If you’re using Google services to promote your business online, then pay attention because the tech giant has made two major changes this week. First stop: Google AdWords. Apparently, Google has introduced CPM bidding by viewable impressions just recently. Kim Clinkunbroomer of Philly Marketing Labs first noticed the update on Google Adwords this week.
Before, businesses that use AdWords to drive traffic to their respective sites were charged according to whether or not their ad was “served.” However, just because an ad was served, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it was viewed by a user. The new updates for AdWords change all that.
Instead of charging advertisers based on served impressions, CPM bidding makes it possible for advertisers to be charged according to ad impressions that can actually be viewed in-screen by Google users. Matt Southern of Search Engine Journal believes this is a huge help for businesses and advertisers because as reported by comScore just recently, end users don’t actually see about 31% of ads that go online. With the update, businesses can reduce their advertising costs.
With the new CPM bidding, Google uses its Active View technology to determine if an ad is viewable or not. Advertisers, on the other hand, can use the technology to access metrics reporting and track their ads’ viewable impressions, viewable click through rate, and Active View average CPM.
According to some experts, meanwhile, the recent AdWords update was almost two years in the making. Back in April 2012, Google announced that it was planning to introduce the CPM bidding and the Active View metrics. But when the update was actually implemented this week, the tech giant has made little mention of it.
Aside from Google AdWords, the tech giant has also announced a significant change to Google Places. According to folks at Google, they will be adding a Reviews tab in Google Places, enabling business owners to see all their customer reviews in one place. Aside from this, they can also directly respond to the customer reviews via the new Reviews tab. The service also lets business owners know how their reputation changes over time.
Observers said that with the announcement, Google is making it “more appealing than ever” for owners to verify their businesses. And at the same time, the new update seeks to encourage customers to leave reviews and send feedback.
With the new update, many experts believe that Google Places for Business has become the most comprehensive tool for online reputation management that is available today. What’s more, it is free, which is why as a business owner, you should take advantage of this latest offering from the tech giant.
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