This day in search marketing history: January 27

Google AdWords API launches

In 2005, Google launched the Google AdWords API.

Google said API usage would be free, though activity was capped via a quota system. Those with larger accounts or spending more with Google would be allowed to have higher activity.

Google described the AdWords API as a:

…free Google AdWords beta feature that enables developers to create computer programs that interact directly with the AdWords system. The AdWords API is designed for developers representing tech-savvy advertisers and the ecosystem of third parties which includes SEMs (search engine marketers), agencies, and other online marketing professionals who manage multiple client accounts and/or large campaigns.

Google News – AdWords API

The Google AdWords API had a good run. It wasn’t until April 29, 2021 that Google would tell developers using the AdWords API they would need to upgrade to the Google Ads API by April 27, 2022. That’s the date when Google AdWords API officially sunset.

Also on this day

Google SERP analysis: PAA appears 10x more than featured snippets

2022: The number of featured snippets shown in Google SERPs continued to decrease.

Smart Shopping and Local campaigns to be transitioned to Performance Max by end of September

2022: Google would also launch a “one-click” self-service tool for advertisers that would like to transition their campaigns ahead of the deadline.

Twitter launches Site Visit Optimization goal and Aggregated Measurement for campaigns aimed at driving site traffic

2022: Also, Events Manager, where advertisers can manage their Twitter Website Tag and associated web-based conversion events.

New Google mobile search feature: People Search Next

2022: The feature was meant to “help people more easily get to and see popular next searches based on what they’re searching.”

Google Search Console logging issue may cause drop in image search performance data

2022: You may have seen a drop in the number of clicks and impressions in Google Search Console Performance reports for images.

Gmail campaigns to stop running on June 28

2022: Nearly a year after standalone Gmail campaigns became “read-only.”

WordPress 5.9 launches with full site editing

2022: WordPress made enhancements to the block editor and stretched no code capabilities.

Google allows ads for sports betting in Louisiana

2022: Advertisers first had to be state-licensed and certified by Google to run gambling ads.

Google may not display Web Stories that are teasers

2021: Google said its users want to see the full story and not have to click through to see more.

Google’s SEO job description highlights importance of collaborating with multiple teams

2020: Google posted a job opening to hire an SEO.

What local SEOs should focus on in 2020

2020: Four experts offered their top three recommendations for local search marketers.

Video: Thom Craver at CBS Interactive on the importance of schema and a bit on Google News

2020: In this installment of Barry Schwartz’s vlog series, he also chatted with Craver about how he gets blamed for some perceived bias within Google News.

Tick-tock: Expert findings, testing tips & resources for success after Jan. 31

2017: Findings and advice meant to provide some anxiety relief and motivation for paving the way with ETAs.

Search in Pics: Warrior helmet, Google auto rickshaw & colorful lockers

2017: The latest images showing what people eat at the search engine companies, how they play, who they meet, where they speak, what toys they have and more.

Math! Now Available Right In AdWords Custom Columns

2016: Google introduced an addition to custom columns: custom formulas.

Microsoft Pulls Funding For Anti-Google Lobbying Group FairSearch

2016: Microsoft was no longer listed as a member.

Bing Adds Lottery & Powerball Numbers To Search Results

2016: You could now check Bing’s quick answer box to see if your lottery ticket matched the winning lottery numbers.

Is Apple About To Launch A Competitor To Google Street View?

2016: Apple was driving vehicles around the world to collect data to improve Google Maps.

Google Seeking Testers For Search Queries Report In Webmaster Tools

2015: Google was looking for some volunteers to test out an early version of the updated search queries report within Google’s Webmaster Tools.

Google Mobile Search Descriptions Now Say If You’re Blocking Google

2015: Google’s mobile search results snippets started showing a message to searchers when Google was unable to show the snippet to searchers because the webmaster was blocking their crawlers.

Download Legacy PLA Product Target Data Prior To March 23

2015: If advertisers wanted to keep a record of that older data.

Google Analytics Rolling Out “Trash Can” Feature To Help Users Recover Deleted Data

2015: The feature would save views, properties and accounts for 35 days after they have been deleted.

Thanksgiving Drove Retailers’ Highest Paid Search Revenue Gains Of The Holiday Season [Report]

2015: Revenue rose 50% year-over-year, just beating out Black Friday’s revenue gains of 49%.

Bing Ads Reduces Campaign Reporting Lag To 1 Hour

2015: Impression and click performance data were delivered much faster.

Google’s Latest Search Trick: “As The Crow Flies” Distance Calculation

2014: Google’s OneBox could answer how far it was between two remote locations.

Israel Wants To Tax Google To Support Local Content Publishers

2014: Nicknamed “Google Law” it would assess a tax of 7% on search engine ad revenues to subsidize local content publishers.

Bing Out Of “Betaphase” In Germany, Claims 10 Million Users

2012: Bing said its market share was 20% of active internet users in Germany. However, several third-party sources disagreed.

Search In Pics: David Beckham At Google, Google’s Moscow Office & Bing Bar

2012: The latest images showing what people eat at the search engine companies, how they play, who they meet, where they speak, what toys they have, and more.

Google Testing Display Ads In Gmail

2011: Google started experimenting with image ads on messages with heavy image content.

Larry Page And The Reinvention Of “The Google”

2011: The primary meme that emerged in the week after the Google’s CEO switch: Page’s ascension was about streamlining decision-making at Google and helping the company be more “nimble.”

Bing’s Chief Scientist, Alek Kołcz, Joins Twitter

2011: Microsoft’s Principal Scientist of Bing left to join the Twitter team.

The New York Times, Demand Media Edition

2011: When Demand Media, widely described as a “content farm,” went public it quickly racked up a valuation higher than the New York Times.

Schmidt Downplays Google’s Competition With Facebook, Apple & Well … Almost Everything

2011: He said his new focus would be on external things like “customers, partners, deals, M&A, government, press, publicity and marketing.”

Google Social Search Goes Live, Adds New Features

2010: It was a way of seeing customized search results based on the people in your social network.

Finally! Yahoo Search Weather Report : January 2010

2010: Yahoo was rolling out updates to crawling, indexing, and ranking algorithms.

Yahoo Gains “Default” Search Deal With Ubuntu

2010: The Firefox browser that was shipped in Ubuntu would be configured to use Yahoo as the default search engine.

AT&T Planning To Launch Yelp-Like Site Buzz.com

2010: It aimed to be a place where people could get and share recommendations about local businesses.

How Search-Like Are Social Media Sites?

2009: For search marketers looking at social media, how did it measure up? Which social media sites were most “search like?”

Yahoo Q4 Shows Operating Loss; CEO Bartz: ‘This Is Not A Company That Needs To Be Pulled Apart And Left For The Chickens’

2009: Revenues were $1,806 million for the fourth quarter of 2008, a 1 percent decrease compared to $1,832 million for the same period of 2007.

Search Biz: Yahoo Earnings, Google Lobbying, Tech Stimulus, Best Places To Work & Making PCs ‘History’

2009: Google was set to ramp up lobbying and other political efforts to push its agenda through the labyrinth of Washington policymakers.

Google Logs Help Convict Husband Accused of Murdering Wife

2009: The search queries were used as evidence of the husband’s guilty mind.

From Search Marketing Expo (SMX)

How to win with PPC in a dataless world

Past contributions from Search Engine Land’s Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)

These columns are a snapshot in time and have not been updated since publishing, unless noted. Opinions expressed in these articles are those of the author and not necessarily Search Engine Land.

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2020: How to optimize your website’s crawl budget by Suganthan Mohanadasan

2020: How BERT is helping SEO agencies focus on collaboration strategies by Alex Buckingham-Bullock

2017: How to check which URLs have been indexed without upsetting Google: A follow-up by Paul Shapiro

2017: Commercial success: 3 last-minute PPC tips to pump up the effectiveness of Super Bowl LI TV ad buys by Purna Virji

2016: The State Of Cross-Channel Paid Search, Part 1: SEM & Social by Josh Dreller

2016: Brand Bidding & PPC Optimization: How We Got Here (Part 1 of 8) by Lori Weiman

2015: 5 Essential SEO Techniques To Master In 2015 by Jim Yu

2014: 10 Pro Online Reputation Management Tips For Local Businesses by Chris Silver Smith

2014: Keyword Research After The Keyword Tool, (Not Provided) & Hummingbird Apocalypse by Stoney deGeyter

2012: Report Affirms Strong Q4 Search Growth In 2011, Offers Additional Insights by Adam Audette

2011: 6 Steps To Higher Converting Traffic From Shopping Search Engines by Arpana Tiwari