When you’re searching Google for the phrase europe travel rating, what information are you hoping to find? Perhaps you’re researching a specific travel company and how satisfied other customers were with their experience. Maybe you read a news story that caused you to investigate a travel industry or destination further. Or, maybe you’re almost ready to purchase a vacation and you’re searching one last time to ensure you chose the best travel option. Searchers entering these types of queries could fall into any of the above categories, and it’s important to be present for such terms during this critical research phase.

Image Credit: Barrera Search Marketing

Google recently updated its Display Network settings within the AdWords interface to report performance information at the keyword level, rather than at the AdGroup level as it did previously. Performance information includes everything from the number of clicks and impressions a keyword receives to the number of conversions it generates, and at which display position it performs best. For advertisers, this means optimization for keyword-targeted Contextual campaigns will be far more granular.

With the onset of globalization, the importance of advertising in the international space is becoming increasingly apparent. In a recent article by Search Engine Land, linguist Andy Atkins-Kruger discusses several tips to help international marketers achieve success with pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, which I’ve summarized below.

A marketing analytics company called RevTrax just completed a two year study on the effect of PPC advertising on consumer in-store spending.  The study analyzed the purchase habits of consumers referred by pay-per-click ads to e-commerce sites. RevTrax used landing pages with coupons that featured a unique barcode to track the information.  The bar code information was then able to track the consumers’ buying cycles and show conversions.

The Google pay-per-click (PPC) advertising model as we know it is changing. Google has started working on a number of new ad models that are designed to offer inventive ways for advertisers to connect with Google users. The three new ad models aim to make it easier and more effective for businesses to communicate with potential customers.  All three models are currently in a limited release stage, but will debut for a wider audience soon. Watch more about the ads here and read on for a brief overview of the new models.

Comparison Ad
The AdWords Comparison Ads model lets users easily compare multiple relevant offers at once.  For businesses, it provides a new, sophisticated cost-per-lead format that is designed to deliver higher quality leads by allowing users to sort and compare a variety of offers. Mortgage loan and credit card industries in certain countries are the only sectors currently involved, but more viewers and advertisers will gain access as the program is developed.

Product Listing Ad
The new Product Listing Ads are search ads that include product and merchant information without needing extra keywords or ad text, allowing businesses to easily promote their entire product line.  Items relevant to the user’s search will be shown along with price, image and name, all pulled from the associated Google Merchant Center account. The fee will be on a cost-per-action (CPA) basis, which requires payment only when a user clicks on an ad and completes a purchase and involves a much lower risk than PPC payment options. Watch more here.

Media Ad
Finally, Media Ads are a truly unique way for a business to target and pay for video ads on Google. Targeting is entirely automated, eliminating the need to select keywords. Google’s algorithms determine when to display the ad when someone starts a search, at which point they will automatically display the most relevant Media Ad at the top of the page. When clicked on, the ad will expand and the rest of the screen will dim, ensuring the user’s full attention is on the video. Bidding is not required as payment is based on a flat rate, simplifying the budgeting process for businesses.