Posts
Three Tips for Optimizing Paid Search Campaigns
In addition to search engine optimization, there exists the pay-per-click / paid search / paid inclusion branch of search engine marketing. We’ve all dipped our feet into search advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Yahoo Search Marketing or Microsoft adCenter (or even more vertical-specific networks).
Certain keywords can get quite costly, so here are some tips for optimizing paid search campaigns and getting the most bang for our budget bucks. These tips all center around efficiently allocating our funds.
1. Choice of Network
AdWords campaigns can be specifically targeted to the search network (i.e., in the SERPs), and/or the content network (i.e., in AdSense). Similarly, Yahoo Search Marketing campaigns can be directed to their search network and/or their content network (Yahoo Publisher Network). The search network is generally where you’ll get better conversions and ROI, so bid up if you’re exclusively advertising there.
If you’re still advertising in the content network, then be sure to exclude poor sites from it using site exclusion options.
Tags: adCenter, AdWords, pay-per-click, search traffic, SEM, Yahoo Search MarketingGoogle Website Optimizer Available to Public
It’s been about half a year since Website Optimizer beta was released along with a two-part webinar series that introduced the nuts and bolts of the service. The first webinar was a little shaky from what I remember, and people had issues downloading the right software and getting the sound to work through the phonelines.
Okay. Enough digressing.
Prior to Website Optimizer, conducting A/B and multivariate testing would entail some complicated tailor-made sets of tracking code that was neither robust nor scalable. All of you analytics/ROI/tracking fanatics out there know what I’m talking about. Anyway, Website Optimizer has been declared out of beta and ready for the masses! I’m surprised that it wasn’t released earlier because it fills a void that few third-party systems out there can fill efficiently (and cheaply).
Their website says:
Website Optimizer, Google’s free website testing and optimization tool, allows you to increase the value of your existing websites and traffic without spending a cent. Using Website Optimizer to test and optimize site content and design, you can quickly and easily increase revenue and ROI whether you’re new to marketing or an expert.
Website Optimizer is indeed free and a valuable tool for split testing, but I can only partially agree that it can be done "quickly and easily."
Tags: Google, SEM, toolsUser-Generated Content and the Power of Blogs
User-Generated Content
Whether it be the decreasing cost of the Internet, its ease of use, an affinity for expression, sheer vanity, or a combination of them all, the amount of user-generated content (UGC) is rising exponentially. Everyone from your best friend’s mother to your neighbour’s kitten has a MySpace/Facebook/Orkut/Bebo account or user profile somewhere with very vital information like their favourite music and colour.
But beyond the social networking profiles exists one particular flavour of user generated content - blogs. This special category of user generated content has been gaining a lot of momentum and popularity over the web, and search marketers need to pay close attention to its impact over search engines.
Tags: link building, SEM, SEO, social media marketing, web developmentAdvice From CMO of Newsforce, Dana Todd
Here are five great search engine marketing tips inspired by the Chief Marketing Officer of Newsforce, Dana Todd. With respect to building a solid search marketing campaign, you should have:
- Good tracking software along with good Key Performance Indicators.
- Establishing baseline metrics for measuring campaign performance.
- Various methods of keyword generation.
- Good solid copywriting.
- Continuous tweaking and updating.
Internet Usage Growing Rapidly Among Women
In comScore’s recent 2007 U.S. Internet Year in Review, the second-fastest growing Internet audience was women, trailing the number one category of politics. Attributing and omitting the political growth to the presidential election, the women’s community effectively becomes the most rapidly growing Internet user-base. Their 35% increase in growth is comparable to the “retail consumer goods” and “teens” categories, with a 25% and 20% change, respectively.
This recent jump in online women now means that they outnumber online men in the U.S., and it’s a good time to delve into this data and fine-tune our marketing efforts.
Tags: comScore, SEM