• Search marketing isn't just for national advertisers; local businesses can use search marketing to target down to the individual market level.
• Search advertising is a low-barrier, low-risk medium. It costs you very little to get started, and the potential results are huge. So dip your toe in the water and start advertising!

• Focus on the long haul - don't expect to get rich quick.
• Strive for a mix of pay-per-click and organic search engine results.
• Hire the best possible individuals — and don't be afraid to outsource nonessential activities.

• Optimize your site for local search - make sure you include locality information as part of your keyword set.
• Focus on local directories as much as you do the big search engines.

• Keyphrase research is the foundation of any SEO campaign (and the first step before writing a page.)
• The search engine results page (SERP) is your first opportunity for conversion. Create Titles that, yes, include keyphrases - but also (when possible) include a benefit or call-to-action. Check out Zappos.com for a good example of this. Zappos promotes their free shipping in almost every Title. That's smart SEO copywriting!

• All media are valuable, but none so much so as text, because of its importance to search engines.
• To succeed with social networking, you have to be transparent and honest. You must provide value in order to receive value.

Posted by Rene LeMerle at 3:31 AM GMT | View Post | 0 Comments

The folks at Google, as reported in their Lat Long Blog, have added a new feature to Google Maps. Included now is the ability to refine your search by neighborhood or user rating.

So if the results that you initially get from Google Maps are too broad then you can get more specific results by selecting the neighborhood or user rating function.

For example if I was searching for a hotel near New York City, Google Maps gives me numerous results spanning a great distance of the city.

However, if I choose to refine this search by neighborhood, it will show me results for specific neighborhoods of NYC, such as Downtown or Upper East Side.

Alternatively, I can refine my search by a specific user rating. The ratings are provided by other searchers as a guide to the quality of businesses displayed in the search results.

So if I only wanted to see the search results for a hotel with a 5 star rating, then I could refine the search to show hotels with a rating of only 4 stars and up.

This is a very effective tool as searchers tend to read a number of reviews and rely on ratings before giving a business a go

This is a great initiative by Google, as it makes it even easier for us to find exactly what we are looking for.

This new Google Maps feature appears to be only available to those in the U.S, but we will keep our eyes peeled and let you know when it becomes available in other countries.

Posted by Courtney Mills at 12:52 AM GMT | View Post | 0 Comments

• Excluded Words may provide you with more control over Advanced Match traffic.
• This feature helps block unwanted and irrelevant searches.
• You may block searches not related to what you are selling, helping you to receive more targeted leads.

Posted by Rene LeMerle at 11:47 AM GMT | View Post | 0 Comments

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google is considering buying a balloon company that will provide wireless services to those living in rural areas of the U.S.

Arizona based Space Data Corp creates disposable hydrogen filled balloons packed with miniature versions of cell phone towers inside of them to provide internet access to those people who have a hard time getting it.

They launch 10 balloons a day across the Southern U.S, which fly about 20 miles up in the sky and a single balloon can service an area equivalent to 40 cell phone towers.

The balloons cost $50, however the transceivers attached to them cost $1500. Fortunately they parachute back to the earth once the balloon is no longer in service.

Below is a video from The Wall Street Journal which explains this service in greater detail.

So just why would Google want to invest in balloons? Besides the fact that it is a cheap and efficient method of providing cell phone and wireless mobile access, I think that by associating themselves with this wireless service then the Google brand will be more recognized amongst these users.

I'm sure Google would also hope that these users would use their search engine for internet search, therefore increasing even further their market share in search in the U.S which currently stands at 58.4% in January 2008.

Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Posted by Courtney Mills at 6:34 AM GMT | View Post | 0 Comments

Many businesses are harnessing the power of advertising platforms like Google AdWords and Yahoo! Search Marketing to drive targeted visitors to their website. Unfortunately, many often forget that this is only the first step in generating new sales.

Getting targeted traffic is one thing, but businesses need to rely on their landing page to convert visitors to sales. A landing page is the page visitors reach after clicking on your advertisement, and is one of the most crucial factors in your overall advertising success.

In general, a landing page should be highly targeted towards the advertisement generating the click-through, and provide a clear action for the visitor to complete. This action may be completing an enquiry form, submitting a quote or finding out more information.

As many businesses don't know where to start, I've put together a simple 7 point checklist to ensure your landing pages are up to scratch.

1. First impressions last
   Visitors who click through from your advertisement want to be reassured they've landed on the right page. Closely matching the headline and copy from your ad text is a great way to do this.
   
   
2. Provide a clear call to action
   Use buttons or text and tell your visitor what they need to do. Draw attention to the action you want them to complete.
   
   
3. Put your most critical landing page elements above the fold
   Research shows that over half of your visitors will not even scroll "below the fold". Get straight into your main message and keep calls to action in the upper half of the page.
   
   
4. Use Whitespace
   Use whitespace to break up long paragraphs and make the page visually appealing. Dense copy is likely to be ignored.
   
   
5. Write in the second person - You and Your
   Users are interested in how your product/services benefit them. Make this message clear by using "You" and "Your" in the copy.
   
   
6. Watch Your Load Time
   Users are going to wait more than 8 seconds or so for your page to load, so don't clutter the page with non-essential graphics. Keep it simple and optimize images to have the smallest file sizes.
   
   
7. Look Trustworthy
   Include things like awards, certifications, testimonials and privacy policies to convince customers they can trust you.

While this list doesn't include every way to optimize your landing pages, it's a good foundation to get on the right track. Try implementing my suggestions and post a comment with your results!

Posted by Matthew Elshaw at 2:25 AM GMT | View Post | 0 Comments

Google has updated their "Display URL" policy in Google AdWords, meaning advertisers will now have to display matching destination and display URLs. Google's policy of matching your display and destination URLs has been around for a while, but will be strictly enforced starting April 1st 2008.

As per the existing policy, Google will require both URLs to match, eg:

If you destination is www.google.com, you can not show

• www.google.co.uk (different site)
• www.gogle.com (has a redirect to google.com)
• www.gooogle.com (has content identical to google.com)

However. the program will still allow advertisers to use tracking URLs as long as the landing page URL matches the domain of the display URL. For example the following would be accepted:

Display URL: www.google.com/adwords
Destination URL: www.trackingurl.com/google123
--> Landing page URL: www.google.com would be acceptable

Advertisers will also still be able to use sub domains as long as the top level domains of both the display and destination URLs match. Advertisers who need to make changes should do so as soon as possible to avoid being penalized after the 1st of April. All advertisers will also receive a reminder in their AdWords accounts before the deadline.

For more info on Google's policy update, visit the AdWords Help Center, or Inside Adwords blog.

Labels: Google AdWords

Posted by Matthew Elshaw at 2:09 AM GMT | View Post | 0 Comments

Gates is quoted as saying "We sent them a letter and said we think that's a fair offer. There's nothing that's gone on other than us stating that we think it's a fair offer… They should take a hard look at it." Yahoo! is believed to want at least $40 per share.

Should Yahoo! not come to the party on this offer then Microsoft's next strategy is pretty hard-hitting. Yahoo!'s board of directors is up for nomination this year and Microsoft have stated they'll start a proxy fight. In that, Microsoft would try to persuade Yahoo! shareholders to use their proxy votes to overthrow the board. They have until March 13th to accomplish this.

Most analysts believe Microsoft will do whatever it takes to buy Yahoo!. They have invested heavily in improving their own search engine and advertising technology, but neither Microsoft nor Yahoo! have closed the gap with Google, which dominates in U.S. search queries and related advertising revenue.

We will continue to keep you informed of any more important developments with Microhoo!

Posted by Courtney Mills at 12:51 AM GMT | View Post | 0 Comments

Labels: Google, Yahoo

Posted by Matthew Elshaw at 12:01 AM GMT | View Post | 2 Comments

Labels: Google

Posted by Matthew Elshaw at 11:57 PM GMT | View Post | 0 Comments

A former Chinese university professor plans to sue Yahoo! and Google in the United States for blocking his name from search results in China.

Guo Quan, became the chairman of the underground New People's Party in opposition to the ruling Communist Party and last week issued a letter vowing to bring a lawsuit against Google after he discovered that his name had been removed from searches on Google.cn.

He also found that the Chinese Yahoo! had also blocked his name. "Since January 1, a lot of friends told me that websites with my name had been closed. They told me it's impossible to search for my information on Google and Yahoo!" Mr Guo said. So he now plans to bring actions against both companies.

This is not the first time there has been censorship of foreign internet portals operating in China. Google came under criticism when it became known that its Chinese search had been configured to filter out words that are banned in China, such as Tibet, Independence, Dalai Lama and Democracy.

However, Google defends their actions, saying that they are acting in accordance with Chinese law. The country's carefully patrolled internet firewall slows, blocks or disrupts users trying to access uncensored foreign websites.

Guo said that he couldn't sue Google or Yahoo! in China because they have no formal legal identity, but he would try his lawsuits in the United States against the parent companies. Mr Guo believes that "they have violated my political rights. I am opposed to violence and dictatorship but these sites have blocked me."

It will be interesting if this lawsuit is successful and if so it may well become a precedent for future action by others who feels as though they have been 'blocked out' of search engine results. Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Posted by Courtney Mills at 6:06 AM GMT | View Post | 3 Comments