How Online Retailers can take advantage of The Latest Adwords Features?

Apologies for the lapse in posting – we were too caught up in the Cosmic world of Multiple Projects and deadlines, hence the delay.

 Every year, Google outdoes itself in terms of delivering quality to its users. This year 2012 is no different. The transition from 2011 to 2012 has seen Google roll out some astounding features for its Adwords users as well as modify some existing features, to helps us reach our target in a cost effective manner as well as help users get what they want.

This current AdWords evolution has involved the following key expansion areas, with Display Advertising, Mobile Device targeting, Remarketing, Call tracking (for Desktop users), Automated Rules and Dynamic Search Ads taking the top spots. Winning approaches for online retailers are described below.

Display Advertising   

 

It was more than a simple name change when Google re-branded their “Content Network” as the “Display Network” in 2010. The past two years have seen amazing growth in the targeting options available on the million+ sites in Google’s Display Network. The Display network is not one to be taken lightly. With more and more websites registering to Google Display network, the reach of our ads are now multifold. Prominent features on the GDN include Topic Targeting, Interest Based Targeting, Placement Targeting, Contextual targeting and the most famous Re-Marketing.

Mobile Device targeting

Courtesy : Localsplash.com

The last few years have seen a bridging between desktops/laptops and mobile phones. The ‘Smartphones’ are just as fast, efficient and app-friendly as the regular laptops/desktops, albeit with the major difference – they are cost effective and lightweight. Almost all mobile devices that come out have the basic in-built browser integrated into them. Keeping these factors in mind, it is safe to assume that Mobile Targeting is bound to be just as effective as normal desktop targeting. Adwords lets us create campaigns that target only mobiles, and also gives us the added perk of targeting users based on networks along with locations. Moreover, adwords users can target Mobile ads that lead to pages specifically compactable for mobile devices

Re-Marketing

This feature, rolled out in 2010, has continued to take the top spot for display advertisers. Although a subset of display advertising, remarketing deserves a section of its own. If you’re not yet using re-marketing, you’re prematurely abandoning one of your biggest assets: your existing website traffic.  Re-marketing produces some of the cheapest conversions you’ll find anywhere. You’ve already done the hard work of drawing the interested people to your website–remarketing gives you access this   audience for months after they leave your site. Assuming you want to be at the top of your game in 2012, remarketing is not to be ignored.

Product Listings and Product Extensions

Product Listing Ads and Product Extensions both draw from your existing product feed (set up in your Google Merchant Center account). These ad formats present a picture of relevant products with your ad which often leads to higher click-through and conversion rates. This can be used to promote Up-Selling and Cross-selling of your products.

Automated Rules

Made available to all advertisers in February 2011, Automated Rules allow you to manage those day-to-day account updates much more efficiently. Everything from adjusting ad positions, pausing or enabling ads, or adjusting your bids can be automated to a certain degree with Automate Rules. Also, Google has made modifications to enable users to set up to 100 rules compared to the old 10 rule limit as well as undo past changes. The proper use of these would help you spend less time on your account.

Call extensions (with Google forwarding phone numbers)

Call extension is a new feature which can be used to generate calls (leads) and is not exclusive to mobiles or tablets i.e. can be displayed even in Desktops/Laptops. Enabling call extensions would let Google assign a unique phone number to your Ads, which when dialed, redirects to your business phone number. Google keeps track and gives you detailed information regarding the call data (like location, call duration, etc.) in your adwords reports.

Dynamic Search Ads

On October 20th, 2011, Google officially introduced Dynamic search Ads. Google can now create an ad automatically for your website, whenever a relevant search occurs. This is based on Google’s organic web crawling technology.

Google shall dynamically generate a headline (referring to the search query), and the content it found on your most relevant landing page or website.

This ad once generated, follows the normal procedures of entering the auction etc. This new introduction of ad generation is flexible though. If you have a keyword targeted ad already in place, eligible for any search query, Google holds back its dynamic ad and your existing ad is given preference for impression.

This feature is especially useful for large e-commerce sites wherein there is constant change in the inventory.

The other Adwords features which are not that significant and yet, play a part to promote your webpage (Both directly and indirectly) and ease of account include-

·         Google +1 Button for Ads

·         Display URL in Headlines

·         Instant Preview for Ads