Google launches AdWords Express for local businesses

By Matt Weinberger | July 25, 2011, 1:58pm PDT

Summary

Enter Google AdWords Express, designed to get local businesses in the US up and running with online advertising in under five minutes.

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Christopher Dawson

Vendor HotSpot

Small business owners don’t always have the time or expertise to manage their websites, let alone a web marketing campaign. Enter Google AdWords Express, designed to get local businesses in the US up and running with online advertising in under five minutes.

Google is claiming that it’s a far more streamlined experience than the usual AdWords setup process. Pop in some basic business information, create your ad, set which page you want it to point to, and you’re off to the races.

The AdWords Express algorithm will handle keywords, automatically figuring out which search queries to place ads. Otherwise, it works mostly the same as the normal AdWords offering, with ads being placed on top of search results, to the sides of the same, and on Google Maps.

Users only pay when customers click the ads, and ad display frequency is determined by your maximum daily budget - though AdWords Express is boasting additional optimization along those lines. If this piques your interest, Google has prepared a short explanatory video.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/google/google-launches-adwords-express-for-local-businesses/3159?alertspromo=&tag=nl.rSINGLE

Facebook removes Google+ ad

By Emil Protalinski | July 17, 2011, 2:02pm PDT

Summary

Facebook has removed a Google+ ad, and banned the creator from putting ads on the social network altogether.

Blogger Info

Emil Protalinski

Vendor HotSpot

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Web developer Michael Lee Johnson decided he wanted to quickly grow his number of Google+ friends. The best place to find people willing to friend you is of course Facebook, so Johnson ran a Facebook ad asking people to add him to their Circles on Google+. Facebook was not amused.

The ad was headlined “Add Michael to Google+.” It was short and to the point: “If you’re lucky enough to have a Google+ account, add Michael Lee Johnson, Internet Geek, App Developer, Technological Virtuoso.”

Facebook removed his ad, and banned him from running ads on the social network altogether. Johnson posted the following via his Google+ account (via TechCrunch):

LOL: I recently ran a Google+ advertisement on Facebook that got all of my campaigns suspended. - Great.

Facebook sent him the following message explaining why the ad was removed:

Your account has been disabled. All of your adverts have been stopped and should not be run again on the site under any circumstances. Generally, we disable an account if too many of its adverts violate our Terms of Use or Advertising guidelines. Unfortunately we cannot provide you with the specific violations that have been deemed abusive. Please review our Terms of Use and Advertising guidelines if you have any further questions.

Since Facebook doesn’t say, it’s not clear which rule – actually it could have been more than one – Johnson broke. It is worth noting, however, that the company has a Refusal of Ads clause in the Facebook Advertising Guidelines:

We may refuse ads at any time for any reason, including our determination that they promote competing products or services or negatively affect our business or relationship with our users.

There’s nothing wrong with a company having guidelines that are as beneficial to it as possible. Still, I don’t think Facebook should have killed all of Johnson’s ad campaigns.

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http://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/facebook-removes-google-ad/2212