Archive for March, 2009

6 Questions about Ad Optimization

Questions from recent webinars that you wish you’d asked

Every month, we get great questions in our ongoing series of advertiser webinars. Even if you’ve never had a chance to attend one of these sessions, this info is too good to keep to ourselves. With this post about ad optimization we continue to share those questions and their answers with you. (We normally offer five, so consider the sixth a gift.)

Q: How can my ads be rotated within a campaign?
A: The ad optimization feature, which is turned on by default, will automatically rotate your ads in a campaign evenly, and track their performance. Then whichever ad begins to outperform the others will be shown more frequently. If you turn off the ad optimization feature and have more than one ad in an ad group, the ads will be displayed equally.

Q: What is a good measure for keeping an ad or deleting it? For example, should I delete any ads running under 20 percent?
A: We don’t recommend using specific percentages as a factor in determining ad performance, because each keyword market is different. But you should use ad optimization and test different ads, which will enable our system to optimize to the better performing ad.

Q: Is there harm in keeping low-performing ads?
A: You probably would not want to keep low-performing ads if you have others that are performing better. Ads that perform poorly can drag down your quality index score. As you know, a higher quality index score can help raise the position of your ad and/or lower your cost-per-click.

Q: Do I need to remove ads that not working that well, or they will be deleted automatically?
A: Although ad optimization will automatically display the ad with the best performance, poorer performing ads are not deleted by our systems. This enables you to potentially refine them for further testing.

Q: Where can I turn optimization on and off within my account?
A: To turn ad optimization on or off:

• Click the “Campaigns” tab.
• Click the “Ad Groups” subtab beneath the Campaigns tab.
• Check the box(es) next to the ad group(s) you wish to optimize, and then click the “Optimize Ads” button above the list of ad groups.

Q: Is ad optimization based on performance statistics only, or does Yahoo! analyze the content of my ad copy and factor that in?
A: The click-through rate of your ads is the main metric used in determining which ads are displayed. Additionally, the relevance of the ad—how closely the ad copy matches to your keyword—is also factored in.

— The Team

Twitter Me This

Follow Yahoo! Search Marketing on Twitter

You may find Twitter to be life-changing or simply annoying. Either way, now you can find out what Yahoo! Search Marketing is doing by following us on Twitter.

We tweet throughout the week on our latest activities: about new products, from conference panels, and of course, with posts from the Yahoo! Search Marketing blog. This week, for instance, we’re tweeting from the Search Engine Strategies conference in New York City. If you follow us, you’ll know who’s speaking when—and you can even send them questions.

We’re not the only ones at Yahoo! serving up Twittery goodness. Nicki Dugan, the corporate blogger at Yodel Anecdotal, tweets on everything that the rest of Yahoo! is doing. And believe us, that’s a lot.

You can go to our Twitter page at any time by clicking Twitter’s “t” icon on the right side of this page. However, if you still like your updates to contain more than 140 characters, keep coming right back here.

— Jeff Sweat, Blog Editor

Catching the Phishers

Scam artists continue to get sneakier—so look for these red flags

With phishing attempts and other types of fraudulent activity affecting Internet users these days, we wanted to take this opportunity to remind you of our policies regarding personal information.

The most important thing to remember is: We will never ask you for any private information in an email, nor will we proactively contact you by phone and ask for contact, account or financial information.

Report fraudulent emails
If you ever receive an email claiming to be from Yahoo! (or suggesting a connection to your business through Yahoo!) that asks for private information like account details, a password, or credit card or other financial information, do not respond to it. Instead, please forward the email to our security department at phishing@cc.yahoo-inc.com. This type of email fraud is called phishing, because it’s designed to lure recipients into sharing private information.

We invite you to learn more about phishing—like what to do if you think you’ve been phished—at http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/abuse/. Unfortunately, this is an issue affecting all Internet companies and users, and we take it very seriously. You can also find a guide to online security at http://security.yahoo.com/.

How to beat the phishers
To help you protect yourself against phishing attacks, we encourage you to follow these basic tips:

1. Be alert for suspicious emails.
2. Do not reply to email or pop-up messages asking for personal or financial information.
3. Regularly log into online accounts and check credit and debit card statements to ensure that all transactions are legitimate.
4. Use personal security technologies such as anti-virus, firewalls and anti-spam software, and keep them up to date.

Yahoo! is fighting phishing scams by deploying advanced technologies, collaborating across our industry, supporting public policy efforts, and increasing consumer awareness. It’s that last one—consumer awareness—that we’d like to reinforce with you.

Don’t be fooled by official-looking emails from other parties claiming to be Yahoo! or acting on Yahoo!’s behalf! Remember, we won’t ask you for confidential information in an email or a phone call, unless you initiate it to us—ever.

— The Team

Spring Cleaning

5 things you should tidy up to improve account performance

Remember when you were a kid and your mom would ask you how you could find anything in your pig sty of a room? Well, your Yahoo! Search Marketing Account is a lot like your bedroom: the more organized and structured it is, the easier it is to work with.

Not to be a nag, but here are a few suggestions on how to keep your account clean:

Account structure
Your account structure should resemble your web site structure. For example, a shoe retailer would have a separate page for every type of shoe it sells — sneakers, dress shoes, sandals — and it should also have a separate Sponsored Search campaign for each type of shoe.

Creating distinct campaigns for each type of item you sell makes it easier to manage and maintain your account. Then you can further break down your offerings in ad group, in a way that also resembles your web site. This helps differentiate ad groups, and makes them easier to organize and edit. If the shoe site suddenly decides to stop selling Puma sneakers, its can simply turn off its “Puma” ad group, instead of needing to search for every Puma keyword in the account.

Keeping ad groups small and distinct makes the ads in each ad group much more relevant, since they only need to support a small number of related keywords.

Limiting keywords
Keep your ad groups manageable by not overloading them with keywords. Start with fewer than 20 keywords per ad group, and only add more when needed. We recommend limiting ad groups to no more than 50 keywords to keep them tight and easy to manage.

Site relevance
Only bid on keywords that are related to your site’s products or services. For example, if you only sell baseball cards, don’t bid on keywords related to football cards. It’s a lose/lose situation: You’ll wind up spending money paying for clicks from users who won’t be buying from you, because you aren’t selling what they’re looking for. You may also anger what could be a potential future customer, which is never a good idea.

Ad quality
This may sound obvious, but check your ads for proper spelling and punctuation, as well as for proper upper/lower case use in your title and descriptions. You’d be surprised at how many advertisers fail to do this. Proofreading your ads will give them the highest possible quality, and it may also give you an edge over advertisers who don’t.

Duplicate keywords
Putting the same keyword into multiple ad groups is permitted (and may make sense for you, if you have different targeting criteria), but do this sparingly lest you start competing against yourself. Our systems won’t display multiple ads from the same company on the same search results page.

So, don’t be like this guy. Keep your campaigns neat and manageable. And when you’re done with that, you can get busy on cleaning up your room. Think how happy it’ll make your mom!

— Noah Belson, Content Quality Analyst

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Joe Dykes

On Target

Three new ways to help you reach the people you want

We try not to oversell the changes we make to Sponsored Search — sometimes a button is just a button, after all. So, we hope you’ll pay attention when we tell you this: the new targeting features we’re adding right now are kind of a big deal.

Starting now, you’ll be able to target the audiences you want, when and where you want them, with a lot more control. We are rolling out demographic targeting, ad scheduling (which you might know as dayparting), and enhanced ZIP-level geo-targeting at the ad group and campaign level.

Why target? Well, that may already be clear to you as a marketer, but we’ll take a stab at explaining it anyway: if you can get an ad more frequently in front of the people you want to see it, who are disposed to respond favorably to it, it’s likely to give you a better return on investment.

Demographic targeting
You can now select your desired audiences on Yahoo! sites — in both Sponsored Search and Content Match — by age and gender, and set a premium bid for those groups. With demographic targeting, you can take advantage of Yahoo!’s wide user base and its deep understanding of its audience. Our demographic targeting uses a concept called bid adjustments, which let you set a premium bid for the categories that are worth more to you without losing other traffic volume. 

Ad scheduling
If the people you most want to reach are most likely to respond to your ad at certain times of the day, or your business is only open certain hours, you can select what time of day and day of the week you’d like your campaigns to run. You can schedule ads to be shown according to users’ time zones or according to your time zone. Ad scheduling works in both Sponsored Search and Content Match, and at the ad group and campaign levels. 

Enhanced ZIP-level geo-targeting
An update to our beta ZIP-level targeting feature, advertisers will have even more control about how geo-targeting is used. Available for both Sponsored Search and Content Match, you can mix and match geo-targeting settings at different levels within the same campaign or ad group. New dynamic mapping features help you select individual ZIP codes and ZIP codes surrounding them.

This is a lot to swallow in one sitting, so we’ll be following this post with closer looks at each of these new features. You can also sign up for a webinar to learn more. But don’t wait for us — get targeting.

— Jeff Sweat, blog editor

Photo courtesy of Flickr user gertys.

Deep in the Heart of Taxes

6 tips for reaching consumers in their 1040 tizzy

As Benjamin Franklin once said, nothing is certain but death and taxes. We can’t pinpoint the moment of our demise, but the Taxman’s deadline is known to all. And as April 15 creeps closer and closer, most Americans are gathering their receipts, calling their accountants and keeping their fingers crossed.

But nervous Americans aren’t the only ones getting ready for tax day—advertisers who offer tax services and products should also be sharpening their pencils and crunching the numbers, to make sure that their ads find users in their time of need. Here are a few tips to help get you the maximum return on your tax-related campaigns during this tax season:

Use the right keywords
Typically, users who are searching on keywords like “turbo tax” and “tax cut” are looking to purchase that particular software package rather than seeking an accountant who uses them. If you’re an accountant, avoid bidding on product keywords and focus on keywords that describe the type of services you offer.

A serious demeanor
Avoid sales jargon and “gimmicky” language that might deter users. Money is serious business, so this isn’t the time for lightheartedness in your ads. That also goes for things like “$$$” and promises of huge refunds, etc. Stick to the basics: what you offer, how you assist your clients, and anything else that might help users understand why you’re the right choice for them.

Details, details
Be sure to make the most of the space you have in your creatives. A title like “Accountant” may get the point across, but since you’ve got 40 characters to work with, why not make the most of it? Adding your location or a service that you offer is a good way to get additional information across to users.

At the same time, be sure to avoid crowding your ads with unnecessary info that may steal space from truly relevant facts. For example, if your accounting firm has a long name, you may want to leave it out of your ad copy, especially if it’s already contained in your display URL.

Think locally
If you have a brick-and-mortar business in a particular community, be sure to create geo-targeted campaigns for your general keywords, such as “accountant.” Geo-targeted campaigns display your ads based on the specific geographic location of users or their search terms, rather than nationally. This increases your targeting accuracy, because there’s very little point in an accountant in Kansas showing his ads to users in New York City.

At the same time, geo-specific keywords (i.e., “kansas accountant”) can go into a national campaign, in case people outside your area are seeking service in your area. If a New Yorker is moving to Kansas and needs an accountant, you want to make sure that they find you when they search on “kansas accountant.” Geo-targeting is a truly helpful tool to match local businesses with the right customers, so be sure to consider it when creating your campaigns, and consider creating individual campaigns for both types of geo keywords.

Plug it in
As always, be sure to use keyword insertion to make sure that your keywords appear in your ads. A related feature, alt-text, will make sure they show up just the way you want them. Also avoid spelling and grammar errors, and always call out any special offers or promotions that may appeal to consumers.

Custom Campaigns
Lastly, you may want to target taxpayers receiving a refund if you sell big-ticket items (televisions, cars, vacations). Consider creating specific “tax” campaigns that can be turned on at tax time and tout the appeal behind users spending that refund on themselves this year. Belts may be tightening, but without a doubt people will still shell out for luxury items if the price is right.

Hopefully these hints on tending to your tax campaigns are a little easier to decipher than the 8,500 pages in the U.S. Tax Code. Put them to use, and you may find that your customers aren’t the only ones enjoying many happy returns.

— Noah Belson, Content Quality Analyst

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Manchester Library.

Lower Reserves

Minimum bids dropping on some keywords

You don’t need a TV to tell you that times are tough—you just have to take a look at your marketing budget. Money is tight for everyone these days. So we thought you’d want to know about some changes that we hope will help lower your costs and increase your clicks.

Given that certain business categories have been impacted by the current economic conditions, we’ve reviewed minimum bid amounts on a large number of Sponsored Search keywords and reduced the minimum bids on many terms. This review process is a part of our ongoing efforts to optimize our search marketplace.

Some of these changes to minimum bids have already taken place. Please log in and review your account, as you may find that a number of your keyword bids that used to be below the minimum requirement may now be active if their minimum bids have been lowered. These keywords will automatically reactivate (and start displaying your ads), so make sure that your spending limits allow for additional traffic.

Keep in mind that the minimum bid is only one factor in the cost you pay per click. Just as important are factors such as your ad quality, the competitiveness of your term and, of course, the bid you set. Still, at least on some keywords, this should translate into a little bit of good news for you. You won’t get that on the TV.

—The Team

Keyword Suggestions, Just for You

New sections of Help Center offer industry-specific data and ideas for new search terms

Were you one of those advertisers who lamented the passing of Overture’s late, great Search Term Suggestion Tool (STST)? If so, you may find some comfort in a new section of the Yahoo! Search Marketing Help Center, which includes industry-specific keywords that could be relevant to your business.

Why wait? Take a visit now to our Help Center, where you’ll find:

• Industry-specific market research articles that include online and search data, which can help you understand the role that search, online research and purchasing play in your industry.
• Industry-specific keywords with considerable search volume but typically fewer competing advertisers. Adding these keywords to your campaigns may help increase your traffic volume and improve overall campaign performance.

The reports and keywords described above are available for the following industries: Apparel, Automotive, Education, Financial Services, Healthcare, Home Improvement, Legal Services, Travel and Wireless Services.

Not doing business in any of those categories? The STST’s revved-up replacement, the Add Keywords tool, is standing by in your account to help you dig up more gems. It’s located on your Ad Group details page; just click on “Add Keywords,” then select one of three options: “Quick Add,” “Choose from List” or “Research Keywords.”

— Jeff Hecox

4 Tools You Should Be Using

Essential tools to make your account better, stronger, faster

Just as you should have your basic wrenches and screwdrivers in your toolbelt when fixing up a house, there are a few tools that are indispensible when working on your Sponsored Search account. We put the feelers out to our Customer Solutions representatives to find out which tools they most frequently recommend, and here are the top four:

1. Analytics – to put your money where your money is 
We offer two types of analytics tools, both of which help you learn more about your clicks and conversions:

Conversion-only analytics, which will show you how many conversions occur from clicks coming in from your campaign ads. You can also see the total revenue brought in by these conversions. Learn how to activate conversion-only analytics.

Full analytics, which tracks conversions and website activity, follows your visitors after they click on your ad, go to your landing page, what they browse from there, if they put something in the shopping cart with the intent to purchase, and when they checkout. Full analytics is like a secret agent on a mission to let you know how visitors are viewing and using your site, so you know which pages and products catch the most attention and lead to revenue. Learn how to activate full analytics.

2. Reports – to see if your account gets an “A”
Using reports, you can compare ad performance, landing page performance and keyword performance, then identify trends that you would like to repeat (or not). You can save report views and even have them emailed to you automatically. How’s that for service? Learn more about the various reports we offer.

3. Forecasting tool for keywords – to see into the future
This handy graph with a scroll bar provides a little clairvoyance on your keyword performance by predicting the outcome of your bids. So you can use it as a guide to determine how much you should raise or lower your bid to achieve your desired position in search results. Plus, it’s just plain fun to scroll back and forth and visualize a profitable future.

The data in our forecasting tool is based on historical traffic for the keyword, which is calculated using a combination of your bid on this keyword and the keyword’s track record, including previous bids of other advertisers and monthly click volume. Many factors, including the bidding behavior of other advertisers, your campaign settings and the quality of your ad and its relevance to searches, could significantly influence your actual results. Learn more about forecasting tools.

4. Campaign tune-up – because a good mechanic is hard to find
You may be able to craft a strong account on your own, but sometimes it helps to get an expert evaluation to find the spots in need of repair.

The campaign tune-up analyzes your campaigns to generate a proposal of suggested keyword bids, match types and spending limits that may help you improve campaign performance. To use this tool, your  account must be at least 90 days old (in order to have enough information in its history to provide data for analysis).

Once requested, the campaign tune-up goes to work reviewing performance history, estimated future performance, monthly budget and other factors. After finishing the analysis, you’ll receive notification in the alerts panel of your account Dashboard that your tune-up proposal is ready. Learn more about campaign tune-up.

Keep in mind that your account is always a little bit of fixer-upper. By being willing to constantly track and fine-tune, your investment is more likely to pay off.

—Kastle Waserman, Communications Manager

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Robert S. Donovan.