Google recently released news that it is now moving to encrypt all organic search activity. This means that analytics programs will no longer be able to report on keyword terms that drive organic traffic from Google, instead noting the data as being “not provided.” This could be devastating to marketing managers and webmasters who rely heavily […]
Successful PPC lead generation campaigns demand good landing pages. Yet many small business marketers are left without the resources to create solid landing pages that will convert visitors into leads. WordStream, a PPC platform designed specifically for small and mid-sized businesses and their agencies, sees this problem up close every day. In response, the company […]
In a post today, Google announced it is updating the way AdWords quality scores are reported. The changes will roll-out globally over the next few days. The updates are designed to “tie your 1-10 numeric Quality Score more closely to its three key sub factors — expected clickthrough rate, ad relevance, and landing page experience”. Google is quick […]
For advertisers using keyword level URLs, Google AdWords will soon be launching new ValueTrack features to help improve enhanced campaign performance by device. Based on feedback from advertisers, the new features will make it possible to direct users to a device-specific landing page at keyword level and enable better tracking of enhanced campaigns. The ValueTrack […]
Again following rival Google’s lead, Bing Advertising is introducing the capability to specify different landing pages depending on the match type chosen. The idea is that the change will enable more effective bid management, tracking and changes (pausing and resuming) of keywords at the match type level. This is the latest announcement of efforts aimed […]
Google has always banned the use of duplicate landing pages for AdWords sitelinks extensions. It just hasn’t been particularly aggressive about ensuring compliance, until now. This because the company has noticed many advertisers including two or more sitelinks that go to the same landing pages, or different pages with substantially the same content. Starting this […]
Perfecting Your PPC Landing Pages Presentations from SMX Advanced, June 2012 What does the perfect lead gen landing page look like? How about e-commerce? While perfection may be out of the question, we all know that even small performance gains can lead to big improvement in profits. In this session, we’ll dig deep into advanced […]
iConvert: Landing Pages & Conversion In A Smartphone & Tablet World Presentations from SMX Advanced, June 2012 Well-designed mobile landing pages and sites can mean the difference between consumer engagement or abandonment, with corresponding consequences to your brand. But can mobile sites and landing pages actually drive conversions? Should marketers plan that mobile users will […]
Microsoft Advertising seems to be introducing a new feature a day, these days. Some of the more interesting: the re-introduction of Yahoo Rich Ads In Search (RAIS), changes to negative keyword behavior and the ability to pick specific landing pages per match type. The re-introduction of Yahoo RAIS, mentioned by both Portent and Rimm-Kaufman Group, […]
As the first of the International Search Summits of 2012 looms large (at SMX West next week) I felt it was time to review what seem to be the most significant 10 issues for search marketers at this time. What’s interesting to note is that just one year ago, this list was very different. 1. […]
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: 62 Percent Of Valentine’s Day Restaurant Searches Were Mobile Google is releasing some data on mobile search and Valentine’s Day. The company said, “A whopping 62 percent of total searches […]
That’s a trick question. Of course the answer should always be yes. Hopefully your website conversions in 2011 have already resulted in a banner year. But if you feel like you have room to improve (and there always is), then it might be time to review what advice our conversion experts shared with readers throughout […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Third Party Page Managment Comes To Google+ Google+ pages for brands & businesses were announced last week, and Google has been busy rolling out supporting features. Yesterday, Google began displaying select […]
After quietly testing in Brazil, Spanish-speaking Latin America, Spain, and Portugal, Google will roll out a new algorithm globally that gives more weight to landing page quality when it comes to AdWords Quality Score. This means ads with landing pages that Google deems to be most relevant to the query will be able to rank […]
Microsoft has announced changes that tighten up its adCenter Relevancy and Quality policy for ads served to the U.S. and Canada. Changes are set to take place tomorrow, August 31, though the company says it won’t begin enforcing the changes until the next week or two, giving advertisers a chance to make changes, if needed, […]
Poor landing page quality scores have been a bit of a mystery for marketers using Google AdWords. A 1/10 score could mean the landing page was poor, by Google’s standards, or it could mean that it, or the site as a whole, somehow violated the company’s policies. Today, the company has introduced changes to help […]
Conversion Optimization Science Presentations from SMX East, October 2010 Testing alternative landing page content can dramatically increase conversion rates. But how do you come up with ideas for what to test? Should you go with straightforward A/B testing, or invest the time and resources to conduct more complex multivariate tests? How do you know when […]
The end of the conversion funnel rightly garners a lot of attention. By getting to that stage of the process, your visitors have shown that they have a great deal of intent to convert, so work done at this stage can have significant impact. However I thought that I’d talk a little about how people […]
Pump Up Those Conversions! Presentations from SMX Advanced Seattle, June 2010 You’ve got them to your site — that’s half the battle. Win the war. Convert, convert, convert! Convert them on the landing pages! Guide them past landing page as necessary, converting them deeper in the site. But convert! This session looks at tools, testing […]
SMX West Conversion Ninja Toolbox – A Review of Tools & Technologies Testing alternative landing page content can dramatically increase conversion rates. But how do you know what to test? A number of powerful, inexpensive and easy-to-use new tools now make the process much easier. Learn the secrets of the pros by seeing a rapid-fire […]
Landing Pages & Multivariate Testing to Increase Conversions You say ta-may-toe, I say toh-mah-toh… It’s easy to assume that the landing page you (or your boss) likes the best is best. But research conclusively demonstrates this is a false and a profit-limiting assumption. In this session, we’ll look at what happens when you test alternative […]
Throughout this column, the phrase “Quality Score” has popped up on different occasions. Understanding Quality Score is fundamental for successful paid search campaigns, but can be a difficult concept for beginners to understand. So the time has come to cover this topic so you can use Quality Score to your advantage and not fall into […]
While people use the internet for daily activities including reading news, doing research, communicating with others and shopping, many marketers still do not make paid search a priority when planning a new campaign. In fact, it is often implemented as an afterthought—a second level priority behind more traditional media such as TV and print. Rather […]
Paid search landing pages matter. Picking the wrong pages -- as machines usually do -- hurts conversion rates which forces down bids, which shrinks the size of the paid search program.
Website owners and search professionals alike often overlook finding behaviors after a searcher clicks on a link to a website from a search engine results page (SERP). One of those finding behaviors is called orientation or orienting. Orientation is a search behavior that no SEO professional, search engine advertiser, or website owner should dismiss. Quick-and-easy orientation contributes to a positive brand experience, increases conversions and sales, and makes content easier to find.
On the heels of launching Yahoo campaigns in three countries in eight days on an incredibly tight timeline, it makes sense to take a small step back and jot down a few thoughts about what went right, what went wrong, and how to improve next time.
The importance and impact of online testing on your conversion rates cannot be understated. Yet as powerful as testing can be, it is a double-edged sword that can actually set you back if you are not careful. Poorly designed tests can take years to complete, and even worse, they might not provide concrete insights to […]
I have been watching ongoing complaints from Google AdWords advertisers for the past five days or so, in regards to Google both banning and warning of banning advertisers for having “poor quality landing pages.” I first reported about the issue on Sunday at the Search Engine Roundtable. There are a few SEM threads on this […]
When optimizing a website for search, it is critical to target the right keywords as they play an important role in its overall success. Given that, it’s not surprising that when a page on a website has a subpar performance in search, many marketers jump to change its keywords. But doing so could be a […]
As an in-house SEO, where does the legitimate scope of your activities end, and those of somebody else begin? Are you being a useful and valid contributor, or simply poking your nose in where it doesn’t belong? What is rightfully within your scope may surprise you. Successful search engine marketing requires you to collaborate with […]
In the past, SEO success was measured by rankings of target keywords; then the focus moved to traffic; today we have moved into the bottom-line era: organic traffic should be measured by its impact on revenue. This post is based on a presentation delivered at eMetrics San Jose 2009. It is about ways to integrate […]
There’s no question that the vast majority of brand loyalty is created post click—once consumers are brought to a landing page with relevant offers and other brand messaging. However, what happens in that 2-3 second window prior to the click? A lot more brand building than you think. First impressions count Search marketers spend countless […]
Ah, Ask.com. Since I wrote their obituary in March, not much has got me thinking they’ll make a comeback. Sure, there was the gimmick of kind of bringing back Jeeves himself. But the spate of “hotels.ask.com” ads I see them running on Google makes me think they’re dropping further from being a search engine and […]
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” This gem from heavyweight boxing legend Iron Mike Tyson also applies to AdWords account strategy, especially when starting a new account. Beginning in 2006, some advertisers in the affiliate marketing, Made-for-AdSense, and other spheres have referred to harsh quality score treatment — especially treatment […]
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.
Successful paid search marketing is an ever-moving target: bid prices and placements are constantly changing, auction rules shift from one day to the next, and your keyword mix is constantly in flux due to seasonality, new promotions, and changing campaign needs. It’s no wonder your search engine marketing ROI also fluctuates with all this confusion. […]
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” […]
I’ve been thinking a lot about landing pages lately. Last time, I talked about getting multivariate landing page testing straight. Today, I’ll look at a specialized offer technique that employs what I’ll call a Pain Reliever Page (PRP). A PRP is problem-based (or pain-specific). It addresses a specific consumer issue and attempts to alleviate a […]
Perhaps for the first time ever I’m guilty of being slack. Either that or I’ve been seriously buried (a condition I’m sure most in-house SEMs are quite familiar with). Although there was some great live blogging of SMX Advanced, nobody to my knowledge summarized key takeaways for in-house search marketers. So here are what I […]