Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Googland

Googland

[G] Introducing Enhanced Ad Sitelinks

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 06:44 PM PST

Inside AdWords: Introducing Enhanced Ad Sitelinks

We've talked before about how useful ad sitelinks can be. They give users more options, and deliver advertisers more clicks. On average, the clickthrough rate is 30% higher for ads with sitelinks than those without. And we've continued experimenting with new ways to make sitelinks even better. Today, we're taking the covers off one of our strongest performing experiments. It works by incorporating text from ads in your account that are related to your sitelinks. The easiest way to understand things is with an example:

Say you've created sitelinks for your pizza restaurant campaign, and your ad displays sitelinks as shown here:


Now, let's say your account also includes the following text ads:


With this enhancement, your ad could now look like this:



To be eligible, your ad with sitelinks must show above Google search results and your account must contain active ads closely related to the sitelinks in your campaign.

In testing, people reported that ads with enhanced sitelinks were more useful and relevant. And clickthrough rates were significantly higher than the same ad with traditional 2- and 3-line sitelinks.

If you're not already using ad sitelinks and would like to get started, please visit the AdWords Help Center.

Posted by David Ganzhorn, Senior Software Engineer and Ramakrishnan Kandhan, Software Engineer
URL: http://adwords.blogspot.com/2012/02/introducing-enhanced-ad-sitelinks.html

[G] PUMA Kicks Up Order Rate 7% with Insights from Google Analytics and Viget

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 06:44 PM PST

Google Analytics Blog: PUMA Kicks Up Order Rate 7% with Insights from Google Analytics and Viget

Google Analytics has a network of Certified Partners around the globe who provide valuable technical and analytical services, but I often get asked about the impact of their work. To that end, we help our partners publish case studies to showcase their best projects, and we're featuring these studies in a series of posts in the coming months.



PUMA is a highly recognizable and well-respected sport/lifestyle company. They have a global audience and a world-class website, but still they strive to beat their own records. They know the best athletes use data and strict regimens to improve their performance, so applied the same concepts to their website with great results.



PUMA had a few strategic goals. They wanted to measure all engaging elements of their dynamic website, beyond just simple pageviews. They also wanted their site to be optimized for each key region around the world. Finally, they wanted to improve ecommerce conversion rates across the board.




   









Using Google Analytics, and with the help of Viget Labs - a Google Analytics Certified Partner based in Washington, DC - PUMA implemented a robust measurement strategy, including the use of Event Tracking to capture how visitors engaged with the dynamic parts of their website. They then set up website optimization tests to inform improved website design leading to a higher conversion rate. Viget also suggested they use Google Analytics Custom Variables to segment their customers from each test variation. 




Working with Viget and Google Analytics, PUMA has gained a detailed understanding of visitor behavior, enabling them to optimize their entire web site experience. Being customer focused and improving their digital experience translated into considerable gains in revenue. Check out the full case study of their experience here: PUMA Kicks Up Order Rate 7% with Insights from Google Analytics and Viget


















PUMA's team were extremely pleased with the business impact and we're delighted Google Analytics could help them. You can read what their Head of Digital Strategy thought of the project:



"Google Analytics lets us help our customers. We've seen some spectacular results working with Viget, and we're thrilled with GA as a tool. For every decision we've faced, GA's been there to answer the call." — Jay Basnight, Head of Digital Strategy, PUMA



Improvements like this aren't just limited to big global brands, businesses of all sizes can take advantage of these features with Google Analytics if they're willing to plan their web analytics strategy around business goals. If you feel like Google Analytics isn't helping to drive more revenue for your business, you may want to re-assess your analytics strategy. If you don't know where to begin, you might benefit from a consultation with a Google Analytics Certified Partner.



Let us know in the comments what your biggest challenges are and we'll run a series of guest posts from our partner network to share advice on the most popular topics.



Posted by Jesse Nichols, Google Analytics Partner Manager


URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/tRaA/~3/SrkFG83g2ko/puma-kicks-up-order-rate-7-with.html

[G] Music Tuesday: Live music, original music channels and more

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 06:44 PM PST

YouTube Blog: Music Tuesday: Live music, original music channels and more


We've quite the week of music ahead of us on YouTube, including two live performances and a new selection of channels bringing you closer to the music you love.



Jason Mraz and Sleigh Bells live

It's February 14 and Jason Mraz wants to be your Valentine. He'll be dropping into YouTube's New York HQ to perform a selection of his favorite love songs as part of the YouTube Presents series. Tune in at 1:30pm PT.


And there's more! Brooklyn-based noise pop duo Sleigh Bells have been wowing audiences with their debut album Treats and live performances. We'll be giving you a front row seat at their show this Friday night at Terminal 5 in NYC.  Catch them on the new Bowery Presents YouTube Channel at 7:30pm PT. And speaking of the Bowery Presents channel...



Noisey, Pitchfork and Bowery come to YouTube

In October, we told you even more great folks were coming to YouTube, and we've already seen new channels from areas like action sports, education and autos. Over the next months we'll be introducing you to the new kids on the YouTube music block and highlighting our favorite shows. To get you started, check-out three new channels entering the world this week, bringing you exclusive performances, behind-the-scenes interviews, news and entertainment.



Vice's Noisey YouTube Channel lets music fans watch live music, follow the bands they love, and discover the artists who are on the rise — all with that unmistakable Vice feeling. We're already digging the acerbic reviews from Record Store Dude.




.


Since 2008,  Pitchfork.tv, has produced award-winning video, documenting independent music as it happened. Beginning February 17, they bring a host of new shows exclusively on their YouTube channel, including Pitchfork Weekly, +1 and Sixty Seconds Left, featuring 1-minute snapshots of artists doing crazy things.







Along with live broadcasts from Bowery's iconic venues, the new Bowery Presents YouTube Channel will be be a hub for music films and intimate acoustic performances from the industry's leading and emerging artists.




 


If you like any of these channels, subscribe so you can get all their new videos and updates on your homepage, and see even more tunes on the YouTube music page.



Tim Partridge, music marketing manager, recently watched "Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance WIth Somebody."


URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/youtube/PKJx/~3/umU-gJ_OaCU/music-tuesday-live-music-original-music.html

[G] Google Public DNS: 70 billion requests a day and counting

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 06:44 PM PST

Official Google Blog: Google Public DNS: 70 billion requests a day and counting

We launched Google Public DNS in December 2009 to help make the web faster for everyone. Today, we're no longer an experimental service. We're the largest public DNS service in the world, handling an average of more than 70 billion requests a day.

DNS acts like the phone book of the Internet. If you had to look up hundreds or thousands of phone numbers every day, you'd want a directory that was fast, secure and correct. That's what Google Public DNS provides for tens of millions of people.

Google Public DNS has become particularly popular for our users internationally. Today, about 70 percent of its traffic comes from outside the U.S. We've maintained our strong presence in North America, South America and Europe, and beefed up our presence in Asia. We've also added entirely new access points to parts of the world where we previously didn't have Google Public DNS servers, including Australia, India, Japan and Nigeria.

Shortly after launch, we made a technical proposal for how public DNS services can work better with some kinds of important web hosts (known as content distribution networks, or CDNs) that have servers all of the world. We came up with a way to pass information to CDNs so they can send users to nearby servers. Our proposal, now called "edns-client-subnet," continues to be discussed by members of the Internet Engineering Task Force. While we work with the IETF, other companies have started experimenting with implementing this proposal.

We've also taken steps to help support IPv6. On World IPv6 Day, we announced our IPv6 addresses: 2001:4860:4860::8888 and 2001:4860:4860::8844 to supplement our original addresses, 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.

Google Public DNS's goal is simple: making the web—really, the whole Internet!—faster for our users. If you'd like to try it yourself, please see our page Using Google Public DNS. For more information, please see our Introduction to Google Public DNS and Frequently Asked Questions.

Posted by Jeremy K. Chen, Ph.D, software engineer, Google Public DNS
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/google-public-dns-70-billion-requests.html

[G] Roses are red, violets are blue...here are some Valentine’s Day tips for you

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 06:44 PM PST

Official Google Blog: Roses are red, violets are blue...here are some Valentine's Day tips for you

It's Valentine's Day, and all you need is love.

Well, maybe you need a few more things.

This year, lovebirds in the U.S. are pulling out all the stops and are expected to hit a 10-year spending high on romantic goods. Whether you're looking for a box of chocolates or buying a diamond ring, we've taken notes on how Google can turn any last-minute Cupid into a polished Romeo. Think of us as Cyrano de Bergerac, whispering words of wisdom in your ear for dishes, dates and romantic inspiration.

Sweets for a sweetie
They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Searches for [valentine's day dinner], [valentine's day recipes], [romantic dinner] and [romantic recipes] ramp up at the start at February, hitting their peak on the 14th.


If you're whipping up a homemade treat, you can use Google Recipe view to search for thousands of heart-shaped cookie recipes, and tailor the ingredients (and the calorie count) for the best fit.

If you're not a maestro in the kitchen yet, we can help. Peruse some trendy dishes and learn how to cook from YouTube's Next Chefs, who have created a highlight reel of their best aphrodisiacs. We're not playing favorites, but we do love the Sweetest Vegan's red velvet beet cupcakes, which will come in handy for many couples—searches for [vegan valentines] have more than tripled since 2006.

Don't know a truffle from a trifle? Then let a professional handle the meal. If you haven't booked a table yet, you're not alone: searches for [valentines day reservations] typically peak on February 9 and remain high through the holiday. For ideas, check out Zagat's recommendations for romantic hotspots in your neighborhood. A word to the wise, though: If you're planning on popping the question on Valentine's Day, avoid dining out, as 69 percent of those surveyed in Zagat's recent Valentine's Day Survey feel that restaurant proposals are "cheesy."

Perfect planners and last-minute cupids
Women have a head start on the menfolk when it comes to Valentine's Day gifts, searching earlier (and more often) than their male counterparts—about 160 percent more since January.


The staple romantic gifts haven't lost their appeal. Searches for [jewelry gifts] have grown over 10 percent, searches for [flower delivery] have increased nearly 20 percent, and searches for [couples massage] have jumped nearly 50 percent over last Valentine's Day.

To impress, some folks are thinking outside the (heart-shaped) box. For the daring, create your own [valentines scavenger hunt]—searches are up more than 20 percent from last year. Or, add a personal touch—searches for [personalized valentines day gifts] are up over 20 percent compared to last year and searches for [homemade valentines gift] are up over 60 percent since last year. The last-minute lovers don't have to despair, though. Visit Google Shopping to find gift ideas and filter results to see which items are in stock nearby.

Celebrating solo
Celebrating Valentine's Day solo doesn't mark you as a Miss (or Mr.) Lonelyhearts. Instead, treat yourself to a night on the town. View interactive results for nearby movie showtimes on your mobile phone, and know that if you indulge your inner cynic by skipping the rom com and catching a horror film, you won't be alone: in the past 30 days, searches for [horror movie] are 230 percent higher than searches for [romantic movie].

Vive la romance
Everyone loves a fairytale ending, so let's wrap up with two final ways to make your heart grow two sizes too big today. For a close-up look at romance at its finest, check out the "Awww: Romantic Proposals" YouTube Slam. Vote for your favorite mushy, creative, artistic, or—in one case—magic proposal.

Finally, today's homepage doodle gives a nod to love, both young and old. Though "Cold, Cold Heart" plays in the background, we bet yours will warm just a bit.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Posted by Jim Lecinski, Vice President, U.S. Sales

(Cross-posted on the Inside Search blog)
URL: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/roses-are-red-violets-are-bluehere-are.html

[G] Google Code-in 2011 Grand Prize Winners... the envelope please!

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 06:44 PM PST

Google Open Source Blog: Google Code-in 2011 Grand Prize Winners... the envelope please!







We are delighted to announce the grand prize winners of Google Code-in 2011, a contest designed to introduce pre-university students (age 13-17) to the world of open source software development. Congratulations to all 542 students from 56 countries who completed an impressive 3,054 tasks in the contest. All students who participated will receive a t-shirt and a certificate for their participation in the contest. Those students who successfully completed 3 or more tasks will be receiving a small monetary prize as well.



And the 10 grand prize winners are... (in alphabetical order by first name)



Aaron S. - United States

Abhishek A. - India

Aneesh D. - India

Cheng S. - United Kingdom

Edward W. - Canada

Gaurav N. - India

Gautam G. - India

Laurentiu I. - Romania

Oana S. - Romania

Shitiz G. - India



These 10 pre-university students completed an impressive 449 tasks during the eight week contest period. The grand prize winners will be flown to Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California in early June along with a parent or legal guardian for a four night trip. During the trip they will have an awards ceremony, an opportunity to meet with Google engineers, and enjoy a fun day exploring San Francisco.



Thank you to all of the students, mentors, organization administrators and the many IT teachers who encouraged their students to learn more about the world of open source.



By Stephanie Taylor, Open Source Programs




URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GoogleOpenSourceBlog/~3/XNeemmSYPYM/google-code-in-2011-grand-prize-winners.html

[G] Map your campus and win: Announcing the first Map your University competition

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 06:33 AM PST

Google Lat Long: Map your campus and win: Announcing the first Map your University competition


Have you ever wished you knew the most direct route from your dormitory to your geography class across campus? Do you want a great way to help your roommate finally discover the library before midterms? Now is the perfect time to form a team and ensure that your university map is up to date using Google Map Maker. Today we're kicking off the first ever Map your University 2012 competition for the United States and Canada!

From February 13th until March 9th, 2012, Google invites students studying in the United States and Canada to become local experts by updating and adding detail to their campus maps for viewing in Google Maps and Google Earth. Adding everything from walking paths to university buildings to local businesses will help students and visitors alike when trekking across your college grounds. Winning teams will be selected based on the thoroughness and accuracy of mapping in and around campus, and a brief personal statement. Fabulous prizes include Android tablets and phones, GPS devices, Google Map Maker messenger bags, t-shirts, and more!

The beautifully mapped University of California Berkeley Campus, completed by participants in the 2011 US Map Maker Roadshow.

Many university students around the world are already hard at work mapping their schools. UC Berkeley, pictured above, was among 18 universities that participated in the 2011 US Map Maker Roadshow, as was Lehman College, where students mapped almost their entire campus in one day! Over 700 attendees across the country participated in hands-on mapping workshops and mini-competitions with the help of Google's Student Ambassador Program.

Now it's your chance to make your university shine for all the world to see on Google Maps and Google Earth. For more information about how this powerful tool works, rules and registration, be sure to visit the contest homepage. The winning team will be announced in early April. Good luck, and happy mapping!

Posted by Catherine Moats, Community Manager, Google Map Maker
URL: http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2012/02/map-your-campus-and-win-announcing.html

[G] Connect with people and places you love this Valentine’s Day

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 06:33 AM PST

Google Lat Long: Connect with people and places you love this Valentine's Day

(Cross posted on the Official Google Blog)

A few months ago we shared an engagement story about a Google engineer who used Google Maps to help coordinate an elaborate proposal to his girlfriend. It served as a great example of how Google Maps can be more than just a handy tool for directions; it can help connect you to the places and people you love.

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, we were once again reminded of the unifying power of maps through our ongoing work with one of America's most famous malls, Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. We recently collaborated with Mall of America to conveniently bring its indoor floor plans and My Location information to Android mobile users. As the largest indoor retail space in the United States—complete with a theme park and aquarium—finding your way around Mall of America can be challenging. So we mapped it, enabling you to quickly and easily see where you are and what's around you from the palm of your hand.

Check out the video below to see how the enormous Mall of America can be scaled down to a romantic setting for two.



Whether it's through a customized scavenger hunt, search results for a local store with the perfect gift or the best directions to get to your date on time, we hope Google Maps helps you navigate your way to a wonderful Valentine's Day.

Posted by David Kim, Product Marketing Manager, Google Maps
URL: http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2012/02/connect-with-people-and-places-you-love.html

[G] Introducing alerts in DFP

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 06:32 AM PST

DoubleClick Publisher Blog: Introducing alerts in DFP

Preventing delivery issues before they happen can be a time consuming and manual process.

To make this process easier for publishers, and to help ensure you know when something happens that involves one of your orders or line items, we're excited to introduce account alerts in DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP).

Alerts will notify you when any of your line items:
  • is starting soon and missing creatives
  • is not meeting its delivery goal 
  • contains creatives that have been disabled because malware was detected
The alerts area in the top-right of your account will contain a summary of your recent alerts, and you can take action on each alert right from the notifications menu so you can quickly resolve the issue.

Alerts compliment the order and line item tables which provide a complete overview of your ad operations, including order readiness, delivery status, and inventory revenue performance. You can easily sort line items by delivery status as well as show line items that are starting soon. The color coded delivery bars can help you easily identify line item pacing information, including line items that are at risk of over or under delivering.


With these tools in-hand, we hope we can help you catch and fix any delivery issues before they happen.

Posted by Alex Anikul and Jeff Drost, Software Engineers
URL: http://doubleclickpublishers.blogspot.com/2012/02/introducing-alerts-in-dfp.html
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