Google AdWords Help Center: How do I use keyword insertion? (tutorial)
No commentsGoogle AdWords Help Center: How do I use keyword insertion? (tutorial)
Have you ever heard someone mention the term Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI)? Well Google has finally decided to spread some light on the subject. They have a full tutorial available and if you are not familiar with the practice I advise you to take a close look at it.
In brief it will allow you to dynamically insert the search term into your ad.
So if your ad says:
Cheap MP3 Players
Browse our large
selection of MP3 players.
cheapmp3.com
You can use DKI to do this:
{keyword:Cheap} MP3 Players
Browse our large
selection of MP3 players
cheapmp3.com
and if the search term that was used was Low Cost MP3 Players
your ad would replace Cheap with Low Cost dynamically when the page loads so it would look like this:
Low Cost MP3 Players
Browse our large
selection of MP3 players
cheapmp3.com
If the search term they use cannot fit into allowed number of spaces for the headline then your default term (whatever is after the colon:) will show in the headline.
Cheap MP3 Players
Browse our large
selection of MP3 players
cheapmp3.com
There are a number of variations that can be used because DKI can be utilized in the whole ad and not just in the headline.
To very important notes. Be careful because you do not want funny looking ads showing. Secondly while this technique will definitely improve your CTR ratio it will actually lower your conversion ratio.
The reason for this is because your headline is matched so well to what the person is searching for you get more browsers than buyers.
Will GrandCentral be an integrated part of Android?
No commentsGrandCentral: The New Way To Use Your Phones
For those of you that may not have heard the news yet, Google announced a new open source software called Android earlier this week. They have been in talks with the major phone carriers trying to convince them to go with the solution on some of their phone models. I would bet there isn’t probably any negotiating going on. Google is going to offer to everyone but will play favorites to those that jump on board the fastest. This will include a form of incentives , exclusives etc.
Who is Grandcentral and what do they do? How do they fit into the equation?
Grandcentral is a company that Google snapped up earlier this year. They provide a virtual phone service that lets you tie multiple numbers into a single line. That line can be almost anywhere in the U.S. I was surprised to find out when I signed up months ago that they had local available numbers for the small rural town I live in. Right now I have my business number ringing into this number. I also have the Grandcentral number setup to ring all my phones so no matter where I am at I will get the call. In addition to that you can schedule different times for certain phones to be ring to. If I do not want a certain phone to ring when a certain number comes in, all I have to do is setup it.
You know what the best part is about it? FREE. Yep that four letter word that everyone likes to hear now and then. I have seen services like this cost anywhere from 20 bucks and .10 a minute a month to over a 100 month. I was using something similar years ago for another company I created.
There are a bunch of other features as well. For example they have a call me button that you can integrate into an html page. Remember an html page can be a number of things. It can be your website of course, it could be a pdf, a power point presentation or even an EMAIL. This is where things are going to start getting blurred and merged together.
Here is an example of the Grandcentral Webcall button:
Example. I am sending a new client an invitation to a Grandcentral account so that we can track orders coming in from his PPC campaigns. We will take this account, (phone number) and tie it specifically to a PPC campaign so that we can gauge the cost effectiveness of the campaign. Why don’t we just send them to a special web page and count that as a conversion? We could but his main goal is for the sales funnel to lead to the sales person at the end of the phone. You see the sales person is really great at what he does. He can convert the customer faster and more effectively than what a landing page can. Until a landing page is created that can take customer input and then give feedback and suggestions, then a real “GOOD” sales person will always close more sales.
So let’s review quickly. Google is to be able to serve ads effectively on who knows how many millions of phones. They are going to be driving force behind a majority of applications that will run on the phone. They already have a service (I predict) they are prepping to be integrated smoothly with Android.
Don’t forget as mobile broadband network efforts continue to expand so does the possibility of what you will be able to do with your phones. Tie that to an open source platform were hundreds of applications will be available you have got the recipe for another tremendous flow of information for use to consume.
I will demonstrate what happens when you use open source effectively. But first let’s imagine what we could do…what if an app was made that would tie you into your social network at all times. I mean not just letting you view and post to your myspace page but something that would do it dynamically. It could be a gps geo point of where you are located being displayed on your myspace page for your friends or family. What if you could view real time online game playing from anywhere? An app could be built so that you view games tournaments, virtual worlds from your cell. What if you wanted to video conference with a client in Australia via Skype?
I could go on and on imagining what can and WILL be done. It is not a maybe, it is a WHEN will it be done. Android will enable some simple functions starting out. Expect easier web browsing for sure but it will take another year for the feature rich stuff to start rolling out.
Here is that example of what happens when you open up your platform as open source. For those not aware it was Facebook.
MSN adCenter Updates
No commentsLooks to be a big improvement in the editorial process. Visit their blog for all the details but here is a brief summary:
1) Editorial
2) Campaign management – changes include:
* Daily budget option
* Default dynamic text
* Campaign import – now compatible with AdWords Editor output
3) Reporting – changes include:
* Access recent reports and report templates right on the Reporting tab
* Drag and drop to re-order custom report columns
* Totals and averages now shown
Google Using Snap Preview Technology
No commentsGoogle Using Snap Preview Technology
Taking a cue from other search engines, most notably ask.com, Google has now begun offering previews of website on search results. In that never ending quest of us users trying to consume as much information as quickly as possible, Google has determined that major changes are needed. From Snap’s website:
The 2 million websites and blogs that use Snap.com’s Snap Shots technology now share something with one of the world’s largest Internet companies:
Google, which maintains a website called SearchMash for testing new technologies and interface designs, is using Snap’s website preview technology. The new the SearchMash site uses Adobe’s Flash technology rather than AJAX which is used on the primary SearchMash site and selectively in Google’s main search results.
Said Snap.com CEO and Co-Founder Tom McGovern, “I’ve always loved using SearchMash. Now that it has website previews, there’s just so much more to love.”
Sites wishing to be part of the next wave of Snap Shots are encouraged to visit Snap Shots Central to learn what’s possible now and to register for the free service that’s enhancing sites worldwide.