CBA of Georgia to Host Webinar on Onboarding

On February 1, 2010 from 2:00-3:30, I will be conducting a webinar on how to develop or improve your new customer onboarding program. I will be sharing best-in-class examples and findings from close to four years of programs we have implemented with our bank partners. Look for details on the Community Bankers Association of Georgia web site and on this blog.

Policy adjustment for display URLs

The display URL (the URL that appears within the ad itself) shows potential visitors to a site where they'll land when they click on an ad. For sites that sit on shared or hosted domains (such as blogspot.com), we're adjusting our display URL policy to make this more clear.

Beginning this week, all ads leading to sites on hosted domains will need to have display URLs that accurately reflect their destinations.

Let's say I wanted to create an ad linking to this blog: http://adwords.blogspot.com. In the past, blogspot.com would have been an acceptable display URL. Because there are so many independent blogs hosted on http://blogspot.com however, we now require the display URL to reflect the specific blog reached upon clicking the ad– in this case: adwords.blogspot.com.

Incorrect:

Destination URL: http://adwords.blogspot.com
Display URL: blogspot.com

Correct:

Destination URL: http://adwords.blogspot.com
Display URL: adwords.blogspot.com

Going forward, ads that don't include this additional information in their display URLs will be disapproved. A suggested display URL will be provided in the disapproval email notification, but we encourage you to proactively adjust any ads that you think might be affected by this change.

If you'd like to learn about this policy in greater detail, please visit the AdWords Help Center.

Thanks for your understanding, and for helping us to continue to improve the AdWords experience.

Posted by Miles Johnson, Inside AdWords crew

Google Analytics IQ: Make Sure You're Searchable!

If you've passed the Google Analytics Individual Qualification exam, you probably want people to know. One thing you can do is publish a link to your test record. But, you should also make sure that you're searchable from the Google Testing Center.

Here's how to make sure that people can find you. First, log in to the Google Testing Center. (Note: Use the login information you created during your first visit to the Google Testing Center.)

Access your profile on the Google Testing Center.

In the "Google Analytics Individual Qualification" section under "Would you like your name added to the database if you pass this test?", select the Yes option.

Click "Save Changes."

That's all there is to it. Now anyone searching for you on the Testing Center site will find you!

Posted by Helen Huang, Google Analytics Team

Chase Bank Resumes Testing of Checking Offers

Chase Bank is again using direct mail to test checking offers from $125 to $200 across the country for the opening of a new checking account by the end of January 2010. These efforts mirror what was being done across the country during 2007, 2008 and early 2009.

In Case You Missed It

Before you say goodbye to the holidays, take a look at this great holiday list on the official Google blog by our very own Avinash Kaushik, called Top Ten Ways To Get Your Business Ready For The Holidays. By publishing this now in January, we're hoping you'll take these lessons into the whole year, because as Mom used to say, "Christmas should be every day of the year."

Seriously, these tips are applicable moreso now, when the holiday craziness is over and you have a second to optimize your campaigns and analytics, and also to take a look at some other free marketing tools from Google that you should really be using, such as Ad Planner, Insights For Search and Website Optimizer. 2010 will be much better if you take Avinash's advice early on.

For instance, here's numbers 1 and 2 from the list, to whet your appetite:

1. Update your wishlist:
Use the Search-based Keyword Tool to find keywords that you never thought of incorporating into your campaign for the holidays. (Here is a how-to guide for how best to use the tool: Monetize The Long Tail of Search).

2. Know what's hot this season:
Research on Insights for Search to see what the “Rising Searches” are and understand how people are searching for your brand (and your competitors!).

Make sure to read the rest!

Posted by Jeff Gillis, Google Analytics Team

A New Year Deserves a Clean Office!

The holidays are over and if you are like most of us, you probably ate and possibly drank a little too much. You probably "burnt the candle at both ends" trying to get everything "just right" for the holidays and by the time the holidays were over, you were probably exhausted.

Well it's the new year now! A time to get refreshed, get refocused and get things accomplished!

Start by cleaning up your office. No doubt over the previous twelve months you received tons of correspondence from well meaning individuals "just trying to keep you informed." Unless you are more disciplined than most, by year end, your office probably is a mess.

Research confirms that a messy office has a negative impact on attitude thus a negative impact on productivity. Have you ever walked in to your office and thought "where do I start." Are you always spending time looking for something that you need among the clutter. As you know, it gets really frustrating.

I spent almost the entire day yesterday cleaning up my office. Don't just clean up the surface areas that someone can see. Take the time to go through your old files and purge everything that that no longer has value.

I had two large trash bags of old mail, emails, reports, etc. that were no longer needed. Now, not only is my office more conducive to getting things accomplished, but it is a place where I feel relaxed and comfortable.

Treat yourself to a clean office to start the new year!

You deserve it!

Have a great 2010 and let us know how we can help!

Mike

Welcome to our "Go Mobile!" Series

This is an exciting time for mobile. Over the past year, consumers have increasingly turned to their mobile devices to access the internet. They're performing searches, browsing content, watching videos, and interacting with mobile applications. Looking ahead, analysts expect internet usage on mobile devices to continue to ramp up even faster than it did on desktop computers.

Even more exciting, is our new approach to buying a mobile phone. The Nexus One is a convergence point for mobile technology, apps, and the Internet. It's a great example of how users are able to access information wherever they are, and whenever they need it -- all from a device that fits in your pocket.

For the next few months, we'll be devoting a weekly post to mobile advertising. The series will highlight insights, new features, best practices, and tips for how to optimize your mobile ad campaigns.

As you begin to think about how mobile advertising fits into your plans, we hope the Go Mobile! series will be a helpful resource to stay informed and be inspired.

Posted by Dan Friedman, Inside AdWords crew