Google Advertising Tools: Cashing in with AdSense, AdWords, and the Google APIs (Paperback)

by Harold Davis (Author)
Key Phrases: affiliate aggregator, client manager account, money with advertising, Visual Studio, Traffic Estimator, Ads Diagnostic Tool (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
When it comes to advertising on the web, you just can't argue with the numbers. A $7 billion market today is expected to grow to $18.9 billion by 2010. Jupiter Research also estimates that search advertising will be a larger share of the market than display advertising by 2010. These phenomenal numbers are due largely to Google, which has changed the way the world publishes content - and advertises.

"Google Advertising Tools" from O'Reilly examines the business and technology behind making money with content and advertising on the web. This focused, easy-to-read guide shows you how to use Google's advertising services to make it happen. You'll find all the background information you need to work with Google AdSense, which automatically delivers text and image ads that are precisely targeted to your site, and Google AdWords, which lets you generate text ads that accompany specific search term results.

This book has specific and detailed sections on:

Turning your web site into a profit center with AdSense

Making sense of AdSense metrics

Driving traffic to your site

Optimizing sites for search engine placement

Working with AdWords campaigns, auctions, and reports

Managing campaigns dynamically using the AdWords APIs

Once you've read all four parts, you'll have a comprehensive picture of how advertising works on the web and how you can use the Google advertising programs to your advantage.

About the Author
Harold Davis is a strategic technology consultant, hands-on programmer, and author of many well-known books. He's also a popular speaker at trade shows and conventions, giving presentations on topics ranging from digital photography to wireless networking, web services, and programming methodologies. Books include: "Building Research Tools For Google for Dummies" (Wiley), "Learn How to Program Using Any Web Browser" (Apress), "Red Hat Linux 9: Visual QuickPro Guide", and "Visual Basic .NET: Visual QuickStart Guide" (both Peachpit Press). Harold has served as a consultant for investment funds, technology companies, and Fortune 500 corporations. In recent years, he has been VP of Strategic Development at YellowGiant Corporation, a company providing infrastructure for Internet marketing, Chief Technology Officer at a CRM analytics startup, a Technical Director at Vignette Corporation, a leader in customer-centric content management, and a Principal in the enterprise consulting practice at Informix Software.

Product Details

• Paperback: 366 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.; illustrated edition edition (January 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596101082
• ISBN-13: 978-0596101084
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #186,421 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Though not groundbreaking, a comprehensive and current reference on marketing your site through Google, August 27, 2006

By	Manny Hernandez "Author of Ning For Dummies" (Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

Harold Davis has not necessarily broken new ground with his "Google Advertising Tools" book. Yet, he's managed to put together a volume that summarizes effectively the basics of SEO and how to structure your site to maximize return on investment as a lead into Google Advertising at large. Starting with Google AdSense (placing Google Ads in your site), he works his way into AdWords (buying pay-per-click keyword-based ads) to wrap the book up with a detail discussion about the APIs offered by Google if developing tools to maximize your overall use of Google's interface and options is up your alley.

If you are new to the field of SEO, this is a nice introduction. If you are experienced with the ins and outs of pay-per-click campaigns or optimizing your site for Search Engines to crawl through it, you are still bound to find a few new useful elements. In any case, I highly recommend it as a comprehensive and current reference on marketing your site through Google.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book for AdSense users, March 8, 2006

By	Jack D. Herrington "engineer and author" (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I disagree with the commenter who said that there was nothing beyond the FAQ in this book. This book is sorely needed. The documentation on Google is rugged and the interface to the AdSense application is tough to use and understand. This book is well written, gives practical examples, and makes good use of screenshots to illustrate workflow. I recommend this book to AdSense users at any level.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book that pays for itself rather quickly..., March 16, 2006

By	Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

If you're interested in monetizing the content in your blog or website, it's worth reading this book to see how it's done... Google Advertising Tools by Harold Davis.

Content:
Part 1 - Making Money with Your Website: Build It and They Will Come - Creating Popular Web Sites; Driving Traffic to Your Site; Optimizing Sites for Search Engine Placement; Making Money with Affiliate Programs; CPC Advertising; Profiting from Adult Sites
Part 2 - Getting the Most from AdSense: Understanding Google, AdSense, and AdWords; Working with AdSense; Making Sense of AdSense
Part 3 - Working with AdWords: Using AdWords; Improving Campaign and Ad Group Performance; AdWords Reporting and Conversion Tracking
Part 4 - Using the AdWords APIs: Understanding the AdWords API; Programming the AdWords API; Navigating the AdWords Objects Hierarchy; Keyword Estimation
Glossary; Index

When I first started reading this book, I was a little surprised at the title. In Part 1, the author covers much more than just Google's revenue opportunities. He talks about the different associate programs like Amazon (which I participate in), and I was picking up quite a bit of information on how the whole web advertising model works. But then starting in Part 2 and beyond, he focuses directly on the Google platform, and how you can implement AdSense (which I also participate in) and AdWords on your site to drive traffic and/or generate revenue. Many of the abbreviations common to advertising (like CPC) were a bit foreign to me, but after this material I now have a much better understanding of what's going on. If I were counting on my blog to generate substantial revenue, this information would be invaluable to me. And if I were an advertiser looking at AdWords, I wouldn't venture into the water without this book. Serious, solid information that can offer you a real return on investment on your book-buying dollar...