Monday, June 13, 2011

Google AdWords: let the buyer beware

No journalist out there has done a better job of keeping a sharp eye on Google's monstrously successful AdWords product than The Register's Cade Metz. He is a must read. Here's why:

For the uninitiated, Google AdWords is the product that makes Google most of its money -- it's the monetization engine behind its search engine, which in a very real way is actually a loss leader. AdWords takes your searches, matches it with bids from advertisers, and then displays ads next to your search results. It's actually a great way for small, low-budget and relatively unsophisticated ad buyers to get access to advertising -- without having to hire a media-buying firm.

Sounds simple enough. But Google can trick you in many small ways. For example, default settings can actually be pretty dangerous for your budget, being allocated to words that sound like or are spelled like the ads you've purchased. If your ad is for "Hello Kitty", then "Hi Kitty" isn't quite the same thing.

But, of course, Google has an incentive to move inventory, and these little problems for you are profits for them. So if you're spending any money with Google AdWords, keeping abreast of Cade's latest articles about AdWords is a very good idea.

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