Ad Words Got You Upset, eh?

I can understand why a lot of companies are peeved at Google for delivering them less clicks and conversions these days. Google isn't really focused on their core business anymore.

They're chasing virtual tours, corneal implants, cars that drive themselves, Google TV, installing fiber optic cable and just today -- Google and Mattel are now teaming up to bring back a kids toy -- The Viewmaster.

Al Ries is one of my favorite authors. His book: FOCUS: The Future of Your Company Depends On it," was written more than 10 years ago. And it's pretty clear to me neither Sergey or Larry ever read it. Tsk, tsk.

When you don't focus on your core product or service and chase other markets, customers who used to use the original product or service that got you here -- tend to stop using it or buying it.

Which simply follows, Google Ad Words revenue has been steadily declining year after year because Google isn't FOCUSED on search.

Google AdWords are about as boring as it gets.
They sit on the right side of the page and we tend to ignore them now. A condition I call being AdWords Blind. It's one part ADHD and one part Ménière's disease for the eye.

Let's test this with a search for: Mountain Bikes

As Barbara Corcoran likes to say; "The proof is in the pudding."

As you can see, these ads all say pretty much the same thing.

• The best brands... blah blah
• Free shipping on orders over $75 blah... blah...
• Free shipping on mountain bikes...

I own a luxury lake house in Colorado and I was looking for (2) mountain bikes for my guests to use. I spent five minutes doing a search on Google. Then I went to Bing and Bingo! (no pun intended) I found what I wanted.

They were at Walmart, advertised for $99 each and I drove there this morning and bought them.

Exercise: I clicked on a few ads, including Amazon. I didn't like the selection, nor the prices. I'm guessing I racked up $32.00 in clicks for Bike Shop Warehouse, Amazon and five other advertisers.

Instead, I buy two bikes at Walmart. It's interesting to note that Google talks a big game about being to good for local advertisers. Interestingly enough, only Bing was smart enough to deliver me an ad for a store that was less than 10 minutes drive from me.

Google's Algorithm for Tracking Ads is Falling Apart
Another "proof in the pudding," sign that Google is losing the "advertising war," is Google's ability to accurately deliver ads for services I'm already using.

A month ago, our VPiX company signed up for a new factoring company called FundBox. We've used the services now two times. We love it.

I can be talking to a friend through a Google chat and I can say: Mountain Bikes and Google (like magic) will start to show me ads on the website for mountain bikes. If you've never tried and seen that first hand, you might want to do this sometime. It's a real, honest "golly gee whiz technology," for sure.

Google's advertising technology isn't sophisticated enough to know that I'm already a FundBox customer when delivering me ads? Really?

Enquiring minds want to know, so I've reached out to Ayal Shiner , FundBox CEO and Anna Eschenburg, FundBox's Marketing Manager through LinkedIn just this morning.

My questions for them are:

1.) How much money are you spending with Google every month?
2.) How much money do you think you are wasting every month on Google?

I'll be posting a follow up to this post once I get a reply from FundBox this week. Stay tuned for more.