Perfect Ten

Now that every keyword in your Ad-Words account has a Quality Score rating out of 10, there a host of new ways you can optimise your campaigns.

Keep watching the blog over the next few weeks for advice as we all aim to get that perfect Quality Score of ten for our campaigns.

Part One – Rank Your Ad-Groups and Campaigns

Although you can not report directly on your campaign and ad-group quality scores, you can aggregate this data quite easily from your keywords in Excel 2007. Run a keyword report in Adwords and then create separate sheets for your Ad-Groups and Campaigns.

By identifying which ad-groups have a lower average Quality Score you have an insight on where to focus your optimisation efforts. These average values can be recorded over time and allow you to see how your campaign’s quality score fluctuates with the changes you make. 

Now that the score is out of ten there is a much greater chance that you will see differences in the Quality Score based on the changes you make to your campaigns. It is just as important as ever to record the changes you make and check back over time to benchmark the results. Otherwise you will never know how well your changes are working.

Surprise Surprise

Last night Google proved the sceptics wrong by announcing a 26% increase in profits for Q3 2008.  Flying in the face of a global economic headwinds, paid search listings (including Ad-Sense) jumped 4% on last quarter and 18% over this time last year.

I was particularly pleased to hear that the UK chipped in with 14% ($776m) of all revenue which was consistent with Q2. This indicates that the slow down is not affecting the UK online business as much as some anticipated. 

Interesting that the US contributes to 49% of the total revenue; 3.5 times more than the UK. When you consider the US population is about five times as large as the UK it backs up the theory that the UK is leading the way with online advertising, ableit on a smaller scale.

Where Does PPC Fit in This?

The whole thing feels a bit like a sales pitch for paid search advertising – we all know marketing budgets are the first to get chopped in times of recession. It seems UK businesses have made savvy decisions based on the one area where PPC rules – ROI.

Advertiser faith in PPC proves ROI is still achievable in the current economic climate

Due to high conversion and distinctly measurable metrics, PPC is a far more favourable medium than most traditional forms, especially in times of tightened purses. Add to that Eric Schmit’s observation that consumers are now actively bargain hunting more through the net and last night’s results seem a whole lot less (surprise) surprising.

As for the gambling decision: tell me one successful company who does not try and strengthen a position of power? Google are out to fight the economic doom head on, if PPC is their main tool then I’m with them.

Reports are cropping up that Google are to go back on their decision to ban gambling related PPC ads on Ad-Words. This is the second back track in as many months after announcing the ditching of Minimum CPC bids last month. The economic downturn seems to be finally pinching the online Juggernaut despite reports that the PPC market is still doing well for Google.

We await tonight’s Q3 results from Google with baited breath; my feeling is I won’t be too sympathetic when I see the figures!

HTC are today expected to annouce the highly anticipated Google Dream / G1  mobile phone. It’s the first phone to run on Google’s Android operating system and potentially an insight into what the future holds for online communications in India.

Google's new Android?

Having been in India for two months now it is clear that mobile phone usage has one up on Internet penetration. India is the world’s second largest mobile subscription market after China with 290 million users contributing to a $100bn market that added an extra 9 million users in June 2008.

Compare this to an estimated 29 million active internet users and you can see the kind of catch up the web is playing. The funny thing is though, it doesn’t have to – the latest breed of next gen hand sets allow the majority of users access to all the services they require on the internet from the palm of their hand. And Google are well aware of this – Eric Schmidt famously stated back in 2006 that India has the potential to become the largest internet market in the world. I wonder if he knew then it would be a Google product that consolidated it?

You have to appreciate how much more mobiles are actually used over here – I’ve mentioned before that companies such as Idea allow everything to be done securely via your handset: utility bills, pizza orders, cinema tickets, bank statements – all things the mobile SEM industry has been dreaming of for years now in the UK, and on a scale that’s breathtaking.

There was a widely reported boost in Google searches brought on by the launch of the i-phone last year, well imagine the potential uplift 290 million Android enabled users could bring to Google and the businesses who advertise with them if the platform takes off. Add to that Google’s impressive 60% market share in the subcontinent and you can start to understand Eric’s early optimism a few years back.

India knows it too; that’s why the government has appointed a joint association for both mobile and internet use in the country. All figures contained in this post can be found on their site.
 

We checked out our first Hindi movie the other night and I’ve got to say I’d been sort of dreading it! Bollywood movies have been making quite a splash in the UK for some time now and without seeing one i thought that I’d pretty much made my mind up about them. Add to that the fact that i knew i wasn’t going to understand a word and you can maybe forgive my reluctance on the night.

We were taken by friends to see Bachna Ae Haseeno, a light hearted family flick about a cassanova character who eventually comes good. 

I didn’t like it. OK I couldn’t understand the dialogue and I know we are talking about an entirely different culture but it was just sooo cheezy! There was absolutely no grip in reality – they guy looked like a poor man’s Nicholas Lyndhurst and there he was strutting around with a hareem of super models gasping after him. Come on!

At the interval I ran my interpretation of the plot past my Indian friend who confirmed that I had mostly got the jist and that there were no major surprises despite my total lack of understanding. I think because of this I became a little more involved during the second half and I must admit there was even a twinge of enjoyment. I put this down to the awesome sound system that resides in the  cinema – this thing was pumping out some serious decibels, way more than your typical UK multiplex.

So a couple of days passed and my hardline stance definitely softened, Marcia had the title tune on her mobile and we even Youtube’d some of the other numbers to take another listen. Then the unthinkable – I actually caught myself casually humming one of the tracks from the film when walking to work one day! How could this happen? I hadn’t wanted to go to the flick and I’m pretty sure I didn’t enjoy being in the cinema!!!

Another Indian friend confirmed my fears that I had seriously under-estimated the power of Bollywood. To get what I mean you must first understand how absolutely massive this phenomenon is over here. Our daily rags would be put to shame at the sheer scale of celebrity cultism over here, and it’s not just the cinematic side. Each of the Bachna Ae Haseeno tracks have been pop smashes, as are all of the top Bollywood hits’. They’re played in the malls, on the radio and in the bars – you literally can not escape them.

And just like the chart hits in the UK, they are catchy numbers that you often want to hate but just can’t. And just like the UK, Bollywood producers are not afraid to raid the archives for hits – the title tune for this movie was a 70’s hit that’s had a makeover.

As for me – I’mnow secretly looking forward to my next hindi movie!

Last month Google announced further changes to the way Quality Score is calculated. There were several improvements announced but it was the abolition of minimum CPC bids that raised most eyebrows. 

For those of us who have managed campaigns as the Ad-Words system has evolved over the last few years, these types of changes are something we are used to now. I would even go as far to say they introduce a little bit of excitement round the office as we await the first live results of any such changes. Our day to day jobs are so intrinsically bound to the mystery that is Quality Score, that even the smallest alterations can affect campaign performance.

Predicting What will Happen

Each time Google announce such changes the SEM blog sites invariably go wild with predictions and warnings of what will, and won’t happen. These can often be well wide of the mark because in reality there is no sure way of predicting exactly what will happen to every campaign. 

PPC Guru rule number one in campaign management: never assume anything! There are just too many variables to ever predict accurately what Google’s changes will bring. There are though, certain occurrences that happen almost every time the QS “improves”:

1. Google make more money.
2. You can’t get a straight answer from Google reps.
3. Affiliates will be rubbing their hands.
4. Something totally unexpected happens.
5. Opportunities for your campaigns will arise.
6. PPC pros complain about Google making more money.

Forgive my cynicism but it’s too much of a coincidence that tumbling share prices are met with two QS improvements in one year. That though, is another Blog.

What About My Campaigns

So regardless of whatever changes happen, there is still the fact that you have a responsibility to deliver ROI for your campaigns. So my first piece of advice is to be ready to counter any threats that could impact your ability to do this. Through closer monitoring you can react quickly to the changes you see, not only allowing you to limit any potential damage, but also capitalise on opportunities.

PPC Guru rule number two in campaign management: The early bird catches the worm! The fact is if you can get your head around changes in the landscape before your competitors then you will be the one who can benefit the most. This is true for new tools, Google products, QS the lot.

Here’s what I’ll be making sure my team are checking for:

• Brand Terms - One thing for sure – there are going to be a hell of a lot more active keywords floating around. An easy way for competitors to get a quick win on you is by bidding on your brand terms. During the initial spell I will be checking brand terms three times a day minimum – hound the trademark team for removal of any infringements and maybe consider contacting other advertisers directly. Non proliferation agreements can often be an easy way to clear your brand marketplace.
• Brand Terms ii) - Some advertisers leave their brand Max CPCs much higher than the actual CPCs. If you are guilty of this and there is a deluge of bidders on your terms then you can be left with massively inflated spend.
• Keywords Reactivating - Review any inactive keywords in your account, if you have a lot then their reappearance could seriously impact your budget. Check their CPCs and delete any non relevant terms – they are probably inactive because of poor QS in the first place so they are unlikely to add any value to your campaign.
• Campaign Daily Budgets - Allow enough room for a moderate uplift in spend but double check that it’s not set so high, that if your spend does rocket you aren’t left rueing it. 
• Trial New Keywords - … But don’t forget the basics. There are potentially a lot more markets you can have your ads showing on. But a poor QS will still make it harder for you to drive an effective level of ROI. Keep your ads relevant to your landing pages and keywords, as well as setting your bids based on conversion not potential impressions.
• Careful on Weekends - Most of the negative effects incurred by my campaigns during QS changes have occurred on weekends. Opportunist affiliates and rogue competitors know this is when they are most able to get away with testing the limits of a new search environment.

Now I’ll be the first person to admit; I’m no SEO guru – my domain should have given that away, but I know my basics.

They from my Computer Science HTML class and a painful obsession with Quality Score. Since the blog has been launched I’ve been enjoying messing with search queries to see what triggers my articles and what doesn’t. After a day of my Cuil post being live i noticed the queries that triggered my article most were related to the meaning of the word itself. At the end of day one on Google’s SERP for “cuil meaning” I was top. The presence of the phrase in the site subtext boosts CTR regardelss of the remainder of the site content. The irony lies in my articel talking abotu cuil using content over CTR and here Google is throwiing viewers towarsd my blog.

That said my ranking has now dropped right down on that term so Googlers would say that the system has eventually straightened itself out. I’d then point to the SERP for “new google”:

Searching for "new google" on Google.co.uk gives Cuil news in 4th spot

 Google popularity contest working against them? Not a bad SEO ranking considering that the majority of first page listings are within the Google domain.

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Today sees the launch of the latest challenger to Google’s crown in the shape of Cuil (pronounced cool and meaning knowledge in Gaelic), the self proclaimed “world’s biggest search engine”. The creators of Cuil, many of whom are former Google engineers, claim to have indexed more than three times the number of sites than Google.

 But this is not their most significant unique selling point – they also claim to have completely re-thought the common search algorithm as we know it. By placing more focus on site content than CTR they aim to deliver more relevant results, meaning the web itself delivers relevancy not the user’s behaviour. I have considered this a a flaw in the search for a while now (who is bored of seeing Wikepedia results top for everything?) and one of the major factors that have restricted Yahoo and MSN’s growth. Google can effectively gauge relevancy due to the sheer number of users passing through their algorithm – something MSN and Yahoo lack, and as such can only reduce the relevancy of results in comparison. 

First Impressions

It’s black! That’s one way to distinguish yourself from the top dog – go for the opposite colour! Cuil retains the simplictic minimal landing page and proudly states the number of pages indexed. As a first search i type in “car insurance” (an old favourite) and note the navigation suggestion – nothing new there. The SERP itself is different though – non linear, non numerical with seemingly two top spots available. Most importantly (for me) are no sponsored links. Also the results seem to be mixed between US and UK results – an flaw we used to see with Live search. One – nil Google.

My next search, another classic, is “hilton paris” - top result spot on, but number two is an adult site. It’s close but that point goes to Google too. Third, final and closest to my heart – “liverpool fc”: Zilch! Now call me a typical search engine user but I got bored by this point.

Features

Cuil does boast some nice new interface features such as tabs and drill downs and the ability to browse by category.  A lot of the listings also appear along with images, and combined with the more extensive text descriptions give the feel of, dare i say it….. Miva anyone?

Overall

It is clear a lot of thought has gone into the construction of Cuil, but I am definitely a results orientated person. I may not like the way my homepage has been Google for the last four years – but until someone steps up and actually challenges their crown through relevancy I’ll just keep searching. (Sorry).

I’ll be back with Cuil next month to see if the same searches yeild any better results. Feel free to comment on any experiences you have had with the engine.

“Did You Just See That…?”

Since arriving we haven’t had much luck with internet access – the hotel wi-fi is costly and slow, blackouts are daily and time is at a premium in the office. Add to that my inept Mac skills and you may forgive my next blunder….

We were browsing some Youtube videos the other night when I noticed a download option on the right hand side of the screen. I blinked, rubbed my eyes and checked again – “Download this video for i-pod or PSP?” to which i immediately clicked yes and proceeded to see the video downloading to my machine. My natural instincts were to hit prnt scrn straight away but my Mac skills had not yet reached that level. Thinking I could figure it out tomorrow I halted the download and watched my video.

The next day I started to consider what I had seen – my beleifs were that Youtube had never allowed downloads so as to keep the lawyers baying at the door. That led me to wonder if Viacom’s recent victory could have prompted Google to think if we’re going to get sued anyway then why not allow downloads?

I asked a collegue at work who said he thought that Youtube had always allowed downloads – could this just be the case with Indian users?? 

Alas I returned home and went to the exact same video that night – no download option. Of course Marcia thinks I imagined the whole thing, but I am sure I saw it. We know Google often do similar trial with their search technology – small changes to the system that only us search geeks notice – it could be an example of this. That said, Youtube downloads would signal a massive change in what is the world’s third largest website.

Changes Afoot

Overall it feels we are definitely seeing a transitional stage of the internet; the web 2.0 explosion is passing,  Google are losing lawsuits, and ISPs are getting tough with piracy – users are finally being made to realise that illegal activity on the net is not as annonymous or untouchable as previously thought.

As for youtube downloads, it seems unlikely that Google would put such blood in the water for the legal sharks of the major labels and studios. But if the floodgates have already been opened then we’ll have to wait and see.