Google announced some new tools for the Google Display Network, which it says will give users better measurement, transparency, and value for display campaigns.
One feature is Relative CTR, which shows you how your ads perform relative to other ads running in the same places on the Google Display Network. “User behavior on web pages varies depending on the type of page users are on,” says Dan Friedman of Google’s Inside AdWords crew. “For example, users may interact with ads on a product review page differently than with ads on a blog. Clickthrough rate (CTR) tells you how often users click on your ads, but CTR can’t tell you how your ads perform compared to other ads on the same page.”
The feature can be accessed by going to the “Ad Groups” tab in your AdWords account, then going to “Customize columns,” and selecting “Relative CTR” from the drop-down menu.
Another feature is Impression Share, aimed at helping measure advertisers’ online presence. It represents the percentage of times your ads were shown out of the total available impressions for which they were eligible for. “In other words, impression share provides you with your online share of voice,” says Friedman. The Lost IS (budget) metric will let you know how many impressions you’re losing due to your budget. Lost IS (rank) tells you how many impressions you’re losing because of Ad Rank.
There is a Content Ads Diagnostic Tool (CADT), which tells you why your ads aren’t showing on the Display Network. Google will start releasing this to a small number of advertisers this month, and then will fully launch it in July.
Another recently launched feature is the Unseen Impression Filter, which ensures that CPM advertisers aren’t charged for impressions that users have a small chance of seeing.
Each of the new features is available in all AdWords languages. More info here.