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Yahoo has just announced the launch of My Display Ads, a self-service display ad solution aimed to assist small and medium-sized businesses to put their ad campaigns on Yahoo’s content network.

Yahoo! My Display Ads allows small businesses to build on their search marketing with display campaigns that reach a targeted audience on some of the Internet’s most popular websites,” said Joanne Bradford, senior vice president North America Revenue and Market Development, Yahoo!.

Yahoo! My Display Ads is an extension of a limited program Yahoo! and AdReady offered to a number of managed Yahoo! Small Business customers last year. Through this program, advertisers – such as Klaussnerhome, a local furniture store based in Greensboro, North Carolina – have tested the offering, experiencing positive results. Klaussnerhome, which previously relied heavily on traditional advertising mediums recently tested Yahoo! My Display Ads to promote its annual Memorial Day sale in Greensboro and the surrounding area.

My Display Ads is a collaboration between Yahoo and Ad Ready. It was an extension of a limited program which Yahoo! and AdReady offered to a number of  Yahoo! Small Business customers last year. The said program was proven to yield positive results for these small businesses  and Yahoo is offering it to other small businesses and enterprises.

My Display Ads will not only make it easy for small businesses to advertise on Yahoo but more importantly costs of running ads will be very affordable for small businesses.

Advertisers can choose between CPM or CPC-based pricing.  They can also use the programs ad tracking service for managing their ad campaigns and ad performance goals.

In addition, advertisers will have access to more than 800 templates which they can use for their ad campaigns.

Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal.

Yahoo Rolls Out Self-Service Display Ads

I feel kinda stupid. Either I didn’t read the AdWords Help on Ad Serving settings closely enough (again), or AdWords made something super non-intuitive (AGAIN). More likely, a little of both. I’m sure someone in the comments will tell me they already knew this LOL

When you create an AdWords campaign, you can edit the Ad Serving setting to rotate or optimize the ad distribution.

I thought that meant I could control whether the ads were given equal impressions. Not true, it turns out.

The insight given to me by one of our dedicated AdWords reps today is this:

Even when ad serving is set to Rotate, Ad Rank determines number of impressions.

Ad Rank can vary from ad to ad, because

• Different ads cause different CTR with the same keywords,
• Quality Score (QS) is largely determined by CTR, and
• Ad Rank is the product of Bid * QS…

…so every ad has a different Ad Rank.

The Factors That Determine The Outcome of Auctions

I had already watched Chief Nerd Hal Varian’s video (Just kidding, Hal! You are the coolest nerd at Google, and nerds are awesome) on the ad auction twice. I guess I should have watched it thrice. Now I have:

Introduction to the Google Ad Auction

Still, he leaves out the ad auction -> impression relationship in this video.

The Rotate Ad Serving Setting: Myth and Truth

To clarify, here’s a chart of the misconception some of you may have shared with me, compared to the actual, real, true truth.

All of this happens when you notice that your AdWords ads are getting different Served percentages. Click that link to read more from AdWords help about it- you want to read part I.

Ad Serving Setting and Impression Share

• If you have it set to optimize, the better Ad Rank show will show more often, and you’ll win more auctions and get more impressions.
• Even your campaign is set to rotate ads, the overall lower Ad Rank can give you fewer impressions. Using the rotate setting can lower impression share.
• An ad with a lower quality score would get fewer impressions because it would show off the first page more often. Even when average position is fairly high (1-4), that’s still an average; sometimes the ad could be showing on the second page or lower.

Hmm… Let’s Read This More Closely

Ha now I see it says ”more evenly”. That makes more sense now. I feel truthier. I hope you feel more truthier, too!

Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal.

Surprise! AdWords Ad-Serving Myth-Busting

newegg.com offers the Rosewill 3.5″ Dual-Bay USB 2.0 Storage Enclosure, model no. R2-JBOD, for $49.99 with free shipping. While that’s $10 over our mention from three weeks ago, since expired, it’s the lowest total price we could find by $10. This 2-bay enclosure can be configured as JBOD or BIG and features a 50mm cooling fan.

The HP Home & Home Office Store offers the HP Pavilion dvt3 Intel Core 2 Duo 2GHz 13.3″ Widescreen Notebook, model no. NH680AV, for $699.99 with free shipping via the directions below. Although that’s $36 over our mention earlier this month (which included a better battery, but no Bluetooth), since expired, it’s still the lowest total price we could find for this configuration. Sales tax is added where applicable. It features an Intel Pentium Core 2 Duo T6400 2GHz processor, 13.3″ 1280×800 LED-backlit widescreen LCD, 3GB RAM, 320GB hard drive, Blu-ray reader / DVD burner, Bluetooth, 802.11g wireless, webcam, and Windows Vista Home Premium. To get this deal:

1. Click here to start and select the top “Customize and Buy” button
2. choose “Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T6400 (2.0GHz)
3. choose “FREE Upgrade to 3GB DDR2 System Memory…”
4. choose “FREE Upgrade to 320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive …”
5. choose “Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer”
6. choose “Wireless-G Card with Bluetooth”
7. apply coupon code “NB2556″

iCraveit.com offers the refurbished LG HBM-760 Bluetooth Headset to $8.95. With shipping at $4.95, it’s the lowest total price we’ve seen for this headset since February when it was $1 less. Features include up to six hours of talk time, voice dialing, echo cancellation, and more. Deal ends June 23.

A 30-day warranty applies, although it’s unclear who supports it.

dealcoupon has additional new coupons not listed above from these merchants:
JCPenney,
Best Buy,
Target,
Restaurant.com,
Dell Home,
American Eagle Outfitters,
Kohls,
Adobe,
Shop4Tech,
RalphLauren,
OldNavy,
Wine.com,
Shoebuy,
Kodak Gallery,
Urban Outfitters,
jcrew,
Wet Seal,
PacSun,
Lenovo,
Diapers,
Jerry’s Artarama,
Nautica,
Reebok,
Vitalicious.com,
and The Knot Wedding Shop.
Click a merchant’s name to see them.

Amazon.com offers the Wahl 27-Piece Deluxe Chrome Pro Clipper with Multi-Cut Trimmer Kit, model no. 79524-1001, for $26.40 via the directions below. With free shipping, that’s $5 under our April mention and the lowest total price we could find by $20.

This complete haircutting kit includes a multi-cut corded clipper, battery-operated S-Trimmer, and several clipper attachments and accessories. Offer ends June 30. To get this deal:

1. Add the Wahl 27-Piece Deluxe Chrome Pro Clipper w/ Trimmer Kit to your cart for $41.40
2. apply coupon code “WAHLJUN9″ to cut it to $31.40
3. use this $5 mail-in rebate to further chop it $26.40
4. Update: It’s moved to “More Buying Choices” on the right, shipping in 3 to 6 weeks

6th Avenue Electronics offers the Koss Portable DVD Headphone Kit, model no. PDVDKIT, for $28.52 with free shipping. Coupon code “AFL5″ cuts it to $27.09. That’s $2 off and the lowest total price we could find. Features include frequency response of 80-20,000Hz, flat-folding over-the-head design, 4-foot cord with 3.5mm plug, Y-adapter, and more.

Skechers.com cuts 50% off select men’s and women’s shoes and apparel via coupon code “APPAREL50″. That’s the best percent-off discount we’ve seen from Skechers this month. Plus, get free shipping when you sign up for the free Skechers VIP Email Club; otherwise, it starts at $8.50. Notables, after extra discount:

• Skechers Women’s Charcoal Heart Shirt for $9.50
• Skechers Men’s Bird Of Prey Tee Shirt for $12
• Skechers Men’s Spirit Of Sole Tee Shirt for $12
• Skechers Women’s Flowerchild Sweat Pants for $19.50
• Skechers Men’s Vintage Crest Hoodie (pictured) for $19.50
• browse all Skechers shoes and apparel (click the banner at the bottom of the page)

TechOnWeb.com offers the D-Link SecuriCam Wireless Internet Camera, model no. DCS-920, for $89.68 plus free shipping. This $20 mail-in rebate knocks the price to $69.68. That ties our February mention as the lowest total price we could find, this time by $5. This security camera connects to your wired or 802.11g wireless network to provide remote monitoring over the Internet. Rebate ends June 30.