic Settings” page the “Excluded Words” feature is displayed.

• Enter one word/phrase per line without commas or semicolons after each keyword.

• Click “Save Changes”.

2) Ad Group Level: Adding at the Ad Group level includes the following steps:

• Go to “Ad Group Settings” page.

• Click on “Tactic Settings”.

• On the “Ad Group Tactic Settings” page the “Excluded Words” feature is displayed.

• Click on “show”, to display space to enter these words also showing
the terms at the account level.

• Now, enter one word/phrase per line without commas
or semicolons after each keyword.

• Click “Save Changes”.

Thus, the terms can be used to get quality traffic and improve the performance of the account.

Search-based Keyword Tool

Search-based Keyword Tool: New, free tool offered by Google to enhance the dimensions in keyword research.

The following is the process in which the tool works:

Process:
1. It looks at the content of your website and will check this across and matches it against Google search queries i.e. search terms entered by users in Google.
2. Once this process is done, it provides you with a list of relevant and searched keywords.
3. The list of suggestions is then filtered that eliminates keywords already existing in the account.
4. Finally, results in, set of keywords that are completely new and unique.

Getting started with the tool:
1. Go to http://www.google.com/sktool, then
2. Sign-in to your AdWords account, (will take you to a window with options).
3. Enter the URL of your website, (it is a required field).
4. Check out the keywords by Clicking 'Find Keywords'.

The tool lists the following fields:
1. Monthly searches
2. Competition
3. Sugg. Bid
4. Ad/Search share for the term.
5. The page on your website the term is most related to.

Negative Keywords - Microsoft adCenter

Negative keywords: are the terms used to prevent the ad from being shown for search terms that are not relevant to what you are advertising.

Example: if you are a service provider and are not providing free services then “free” would become the Negative Keyword.

These keywords help the advertisers to advertise their ads to the appropriate set of audience.

The most important aspect in the usage of these keywords are:

• Eliminate unwanted visitors to the website.
• Drive quality traffic to the website.
• Improving the quality and performance of the account.
• and much more.

Hence, Negative keywords can play an important role in targeting the right audience and in turn improving the numbers in terms sales/purchases.

New traffic Model – Google Ad Planner

A new traffic model for Google Ad Planner is now made available by Google to all advertisers. If you want to update and know more site information to plan your display advertising campaigns; also understand audiences on the web, Google Ad Planner can be of great help to you.

The purpose behind providing such a traffic model is to provide the advertisers with more site information and accurate traffic details.

Most often advertisers end up in getting confused in tracking the unique visitors to the site. As many of them choose web server logs and web analytics tools such as Google Analytics, to get the realistic number (Unique visitors) and often realize the difference in numbers.

To address the ways of measuring the site traffic, Google has come up with the following:

• Unique Visitors (cookies): Added the feature, new cookie-based metric to compare metrics and is similar to Google Analytics unique visitor metrics.

• Unique Visitors (users): Changed Unique Visitors to Unique Visitors (users), to get the estimates of real world users.

• The above mentioned metrics, are placed on a site’s profile page to get the accurate data for media planning.

Now, few more country demographics for Australia, Brazil, Japan, and Switzerland are added that makes demographics total to ten countries. Also added, new demographics category, Children in Household to enhance the research.

Page view estimates will now be noticed to be more accurate and consistent with web server measurements.

Free TV Ad Creation

Google TV Ads has now partnered with SpotMixer to enable advertisers to use a new, free ad creation service. In other words, one can create their own TV commercial by using library of free images, audio and video content, or content from outside the library
i e. own uploaded content. Access this information while creating Google TV Ad campaigns.

This feature could help and give an opportunity for the advertisers to advertise their Ads using the new, free Ad creation service to widen the dimensions of advertising ones products/services.

Google Network

Google Network: It is a network with large groups of sites and other products like: blogs and email programs etc. These above mentioned categories in Google network, partner with Google to display AdWords ads and advertisers have a choice to advertise their ads both on Google and Google Network without any extra cost.

There are 2 components in Google Network: 1) The search network 2) The content network.

The Search Network:

Ads are targeted depending on the users search terms. For example, if the user searches for 'used PCs' on Google, then all the related ads will be displayed, next to the search results.

The Content Network:

Ads are targeted depending on the content themes instead of search terms/keywords. Therefore, the users can also specify particular websites.

AdWords - Alcohol Policy

Google AdWords has made changes to its editorial policies. It will now allow the alcohol manufacturers to advertise their products in the U.S. through AdWords. As, this was not permitted until now.

Beer manufacturers will now be allowed to directly advertise for their products.

However, on the other hand the hard alcohol and liqueur can be marketed to people who are looking out for alcohol related information. The advertisers can suggest ideas for cocktails during the holiday season and the calorie content of these drinks and other aspects relevant to the drinks. In other words, search advertising will now be allowed for these advertisers as well.

For any further information, advertisers may visit AdWords’ Advertising Policies Page.