Google Analytics For Blooger In Beta

Personally, I am a big fan of Google Analytics and have written a few posts in the past on tips and tricks. I was excited, to read the official Google Analytics Blog announcing the new Google Analytics for Blogger reporting interface. Currently available only in private beta, this product is a collaboration of several teams and marks the transition of Measure Map customers to a new Google Analytics interface designed specifically for Blogger users.

Per Google representative, Jeff Veen:

We'll be refining the new interface throughout the year before we release it to the general public as an optional reporting interface in both Blogger and Google Analytics accounts. In the meantime, you can always use Google Analytics to track your blog.

Stay tuned!:)

Yahoo To Display Ads in PDF Documents Online

I received an e-mail from my friends at Yahoo Search Marketing ... they will be launching a beta program and wanted my input via an online survey. So what's the beta program? Well, read for yourself:


Once you get into the meat of the survey, there is some additional information, however:

Ads for Adobe PDF provides a powerful new channel to communicate their messages to a highly engaged and targeted audience. In addition, Ads for Adobe PDF provides advertisers a means to track the performance of ads placed in PDF content, just as they can today with ads placed in Web sites.

These ads come from advertisers participating in Yahoo! Content Match. Content Match is a pay-per-click campaign tactic that displays your ads alongside relevant websites, and now PDFs as well.

Now, for those of you who know me or even follow this blog, most of you can probably guess the thoughts that came to mind. I'm about as far from a fan of the content network as one could be -primarily because they bring a lot of window-shopping clicks and un-targeted, non-coverting clicks. I found myself wondering...many PDFs are composed of images or are created completely un-optimized! How can Yahoo (or Google or MSN for that matter) determine which ads to show based on that type of page? Are we heading down a 'content network road' that is progressively about making money over quality?

What are your thoughts? Even better...have any of you had success using the content network?

MSN Ad Excellence Accreditation Review

I've recently been researching the MSN Ad Excellence Accreditation Review. As I have already achieved the Professional Adwords accreditation and passed the test to become a Yahoo! Ambassador I figured I should start pursuing the tri-fecta!

I stumbled across this blog post - basically a quick review of MSN's accreditation process and test! I figured I would share with the rest of you should you be interested in pursuing this certification as well.




MSN Ad Excellence Test:
1 Hour
100 Questions (1.6 a minute)

MSN Ad Excellence vs. Google AdWords Accreditation:

You really have to understand that the Google and MSN tests are very different. It’s not because Google leads the market that their test is harder! Quite the opposite actually: as Search Marketers run more campaigns on Google than MSN, they easily forget that MSN has many features that Google does not offer, and therefore test questions!

What to Look out for:

Therefore look out for questions asking you about the Dynamic Keyword Insertions as MSN has many more than Google: {param1} and {param2} placeholders, the {keyword} insertion tool (different to Google, spot the difference), and the Credit Card billing cycle.

Where to revise for your test:

The Ad Excellence Classroom is a place where you can go revise your test. Make sure you go through each lecture at least once.

Why its important to pass the test:

MSN has made some huge improvements in the past 6-12 months. Their interface has improved, their customer service is great, and their AdCenter lab tools are really useful if used in the right way, as they can give you info you’ll find nowhere else (keyword’s commercial intent, demographic prediction…).

You can read the full Ad Excellence Accreditation Review here.

Yahoo! Increases Minimum Bids

Pricing Update:
Yahoo! Minimum Bids are no Longer Fixed at $.10

Starting April 18th, the minimum bids for some Yahoo! Sponsored Search keywords are no longer fixed at $.10. Minimum bids can now be lower or higher than $.10. Content Match minimum bids currently will remain at $.10.

Throughout the next 1-2 weeks, you may start noticing new minimum bids on some of the keywords in your Yahoo! Sponsored Search account. It is important to note that you will be notified by email and within your account when the status of any of your keywords are affected.

Per Yahoo:

The amount set as your minimum bid on a keyword in Sponsored Search can vary depending on multiple factors, such as:

•The number of bidders and bid amounts in the particular keyword market

•The quality of your keywords, or their relevance to advertisers, as measured by the quality of the ads associated with them

So, what does this all mean?

• Yahoo Sponsored Search minimum bids are no longer fixed at $.10.

• Yahoo Content Match minimum bids currently will remain at $.10.

• Higher ad quality score may help you receive lower minimum bids.

• This change currently applies to U.S. accounts only.

• Yahoo recommends logging into your account regularly to check keyword status.