New to Google Ads are responsive search ads. Not all accounts will see this option yet, but for many of our big accounts we are starting set up now.
A responsive text ads consists of the following items.
Six 30 character headlines.
Two 90 character descriptions.
A final URL.
Two 15 character paths.
Additionally Google gives some additional best practices for setting up your responsive search ads.
Google recommends only using a keyword in your account or dynamic keyword insertion in two of your six headlines. They recommend that other headlines mention, price, shipping, a unique feature, or a special promotion.
When Google Ads renders the ads your ad assets can be bundled in any number of ways by device. You may see three headlines, two headlines, or one head line and a description, or even two headlines and one description. It is all Google Ads choice.
Setting up the responsive search ads take about 12 to 18 minutes each. We are currently testing versions in client accounts. Will they convert better than a typical search ad? Google Ads says yes, so the time investment to create them is valuable.
As an experienced AdWords Manager I understand the value and issues of using broad match keywords, do you?
Here is a easy to understand tutorial about broad match and when you should and should not use them in your Google AdWords account.
Broad Match Keyword Match Type – this is the most used AdWords keyword match type and the most unfiltered type. It is used almost exclusively by inexperienced AdWords managers.
AdWords loves the broad match keyword match type as it generates lots of traffic, many clicks, and increases their payment.
I personally do not like to use broad match and prefer to use instead broad match modifier which looks like this in the AdWords control panel +keyword +here.
Here’s what Google AdWords says about broad match keywords:
“When you use broad match, your ads automatically run on relevant variations of your keywords, even if these terms aren’t in your keyword lists. This helps you attract more visitors to your website, spend less time building keyword lists, and focus your spending on keywords that work.”
“Broad match is the default match type that all your keywords are assigned if you don’t specify another match type (exact match, phrase match, or negative match). The Google AdWords system automatically runs your ads on relevant variations of your keywords, including synonyms, singular and plural forms, possible misspellings, stemming (such as floor and flooring), related searches, and other relevant variations. To help deliver relevant matches, this match type may also take the customer’s recent search activities into account.”
What Google does not say is that if your broad match phrase is GPS fleet management, for example, Google would show your ads and generate click charges on broad matched keywords like: adware gps, air lq fleet, at&t fleet oakland park blvd, azuga device, blacklist gps, cyntrx customer service, dash cams for fleets, digital fleet, usft, fleetsharp instructions. These are real keywords and real terms found in an AdWords account that are showing ads and accruing clicks. I personally find these terms very untargeted and I would not want my clients paying for clicks for those terms.
Consumers have embraced pay per click ads! No longer do users of Google or Bing scroll to see the organic search results, rather they are clicking the first and second pay per click ads on a page, and especially when on a smartphone.
Over the years, pay per click ads have become more relevant than even the organic listings. And, as the organic listings are getting harder to find, click activity is happening at the top of the page.
With the advent of personalized search, sophisticated device tracking, and a myriad of ad extensions that selectively show, tailored to the user’s history, intent, and location, pay per click is usurping the place of organic search results on the Web.
As user’s hurry to make decisions and want information tailored to their personal needs, the dynamic nature and relevancy of ad serving is revolutionizing web searches.
With deep sitelinks, listings of services, current promotions, maps of your store location, and click to call buttons, these new ad versions are attractive for consumers to click and give immediate results.
As we watch many client accounts, we see pay per click traffic numbers are on the rise and organic numbers are declining in our monthly Google Analytics action reports. For businesses this sets a new landscape for the Web – one that is now pay to play, and it’s big business for Google and Bing.
Think that you don’t need to get involved in pay per click advertising? Take a careful review of the search results page on your desktop and smartphone. With shrinking organic real estate and with most organic search results now below the page fold, consumers are making decisions and clicking on ads and in many cases not even looking at organic listings.
Google AdWords is becoming Google Ads. At the end of July, Google will transition their branding to showcase its new product name.
Just as Microsoft AdCenter became Bing Ads, Google is embracing a more indicative name of it popular pay per click platform.
Google states that the product will be the same but will offer an improved workflow for do it yourselfers and will migrate all existing accounts to the new account management interface.
Google Partners will be receiving new creatives to use in marketing and new badging appears to be in the works.
Site Suspension! If you are an AdWords advertiser, know that Google is watching you – very carefully. What you state in your content and the images you show are all reviewed by the Googlebot and flagged for review if you are in the medical, plastic surgery, and dermatology fields of business.
CoolSculpting and Dermatology Advertisers Be Aware
Case in point, if you are promoting CoolSculpting and you state on your website that this treatment provides permanent fat loss, Google will be coming for you – soon. I’ve now crossed paths now with four doctors in different areas of the US that have all received site suspensions in AdWords.
A site suspension simply means that Google will not allow you to promote your business in AdWords, at all! They simply shut down your account. Only the account owner will receive an email about the issue and Google will point to its terms of service and rules. Account Managers will see next to the accounts ads a speech bubble which will state Site Suspension.
What Would Be Noted in a Site Suspension?
I recently saw a site suspension in AdWords for a Dermatologist and Vascular doctor with this information:
Site Suspension due to:
Restricted Medical Content
Restricted Drug Terms
Misleading or unrealistic promotions
I’ve seen several doctors remediate their site, get up and running, and then get a second site suspension. As sometimes the issues take a while to correct and there are numerous communications with the Google team before the site can even be submitted for a higher level review (which is not immediate), I recommend moving your program to Bing Ads while Google is futzing around with your site review to remove the suspension.
Your entire program from AdWords can be picked up and moved to Bing Ads relatively quickly. At least this way you will continue to have a flow of leads while Google does your review and lets you know things that need to be further changed in each communique.
A site suspension is serious business. In two cases it took 6 and up to 8 weeks to remediate the problems. That’s nearly 2 months off of AdWords with no leads coming in. In all cases to remediate the problem, all content had to be updated and images updated. Wording like permanent, immediate, fat loss had to be softened to reduction, over time, and fat reduction.
If you need help resolving a site suspension or moving to Bing Ads while your staff is working to remediate an AdWords site suspension, call us today to get fast help and get rolling on Bing Ads.
Google has recently revealed research based on micro moments and customer buying patterns to Google Partners. Of particular interest are several trends
Customers are more demanding.
“Near Me” searches have decreased by 150% over the last 2 years.
Use of a zip code in a search query has declined 30%.
Google data shows that consumers want more useful information, more personalization, and more immediacy.
The reason for the decrease in activity on “near me” and zip code specific searches are that consumers expect the results to be location and self-specific. This change has been driven by the mobile micro-moment, as Google calls it, – the I want to know, I want to buy, I want to go mentality.
One important trend that you can leverage on your website and in Google AdWords due to dynamic keyword insertion is the use of “best” in a search query. Consumers want the “best” toothbrush, “best” web designer, “best” lawyer and so on.
In fact in the research Google states that “best” related keyword search activity has grown by 80% in the past two years.
In addition, consumers are demanding personalized localization – meaning the delivery of results that are uniquely personal and based on their own location. Mobile apps leverage results by GPS location and websites can enhance results by providing location cues and data sortable by location.
In addition to more localization, Google has identified that 50% of all mobile users will typically make an immediate purchase after a successful mobile search.
Google is identifying other important trends and sharing them with Google Partners as we work to leverage this information to help our client’s better market their products and services on Google AdWords.