'Net Features : image ads

How to Deal with AdWords Image Extensions

Michael Garrity — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:15:00 GMT

Last week, the pay-per-click (PPC) world was probably changed forever when Google began introducing an extension that allows advertisers to place images into its standard text-based AdWords ads on its search engine results pages (SERPs).

At present, Google says that about one in every six searches on the search engine provides results with “visual content,” and that number is only going to increase as Web users demand more and more easy-to-digest and visually appealing content. As a result, the company decided to improve the overall flexibility of its paid search ads to follow consumer trends.

But wait. I know that you may be thinking to yourself that image-based PPC ads just sound a lot like Google’s already existent crop of product listing ads (PLAs) that feature a clean cut, catalog-ready picture of the products (or related products) that a user searched for, along with information like price and provider.

That’s not the case with these PPC images, however, which are far sleeker and focus on providing a visual experience with the product in question, as opposed to just a sterile image totally devoid of personality. Google’s paid search ads can also feature more than just static images, as they’ll work with animated gifs and Flash animations, as well.

It Pays to Be on Top
Let’s not forget that the inclusion of image content on AdWords ads is still an incredibly new phenomenon, and one that exists only in beta mode. Because of that, no one really has much information about the specific (and important) details regarding things like how many ads will be able to display image results, or if there will be overlap with PLAs.

However, what is unquestionably clear is that, for now at least, all PPC images (which come in groups of three) are going to be located directly above and limited to the first paid search listing, which really draws the user’s attention to the top of the section and highlights the ranking in the top spot. This makes having the number one paid search ranking on Google just became significantly more appealing.

What the Beta Launch Tells Us
So, although details are still sparse regarding the actual changes that image-augmented PPC ads will make for the paid search industry in the long run, even with just a week of testing, a few key observations have already emerged.

For now, only big money advertisers like Samsung are actually able to show images with their PPC ads, but Google is already accepting applications from current AdWords customers to include images, custom text and site links in their own paid search ads.

What we have learned from their experiences, and from Google’s initial announcement, is that there will be some restrictions on the images that advertisers can display with their PPC ads. The biggest (and most obvious) being that they absolutely must own the image that they’re trying to display. And for anyone who thinks they can be sneaky and just pass off a stolen image as their own, they should know that Google will go through a rigorous review process before actually showing the images with the ads. (This also helps ensure that nothing to questionable or inappropriate is displayed.)

A handful of advertisers and PPC managers have already had some trouble getting their images approved by Google, such as a company that tried to promote pictures of dresses for the keyword “runways.” Google has also turned down a collection of images because it apparently only allows one of the three pictures displayed to have white space around it (presumably to ensure they don’t end up looking too much like PLAs).

Needless to say, following the AdWords guidelines may prove to be trickier than you may initially expect. Thankfully, there are a few general rules of thumb that advertisers can keep in mind to streamline the validation process. For starters, make sure you present Google with high quality images right off the bat, and they cannot include animations, overlays or logos that are not part of your product. Google also prefers pics that are 640px by 360px and only allows a 16:9 aspect ratio. Perhaps most importantly, though, is that you must submit an image that is already available and visible on your website.

The Story So Far
Right now, just one percent of all Google searches are even seeing these image-conscious PPC ads, so there’s not a lot of concrete data that we can go off of, particularly when it comes to getting performance reports on individual images.

In the meantime, one thing that advertisers and PPC managers can do is to create new ad groups specifically for these image extensions that indicate when images should be representative of all of the ads or keywords in an ad group, and to make sure (or at least most) of the keywords in said ad group are “image-seeking” and don’t include information about the product’s price or online reviews.

Turn Your Pics Into Profits

Michael Garrity — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 19:06:00 GMT

Images are all the rage on the Web these days. This trend was probably inevitable, as it is an easy way for publishers, bloggers and marketers to satiate the desire of the average Internet user with quick bursts of content that can be easily digested and then set aside, while still spreading their message.

The problem with images is that once they’re out there, the average Web professional doesn't know how to maximize their potential. However, the ability to make images more engaging and interactive, and eventually maybe even monetize them, is one that is the focus of many industrious developers, and the result is a number of solutions aimed at helping publishers and marketers make the most of their image-based content.

The basic premise of these various solutions is the same; publishers can add tags or “hotspots” to one of their images, which means they select a certain part (or parts) of the picture, and then when users scroll over the picture, these areas are highlighted. When the user clicks on these tags in the image, they’re provided with additional content related to the picture. This can include everything from other relevant images to links to text to audio or visual content and beyond.

For publishers and marketers, these solutions present great opportunities to increase engagement (and thus interest) in their images, inspiring users to stop and interact with the picture, rather than just look at it and move on. Plus, these images can easily be shared on social networks like Twitter and Facebook to extend their reach – some of the products even come with social sharing tags. But they also offer more than just general engagement; customers can also utilize these as an e-commerce and advertising tool that can directly translate into cold, hard digital cash.

By making images “shoppable,” users are able to click on the tags and be sent directly to a site where they can buy the product shown in the picture. Or, customers can link to products with their own affiliate links. Either way, when users click the link to the product, it will send them directly to the product page on the retailer’s e-commerce site, and that allows publishers to get paid in the same manner they would for posting affiliate links in other types of content.

If you’re interested in making your image content more engaging – and profitable – check out one of these solutions:

Luminate allows publishers to use images to engage their audience, add incremental revenue, improve session times and increase traffic, while advertisers can drive relevance, provide a focused brand message and engage consumers. Users can add “positional sharing” apps that let users choose a “specific point” on an image, comment on it and then share it on social networks like Facebook and Twitter. It also has an app that lets consumers browse and purchase products similar to those showcased in the image, and an Amazon Music app that lets them preview the music of the artist in a picture. It also comes with apps for YouTube Trailers, Netflix Videos, Wikipedia and much more.

Taggstar increases engagement with photos by an average of 40 percent and lets users earn money with e-commerce integration. Plus, it features robust analytics that provide real-time insights about how many and which people are looking at the pictures, and the images will remain trackable and monetized even when they’re embedded from the customer’s site to another one. And best of all, it’s totally free.

Thinglink works on a variety of popular website and blogging platforms, including WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, Drupal, Joomla and others. Users can add media tags from a number of platforms, such as huge names like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Spotify, SoundCloud, Wikipedia, iTunes and Vimeo. There’s also integration with MailChimp for email campaigns, Etsy for displaying craft products, Eventbrite for promoting events, Best Buy and eBay for linking to products and more. And with Thinglink, users are able to import images from Flickr or Facebook, upload them from their hard drive or even copy the URLs of images from the Web.

Stipple lets publishers connect images via URLs, their websites or blogs, social networks like Facebook and Instagram or their online stores, and they can also upload them directly from their hard drives. Then, they tag those images with videos, other images, product links, locations, social media profiles, audio, notes or links. Stipple tracks the image to show the user where it “travels” to and how many people interact with it, providing them with the most accurate view of the picture’s reach and engagement numbers, including what content inside the image fosters the most interaction.

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but thanks to the Internet (and these tools), it could end up being worth a thousand bucks, too. So, if you’re interested in monetizing your images, now may be the time to look at one of these great solutions.

Yahoo Includes Images and Video in Ads

Pete Prestipino — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:09:00 GMT

The New York Times is reporting that Yahoo plans to introduce video and images into paid search ads. Couple that with Comscore indicating that Yahoo! increased its search share while Google slid (albeit slightly), and you may want to start taking Yahoo! seriously once more.

With a real push toward Universal Search on SERPs over the past few years, paid advertising never really caught up and was typically restricted to only text and links. The new Rich Ads in Search offering, which should be announced later today, gives traditional search ads a way to distinguish themselves and ideally improve the click-through rate of ads. It sounds good for advertisers and Yahoo!, which for many years has focused on and specialized in display banner advertisements. The word on the street is that advertisers were experiencing a 25 percent increase in click-through rates, but as with anything, that percentage increase will be dependent on the actual advertiser.

From the New York Times article, “It moves the advertising experience from just the blue links, to a more engaging experience for advertisers,” said Tim Mayer, vice president for search monetization and distribution at Yahoo!. Early reports (remember, this has not been publicly announced yet) indicate that there will be a monthly charge for the service and that it will be initially limited to larger, more notable brands such as SoBe, Pepsi and Pedigree. If Yahoo! really wants to make a play for some of Google's paid search market share, they would extend the program to more advertisers. Based on Yahoo!'s past actions, that's not something you should assume.

You can search for Pepsi, Pedigree or SoBe to see the rich search ads in action.

Here are a few images to give you an idea:

Images In Google Sponsored Listings

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:53:00 GMT

Sponsored search listings are forever changed at Google.

While not officially available throughout the entire Adwords network, expanded product search results which include images have been spotted in online jewelry store Blue Nile's sponsored listings. Google has been using these "plusboxes" in its organic results for quite a while now with video listings, but the fact that they are now appearing within sponsored listings is a major development.

Users must select the "Show Products from BlueNile" link to see the images and their corresponding links. Over time, one could assume that other advertisers will be able to display their individual products in the same way, but again, there has been no formal announcement on when that might happen. Overall it is a very elegant way to present the "Universal" content the Web has heard so much about.