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How Do You Get Images Next to Your AdWords Ads?

Clients have asked me several times how competitors are getting images in their Google AdWords ads, here’s how.

First, to have images show you must set up an account and created a structured data feed in the Google Merchant Center. The data feed will contain product information, a description, pricing, links to images, and location on your website. Once loaded you can link your Google Merchant account with your Google AdWords account using Product Extensions.

If you want to try Product Extensions check out this article on how to do that that even contains a link to set up your own Google Merchant account.

Product Extensions are just one of the extensions that Google now makes it easy to use in Google AdWords. Recently added was location extensions and phone extensions for click to call. What is new is that now you can even set up a tab in your AdWords control panel to get quick information about activity on your special extensions.

If you want to enable the new tab to view interaction with these new extensions in your Google AdWords account check out this blog post from AdWords.

I think using extensions is an excellent way to expand the reach and relevancy of your Google AdWords program. Make sure you have enabled these things in your own account for better performance.

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AdWords Content Network – Excluding Below the Fold Placements

The team at Google AdWords has been incredibly busy this last month rolling out some super new features. Here’s one that is really great if you are advertising in the content network:

Exclude content placements that fall below the fold

The fold is the part of a web page that a reader has to scroll to see. In many cases to be below the fold means that you do not get the clicks, exposure, and return on investment that you need. For content placement in the top three to five ad spots on the side of the page or at the top of the page are preferable. As typically in the content network readers will rapidly scan content and may not even read past the first one or two paragraphs, having a top position can mean the difference between mediocre and great results.

Here’s a quote directly from AdWords on this topic and how to enable it for your content program:

“How to exclude below-the-fold placements

“Follow these steps to exclude below-the-fold placements for your AdWords campaign:

  1. Click the Campaigns tab.
  2. Select a campaign.
  3. Click the Networks tab and scroll down to the bottom of the page.
  4. Click the Exclusions link. You’ll see an “Ad group level” table and a “Campaign level” table.
  5. Within the Campaign level, click the Add exclusions drop-down menu, and select Exclude category.
  6. Select the “Below the fold” checkbox, and click Save.

“When you target placements above the fold only, the available inventory decreases. As a result, the winning bids for those placements are expected to be higher than for placements below the fold. So if you want to maintain your same campaign budget, we recommend increasing your bids. This will help you compete against campaigns that target placements below the fold, and other advertisers bidding exclusively on placements above the fold.”

You can read the full article and how-tos here in the AdWords help center.

The key here is that for above the fold placements, you will need to bid more, but your results may definitely improve. However anytime you advertise in content it is important to make sure to evaluate your return on investment after at least a 30 day period. Content clicks can suck your budget dry, so you only want to be in content if it generates sales for you or if you are working to establish your brand.

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Professional Bloggers Love WordPress

As professional blog writers, my team writes over 100 blog posts each week. We’ve used all the blogging platforms and even custom applications. Hands down my team prefers to use WordPress.

Our team members don’t like these platforms:

Movable Type
When we get a blog project that is using Movable Type, we all groan. This platform does not allow for pending and draft posts, has a very quirky publishing interface, and has a very strange HTML mutant link and writing interface. Typically blog writers are writers first and not usually HTML savvy so to add link or tag syntax can be highly confusing.

Blogspot
This used to be the platform that most of our blogs were done on back in 2002 and 2003 but as of 2010 not a single one of our clients is on Blogger or Blogspot. They have all moved to WordPress. Although you can add tags, you cannot sort posts into categories. Additionally the template selections are archaic and do not even allow three column blogs.

HubSpot
This is another platform when we get a client using this we groan. Although it is not as bad as Movable Type, the inability to see blog posts in a list by date and quick editing features for tags and categories make this a cumbersome choice to use.

The Best is WordPress!
Here’s why we love WordPress:

  • Wonderful easy to install plug-ins that build SEO benefits into each blog post.
  • Ability to choose tags PLUS categories to sort your blog posts into for easy navigation.
  • Integrated search engine.
  • Once click software upgrade and plug-in update.
  • Excellent and rock solid publishing on future dates.
  • Ability to set a post as pending or draft – they are different in our minds.
  • Running word count that resides at the bottom left of the blog entry field screen.
  • Outstanding template selections with many that are free downloads.

If you are trying to decide which blog platform to use for your blog. Use the one that professional bloggers like us love – WordPress!