While managing our Google+ page today I noticed an ad for Adwords Express in the promo bar. It was suggesting that I can pay for more followers through advertising in search, maps and mobile (display is also available).
Right click revealed the following URL for the promo image: https://ssl.gstatic.com/s2/oz/images/promos/awx-32.png (AWX = AdWords Express). This was interesting enough to investigate further.
We’ll show your Google+ page to potential customers the instant they are looking for you – on Google Search, Maps, Mobile and more.
Control how much to spend at all times, and pay only when customers visit your page.
Tell us a bit about your business and we’ll find the best places to promote it. No need to worry about keywords, bids or placements.
Google Tip: Write an ad that tells your customer about your Google+ Page. Include a “call to action” that encourages people to click on your ad.
I’m not sure what to think about that (pay Google to advertise Google) but I proceeded for the sake of the article and screenshots.
I set my budget to $100 per month which estimated 9-13 clicks per month. At that point I wasn’t really sold on the ROI of AWX.
The “slot 65” in Google+ sidebar was changed from “Want more followers?” to “Check on your promotion” which takes me back to AWX dashboard.
Google Webmaster Tools: Now with less link data! →← There is no such thing as Author Rank. Yet.