The Search Alliance (a.k.a. Bing and Yahoo! PPC) have announced a change to their trademark policies to go into effect on March 3rd, 2011.  Much like the Google AdWords trademark policy has been for some time, the Search Alliance will no longer investigate the use of trademark terms in keywords.  They will still investigate the unauthorized use of trademarked terms in ad text when presented with a complaint by a trademark owner.  This change just means advertisers can now bid on trademarked terms, as they can in AdWords, they just can’t use those terms in their ad text.

The Search Alliance states that by aligning their “trademark policy with the current industry standard, we hope to help simplify your marketing efforts across the various online advertising programs.”

An updated AdWords keyword tool has been in beta for some time now.  If you were used to linking back to the previous version you may have noticed that link has been removed coinciding with Google’s announcement that The Keyword Tool is officially out of beta.  This one tool replaces both the original keyword tool and the Search-based Keyword Tool.

Google states that The Keyword Tool combines the best of both the previous tools.  Some of its features include:

• The option to search by keywords, URLs or a combination of the two
• Multiple ways to filter and sort the results
• The option to view mobile search, ad share and search share data

Finally the way in which Global Monthly Searches and Local Monthly Searches are calculated has been updated.  In the past the data was from both google.com and Google search partners.  With the new tool it is only based on google.com search traffic.

You may have seen seller rating extensions like these in some Google AdWords sponsored links lately. Note they are a little different depending on whether they show in the top of the page sponsored links or on the right.

This is the newest ad extension available to AdWords advertisers. If an online store is rated in Google Product Search, with 4 or more stars and at least 30 reviews, seller ratings can be associated with its AdWords ads. These ratings will show up automatically if the above requirements are met and there is no set up involved.

As of now this feature is in limited release but is being rolled out to all eligible accounts.

Google recently announced a new keyword targeting feature on the Inside AdWords blog.  Broad match modifier is a middle ground between broad and phrase match.  The intent is to take phrase match and make it a little broader and broad match a little more controlled.

Implementing this feature works similarly to the standard broad, phrase and exact match keywords used today.   Instead of the brackets or quotation marks you use a plus (+) sign.  The plus sign modifies the word it is attached to so that it must appear in the searcher’s query exactly as is or a close variation.  Close variations include misspellings, singular/plural forms, abbreviations and acronyms, and ings (like “floor” and “flooring”).

Today you may have the broad match keyword of black hat.   As a standard broad match keyword this can match multiple variations such as black caps, gray hats or black baseball hat.  If you had that same word as a phrase match it may match on things like midnight black hat or black hat for baseball. With the new broad match modifier feature you can narrow down those broad matches and expand the phrase matches.

Enter your keyword as +black hat (Be sure there are no spaces between the + and modified words, but do leave spaces between words).  The resulting matches in this case could be black cap, fancy black dress hat, blck hat or black ski caps. The plus sign in front of black forces black to be in the searcher’s query.  If you were to enter your keyword like this, +black +hat, your matching results could be things like black hatt or black baseball hat or any variation as long as both black and hat are queried.

Note that broad match modifiers are designed for adgroups that contain mostly phrase and exact match words.  If you are mostly bidding on broad match adding the modifiers could result in a significant decline in clicks and conversions.

Google recently announced the creation of the Google Display Network as part of its continued focus on rapidly expanding display advertising opportunities.  The newly create Google Display Network, which now has its own website, will act as an “umbrella” for all the properties on which display ads can be run.  This means everything but search are part of the Display Network; YouTube, Google properties such as Google Finance, Gmail, Google Maps, Blogger as well as the million plus display partners.   All display ad types now fall under this umbrella including text, image, rich media, and video ads.

The process for running display ads is not changing, just the name.   Expect to see references to the Google Content Network changing over to Google Display Network in the coming weeks.

It wasn’t too long ago that we were writing about Google’s launch of new ad extension options on the search network.  Recent additions that allow you to enhance your search ads have included location, product, phone, and sitelink.  Utilizing these features can make your ads stand out among your competitors, such as the search ad for desktop computers below, and give your customers a more direct path to the best landing page for optimizing conversions.

Now Google is expanding further on Ad Extensions by launching detailed reporting in your AdWords Account with a new tab titled “Ad Extensions.”  The tab is available from the account level or the campaign level.  But keep in mind you will only see this new tab if you are using one or more of the ad extensions in your AdWords campaigns.

Select the Ad Extensions tab and then use the “view” drop down box to select which extension (location, phone, product or sitelink) you would want to view.  The data available includes, clicks, impressions, CTR, average CPC, cost and average position.

You can also download, schedule or email the report right from within the tab. If you have been using Ad Extensions already or have been thinking about using them let us know your experiences by commenting here.

As most everyone knows by now, Yahoo! and Microsoft announced a Search Alliance last year and it was recently approved by the US government in February .  Essentially, the two companies will continue with two separate search engines, however Microsoft will run the technology for the organic search algorithms for both engines and the paid search for both will be powered by Microsoft’s current adCenter system.

A recent announcement from the new partners laid out a more defined time line for the upcoming transition as well as a bit on what advertisers can expect as the transition moves along.

The goal, as of now, is to get the transition process for US and Canada advertisers started in late summer 2010 and have it complete before the 2010 holiday season rolls around.  If things are not looking good for that holiday target, the transition team has promised to hold off until 2011 so as to not interrupt the critical holiday sales season.

To keep things running as smoothly as possible regular communication and updates, as well as tools to guide advertisers through the process have been promised.

Stay tuned for more as we get closer to the Yahoo! and Microsoft search alliance becoming a reality and tips and tricks we pick up as the transition begins to take place.

The Yahoo Search Marketing desktop tool had been a long time coming when it was released last fall, yet is lacked a few key features we had become accustomed to in the other PPC desktop tools. If you have not used it much since the release, you may not know that Yahoo has been adding features with each upgrade.  These new features are  designed to make the management process of your Yahoo! Search Marketing accounts more efficient. The most recent release includes some very useful features that can cut the time spent managing and optimizing your accounts significantly.

1. Cut / Copy / Paste
You can now cut, copy and paste keywords, ads and adgroups by right clicking and selecting the option you want from the menu or by using short- cut keys.

2. Revert Changes
A new “Revert All” function lets you undo everything you did or undo just a few selected changes.

3. File Import
Importing a campaign or an entire account from Google AdWords is an easy 1 – 2 – 3 process now. 1 – Download from AdWords editor 2- Upload into Yahoo Search Marketing desktop 3 – Post changes.

As the Yahoo Search Marketing desktop tool gets more robust through the addition of features such as these, it can save considerable time in your PPC management.

Not too long ago if you wanted to show a search ad on Google with something other than basic text you were limited to the Google Content Network.  But Google has been expanding the options on the Search Network and there are several search ad formats now available for you to chose.  Here are some of the formats and why you should be using them.

Ad Sitelinks

Allows for 4 links in addition to the ad header to pages on your site.

Use Ad Sitelinks to present the searcher with more options and potentially get them to the exact page on your site that they need thereby increasing the chances of a conversion.  Perfect for highlighting promotions, seasonal items, or new features.

Product Plusbox Enhancement

Links to your Google Merchant Account to show product images, pricing and descriptions.

If you are running an e-commerce store there is no reason you should not be running Product Plusbox ads.  By allowing the customer to see a selection of your products along with pricing that are relevant to their search you are increasing your chances of getting the conversion.

Location Extensions

Attach your business address along with a map and driving directions.

If you are a local business you can use the Location Extension ad to make your business stand out above the competition.  Let the searchers know they have the right location before they ever click on your ad.  This will help ensure you are getting the most relevant traffic from your ads.

Local Ads with Multiple Locations

For businesses with multiple locations attach your business address along with a map pinpointing each location in the searchers area.

Use these ads to promote chain businesses where there may be several locations to chose from in a customer’s local area.  Let the customer know they have options and you are nearby wherever they may be before they ever get to your site.

Using Google’s varied search ad formats can improve your conversion rate by getting more information in front of searchers so that they click on your ad and convert on your site.  Test different formats to find what works best for your business.

Google has added yet another feature to AdWords that is sure to draw searchers attention to your ads and steer them to the most appropriate page on your site to drive conversions.  Ad Sitelinks is currently in beta and enhances your search network text ads by adding up to four additional landing pages, that you set up, below your text ads.

The addition of four more landing page options to an ad, for a total of 5 including the headline, allows the advertiser to make specific website information more readily available to searchers.  Think of the possibilities when it comes to seasonal and promotional offers.  When users can select a landing page that most closely matches their interests and needs the opportunity for a conversion increases as does your click through rate.

It is not just any ad that will qualify for Ad Sitelinks however.  Your ad must be in the first position of the top paid results and the CTR must be substantially higher than any other ad on the page.  Branded search terms are most likely to meet these requirements.

Without much extra work or changing your ads or keywords you can set up to 10 pages to show, of which the AdWords system will select four when they are relevant to the user’s search.

By differentiating your ad from all the others and giving searchers more options that more closely match their exact needs (not to mention a set up that takes only minutes) Ad Sitelinks should not be overlooked in your AdWords strategy.