Though advertisers will typically maneuver around the new interface until they can navigate comfortably, most are not enthusiastically diving into routine account management. The result is less time being spend optimizing these campaigns in a time when it is most critical to do so. With less attention being spent in the advertiser accounts, that bigger problems are likely to go unnoticed.

It has gone without much discussion that Google has made changes that remove the “More Sponsored Listings” link at the bottom of the first page of Google search results. Actually, without the link itself, there is not much difference in the way ads are served (or not served.) How many people really go looking for Sponsored Results on Page 2 anyway? The link missing really serves as an calling that there is a much greater movement taking place in the background. It goes back to an earlier change made last year when we saw “minimum first page bids” for the first time.

What happened is Google had implemented visible “minimum first page bids” next to keyword data inside Adwords accounts. They were introduced as an alert for advertisers to increase their bid should they want to remain visible to Google users. Active Adwords advertisers were quick to put these bids in line with first page visibility but some others just let it go by neglect.

The real alert came when ads stopped appearing for Google searches. “Many of your ads may not be showing because they don’t meet the minimum first page bid requirement.” Now that sounds more important, right? If you care anything about your Adwords positioning, you will most likely make the bid jump. These notifications did not cause a huge panic. They were subtle. And most advertisers that noticed them made the bid adjustments paying no concern to what their competitors were doing.

So what has really happened? Google has neatly and quietly ushered all Adwords advertisers to compete for a placement on Page 1. That is of course, that you have noticed and are willing to bid for that necessity.

What happens when you put everyone on Page 1? It’s the same thing that occurs when you put a residential property on the market way below market value; hyper competition drives the bidding prices far above market value. The sellers make out like crazy and the buyers pay more than the property is worth. Advertisers have to pay more for each lead or sale they receive and Google’s stock goes up again.

So what can be done to combat this new competitive arena we are advertising in? After all, Google is unlikely to change it back in the future. It should be noted that these changes put a new burden on us to find out more about how profitable are products and services are.

Things that were profitable before may be less now and we don’t have the luxury of neglecting such data. Unprofitable keywords and adgroups don’t need to be deleted, but they do need to be scrutinized then optimized so that they do maximize the ROI. Making sure your dollars are spent in the most effective way will keep wasted dollars from leaking out the back.

The key is active management in some form. Whether advertisers do it themselves or if we do it, some PPC management is better than none. Keyword Search Pros has the sustained track record of keeping advertiser conversion costs down and in most cases, showing advertisers better performance than they have ever seen before in Adwords.

During the holidays, your Adwords account should be optimized to attract a broader audience; this will bring your ROI to a whole new level. The expertise of a qualified PPC management company will get your site running for you through proper AdWords management.

Is your PPC campaign mobilized toward the holiday season? Get your PPC campaigns set and ready to go for the holidays; missing out on the extra holiday traffic can be damaging to your online advertising investment. Here are some tips to help you run a successful Adwords management campaign for the holiday season.

1. Run keyword reports or try out the new Search-based Keyword tool. In the keyword report, you will find out which keywords converted well during the previous holidays. There’s a great chance that these keywords will perform well again this season. On the other hand, SbKT is a tool that reviews the content of your site and generates a list of relevant historical Google search queries for which the site in question is not currently advertising. Using this tool, your PPC management company will seek additional keyword suggestions or “missed opportunity” terms for your site.

2. Reconsider the Search Query Performance Report. Google has just launched improved transparency in Search Query Reports to give advertisers additional information about the search terms that activate your ads. Your AdWords management experts will filter and analyze this report for you. Through constant monitoring, your dedicated team can establish which queries are generating clicks; adding relevant queries as keywords and irrelevant keywords as negatives, this can greatly increase your ROI.

3. Use your Ad Text Wisely. Entice early holiday shoppers traffic by running promotions with your PPC management company as early as the month of October. With the current state of economy, shoppers plan to spend more time doing extensive comparative canvassing for gifts before actually buying them. Find out what your competition are offering and make sure your promotional offers beat them all. Your company’s best deals will make your ad text stand from among the countless competition, so make sure you highlight what your potential buyer can get from you: dollar savings, shipping information deal and ’ship by’ dates.

4. Level up your Landing Page. Search engines are extremely useful throughout the holiday season. Some people may know exactly what they’re looking to buy, but there are also shoppers who don’t have a clue; these people turn to search engines as their go-to source for gift ideas. Designing a holiday gift finder landing page is included in your AdWords management campaign during this season. Present the undecided shopper with wonderful gift ideas at fantastic prices with this. It is also important to categorize the audience your product would appeal to the most.

5. Cyber Monday, here we come!. Cyber Monday is the Monday after ‘Black Friday’ (Friday after Thanksgiving). This day is said to generate sales from people who couldn’t find what they were searching for in-store; or in other words, holiday purchasing happens on Cyber Monday – early/mid December. Your PPC management company will bid higher for this day than any other day to take full advantage of Cyber Monday traffic. To get the most clicks, your adverts need to be in the top 3; so be ready to bid. If you do not dominate the competition specifically on this day, you’re missing out a lot of possible holiday revenue. This day is also known to have really great sales and deals online; talk to your AdWords management expert how you can maximize your ROI on this very competitive day.

6. Don’t Underestimate Post-holiday Sales. Shoppers want to take advantage of post-holidays sales online to get the best deals because of the kind of economy we are facing now. Your PPC campaign should not end on December 25th; you’re missing out valuable traffic if you do. Monitor your PPC campaign end dates and sales instead to maximize on the post-holiday shoppers. Make sure to continue your AdWords management campaign even after the holidays to attract shoppers to retailers all year round.

One great tip for the holidays: preparation and planning. Be ready for the incrase in traffic and the increase of your Return of Investment. A dedicated PPC management company can get things up and running during the festive season so you yourself can have time to enjoy the holidays. Be ready to enjoy all the holidays have to offer. Season Greetings everyone!

In these interesting times, we find ourselves in a time that is often compared to the Great Depression of the 1930s. Every day, we see the news channels shoving images of a broken economy down our throats. The stock market crash, the real estate market plunge, the auto industry bailouts, and the federal deficit increasing to unfathomable numbers are all indicators that we are approaching difficult times. Online consumer and business research and spending seems to be an area of great concern for internet advertisers as many of us look toward this type of budgeting to sustain cash-flows and profitability in our companies..

Although many businesses are being sent packing, it is time to actually get some conscious insight to some of these conditions so that we can take advantage of the internet advertising opportunity before us. That’s right! I said “OPPORTUNITY.”

I was reading an article today entitled Are We Sure About Pending Collapse of Ad-Supported Internet? by Svetlana Gladkova. Several interesting points are mentioned that might help shape the way you think about your Google Advertising. One of the first things mentioned is how people perceive the market to be. Businesses are affected by consumers and other businesses looking to cut back on any unnecessary expenses (coincidently advertising as the first of many.) And this preselected concept forces advertisers to jump to the sure conclusion that EVERYONE will stop spending ALL their money in EVERY industry. Gladkova decided to do some research to look into the actual status of our present condition and was surprised at what she found. She realized that the condition was really not that bad at all. It was actually better off than it was before.

Below is some opportunistic advice to consider when allocating for an online marketing management budget.

First, people are shying from expenses on many luxury items offered today. Understandably, they feel compelled to buy things that are more essential and have more present worth. Gladkovas hits us with reality that this doesn’t mean people are to stop buying all together. Manufactures are still going to produce goods and they are going to help advertise them through more often traditional print-type advertising and television media. All this really means is that we have to be careful about how we market our luxury product items. Make sure each dollar going toward of this advertising is maximized. This should be of the highest priority.

Secondly, whatever it is that you sell or provide as a service, consumers are going to be looking for deals and incentives. Your ads are the best way to pierce through the competition and to make a statement of value to your buyers.

In the Great Depression, even the huge firms like Proctor and Gamble, Camel Cigarettes, Chevrolet, and Sears which had already claimed bankruptcy at the time were forced to advertise more. Not only did they have to uphold the integrity of the brand, but they had made a decision to feel nothing was wrong. That was the driver that kept those boats afloat in those critical times. Last night, I read a book called Who Moved My Cheese? by Dr. Spencer Johnson. The premise is that we are all looking for cheese. And when our cheese gets moved somewhere, we have a choice; either wait around for cheese to reappear (we know that’s not happening) or adjust. Exercising the full potential of your Adwords campaign is more like targeting more on new cheese and not waiting for it to reappear.

Next, when your ads show less and less, it tells the public something about your company’s financial condition. If your ads aren’t showing as much, your competitors’ ads will be showing more. And if your competitors have decided to show their ads less, then it costs you less to compete. Now that’s a strong opportunity if I have ever heard one. My advice here is to be the rock. Show your competitors and your clients that you aren’t going anywhere and you will see a stronger trend toward direct sales and customer loyalty.

Here are some recent spending stats (in comparison to the same time in 2007) provided by Google in the weekly reports they send out to us management firms:

2008 Black Friday Weekend Online Sales- Up 19%
Cyber Monday Online Spend- Up 15%
Weekend before Christmas Online Spend- Up 98%
Heaviest Online Spend Day was Tuesday, December 9th with $877 Million in Sales.
Total Online Spend this 2008 Holiday Season- $25.5 Billion

As times seem to be more difficult for advertisers, we need ask ourselves, is it really that bad or do we need to work a little harder to find our cheese? Are advertisers not really spending or are we not offering the right value? Do we need to decrease our Google Adwords spend or do we need to spend smarter?

Historically, the forward-thinking companies have not faltered with their advertising efforts. They were rocks. With CPC adverting and CPA advertising at our fingertips, we should be more than joyous that we have tools to strategize the most targeted and highest ROI campaigns ever. Companies in the Great Depression didn’t have the luxury of internet marketing and search engines. They just rolled out a bunch of ads and hoped for the best. Now we have the ability to track conversions and control ads up to the minute.

We have an OPPORTUNITY to really shine here if we play these cards right. Please consider Keyword Search Pros to maximize your online ROI and reduce your online advertising costs. (888) 816-0726.