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This caused the situation where you could buy widget for a nickel but the plural form widgets would cost 50 cents.
Google cancelled the old adwords model effective on Sept 30. However the high price keywords have not gone away yet.
Hopefully, its just a delay, as Google adjusts their database.
These High Price keywords now have no adwords select advertisers. It would be foolish for Google to leave the old keywords high price as 0 x 50 cents is still zero.
Has anybody seen their desired high price keywords drop yet in Google adwords select? Maybe this is a rolling upgrade and they haven't got to my keywords yet.
If things don't change in 48 hours, Im going to give Google a call, as im prepared to switch most
of my CPC business from Overture to Google, if they do the right thing.
Hey Googleguy, save me a dime and let us know Googles intentions :)
Just checked the search term in the US through a proxy and the banner is still there.
We either need those costs lowered or a new spin!
It may bring a lot of advertisers away from Overture who are presently getting some of their terms for much less. Tt certainly would do for us if Google matched Overture PPC rates on these terms.
Somehow i dont think they will.
I will post the correspondence to the board, when I get a response back.
I have lowered my bids below the minimun keywords, and informed Google that I will be paying only what the market dictates.
I will not get any clicks, from these keywords, but Google will not get any money, as the keywords are to high for my competion to even bid.
I advise everybody to do the same, and send Google a letter, to eliminate the minimun keywords prices set under the old adwords CPM program.
If Google gets enough letters, we can get Google to rethink its policy.
[snip rant]
[edited by: Mike_Mackin at 2:17 pm (utc) on Oct. 5, 2002]
Does anyone have any information on whether this situation is going to change?
I would encourage everyone to write to Google.
Tell them that you refuse to pay the keyword minimun.
Tell them that you would advertise if Google would let the marketplace determine keyword value.
If you are paying Googles ransom, I advise you drop your keywords below the minimum, and tell them why.
The more complaints, Google receive, the quicker this will move from the front end staff into management.
Googleguy, are you under a gag order? I thought this might be something you would be interested in shedding some light on.
We too have this complaint. We can get many niche terms in Overture for much lower costs, good exposure and nice ROI. Yes, some costs for niche regional terms are just not affordable for us. And there is little, if any, competition for them apart from more general very broad terms that are not targeted.
BUT..
If this is really a competitive disadvantage for Adwords overall, the show of hands will cause Google to rethink, rather than writing letters and other protests.
the show of hands will cause Google to rethink, rather than writing letters and other protests
This is a contradiction. The only way Google will know that we are currently unhappy with the adwords program is to complain and protest.
"unfortunately, at this time, we are
not making any changes to these set rates."
Then there is all the blah, blah about how they are based on the old adwords program and market demand. Same copy as a few months ago. The only change was the first statement.
Well I guess that ends that dream.
They did offer me a list of 5 cent bid words that was relevent to my industry, and will bring in
a bit of extra traffic.
I basically responded, giving them a basic course in market economics, and asking for a phone number.
Since my business is worth about $5000 - $10,000 a year to them, I will keep at it, until I win my keywords at least.
It however does not look good, for a across the board elimination of high price keywords.
Unless every body is ready to unite, with a common voice, its looks like we are going to have to
fight our individual battles with Google.
From the poor response to this thread, it looks like I will not be gathering an army for this crusade.
I DO get some traffic on those keywords here and there, presumably from popping up through the cracks when other advertisers have used up their budgets for the day. It's not a lot, but the clicks are cost-effective.
Keyword minimuns only apply to US visitors.
The product is only shipped within the US and conversion rates are excellent, so I'm confident the clicks are coming from within the US as they're supposed to.
From my conversation with Google, they will not negotiate minimun adwords select keyword prices. They will reavaluate minimuns on their time table.
I told them what the market would bear, and what the maximun I would pay, and that I would leave the keywords on the system,but below the minimun, until such time they would like to start making money on these keywords (prices so high, no other advertisers).
I will give them a month. I suspect that they are just trying to save face, and will lower my keywords in a few weeks as part of a so called system upgrade.
Any chance of having a total elimination of minimuns is gone however, as they indicated that it is part of their adwords select program.
It is now important than ever for all of us to drop all negative or marginal ROI keywords, and email google with a complaint.
The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Anyway, I am not quite sure it is based on the old adwords. This week, I had a couple of keywords min bids triple. I was getting clicks last week and now I can't afford it.
Now get this, it tripled to almost a dollar but the product the keywords are for sells for between 9.99 - 14.99. I can't afford to pay a dollar a click, not when the product only has a conversion rate of about 2.5% of clickers becoming buyers. Nobody can afford it and thus there is nobody advertising on those keywords now.
Google really needs to rethink this whole min bid process. I can understand they want to make money but they have to understand that their bidders need to make money too or the thing is kind of futile. I can get the same keywords on overture for about .10 (which was less than I was paying on Google in the first place) and I have a better conversion from Overture clicks.
Do the Euro webmasters have the same problem. It is my understanding that it MAY work differently in the Eruo markets. Please confirm this for me. Thank you :)
