Help Desk Hangouts: Display Network Advertising with Google AdWords

Editor’s note: Each week on the Google+ Your Business page, we’re putting you in touch with Googlers and users who can help you as a business owner get the most out of our products and features.

In our latest Help Desk Hangout On Air, we discussed advertising on the Google Display Network with Googlers Dori Storbeck, Courtney Pannell, Joanna Kim, Neil Mendelowitz, and two Top Contributors from the AdWords Community — Kim Clinkunbroomer and Theresa Zook. The group shared tips and tricks for the Display Network, and the TCs shared some of their personal experiences. If you missed it, you can watch the full hour-long Hangout on the Google Business YouTube channel (check out the video description for a minute-by-minute breakdown):

Here are a few of the questions you asked us to answer during the Hangout:

Can independent consultants take advantage of the Display Network? 
Yes, anyone can utilize the Display Network for advertising their products and services; however, whether it is right for you may depend on your specific business and your advertising goals.

Where is the Display Network available?
The Display Network is available in all countries that AdWords serves.

Which clicks are more likely to become conversions search or display?
Search and display perform very differently, depending on your overall campaign goals.

What’s more effective: automatic placements or manual?
If you’re trying to reach a specific audience or target users who demonstrate a particular interest and you have an idea of some Display Network websites where you want your ads to appear, managed placements are probably the best bet for you. If you’re just starting out with Display, we would suggest opting into automatic placements at first and then reviewing the domains you show on to further refine and optimize.

If in your industry search approximate cpc is = to display approximate cpc why would you do display?(Besides the obvious increase in potential traffic.)
The Display Network is a great way to find customers that may not be actively searching for your product. Other than potentially increasing traffic to your website, you can potentially grow your customer base and get more conversions.

Tips on how to get JPEG ads approved quickly?
Our ad review turn around time is usually 1-3 business days. If your ads are under review for more than 3 business days, please get in touch with us or submit your ads directly to our review team.

For remarketing, how do I set the ad up to show people the products they viewed but not purchased?
You can create different audience lists so that you create an audience for users who visited your product pages and users who completed a purchase. You can then create a “custom combination” list to subtract those who purchased from those who visited your pages and did not purchase.

What is the difference between topics and interest categories? How are these compiled?
Topic targeting allows you to place ads on pages directly related to the topic you've selected, whereas interest categories allow you to reach users across the Display Network who have shown specific interests, regardless of the page they're currently on.

For remarketing, would you suggest using just one method per ad group, i.e., contextual, topic, interest, managed placements, or is it OK to mix them?
Remarketing operates by showing your ads to users on your audience list, so within your ad group, the audience list should be the only targeting you have set up.

If you could only choose between search and display and the approximate cpc was the same. Which would you chose and why?
This question really depends on your business and your advertising goals. In general, we tend to see advertisers looking for more direct response focus on the Search Network, while those who are interested in branding and remarketing might want to focus on the Display Network.

Of course, if you’re interested in both, we’d recommend creating a specific campaign to target each network individually.

Any suggestions on frequency capping numbers?
When you turn on frequency capping for a campaign, you can set a limit for the number of impressions you allow an individual user to have per day, per week, or per month, and you can choose whether this is applicable to each ad, ad group, or campaign. So ultimately, the frequency capping number you select depends on your goals and the size of your advertising endeavor. Kim and Theresa suggested numbers around 5-15 impressions per day for an individual user.

I know there is a placement tool in AdWords - however it doesn’t seem to show "all" of the websites available in the network. I have found sites displaying relevant ads, but I did not find it in tool. Is there another way to identify these potential sites?
Yes! In addition to our Placement Tool, you can check the DoubleClick Ad Planner for other sites that are in the Display Network.

To learn more about how to get started with the Display Network, visit our Help Center or check out the AdWords Community forum. And remember to tune in to the live stream of our next Hangout at 11 a.m. PT Wednesday May 9 — topic to be announced on the Google+ Your Business page early next week!

Posted by Dori Storbeck and Courtney Pannell, Global Online Advertising Associates

Silent and Deadly Spring

The following e-mail was received yesterday . It relates to the proposed  tree-cutting bylaw discussion during the public planning meeting last week.

Dear Councillor Buck 

You did have a few questions so I just wanted to clarify, I want to assure you that we are committed to a healthy relationship with everyone living within our community and everyone at Beacon Hall wants to continue to make Beacon Hall a giving member of the Aurora community.  I also wanted to say that  the sight and sound of a tree falling is not something that we enjoy in any shape or form. We are trying to provide a wonderful golf experience that involves co-existing with nature. The club is a member of the Audubon Sanctuary Program and has been for the past seven years.

We are 270 acres of green space in the heart of Aurora, as for land use there are not many better environmental options. Where people can play in the outdoors amongst nature. The golf course is one giant oxygen producer and adsorbs carbon dioxide in the centre of the city. It cools temperatures, softens noise and prevents erosion.

Over time, some trees within the golf course have grown to overshadow greens, making it difficult to maintain high quality, resilient turf to support golf play.

The Club completed a science-based assessment to determine precisely which trees were impacting the ability to grow turf on the various tees and greens within the golf course. The study employed computer modeling and real time shade studies to identify trees that were specifically impacting turf growth. We did this internally to protect which trees did not need removal and precisely identify which ones did.

Turf requires specific ratios of sunlight, moisture, nutrition, etc. to remain in a good resilient state that can withstand the impacts of play. Consequently golf course must have the latitude to manage trees specifically and the landscape in general to ensure that they remain viable and successful businesses in the realm of the competitive golf marketplace. If the exemption was not in place and a course was for whatever reason not permitted to remove trees that grow very large over time and impact the quality or playability of the course, this in turn would directly impact the viability of the course as a business.

In today’s ever changing pesticide regulation laws, the Ministry of the Environment requires golf courses to use all turf management knowledge to reduce pesticide inputs. Adding sunlight and increasing airflow will have the single most significant reduction in pesticide use to grow and sustain turf.

I  want to thank you again and if there is anything I can provide the Town, I am more than happy to assist.

*******************

I received permission to share this e-mail .. Discussion on  the  blog about golf in general and clubs in particular  indicates  the subject is of  particular interest..

Other than the fact it was the first development proposal  combining  homes, a  golf course and at the time a fitness club, creating a wealthy exclusive neighbourhood, I know little about Beacon Hall. 

But it makes sense to me , people living there  would  have as much interest and likely  more, in maintaining the trees, as those living outside but on the edge.

I have not played golf in years but I  know a golf course is a beautiful place to be on a fine summer day.

 I know  space taken up by a course is not taken up with development. It may  not  be as  beneficial to our assessment  or employment base as other industries. but  the benefit of   huge acreages of  land  in  near to natural state more than offsets that disadvantage.

I  think few  residents of  Aurora would oppose a golf course in preference for  residential or industrial

development. People pay  a premium  for homes abutting golf courses. In the case of Beacon Hall, much of a forest was removed to create home sites for  people ow complaining about trees being culled on the golf course.

On a side issue, the province, under pressure,  passed legislation prohibiting the use of  herbicides  and insecticides  to maintain grass. and gardens.

 In time there will be no grass.Only weeds. It's already  a fact on town boulevards.

residents  will  turn to  hardscapes.  That's happening too. This  will increase heat in summer. 

 More people will use  air-conditioning and stay in their homes.Carbon dioxide  created will increase  the pollution index . The elderly and very young  will be advised to stay in their homes to escape the hazards of life outdoors.

Eventually trees will  no longer be planted. . Not because of the expense to plant but because  the rules make it too expensive and difficult to remove,  if it  happens  to die  from being attacked by a bug  that came from someplace else and has no  natural enemies. 

I am on a roll here.

How long  before  a bylaw infraction with a ten thousand dollar fine will discourage planting.  All  seedlings will be ruthlessly removed before they  can reach three  inches in diameter, birds will have  no sheltered  place  to nest, humans will have to live underground to escape suffocation from  heat and pollution and  health damage from radiation.   Lakes and rivers will dry up and  Schomberg clay  will turn to cement

If somebody hasn't made it already, no doubt it's a great theme for a horror movie. 

 I  already have  a great  selection of characters. 

 

  

.

NOT SO.. NOT SO

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Financial Statements Should be Public":


"...the general public who funds us, sees the same value as our patrons who use us?"


Mr Sesto, the "patrons" are members of "the general public" - there are not two distinct groups, but a contingent of the whole.


**********


Church Street School Board members and hangers-on continue to  have a problem discerning the difference between their clients  or patrons and  the general public of Aurora.

They are not the same.  Their clients and supporters come from miles around.


Critical  discernment  lies in  the source of funding.

During the board's challenge  to the town's authority,  Councillors received a deluge of e-mail admonitions  about our philistine attitude towards the arts .  More than half were from people who live miles away. All were from the Board's e-mail list.


If they were paying what it cost to provide the programs they were enjoying ,it would matter not a whit  where they came from.

If the costs ,covering rent, maintenance and  programs artists were being provided  by the Government of Ontario, it would not matter a whit where they came from in Ontario. 

If  all costs were being completely funded by the Government of Canada, it would not matter a whit whence from in Canada they  came to enjoy the extraordinary facility in Aurora. 

The difference is the funds are  being picked  out of the pockets of    Aurora property owners  by the Town of Aurora without as much as a by your leave . 

The contract was slyly advanced through the approval process with nary a word from  whatever source  to indicate how badly taxpayers were to be gouged and  exploited for the political advantage of less than a handful. 

Who are now gone and replaced with  a new group  intent in covering their  own posteriors  and stubbornly resolved not to deal with the reality of how Church Street School  was  shanghaied by shameless despots, thereby assigning  the new crop  the role of accessories after the fact.

Paul Sesto's calculation is only incorrect insofar as it assumes  users of  the facility are the same as those  paying taxes to fund the facility. 

They are not.

Psshaw...Pestilential Pirates , lily-livered scoundrels, betrayers of women and children,  the lot of them  

There Was A Glitch

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Here's Something":

It's post like this commenter's that fuel inaccurate information on the internet....

Golf courses can be commercial "if" they are public. If the course is a private club that charges dues, it is considered differently in the eyes of the government (not for profit non-share captial corporation). These organizations will have bylaws, boards of directors and annual meetings.

Public or semi-private courses are commercial activities.

The way the club has been incorporated dictates the structure. Each type of operation will have different taxation burdens.

I am curious as to why you want or care what the clubs pay in taxes. You have to remember the value is based on it's commercial value and in some cases these courses are not on prime land that can be used for anything else. They are also zoned for the use they have and re-zoning is not a painless exercise. I am sure they pay their good share.

Now....
Augusta National does not ban women. I was there last month at the Masters with 3 female members of my family and I saw a lot of females there. There has also been women playing the course. Duke University's golf team (men and women) have used the course in the past.

Augusta National however, does not allow a woman to be a member. Traditionally the CEO of IBM has been given a membership to the club. Given the rules of the club, they did not extend that to IBM's CEO. The real impact to golf is that IBM is a sponsor to PGA golf events. Augusta does not really care about their sponsorship however because they buy blocks of TV time and the event is shown without any commercials. Until you have been there, you can call it ignorant wisdom, but this is a place that is trying to retain values that this club was founded on. As a private club, they can do whatever they want in my opinion.

Women are not allowed to be members of the Royal and Ancient in Britain. They can however be a member and play the courses at St. Andrews (including the Old Course).

One thing that North Americans run into when attempting to play in Britain is that some courses (St Andrews included) require a validated handicap. Is that discriminating? It certainly keeps the hacks off the course.
***********

I didn't ignore the foregoing. I tried to publish it and for reasons unknown to me it wasn't happening.

So now you have it as a post with my apologies.

And thank you for a very informative comment
I just have one query. What were the values the Augusta  National  was founded on that compelled them to exclude women from membership?

Not that I want to join I'm just curious as to what "values" they might be.

I can think of many  woman situations where men might not be
welcome  or even want to be there. But I don't think I could  argue  them  as  a value principle.

Financial Statements Should be Public

At Tuesday;s Council-in-Committee meeting, I aske dfor the Culture Centre's   2011 Financial Statement to be published on the town's web site.

Provincial  regulations require municipal  annual audited financial statements to be published in a local newspaper.

Council were informed by e-mail a couple of weeks ago,  the  audited 2011 statement and reports had been received. Copies were attached. They would be scrutinized  and reported by the treasurer at an early opportunity.

I tried to reproduce them here but it was a task beyond my skills.

The web site is not the best means of communication. Not all citizens  have it available .

Anyway ,when I asked on Tuesday  for them to be posted ,it wasn't clear that would happen.

I pointed out  the operating funds come from  the town

The facility keeps being compared to the library.

The library budget which includes previous years spending and revenues is a public document. Library funds for operation are provided when needed.

The Culture Centre Board is incorporated  and separate from  the town.

Therein lies the problem.  The reason I do not  favour of a new contract with the Culture Centre Board. 

The purpose  of creating a arm's length body is to free that body from political interference.There's a tendency for politicians to give preferential treatment in the hopes of winning friends and influencing people.

That cannot be part of operating a facility  with a view to breaking even or  ending a year in the black.

The problem arises from  shoveling truck loads of money  at  the so-called arm's length body. charged with operating on a self-sufficient or even, dare we say it, on a profitable basis.

Itis a contradiction in terms.

It cannot be independent and self-sufficient while depending upon public funding which increases year by year, in  a rent-free building with  maintenance provided  at town expense.

The municipality cannot transfer  accountability for spending public dollars.

The library is different.  It is governed by a Library Board Act. It was originally established as part of the education system. It is long accepted  as a municipal service .

I do not agree the problem will be resolved with Council representation on the board.

 As board members, Councillors will act separately and independently from Council.

They will not report to Council. They will not be directed by Council.

The problem of absence of accountability will not be resolved.

Whatever it costs to operate the facility, Council must be accountable, Council must be responsible.

Ergo,,, as long as public financial support  is necessary to support the program at the school, public governance is required.   

The contract cannot be improved upon. It must be scrapped  and written off as a failed experiment.

Them's ma thoughts. As far as I know, I am solitary in this matter.

I believe my colleagues are hoping to come up with a solution that will please everybody.

I don't believe that's possible. I think it's time  to bite the bullet.

But  that's not going to happen  either so far as I can determine.

Not unless  people who are paying the bills have influence on  people who are making the decisions.

What Have We Here?

Teresa Latchford

May 02, 2012 - 2:22 PM

Newmarket's conduct code 'toothless': Kerwin

An issue between councillors shouldn’t be resolved with taxpayer dollars, according to Dave Kerwin.
The Ward 2 councillor plans to bring forward a motion at the next Newmarket council meeting to throw out a code of conduct bylaw that governs councillor-to-councillor complaints, rather than watch the 123 items council has to deal with in the next three months pushed aside because of complaints.
“If you have a problem with another member of council, figure it out yourself and don’t waste the taxpayers’ dollars,” he said. “Our code is toothless and a waste of time.”
The code of conduct was approved by council in 2007, but the first recorded complaint was early last year, according to an internal memo from CAO Bob Shelton to council members.
The memo goes onto say, to date, Mr. Shelton has been involved in one staff complaint against a council member and two complaints between council members, which have been resolved. One required a meeting during which Mr. Shelton and Mayor Tony Van Bynen were present, along with the two council members.
Residents have also filed complaints against council members, which have since been withdrawn. At one point, one of the resident complaints involved eight council members.
Upon legal advice, Mr. Shelton was unable to identify those accused or those filing the complaints.
“Although the number of complaints is relatively small, these matters require careful consideration and legal advice and other information gathering can be quite sensitive,” Mr. Shelton said.
As CAO, he admits it is difficult being asked to resolve conflicts between members of a council, to whom he directly reports. It also takes the CAO and another staff member away from completing their regular duties.
About 25 hours have been spent attending to these complaints and the municipality has paid external costs for legal advice, he confirmed.
While council continues to debate whether or not to approve the CAO’s request to bring in a third party, at a cost of $50,000, to deal with code of conduct complaints, it agreed any complaints between its members will be dealt with by council behind closed doors rather than by the CAO

**************************

So...let's see what we have here. 

Newmarket adopted a Code of Conduct in 2007. No Integrity Commissioner Considerable savings of public resources. .
 . 

Aurora had two Integrity Commissioners.  The second with a contract beyond  the term of  council.that cost $40,000. The first   on  retainer six months before the contract was signed . 

Then "stripped of authority" in  the time it took to file a complaint and have it dismissed as less than kosher.

 But the retainer fee would  continue according to the contract. Small things like that didn't disturb Aurora Council .2006/10

The second Commissioner dealt with two complaints filed at the same time by one of the same Councillors who signed the first complaint  against the same Councillor first  complained about . The two complaints  were  not dealt with  in accordance with any process  known to man but produced precisely  the  result paid for. Therefore he was  not  "stripped of his authority"

First Integrity Commissioner ''stripped of his authority" but not fast enough to invalidate hs first decision.. Which was , to find the complaint filed against the same Councillor by six  Councillors,  one of whom filed the  second two complaints, ..... "to be wholly political"
in nature.

In Newmarket,  minimal activity under the Code of Conduct.. Names of complainants and 
"accused"   mot revealed " upon legal advice."   Therefore  collateral damage against all parties avoided  

In Aurora , $70,000  spent on legal services   to  "investigate" a law abiding citizen and Councillor,  by a lawyer and for him to report what he perceived to be the meaning of comments and statements  made by said Councillor  and  write  the  complaint  against said Councillor, to be published  in every venue available.,. also at public expense.

Members of Newmarket Council should be directed to  read  this blog and steer  considerable more than the short distance between our  two towns,  away from an infernal code of conduct  and  costs thereof, including  clear and direct potential  for humiliating  results in the next  municipal election....no matter how far distant. 

Since when does any red-blooded  politician worth his or her salt need to avail themselves of  panty-waist  Codes of Conduct , Integrity Commissioners , lawyers and  publishers.

Duke it out  in the political  arena as Nature  and the Gods intended.

The populace will deplore it and exalt  it at the same time. 

Awareness  in the Town's affairs will be maintained at the highest level possible. 

Can that be bad?   .   

Stout Hearts and Willing Hands

I have a story to tell  today, so ridiculous ,itis not to be believed.

We have been discussing for several months  what to do, what to do, about the anticipated loss of ash trees from an infestation
 emerald ash beetles travelling north since 2002

They came from Korea in shipping ballets. First appeared in Chicago.No sure fire method of fighting off the invasion has been developed. Oakville , an area of consideable wealth, is trying something very expensive.

Worst case scenario,in a decade and a half in a gradual  pace  all ash trees may be destroyed.

Not all elm trees were destroyed by Dutch Elm Disease but most were.

Nobody knows for sure.But it's a blight alright.

The town's plan is to cut down  trees as they become infected and replace them with another species.


Acquire land and plant a nursery to have a supply of trees. They  would take seven years to mature.

The dreaded lurgy has already appeared in two trees in Aurora. 

The town has twenty three hundred ash trees in parks and boulevards. There is  no estimate of how many are on private property.

Council  already approved a staff  recommendation for a plan. problem .

The Financial officer'  advised no need to budget for the plan this year.  .

Last night we received a  new  option from staff at the request
of council on a motion from Councillor Abel. .

This is the part I am finding hard to believe. .

It's  presented as  pro-active .

Some  residents  might be  upset when they see the ash tree on the boulevard in front of their home is infested and must be removed.

The town is going to provide an  option.

If  the resident wants to  save  the tree in  the boulevard that belongs to the town, , the town will accept their funds  and try to save the tree.No guarantee mind you. We will  encourage them to spend their money to save our tree and if it dies....tough.

The pesky beetle is going to be around as long as there are ash trees. potential success of the effort is nil to zero.


But the town will offer it as a realistic option.

We  will add $136,000 to the 2012 budget to finance the plan.

Council , including the Mayor, voted for the plan at  committee last night.

Councillor Ballard was absent.

The recommendation will go forward to Council next Tuesday..

If passed we  will re-open the 2012 budget  and at a cost of  $136,000  we will  create an  illusion of stout hearts and willing hands.

Nobody even asked us to do it.

Half the Council will become  the darlings of the populace forever.

Kind of like the emerald ash borer