WebProNews

Google Gears Up For The Holidays

It's getting to be that time of year during which people grow much nicer and more family-oriented.  Or much more rude and antisocial.  Whatever.  Either way, Google's making a special effort to ensure that it isn't put out of mind over the next couple of months.

Google Gives AdWords Advertisers New Comparison Option

Google announced that it is testing a new AdWords feature called AdWords Comparison Ads. These are ads that let users compare multiple offers from the same advertiser that are relevant to the user. Google says the feature is part of its continuing effort to make ads more relevant and useful to users and help advertisers reach the people who are most interested in their products and services.

Google Offers Free AdWords Shortcuts Stickers

Running an advertising campaign is complicated enough without having to mentally assign new meanings to most of the buttons on your keyboard.  Google's giving advertisers a hand, then, by offering them AdWords shortcuts stickers. The stickers (see a mockup below) are meant to be applied to your keyboard.  Assuming your fingers don't block your field of view, they should subsequently make it easier to figure out what key combos will let you go to the Ads group tab, for example, or select multiple rows within a table.

Google Launches Latest Version of AdWords API

Google has launched the newest version of the AdWords API v2009 beta. That would be version 200909. Google cites the following as the highlights of the new API:

More "Ads by Google" Across the Web

Google has started adding "Ads by Google" to more of its ads around the web. The reasoning for this is that a lot more advertisers are using Google's rich media ad formats these days, and the fact that they come from Google may not seem so obvious all the time.

Google Gives Local Businesses New Way to Advertise

Google has introduced a new type of ad for local businesses called Local Listing Ads. They are designed to display when users search for a business in its local area. Google says it's the easiest way to advertise your business to local customers on Google, because they require no maintenance. 

Google Gives Advertisers More Tracking Options

Google has announced a new feature for the Google Content Network called View-Through Conversion Reporting. The feature is designed to help advertisers better measure the value of their display ad campaigns.

Google Gets Good News From EU Court Advisor

An advisor to the European Court of Justice said Tuesday that Google does not violate luxury goods makers' trademarks by allowing advertisers to buy keywords related to brand names. In his opinion, Advocate General Poiares Maduro suggests "Google has not committed a trade mark infringement by allowing advertisers to select, in AdWords, keywords corresponding to trademarks."

Google Unleashes DoubleClick Ad Exchange

Google has announced the DoubleClick Ad Exchange, which it refers to as a real-time marketplace for helping online publishers and ad networks/agencies buy and sell display ad space. Prices in the marketplace are set in a real-time auction. Google says it has three principles for its approach to display advertising:

Report: Google China Prepared For Big Push

It may be that the exit of Kai-Fu Lee won't act so much as a stumbling block as a catalyst for Google China.  A new report indicates that, following his departure, Google China will double its sales staff and offer cash incentives to 100,000 would-be advertisers.