Knowledge is the Foundation To Success  

DoubleClick released their 2010 Display Benchmarks that reveal valuable insight into the Google AdWords Display Network (GDN).  This collection of reports provides tremendous detail as to how various ad types and sizes perform on the GDN.  I am going to point out some of the highlights, but please feel free to review the entire report at Google.

RESPONSE RATE BENCHMARKS

2010 Distribution of Impressions by Creative Type:

Flash – 54%
Image – 28%
Rich Media
- in-Page/Non-Video – 10%
- in-Page/Video – 3%
- Expandable/Video – 3%
- Expandable/Non-Video – 2%

CTR by Creative Size:

Google provides detailed information regarding the performance of all ad sizes, but there is no one ad size or type that seems to be superior to all others.  However, as may be expected, the larger sized ads do tend to see a slightly higher click-through-rate (CTR).

CTR by Creative Type:

Flash Ads – 0.09%
Image Ads – 0.09%
Rich Media
- in-Page/Non-Video – 0.11%
- in-Page/Video – 0.08%
- Expandable/Video – 0.09%
- Expandable/Non-Video – 0.09%

Based on reviewing CTRs alone, it appears there is no need for advertisers to spend a lot of money on fancy, interactive flash or rich media ads (for example, ads that expand when users click or roll over and there are extensive possibilities for interactive content, such as HD video or even the ability to click to make a phone call).  However, there is more to this story.

RICH MEDIA BENCHMARKS

When reviewing ad performance, CTRs alone do not tell the entire story.  Ultimately, an ad’s cost-per-conversion is the most important variable in determining success, but Google does not provide that information.  It is important to note that rich media formats introduce another variable that needs to be considered, and this is called the Interaction Rate.  According to DoubleClick, an interaction is uniquely counted only once per impression and is captured when the user does one or more of the following:

- Mouses over the ad for 1 continuous second
- Clicks an Exit link
- Makes the ad display in Full Screen mode
- Expands the ad

Though not all of these actions may appear thrilling, they do represent some form of interaction with advertiser ads.  Rich media ads receive Interaction Rates over 2% on the GDN.  Though this number may sound low, it is staggering compared to a 0.09% CTR.  So even though rich media ads tend to receive the same CTRs as other ad formats, each rich media ad clicked on also generates about 22 additional interactions.  In fact, larger half page rich media ads saw interaction rates over 3.5% in 2010.  Interaction does not necessarily result in conversions, but it certainly helps ensure users are at least seeing your message.

The GDN has proven to be a valuable marketplace for many advertisers.  Are you taking advantage?

Our friends at Google recently shared with JumpFly an interesting technique for using the Google AdWords Keyword Tool when building a Google AdWords Content Campaign, and I thought it would be nice to pass it along. Of couse, this is not a foolproof method of building a Google AdWords Content Campaign and it does not guarantee success with Google Content based advertising, nor is it the only way to create a Content campaign, but it is a process certainly worth giving a try if you have never done it before.

Google AdWords Content Campaign Strategy

Step 1: Filter out the top performing keywords in your current Google AdWords Search campaign, putting the greatest emphasis on the keywords that are most relevant to the products you sell or most relevant to the services you provide.

Step 2: Individually type each term into a Google Search, using the standard Google search box you find at Google.com. For this example, we will use “golf shoes” as our keyword.

Step 3: Copy the Google URL that is generated in the address bar from the search. In this example, it would be –
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1T4GGIH_enUS259US259&q=golf+shoes&btnG=Search

Step 4: Using the Google Keyword Tool, make sure you have Website Content checked, then enter the URL above into the text box. Be sure to check the box labeled “Include other pages on my site linked from this URL.”

By following this process, Google analyzes the organic results, paid ads, and the sites being linked. You will then get a list of keywords that are grouped together by theme. You can then take these lists and create a Google AdWords Content campaign with a similar thematic structure.

Again, not the only way to create an AdWords Content campaign, but it is an interesting process to try and could generate some productive results for you to use as you see fit.

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This season’s PPC Advertising Super Bowl Winner is Google AdWords Content Match. Just last season, the masses were scoffing at Content Match and its lackluster results. However, this season, that has all changed. Google AdWords Content Match has risen from relative obscurity to now offer many advertisers a valuable avenue for attaining clients. We’ve recently mentioned this before here at JumpFly, but now more than ever, Content Match has proven to be a successful and critical part of many advertisers’ campaigns.

All account managers here at JumpFly have witnessed improved success rates with Content Match over the past six months. In fact, a handful of our clients actually receive 30 – 40% of their traffic and conversions from Content Match.

One particularly useful recent AdWords enhancement, Placement Targeting, enables advertisers to reach specific targeted content partners. When properly identified, successful partners can be isolated and focused on. Just yesterday I was looking at an account we manage where one specific content partner is isolated in an ad group with a high bid due to its success, and this single content partner is responsible for providing the majority of overall conversions for this particular client. Properly identifying and reaching this particular content partner for this advertiser was critical and proved to be the major factor contributing to this client’s success.

So if you have neglected to consider Content Match at Google, I suggest you reconsider. Content match advertising requires a different style setup than search engine advertising, and requires using different reports to fine tune and adjust results. However, the extra effort just might give your business the edge it needs to succeed in today’s increasingly challenging economy. Hopefully this highly coveted PPC Super Bowl victory will help give AdWords Content Match the respect it so badly deserves.

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