We all know that great PPC ad copy grabs the reader's attention and drives them to take the next step - the click-through. Engaging and attractive ads are those which speak to the audience and show them exactly what they are searching for. But when all the ads on the search results page have similar messages, relevancy to the searcher becomes increasingly important.

Keyword insertion is a PPC feature that can improve the relevancy of your ad by automatically inserting a visitor's search query into a part of the ad text. The advantage is that users are more likely to click an ad when they see the same key phrase that they searched.

To use keyword insertion for Google AdWords, place the following piece of code into a section of your ad text: {Keyword: Default Text}. The "Default Text" is where AdWords will automatically place the keyword that triggered the ad.

Here is an example of the keyword insertion put to work in the headline for an example Ad Group that we'll simply call Cookware. The Cookware Ad Group has the keywords "Teflon Pots", "Stainless Steel Pans", "Non-Stick Pans", and "Heavy Duty Pots and Pans".

Original Ad Text:

Find {Keyword: Pots and Pans}
From Top Kitchenware Designers
Money-back Guarantee!
www.YourCompanyName.Com


"Teflon Pots" is searched:

Find Teflon Pots
From Top Kitchenware Designers
Money-back Guarantee!
www.YourCompanyName.Com


"Stainless Steel Pans" is search:

Find Stainless Steel Pans
From Top Kitchenware Designers
Money-back Guarantee!
www.YourCompanyName.Com


"Heavy Duty Pots and Pans" is searched:

Find Pots and Pans
From Top Kitchenware Designers
Money-back Guarantee!
www.YourCompanyName.Com

For each key phrase that is targeted in the Ad Group, the default text is replaced by that phrase. When there is a search for a targeted phrase that will exceed the 25 character limit for the headline the default text "Pots and Pans" will appear. This is the case in the last example. "Find Heavy Duty Pots & Pans" is over the 25 character limit for a headline.

The keyword insertion method can also be used in the same way for creating an enriched ad text and display URL. It can also be implemented multiple times in a single ad, so you can have it in the headline, text and display URL.

Keyword insertion not only works for Google AdWords, but also on MSN AdCenter and Yahoo Search Marketing. Each is slightly different from the next, but all have generally the same function to help you boost your ads.

Remember that PPC campaigns need to be constantly monitored and adjusted. The same is true about ads as your competitive landscape and customer behavior are always changing. Even using these methods sparingly can have a positive impact when done correctly.

Labels: Keyword Insertion, PPC Advertising

One of the great things about pay-per-click advertising over other forms of advertising is how quickly ads can be modified using measurement of results from split testing of ads. At campaign launch, split testing helps advertisers choose between different ad messages so they can utilize what works best. But a campaign needs continuous attention as the marketplace is constantly changing. Therefore ongoing split testing of ad copy could give you a distinct advantage.

Advertisers invest a lot of time into keyword research, landing page development, and budget forecasting just to have the ad copy snuff the fire. What went wrong? Why did the ads not appeal to and engage the market?

Advertisers need to remember that the copy that worked last month may not be what works best this month. Variations in ad copy could be as little as adding an exclamation point to one ad and using a period in another. That variation, regardless of scale, can make a big difference in setting you apart from your competitors. Ongoing split testing gives the best insight into what those changes should be.

Split testing can be done with little effort when using Google AdWords. An easy and almost completely passive way to split test across your campaigns is to place multiple ads into a single ad group and set the Ad Rotation Settings to "Rotate". This way all ads are served more evenly rather than the "Optimize" setting which will serve your best performing ad more often. With different ads showing the same number of times, you get an even comparison between ads to see what ad variation is doing well, and then make adjustments.

Modifying ads, however, does come with a small penalty. When ad copy is changed, Google AdWords treats the edited ad as if it was brand new. This means that the ad has no performance history, which negatively affects the Quality Score and position of the ad. In most cases the ads' Quality Score will bounce back because the adjustments will make the ad more engaging to your audience.

It is also good practice down the road to keep a control ad within each ad group to offset the negative affects of the dip in the Quality Score. This ad would usually be one that has performed well over time and, although not perfect, it will maintain that benchmark when you are optimizing other ad message points.

When it comes to measuring the results of your split testing and choosing the best possible copy, you will want to look at a couple different things. First, the Click Through Rate (CTR) will tell you which of the ads are grabbing the attention of your customers and enticing them into learning more. Secondly, the Conversion Rate will tell you if the ads are attracting qualified visitors.

Having the ideal set up doesn't matter when ad copy is ineffective. There are disadvantages of changing ad copy too often. But the positives of having honed and proven copy can pay big dividends. The trick is to have ad copy that does a better job appealing to your audience, while changing the messages in as few edits as possible along the way.

Labels: PPC Advertising

A call-to-action is something we are all familiar with and see in almost every form of advertising. But when it comes to writing copy for PPC ads, it's not used nearly as much. The value of including a call-to-action is in communicating exactly what you want users to do when they get to your landing page, thus improving the chances of conversions, increasing ROI and meeting your campaign goals.

This is much easier said than done since Google limits you to 25 characters in the ad headline and 70 characters for the body (35 per line). Even good copywriters struggle to fit everything they want to say into these restraints, so deciding to replace parts of a working ad with a generic call-to-action takes some finessing.

The idea of eating up 19 characters for the phrase "Sign Up Now to Save" could be a tough one to agree with when additional, informative text about the product or service could fill that space. But isn't that what you created the landing page for? To be that final influence for the visitor, complete with all the information needed? Relying on your optimized landing page and using the call-to-action is advantageous in most situations because it tells the visitor exactly what action is needed and guides them to the next step of the buying process.

When writing a call-to-action, you should aim for the visitor to complete those actions you are measuring as conversions. This could include a final sale, newsletter sign-up, e-mail request or a download. For example, a call-to-action that reads "Contact Us Today" should not be used when watching the demo on the landing page is counted as a conversion. "Watch a Demo Now" or "See How it Works" would be more suitable.

A call-to-action is not always appropriate or necessary, but it does help motivate visitors to move beyond the ad and take the suggested action, which will increase your campaign ROI. Try split-testing different ad copy, some with call-to-actions and some without, and see what appeals to your audience most and then adapt accordingly.

Labels: PPC Advertising

Google has long made it a point that they want pay per click campaigns to be as relevant and targeted as possible, especially since rolling out the Google AdWords Quality Score algorithm back in 2006. Google followed up on making the AdWords network even more relevant by adding geo-targeting, placement targeting and demographic targeting to help advertisers qualify potential customers even further. Google has extended their reach for relevancy and choice even further by Offering Ad Sitelinks to select advertisers (Ad Sitelinks will only appear for advertisers whose ads meet a certain high quality threshold). Some of you may already be familiar with Sitelinks as they have been showing in organic search queries for some time as you can see from 5-Hour Energy, one of E-Power Marketing's SEM client's search listings below.

As noted, Sitelinks will only be available to some advertisers whose ads meet a certain high quality threshold. E-Power does not currently have insight as how the "high quality threshold" is determined, but we believe it is tied to the Google AdWords Quality Score. E-Power has already noticed the new Ad Sitelinks feature within several of our accounts (See screen shot below). You can check to see if this option is available in your account by navigating to the campaign settings tab and looking for the "show additional links to my site" option. If you do not see this option, you may want to address your campaign's Quality Score.

How will AdWords Sitelinks Benefit My Campaign?

Presenting advertisers with multiple Sitelinks options will allow the user to go to the most relevant information in your site, display special offers (making it easier to update seasonal or promotion offers), or by allowing for deeper entry into the Conversion Funnel process.

Labels: PPC Advertising

Advertising to the international market can create huge growth for a business. But how do you ensure that budgets are being used effectively? The following tips will help you create a more effective international PPC campaign and help generate more conversions.

• Translation - check, recheck, test, and tweak - When budgeting for an international PPC campaign, additional resources must be allotted to accurately write and translate your ads. A human translation is always the best, but can be expensive. Online translation machines work to a point. Using multiple translating machines to recheck text is better than using just one. Test your translated ads and edit as needed. Some examples of free online translation tools include Yahoo Babel Fish, Freetranslation.com, and http://translate.reference.com/.

• Geo-Targeting - As mentioned in "Targeting Geo-Specific Keywords", researching the proper keywords and phrases is extremely important when crossing language and culture borders. The same geo-targeting importance applies to how your ads appear. As a worst-case scenario, imagine your Spanish ads are appearing on a Greek search engine results page. Not effective, right? Setting up ads to appear on proper results pages eliminates wasted impressions, thus improving your campaign's AdWords Quality Score. Having accurate and engaging keywords will place your ads in competitive positions.

• Characters - Standard character length for Google AdWords text ads (including spaces) is a maximum of 25 characters for the headline, 35 characters for each line of ad text, and 35 characters for the display URL. For ads using non-Latin characters the limits may vary (e.g. Russian, Greek, and Hebrew). Ads in languages that use double-byte characters like Chinese, Japanese and Korean, are limited to 12 character headlines, 17 for each line of the ad text and 35 for the display URL.

• Landing Pages - When you advertise in a different language, your Landing Pages should cater to those languages too. Allocate a budget to have foreign language Landing Pages created that fulfill the ad message and are easy to navigate.

• Traditions and Customs - Knowledge of your target market's culture can be leveraged for minimum spend and maximum conversions during the campaign. For example, a Web site that sells widgets that are part of one culture's annual celebration each May should plan an advertising campaign that budgets more leading up to the event rather than letting general ads run throughout the year when no one is searching for the widgets. Google AdWords makes it easy to change bids, budgets, ad texts, etc. on the fly for reasons such as these.

Both domestic and international PPC campaigns need to be monitored and adapted regularly to stay competitive. Additional time invested at startup using these steps can pay large dividends when intriguing, effective ads drive potential customers to your site.

E-Power Marketing has worked with clients to create, test, implement, monitor, edit and evaluate successful international ad campaigns for clients which you can read more about under PPC Case Studies. E-Power also offers a free PPC analysis of current campaigns.

Labels: foreign, international, PPC Advertising

The power of research is endless when it comes to search engine marketing. Not only can you see what your competitors are doing, but what gaps your business may be missing as well. There are countless free tools available that provide you with data within seconds. From search positions to traffic to conversations on Social Media Web sites, the info is all there. The question is, how your business will use this information?

Here are 5 of my favorite free online research tools:

http://www.spyfu.com/
Spyfu allows you to lookup a domain and view both organic and pay per click details. Organic keywords and rankings, keywords being targeted on Google AdWords, estimated spending on Google AdWords as well as organic and PPC competitors. Spyfu is free, however if you subscribe (paid) you can view a larger set of key phrases and stats than the free version.

http://www.twazzup.com/
Are you on Twitter? Are your competitors on Twitter? Whether you are or not, you should research and see if your company and products are being discussed on Twitter. If they are, then you should start building a presence on Twitter and take advantage of the direct line of communication you can create with your customers. If your audience isn't there yet, chances are they will be sooner than later. Twazzup is a free tool monitoring conversations on Twitter. Type a phrase or domain in and see the latest activity surrounding that topic or URL.

http://www.whostalkin.com/
Social Media is exploding, so stay tuned in to what others are discussing in regards to your industry, business and competitors. Whostalkin allows you to enter a key phrase or URL and search various News sources, Photo Web sites, Videos, Forums and more from one interface. The biggest mistake a company can make is not monitoring what is being said and taking advantage of creating relationships with customers and potential customers.

http://www.compete.com
Compete will provide you with general traffic estimates for Web sites. They are not 100% accurate however the overall trends typically are. So the next time you get a weird link request for some new directory, go check it out on Compete and really see if it's as great as they say it is. Compete is free. Create a free account and you are able to use a few more features than without the account.

http://www.google.com/alerts
Google Alerts allows you to get alerts when Google discovers news, links, or content around your chosen key phrases or domains. You have the ability to have alerts delivered through email (daily, weekly or as it happens) or a RSS Feed. Set up Google Alerts for your domain to track new links as well as your competitors. You also should create alerts on your most important key phrases as well as other industry terms to monitor the buzz of the industry.

Labels: Organic SEO, PPC Advertising, SEM Back to Basics, Social Marketing

Recently E-Power discovered that one of our client's Google AdWords programs which we specifically Geo-Target to California was receiving impressions and clicks from outside the designated target area. This was taking place when a geo-specific qualifier was added to the search query.

For example, E-Power only wanted to serve ads for a law firm practicing in California to potential clients in California. Since the client is only licensed in California, out of state leads are not beneficial to them. Thus, any out of state traffic was of no benefit.

Based on solid key phrase research, testing and the fact that the client in question only does business in California, this geo-targeting-based query parsing is having a less than positive effect on the overall campaign in terms of wasted money and lowering of the overall Quality Score. Let me elaborate.

As a Business - The client in question only does business in California and as I stated above, outside leads are not beneficial.

Quality Score - is affected as impressions are accumulated outside of the practice area. Since Google adds the qualifier under the ad copy (in this case California), the Click Through Rate for the ads will be extremely low, thus lowering the overall Quality Score for the particular search phrase. In the end, this caused the client to pay more for what they thought was a well targeted campaign focused on California.

Wasted Money - Combine the two points above.

Now this geo-targeting example may not be a problem for all advertisers, but in this case it was. Don't get us wrong, E-Power realizes that some advertisers may see a benefit from these extra searches as a lack of research or uncertainty of influence outside the targeted region may play a factor.

The solution - leave the feature on as a default setting so that inexperienced advertisers have the potential to capture these extra leads. But for advanced search marketers who have done the due diligence in testing and research, give us an option to turn it off.

Labels: PPC Advertising

Within the past couple months Google has offered up a slew of new reporting features via Custom Reports. One new feature segments Google AdWords activities by time of day. I have been griping about not being able to track hourly traffic for some time. The feature is finally available, albeit it not within Google AdWords as I would have liked, but within Google Analytics.

This Custom Reporting feature within Google Analytics allows you to segment marketing campaigns by time of day, allowing you to assess your AdWords budget (or any other campaign for that matter) by conversions, spend and hour of day. This makes the day parting (ad scheduling) feature from AdWords that much better. Not only can you pick what time of day and set costs by time of day, but you can now analyze your conversion by time of day! This custom report can also be setup to analyze your PPC campaigns for Yahoo Search Marketing, MSN AdCenter and any other online advertising tool that lets you use day parting.

Below is a screenshot of one way to set up this custom report, allowing you to see conversion by time of day.


How will this help my search marketing program?

Since Google AdWords hourly reports are not available for conversion tracking, this new Analytics custom report allows you to refine your budget based on actual measurable ROI.

For example, if you are converting more during a certain time period then you could utilize advanced ad scheduling to raise bids during only this time period. The opposite is also true, performing poorly during a certain time period, then lower your bids with advanced ad scheduling. You can use advanced ad scheduling to set up to six separate bids throughout the day.

Labels: Google Analytics, PPC Advertising

If any of you wonder why I have put so much energy into exposing the LocalAdLink scam and warning those considering LocalAdLink, refer to this comment from Blogger Kira_la on LocalAdLink - Is this unknown search directory worth advertising on

> "The $700 I invested may not seem like much to some people, but as a single mom, it makes me sick thinking about how many groceries I could have purchased with that and new school shoes. When I signed up for LAL I made sacrifices to do so because I wanted to improve my kids' lives and better our family financial future. Instead, I made things worse.

> "There have been times over the last few months that I have not wanted to go on. The stress from having my hopes dashed and the disappointment I feel from letting my children down is more than I can take. I see the big corporate people at LAL talking about how successful it is without actually backing it up. It makes me sick."


The LocalAdLink scam makes me sick.

Kira_la, I wish you the best of luck finding new ways to support your family. Your energy and enthusiasm will pay off with a company that provides a legitimate product or service. Unfortunately, LocalAdLink does neither.

Fortunately, LocalAdLink's false advertising is catching up with it. The LocalAdLink scam is in the process of collapsing.


See:
Another One Bites The Dust
http://messages.finance.yahoo.com/Stocks_(A_to_Z)/Stocks_B/threadview?m=tm&bn=93151&tid=645&mid=645&tof=1&frt=2

> "This will be the last email from this member site and the site will be shut down effective immediately.

> The reason for this decision is based on the following observations that are ProAdLink's opinion.

> 1. Checks are nearly a month behind AGAIN with some top producers reporting being owed as much as $10,000 or more in commissions.

> 2. No real live customer or rep support via telephone. Reports from the field are not good with regards to the new CRM. They still produce canned replies and nothing gets handled in a timely manner as promised.

> 3. Most important, the ads themselves are not giving a real, tangible return on investment to the endline user. The "geo targeting" is not accurate (ads pulled via an IP address 90 miles away is not local).

> The above three bullets are ProAdLink's opinion and you are free to decide whether or not you agree. But ProAdLink will no longer endorse LocalAdLink until these matters are resolved.

> Checks must go out on time and not bounce.

> Customers and Brand Builders must be able to pick up the phone and resolve issues with a support rep.

> You must be able to sell an ad to any small business in any town in the country and be able to show the business owner how he has benefited from that ad. The benefit would be real local people coming into his establishment from finding the ad online.


Apparently ProAdLink was one of the largest sellers of LocalAdLink. That they no longer endorse or will work with LocalAdLink is quite revealing about how LocalAdLink takes the money and returns nothing.

ProAdLink's Web sites have been taken offline:
www.proadlinkteam.com
www.training.proadlink.info

Also see:
LocalAdLink reps optimize for "LocalAdLink scam"

LocalAdLink is for the Greedy to Take from the Gullible

Search Marketing Scams to Avoid

LocalAdLink traffic dropped 1/3rd in June


Bye-bye, LocalAdLink. Do your executives have enough money left for attorneys?

Labels: Organic SEO, PPC Advertising, SEM Back to Basics

I blogged LocalAdLink ? Is this unknown search directory worth advertising on? because it is easily confirmed that LocalAdLink's claim of "millions of visitors a day" is fraudulent. Even LocalAdLink's own press release stated that its visitor traffic for March 2009 was only 500,000.

I felt an obligation to warn people that this service would not deliver the traffic it claims, making it expensive with little return. Most know how marketing on the Web is important, but few understand how it works. This makes too many business owners gullible to sales reps promising results, especially if the reps are their friend, family or search marketer.

LocalAdLink's MLM get rich scheme energized greed in tens of thousands of people. Even search marketers who should have analyzed LocalAdLink traffic and seen that the claims are malarkey pushed this product.

I really question the competency of search marketers who offer LocalAdLink. Either they do not understand how search engines operate, or they are greedy. Either way their clients who bought LocalAdLink should fire their search marketer.

To search marketers pushing LocalAdLink, why are you selling this? Why do you think LocalAdLink is ethical search engine marketing? If you claim it is generating traffic, please provide data.

See more recent Blog posts:

LocalAdLink reps optimize for "LocalAdLink scam"

LocalAdLink Scam is Collapsing

LocalAdLink traffic dropped 1/3rd in June

Labels: Organic SEO, PPC Advertising, SEM Back to Basics

After a week in Seattle for the SMX Advanced Search Engine Marketing Conference, not only did I come back with a lot of great tips and confirmation, I got to thinking about different strategies, avenues, etc and came to discover the two secret ingredients for Search Marketing success - Commitment and Engagement.

Engagement

"Social media has overtaken email as the most popular consumer activity according to a recent Nielsen study. Importantly, consumer growth is coming from an older demographic than social media's historical base; for example, Facebook's strongest growth is coming from 35-49 year olds adding twice as many 50-64 year olds as opposed to those under 18. (Nielson "Global Faces & Networked Places," March 9, 2009; MediaPost Blogs Research Brief, "Social Networking Is No Respecter of Age," March 18, 2009.)"

Source: iab. Social Advertising Best Practices, Released May 2009.

As a business you need to engage your customers from the start. You may not be on Twitter, but I can almost guarantee your customers are. You may not like Facebook, but the market does. Your market is all over the web, whether it's Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, or YouTube. Research your competitors, I bet some of them are already ahead of the game. Your competitors could be attracting customers that otherwise would have came to you.

Not only do you need to engage your customers on Social Media avenues, but also on your web site. Incorporate interactive features on your web site. Add a blog, videos, a photo gallery, polls and questionnaires, news, etc. Provide visitors a reason to be engaged on your web site. By keeping visitors engaged on your web site not only do you keep them onsite longer, but they usually come back again for more.

Commitment

In order to achieve engagement with your customers you must also provide a great deal of commitment. Being engaged on various Social Media avenues and to your web site requires a considerable amount of time and expertise. Your business must be committed to providing the resources necessary in order for your Search Marketing program to thrive.

Sure, anyone can "tweet", but can they "tweet" effectively in reaching your business objectives and goals. Can they be active on Twitter making your tweets a resourceful avenue? Someone can quickly throw up a Facebook Business Page, but can they turn it into an interactive hub for customers to ask questions and discuss your products or services?

If your business is not completely committed to search marketing efforts, the program will not reach its full potential. Your business needs to be committed to designing a search friendly web site, continually adding content and growing the web site, being active on various Social Media networks and opening up the direct line of communication with customers. If top management isn't on board your success on the web will be limited.

An integrated Search Marketing program including Organic Search Engine Optimization, Pay per Click Advertising and Social Media Marketing along with an engaged and committed core on behalf of the business equals the potential for long lasting success on the web.

Labels: Organic SEO, PPC Advertising, Social Marketing

A client recently asked for my opinion about LocalAdLink, a search directory that I had never heard of. My Blog post last month Search Marketing Scams to Avoid recommended against "Advertising on search engines you have never heard of."

LocalAdLink describes itself as "The easiest and most affordable way to advertise online." LocalAdLink claims "It comes to $49, $99 or $199 a month to be seen by millions of people a day." Those are strong claims. Are they true?

First I searched my 2,000 emails from the last 16 months from search engine newsletters and groups. Not one mention of LocalAdLink

I searched SEOmoz. There was only one mention, a comment skeptical about the service found on "The Growing Case for Flat Fee Advertising."

Search Engine Land had no mention.

Therefore, it seems to me that search marketing professionals have never heard of LocalAdLink. Or, if they have heard of it, they don't believe it warrants discussion. And with promises as lofty as "millions of visitors a day" you'd think Search Marketing professionals would have a lot to say.

Where does LocalAdLink attract million of people a day? LocalAdLink claims, "We are pro-actively pushing your listing out through our partner websites. Your listing can be seen on some at the most popular websites, search engines, and social networks in America. Some of these include Google, Yahoo, MSN, AOL, Ask.com, Earthlink, YouTube, GMAIL, About.com, Napster, PGA.com, Redbook, Hollywood.com, Monster.com, MySpace, Linkedln, Friendster, Bebo, Hi5, Orkut, MiGente and B00Mj."

My! That is impressive! I had to see what they were doing.

I tried to find LocalAdLink on Google, Yahoo, YouTube or LinkedIn. I could not find the ads.

I checked with SpyFu for clues. SpyFu claims LocalAdLink advertises with Google AdWords. The LocalAdLink ads on Google go to LocalAdLink, not the LocalAdLink advertiser's Web site.

Is LocalAdLink counting its Google ads and where Google Content Network ads display as "our partner websites?" That seems like a stretch to me. However there are search engine marketing firms who make that questionable stretch as well.

Is LocalAdLink capable of delivering "millions of people a day" to its advertisers? The evidence does not support its claim.

Compete estimates LocalAdLink had 332,256 visits in March 2009. Though Compete's numbers are ballpark estimates, 10,000 visitors a day is less traffic by a factor of 100 times. This is traffic across the nation. That means, with LocalAdLink claiming 14 million businesses, each business averages .0237 visitors a month.

Quantcast estimates monthly traffic of 123,000. Alexa ranks LocalAdLink at 19,601, a nice number but indicates traffic is nowhere near "millions of people a day"

In other words, my analysis of LocalAdRank makes me conclude that $49, $99 or $199 a month is a lot of money to spend for little to no traffic to your Web site.

As I wrote last month, "If a salesman wants you to advertise on a search engine that you have never heard of before, don't do it."

See more recent Blog posts:

LocalAdLink is for the Greedy to Take from the Gullible

LocalAdLink reps optimize for "LocalAdLink scam"

LocalAdLink Scam is Collapsing

LocalAdLink traffic dropped 1/3rd in June

Labels: Organic SEO, PPC Advertising, SEM Back to Basics

As the year draws to a close, many people are looking back on 2008 and reflecting on SEM efforts, successes and goals. It's time to look forward to the New Year, and what 2009 will bring for you and your business.

It's no secret that we are using the Internet more and more for decision making and purchasing, and that trend is sure to continue. Consequently using Search Engine Marketing as a means to succeed in a tough economy will be a smart move for 2009.

A well-implemented SEM campaign will give you the competitive edge in the challenging economy we're facing as we ring in the New Year. Obviously in today's economy budgets are getting cut, money is being redistributed, and changes are happening.

But SEM is budget that should not be cut. In fact, you should consider increasing it. Well-implemented SEM is cost-effective, measurable, and highly successful. With the Internet growing, traditional marketing channels are losing effectiveness. As a result you need a strong presence on Google and other search engines to maintain sales and to position your business to take advantage of opportunities when the economy turns around. More than ever, people are finding companies, services and products online. Will they be able to find you in 2009?

Why do I think SEM is going to get even bigger in 2009? Just think about it...

• Lead Generation: Finding leads has never been an easy task. As people are being more cautious with their money and time, it can be harder and harder for companies to find prospective leads. SEM has the tools that allow you to generate leads as well as find out where leads are coming from. Once you know where the best traffic is coming from, you can focus your budget on the most lucrative avenues. Those who invest in a solid SEM campaign in 2009 will use their marketing budget more effectively and have better results generating leads that will turn into sales.

• Social Media Marketing: At its core, SEM is following in the footsteps of traditional, effective marketing practices. We all know how interactive the Internet is, making some classic marketing ploys worthless, while creating the perfect environment for new, creative forms of marketing to develop. Social Media Marketing (SMM) is a relatively new chapter in the Marketing book. This platform can engage your target audience when they are interacting online. SMM can increase Web site traffic, market interest, link popularity and search visibility. Whether you're looking for Social Networking help, Blog optimization, or a broad SMM campaign, SMM is becoming a specialization all its own, and I see that continuing in 2009. With the complex and time consuming tactics that go along with Social Media Marketing, it will be important to work with specialized professionals in the future to allow for the best chance of success with this strategy in 2009.

• Pay Per Click Advertising: PPC on Google AdWords, Yahoo Search Marketing and MSN AdCenter is a fast way to generate search visibility, traffic and sales. A successful PPC campaign doesn't only bring traffic; it should deliver qualified buyers. Measurement tools allow you to identify which keywords and ads lead to sales. You can take this data to optimize your PPC program to continually improve your sales and your bottom-line. So what will the trends be in 2009? As more and more companies implement PPC campaigns, there will higher competition for important key phrases, this will make professional PPC management necessary as campaigns will need to be stepped up to remain competitive. The mix of increase in competition and tighter budgets will make it hard for PPC campaigns to be run effectively without professional help.

• Local Results: An October 2008 Press Release from TMP reports that people use search engines more than Yellow Pages to find businesses. Not only that, but the rise in popularity of mobile devices is on the rise, and that trend will continue throughout the New Year. People are using the Internet to find what's close. Being found online is becoming more and more important to reach your local audience. In 2009 more businesses will look to SEM to make sure they're found online.

• Reporting: SEM efforts can and should be reported. Documenting SEM efforts, showing both the successes and struggles is one of the core reasons that SEM has the ability to grow in 2009. As the economy struggles, it is becoming more and more important to know exactly what your money is getting you. With tight budgets and the need to justify spending money, the ability to effectively and regularly report the progress of an SEM campaign will make SEM a go-to strategy for 2009.

• Cost: SEM campaigns are adjustable. You have the ability to manipulate the budget as necessary. Want to see even better results from your SEM campaign? You will have the data to guide you. Ranking for keywords without PPC efforts? Reduce what you spend on PPC and shift the budget to search optimization. SEM tactics, whether PPC or SEO, can be easily measured and tracked. You can see where your budget is going and what is getting results. This will be an important factor in making SEM thrive in uncertain times, like we' sure to see as we enter the New Year.

2009 may begin with tight budgets and uncertainty, but SEM is the marketing strategy that can transcend those challenges. Don't cut SEM out of your budget or avoid a new SEM campaign in the New Year. There are many reasons why I believe SEM is going to see growth in 2009. SEM has the potential to grow your business even when the economy stinks.

The New Year is a good time to evaluate your company's online marketing potential and needs. Do you have a strong SEM campaign in place? Are you happy with the results? Have you thought about SEM before, but are hesitating on taking the next step? Now is the time. SEM will grow in 2009; your competitors will be jumping on board. Will you?

Make SEM your business' New Year's Resolution. Make sure you're happy with your current campaign, or get started on finding the right SEM solution to implement. Don't get left behind as others will implement SEM, the potential for growth is a huge one, make sure your company doesn't get left in the dust.

Labels: Google Analytics, Link Building, Organic SEO, PPC Advertising, Social Marketing

Holiday Season 2008 ? What can you expect?

The holiday season is fast approaching, and in the current economy, it may seem even more stressful than usual. A recent study released by the Mediamark Research & Intelligence company states that more than 62 million Americans will start their holiday shopping before Thanksgiving. That means that 1 in 3 shoppers will begin making Holiday purchases this month. Will those shoppers be buying from you? According to results of the 2008 eHoliday Study, more than half of online retailers expect their holiday sales to increase at least fifteen percent over last year. Can you say the same?

The Internet has gone from being a luxury to the holiday shopper, to becoming a necessity. Referencing the 2008 Holiday Consumer Spending Survey, the number of people buying gifts online is expected to remain steady, and consumers will be dependent on the Internet like never before. As the survey stated, ?the Internet will influence 33.6 percent of holiday purchases, up from 30.2 percent last year and 28.9 percent in 2006.? Consumers are using the Internet to compare prices on hot gifts, explore stores, come up with gift ideas, and make some of their holiday purchases from the comfort of their own homes.

In a study completed by Shop.org, consumers acknowledged that it was the convenience of 24-hour shopping that is one of the main reasons why they choose to buy online. Shoppers? other top reasons for buying online instead of in stores include ?not wanting to fight crowds? (41.1%), ?easy price comparisons? (36.4%), and ?free shipping? (33.3%). Also, nearly one in four shoppers says they are spending more online due to high gas prices, more than double the number which said the same last year. So there will be plenty of consumers online, will they find you?

The Search Crowds

It is certainly no secret that search engine use has been on the rise since their inception. According to a recent report by PEW Internet, ?The percentage of Internet users who use search engines on a typical day has been steadily rising from about one-third of all users in 2002, to a new high of just under one-half (49%).?

Avid searchers are more likely to be the consumers you want, because they buy. A recent comScore study, illustrates the correlation between how much someone searches and how much they spend. The "Heavy searchers" group makes up just 16%of the population online, but spends a robust 35% of total dollars online. The next group, "Medium searchers,? comprises 23% of the population online and spends a significant 34 percent of total online dollars. So what does this mean for you? If your company wants to do well in the online retail market, you need to position yourself in front of the shoppers, by using the tools they use, search engines.

How to reach them?

Search Engine Marketing is one of the most popular means of staying competitive this holiday season. The Shop.org study offers an insight into what SEM services online retailers are utilizing. 42.6% of the online retailers who participated in this survey said they were adding product videos. 32.7% were adding customer reviews and 25% said they were creating Facebook pages to promote their sites. To appeal to price-conscious customers, 27.1% said they were adding clearance sale pages to their sites, Shop.org said. Most of the online retailers who participate in the survey said they also planned to offer free shipping to attract customers, but 21.3% of them said they would raise the minimum purchase requirement this year.

You know your customers are online, and you know they?ll be using the internet and search engines this holiday season, the question is, will they find you? Search Engine Marketing will prove to be a powerful means for getting the online business your company wants, especially in the upcoming months. Though SEM is a long term strategy for getting high search results, targeted traffic, and measurable ROI, there is still time to implement some changes that could benefit your company this holiday season. Don?t lose your customers to the competition. Step up your SEM campaign now!

Labels: Link Building, Organic SEO, PPC Advertising, Social Marketing

Time after time I have heard SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) used interchangeably. Clients and even industry insiders swap the two in and out as if they are the same. So, are they one in the same? Or are they different?

SEM - Search Engine Marketing

This is the process of marketing a Web site via search engines through multiple tactics both paid and organic to increase visibility, brand awareness, traffic and most definitely ROI. SEM encompasses SEO, paid advertising, Social Media Marketing, Blog marketing and Web analytics. Let?s break these down separately.

SEO - Search Engine Optimization

A crucial component of any SEM campaign, SEO is a long term strategy that includes using both on and off page factors such as strategic linking, content, addressing site structure / navigation, and technical search friendliness issues. SEO does not happen overnight. But with a little elbow grease your Web site can enjoy quality targeted traffic and top search positions.

Paid Advertising

Cost effective ways to deliver paid traffic to your Web site includes PPC (pay per click), paid links, online media buys (banner ads) and email marketing, to name a few. PPC advertising, when done right, can provide high quality traffic and deliver a fantastic ROI. Paid advertising can also play a critical role in shaping your SEO efforts, because after all, you don't want to have to pay for that success forever.

Social Media Marketing

The term Social Media Marketing is evolving quickly and includes a variety of important social platforms, such as media sharing sites, social networks, and bookmarking tools. Social Media Web sites allow users to submit, share, bookmark and comment on submitted content in different ways. Content has the ability to spread virally as more users save / share / vote on the submitted content, thus sending traffic and establishing links to your Web site. When done correctly, Social Media Marketing can help your Web site's rankings on Search Engines and grow your business' online visibility!

Blog Marketing

Blogs are a great way to interact and gather feedback from your market, build brand and product awareness. Blogging is an interactive marketing tool that allows you to publish any content you want and respond to feedback from readers quickly. According to a study done by Universal McCann, there are an estimated 60.3 million people who read blogs in the United States alone. A complete SEM campaign will utilize blogs in a variety of ways to grow your company's brand awareness and connect with your audiences.

Web Analytics

SEO, paid advertising, Social Media Marketing and Blog marketing are all critical components of a successful SEM campaign. Use Web Analytics to fine tune these efforts by measuring program performance and ROI. The data will tell you what is working most effectively so you can focus on those elements that are making you money.

To Sum Up

SEO and SEM are not the same. SEO is one component of a much broader SEM campaign. Though SEM is all encompassing when it comes to marketing your Web site, SEO plays a critical role, it is often the necessary first step in any successful SEM campaign. Though SEO is just one building block, it is a vital foundation on which an SEM campaign needs to be built on and around. Though confusing, having an understanding of both SEM and SEO will benefit you in the long run. When you are looking for the total package in marketing your website online, it is important to trust your SEM campaign to professionals who fully understand the concepts and operations of this ever changing industry. It takes all of the components listed above, along with a specialized professional to really build the most profitable and beneficial internet marketing campaign for your business.

Labels: Organic SEO, PPC Advertising

My first job out of college was at Deltak, a producer of IBM mainframe software training products. Its only competitor was Advanced Systems Inc. (ASI). Both of these companies are now long gone.

This was back in 1978, just as the nation went into an awful recession with double-digit unemployment, double-digit inflation and double-digit mortgage rates. Those were brutal times!

In 1978, Deltak and ASI were running neck and neck. When the recession ended, Deltak had a commanding lead and never looked back. Deltak grew robustly during this period, growing from about $20 million in 1978 to $89 million in 1982, while ASI had minimal growth. The reason was that ASI cut back marketing and production of training products.

Just as the use of computers was growing rapidly in the late 1970s, today the Web is growing rapidly for retail shopping, industrial purchasing and just about every category of B2C and B2B marketing. Traditional print and broadcast advertising do not work as well as they once did. That is because people across demographics are turning to the Web for information and purchasing.

People use search engines to find information for purchasing. According to IT Facts, "The percentage of internet users who use search engines on a typical day has been steadily rising from 33% of all users in 2002, to 49% in 2008." http://www.itfacts.biz/49-of-users-use-search-engines-on-a-typical-day-in-2008/11638

Are you going to Compete or Hunker Down while Your Competitors Take the Lead?

You need to make decisions where to cut back, and where you cannot afford to cut back. Is search engine marketing something to cut, or expand?

You can hang your head that your business is contracting. Or you can grow your business by capturing your potential customers who are moving toward the Web and its search engines. By strengthening your marketing where your market now spends more of its time, you can grow your business in this down economy.

What are you doing to attract your buyers who are using the Web to buy? How do you stack up with your competitors on Google? If you are not addressing search engine marketing, you could end up like ASI as an also-ran.

Search engine marketing will build your market reach and visibility on Google, other search engines and across the Web. The beauty to marketers is that SEM has the tools to measure results and to calculate ROI. You then can use the data to further improve results. No more trying to figure out which half of your advertising budget is wasted. Implement search engine marketing and you will find little wasted budget. In other words, search engine marketing will stretch your advertising budget by making more of it work building business that you can measure.

Are you attracting your fair share of search engine traffic? If your competition is and you are not, then you better engage in effective search engine marketing, or you may not be around when economic expansion returns.

Labels: Link Building, Organic SEO, PPC Advertising, Social Marketing

You are part of a successful company. You've established a solid team, developed valuable products or services, and you've done alright for yourself so far. However, in today's world doing alright isn't always enough. Search engine marketing has gone from being an advantage to a competitive necessity. SEM, including Search Engine Optimization and Pay Per Click initiatives have become the foundation for effective Web site marketing.

Last month, comScore, an online Internet measurement service, published the August 2008 U.S. Search Engine Rankings. They state that Americans conducted 11.7 billion searches in August. If you haven't implemented an SEM campaign yet, you are losing out on customers and sales. Potential customers are using search engines to find products and services. Are they finding your company?

When you're tired of seeing quality traffic and high search engine rankings pass you by, it's time to hire an SEM firm. This step will mean change for some of your employees, and too often, change is met with resistance. Employees are especially resistant to change when they feel their jobs may be affected. In some cases, an SEM firm may lighten the workload of some, while it may add to the workload of others. No matter why your employees feel resistant to an SEM firm, that resistance can harm your company and your SEM campaign.

An SEM firm often works with a variety of employees from different departments. Here is a short list of departments that SEM firms commonly work with. It is important to understand how and why these teams or individuals may view an SEM firm as something to resist.

• Executives: Typically this is the group that initiates or at least approves hiring an SEM specialist. Executive buy-in to the program is the first step to effective implementation. Executive support is necessary; but it isn't the only thing they must provide. In some cases, executives do not fully understand the purpose or need for an SEM firm, and that can cause tension. It is important for executives to learn about SEM, and serve as a resource when introducing an SEM firm into a company. Many employees will watch executives to see how the SEM firm should be treated. When the Execs respond positively and professionally, the rest of the company is more likely to follow suit.

• Marketing specialists: The Marketing department is often an integral part of an SEM campaign. At E-Power, we've often seen an SEM firm come in to enhance the work a Marketing team has been doing online. Very often Marketing teams understand some SEM basics, and have been building their online presence on those fundamentals. When an SEM firm is hired, some problems can arise when Marketing teams feel that they are being replaced, when in reality, their groundwork is being built upon and improved. In the same way that an SEM firm couldn't do your Marketers jobs at the highest level, it takes specialized SEM professionals to get top results for your company online. In the end, it takes team work between both Marketing specialists and SEM professionals to create and effectively implement the latest and most beneficial SEM strategies for your business.

• Technology professionals: A company's Tech team is another vital piece of the SEM team effort. Tech teams are often responsible for following through with an SEM campaign and implementing technical changes to company Web sites or perform other important responsibilities. This may disrupt the current work flow of the department, and may cause some hard feelings. At E-Power, we've unfortunately seen our work get tabled by a Tech department who didn't understand the need for the changes. It is important for the Tech team to understand the benefits a specialized SEM firm can provide. An SEM firm often values the roles of Technology professionals, but it is necessary for a Tech department to recognize the roles of SEM specialists as well.

It takes solid leadership and a strong commitment to overcome the resistance to change. Last month, I wrote about Corporate Culture, SEM, and You, and how to smooth the transition when bringing an SEM firm in. Those tips are very relevant when faced with resistance, especially now that you have a better understanding of how and why different departments may react to the news that your company will be utilizing an SEM firm. Ultimately, a professional and comfortable environment must be established for everyone involved in the SEM campaign. It is extremely important for your company that all employees, both from the SEM firm and within your company, are held accountable for their portion of the work. Your company's future is at stake. Are you taking the appropriate steps to move forward?

Labels: Google Analytics, Link Building, Organic SEO, PPC Advertising, Social Marketing

You and your employees know your company inside and out. You know better than anyone the special things that really make your company succeed. That drive is often referred to as your corporate culture. Normally, corporate cultures aren't formally taught or regularly discussed. But when you take a step back and really look at the big picture, you know exactly why and how your company is different from all the others. Perhaps it was some of your core beliefs that led you to Search Engine Marketing, or a step towards reaching long term goals. Whatever the reason, once you've hired an SEM agency, it is important to introduce SEM into your corporate culture.

Your company plays a major role in the success or failure of your SEM campaign. An important first step is understanding your responsibilities and the role that your corporate culture plays in your relationship with an SEM agency. We've put together a list of things to do to make sure you have a smooth transition when introducing SEM into your company!

• Some employees may question the decision to bring in an SEM firm. You need to explain to your team why you've brought in SEM specialists. The SEM specialist doesn't want to step on any toes, or cause any negative feelings. Explain to your team why SEM is being done, so that they will understand their role in the directive.

• In the same way, explain to your SEM why you've brought them on. Share with them your visions and goals, and in return, you'll hear their primary goals for your company. Make sure the SEM agency understands your time/financial/personnel constraints. This is important so that they have a clear and broad understanding of what they can expect in support of their initiatives. Mutual understanding will lead to a more beneficial and lucrative campaign.

• Consider the SEM agency as an extension of your team. This may be apparent to some organizations, but all too often an SEM firm is left out of key development stages. An example of this would be to inform your SEM agency on any changes to the website and its content prior to actually implementing those changes. You've brought on an SEM agency to help you make the most out of your website, allowing them to be in on the initial development stages will save everyone time and hassle in the long run.

• An SEM agency can be viewed as a healthcare professional, someone you've hired to better the health of your website and business. Like any good doctor, your SEM agency needs all the information. Without knowing the history of your site, your SEM will have a hard time making the proper diagnosis.

• Along with your site's history, your SEM agency needs appropriate access. You wouldn't go to the doctor and not let them take your temperature, would you? In much the same way; you need to give your SEM agency what it needs to do their job. Here at E-Power Marketing, we count on our clients to give us proper access for the web site revisions we propose. This usually occurs in two ways, either a client gives us ftp access to the hosting server, or we have a cooperative relationship with the Webmaster or Web developer. Your SEM also needs access to your resources. Google Analytics and other traffic reporting tools are a way that we evaluate our SEM campaigns, so our access to these tools is vital.

• Communication styles are a major part of a corporate culture. But just because you and your employees understand each other doesn't mean your SEM specialist will. Make sure you understand your SEO specialist, and make sure that you are understood. Miscommunication is often the main downfall in any relationship. Luckily, with some conscientious effort, it is easily avoided. Some main points to remember to alleviate miscommunication follow. Ask questions when you don't understand something. When they make recommendations, follow through. Before vetoing a suggestion, make sure you understand why they've brought it up. Allow them to understand why you're questioning their proposals.

• Keep in regular contact with your SEM agency. An open line of communication is vital to improving your program's effectiveness. At E-Power, we establish a contact person with whom we can discuss, review and approve the program elements that we develop. Though several different employees may be involved in your SEM campaign, it is imperative that a main contact from your company is established in the beginning.

• Ultimately, make sure your SEM agency has an understanding of your corporate culture. Making sure you make your company's values and mission known at the beginning of your SEM relationship is an important step in creating a successful campaign.

An SEM agency can be a great addition to your company's team. There are many things that can be done to smooth the transition. The suggestions above are just a few ways your company can begin a successful relationship with an SEM agency. Above all, it is important to create a professional, mutually supportive environment where everyone can work together to benefit your company and its future.

Labels: Organic SEO, PPC Advertising

Google AdWords reporting has come along way since I first started in 2004. Back then you had the report basics that allowed you to see clicks, impressions, cost per click and a handful of other metrics. Now, you can measure pretty much anything under the sun like reach and frequency, demographic performance, landing page performance as well as segregate by your different ad placements within the content network? just to name a few (trust me the list could go on almost forever).

Then Google introduced Ad Scheduling; which allows the advertiser to set the time of day they would like to advertise. You can even set custom bids within ad prices by time of day. So if you want to bid 120% of your default cost per click bid of $1.00 on Tuesday's from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. you can. This is a great option, if Google gave you a little more transparency within their hourly reports.

Google - Please Show Me Conversions by Hour

Don't get me wrong, I love that you show me impressions, clicks, CTR, CPC, CPM, cost and impression share metrics by the hour, but can we take this a couple steps further? If you are going to give Advertisers the option of Ad Scheduling; then show me how I am converting each hour. If you give me the option of bidding 120% during a certain hourly time period, then let me know if bidding more during this time period actually pays off. If you do this I promise to throw more money at the hours that do convert the best!

So please Google, just a little more transparency please.

Labels: PPC Advertising

Yahoo Search Marketing recently made what seems to be a drastic change to their Terms of Service. These new terms were sent out to all advertisers via email. Continued use of YSM services after June 13, 2008 constitutes acceptance of these new modified terms.

So What Actually Changed?

The new changes to the Yahoo Search Marketing TOS, listed ¾ of the way down the new TOS, seems to allow Yahoo to make any "Optimization" changes to your account without prior approval. According to a Yahoo Service Rep, this is supposed to help smaller advertisers who want to spend $100 a day, but are only able to spend $20 a day. To me it seems like Yahoo is saying, we know your business better than you, so if we feel the need to change adverts or add/delete key phrases we are going to do so. This new TOS change also seems to be targeted at the small advertisers as all those "not bound by an Insertion Order" meaning corporations and large companies with big budgets will not be affected. Below is the actual paragraph in question from the new TOS.

"OPTIMIZATION. In the U.S. only, for those advertisers not bound by an Insertion Order, we may help you optimize your account(s). Accordingly, you expressly agree that we may also: (i) create ads, (ii) add and/or remove keywords, and/or (iii) optimize your account(s). We will notify you via email of such changes made to your account(s), and can also include a spreadsheet of such changes upon your written request. If you would like any of such changes reversed, please reply to such email within 14 days of the change(s), and we will make commercially reasonable efforts to reverse the change(s) you specifically identify. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you remain responsible for all changes made to your account(s), including all click charges incurred prior to any reversions being made. It is your responsibility to monitor your account(s) and to ensure that your account settings are consistent with your business objectives."

What do I do

To keep an eye on any unwanted activity I suggest exporting your entire campaign, key phrases, adverts, landing pages, etc. into a spreadsheet and periodically checking for changes that could have been made by Yahoo. If you have any daily budget parameters that you are not currently meeting, I suggest you lower them unless you want Yahoo to spend the rest.

Email or Call to Opt Out?

You are able to email or call Yahoo to opt out of any unwanted changes. Tell them you want to "Opt Out" of the new "Optimization" changes in the TOS. I called Yahoo Support (1-866-924-6676) and was able to opt out of all "non-insertion" accounts within 15 minutes by supplying the username and password for all E-Power Marketing managed accounts. However conflicting stories from WebmasterWorld.com forum members leads me to believe that email/phone call or not, if Yahoo wants to make the changes they just might.

This may not seem like a big deal to some? and the intent may be inherently good, but for those advertisers that are affected and don't even know it, Yahoo may be crossing the line. Good intentions or not.

What happened to transparency? Why bury these changes in an unbelievable long TOS email?

Labels: PPC Advertising

From about 2001 to 2003 Google, Yahoo and MSN split the search market almost evenly. Since then Google has grabbed the lion's share of search traffic, while Yahoo and MSN lost searchers big time. Market share statistics vary due to whether the measurement is total portal traffic or search traffic. From E-Power's view, Google is somewhere around 70% of search marketing share. Yahoo is in the teens and MSN has single digit market share. How the once mighty have fallen!

E-Power believes Google took market share because it generates the best search results, while Yahoo and MSN delivered too many irrelevant search returns.

Can Yahoo/MSN meet the challenge to improve their search results?

Or will the two join the search engine scrapheap next to Excite, AltaVista, Infoseek and Lycos?

For years Yahoo was the premiere search engine with the best search results. It was King of Search!

Yahoo's search results suffered because it allowed black arts SEO such as IP cloaking ? if the Website was willing to pay fees through the Paid Inclusion Search Submit Pro program. Consequently many questionable search results appeared at the top.

So while Google was tracking searcher behavior to let the searchers determine the most relevant search results, Yahoo was allowing dirty SEO tricks - for a price. This provided short-term monetary gain, while degrading Yahoo's search results, thus causing a long-term drop in search traffic.

Yahoo's cash generator, Yahoo Search Marketing PPC, has become a pain to deal with. The paperwork for large programs is time-consuming and the customer service is lacking when compared with Google AdWords. Plus Google AdWords tools that measure, track and improve your program are far superior to Yahoo's.

MSN's search integrity seemed to wane around the time Daniel Feussner was director of operations for Microsoft US-Speech Engineering Services and Retrieval Technology in 2001-2002. Feussner stole around $9 millions in Microsoft software. He used the money for many luxuries ? a Ferrari 355 Berlinetta, a Jaguar Vanden Plas, a Humvee, diamond rings and a 51-foot yacht named the Brazilian Queen. Feussner posted pictures of his toys on his Website. He committed suicide before being brought to trial.

I always felt that the Feussner case said a lot about Microsoft. Why are its top decision-makers not the best and the brightest, with some common sense? Does being a monopoly make you competitively weak in markets where you are not a monopoly?

MSN went downhill, even abandoning its own search engine to use Yahoo's Inktomi. MSN Live returned with a search engine built on the old. Many times MSN?s search results will return 10 year old web pages. On a better note, it is improving. But it still doesn?t have search results as relevant as Google's.

That is the key.

Can MSN/Yahoo develop a search engine at least as good as Google? They can learn from Google. They can stop the nonsense from SEO black arts that no longer plague Google.

To do so, the MSN/Yahoo decision-makers need to not pursue quick money over long-term excellence. Google did not become this good overnight. MSN/Yahoo's #1 priority must be delivering the most relevant search results. Do that, then market share and revenues will follow.

Labels: Organic SEO, PPC Advertising

Do you use Google AdWords? How do you measure your programs success? Well if you use Google AdWords and you don't measure any performance metrics than now is a good time to setup Google Analytics on your site. Once you set up Google Analytics on your site configure it to measure your Google AdWords programs.

How do I set Google Analytics to Measure Google AdWords?

Well first off if you already have a Google AdWords account, the best place to set up Google Analytics is through Google AdWords. Doing this links your AdWords and Analytics data automatically which saves you the time of tagging all your PPC landing pages URL's.

1) Log into your Google AdWords account and click on the Analytics tab in the interface.

2) Choose "Create My Free Analytics" account.

3) Fill in Website and URL and Choose an Account name.

4) Before completing set up make sure the two radio buttons "Destination URL Auto-tagging" and "Apply Cost Data" are checked.

The last step listed is the one that will help you optimize Google AdWords ROI in Google Analytics. The reports within Google Analytics will show you cost data for each key word you buy as well as your specified performance indicators or goals. Just make sure you have set up Google Analytics Goals so you can properly measure AdWords performance.

Labels: Google Analytics, PPC Advertising

Previously Google introduced the two new PPC Beta Features; cost per click site targeting and Pay Per Action. The cost per click site targeting beta feature was much anticipated and allowed the advertiser to handpick sites within the Google Content Network that they wanted their ads to appear on. However, until recently there was no real ability to see how this new feature was performing as Google failed to give the advertiser the ability to properly track the cost per click site targeting campaigns. That is until recently. Google now offers what is known as a Placement Performance Report. This report, available in your Google AdWords reporting center, allows the advertiser to view site-by-site performance metrics for cost per click site targeting campaigns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Does that Mean to the Advertiser?

Improved ROI through greater transparency of your Google AdWords Content Network statistics of course. Before site targeting the advertiser was only allowed to see a general summary of what was going on in their content network campaign. Sure you could see the average cost per click, amount of clicks and cost per conversion from this general summary, but this gave you little insight into which actual site or domain was giving you the best results. And with little insight into specific performance, optimization efforts could not be properly measured.

With the new Placement Performance Report you can see which individual site or domain is or is not yielding results. This give the advertiser the ability to optimize his or her campaign based on individual site statistics. Is one site not performing? Try a new ad, lower your CPC or try targeting different key phrases. If you continue to see poor results than you know that this site is not where your market tends to hang out. If you have found a site that is delivering a positive ROI, then look into increasing your ad exposure on this site by designing a more appealing ad, looking into utilizing other PPC Optimization techniques, or just raising your cost per click to gain a higher position.

So take advantage of the new Placement Performance Reports offered in your Google AdWords report center. And remember, Pay Per click Results are Measurable. Coupled with proper optimization this can lead to a healthy campaign that yields a positive ROI.

Labels: PPC Advertising

Why is Yahoo Search Marketing introducing Quality Based Pricing for their Content Match product? Is Yahoo Search Marketing struggling to get advertisers to use their Content Match product? If so, why? And will this new Quality Based Pricing drive more advertisers to use the Content Match product? Before we delve into those questions, let's do a quick overview of the Quality Based Pricing and Content Match product.

The new Quality Based Pricing is an initiative by Yahoo Search Marketing to draw more advertisers into using their Content Match product. The Content Match product is a distribution network of independent sites that display Yahoo Search Marketing ads for a percentage of the click fee. This is known as Yahoo's Partner Network. The new quality based Content Match pricing is now going to be "based on conversion rates and other measurements of the ability to deliver more interested and valuable customers to you from particular distribution partner sites." Yahoo is saying that they will "help enhance the quality, potentially reduce the cost and increase the value of traffic to you." Is this the answer?

Is Yahoo Search Marketing struggling to get advertisers to use their Content Match product?

Rolling out this new pricing model says to me that, "Yes, Yahoo is struggling to get advertisers to use their Content Match product." But is this new pricing model the answer? No. The real solution to getting you more targeted traffic lies in how Yahoo targets their ads on Partner Network sites. The reason we do not use Content Match with out clients is because Yahoo's technology can not properly place ads alongside relevant content. We don't see the value in having an ad targeting "small blue widgets" showing up alongside content for "large pink gizmos." There is also no value paying a few pennies less for this poorly targeted ad. So no, this new Quality Based Pricing is not the answer we are looking for. Better targeting is, and until Yahoo implements this or allows us more flexibility with their Partner Network, we will not be using the Content Match product.

In a previous blog post I applauded Yahoo when they introduced their Panama Update, which included ranking based on price, and more important, ad quality. Yahoo took another step in the right direction when they allowed for separate Content Match bids which allowed the advertiser to bid less on these Content Match sites. The next steps in improving the Content Match product should be better targeting and allowing the advertiser the opportunity to pick individual sites with the Partner Network to advertise on.

Labels: PPC Advertising

Yes! That is the beauty of Pay Per Click Advertising. The major PPC advertising venues supply you with a variety of tools to measure your return on investment. The tools vary slightly in name and look across the three major PPC Engines (Google AdWords, Yahoo Search Marketing and Microsoft AdCenter) but they all offer similar measurements.

Your 1st line of measurement is usually offered in the form of a campaign summary or dashboard that shows you what is going on in your campaigns. These summary pages allow you to see your account status and budget as well as several performance metrics including clicks, impressions, cost per clicks, conversions, monthly spend etc. Basically a quick snapshot of what?s going on.

More detailed reports are also available in the major PPC engines reporting centers. These reports will tell you almost anything you want to know about your campaigns. Want to know how much you spent yesterday at noon? Run a report to find out. Want to compare weekly conversion rates vs. weekend conversion rates. No problem run a report and find out. Want to see which ad has a better click through rate, or better yet which landing page leads to the most conversions? You guessed it, run a report and find out? I could go on listing report scenarios for pages. Instead I will just show you a screenshot from the Google AdWords report center that shows some of the options you have when it comes to reporting.

These are just some ways to measure the success, yes I said success, of your PPC campaigns. With proper optimization and proper monitoring your PPC campaign should be yielding a positive ROI whether it be in sales, signups, leads or any other actionable goal.

Labels: PPC Advertising

That's right, Google rolled out two new features for Google AdWords, but only allowed a select few to participate. Google maintains that this is done to learn from the beta test and then to adjust from there. So what exactly are the two new Beta Features for Google AdWords?

Cost Per Click Site Targeting

Well the first beta feature was rolled out in mid March. This feature allows you to create cost per click (CPC) site targeted campaigns. This feature is added to the current cost per thousand (CPM) site targeted campaign that you have the option of creating. What's the difference? Well both allow you to hand pick websites within Google's content network where you would like your ad to appear. Both allow you to set a maximum price you are willing to pay. The difference comes into play because the CPM method charges you based on the number of impressions your ad receives, regardless of clicks and the CPC method charges you every time your ad is clicked. You can read more about the site targeting features.

Should I Choose CPC or CPM?

If you are looking for measurable results I suggest testing both the CPM and CPC site targeted campaigns to see which yields the most favorable ROI. The best thing about site targeted campaigns is they allow you to target individual sites within Google's content network as opposed to opting into the entire network when setting up a normal key word targeted campaign. If you were not seeing favorable results when opted into the entire content network, give the site targeted campaigns a try.

Pay Per Action

The other beta test for Google AdWords is the Pay Per Action. This new pricing model, which was rolled out in beta on March 20, 2007, allows you to pay for completed actions that you define. These completed actions could be sales, newsletter or white paper sign ups, leads or even views of a key page. These new Pay Per Action ads are only shown within the content network. The ad formats supported are image and text ads along with the new text link ad format which are brief text link descriptions that re displayed within the content of the chosen site and look like regular hyperlinks. Read more about and sign up for the Pay Per Action model and beta test.

Why Should I Try These New Features?

If you have done all you can to Optimize Your Current PPC Campaigns and have not been able to grow your traffic or increase your conversions, then these two new features can provide you with a new avenue to improve your ROI. Picking individual sites used by your target audience can help increase traffic and conversions, as long as you do it properly.

Labels: PPC Advertising

Well first off lets discuss what click fraud is. Click fraud happens in Pay Per Click advertising when a person, computer or automated script clicks on an ad for the purpose of generating revenue without having any interest in the actual ad. Huh? Well basically someone displays your Pay Per Click ads on their website and they figure out ways of clicking on those ads, in turn generating money for themselves, without search engines realizing the clicks were fraudulent. Or to put it in even more basic terms, someone is scamming the money you are using for Pay Per Click advertising.

Well Should You Be Afraid?

Yes, you should definitely worry about click fraud, it does happen and the major pay per click search engines (Google, MSN, Yahoo) have finally admitted this. Funny, all it took was a lawsuit against Google and one against Yahoo and now they are being proactive about disclosing click fraud data.

What Are Search Engines Doing About Click Fraud?

Google recently released information about Invalid Clicks saying that less than 10% of all pay per click traffic is fraudulent. However, they state that they do know about this fraud so they refund the advertisers this money, in most cases before the advertiser is even charged for the click. Google also refunds you even if you have been charged for fraudulent clicks. Most advertisers don't know this is even happening, but if you open up your Google AdWords account and check your billing summary you might notice something on your statement that looks like this - "Adjustment ? Click Quality". This is just Google's way of saying; hey we are looking out for you, here is some of your money back. However, Google also states that about.02% of click fraud does go completely undetected.

What Does This 0.2% Mean to Me?

Well do the math. If you spend $1,000 a month for 12 months this equates to $240 a year that goes to fraudulent clicks. If you spend $5,000 a month for 12 months this equates to $1,200 a year that goes to fraudulent clicks. And this is just assuming that Google really only misses .02% of all fraudulent clicks. You get the picture. Put in your yearly spend and multiply by .02% and this is an estimate of how much you are giving away to fraudulent clicks.

What Can I Do About It?

Well, you are not going to avoid click fraud all together but if you want to advertise via the Pay Per Click model you are going to have to learn to live with some fraud. There is one basic principle to help combat click fraud. Watch your traffic like a hawk. Look for sudden spikes in activity or other suspicious activity. Take full advantage of the reporting software that the Pay Per Click Engines provide and look at your reports daily. Better yet, utilize some third party reporting software or get your log files from your webmaster. If you believe you have been a victim of Click Fraud, contact your account representative immediately.

Now What?

If you don't have the time or ability to recognize click fraud, then you should think about acquiring a PPC Management and Optimization firm or specialist to look after your interests. Not only will they be able to recognize suspicious activity, they will know how and whom to report it to. On top of that they should also be able to help you achieve a better overall return on investment for your Pay Per Click campaigns.

Labels: PPC Advertising

Inside AdWords: Quality Score updates

Google announced today that it is planning on updating its Google AdWords Quality Score. The new Quality Score update will give an even bigger advantage to well designed ads that create better response. If you have a high quality ad (according to Google) you will be rewarded with lower cost per clicks. If you have a low quality ad (again according to Google) you will pay a higher cost per click.

How Do I Know If I Have Poor Ads?

1. If your cost per click for any particular key word / phrase continues to increase
2. Your key word / phrase has recently been deactivated
3. Your ad rank continues to decrease

What do I do about it?

Google is implementing a new Quality Score column within the AdWords interface. This new column will label keywords within an AdGroup as Great, OK, or Poor quality. To see this column you will have to opt in by clicking the "Customize Columns" in one of your AdGroups.

Improving Your Ads

If you see that Google has labeled your ad as poor, your cost per click has been raised, or your key word / phrase has been deactivated or you are just not receiving a positive ROI, then you need to take several steps to optimize your campaigns.

1. Are you targeting the right keywords for your industry?
2. Are you targeting the right regions?
3. Do you have compelling ad copy?
4. Do you have a well designed landing page?

If you are having trouble getting a positive ROI with your Google AdWords campaign or you are confused about the updates to the Google Quality Score, contact a professional who can help you with PPC Management and Optimization.

Labels: PPC Advertising

You may have heard that Yahoo has launched its new pricing and search ranking algorithm system. But what does this mean to you?

Say goodbye to the days when you could choose a keyword and bid precisely to a certain ad position. Now Yahoo Search Marketing has incorporated a new ranking model that requires proper PPC Management and Optimization.

Will This Affect Me?

If you use Yahoo Search Marketing for Pay Per Click, it sure will. However the effect can be positive if you pair it with the proper techniques. The playing field has been somewhat leveled because you can now pay less for your ad position if you design good ads and target the right key phrases! Now, just because someone has a bigger budget than you does not mean their add will rank over you.

Determining Your Ad's Rank and Position

1. Bid amount and Ad Quality will now affect your position. This replaces old system where ads were ranked by bid alone.

2. This allows you to focus on ad quality opposed to getting into a bidding war with your biggest competitor.

3. Improve your ad and you will be rewarded with a higher Click Through Rate, in turn potentially lowering your cost per click.

How is Ad Quality Determined?

1. Historical Performance ? your click through rate taking into account your ad's position and relative to the competition.

2. Expected Performance ? determined by several relevance factors measured by Yahoo Search Marketing's ranking algorithms.

How Do I Make this Work for Me?

Now that the Yahoo Search Marketing Pay Per Click engine is modeled similarly to Google AdWords, advertisers have a better way to optimize their PPC campaigns. To see if you are getting the most out of your campaigns ask yourself the following questions.

1. Are you targeting the right keywords?


2. Are you targeting the right regions?


3. Do you have compelling ad copy?


4. Have you split tested ads to find the right message points?


5. Do you have a well designed landing page?


6. Are you measuring your success with conversion tracking?

If you did not answer "Yes" to all of these questions, seeking qualified professionals for PPC Management and Optimization is a good idea. These professionals can help you design and optimize a successful Pay Per Click campaign that will improve your ROI.

Labels: PPC Advertising

Use Keyword Insertion for More Relevant PPC Ads

Split Testing of PPC Ads Boosts Results

Include a Call-to-Action in Your PPC Ads

Improve PPC with Google Analytics Integration

Google AdWords - Sitelinks Now Available for Some Advertisers

Quick Tips for Your International Pay-Per-Click Campaigns

Google AdWords - How About Total Control Over Geo Targeting?

Google - Just a Little More Transparency Please

Yahoo Search Marketing - Changes to TOS

Optimizing AdWords ROI - Google Analytics #3

Measuring your Site Targeted Campaign on Google

Yahoo Launches Quality Based Pricing for their Content Match Product

Are Pay Per Click Results Measurable

Google Introduces Two New Pay Per Click Beta Features

Should You Be Worried About Click Fraud

Google AdWords Quality Score Update

The New Yahoo Search Marketing and You

Labels: PPC Advertising

Organic SEO

• Don't Sabotage Your Online Search Visibility


• Big Picture Marketing


• 10 Often Overlooked SEO Tasks


• 10 Common SEO Mistakes - Don't Let This Be You


• Page Speed Gets Added to Google Webmaster Tools


• What Can You Do for Working Moms?
  


• A Season of Change...


• Mobile Web Taking Over?


• Two Secret Ingredients To Search Marketing Success


• 14 Ways to Write a Press Release for Search Engine Marketing


• "Gaming" Search Engines to Win Ranking assures You Lose


• Search Marketing Scams to Avoid


• Don't Panic


• Free SEO Information is Inadequate and Often Wrong


• Where is SEM Headed in 2009?


• Race for the Light - A Chilly Fundraising Adventure!


• Food Drive Success!


• Why Different Types of Search Engine Optimization Do Not Work


• What Will the Holidays Mean For Your Company?


• SEO & SEM - Different or the Same?


• Using SEM to Build Competitive Advantage in a Down Economy


• Managing Change - Dealing with Resistance When Moving Forward


• Target Keywords Your Market Searches - Not What You Think They Search


• Corporate Culture, SEM and You


• Google Webmaster Tools Gives "Too Many Redirects" Message


• Importance Of Proper Redirects


• Will Two Problematic Search Portals Figure Out How To Do It Right Again? MSN & YAHOO!


• Learn From Your Competitors To Build A Strong Search Marketing Program


• Why Your Web Developer Should Not Implement Your SEO


• Local Search Marketing Basics


• Site Maps Explained


• Looking Back At Search Engine Optimization


• What's Good For Humans Is Good For Google


• Yahoo! Introduces Robots-Nocontent Tag


• Sitemaps Made Easier


• 10 Issues To Consider When Reviewing /Designing Your Web Sites Architecture


• Search Engine Rules and Aligning Domains


• SEO Considerations When Selecting An E-Commerce Or Content Management System

PPC Advertising

• Improve PPC with Google Analytics Integration


• Google AdWords - How About Total Control Over Geo Targeting?
  
• Google - Just a Little More Transparency Please


• Yahoo Search Marketing Changes to TOS


• Optimizing AdWords ROI - Google Analytics Tip #3


• Measuring Your Site Targeted Campaign On Google


• Yahoo Launches Quality Based Pricing For Their Content Match Product


• Are Pay Per Click Results Measurable?


• Google Introduces Two New Pay Per Click Beta Features


• Should You Be Worried About Click Fraud?


• Google AdWords Quality Score Update


• The New Yahoo Search Marketing And You

SEM - Back to Basics

• 5 Free Online Research Tools - SEM Back to Basics Tip #8


• Take Advantage of Google Webmaster Tools - SEM Back to Basics Tip #7


• Use Target Key Phrases Within Navigation - SEM Back to Basics Tip #6


• The Internet Is the Place to Be - SEM Back to Basics Tip #5


• Handling Multiple Domains - SEM Back to Basics Tip #4


• Give Your SEO Campaign Time - SEM Back to Basics Tip #3


• Content, Content, Content - SEM Back to Basics Tip #2


• Don't Leave Out the Title Tag - SEM Back to Basics Tip #1

Social Marketing

• 13 Tips for Optimizing your LinkedIn Profile

• Let's Go Viral!
  

• Social Media and Brand Positioning
  

• Social Media Marketing - This Year's Hottest Holiday Accessory
  

• Tweet Easier


• User Reviews: An Integral Part of Your Social Marketing Program


• Social Media Marketing is on the Rise...


• Where is Social Media on the Internet Headed?


• How to Get your Business Started on Facebook

• Facebook Usernames and You
  

• 10 Tips on Using Twitter for Your Business


• 11 Tips for Creating a Blog


• Linkbait?


• Flickr Adds No Follow to Links


• Social Marketing Do's and Don'ts


• 10 Things To Keep In Mind With Social Media Marketing


• SMX Social - NYC Oct. 16 & 17 Recap


• Getting Dugg On Digg

Google Analytics

• Using Advanced Segments in Google Analytics


• Using Filters in Google Analytics


• The Basics of Google Analytics White Paper


• Google Analytics Annotations


• Improve PPC with Google Analytics Integration


• Google Analytics Intelligence: A Great Way to Stay Current with Your Google Analytics Program


• What is Mobile Analytics?


• New Changes for Google Analytics


• Segmenting Google AdWords by Hour in Google Analytics - Tip #7


• Measuring More than 20 Goals in Google Analytics - Tip #6


• Setting Up Goals in Google Analytics - Tip #5


• Filtering Internal Traffic - Google Analytics Tip #4


• Optimizing AdWords ROI - Google Analytics Tip #3


• Researching Popular Tags - Google Analytics Tip #2


• Link Tagging - Google Analytics Tip #1

Link Building

• Google Webmaster Tools Reports Broken Backlinks


• Link Popularity - Page Specific NOT Site Specific


• Anchor Text Upgrade In Google Webmaster Tools


• Content - The Most Effective Linking Campaign


• Google Webmaster Tools New Link Feature

E-Power News

• Blog Action Day 2009 - Climate Change


• E-Power Marketing and the Oshkosh Community Pull Together to Save the Grand Opera House


• E-Power Donates a Grand for the Grand


• E-Power Marketing turns 11 years old!


• Race for the Light - A Chilly Fundraising Adventure!


• Food Drive Success!


• E-Power Marketing Sponsors Oshkosh Area Food Drive


• Blog Action Day and Hunger in Winnebago County

Contributor Bios

• Larry Stopa


• Andrea Schultz


• Justin Tadych


• Adrian Schaal


• Craig Bollig


• Sara Hansman

Continuing Saga of Search Engine Marketing Home

Labels: E-Power News, Google Analytics, Link Building, Organic SEO, PPC Advertising, SEM Back to Basics, Social Marketing