Google allows double serving

Posted By: bali2002 ()
Posted On: 2007-May-04 07:15

I've been reporting Google about 2 companies using double serving strategies, for more than a month, getting only cookie cutter answers like "we'll tke care of this bla bla", but nothing is being done to prevent it.


There are 2 companies doing this in my niche: one serves 4 ads, another 2 ads, different urls, same company. As a result my conversions have gone down the drain by 60%. They have six ads occupying six spots on the front page of every keyword we pay for.

Should I follow the "bad guys route" and join the game?


Posted By: flyingrose (Staff)
Posted On: 2007-May-04 15:24

I've always had more success focusing on improving what I'm doing than worrying about what the competition is doing. Why would having (and paying for) multiple ads and clicks make any difference to where someone decides to buy?

Six different competitors or two competitors with six ads is pretty much the same thing. I would focus on what you can do to improve your ads and conversions.

If you feel lower traffic is an issue, test multiple ads starting with different titles. Make sure your keyword phrases are in your titles and land potential buyers on a closely related page.

Do some brainstorming and come up with some new keywords. Perhaps you can target niches that would be interested in whatever you're advertising.

All sites can benefit most from stronger conversion rates. How easy it is to shop on your site? How easy is it to buy? Ask some people who haven't seen your site to let you watch them use it.

You can also use Google's free Optimization tool to improve conversions. If you're not sure what to check for drop me a PM and I'll take a quick peek and give you some ideas.




Posted By: bali2002 ()
Posted On: 2007-May-04 15:39

Well, as much as i improve my site, six ads on the first page from only 2 companies before mine ARE going to decrease my impressions and CTR, unless i want to get into a bidding war with them
IE: for many of my main keywords, i've moved from position 3-4 to position 10-12 on the second page


Posted By: dudibob ()
Posted On: 2007-May-04 15:58

Remember Google does nothing by hand, they use there algo to sort out the bad people which is why there can be a huge delay in getting rid of the bad people


Posted By: flyingrose (Staff)
Posted On: 2007-May-04 16:01

You will have to bid high enough to get onto the first page of results or your traffic will drop substantially. A bidding war will hurt them far more than you because they'll be paying for more clicks for each sale.

Improving your CTR can get you better positions for less money. Are all of the keywords in the titles of your ads? Have you tested multiple ads to increase CTRs?

Are you using as many negative keywords as possible to reduce unrelated impressions? That will also increase your CTRs and lower your ad costs.

Is there enough profit in whatever your competitors are advertising for them to pay for multiple visits from the same buyer? Unless you have really high profit margins or you truly believe that your buyers only look at one site, it doesn't make much sense to me to double, triple, or quadruple the advertising costs for each sale.