This blog is being replaced!

Thanks to everyone who has been a loyal reader of this blog over the past year and a half. We've decided to replace this blog by launching a new retail blog which includes a range of topics relating to the retail industry and not just AdWords related news. Go ahead and check out the new Google Retail UK Blog where you can subscribe and give feedback. We will post to it regularly with news, insights and opinion relating to the retail industry as well as tips on making the most out of our tools. Here is a list of blogs that you might find interesting:

We hope you'll find some of the above blogs useful. Thanks for your time.

Visit the new Google Retail UK blog!

Posted by Dom Elliott, Product Marketing Team

Wednesday, 17 June 2009 at 09:07

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Valentines Day 09 – Use AdWords to Shape your Marketing Strategy


Tips for maximising on Valentine’s day traffic


· Target key age and gender demographics with unique Valentine’s Day ad texts, keywords & landing pages


· Launch your campaigns early to meet increased search traffic by mid-January and don’t forget the last minute shoppers.


· Add both branded & non-branded keywords.


· Use Google insights for search to investigate your own product categories to see what searchers are interested in


· Expand keyword lists using the Search-Based Keyword Tool


· Use the Google Content Network to reach your target demographic and complement your search campaigns


· Consider placing your Content ads on complementary sites; remember to target gifts for women on men’s sites and vice versa


· Use Display Ad Builder to easily create image ads


· Set appropriate CPCs and competitive budgets to anticipate increased traffic



Posted by Arlene Helbert - AdWords Optimisation Specialist

Thursday, 22 January 2009 at 08:18

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The New Year starts early for online shoppers in the days following Christmas

The December shopping peak continues and increases after Christmas


UK shoppers aren’t prepared to wait until the New Year’s January Sales to start

spending again.


Research shows that search activity on apparel jumps in the days immediately after

Christmas, as shoppers head online to search for early bargains in the sales and to

look for accessories for gifts which they received.

Make sure you don’t miss out on the opportunity to finish 2008 and start 2009 on a positive note.


Our advice

• Make sure your campaigns stay active.

• Consider raising your budgets or CPCs to ensure you have enough exposure

for this increased demand.

• Set up special ad texts for the time period – for example, calling out any

special offers you might have at this time.


Find out more

For more advice and information, remember you can always visit the AdWords Help

Center at http://adwords.google.co.uk/support/


Posted by Arlene Helbert - Optimisation Specialist

Friday, 2 January 2009 at 02:47

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Christmas 2008 – Getting the Most from AdWords

Ensure your Campaigns are fully optimised:

-Plan ahead & allocate sufficient budget to capture the sudden increase in traffic.

-Ensure all your products are covered to capture maximum traffic.

-Be prepared to increase maximum CPCs at a time of increased auction intensity.

-Have seasonal keywords & ad texts ready.

-Ensure your activity continues through to January as searches continue well into the New Year. Have ad text & keywords to promote January sales & offers prepared & ready to go live.

-Use both search & content for maximum effect.

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Christmas Content Campaigns:

Start Early: Ensure content campaigns are running well before Christmas to capture the attention of consumers browsing their favorite sites.

Build Ad Group Themes: Build content campaigns with general keywords. Form a theme & combine synonyms & product ranges.

Direct, Complimentary & Audience Ad Groups: Create tightly themed ad groups. Think of the types of sites where you’d like your ads to appear, for example targeting those looking for the specific product you sell such as ‘flowers’, the audience that will be looking for ‘flowers’ i.e. boyfriends as well as complementary websites related to your product for example ‘chocolate’ & ‘gift sites’.

Include Seasonal Ad text: Remember to include Christmas specific ad text, special offers & delivery times & to test out different variations of your ad text.

Use Images: Images are a powerful way of reaching & interacting with users especially for products with a visual unique selling proposition, for example luxury goods.

Ad Formats: Use Google’s different as formats (image, Gadget Ads) to connect with different types of consumers in different ways.

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Check out older posts on this blog for more Christmas optimization tips!


Posted by Arlene Helbert - AdWords Optimisation Specialist

Monday, 15 December 2008 at 02:51

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Halloween 2008 – Optimisation Tips

Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble……..

Halloween is now the third most lucrative trading period after Christmas & Easter & ahead of Bonfire Night & Valentines Day, so it’s well worth ensuring your campaigns are fully optimised to get the most from this valuable traffic season.


Be Creative: Halloween is about more than just fancy dress, parties for adults & kids means an increase in searches for alcohol, food, games & decorations. Think about whether something from your product line may fit into Halloween celebrations.


Start Early: We have seen that Halloween preparations starts earlier and earlier every year. Ensure your Campaigns are ready to go and budgets are tuned to capture the early traffic.


Leave Hide & Seek to the Kids: Let searchers know that you stock Halloween merchandise by including it in you Ad Text. Ensure you link directly to the page that sells your merchandise and include any important details such as last delivery times/ free delivery in your Ad Text.


Targeting: Halloween is even more of a traditional event in Ireland than in the UK, so it’s worth ensuring your ads are targeted to Ireland as well as the UK if you can deliver there. As the market is less saturated than the UK it is likely that your keywords well cost you less as well as help you reach a wider targeted audience.


Keyword Coverage: Ensure you have comprehensive keyword coverage to capture all relevant traffic. Use our keyword tool for relevant keywords & include all plurals & variations. Consider having a separate Halloween Campaign if you have a large range of products.


Use Negatives: Run Search Query Performances Reports to find negatives keywords to prevent your Ad from showing to irrelevant audiences. For example if you only sell Fancy Dress, ensure you add negative keywords like decorations and games.

Happy Halloween from Google!

Posted by Arlene Helbert - AdWords Optimisation Specialist

Monday, 20 October 2008 at 03:58

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Back to School – Get an A+ This Year.

Make the most of the ‘Back to School’ seasonal traffic peak.

'Back to School' is the second highest traffic season within retail after Christmas so it's well worth taking advantage of this & ensuring that your campaigns are fully optimized to capture this valuable traffic.

The ‘Back to School’ season spans almost 3 full months from July to September & unlike other holidays with specific dates & deadlines for shipping cutoffs, Back-to-School is a period of time with no specific end date. It is also a season with multiple different targets from the influencers such as teens & kids, to the decision makers such as Mums & college students.

-Build a campaign strategy that speaks both to the decision makers as well as the students themselves.

Think who are the most likely users of the products you sell? Primary school children vs. high school students vs. college students.

Use your AdWords ad to influence Mums by including special Back to School offers & discounts in your ad text. Use call to action phrases such as ‘Buy Online’, or ‘Buy Now’. Highlight your extensive range & fast delivery times. Use terms such as ‘Quality’, ‘Affordable’, ‘Built to Last’ & ‘Personalised’ to set your product apart from your competitors & attract clicks.

Influence students with attention grabbing phrases such as ‘Student Savings on PC’s’ or ‘10% Student Discount’. Create content campaigns to capture students as they browse online. Content campaigns will place your ad on social networking sites, online music & book stores & many more, building strong awareness of your search campaign among your target audience.

Kids & Tweens are key influencers too. From backpacks to shoes parents often let their children decide which specific items to purchase. Use your AdWords ad to influence this market by highlighting big name brands across footwear, sports apperal & backpacks.

-Include Back-to-School specific keywords.

Run on Back-to-School specific terms such as ‘Back-to-School Clothing’, ‘Back-to-School Supplies’, ‘Back-to-School Bargains’. If you don’t want to create a whole new campaign, simply include some ‘Back-to-School’ keywords in your current campaigns to capture this valuable traffic.

-Get creative with ad text.

Use your AdWords ad to capture this valuable peak in online shopping with attention grabbing statements such as ‘Get All You Need for Back-To-School’, ‘Huge Range of Back-to-School Brands’. Test out creative ad texts by including statement phrases such as ‘Be Top of The Class’ or ‘Get an A+ This Year’.

If you have physical stores, supplementing your online marketing efforts with offline campaigns such as audio and print can also be highly effective.

Posted by Arlene Helbert - AdWords Optimisation Specialist Google

Thursday, 7 August 2008 at 05:49

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Maximising Father’s Day Opportunities

Make the most of ‘Father’s Day’ seasonal traffic peaks

June 15th is Father’s Day, a day to celebrate not only Dads but all men who have acted as father figures in our lives, whether as Stepfathers, Uncles, Grandfathers or “Big Brothers.”

Shoppers in the UK plan further ahead for Father’s Day than other occasions such as Valentine's or Mother’s Day. Capture this valuable surge in online spending by ensuring your campaigns are fully optimised. You may also wish to create a specific Father’s Day campaign or create a site targeted campaign to directly target this seasonal traffic.

-Build a campaign strategy that speaks both to the gift buyers as well as the Dads themselves.

Many Dads will receive gifts that they have asked for directly or hinted at & many will receive gift cards to spend as they please. Use your AdWords ad to influence the gift receivers by including special Father’s Day offers & discounts in your ad text. Use call to action phrases such as ‘Buy Online’, ‘Buy Now’ or ‘View Our Range’.

Target gift givers by highlighting your product or service & who it might be geared to. What kind of dad is he? A gadget-lover? An outdoorsman? A sports enthusiast? Use affinities that describe dad for the products you carry.

-Create ad text that sets you apart from your competitors.

Use price points (Gifts under £X) in your ad text to attract online shoppers. Test out attention grabbing statements such as ‘Find the Perfect Gift’ or ‘Ideal Gifts for Father’s Day. Take advantage of our ad text bolding feature by including your keyword in the title of your ad. Ensure special offers promoted in your AdWords ad are clear & prominent on your landing page. It is also a good idea to make it easier to shop by directing users to suggested items that make great gifts for Dad.

- Include seasonal specific keywords.

Run on Father’s Day specific keywords such as ‘Father’s Day Gifts’ or ‘Presents for Dad’ in your campaigns. Also include other relevant Father’s Day targets with keywords such as ‘Gifts for Grandfather’, ‘Godfather Presents’ or ‘Childs Fathers Day Gift’.

- Run Content Campaigns with Father’s Day terms.

Father’s Day related search terms can be expensive. Running these seasonal terms in a content campaign can be a cost-effective way to drive traffic. Content campaigns are also a great way to target users who are researching gift ideas.

- Consider a last minute push before Father’s Day.

Highlight fast and efficient delivery. Target last minute shoppers hoping to avoid queues by including guarantees of fast, efficient delivery such as 'Free Delivery', 'Next Day Delivery', '24hr Delivery' or 'Guaranteed Delivery Time'.

Convey urgency – Remind shoppers there is still time to get the perfect Father’s Day gift.

If you have physical stores, supplementing online marketing efforts with offline campaigns such as audio and print can also be highly effective.

“Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope”. ~ Bill Cosby

Posted by Arlene Helbert - Agency, Google UK & Irl

Thursday, 8 May 2008 at 07:00

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