The Google AdWords API announced the new beta version of the AdWords API, i.e. API v2009, is available for all advertisers to give a try. Google first released the beta just about two months ago, as a limited beta. Now, any advertiser can sign up at this page. Note, there are significant changes and improvements made to this API. The rate sheet for API calls shows a reduced rate and new features are coming, such as asynchronous calls, partial failure acceptance, keyword optimization tools, and reporting. If you are using the current API (v13), it is important to start looking at [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Google: AdWords | Google: APIs

A few years ago, I never would have been thinking about what Paid search wasn't good for. Clicks were cheap, ROI was through the roof, and I was one of the biggest Paid Search evangelists out there. I attended an American Association of Advertising Agencies conference in 2007 where there was a session touting "And, Not 'If' For Search" to drive the point home that search engine marketing was a no-brainer for every campaign. This was a traditional media agency dominated event,and I was glad to see that the message to include paid search in every plan was being spread outside the online commu [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Search | Search Marketing Toolbox

When do web searchers have commercial intent? What types of search queries do they try before actually making a purchase?

Related Topics: Channel: Content | Search & Usability

If it sometimes seems that there's no rhyme or reason to the various tools and products Google adds to its properties, this one will change your mind a bit: Google has (finally, some would say) brought together its local business listings with Street View inside of Google Maps. As the announcement explains, when looking for businesses in Google Maps, a new Street View link will appear when available as part of the link options for individual businesses. It'll look something like this: Clicking the new link takes you into Street View, where the business is now identified in its neigh [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Local | Google: Maps & Local | Google: Street View

Google's Marissa Mayer tweeted about Google's official ASCII logo. The neat and geeky part is that the way you can see this Google ASCII logo is by searching in google for [ascii art]. Give it a try, and you will see the logo at the top left of the search box, that looks like this: And if you were wondering, this is a true ASCII logo, this is not a graphic. [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Google: Logos

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Debunking The Italian Newspapers’ Antitrust Allegations Against GoogleMay it please the Italian court. Google does not ban newspapers that opt-out of Google News from being in Google at all, as a new complaint from Italian publishers alleges. It’s not actually a court that’s going to ponder this allegation. It’s Italy’s AGCM, which appears to be akin the the US [...] BT/Yahoo Portal Now Powered By … Not Yahoo [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | SearchCap

May it please the Italian court. Google does not ban newspapers that opt-out of Google News from being in Google at all, as a new complaint from Italian publishers alleges. It's not actually a court that's going to ponder this allegation. It's Italy's AGCM, which appears to be akin the the US Federal Trade Commission, a government organization to evaluate antitrust behavior. The Italian Federation Of Newspaper and Periodical Publishers (FIEG) has asked the AGCM to investigate Google. The agency has posted news (PDF in Italian, later here maybe in English) that it will examine whethe [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Content | Features: Analysis | Google: Business Issues | Google: Critics | Google: News | Top News

Those with BT broadband in the UK have noticed that the Yahoo/BT portal at bt.yahoo.com has a new search technology provider. You would guess that if Yahoo would replace their own search technology, it would be in exchange for Bing, in light of the recent news about the Bing & Yahoo deal. You would be wrong to think that because Google is now powering the search technology Yahoo/BT portal. Here is a screen capture of the search box that now says, "Powered by Google," taken from ConnectedInternet.co.uk, which tipped us to this: I know the Yahoo and Microsoft deal has not been s [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | Google: Business Issues | Google: Partnerships | Microsoft & Yahoo Search Deal | Microsoft: Business Issues | Microsoft: Partnerships | Yahoo: Business Issues | Yahoo: Partnerships

Google launched Google Health back in February 2008. Today, Google is integrating Google Health content into the search results via the classic OneBox section of the page. You should be able to see the Google Health OneBox for medical related searches, such as for [asthma] or [diabetes]. Here is a screen capture of the OneBox result for Asthma: As you can see, Google provides a quick definition of the condition and then gives you a link to either Google Health, Mayo Clinic, Medline Plus or WebMD. Note, not all of these links will be available for all health-related queries. I [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Google: Health | Google: OneBox, Plus Box & Direct Answers

A fire has broken out at Google's UK headquarters in Victoria, south west London. The fire appears to have been started on the rooftop, possibly due to the barbecue that is used there. Right now, it appears the fire is under control and that no one was hurt. The 6 floor building has been evacuated after six fire engines and 25 firefighters were called to the see just before 2pm local time. A Google spokesperson told the Telegraph: All I know is that there was a barbecue on a roof terrace above one of the Google floors. We have all been moved away from the building and we are waiting f [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Google: Offices | Google: Outside US

The Google Mobile blog announced that Arabic and Hebrew mobile searchers are now able to see universal results directly on their mobile devices. Although not related, this comes soon after Google Translated recently added 9 new languages. I know a bit of Hebrew, so I tried to test out the search results on Google Israel on my iPhone. Unfortunately, I did not see the same mobile friendly results, with universal search, on my iPhone. Maybe it was related to me searching on my iPhone or searching in the states, I don't know. What it should look like is: What I see on my iPhone: [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Google: Mobile | Google: Outside US | Google: Universal Search

A reader emailed us a screen capture of Google testing a new form of display product results in the AdWords listings. This is the third significant test of how the product data is shown in the search ads. We have the way most people see Google AdWords product plusbox and some more recent quick link version and top right ad box format. This new format, shows the product images and pricing, without clicking on the plus box. Here is the screen capture: Google sent us a statement regarding this test: Google is constantly experimenting with new features, tools and visual representat [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Google: AdWords

The NY Times blogs about an interesting lawsuit between online mortgage lead generator LendingTree and one of its partners Mortech, Inc., which is allegedly about to help Google launch a LendingTree-like loan aggregation or mortgage lead-gen service. According to a press release issued yesterday about the litigation by LendingTree:  Mortech, whose technology helps automate lender offer pricing, violated its contractual covenants by partnering with Google to launch an online mortgage loan aggregator service similar to LendingTree. Despite repeated efforts, LendingTree was unsuccessful in [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | Google: Legal | Google: Outside US | Google: Partnerships

The handful of SEM companies that we work with at Palore make millions of calls to Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) every year. This raises the question of whether the market for SMB online advertising is saturated, and how much room there is for growth. A good (albeit somewhat simplistic) way of answering that question is by looking at how many SMBs are currently marketing themselves online, and more importantly, how many are not. It is this latter group, local business owners who still don't advertise or otherwise promote themselves online, that defines the room for growth in this indus [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | Small Is Beautiful

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Bing Continues With Fake Referrers: What Part Of Stop Don’t They Understand?For over two years now, Microsoft’s search engine has been generating fake information that can make site owners think they’re getting strange search traffic (including porn traffic), when they are not. It’s time for this to come to an end. The culprit? Microsoft’s “crawler,” the software that visits web pages across the web that go into [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | SearchCap

The beauty of online marketing is that every step in the click path is visible. A searcher clicks on an ad, lands on a merchant's site and navigates to purchase—all of which can be viewed and analyzed. This process is often referred to as multiple metric optimization. However, this term is often misused so it is worth spending some time on explaining the process and how marketers can use it to their advantage. Simply put, multiple metric optimization refers to the class of methods that seek to maximize a marketing goal (for example, ROI/Revenue) using more than one event in the cl [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Analytics | How To: Analytics

The whole world of paid search is changing so rapidly! Good thing I’m going to SMX East in October. Looks like the agenda is loaded with tracks and sessions focusing on paid search, just like last year. Insights. Tips. Paid search tactics. Good stuff! I’m going to get the most out of the conference again this year. Got to remember to register. Here’s my plan… Sunday, Arrival Day Go to the opening night Meet & Greet reception. Last year, I met the friendliest, most collegial people who are, like me, totally passionate about paid search marketing. A number of us have stayed [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | SEM Industry: Conferences | SMX & DMD Alerts

People have been searching for the Loch Ness Monster for decades, using all kinds of scientific gear in and around Loch Ness in Scotland to see if the creature is real or fake. Is it possible they just needed to search Google Earth, instead? (Probably not, but play along with me on this.) Jason Cooke of Nottingham, England, thinks he spotted the monster on Google Earth, and the British tabloid The Sun ran the story with the image above. You can see it for yourself by using the coordinates Latitude 57°12'52.13"N, Longitude 4°34'14.16"W in Google Earth. If you don't have the full Google [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Did You Know? | Google: Earth

We're finalizing the speaker lineup for SMX East, and there are still a few openings. We're particularly interested in hearing from you if you can speak knowledgeably on the following topics: In-house SEO and SEM Issues Technical SEO Maps & Local Search Mobile Ads Video Search Marketing Beyond YouTube If you’re accepted to speak, you’ll receive a pass to the entire SMX event. Ready to pitch? Head over to our SMX speaker pitch form and submit your proposal. We're closing the pitch form late Friday, so don't delay! [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | SEM Industry: Conferences | Top News

All landing page tests are not created equal. What you test on your pages—and what you learn from those tests—can better inform tactics and strategies throughout your entire marketing program. Here are four kinds of landing page tests that can help you learn about your market. Beware butterflies and magic bullets How much can you learn from landing pages? Some landing page optimization experts will warn you about reading too much into the results of a particular landing page test. There are often multiple factors at play in a given experiment, and it can be difficult to pr [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Analytics | How To: SEM | Search Marketing: Landing Pages