Google Ads

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Google Ads
logo
ads.google.com
description Internet advertising
Registration Google account
owner Google LLC
Published October 23, 2000

Google Ads (formerly AdWords ; acronym English "adverts", ads, commercials ) is an advertising system of the US company Google LLC . Advertisers can use this to place ads that are primarily based on the search results when using the company's own services. The service was renamed Google Ads on July 24, 2018 and received a new logo.

history

Two years after the founding of Google Inc., the company announced on October 23, 2000 that it would start the Google AdWords service . 350 advertisers signed up for the beta version of AdWords. The service replaced the Google Premium Sponsorship Program , which was released in August 2000.

After the introduction, Google faced massive criticism. Louis Vuitton sued the company for damages because sponsored links next to the search results had violated the group's trademark rights . Google only changed the AdWords guidelines in individual cases, for example by banning advertising for dialer sites in November 2003. After Google AdWords started in English , additional languages ​​were added - including German , French and Spanish . Support for Chinese followed in February 2004 .

In 2006, Google changed the guidelines for the application programming interface (API) for the service. While it was previously possible to integrate the AdWords API into your own applications free of charge, this has now become a fee. The payment terms were criticized as complicated, but Google prevailed. Google regularly informed advertisers about innovations in a specially created blog under the title Inside AdWords . In December of the same year, Google started restricting ads to certain devices. First, the HTC Dream and iPhone could be selected.

After advertising was auctioned and pay-per-click settled from the start , Google included additional criteria in AdWords from mid-2008. In addition to the purchase price, the quality of the ad and the loading time were decisive for the position of an ad. In April 2012, Google announced that it would expand AdWords to YouTube . In addition to text, this made it possible to advertise on a larger scale through audiovisual content . Google positioned AdWords for Video as an alternative to local TV ads . A comprehensive guide was published under the name YouTube Advertiser Playbook , which introduced aspects relating to the new offer. In Google Maps , advertising can be booked using the AdWords Express function - based on the user's location.

In spring 2013, Google AdWords received new targeting for planning campaigns across media and devices with smartphones and tablets . To do this, Google adapts the display of ads to the end device, for example through automatic line breaks . In 2013, Google hosted the Google Online Marketing Challenge . Teams of students from a university or college try to achieve the greatest possible range and high sales with a firmly defined budget. Participation required the participation of a professor .

Google certifies courses as "Google AdWords Expert", whereby agencies can prove the quality of their employees.

In 2018, the service was renamed Google Ads , as words only affect a subset of advertising. In the course of the renaming, the products "DoubleClick Advertiser Products" and "Analytics 360 Suite" became part of the "Google Marketing Platform".

Functions

The most important component of Google Ads are keywords : With their help, an advertiser can determine in advance that an advertisement should only be displayed in the results for a search for the terms mentioned or thematically appropriate pages. This should enable a targeted alignment to the interests of the visitors and reduce wastage to a minimum. You can also define negative keywords for which the display will not be shown.

Google Ads does not charge any fees for the presentation of advertisements, but only when the user actually takes an action - usually a click on the advertisement and the associated visit to a linked website. Landing pages that match the respective ad are often used. Places for ads are auctioned according to Google . There are up to four ad spaces above and up to three ad spaces below the organic search results. For each ad, an advertiser can set a maximum price to be paid for a target person's interaction. This is known as the maximum CPC ( cost-per-click ). Ads combines all existing prospects for a keyword or a combination of several terms. In addition, a so-called quality score has been included in the placement of an ad for some time : With its help, Google tries to assess how interesting an ad could be for visitors to thematically related pages and, for example, on which day of the week it is particularly popular. An advertiser receives no guarantee from Google that their ad will be shown, even if there are no competing ads for the specified search terms.

In recent years, Google has expanded its options for ads, so that advertising can now be restricted to certain regions or devices or a combination thereof. In addition, a variant of the advertising platform was created under the name Google Ads Express , which has a reduced range of functions and is aimed particularly at small companies with a regional target group. You can use a simplified form to design the ad and do not need to define keywords, only suitable categories.

Available formats

The form introduced at the beginning and still most frequently used today is the so-called text display . Until 2017, it contained a heading (maximum 25 characters), a description (two lines of maximum 35 characters each) and a reference to the target page. In the latter case, the displayed address may differ from the URL actually used . In addition, text ads can be modified with product and price information and, for example, a phone number can be added, which Google classifies as more relevant. With so-called sitelink extensions, additional links can be added to the ads in order to redirect users to certain pages of the website, for example to the page with opening times or to special product pages. Additional extensions are always being tested, such as currently (September 2019) affiliate location extensions . Mobile WAP ads are a variant of text ads that are only displayed on websites that have been specially optimized for mobile devices . The ad format was changed in 2016, since then the ads have had two title lines of 30 characters each and a description of 80 characters. As of 2019, 3 headlines with 30 characters each and two lines of text with 90 characters each are available.

Google Ads also supports so-called display ads . Static or animated graphics are used, which visually present the desired information. The formats that can be used for this range from leaderboards (728 × 90 pixels) to classic banners and small squares (200 × 200 pixels). As video display both full video be understood as textual faded into video advertisements, on television.

In 2011, Google introduced product ads under the name Product Listing Ads - later renamed Shopping Ads - which can only be used by online shop operators. The relevant product information (product picture, price, description and other information) must be stored by the advertiser in data feeds on Google. In contrast to the text ads, in this case the ad placement is not determined by keywords, but rather Google assigns relevant products and shopping ads to a user's search query based on the product data from the feed.

Since May 2012 it has also been possible to place so-called download ads . A classic text ad acts as a reference to a program for Android or other operating systems that can be downloaded directly from the corresponding app store .

Ads Editor

The Ads Editor is a program for Windows and macOS that allows you to edit and plan campaigns outside of the browser. It is made available to the advertiser by the provider free of charge. It is mainly used to edit campaigns, ad groups, keywords and sitelinks. Account information and settings cannot be viewed or changed via this. Elements can be added or changed individually or in bulk. The editor enables CSV export to create campaign backups. But CSV imports are also possible to add many changes to an Ads account.

The software can be used both for creating and optimizing campaigns. Saved backups can be loaded using the import functions. Essentially, the user finds the same elements as in the Google Ads web interface. The tree navigation on the left-hand side of the screen shows the campaigns and ad groups. The upper area on the right-hand side shows the selected elements, their attributes and statistics. Below is the edit field. Depending on which element was selected above, the options for editing change. The filters are a special feature of the editor. These enable the user to make a selection quickly and easily. The displayed elements can then be edited individually or together. All elements can be changed or added individually or in bulk. The horizontal navigation offers corresponding buttons that initiate the desired process.

The editor also represents a control instance. Changes made in the Ads web interface are final. In the Ads Editor, however, there are ways to undo unwanted actions even after confirming a change or addition. In the end, the change is only online once it has been uploaded.

Jurisprudence

The European Court of Justice affirmed in March 2010 that an infringement of trademark law by advertisers on Google AdWords was fundamentally possible, provided that they used third-party trademarks in their advertisements. However, appropriate sanctions were again left to national courts. The Federal Court of Justice had previously submitted a corresponding request to the ECJ for a decision after a provider of erotic articles had used a competitor's brand as a keyword in Google AdWords. In 2011, in the so-called second Bananabay judgment, the court clarified that there is no violation of trademark law in AdWords if the competitor's trademark is only used as a keyword, but the advertisement itself "neither contains the sign nor any other reference to the trademark owner or on the products offered by it ". In December 2012, the case law was specified in a further process relating to confectionery and chocolate products .

Due to legal uncertainty, the use of registered trademarks in AdWords ads was initially prohibited. In the course of the aforementioned decision of the European Court of Justice, however, Google changed the general terms and conditions of the platform to the effect that this behavior was officially permitted from September 2010, with the exception of a few brands. The change applies worldwide after it was introduced in China, Australia and Brazil in 2013.

Certification

Google offers advertising agencies that support customers with the use of ads certification as so-called Google Advertising Professional . The offer is intended to signal to customers of a service provider that the provider in question has sufficient knowledge of Google Ads and is able to professionally manage campaigns on the platform. Both individuals and companies are certified who have to prove their knowledge in an examination and, if successful, can access special training materials and vouchers. In addition, certified partners are allowed to advertise their services with a logo of the program. Membership of the Affiliate of Google Ads must be renewed annually.

The criteria for certification for Google Ads were last fundamentally revised in April 2010. Since then, Google has placed greater emphasis on strategic competence than on the technical skills of its partners. In addition, Google provides selected service providers with free access to the Google Ads API for developing their own applications .

Click fraud

Google has been fighting with click fraud on ads since the very beginning . This is mostly done in the Google search engine and less often on third-party websites. Ads are specifically clicked on without interest in the linked offers. This harms the advertiser and can mean that his daily, weekly or monthly budget is reached faster than with a competitor . Various studies assume that around five to ten percent of all hits on an ad can be attributed to problematic intentions.

Google makes a formal distinction between click fraud, in which ads are deliberately called up without real interest, and invalid access, which is unintentional without any significant motivation on the part of the user. Google states that it uses various criteria to filter clicks on advertisements, such as the IP address or a cookie , and does not bill its customers. For many years these protective mechanisms were the subject of legal disputes. In the event of behavior classified by Google as click fraud, the so-called publisher who integrates ads on his website for display purposes is blocked. This ban can only be averted if the objection is successful. Google does not justify the blocking, but refers to automated algorithms.

criticism

Google is also often criticized because of its advertising network, since it does not prevent potentially misleading, anti-competitive and illegal advertising. In addition, it has repeatedly been criticized that Google prefers its own online services in search results - also in the case of paid ads on ads. However, Google was able to settle such antitrust proceedings before the Federal Trade Commission in January 2013 after it had voluntarily agreed to make changes to its services. This included an export function for campaigns in ads, with the help of which a customer should be able to place them more easily with a competing provider such as Microsoft or Yahoo .

In August 2011, in a settlement with the US Department of Justice, the group agreed on a fine of US $ 500 million because Canadian pharmacies had advertised on Google in the United States, helping Google to avoid the prescription requirement for various drugs. The Google board had known the illegality of this practice since 2003.

In mid-2013 it became known that the Google Keyword Tool for Ads would be switched off and replaced by the so-called Google Keyword Planner . This measure was largely criticized by experts and affected users; Among other things, because a Google account is required to use it. Optimization for mobile devices was welcomed, but the significantly poorer properties for search engine optimization were criticized. Google itself commented in detail on the discontinuation of the offer in an official blog.

literature

  • Guido Pelzer, Thomas Sommeregger, Ricarda Linnenbrink: Google AdWords: The comprehensive manual . Successfully plan and execute AdWords campaigns. 1st edition. Rheinwerk Computing, Bonn 2015, ISBN 978-3-8362-2122-1 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ We introduce: the new Google Ads. Google Inc., June 27, 2018, accessed June 28, 2018 (blog).
  2. ^ Google Launches Self-Service Advertising Program. Google Inc., October 23, 2000, accessed on March 25, 2017 (English, press release).
  3. ↑ Hans-Peter Schüler: Louis Vuitton sued Google. In: heise online. October 28, 2003, accessed April 10, 2013 .
  4. ↑ Urs Mansmann: Google forbids AdWords advertisements for dialer pages. In: heise online. November 13, 2003, accessed April 10, 2013 .
  5. ↑ Google's AdWords now also in Chinese. In: heise online. February 11, 2004, accessed April 10, 2013 .
  6. ↑ Andreas Donath: Google makes AdWords API a fee. In: Golem . April 14, 2006, accessed March 25, 2017 .
  7. ↑ Jan Christe: Google AdWords now especially for iPhone and G1. In: t3n magazine. December 9, 2008, archived from the original on September 6, 2018 ; Retrieved April 10, 2013 .
  8. ↑ Jens Ihlenfeld: Google refines the AdWords advertising system. In: Golem. August 22, 2008. Retrieved March 25, 2017 .
  9. ↑ Linda Ross: Google AdWords for Video: Small business owners should advertise on Youtube instead of TV. In: Advertise & Sell . April 24, 2012, accessed April 11, 2013 .
  10. ^ Paul Sawers: Google AdWords for video rolls out of beta and is now available for every business. In: The Next Web. April 23, 2012, accessed March 25, 2017 .
  11. ↑ Jan-Hendrik Heinemann: Google introduces a new advertising format for Google Maps. In: t3n magazine. August 9, 2013, archived from the original on September 6, 2018 ; Retrieved August 9, 2013 .
  12. ↑ Lars Budde: Google AdWords: Major update makes targeting of mobile campaigns easier. In: t3n magazine. February 7, 2013, archived from the original on September 6, 2018 ; Retrieved August 9, 2013 .
  13. ↑ Lars Budde: Google Online Marketing Challenge: With an AdWords budget of 250 USD for the title. In: t3n magazine. February 15, 2013, archived from the original on September 6, 2018 ; Retrieved August 9, 2013 .
  14. ↑ Faster, smarter marketing. In: Google LLC. June 27, 2018, accessed June 27, 2018 .
  15. ↑ Larry Kim: AdWords Landing Page - Create High-Quality Landing Pages for Google Ads. In: WordStream. Retrieved March 25, 2017 (English).
  16. ↑ Lars Budde: Quality Score: How Google calculates the quality of AdWords ads. In: t3n magazine. July 19, 2013, accessed August 9, 2013 .
  17. ↑ Erick Schonfeld: Google Introduces Location-Aware Mobile Display Ads. In: TechCrunch. July 29, 2010, accessed March 25, 2017 .
  18. ↑ Jürg Ulrich: The ad formats with Google AdWords. In: adseed. January 26, 2009, accessed April 13, 2013 .
  19. ↑ Use image ads of different sizes - Google Ads Help. Retrieved September 6, 2018 .
  20. ^ John Lee: Advertising Your Mobile Apps on Google Just Got a Whole Lot Easier. In: Search Engine Watch. May 2, 2012, accessed March 25, 2017 .
  21. ↑ Lars Budde: AdWords Editor: Google updates campaign editor for Windows and Mac. In: t3n magazine. August 16, 2013, archived from the original on September 6, 2018 ; accessed on August 16, 2013 .
  22. ↑ Marzena Sicking: ECJ decision on Google Adwords does not yet bring legal certainty. In: heise resale. September 8, 2010, accessed August 9, 2013 .
  23. ↑ Federal Court of Justice, judgment of January 13, 2011, file number I ZR 125/07 (Bananabay II)
  24. ↑ Federal Court of Justice specifies case law on keyword advertising. Federal Court of Justice, December 14, 2012, accessed on August 9, 2013 (press release).
  25. ↑ Falk Hedemann: AdWords: Google is changing the brand guidelines for AdWords, brand names can be booked. In: t3n magazine. August 4, 2010, archived from the original on September 6, 2018 ; Retrieved August 9, 2013 .
  26. ↑ Robin Wauters: Starting April 23, Google will allow trademarks as keywords in AdWords campaigns worldwide. In: The Next Web. March 22, 2013, accessed March 25, 2017 .
  27. ↑ What are certified Google AdWords partners? Google, accessed August 9, 2013 .
  28. ↑ How can I take the exam? Google, accessed August 9, 2013 .
  29. ↑ Why should I participate in the Google AdWords Certification Program? Google, accessed August 9, 2013 .
  30. ↑ How often do I have to take an exam to remain qualified? Google, accessed August 9, 2013 .
  31. ^ Penry Price: A new approach to how we work with advertising agencies. In: Official Blog. Google, April 26, 2010, accessed March 25, 2017 .
  32. ↑ AdWords certification is becoming more demanding. In: InternetWorld Business. April 27, 2010, accessed August 9, 2013 .
  33. ↑ Martin Fiutak: Click fraud is causing problems for Google. In: ZDNet. May 10, 2005, accessed August 9, 2013 .
  34. ↑ Michael Dobler: Google AdWords: Click Fraud - An Interview with Albert Warnecke. In: Dr. Web. November 24, 2006. Retrieved March 25, 2017 .
  35. ↑ The Google concept of protection against invalid clicks. Google, accessed March 25, 2017 .
  36. ^ Lars Gurow: Click fraud: Google in court. In: Netzwelt. April 6, 2005, archived from the original on September 6, 2018 ; Retrieved August 9, 2013 .
  37. ↑ Christiane Schulzki-Haddouti: Click Fraud: Explosive E-Mail for AdWords customers. In: c't. Heise Verlag, June 2, 2006, accessed on August 9, 2013 .
  38. ↑ Jens Ihlenfeld: Google does not prefer its own products in the search. In: Golem. January 4, 2013, accessed March 25, 2017 .
  39. ↑ Annika Demgen: Google: settlement payment of 500 million US dollars due. In: netzwelt. August 25, 2011, archived from the original on September 6, 2018 ; Retrieved August 25, 2011 .
  40. ↑ Google Settles Probe Into Illegal Online Drug Ads for $ 500M , PC Magazine , accessed March 25, 2017
  41. ↑ Jochen G. Weber: Google keyword tool is switched off: dubious successor is coming. In: t3n magazine. June 24, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2013 .
  42. ^ Bye-bye keyword tool: Google changes a running system. In: Marketingfish. July 25, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2013 .
  43. ↑ Deepti Bhatnagar: Introducing Keyword Planner: combining the Keyword Tool and Traffic Estimator into One. In: Inside AdWords. Google, May 20, 2013, accessed March 25, 2017 .