Google AdWords Even Ad Rotation Update

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June 14, 2012

The majority of PPC advertisers have heard all about Google’s update to the AdWords ad rotation settings that was announced on April 30th and the tidal wave of opinions and backlash that followed.  The social space was abuzz with posts and status updates from advertisers voicing their disapproval for the update, and many advertisers signed a petition trying to stop Google from implementing this change (a great interview with the petition creator can be found here).  I wrote a post last month outlining the changes this update entailed, and a few possible ways to bypass the setting for more accurate and efficient ad copy testing.  Consider this post a follow-up (and a great one, at that).

Google Ad Rotation Update: Take 2

We did it!  Last week, PPC advertisers’ prayers (and tweets, and e-mails) were answered.  Google announced two changes to the original ad rotation update: the 30-day even rotation will now be a 90-day even ad rotation, and best of all, advertisers now have the ability to opt-out of this update altogether.  Interested in opting out?  This setting can’t be found within the AdWords user interface, but instead must be submitted via this form.

What Does this Update Mean?

The first 30-day update to the ad rotation posed many problems for advertisers when it came to ad copy testing, including:

–          Lack of sufficient and statistically significant data (especially for lower traffic accounts)

–          Requiring more work on the advertiser’s part, i.e. recreating an identical ad to the one previously being tested in order to reset the 30-day rotation, then aggregating the data to determine the final results of the ad copy test.  Sure, it’s doable, but just created additional work in the long run

The second round of updates to the ad rotation settings really appeals to all PPC advertisers, those who were okay with the 30-day even rotation setting, and those who were unhappy with it.

a)      The 90-day even rotation option provides a sufficient period of time to collect data, and will automatically update to optimize for clicks after the 90 day test is up, which many advertisers will find appealing.

b)      Advertisers who prefer to run their campaigns on an even rotation setting on an ongoing basis now have this option as well, giving them more manual power and decision making than was originally allowed with the first update.

 

Quite possibly the strongest aspect of this second wave of ad rotation updates is knowing that Google really does listen when we voice our thoughts and opinions.  Don’t be afraid to reach out and provide feedback when similar situations arise.

Should Google respond quicker to feedback in the future? Let us know in the comments.