Yandex launches a desktop application for managing PPC campaings

Yandex.Direct, the PPC platform of Yandex, has been around since 2001 and is the oldest system of contextual ads in Russia (Google launched AdWords in Russia in 2002). Even though it displays ads to over 22 million people every day and attracts hundreds of new advertizers from Russia and overseas, the user interface is, let’s say, not the most convenient. Managing large PPC campaigns through Yandex web interface is a challenging task. But from now on it will be much easier for all search marketers. Finally Yandex launched a desktop tool for managing Yandex.Direct accounts, similar to those of Google, Bing and Yahoo!. Please meet  Direct Commander!

The tool is available for Windows and Mac, but unfortunately the user interface is in Russia only. The first version of Commander is not as powerful as AdWords Editor, but it provides all the basic options you need for day-to-day PPC optimization. With the help of Direct Commander you can easily:

- Change campaign and ad settings (targeting, budgets, alerts, site exclusion, automated campaign management features such as Autofocus etc.)

- View statistics

- Create, edit and manage ads

- Add, remove and modify keywords

- Manage your presence in Yandex Catalog

- Import data from XLS and CSV files

The interface is very convenient, in my personal opinion. Commander window is divided into 3 panels

1. Campaigns

2. Ads

3. Keywords

The panels can be minimized if needed. I really like the fact that you don’t need to switch between tabs, but can edit the campaign at all levels simultaneously.

Direct Commander window

Of course, since it is the first version, there are a lot of functions that are missing. For example, it is impossible to download campaigns into Excel. Would be also nice to have the Yandex keyword tool (Wordstat) incorporated into the tool.

I am looking forward to more features in Direct Commander, but it’s already a big improvement. The tool is going to be great help to all search engine marketers optimizing for Yandex.

Position Preference in Adwords

                                                                                           

Position preference is a feature in Adwords that allows advertisers to request that their ads are shown in a specified position for any given keyword. It is important to note that with position preference turned on, Google cannot guarantee that your ad will be shown in the preferred position 100% of the time.

Optimizing Your Keyword Ranks With Position Preference
Conversion rates can vary drastically across keyword rankings. By using the position preference option, advertisers that have identified a preferred (higher converting or more efficient) rank can set a preferential ranking in Google.

For example: if your product or service does not tend to generate an immediate conversion response, you may find that the #1 & #2 positions generate a high number of click-throughs but a relatively low number of conversions. This will undoubtedly lead to an increase in CPA. In this instance the advertiser may consider setting a position preference of (3 - 5). These settings would send a request for an ad-ranking (3-5) assuming that the ad meets auction requirements for those positions.

The key to effectively utilizing position preference lies in the advertiser’s ability to cross-reference conversion data. This can be achieved by either setting up Adwords Conversion Tracker, Google Analytics or a third party analytics solution. In the early stages of testing, advertisers should monitor their performance as it pertains to their original ad rankings. This should act as a benchmark, followed by testing ads at different ranking ranges.

How to Enable Position Preference
1. Login to your Adwords account.
2. On the Campaign Summary page, select the box to the left of any campaigns you want to enable for position preference.
3. Click Edit Settings.
4. Find the Networks and bidding section.
5. Under Options, select the box next to 'Position preferences.'
6. Click Save Changes.

What Are The Position Preference Options?
There is a wide range of position preference options in Adwords.
- Higher than a given position (such as above 7)
- Lower than a given position (such as below 4)
- Within a range of positions (such as from 2 - 8)
- In a single exact position (such as position 2)

Does Position Preference Always Work?
The short answer is no, the top limit cannot be guaranteed, "...if there are 10 people with position preference turned on, and their top position is all 4, then if Google followed that ad serving plan, there would be 0 ads as no one wanted the top 3 spots. The bottom limit of position preference is a hard limit - the upper limit might not be."

While this example is an extreme case, it highlights the point that position preference allows advertisers to set a preferred position and that said position cannot be guaranteed.