Google Testing Site Targeted CPC

[AussieWebmaster]

Instead of keywords people are being allowed to target sites... a variation on content targeting - advertisers can choose specific sites (https://adwords.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=56993) and determine bids for the site versus the keyword that would prompt appearing at the site.

This could be an effective way for people to finally just advertise on the content sites that convert for them... also they can custom ads for the sites as well...

This could be interesting.... anyone involved with this yet?

[NTR]

We were notified last week that this beta feature was now availiable to us and have started testing it this week. However this CPC content targeting ability is tied to a piece of AdWords that is still under NDA. So I'm not sure how much anyone could really say here.

[GuyFromChicago]

I'm testing it and wrote a little about it on my blog and over at DP. No NDA that I'm aware of...they just enabled it for me after I filled out the form a few weeks back.

I'm jumping in slowly so no real action to report yet. I've seen a few hundred impressions with no clicks. I'm expanding to more sites over the next few days.

[NTR]

My only assumption then is that people who are automatically opted in have access to the other feature under NDA and those who requested the beta only have access to that part. Beats me! Please keep us informed of how your testing goes this is a really cool feature and know it will help both advertisers and publishers.

[GuyFromChicago]

My only assumption then is that people who are automatically opted in have access to the other feature and those who requested the beta only have access to that part. Please keep us informed of how your testing goes.

Sounds logical to me :)

I'll make sure to post updates here too as I get info worth sharing.

One thing I've noticed so far that I hope is not "the norm"...the sometimes multiple day approval process for site targeted CPM ads seems to apply to the CPC site targeted ads as well. I have two ad groups both tareting the same site bidding the same amount. The first took a touch under 48 hours to show impressions and the second, which I created Friday afternoon, still shows 0 impressions.

[Discovery]

Yes site CPC is certainly part of a bigger application of "targeting features" that google will be offering and I think we all know what that is. I personally have been screaming for it for 2+ years. Cant wait until they finally unveil it.

For now Site targeting with CPC is really fruitless as you can only target a few select content partners. The ones available to target within our industry are completely out of context and are pure crap.

When the full lot of content partners can be identified in click traffic and are then available to target/exclude then we have something big to cheer about.

Discovery

[GuyFromChicago]

For now Site targeting with CPC is really fruitless as you can only target a few select content partners.

I haven't seen any limits on how many sites you can target?

I rarely use the sites Google suggests in the AdWords site targeting setup...I always do my own research and build my own lists. The sites Google suggests that are "in my niche" are far, far from it.

[AussieWebmaster]

I have used the DigitalPoint adsense ad review to get sites to test out.

[Discovery]

To be clear, Google does not offer all of their content partners to be site targeted. I have 10 top performing sites from Googles Syndication and none of them can be targeted.

Discovery

[AussieWebmaster]

To be clear, Google does not offer all of their content partners to be site targeted. I have 10 top performing sites from Googles Syndication and none of them can be targeted.

Discovery
So there has to be over 200 content partners for your terms... otherwise you could just negative out all the others.

[Discovery]

More like 2,000, so yes exclusion could work, but they pop up like cockroaches and it becomes a work flow bottleneck to kill them. I could target the top 50 and do very well.

[AdWordsRep]

One thing I've noticed so far that I hope is not "the norm"...the sometimes multiple day approval process for site targeted CPM ads seems to apply to the CPC site targeted ads as well. I have two ad groups both tareting the same site bidding the same amount. The first took a touch under 48 hours to show impressions and the second, which I created Friday afternoon, still shows 0 impressions. New or edited Ads will always need to be reviewed/approved before showing on the search or content network - so it is in fact the same process, Discovery.

The time-to-review can vary substantially with volume of new or edited ads being submitted - and one key factor in the case you've mentioned is almost certainly the 'Friday afternoon" part. Ads are reviewed on a very limited basis over the weekend - so when you submit new (or edited) ads late Friday, you're likely to be adding a day or two to the time-to-review.

For this reason (at least when you have a choice) I'd suggest submitting new or edited ads mid-week.

To be clear, Google does not offer all of their content partners to be site targeted. I have 10 top performing sites from Googles Syndication and none of them can be targeted. It's worth remembering that publishers have the choice of allowing their sites to be site-targeted or not. So, if a site is not available, it's typically because the publisher has chosen not to offer that option.

AWR

[kmb40]

Aussie,

After about a week of testing against a standard content ad, we have found no significant differences in the results.

We probably wont see any differences until we get some competition on the same sites were choosing.

A nice add would be, more metrics during the site choice process as well. Impressions is not enough.

I'm blogging about this one to share the experience.

[Discovery]

AWR - It was GuyFromChicago with that quote about impressions.

My question revolves around the site blocking/targeting.

AWR - It's worth remembering that publishers have the choice of allowing their sites to be site-targeted or not. So, if a site is not available, it's typically because the publisher has chosen not to offer that option.

This is kind of what irks me. For the past couple years publishers can exlcude us but we can't exclude them. I hope that PPA is implemented properly to level this playing field.

I dont know what the incentive model is like, nor what communications have been made with the publishers network in regards to PPA or site targeting. But I do know the current result. Absolutely no qualified content partners are listed for site targeting in our industry... and we are not in a small vertical.

Discovery

[AussieWebmaster]

Think what happens when Amazon signs on and others like that The affiliates would be driven to organics and social networked traffic.....
Google becomes the ultimate super affiliate!!!