DMA Search Engine Marketing Council Blog

Google Landing Page Quality Guidelines

The official Google AdWords blog has announced an upcoming update to AdWords 'landing page quality'.  The result will be that a number of advertisers will see an increase in their minimum bid requirements.

".. over the coming days a small number of advertisers who are providing a low quality user experience on their landing pages will see increases in their minimum bids. It is important to note, however, that the vast majority of advertisers will not be affected at all by this change, as they link to quality landing pages."

If Google AdWords advertiser ads link to web pages that score poorly for landing page quality, then  Google will increase the minimum bid required in order for the ads to show.  This will affect advertisers that do not maintain their AdWords programs effectively as well as advertisers that use automated tools to create landing pages that do not take into consideration the landing page quality factors outlined by Google including relevancy, user privacy and navigation.

Post by Lee Odden
TopRank Online Marketing

Google Video Ads

According to the Google AdWords blog, Google will be offering click-to-play video ads to the available formats on the Google content network. These video ads will only be available to AdWords advertisers in the US, Canada and Japan with a rollout to other regions at a future date.

Google dispells any notions that such advertising is only for big companies:

"But, you may say, video is only for big branding oriented advertisers. We beg to differ. This feature makes video ads much more accessible to all advertisers. Now, an owner of a small bed & breakfast in Lake Tahoe can put a video tour of his beautiful chalet right next to an article that talks about skiing the epic slopes of Squaw Valley."

Read more on the Google AdWords Blog.

Greg Sterling offers more indepth insight as well at Screenwerk:

"Brand marketers are drawn to video obviously but the lack of full control over where/when those ads appear in the content network and on particular sites, and the fact that users must initiate the streams by clicking them may inhibit some advertisers from trying this. It's not TV advertising and will require different thinking and a somewhat different approach. But I do believe that agencies will pitch and test this on behalf of their clients."

Many eyes will be on the results of any testing for sure as Google extends it's reach further and further into other media.