Microsoft adCenter is making changes to its location targeting functionality that will bring it into line with the industry standard Google AdWords. Now, the “market” (distribution channel) will no longer be available as a targeting option. It will be replaced by “language” and “target location” as individual targeting options. Advertisers will be able to target […]
Local mobile ad network xAd has released its first quarterly report detailing traffic trends and user behavior on its network. While all mobile ad networks offer geotargeting, xAd is one of a small number of mobile networks that specializes in local (search and display). CPM rates are considerably higher than on more conventional mobile ad […]
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 […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Foursquare Adds ‘Lists’ Functionality For Profiles & Pages Over the past few years Foursquare has been rapidly evolving, and their newly announced “lists” feature looks like a very promising new addition. […]
If you’re accustomed to geo-targeting your AdWords campaign by drawing multi-point shapes around your targeted area, you’re out of luck after July 8, when Google is rolling out some changes to its geographical targeting capabilities. After that point, you’ll still be able to edit and delete existing shapes through 2011, but you won’t be able […]
Google has modified the way its location targeting controls function on AdWords to give advertisers more control over who sees their ads. Most importantly, advertisers can now distinguish between people that signal a location as part of their search query, and others that search from an IP address or GPS location in the area. For […]
Google today announced the first upgrade to its AdWords API this year, touting features like the ability to run reports across clients, better filtering, improved geo-targeting, and the ability to deploy and measure “experiments,” or A/B split testing. In coming weeks, API v201101 will also feature the ability for agencies to use interest-based advertising at […]
AdWords advertisers seeking to target ad to cities in China, Brazil, Mexico and 14 other countries will soon get their wish. Google today will begin rolling out new city and regional targeting capabilities. The changes will allow advertisers to target, analyze and optimize ad campaigns based upon more granular geographic data. Retailers could, for example, […]
Google has released a provocative case study with Roy’s Restaurants, a high-end national restaurant chain with 31 locations around the country. The company reported a massive 800 percent ROI by using Google’s location extensions and Click to Call ads in mobile. It must be said that part of the reason for the huge ROI is […]
Presentations from SMX East, October 2010 As print yellow pages and newspaper classified ads go the way of the buggy-whip, local search engines and online yellow pages providers are growing fast, especially with the explosive increase in smart phone use where people want location-specific info on demand. For any business that provides products or services […]
Having a well known brand can be a wonderful thing—you have a base of customers who know and trust your offerings. However, marketers often ignore this brand loyal segment, and chase after new customers instead. While developing new business is a necessity, marketers shouldn’t let existing customers get left behind.
No, this is not another top-level domain vs. sub domain article but one that goes more to a deeper problem global companies are having with a haphazard approach to their local language content management. I have seen far too many global companies large and small cobble together local language sites that make Frankenstein look like […]
Mike Blumenthal received a screenshot that seems to show a test of a new presentation of Google local/geotargeted AdWords. Mike suggests this may be an expression of AdWords local extensions: This is AdWords and not Local Listing Ads, but the presentation (with the blue pushpin) is similar, signifying a local business or a physical location. […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: SEM Lessons From The Fall Of The Berlin Wall Twenty years ago the fall of the Berlin Wall didn’t just change politics in Europe—it changed Europeans behavior. To this day we […]
Read the search marketing press today and you’ll find abundant information on the importance of bid management strategies, as well as tools to maximize campaign ROI. However, as anybody who’s managed a search campaign recently knows, bid levels are only part of the equation. Effective search marketers know that search engines are looking to maximize […]
The Google AdWords Blog announced they will be allowing advertisers to add the full address to their search ads through location extensions. Location extensions gives advertisers a way to create new local ads with extensions from scratch or add extensions to your existing text ads. This will replace the need to have local business ads […]
Google is rewriting the local search space. They’re now showing local search results — a map, business listings, and more — even when searchers use generic terms that don’t include a local word. This was spotted in London last week, written about on Saturday by a California florist, and spread widely yesterday when Mike Blumenthal […]
Yahoo has added several enhanced targeting features to its search marketing advertising solution. The features include enhanced geo-targeting, ad scheduling, demographic targeting, and added bid adjustments based on those targeting features. In addition, Yahoo has improved the content match technology to make the ads more relevant to the publisher’s content. The new features are available […]
Not long ago, Google rolled out its “Geolocation API” (via Google Gears). Initially it was intended to enable third party publishers and developers to get location for their apps on mobile devices using a combination of the phone’s inherent location-awareness technologies (i.e., GPS) and Google’s cell-tower database (which has been expanded now to include WiFi […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
The Yahoo Search Marketing Blog announced they have improved the targeting and relevancy of their content match product. The improvements will lead to a higher click through rate on ads and higher satisfaction. The specific improvement is that they now not only target the ads based on the content of the page, but also based […]
As the U.S. Hispanic population continues to grow, advertisers naturally want to target this influential demographic. Search engine marketing allows advertisers to efficiently reach the Hispanic market through a number of Hispanic-focused strategies. Though it may sound obvious, the easiest way to target Hispanics is by using Spanish-language keywords (i.e., “salud” for “health” and “prestamo” […]
Last November, Google introduced its My Location feature in Google Maps for Mobile. It uses cell tower IDs to triangulate the location of the phone and then identifies that location on the Google Maps interface. With a bit less precision, it essentially does the same thing that GPS does: eliminate the need to enter a […]
One of the reasons that “local search” has struggled in some quarters has been the challenge of tracking the internet’s influence on in-store or local transactions. This is a theme I heard raised by large retailers at a ShopLocal partner event a couple of weeks ago and one that came up several times in various […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
I live blogged the Yahoo keynote, so forgive the disjointed notes. Frazier Miller: Rise of the Local Web, A Perfect Storm. Miller gave an engaging keynote that covered both online and mobile, user demand and advertising. Miller defined local in terms of four Yahoo properties: Search, Yahoo Local, Yahoo Yellow Pages, and Upcoming. Interestingly, Miller […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
Google launched the set geographic target feature in October of last year. Since then, many webmasters began experimenting with it and I have personally not seen too many complaints about it, which is always a good thing. Google’s Webmaster Central team said they have been receiving some questions on the tool, so they have decided […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
Many people I speak to still ask the familiar question, “Is this going to be the breakout year for local?” while expressing frustration or disappointment that “local hasn’t yet lived up to expectations.” But local is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s also more complex than the general search market, which features an ecosystem built […]
Microsoft announced this morning that it has acquired UK-based mapping platform and consumer destination MultiMap. Deal terms weren’t disclosed. MultiMap will reportedly operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft but within the Virtual Earth and search teams. According to the press statement issued, MultiMap brings “new location and mapping technology to complement existing offerings […]
I got a tip from Scott Edwards that Google has quietly improved the “target customers by location” feature in the AdWords console. You can see old screen captures of the multi-step process at the Search Engine Roundtable, but the new method is much more intuitive. You are given four tabs that include “Search,” “Browse,” “Bundles,” […]
For years, webmasters have wished for a way to tell search engines the country that should be associated with their sites. Starting today, Google Webmaster Central is offering a solution for those geographic woes.
Zillow has always seen itself as a media company. The real estate site, which launched in early 2006, has continued to add features and listings that are very real-estate centric. But with the introduction of its “DirectAds” program it has become something else — a site that uses its considerable data and data-mining capabilities to […]
Google has teamed up with Nielsen to offer demographic data to advertisers in its TV Ads program. Google is currently working with distributors EchoStar and San Francisco Bay Area cable provider Astound. Nielsen demographic data are being combined with “aggregated set-top box data” in the new program to offer the information about audiences. Nielsen extrapolates […]
Last Thursday I did a webcast for Search Marketing Now on local search called “Local Search Advertising: Challenges and Opportunities.” The slide presentation and a recording of the webcast are available here. Those who didn’t attend can still hear the webcast and access the slides by registering for free. The presentation was intended to be […]
Just like the category of local search itself, the phrase “local search” has many different aspects and dimensions. It is generally used to refer to a cluster of consumer behaviors or destination sites whose ultimate goal is to help people find businesses offline, in their local communities. But as the readers of this site know […]
Shuman Ghosemajumder, Google’s business product manager for Trust & Safety at Google, has responded via his blog to the Click Quality Council’s Cornerstone Principles for Pay-Per-Click Quality Improvement (PDF file) that were released last week. The response is basically what you expected to see. Shuman lists out all of the points in the 8 principles […]