Click Fraud is Real. Are You Safe?

Posted by tim on November 24, 2004 at 11:49 AM

CNet recently ran an article on a lawsuit filed by Google against a suspected perpetrator of click fraud.

Click fraud is a very real issue for pay-per-click advertisers. Too often, fraudulent clicks can destroy an online PPC campaign.

It is however detectable, and while not necessarily preventable, it can be remedied. A combination of excellent tracking tools, vigilance and experience can at least lead to detection and reporting of invalid clicks.

Herein lie just some of the advantages of outsourcing PPC management tasks. Detecting fraud is a skill that many businesses could learn, but more important than knowing how to spot it is having the time to watch for it. Search marketing companies that provide PPC management should have dedicated account executives working on accounts steadily, able to quick spot suspect trends and activity.

A good SEO/SEM agency can get accounts stopped, gather appropriate data and submit evidence for a fraud investigation, often long before a client realizes there has been a spike in traffic.

Finding click fraud in a timely manner and dealing with it appropriately is crucial. Dedicated account managers have experience with accounts and are able to quickly spot questionable traffic trends. They are also better equipped to quickly see the difference between legitimate traffic spikes and fraudulent traffic.

Quick Hitting Numbers

Posted by tim on November 22, 2004 at 04:05 PM

77% of Internet users use search engines (more than 117 million users)

The so-called "big 4" search engines (Google, Yahoo, AOL, MSN) command 95% of the search market

Think organic search might not be of real value? Consider the following numbers that show how user interaction breaks down between the natural listings and the paid listings:

72% click natural vs. 28% clicking paid on Google
60% natural vs. 40% paid on Yahoo
50% natural vs. 50% paid on AOL

It's widely believed that the layout of the pages has a tremendous influence on these interactions as well. Should AOL make natural listings more prominent, these numbers could easily shift.

Blowing Out Low Prices!!

Posted by tim on November 18, 2004 at 10:08 AM

Search engine marketing is not a commodity.

While there are vendors who will position search marketing as such, it is not a commodity.

Search engine marketing is a service. It is a living, breathing, adaptable, evolving service.

This is not a one hit wonder.

This is not a gun it and run it.

Selecting a search marketing partner based on price alone could be something of a gamble. You might get great results. You might not. Either way, you probably don't have any assurance of continuing service. There's likely little chance of having a partner, essentially on staff, that you can work with to plan future marketing strategies. To foresee and react to changes in the search engine algorithms. To understand which evolving niche engines could best serve your business. Your entire search marketing strategy will probably stay reactive, rather than proactive.

The lowest price tag might look good on the bottom line, but only the first time you pay it. Will it still be a discount when you're on your third project in a year?

What's the Secret Recipe?

Posted by tim on November 16, 2004 at 01:50 PM

Danny Sullivan has a nice write up about SEO Secrets over at the Search Engine Watch Blog.

Probably one of the most important elements of a search marketing campaign is the time involved. For agencies, this is one of the key considerations when debating about whether to outsource. Regardless of whether or not a campaign attacks like the tortoise or the hare, there is an investment of time and manpower to keep a campaign running well.

Sometimes finding a partner to run the race for you is the best way to keep your team fresh.

An Agency Bill of Rights

Posted by tim on November 16, 2004 at 01:02 PM

It should be a given, but we have no trouble making the point again.

I first saw this list posted by Elizabeth Albrycht on her blog, but I believe the original source was Christopher Carti over on his blog.

While this is written from a consumer stand-point, I thought it was a great way to think of the base of a great relationship between agencies as well and this is so well said, there's really no need to try and re-invent the wheel.

Without further ado:

• I want to have a say.
  
• I don't want to do business with idiots.
  
• I want to know when something is wrong, and what you're going to do to fix it.
  
• I want to help shape things that I'll find useful.
  
• I want to connect with others who are working on similar problems.
  
• I want to buy things on my schedule, not yours. I don't care if it's the end of your quarter.
  
• I want to know your selling process.
  
• I want to tell you when you're screwing up. Conversely, I'm happy to tell you the things that you are doing well. I may even tell you what your competitors are doing.
  
• I want to do business with companies that act in a transparent and ethical manner.
  
• I want to know what's next. We're in partnership ... where should we go?
  

To Outsource, or Not to Outsource ...

Posted by tim on November 11, 2004 at 02:48 PM

Indeed, that is the question

While the topic of search marketing has become much more mainstream and almost every day there is more evidence of the importance of including search in an overall marketing strategy, the practice itself isn't new. There are companies that have been working in this arena for almost ten years.

Here's just a sample of why it makes sense to outsource your projects.

Speed
When you outsource projects, there's no time lost to building a team. You haven't got a learning curve or a training cycle. Effective search marketing requires an investment of time regardless. Instead of pushing off projects for six months or more while you hire, partner. An established firm is ready to go. They know the questions to ask, they know how to do the research, and they know how to get results.

Resources
Experience has proven that to be really effective at search marketing, sometimes special tools are required. A lot of SEM firms have developed proprietary software that makes the campaigns more effective. In almost every case these are private solutions and if you want something similar, you'll have to invest time, resources, and capital in developing this.

Experience
Beyond just the experience of proprietary tools, SEM firms have been watching and working with engines for a while. They are already aware of tactics that became obsolete years ago (some that have even become punishable). In an industry that moves as fast as search marketing, your new team might not be able to find information about these strategies since no one talks about them anymore.

Collective Intelligence
This really goes hand in hand with the experience of a firm. Keep in mind, when you hire a firm to handle accounts, while you might only talk to one account exec., that AE is backed by an entire team. There are years of experience gained by working with and optimizing for virtually any kind of site, with almost any technology in any industry. If you build a team for in-house, you may see a learning curve on every project for the next couple of years.

Budget
This may really be the best reason of all. If you partner with an outside provider, your clients pay the tab. You haven't got employees and all the costs associated with them. You hire out the job, you only pay for the job. Sick time, vacation, insurance, the list goes on - none of that is your problem. Further, a good SEM firm is going to be actively learning. They are involved in conferences, seminars, lectures, etc., etc. Your team would need to do the same. Apart from footing the bill, that's more time lost.

Don't Start Playing the Pipes Just Yet

Posted by tim on November 10, 2004 at 12:23 PM

Branding is Dead - strong stuff.

Hugh over at gapingvoid.com has said for a while that brand is dead. Yesterday he pointed out exactly why brand is dead.

The way Hugh speaks to brand being about an EGOlogy and not an ecology, and the importance of the customers being engaged in a conversation really struck a chord. Essentially, this is what makes our little universe of search marketing work.

When a company has a brand, there's usually very little a SEM firm is going to do with that. Nike is going to do pretty well on a search engine when a prospect types "nike" into the search bar. Same goes for Adidas, New Balance, Ford, Chevy, etc. People that know the brand, and have embraced it, probably don't need to be marketed to. They're already a believer, probably even a disciple.

What about everybody else though? If the relentless branding has struck deep yet, it might never make it in. What about customers who haven't married a brand and are looking for a "durable economic running shoe", or a brand new "heavy duty company truck". That's how people talk about the shoes they want, or the trucks they need.

This is really the core of search marketing. Identify what the brand is about, what it offers, and who it's offering it to. Once that's established, find out how that target is talking about the product and figure out how the product fits their needs. Present the product in this light and, voila, a satisfied customer who just bought a new pair of brand name running shoes without ever using a brand name.

Our way of thinking isn't necessarily better, it's just how we get it done. Search marketing is still relatively new. When we jumped into the game, "brand" was already worn out on customers. The idea of conversations is the only way we've known.

Strike While the Iron's Hot

Posted by tim on November 08, 2004 at 11:50 AM

Sally Falkow recently posted to her blog about some of the goings on at the PRSA Conference in New York. Of special interest to StraightUpSearch was her point about internet marketing garnering so much attention among PR professionals.

Truth be told, we couldn't be happier. (Or more flattered that Ms. Falkow mentioned our report) The question we've got now for the PR gurus out there, "what are you going to do about Internet Marketing?". We're glad it's on the radar. Excited your talking about it. Now you've got to act.

If you're not in a position to advise your client on search marketing, you need to get there fast, because we'll bet your competition is getting there in a hurry.

Choose Wisely

Posted by tim on November 04, 2004 at 09:41 AM

Given the relative youth of the SEO/M industry, it can be difficult to figure out which firms to select for a search marketing campaign. Especially when they are all throwing out the best pitch to you. While it's not always the hottest topic, choosing the right firm is always bubbling under the surface in this field.

I'll refrain from throwing another pitch here. (Besides, it's no secret who StraightUpSearch thinks you should work with for search marketing.) Most of the top firms are using roughly the same techniques and principles. Many have developed proprietary tools for tracking. There are years and years of combined experience. In the end it comes down to, as it does in so many things, trust.

Search marketing is probably unfamiliar territory, or at least something that's only started to be explored. That probably raises more questions than it answers. Understandable. Whoever you talk to should be able to answer those questions for you. At the very least, they should be able to put to rest those fears. If you've got some lingering doubt about a company you want to hire, no matter how apparently minor that doubt might be, walk away. If you decide to partner with an SEO firm, you should feel good about bringing them into any boardroom with you. The last thing you want to do is bury the SEO as a line item in the overall campaign.

You outsource to relieve yourself of some burden, not to have more piled onto the project. Top firms understand that it's not so much about a job, or a campaign, but it's about fostering longer term client relationships. A poor choice in SEO could put a relationship in jeopardy. Don't risk that.

Ask questions. Get answers. See client lists. If a search marketing company doesn't want to take the time you need, there might be a reason. Expect search marketing companies to want to work with you, not just for you. The goals are all the same, regardless of the path.

Convert First

Posted by tim on November 01, 2004 at 08:45 AM

Make sure your site is ready to get positions before you go to the trouble of embarking on an optimization campaign.

If it's not, you're wasting a lot of time.

By ready, the site has to be able to turn a conversion. People that find your site need to be taking action. It could be a purchase, a request for service, just filling out a form. That's all dependant on the business model. Whatever it may be though, make it simple, make it obvious, and make it work.

You could have a site that is chock-full of your one of a kind marketing message. If, however, you don't convert, you don't matter.

You've got to prioritize some things with a web site. Don't bother optimizing for search before you optimize for customers.