Google AdWords FAQ: Transitioning from Sprinks to Google AdWords™
Welcome to the Sprinks-Google AdWords™ transition
FAQ page, where you can learn more about Google's acquisition of
Sprinks and how to start advertising with AdWords. While you transition,
you may need assistance from our customer support teams. Please send
an email to the appropriate team depending on your program-specific
concerns:
- For questions about setting up an AdWords account email AdWords
Customer Support at adwords-support@google.com
- For questions about your Sprinks account email Sprinks
Customer Care at support@sprinks.com (available
only until Nov 7)
Transitioning from Sprinks to Google AdWordsAdvertising with Google AdWords
- Did Google acquire Sprinks?
- Why should I join Google AdWords?
- How does Google AdWords compare to Sprinks?
- How do I transition if I already have an AdWords account?
- How do I transition if I don't already have an AdWords account?
- How do I set up my account using keywords?
- How can I continue running ads on sites in the Sprinks ad network?
- How much will it cost to get started on Google AdWords?
- What is the minimum bid for Google AdWords?
- What are my AdWords billing options?
- How long will it take for my ads to appear?
- Where will my ads appear via the Google Ad Network?
- Does Google have advertising guidelines?
- Can I upload large quantities of keywords and ad text?
- How can I reach the Google AdWords customer support team?
| Transitioning from Sprinks to Google AdWords |
- Did Google acquire Sprinks?
Yes. On Friday, October 24th, 2003, Google™ became the exclusive provider of search and contextually targeted advertising across About.com and most of PRIMEDIA's Consumer Media and Magazines Group ("CMMG") websites. Under the terms of the partnership, Sprinks, a division of Primedia, was acquired by Google.
- Why should I join Google AdWords?
More than 200 million times a day, people use Google and its ad network sites to find what they're looking for. With Google AdWords you can make sure they find what you're selling. Create your own ads, choose keywords specific to your business, tell us where to show your ads, and pay only when someone clicks on them.
We encourage you to join Google AdWords and take advantage of our technologically innovative and effective online advertising program. Google AdWords gives you control, success, and support – everything you need for the quality advertising experience your business expects.
Learn more:
AdWords program advantages
Take a quick tour of the AdWords program
Get started now
- How does Google AdWords compare to Sprinks?
Google AdWords offers many of the same features you're used to, as well as additional benefits such as Google's own extensive search and content advertising network (which includes AOL). This means that you'll be able to show your ads on a network well beyond your previous audience with Sprinks.
Additional differences between AdWords and Sprinks that you can benefit from are:
- No monthly minimum, $5.00 activation fee
- Nearly immediate ad posting
- Daily budget limits per campaign
- Reports updated throughout the day
- Country targeting (250+), language targeting (14), regional targeting (200+ states & DMA regions)
- Free conversion/ROI tracking
For a look at how AdWords stacks up against the average cost-per-click program, click here. For a feature comparison of Sprinks and Google, please review the table below.
Program Comparison Chart
Features Sprinks Google Cost Control Payments Pre-pay, $50 minimum Pay after users click on your ads, no monthly minimum, $5.00 activation fee Cost per click pricing Distinct bidding Set CPCs at keyword level Account Management Budget controls Manually add funds to account Daily budget limits per campaign Reporting updates Reports updated every 24 hrs Reports updated throughout the day Pause and opt out controls Pause/suspend content listings Pause ads and search/content network targeting at any time Ads Timeline to get ads live 3-Day review process Ads go live nearly immediately on Google.com Ad copy Distinct ad copy Multiple, customizable ads Advertising Guidelines Sprinks Listing Rules AdWords Editorial Guidelines carefully developed to help you create successful campaigns Advertising Audience Country targeting None Country targeting (250+) Language targeting None Language targeting (14) Regional targeting LocalSprinks Regional targeting (200+ states & DMA Regions) Network of Sites PRIMEDIA sites including About.com Google.com, AOL, AskJeeves and many other search and content sites. About.com and most other PRIMEDIA sites will be included in a few weeks. Featured Tools Tracking URLs Tracking URL compatible Tracking URL compatible Position control Ability to bid by position Keyword traffic estimator estimates your position and traffic based on your bid and past performance; relevant ads are always rewarded Conversion Tracking Integrated tracking of conversion from clicks None Free conversion/ROI tracking
- How do I transition if I already have an AdWords account?
If you already have a Google AdWords account, you can simply increase your daily budget. AdWords will soon include many of the same advertising sites as Sprinks, so increasing your daily budget to cover this additional audience is the only step you'll need to take to transition your Sprinks spending to AdWords.
To increase the daily budget for an ad campaign:
- Log in to your AdWords account.
- In the Campaign Summary table, select the checkbox(es) next to the campaign(s) you wish to edit.
- Click Edit Settings in the header row of the table.
- Enter the new currency amount(s) in the Daily Budget field(s) on the left side of the Edit Campaign Settings page.
- Click Save All Changes at the top or bottom of the page.
Note: Your daily budget applies to individual campaigns, not your total advertising spend. For example, if you have three ad campaigns, each with $5.00 daily budgets, your maximum daily advertising spend would be $15.00.
- How do I transition if I don't already have an AdWords
account?
If you don't already have an account, you can get your ads up and running quickly by signing up with Google AdWords. Below are the links you'll need to learn more about AdWords and sign up. We recommend that you visit the AdWords website and explore our FAQ and introductory information before you sign up to get started.
Sign up for Google AdWords
Tour the AdWords Program
Explore the AdWords FAQ
If you need additional assistance, please feel free to contact adwords-support@google.com. We look forward to serving you and to having you as an AdWords advertiser.
- How do I set up my account using keywords?
The main difference you'll find between Sprinks and AdWords is that AdWords uses specific keywords and phrases to target your ads to relevant audiences. In most cases, a three to four word description of your product, service, or business will easily serve as a well-targeted, successful keyword.
Before you sign up, create a list of keywords that defines what you want to sell, and whom you want to sell it to. You may find that using a slightly more specific version of your Sprinks categories helps. Use these same techniques to help you create quality ad text. If you offer a particular version of a product, or offer it in a particular region, your campaign can benefit from including these details in your ad text. You can also take advantage of customizable keyword matching options to help you target your audience more effectively.
It's important to remember that the most successful online advertising always keeps the user's needs in mind, so try to think like a user when selecting your keywords. What would you type into Google.com if you wanted to find a low-cost hotel in Miami, Florida? "Cheap Miami hotel," or "discount Florida lodging" – and if you are a low-cost hotel in Miami, Florida, those could be some of the keywords you would choose.
Keyword Matching Information
- If you are new to keywords or keyword matching, check out our Keyword Matching Tutorial to learn more about how you can make AdWords work for you.
- For more detailed information on AdWords' keyword matching options, click here.
- For more tips on how to create targeted ads and keywords, read our Tips for Success.
- To get some ideas for your keywords, try out our Keyword Suggestion Tool.
- How can I continue running ads on sites in the Sprinks
ad network?
Google's agreement with PRIMEDIA means that AdWords' advertising network will include About.com and most of PRIMEDIA's Consumer Media and Magazines Group ("CMMG") websites. Please note that the full network transition will occur over the next few weeks, so if you create an AdWords account and select ad network distribution, you may not see your ads on all the previous network sites immediately.
For more information on the Google ad network, click here.
| Advertising with Google AdWords |
- How much will it cost to get started with Google AdWords?
In the Google AdWords program, the cost of your campaigns really depends on you – how well you know your audience, and how much you're willing to pay to reach them. Based on your advertising goals and budget, you choose what you want to pay per click on your ad, from 5 cents to $50. You also control your overall spending by setting a daily budget (how much you want to pay per day).There is just a $5 activation fee to get started, and no monthly minimum spending commitment. For more information on AdWords pricing and billing, click here.
- What is the minimum bid for Google AdWords?
The minimum bid for any keyword is $0.05, and the maximum is $50.00. To help you determine which bid works for you, keep the following in mind:
- Be smart: First, don't bid more than you can afford. Second,
if you are unsure what to pay per click to acquire a new customer,
we help you by giving you cost estimates, specific to your campaign
settings, during the sign up process. Finally, we suggest you
start off with just a small list of strong keywords and a few
different targeted ads. This will help save you money by reducing
the number of untargeted clicks, which are unlikely to convert
to sales.
- Grow from what works: Once you know what works, you can start
to build more campaigns and Ad Groups to attract your potential
customers. In addition, ads earn their position based on performance
(clickthrough rate, CTR) and CPC, so with a strong performance
history, you could end up paying less to maintain the position
of your ads.
- Pay less for more results: Keep in mind that because of our AdWords Discounter and dynamic ranking system based on CTR and CPC, your actual cost-per-click (what you actually pay per click) is often less than your maximum CPC (what you are willing to spend per click) and often decreases when your ad starts to perform better.
For more information on AdWords cost settings, click here.
- Be smart: First, don't bid more than you can afford. Second,
if you are unsure what to pay per click to acquire a new customer,
we help you by giving you cost estimates, specific to your campaign
settings, during the sign up process. Finally, we suggest you
start off with just a small list of strong keywords and a few
different targeted ads. This will help save you money by reducing
the number of untargeted clicks, which are unlikely to convert
to sales.
- What are my AdWords billing options?
We currently accept only credit card payments for Google AdWords, unless you are approved by our finance team for credit terms.* If you are paying in NOK or DKK, you can use Visa, Mastercard/Eurocard, and debit cards with those logos. If your account is in Yen, you can also pay with your JCB card. If you are paying in any other currency, you can use Visa, Mastercard/Eurocard, or American Express. We hope to have additional payment options available soon.
Please note that we do accept payment by check for our premium level service customers in AdWords. However, this service level requires a substantial budget commitment. If you are interested, you can learn more about our premium service by visiting http://www.google.com/ads. You can also submit an inquiry form at http://www.google.com/ads/inquiry.html if you would like an Ad Sales Associate to contact you.
For more information about your billing options, click here.
*For more information about credit terms, click here.
- How long will it take for my ads to appear?
If you have already provided your billing information, your ads will usually appear on Google within a few minutes after you have submitted new ads or keywords. You may notice that your ads appear on Google before appearing on Google partner sites. This is because all ads appearing on our partner sites must be reviewed for compliance with our Editorial Guidelines before they can run.
- Where will my ads appear via the Google Ad Network?
Your ads are automatically eligible to appear on sites and products in Google's ad network when you create your Google AdWords account. Your ad may be shown on search results pages for Google and on the content and search pages of Google's ad network sites and products. We recommend that you participate in Google's ad network to maximize the number of qualified customers who will see your ads.
- America Online, Inc.
- Ask Jeeves
- AT&T Worldnet
- CompuServe
- EarthLink, Inc.
- Netscape
- Sympatico Inc.
- and more...
- Forbes.com
- About.com
- ABC.com
- Lycos
- Mac Publishing (includes Macworld.com, MacCentral, JavaWorld, LinuxWorld)
- New York Post Online Edition
- Reed Business Information
- U.S.News & World Report online
- and more...
Search sites in our ad network: Content sites in our ad network:
For more information on the Google Ad Network, click here.
- Does Google have advertising guidelines?
Yes. Like Sprinks, Google AdWords also maintains policies and standards that our advertisers must follow. Our AdWords Specialists manually review all ads and keywords for compliance. Ads do not appear via our ad network until they have been reviewed and approved, so we recommend that you review our guidelines before selecting your ads and keywords.
If your ads or keywords are not in compliance with our Editorial Guidelines, we retain the right to editorial discretion, and your ads or keywords will be disapproved (disabled from running). You will always be informed via email when this occurs.
- Can I upload large quantities of keywords and ad text?
Yes. Google AdWords lets you specify a maximum cost-per-click (CPC) amount and Destination URL for each keyword within an Ad Group. You can edit keyword CPC and URL settings individually or update batches of keywords all at once. Batch updating is a convenient shortcut for advertisers with multiple Ad Groups, campaigns, or lengthy keyword lists.
For detailed instructions on how to edit existing keywords/CPCs/URLs, or for information on how to post new ones, click here.
- How can I reach the Google AdWords customer support team?
We've created a Help Center to make sure you benefit from the tools we provide and the flexibility of controlling your own account. You'll find the Help Center filled with useful program information, performance tips, and step-by-step instructions for creating and maintaining your account.
If you can't find what you need on our site, our dedicated Customer Support team is happy to provide you with answers to your questions and offer assistance. We strive to respond to your request immediately, usually within one business day. We are also eager to get your input on our program and how we can improve it, so please feel free to send us your feedback.
