FACTS
PRE BROAD MATCH CHANGES
1. An important (to me) KW averaged 50,000 to 60,000 impressions per month.
2. CTR between 1% and 2.5%
3. Between 6 and 8 advertisers battling it out.
4. My average position 1.5
POST BROAD MATCH CHANGES (I have made *NO* changes to ad)
1. 1 (ONE), I repeat 1 ad left.
I have watched my competitors dissappear over the last couple of weeks.
My CTR went up, clicks down, impressions down.
Then I got the boot.
So now google has ONE ad, who can bid 5 cents or whatever.
Is anyone from Google aware of what is going on?
From good income to virtually no income for a KW.
I don't care how they measure CTR or whatever, when you go from up to
8 advertisers battling it out to 1 you have really really blown it.
Tell me I'm wrong and I'll retract my "madness" theme.
I'll say it again, madness.
I won't even go on about what some wall street boys will make of this
once they get onto it.
You are not wrong! We'd been running a successful campaign, virtually automatic for 6 months. Now our clicks are down 90% and sales of the product down 95%.
Nothing we've tried, or changed has made any difference. We can no longer get results, and there appears to be no logic in ads being displayed. Even worse, previously successful keywords and phrases are now getting slowed or cancelled every few hours. Now Google have sent a demand for $5 to re-enable!
Yes, the Wall St boys need to be made well-aware of what they're getting into here. It's such a pity, as I've always considered Google one of the best internet companies ... okay, they don't have much to beat, but they genuinely seemed to be interested in the customer. It's amazing how a reputation can be lost so quickly. Even worse we've just been thro a similar experience with Clickbank, and moved to another payment processor. But where's another Google we can move to?
Neil
But where's another Google we can move to?
I suspect that if they don't budge and they burn enough advertisers and credibility is lost, that opportunities for other companies will very quickly arise. Sure, it does not help us right now, but if I was involved in a big-time internet business like MSN, AOL etc. (or someone we have not yet heard of) and I had my finger on the pulse, and I monitored 'serious' and articulate discussions (not just moanin'n'groanin) in forums like WebmasterWorld et. al. then I would be rubbing my hands with glee and inviting investors to start popping the champagne, 'cause the opposition just shot themselves in the foot.
I ask you friends, how can anyone commit substantial time and money to an endeavor when it can all be wiped in a relative instant. Confidence in an organization is everything in business. You can't expect your customers to be customers and live on tranquilizers 'cause your next great idea might blow them out the water.
For heaven's sake Google, make changes slowly, professionally, keep your eye on the doughnut and not on the hole.
Enough said!
When we were the only advertiser under two terms with 2.2% CTR and they eliminate us then something is wrong.
If this is just a knee jerk reaction to competition then someone at the 'plex' has to get back to the roots of the program. It has now become a complicated, shot in the dark situation taking many hours more than should be necessary to try and get your ads to work.
AWA said in another thread that he would pass on a suggestion that the Google only results be shown separetly. The point is that the use of JUST Google results is not realistic when the partner results are higher. They should be using the combined results. This situation is going to deteriorate more if the bar is moved to .01%.
I really don't want to sound hysterical but I hope and pray that if there is enough clear, specific, and louudDDD groundswell from advertisers, that the strategizers from Google can put their pride aside and rollback (if prior wisdom had contingencies in place, [normal IT experiences dictate thus]) the changes ASAP.
Credibility lost is very hard won back! and very costly...
Our situation is that we've spent so little money with Google this month, that we're going to allocate it on eZine adverts instead. In fact, next week we may totally suspend Google AdWords for a month, and put it all into other advertising, while keeping watch on this forum to see if any improvements are happening.
Hey, why don't all Google's small advertisers do the same thing? Do you think it would roll-back then ..?
Neil
But don't expect Google to go back. I suspect expanded broad match is making Google a LOT MORE MONEY. I wouldn't go back if it was making me a lot more money. Would you?
Please keep in touch about your ezine advertising strategy.
Hey, why don't all Google's small advertisers do the same thing? Do you think it would roll-back then ..?
Yeah, and in the meantime we could go out of business. Broken or not it brings in the quality buiness we need to survive.
It's just the logic of throwing out money making terms because the system says so. Fix the system!
What's 'nm'?
?
Shak
One would hope so, but: I doubt there will be any replacement for Google for quite some time.
That being said, I agree Google's actions on removing or suspending ads at times makes no sense. I have not had an ad just disappear, but I have had ads suspended for rather ridiculous reasons, and told they would not appear until I re-wrote them.
In the past when they have done it to me, I wrote them a pithy note back and told them how ridiculous their actions were. Reminded them the ad they suspended had brought in $X and worked fine for X months and now all of a sudden was not a good ad? And then I just let the suspension sit. And did not change what they wanted changed. Out of 3 such events, one resulted in a "gee you are right" action, after I let the suspended ad stay suspended for quite some time.
The latest stupid act by Google's editors is this: had an ad for X size widgets that repeated the "size" twice, it had a CTR of 6.1%, where most of my ads average a 1.4% CTR. They said it was not a good ad because "size' was mentioned too many times.
Historically that ad got a 6.1% CTR and it describes perfectly what is for sale, and they say that its a bad ad?!
Dumb as dirt. And I told them that, yesterday. I am wondering what their response will be. In the meantime, they are the losing the $ I paid them for months on end for that ad; --- Am I losing sales? -- yes, but I really cannot figure what to change it to that would get better than a 6.1% CTR.... and I'm just stubborn enough to tell them to eat it, let the suspension stay forever, and quit bothering me with their trivial editing.
Support staff in *most* organizations are juniors trained up. Who else would do a low paid job and get abused for the priveledge? Turnover is huge. They follow (and often misinterpret) policy. That is the main reason for so many canned responses.
If you really *know* you are right (right for your business that is) just keep pushing and pushing them, politely but very firmly.
I have found that it's best to make one point per email 'cause they get very easily confused.
Nail them on one point at a time and you just might break thru as you mentioned.
Unfortunately the bottom line is that Google is currently costing all of us a lot of money. I still haven't heard and significant comments about positive experience of the new changes.
Neil
Hey heavyweights! You/we know who you are. (no not your real names, but your aliases)
Come on! Make a call. I challenge you.
Out of 10 what do you think re expanded...?
Just tell us if you are a big hitter (standard deviation is your friend), medium, or a small fry like me where SD can kill me, or make me a *star* over the short term.
This thread sounds like a great reason to stay with "Exact Match" until further notice.
