Google Ads

Google Unveils Ad Preferences Center For Search And Gmail Ads

Sensitive to privacy issues surrounding ad targeting, Google is opening the kimono to consumers about why certain search and Gmail ads are targeted to certain people. The company is launching an additional section to its ad preference center — where users can already manage targeting criteria for display ads. In the new area, people will […]

PPC

7 Quick Wins For High Converting PPC Landing Pages

In paid search, it’s one thing to get a click but it’s completely something else to get a visitor to convert. To get a high enough ROI to make paid search profitable, practitioners need to be proficient not only in PPC optimization tactics, but also have ninja techniques on how to improve conversions. And where […]

Apple

SearchCap: The Day In Search, October 31, 2011

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Content Strategy Tuesday, Improve Paid Search on Thursday – Webcasts this week Search Marketing Now, our sister site, will host two webcasts this week. Tomorrow, November 1, Maria Pergolino of Marketo […]

Google Ads

Google Revamps AdWords Location Targeting Tool

Google is unveiling some changes to its location-targeting tool in AdWords which allow advertisers to search and discover new targets, view targeted areas on a map, and get additional information about the audience likely to see the targeted ads. The first change involves a search interface that gives instant results on matching locations, locations that […]

SEO

Infographic: The Top Three US Search Engines

How big is Google compared to competitors Bing and Yahoo — and can they catch it? One metric is the number of searches each search engine handles in a given month. Search Engine Journal created a nice infographic charting these figures over the past few years. It highlights Bing’s climb, mostly at Yahoo’s expense: Want […]

Apple

Siri, Are You Taking Over Mobile Search?

The new iPhone 4s comes with a feature that is bound to impact how search marketers try to reach iPhone users. Siri, the voice recognition app that comes standard with the new iPhone, can be used to control text messaging and reminders inside the device. But it can also be used as a search tool, […]

Local

New Look for Places Results On Google.com

Several people spotted a Google test involving a new look for local results on Google.com. It substitutes a horizontal map for a vertical one on the right rail (thus allowing more ads to appear above the fold) and gray pins instead of red. The gray pushpins become red when moused over. Here’s a screen showing […]

Google

How To Find Local Influencers On Google Plus

Google has been making a big deal out of privacy lately, but Google+ just launched a slew of new features designed to make people easier to find. I am particularly intrigued by the new Ripples feature, which allows you to see who has shared a post and track it as it gets shared by others. It is, […]

PPC

3 Tips Key To 2011 Holiday Advertising

Last holiday season, online consumers spent approximately $32.6 billion, a 12 percent increase from 2009. We can safely assume the trend will continue in 2011 as shoppers’ propensity to search online for the best deals grows and retailers respond by bulking up their online offers. As a result, competition among online retailers will be at […]

Apple

Apple Maps Inevitable As Company Acquires 3D Mapper C3

Apple has apparently bought its third mapping company, the Sweden-based C3 Technologies. The company’s site has been taken down. C3 provides 3D mapping (a la Bing Maps or Google Earth) for a number of other publishers such as Nokia (Ovi Maps) and UK directory publisher Yell. (In the wake of this transaction Nokia will probably […]

Google

Even Google Thinks “Romney Can’t Win”

US presidential candidate Republican Mitt Romney can’t seem to catch a break even from Google. Not only does it suggest that he can’t win, if you start typing in Romney’s name, but if you disagree, Google tries to correct you. Suggestion: Romney Can’t Win Start typing in Romney, and Google as its top suggestion “romney can’t […]

Apple

SearchCap: The Day In Search, October 28, 2011

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Tweaks Its Rel=Author Display, Promotes Google+ In Search Results Google has rolled out a few changes to how it shows results that use the rel=author markup. Some of these are […]

Google

Google Tweaks Its Rel=Author Display, Promotes Google+ In Search Results

Google has rolled out a few changes to how it shows results that use the rel=author markup. Some of these are things that have been spotted in testing in recent weeks, so today’s announcement formalizes how that markup will display in Google’s search results. Here’s how it currently looks using one of Danny Sullivan’s recent […]

Local

Powered By Nokia, The New Yahoo Maps Goes Live

Former Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz will be remembered mainly as a cost cutter who outsourced numerous functions to third parties. A partial list of those includes outsourcing Search to Microsoft, Shopping to PriceGrabber, Real Estate to Zillow and Maps to Nokia/Navteq. And now, the new Nokia-powered Yahoo Maps (NokiHoo) have just gone live in the […]

SEO

The Career Path Of The Search Marketer

For those of you who read my columns regularly, you know that I’m fascinated with watching the paid search industry develop. Having been one of the lucky ones who fell into this marketing niche early on, I’ve seen it grow from a little seedling into a giant oak. In fact, one of the major draws […]

Analytics & conversion

3 Metrics Google Analytics Beginners Should Watch

The first login to a Google Analytics account can be daunting. There are so many things to see, and so many different ways to tweak data, that deciding which are the most important metrics to watch can be an insurmountable decision. Ultimately, in my opinion, you are the only one who can decide what metrics […]

Google Analytics

SearchCap: The Day In Search, October 27, 2011

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: AdSense Publishers Get Display Reporting By Network Google has long allowed approved third-party networks to serve inventory into its AdSense display network, and now it says publishers will begin to get […]

Google Ads

AdSense Publishers Get Display Reporting By Network

Google has long allowed approved third-party networks to serve inventory into its AdSense display network, and now it says publishers will begin to get reporting on impressions served, earnings and performance by network. The third-party networks in AdSense are enabled via Google’s DoubleClick Ad Exchange, and the system aims to let publishers to serve the […]

Google

Google+ Adds Popular Stories, Post Analytics, Photo Filter Kits & Begins Supporting Google Apps

Today Google announced a flurry of new features for its fledgling social network, Google+.  The new additions include popular content on Google+, analytics for public shares called “Google+ Ripples,”  creative kits for photos and accounts for Google Apps users.  Here’s a bit of info on each of the new items: “What’s Hot” – Popular Content […]

Content

How To Devise A Psychology Based SEO Strategy

SEO consultants like me usually get called in at an advanced stage of website development. Design elements are already in place, graphics created, page structure determined, even selling and lead generation processes finalized before the owner or manager invites us over to “slap SEO on” to their creation! Is that because to many of our […]

Content

Performics: Mobile To Drive Almost 20% Of Paid Search Clicks In December

Performics is anticipating mobile to be a significant platform in holiday shopping for US consumers. The firm said that “Google search clicks from mobile devices are now 14.2 percent of all search clicks.” Performics expects the paid clicks coming from mobile to grow to 17.3 percent this December. For its part, Google has projected that […]

SEO

Search Dominates Other Sources For Local Information — Study

A new survey from Harris Interactive, sponsored by CityGrid Media, confirms what many already know: Search is the dominant way people look for local business information — online. On mobile devices, review sites have equal influence. The telephone survey was conducted in August among just over 1,000 US adults. Slightly less than 60 percent (59 […]

Google

Google Tests Tabbed Navigation Design For Tablets

Google Operating System blog reports Google search is testing a new design for tablets. The new design places the various search vertical options across the top instead of placing them in a drop down menu. The new interface also has a settings button to access advanced search and SafeSearch settings. In July, Google launched a […]

Content

Judge Throws Out Class Action Lawsuit Against Yelp

Yelp is off the hook, again. A judge has thrown out a class action lawsuit filed against Yelp that alleged the company tried to extort small businesses by promising to remove negative reviews in exchange for money. As we reported when the suit was first filed in February 2010, the plaintiffs — which included a […]

PPC

Tips For Checking Your Holiday Retargeting List Twice

Every holiday season for retailers is filled with trepidation. There’s what retailers know. And then there’s what they think they know. This year, retailers know e-commerce sales will be up. What they think they know (or admit they can’t predict) is how the huge shadow of the sluggish economy will impact their season. It’s the […]

Link building

SearchCap: The Day In Search, October 26, 2011

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Cats & Dogs Living Together: Bing Promotes Firefox If you ever wanted proof that Microsoft has learned that for Bing to succeed, it needs to spread its wings beyond Microsoft, look […]

Apple

Cats & Dogs Living Together: Bing Promotes Firefox

If you ever wanted proof that Microsoft has learned that for Bing to succeed, it needs to spread its wings beyond Microsoft, look no further than today’s news that Bing is offering “Firefox With Bing.” That’s right, Microsoft is pushing a rival browser to its own Internet Explorer. Firefox With Bing In a blog post […]

Google Ads

Google Tweaks Competition Rank In AdWords Keyword Tool To “Low,” “Medium” or “High”

Many users are now seeing a change in the way that Google’s Keyword Ranking tool is providing competition data. Instead of the traditional bars to display competitiveness, Google is using text as the description. Up until now, this tool used small green bars to display the competitiveness of keywords. The more green in the bar, the more competitive the term […]

Google Ads

Google Launches “AdWords Premier SMB Partner Program”

Google is introducing what it calls its “AdWords Premier SMB Partner Program.” It’s essentially a vendor referral program for small business (SMB) advertisers interested in working with AdWords. Google has developed a list of companies, many of whom were part of its “authorized reseller” program, to which it will refer SMBs. The involved vendors get […]

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