Tag: Google AdWords

Don’t set up ad groups that target location names making it difficult to manage your ad groups. Consider using Google AdWords dynamic keyword insertion to do the work for you and keep all your location names in just one ad group.

The key to using Google AdWords dynamic keyword insertion is to carefully structure your account so that your keywords make sense with your ad text. For me if I am targeting 10 to 50 city locations say for a plumber and my keywords would be things like Waldorf plumber, Clinton plumber, Ft Washington plumber, etc. I would make sure that my ad group only contains variations as I have noted. Then in my ad text I would craft an ad that would look like this:

{KeyWord: Local Plumber}
Call for fast plumbing services for clogged
drains, sinks, toilets and bathtubs

Let’s dissect the ad text above a bit. Note that Keyword is spelled KeyWord in the curly brackets. This tells Google to make the keyword they are inserting with each letter of the beginning of each word as a capital. If I had entered keyword instead of KeyWord then the letters would all have been lower case. Note I also added default text after the : in the ad title. This text will be used if my keywords that would have been inserted makes the title go over the character count.

The great thing about dynamic keyword insertion is that Google takes the keyword phrase in your ad group and puts it in the spot where you have the curly brackets when the keyword matches a search query. This is very powerful for creating user centric ads which typically will lead to increased converions. Additionally as the keyword in the title now matches the user’s search query, Google will bold the  text drawing the readers eye to your ad.

All ad groups can’t use dynamic keyword insertion, but in many cases with properly crafted ad groups you can really move your AdWords program to the next level in regards to performance.

If you don’t have savvy AdWords management now, I invite you to visit our AdWords services page. McCord Web Services is a Google AdWords Certified Partner.

I just started up a client account in AdWords which had been dormant since 2009. When I logged in I told the client to me it appeared that the account had been hacked. This was verified by Google one day later and a credit was applied to the client’s credit card.

So how did I know the AdWords account had been hacked?

1. Daily budget was set at $630 per day. That is a spend of $18,900 per 30 days. Previously the budget was $63/day.
2. Keywords hidden inside an ad group with the correct name were payday loan related.
3. The URL and ad text in the ad group had been changed from the client’s website.

This can happen to anyone. If you are not going to use your AdWords account it is best to either close it or to remove the credit card information.

In this case the client only got hit with a $10.00 charge before AdWords shut the account off. The last hacked account I saw had a $10,000 charge on their credit card for fraudulent clicks in less than seven days, so it is very important to watch what is happening in AdWords or better yet hire an account manager who will keep a careful eye on your account.

You may not be aware, but Google has a new certification program for professional account managers such as myself. The old program called certified account managers Google AdWords Qualified Professionals or Google AdWords Qualified Individuals.

Now, Google has a new program called Google AdWords Certification. All professionals previously certified as Qualified Professionals, Qualified Companies or Qualified Individuals have six months to retest in the new program. Additionally, the account manager must now pass two tests instead of one. One is the AdWords Fundamental Exam and the other is one of the manager’s choice. The topics for the second exam are on search placement, the content network, or on Google Analytics.

I have already passed the Fundamentals Exam with a score of 97% and am starting to study for the Search exam. Additionally Google states that all certified businesses and professionals will need to take the Fundamental exam once a year and the higher level exam once every two years. Instead of retesting every two years as in the old program. This makes sure that all account managers that are certified in Google’s program are up-to-date with the changes Google enacts on their system.

As a business owner you should be aware of these changing certifications, so you can make sure your own account manager is certified with the knowledge to help you.

I have to say that additionally individuals with poor knowledge of AdWords will be weeded out by these new stronger certification programs and standards. The Google AdWords Certification program will mean that your account manager not only has the knowledge but the real world skill to effectively manage your account.