PPC News - Advertisers Can No Longer Hide Behind the Click

Google Instant Preview: A Game-Changer for Landing Pages

Until now, the only information a user had on a search results page to decide where to click was the 135 characters in the ads.  This led to many advertisers getting away with bad post-click marketing as long as they wrote great ads.  Not any more.  Advertisers can no longer hide behind the click. Now, users can hover over an ad and see a preview of the landing page with snippets of real text to see how closely it relates to what they're looking for.

You see that call-out box inside the preview frame?  That's text from your page that acts like a second ad.  This changes the game because now searches can not only compare ads, but landing pages as well BEFORE they decide where to click.  This makes design and message even more important on landing pages. It also affects CTR, and therefore quality score and cost.

US Lawmakers plan "Do Not Track" bills

This legislation would allow Internet users to block companies from gathering information about their online activities. It was inspired by controversy over tracking technology present in iPhones and Androids, as well as some recent data-theft incidents.

Google AdWords Can Now Target Tablets Separately

Tablets were considered "mobile devices" until now.  Now AdWords considers them as separate devices from both computers and cell phones.  So, you should organize your campaigns accordingly.

Google Call Metrics Pricing: What PPC Advertisers Need to Know

Google now charges if someone places a phone call from your ad.  Google's phone tracking is essentially a cost-per-action model that assumes all calls are leads. Therefore, you should pay attention to the types of calls you get from PPC campaigns by isolating them and noting the types of calls you're getting.  If there are lots of calls for non-lead reasons, it's likely eating up your PPC budget that could be used on more qualified audiences.  If your target audience is more likely to pick up the phone than complete a conversion online, consider using a call tracking vendor.

Showing Domain URL in Headlines

On the heels of showing the first description lines in the headlines of top placement ads, now Google is going to show your display URL if you get placed in top positions on search results pages.  This will feature your brand more prominently and help users identify the site to which they'll be taken more easily.