On April 30, Google sent a shockwave through the world of AdWords. They announced that ads will not be allowed to rotate indefinitely.
“Starting next week, the “rotate” setting for ad rotation will change. Instead of rotating creatives for an indefinite period of time, this setting will only rotate for a period of 30 days. After that, the setting will then optimize to show the ads expected to generate the most clicks.” – adwords.blogspot.com/2012/04/new-changes-to-ad-rotation.html
To many, this may not have been a big deal. In fact, Google hid the announcement among other announcements on the same day. However, this is a big impact for those of who manage pay-per-click on a daily basis. There have been several experts who have already written extensively on this topic, so I will let them speak on the frustration
|
“…the last two changes they made to Adwords have me mad enough to spit nails.” – Melissa Mackey, http://beyondthepaid.blogspot.com/2012/05/ppc-isnt-dead-but-i-wish-google-were.html ” Even worse, this severely skews the validity of many advertisers’ ad copy tests, especially those who don’t accrue a statistically significant amount of data in the allotted 30 days.” – Brittany Baeslack, http://www.lunametrics.com/blog/2012/05/03/google-adwords-even-rotation/ “The biggest issue is Google’s definition of performance success. Google could care less if you make money with AdWords, they just want more and more Advertisers to continue to spend, spend, spend.” – Greg Meyers, http://www.acquisio.com/ppc/adwords-advertisers-beware-google-changes-ad-rotation-settings-to-get-more-clicks/ “A collective slapping sound could be heard all across the PPC industry yesterday. You might have heard it.. It was quite loud. It was the sound of thousands of AdWords account managers doing a massive *facepalm* over the news that Google was changing, in the most idiotic way possible …” – Greg Habermann, http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2171802/How-to-Handle-the-AdWords-Ad-Rotation-Changes “Frankly Google, I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed. Disappointed that you don’t care enough about your customers to consult with us on such a major change. Disappointed that you haven’t given us a way to opt out. Disappointed that you care more about making money than keeping your customers happy.” – Katie Saxon, http://www.boom-online.co.uk/google-adwords-we-need-to-talk
|
I expressed my frustration to Google in various ways. One of those was through AdWords Support online feedback form. The response back was concerning and out-of-touch. Here are a few highlights.
- “.. ‘optimize for clicks’ settings gives preference to your ads that are expected to get the most clicks”
- “Google will try to show those ads more often than other ads in your ad group to help you gain more clicks”
- “The only change is that the system will promote the best performing ad for you”
- “Who doesn’t more clicks and impressions? This setting will actually help you get more business!”
Google’s response is exactly what I expected, but it’s also the wrong answer. This change is centered on getting more clicks. That’s great for Google, but not for advertisers, customers, or users.
Let me be clear. My goal of AdWords is never to get more clicks.
I work with multiple companies and industries. If I walked in the door and told them I have a way to get them more clicks, I would be embarrassed. I do not want more clicks. They do not want more clicks. My goal is, and always has been, to make the most money for my clients at the cheapest price possible. It’s about conversion, sales, and revenue, not clicks. Clicks do not pay the bills.
Now, you may think that “More clicks equals more revenue, right?” Wrong. That could be the case, but it also may not be the case. Every campaign, every ad, every keyword is different. By comparing ads, keywords, and AdGroups we can make decisions on how these changes affect revenue.
Google, you ask “Who doesn’t want more clicks and impressions?” Me!
Tags: AdWords, Google, Pay Per Click, PPC« « Say No to AdWords “improved” Phrase and Match Types … for now | Still avoiding Google+? Bad Move » »
May 18th, 2012 at 3:54 pm
Thanks for including me in your post John. I gave my feedback too, but didn’t receive a reply.. glad I didn’t! The arrogance of it just astounds me, it’s a new low.
May 19th, 2012 at 10:31 pm
I’d love to +1 this post, but I cannot.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:58 am
This is a great aggregation of concerns from those who use Adwords and it is a shame that Google doesn’t get more external input before making such bad decisions. Keep the great articles flowing!