Google Quality Score - The Most Useful Video Ever

Quality Score Update on Google Adowrds

I wish I could have a pool going on how much money Google will make when the new quality score thing is pushed. I believe that in many PPC accounts out there inactive keywords have become the lazy mans pause. When the new quality score system takes effect you will most likely see spend on terms that have been dead. Be aware. Below is the post from Inside Adwords.

Keywords no longer marked 'inactive for search'

The new per-query evaluation of Quality Score affects you in that keywords will no longer appear as 'inactive for search' in your account. Instead, all keywords will have the chance to show ads on Google web search and the search network (unless you've paused or deleted them). Keep in mind, however, that keywords previously marked 'inactive for search' are not likely to accrue a great deal of traffic following this change. This is because their combined per-query Quality Score and bid probably isn't high enough to gain competitive placement.

YSM Editorial Sucks Worse than Death

I am hoping that someone at YSM comes across this. Yet again another barrier to YSM making more money with paid search and impeding the SEM workflow.

My task is simple. Update some URLs on Yahoo by adding a unique ID and the Yahoo {YSMADID} parameter.

Appending these to my URLS will not change any sort of mapping - this is strictly for my tracking. So when a submission like this is made why can't you scan the URL and figure out if the mapping will be changing or not.

If its just a situation like this where the URL mapping is not changing, just the tracking stuff, then you can push on through and save the poor editorial person a couple of hours. If you detect a change in mapping then you could put the listings through to editorial.

There solved.

Why PPC Managers Don't Care

I have moved away from the agency world and now manage my own clients under the corporate name Pay Per Click Helpers Inc. As a search manager in two different agencies I found myself doing just about everything to ensure the success of a new client. I managed the relationship as well as any sort of production that needed to happen on accounts. I did this across 15-20 accounts at any given time before moving into an Account Strategist role. A PPC account strategist would basically work with unmotivated Account Managers to try and build out accounts that were not maximized. I would provide ideas and help restructure the account to get them performing optimally. A question I would ask myself while at agencies was: Why are AM's not doing a good job?

As with most things in this world it comes down to money. PPC is an incredibly transparent form of advertising. Account managers are handling every piece of the relationship except the accounting. Once your at an agecny for a while you figure out the rate structure and realize the amount of revenue your managed accounts bring in, then you look at your salary and you confide with a cowo over IM with a WTF.

The worker bees read all the news, blogs, etc. They hear stories of how much affiliates are making selling ringtones, chat rooms, and anti snoring devices. A somewhat experienced PPC account manager would be foolish not to take on freelance work if an opportunity arises. A company could pay an employed freelancer a $500 dollar a month retainer and would get the same level of service they would at a PPC agency.

Bottom line is agencies and companies need to get the joke. Account managers know the revenue being brought in by their work. A salesperson will get a commission for bringing in a deal, yet the person responsible for the life of that client is not fairly compensated? The agency and sales guy gets paid oodles of money every month. However the clients success is dependent on the account manager.

I am too young to know old school business methods, but I feel as if the same old rules of business are being applied to an entirely new line of business. Some people chalk up low pay in this industry to it being in the advertising bubble. That is BS. To implement paid search across a website requires a skillset in many areas. This is not a dream job by any means, but for those who value seeing results in their work, it is a great place to be. After a while though of producing results it becomes discouraging to not be rewarded for your efforts.

My proposal? Treat PPC account managers like stock brokers. They make decisions that can make or break accounts and should be rewarded when the keywords, structure, and approach they take works. If they get paid on performance than it will most likely stop any wandering eyes or pent up resentment they may have. A byproduct of this would be improvement to the quality of their work, a happier employee, and a longer client life.

If you are an account manager think it over. If your a customer of an agency maybe you should ask how your account manager is compensated on your next monthly call.

My PPC Expert Mugshot

Paid search is a space that has been infiltrated by so called experts who will provide high level tips that at the end of the day really help no one. I would be lying if I did not say I am an aspiring PPC Guru. I hope someday I can be one of those recognizable figures that have graced this industry. People like Shoemoney, Danny Sullivan, and Marissa Mayer are recognizable celebrities in this space. I have observed that to be one of these so called experts you need a good Mugshot to give your self some credibility when on panels and writing articles. So this article is devoted to the introduction of my new Pay Per Click Helpers Inc Mug Shot.

Notice how my PPC mugshot captures the essence of a true PPC manager:
1) A five dollar bill, the largest in my wallet.
2) A mouse - the single most important factor in a click
3) A Beer T-Shirt - my favorite - Magic Hat from Vermont.
4) A pair of headphones because I hate talking to people.

An Expert is Born

Google may be slowing down.

I am no analyst; However I have interaction with large spenders on the web everyday so here is my take on this article:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/26/BU5VV9082.DTL

1. Spend is down 12%. Yes of course it is. The mortgage industry tanking can account for a huge chunk of this. Not just the lenders themselves, but all the affiliate partners as well are no longer advertising on these deals, and people are no longer looking for them.

2. Another thing that Google did recently was crack down on Ringtone advertisers, A piece of business that is the bread and butter for most affiliate marketers out there.

3. Regulation/Editorial Issues - It is not as easy to advertise on Google anymore. Search marketer Guerrilla tactics are becoming a thing of the past. In the end you need to be creating a targeted campaign that correlates with the messaging on your site. The affiliates are in an ever evolving war with the search engines as landing page quality, and site legitimacy become important factors. From a short term business standpoint Google is hurting themselves by negging people willing to spend money, however from a long term perspective they are trying to keep the customer happy by only showing the most relevant of ads. I think this is important as users can become rebellious when they are are being inundated with deceiving messages and are not finding what they are looking for on the engines.

4. Other Places on the Web - Its not all about text search on the engines anymore. Its about making your site a destination. As major companies start to get the picture on how to create a good web portal and engage the user folks are becoming brand loyal in a sense and know the URL to go to get what they need.
Examples:
1. When I need computer stuff i go to new egg
2. When I need plane tickets i go to Kayak and sidestep
3. When I need sports tix, craigslist or stub hub.
4. News - cnn
5. Search engine marketing news - I have my RSS portal and can see news from all my favorite blogs.

In a way the fascination with the web is over and the days of "surfing" the web are coming to an end. People have their favorite sites picked out and know where to go to find what they need. The may have clicked on ad 8 months ago for a retail site and now have mentally earmarked that site for future use.

5. Understanding Profitability - Companies are beginning to embrace the ability to measure ROI and profitability on search engines. People are no longer just throwing their whole budget into Google and three keywords without tracking. Search is being treated as a science and being approached thoughtfully.

My Theory on Yahoo-MSN Merger

I got this email from a client sort of Joking about a Google possibly buying yahoo. I don't think it would happen as it would be just as much of an anti-trust issue for Google to own MSN and therefore have 90% of the ad revenues online. But someone made the antitrust comment to me regarding MSN buying Yahoo. I don't buy this. MSN has 10% Market share of search, Google has 70. MSN going to Yahoo will once again level the playing field and maybe buy some Miracle the two can combine forces to create some pretty neat online features.

Case 1: Hotmail vs Yahoo Mail - Hotmail is the worst ever. Yahoo mail is pretty sweet since they released the new one. Gmail is cool for searching but organizationally can get sloppy. The Gmail craze is more or less a result of people pledging allegiance to the Google brand, much like MAC heads. Having a Gmail account is a sign of being an uber tech savvy type. Much like friendster met its demise by myspace, and myspace has met its demise to facebook. The same thing can happen with mail.

Case 2: I Google vs My Yahoo - Arguments can be made in favor of each as google calender is pretty sweet, but yahoo feeds and news seem to have more homey feel to their portal.

Yahoo Fantasy Sports - Anyone out there that is involved in this knows how great of a portal this is. Google has nothing like it and will never have it because people that work at Google don't like sports.

I encourage people to visit Yahoo.com and click on the stuff on the left. Those portals are pretty sweet, and very targeted, a great place for paid ads that are thoughtfully placed.

In the end when the Google hype dies down then there may be a chance for little old Yahoo to pick up the pieces. Below is the email i sent to my client in response to his Google buying Yahoo comment.

Talk around here is Google will not buy Yahoo. It is in Yahoo's best interest to side with MSN and take on Google. Google is moving into software development as well OS development. Basically they would offer free software and computer operating systems and pay for it by displaying ads. If Yahoo and MSN would combine they can gain some competitive advantage on Google and make for a stronger competitor and roll out the same free software type packages and make money by ads. As a search engine Yahoo has a chance as they have lots of neat portals and features people just need to start using them and MSN has millions of customers using their operating systems so could easily force people into viewing Yahoo ads. I really hope that MSN and Yahoo can make some stuff happen.

-p-