New Google AdWords Agency Blog

There's more to be said about Google's miserable failure. In the meantime, I've stumbled across a new blog from Google, The AdWords Agency Blog. Looks promising.



Do you think they'll suggest blocking parked domains from search advertising campaigns? Nah, I didn't think so, either. ;-)

Apogee Tags: google adwords, agency blog

Google's Miserable Failure

Distribution fraud is Google's miserable failure. This particular post is a continuation from AdWords Advice: Ban Parked Domains in Search Advertising Campaigns. Please read that before the rest of this post. If you want background going back a couple of years, start with this very detailed post: Not Search Engine Spam. The fact that Google has been well aware of this problem for years is part of their miserable failure.

There are two key reasons I'm calling distribution fraud Google's miserable failure:

1. Google's failure to protect advertisers from fraud
2. Google's failure to organize the world's information

Let's start with point #2. Google has declared that its core mission is "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." However, there is some information they are well aware of but have chosen to hide, in the reports they provide to AdWords advertisers:



How does Google explain the decision to detail clicks from individual domains on their pay per click advertising network but to hide the individual parked domains from advertisers? Over nine months ago, they said (emphasis mine):

The Placement Performance report provides site-by-site performance metrics -- including clicks, impressions, cost, and conversion data -- for domains or URLs in the content network where your ads have appeared. The report also provides a new level of transparency for traffic you accrued from sites in our network that are participating in the AdSense for domains program. Currently, AdSense for domains statistics are collectively reported, but we are working to give you site-by-site level statistics soon.

After almost a year, they still haven't organized this information for advertisers! That's a miserable failure. For a company that develops new products and services at the pace that Google does, this is a stunning failure. I'm not convinced they will ever complete their mission. So, I'll organize some of this information for them. I wanted to know the source of these 916 clicks from parked domains on the search network (NOTE: content network was OFF for this campaign):



I dug through web server log files to find the origin of these clicks. I was stunned to see where they came from. To borrow a phrase from renowned domainer, Frank Schilling, it will "blow your hair back" to see the high quantity but very low quality of these domain names. Here's a sample of the garbage traffic on the Google AdWords *SEARCH* network:

• 555sss.com
• abtanet.com
• allinz.com
• amazingpornstrar.net
• amexassurance.com
• autohu.com
• b.com.cn
• babrie.com
• bodjoj.com
• buding.cn
• clikjogos.com
• europassist.com
• iaj.cn
• infotube.tv
• jshopper.com
• manullife.com
• noo.net
• roter.com
• sekstutkunu.com
• sexpaty.tv
• specialityrisk.com
• thaionlinemaket.com
• topmusicasnet.com
• travelgaurd.com
• tubou.cn
• tutkusu.com
• ufeng.net
• wuae.cn
• wwwbmg.com
• xirin.cn
• xise.com.cn
• zfotoz.com
• zoili.com
• zzxxx.com

Now do you understand why Google has a miserable failure on their hands? Can you believe advertisers are unwittingly paying for this, for lack of a better term, crap? Can you see why Google chooses to aggregate domain ads clicks in reports rather than detail individual parked domain names? Domainers, can you see why PPC advertisers are wary of parked domains? These are not generic keyword domains. These don't belong on the AdWords search network. I don't think they even belong on the content network. For this reason, I repeat my advice to block parked domains on the search network.

I honestly cannot believe that Google turns a blind eye to this sort of garbage traffic on their own advertising network. They claim to sift through their log files to help prevent fraud. Don't they see this traffic? Note that the actual parked domains are not visible in the log files. All of the clicks are routed through complex URLs with domain names like:

• searchportal.dnparking.com
• searchportal.doma1nsponsor.com
• searchportal.information.com (click to see detailed examples)
  

I think someone at Google recognizes they have a miserable failure on their hands. They simply cannot fulfill their mission to organize the world's information because that would reveal the fact that Google is profiting from typosquatting. Instead, they've decided to let advertisers opt out of AdSense for Domains traffic. Unfortunately, that means advertisers will be losing some good traffic from valuable generic keyword domains. It also doesn't go far enough. Google should apologize for their wrongdoing, proactively issue retroactive refunds for this garbage traffic, and keep search network traffic clean going forward.

What do you think? Is this a miserable failure or something else?

Apogee Tags: google, miserable failure, distribution fraud, pay per click, advertising, adwords, adsense for domains

AdWords Advice: Ban Parked Domains in Search Advertising Campaigns

When Google announced the upgraded site exclusion tool for the *content* network, they quietly introduced a feature that impacts the *search* network. It is now possible to block parked domain traffic that's being distributed to the search network. From this AdWords help page:

Where do site and category exclusions apply?

Most site and category exclusions apply only to the Google content network. However, if you exclude Parked domains (under the Page Types tab), you'll exclude all parked domain sites, including the ones on the search network.

After sifting through numerous AdWords accounts, I strongly advise banning parked domains from pure search advertising campaigns. Let me back up a step. First, keep search advertising completely separate from contextual advertising. The obvious next step would be to keep domain advertising separate from both search and contextual advertising. Unfortunately, that's not an option.

Now, before I share some data explaining why I strongly advise blocking domain traffic in search campaigns, I still believe that parked domain traffic has the potential to be superior to search advertising. That potential, however, is not being realized in the AdWords system. Case in point (click on image for larger view):



Note the confusing alert from Google AdWords. Because this particular campaign is opted into the search network but NOT the content network, most features of the site exclusion tool don't apply. Note, too, the checkbox attempting to opt this campaign into the content network. NEVER check that for a pure search advertising campaign.

Now, for the important data: 916 clicks but ZERO conversions. That's astonishing for a search advertising campaign. The reason the performance is so poor is that those 916 clicks did not come from search advertising. Nobody typed keywords into a search box. Nobody even typed generic keywords as a domain name. I'll share some of those domains in a later post. From comments I've seen on domaining blogs, I anticipate that overzealous domainers will claim ineptitude on the part of the advertiser. Believe me, that's not the case. The poor quality of the domain names that drove the traffic is staggering. No wonder Google chooses opacity over transparency.

Now, since Google has deliberately failed at their mission to organize the world's information, I'm going to organize some of that information for them. Subscribe to Apogee Weblog and read my next post. You will not believe the garbage that's on the AdWords search network...

Update: I've posted details about this parked domain traffic. It's a miserable failure >>.

Apogee Tags: adwords, parked domains, search advertising, site exclusion

Arthur C. Clarke Books

I paused yesterday, reading the news that Arthur C. Clarke had died. His science fiction books are phenomenal. Here are a couple of favorites from my bookshelf, Childhood's End and Rendezvous with Rama:

There will undoubtedly be renewed interest in his science fiction books with his passing. I suggest reading his short stories, The Sentinel and The Nine Billion Names of God to get an idea of his writing acumen. A bright star has, indeed, gone out.

Tags: arthur c clarke, books, science fiction, rendezvous with rama, childhoods end

RIP 2008: Google AdWords + Domain Parking?

Two posts from other blogs that are definitely worth a read:

• AdWords Died, 2008 - Rest In Peace
• Google Lets Advertisers Opt Out of Domain Parking Sites

Tags: google adwords, domain parking

3 Important PPC Advertising Changes

While I've been offline with family, some important PPC advertising changes have taken place. Normally, I'd write a separate post about these, but for now I'll highlight the changes and add some brief commentary:

1. Yahoo! Search Marketing Blog: Reserve Prices (Minimum bids no longer fixed at $.10 for Sponsored Search)
   This is a bad move on Yahoo's part. Note the harsh comments from Yahoo customers. They shouldn't be copying Google. Instead, they should be working to differentiate their product from AdWords. By adopting a similar minimum bid policy, they are failing to do so.
2. Inside AdWords: Landing page load time will soon be incorporated into Quality Score
   A strategy of designing and testing landing pages for dialup users might be worth adopting. Note that landing pages don't have to be in the normal navigation of a site that's designed for broadband users. This change will likely force advertisers to create very custom landing pages. That's not a bad thing.
3. Inside AdWords: Category Exclusion for the Content Network
   I tend to focus more on search advertising than content advertising. This change to the AdWords site exclusion tool actually includes a significant change to the search network as well as the content network. More on this below...

In the past, I've mentioned a hack for blocking parked domains on the AdWords search network. That hack's no longer necessary. Note this AdWords help page regarding page types than can be blocked using the new site exclusion tool:

Parked domains are sites in Google's AdSense for domains network. Users are brought to parked domain sites when they enter the URL of an undeveloped webpage into a browser's address bar. There, they'll see ads relevant to the terminology in the URL they entered. The AdSense for domains network is encompassed by both the content network and the search network. If you exclude this page type, you'll exclude all parked domain sites, including the ones on the search network.

This is a topic worthy of a full post. The impact could be significant, both for PPC advertisers and domainers. In the meantime, I'll leave you with this quote from David Utter of Web Pro News:

Now that they have the feature available, Google really hopes advertisers won't use it heavily. The blog post cited points where the company feels category exclusion will be overkill...
We don't think too many advertisers will buy these arguments, as category exclusion has been a hotly-requested feature.

Apogee Tags: ppc advertising, yahoo search marketing, google adwords, parked domains

Paucity of Posting is Parental

It's been over a week since my last post. Here's the reason for the paucity of posts:

Posting will be a bit sporadic over the next few weeks. In the meantime, enjoy posts from my favorite bloggers (can't omit Merjis). Maybe I'll master one-handed typing while holding a baby at 3am. If that's the case, I might post frequently. Will have to see. Thanks for your patience, subscribers and clients. ;-)