Category: Google AdWords

Wow this has been a big day for announcements, Google first then MSN.

First Google has announced a new bidding strategy that you can now use instead of max CPC, it is called Preferred Cost per Click. With this new bidding strategy instead of telling Google AdWords what is the maximum you would be willing to pay, now you tell them the average price that you would like to pay or your preferred cost per click. Over the next week or so, this option will be turned on in Google AdWords accounts. I am not sure as to how this will impact performance, but I will certainly be testing it out.

Preferred cost per click bidding will be set at the campaign level so just be aware of that.

Second, Microsoft adCenter has just announced that it is spidering landing pages and assigning a quality score to programs much in the same manner that Google AdWords and Yahoo Sponsored Search Marketing already do. This will help to increase profits for them and improve the ad quality for readers.

So two big changes in the pay for performance arena have happened today!

I have just set up a customer in Google AdWord’s new pay per action program. Here is some additional clarification about it.

1. You may only target at the country level. So if you are going to advertising, it is US or full country or multiple country only.
2. You should select lead only unless you are selling a product on e-commerce. You can not pay for an action such as a mortgage completed as there is no way to track this. You can however track a sale with a price that doesn’t change and one that is variable, but it must be trackable through your store with a special conversion tracking script added.
3. You can only have pay per action ads appear in the content network. Your ads will never show on Google when it comes to pay per action.

Hope this helps as you consider if you want to try Google AdWords pay per action. Google is taking sign ups but only inviting a limited number of advertisers at this point, but if you want, here is an invitation to sign up and get on the queue.

Want to try out Google AdWord’s new pay for action program? Here’s a link to sign up for the beta testing.

You can select to pay when you get a lead, a sale, or some particular action on your website. You pay what you want for the action. Remember this only applies to certain websites in the content network.

Pay for action may be just right for you. We are testing it with a mortgage company and will let you know what happens.

Pay Per Action is coming to the content network and will be a huge boon for mortgage and real estate professionals if only Google can make it work.

Pay per action is where the Google AdWords advertiser only pays when an action is completed not when someone clicks on their ad. The advertiser determines a set payout for the action. When the action is completed the publisher in the Google AdSense network makes the fee.

Pay per action is available only as beta testing in the US for certain advertisers and for certain publishers, but I see this as a real opportunity for mortgage brokers, real estate agents, and marketeers of rather obscure products that have not hit the market yet.

For real estate agents and mortgage brokers, many would be glad to pay $15 for someone actually completing their online form for more information versus paying $5 to $18 per click for looky-loos.

It will be interesting how Google will play this out in the AdWords arena in the months to come. Stay tuned, pay per action may be part of your new marketing plan.