Adwords Local Extensions

In addition to offering simple geo-targeting options for PPC campaigns, Google Adwords also offers advertisers the option of further pinpointing potential customers with local extensions.

States/DMAs in Adwords Ads
For quite some time it's been possible to add the state or DMA – where geographically relevant – in Adwords ads.


This example shows the difference between showing the DMA versus the state but it also points out which ad - intuitively - is likely more relevant. While not one of the largest states, Minnesota is still a fairly broad geo-targeting option for something as specific as "wood flooring," which is most likely going into someone's home; and driving to Brainerd from St. Paul for wood most likely won't happen.


This next example shows more competitive businesses vying for potential customers. Notice how they're all targeting the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area to show the user they're located within the Twin Cities.



What Are Local Extensions?
Recently, Adwords has made it possible to add a company's physical address in the ad (local extension). This can be an extremely important factor, since the user can see the exact location – i.e., street address – of the business right from the ad, without having to click through to the landing page.
In larger cities – such as Los Angeles – this could mean the difference between wasted clicks/money and very qualified traffic due to location. A business located within "Los Angeles" isn't always very close to the user; it can take quite a while to drive from one side to the other. Even in smaller metro areas (Minneapolis-St. Paul) a business can be 5 miles away but the user could prefer something closer or even easier to access. With the local extension option, advertisers can let the user know immediately if the location is the best for them.

New Adwords Extensions & Enhancements

Not only does Google continually refine and improve their organic listings for users (like displaying breadcrumb navigation right in the search results), Adwords is making leaps and bounds to show the most relevant ads to users.

New Adwords Formats
The latest changes to Google Adwords are more 'extensions' options. We've already seen their local extensions gaining popularity, and now the stakes are higher. While still in their infancy, these new ad formats are already being utilized and are probably already influencing the way search engine users find information.

Ad Sitelinks
We've already become accostumed to seeing larger sites showing up in the SERPs with sitelinks – making it much easier to head right to the most important section.

Apply this same concept to Adwords and you've got Google SiteLinks. By adding site links into the Adwords ad, advertisers give users the option of clicking on the most relevant options within that site.


Thinking those sitelinks might not work? It's okay - Adwords allows you to track sitelinks to see which links are valuable.

Product Extensions
This is a feature of Google Merchant Circle. Along with giving users options on where to land on the site, product extensions give context to the ad and site. If people are searching for products, they're most likely in the buying mood, and thus showing them relevant products right from the ad is a smart way to engage them and show them some options.




This is somewhat similar to – but much more advanced – than Product Listing Ads:



Comparison Ads
This option is "only available to a limited number of advertisers in the mortgage/refinance space" but offers a very handy experience to users of comparing refinance and mortgage loans right from the ad. (images courtesy of Googleblog)






More New Ad Features

Location Extensions. These show a physical map and address (as an expansion) within the ad. Also in this category: showing multiple locations for a business, along with the possibility of searching for a specific location.

Videos in Ads. Personally I couldn't find any of these – and they're most likely only available on a limited basis – but with this format the advertiser can embed a video within the ad, again, as an expansion.

Read more about the new Google Adwords ads (and see their images; I didn't want to steal them all) here.

Google Showing Breadcrumbs In SERPs

Many years ago, there was a vast difference in the way search engines returned results in their search engine results pages (SERPs). Of course, the algorithms used different criteria for ranking, mostly based on heavy keyword usage.

There was a distinct dichotomy between those websites built for users and those employing search engine optimization tactics of the day. The split mainly occurred in regards to content and keyword usage - remember, the main 'factor' search engines looked at back then was keyword density in the content of pages. Unfortunately, those sites might not have the best layout or the usability of the site probably wasn't ideal.

But it's almost 2010 and search engines - their algorithms, ranking factors and usability criteria - have changed considerably. Now, search engines 'reward' those sites which are not only searchable but very user friendly. Keep in mind: search engines not only want their users to find relevant sites, they want them to STAY on those sites. If they stay on the site(s) they were given to choose from by the search engine, that means they've found something they like and their trust of that search engine rises. Therefore, they're much more likely to use said search engine for future searches.

While there are obviously many search engines, Google has been the 'Big Boy' on the Internet for many years, mainly due to their user-focused advances which strive to create a better experience and more relevant results for queries. Their latest advance: showing breadcrumb trails in the SERP snippet (for those sites which utilize this navigation type).

What Is Breadcrumb Navigation?
So, what are breadcrumbs and how do they benefit a user...or a search engine for that matter? Breadcrumb trails are a way to lay out navigation on each page based on the hierarchy of the site. They're horizontal navigation which is laid out either as a user clicks through the site or show the hierarchical relationship of the current page.

While it's clearly a part of a website's design/architecture, breadcrumb navigation is also clearly a user feature. From a usability standpoint, breadcrumb navigation is extremely helpful since it tells site visitors - at a glance - the path taken to reach the curent page while also providing links back to either the parent pages or home page.

Why Would Google Show Site Hierarchy in the Search Results Snippet?

• Breadcrumb navigation links are live right on the SERP, giving the user access to not only the specific page relevant to the search, but the hierarchy (within the site) of that page.
• The breadcrumb trail replaces the normal URL shown for the page in question. Sometimes with large, dynamic sites, the URL for a product page might be long and not user friendly (e.g., http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcat17080&type=page&qp=crootcategoryid%23%23-1%23%23-1~~q70726f63657373696e6774696d653a3e313930302d30312d3031~~cabcat0100000%23%230%23%23se~~cabcat0101000%23%230%23%2362~~cpcmcat158900050008%23%230%23%233~~nf4433139323020782031303830&list=y&nrp=15&sc=TVVideoSP&sp=%2Bbrand+skuid&usc=abcat0100000">http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcat17080&type=page&qp=crootcategoryid%23%23-1%23%23-1~~q70726f63657373696e6774696d653a3e313930302d30312d3031~~cabcat0100000%23%230%23%23se~~cabcat0101000%23%230%23%2362~~cpcmcat158900050008%23%230%23%233~~nf4433139323020782031303830&list=y&nrp=15&sc=TVVideoSP&sp=%2Bbrand+skuid&usc=abcat0100000). By showing the breadcrumb trail instead, Google's allowing users to see a relevant destination versus a long, clunky URL string which does nothing to explain the page.
• This option gives the user multiple ways to access the site: by clicking on the title tag or any of the live breadcrumb links.
• Showing the hierarchy of the page in question adds context to the search.
  
  

Clearly in the last decade search optimization has become more blended into design and architecture of a site. Here we're seeing evidence of Google rewarding those sites offering visitors a good on-site experience by showing this feature right in the SERP.

The only question is, will this attribute 'stick' and is it the best experience? Take for example a search for a specific product, "canon 5d mark ii," a recent DSLR from Canon. When performing a search for this specific item, a search engine user expects to be led to either a review of the product or a product page with specifications and more information.

With Google's new breadcrumb trails appearing in (some) snippets, as in the above Amazon example, the breadcrumb trail ends at "Digital SLRs," the parent or overview page for all digital cameras, instead of the actual product page. Of course, the title tag still provides the link to the actual page, but if a user first notices the breadcrumb links and decides to click on the last link proferred, it won't be the product-specific page.

Only time will tell if showing breadcrumb navigation in the Google SERPs will endure.

Google Analytics Cookies

Okay, what are cookies and how do they affect me? (Other than the ooey-gooey kind which add lbs...)

What Are Cookies?
A cookie is a file which describes information about a visitor to the site that created it. Stored on a computer's hard drive, it's somewhat of a mini-record of what sites a user has been visiting. Sounds a bit invasive, but it's really not - anyone can decide whether they want to accept cookies or not. Beware, though, you might not have full functionality on some sites if you disable cookies.

There are (2) types of cookies: persistent and temporary:

• Persistent cookies: these cookies come with an expiration date set somewhere in the future. They remain on a computer's hard drive until they expire or are deleted by the user.
  
  
  
  

  




• Temporary cookies - these cookies are much shorter-lived than their persistent brothers; they expire as soon as the user closes the browser.

So how does Google Analytics (GA) utilize a teeny file stored on a computer's hard drive?

How Does Google Analytics Use Cookies?
Since the vast majority of users have cookies enabled, Google Analytics uses 1st-party cookies to collect website visitor data. (First-party cookies are those created by the website in question, so only that website can read the data. In this case, GA.)

Along with persistent and temporary cookies, there are different ways cookies can be configured to see whether a visitor is unique or returning; to correlate a shopping cart with search campaigns; even to determine steps visitors take in a navigation sequence.


As you can see, all the cookies are utm cookies that perform various functions. All of these cookies are persistent except the _utmc cookie, which is deleted when the user closes the browser (temporary cookie).

Why All the Different Types of Google Analytics Cookies?
All the GA cookies track differently, but can be used in conjunction to collect data.

1. _utma - this is the Visitor Identifier cookie. Contains (4) components:
   
   
• domain hash
• random unique ID
• timestamps (initial visit, previous session & current session)
  
• session counter



2. _utmb & _utmb - work together as Session Identifiers. As defined by GA, a session = a visit, where 30 minutes of inactivity or the closing of the browser signals the end of a session/visit.


• _utmb - a persistent cookie which expires after 30 minutes. Contains domain hash and additional values.
  


• _utmc - a temporary cookie deleted when the user closes the browser. Contains only the domain hash.


• Why does Google use both?
  


• If a web page is open for 30 minutes without activity, the _utmb cookie expires but the _utmc cookie remains. The next time the user lands on the page, a new _utmb cookie is created, denoting a new session but a returning visitor.
  


• With each new page a visitor lands on, the _utmb cookie gets refreshed, so sessions can last as long as the user keeps moving throughout the site without hitting the 30-minute 'inactivity' deadline.



3. _utmz - this is the Campaign Cookie. Stores campaign tracking values passed by tagged campaign URLs, including utm source, medium and campaign.
   
   
   
   


4. _utmv - this is for Visitor Segmentation, and is a persistent cookie. It only appears if the _setVar method is being used, contains the domain hash plus some value denoted by the user. For example, a value can be set that upon a site those visitors who login are 'members' while those who don't login are 'non-members.' By defining those 2 types of visitors, the _utmv can track data that each set is performing.

For any site utilizing Google Analytics for their reporting, this is a basic overview of how cookies are employed to collect visitor data.

*Note: Images courtesy of Google Conversion University.

Geo-targeting PPC Ads

Geo-targeting is nothing new. It's no secret that Google, Yahoo! and MSN/Bing allow PPC accounts to geo-target their ads. What's interesting is how some campaigns use this option and how the use of it – or even lack thereof – could be affecting their bottom line.

First, a brief overview of how to geo-target PPC campaigns. In Adwords, there are a few options for geo-targeting:

1. Bundles (Country) – this option allows you to 'bundle' countries or territories. You can select all of North America, for example, or merely show ads in Canada & the U.S. (excluding México).
   
   
   
2. Browse (Country/State/Metro) – this option allows you the option of choosing between countries, drilling down into states/regions and further into metros.
   
   
   
3. Search (any location) – here you can input your own location on the map, whether it's a country, state, metro or zip code*.
   
   
   
   *If the zip code is small, the setting defaults to a 20-mile radius of the zip code.
   
   
4. Custom (Zip Code/Address) – the 'custom' option lets you plug in a specific zip code or even address, and tell Adwords the size of the radius around that specific location you'd like to target.
   
   
   
   Notice there's an option for an address to show in your PPC ads. This is part of the Adwords new feature, Local Extensions.
   

In all but the 'custom' locations setting, there's a possibility the country, state, or metro you're targeting can show up underneath your PPC ads in the SERPs. While it could make the ad even more relevant to the searcher, does it always work?

Here's an example of a search performed for "dog trainer" in Google, where our PPC client (Linda Brodzik) shows up via 'custom' placement whilst a competitor is using the selected DMA of St. Paul:

Both of these ads are relevant...but which one stands out more? To me, it seems the title of "St. Paul Dog Trainer" does, since it's bolded (obviously because of the keywords used in the search), bigger and at the top of the ad. That being said, the other ad saved precious copy characters by not including their geographic focus.

Yet here's the same search performed in Yahoo!:

Are these geo-targeting tactics as relevant? Not really. Anyone who lives in the Twin Cities metro knows somewhere in St. Paul can be quite a haul from somewhere in Minneapolis (especially in rush hour). In this instance, both of these ads could probably benefit more from geographically-focused keywords versus merely geo-targeting the metro area (Yahoo! doesn't have 'custom' settings...yet?).

Of course, the best way to know exactly how this affects any campaign is to track everything with analytics. What've you found?