In a word (or three): not so good. Thanks to Brad Geddes at AdAnalysis, both for being brave enough to run a test and for sharing the results.
As you might expect, Google aced it in getting great clickthrough rates for the automated ads it thinks relevant to a website and campaign. But conversion rates? Cost per Acquisition? Well, what were you expecting? Heaven on a stick?
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Google Signals: Cross-device marketing gets easier
If you’ve logged into your Google Analytics account recently, you may have seen an alert that cross-device reporting is available should you wish to activate it.
Not seen the alert? Don’t worry, this feature (called Google Signals) is still in beta testing but is gradually rolling out to all Google Analytics accounts.
Signals aims to help you track customers and market to them, recognising them even as they use different devices.
Activate Signals and you’ll be able to report on cross-device user journeys and remarket across devices to signed-in Google users.
Find out more…
Only A Third Of Google AMP Publishers See Traffic Boost
Google AMP was supposed to help publishers deal with slow-loading mobile web pages and boost consumption of articles on phones when it rolled out almost three years ago.
But a recent survey of 159 publishers reveals only one-third saw a traffic boost from using AMP. Compounding this issue has been the limited ability to monetise AMP content. As a result, some publishers, like The Daily Beast which adopted AMP in September 2017, are evaluating whether they’ll continue to use AMP.
Is Advertising Obsolete?
A thought provoking article by a law professor who argues against the manipulative power of advertising. Power magnified by Google and Facebook who have invested billions turning the internet into a vast infrastructure of persuasion.
His view is that if Russian agents could use this infrastructure to alter the outcome of a U.S. presidential election, it's equally credible that the largest advertisers can use it every day to their own ends, inducing consumers to buy products that they don’t want.
