Pull Out the Roadblocks, Google!

Posted by on May 31, 2007 at 01:11 PM

A few weeks ago, in its typical form, Google surreptitiously rolled out a new feature in AdWords. In the "Create Report" screen, users now have the option to add a column labeled "Impression Share" to campaign and account level reports.

AdWords Help defines impression share as "the percentage of impressions where your ads were shown out of the total available impressions in the market you were targeting."

Like a child on Christmas morning, I simply had to play with this new toy and see what it could do. I started running reports on various different campaigns & accounts to see what I could see. The results were, in many cases, surprising.

In my testing of a particular retail client, I found that a campaign filled only with product-related ads & keywords (all of which perform very well) weren't receiving even half of the available impressions.

"You mean to tell me that there are twice as many impressions available for this very successful campaign?!"

My chagrin was short lived, though. Once I started thinking about that whole "in the market you were targeting" thing, I realized that my daily budget probably isn't enough to have my ads served for every search.

That led me to my next test, a highly specific campaign with only branded ads & keywords, an unreachable daily budget setting, all regions and territories targeted, and no ad scheduling. With the reigns completely off, it seems to me that the ads in this campaign should be seen by all who search on these keywords, all of the time.

Not the case. In spite of every campaign setting set to leverage every possible impression, my impression share percentage was just over 70% after not even spending 1/10th of my campaign daily budget. What gives?!

What gives is that until "the market you were targeting" can be concisely defined, this new bit of information is largely useless. Without understanding exactly what the universe of available impressions is, knowing the portion to which your ads were served is irrelevant.

Thanks for nothing, Google.

Search Marketing Standard - A Useful Tool

Posted by duncan on May 30, 2007 at 10:27 AM

Recently I was mending a fence in my front yard. The U.S. Mail truck came by and dropped a few items in my mail box by the street. It was a hot day so I set my hammer down, grabbed my lemonade, and headed over to get the mail. I was pleased to see the Summer 2007 edition of Search Marketing Standard.

Like most online marketing professionals I do the majority of my reading and research online. I have my favorite news sites, forums, and blogs just like anyone else. The print version of Search Marketing Standard is a welcome rest from the hours of screen time I rack up each day.

While the magazine is barely over a year old, I think it has quickly become a useful tool for anyone interested in the search marketing industry. Packed with information on search and online marketing, it may be a must read for anyone new to the industry.

Veteran search marketers will appreciate articles like this month's feature on SEM training and certification. Other informed articles give depth to topics like link baiting, local search advertising, and paid search quality scores. All of these topics are discussed daily within any larger search marketing organization. Search Marketing Standard has done well in targeting industry insiders' constant quest for knowledge.

Top search marketers will continue to take the initiative to read and research online. For this reason the articles in Search Marketing Standard may seem like last week's or last month's news, however newbies and professionals that need to catch up will appreciate what is inside these pages.

I look forward to future issues and I enjoy the print piece as almost a novelty. I've put the magazine in my tool box and look forward to reading it rather than fixing that squeaky stairway this weekend. You may want to take it on the airplane with you, to the doctor's office, or toss it on the coffee table next to that dog eared copy of Wired.

Read Duncan's review of Search Marketing Standard's premier issue.

Universal Optimization: The Vertical Advantage

Posted by adam on May 29, 2007 at 12:53 PM

Everyone paying attention should now know about the rollout of Google’s Universal SERP. With the introduction of the new search results format, new opportunities and challenges present themselves depending on the website’s business model and goals.

In this entry I’m going to discuss some examples of how sites can effectively use Google’s new search format to oust the competition with a greater share of the SERP.

Real Estate:
There are two Google vertical products that are integrated with the SERP for a user’s search query on a local real estate agent based on the new Universal format, Google Maps and Google Housing Search. So, combined in this SERP there could be up to four ad mediums to optimize, Google’s organic listings, pay-per-click advertising, Google Maps and Google housing search.

Example (Maps): Search Google.com for a real estate agent in your home town. I’m from Traverse City, Michigan, so I’m searching “traverse city real estate agent‎. Below is the result I get.

(Click Image for Larger View)

If optimized well for organic search, pay-per-click listings, and Google Maps a real estate agency has the clear advantage over the competition allowing the searcher easy access to both your website and the physical location of the business. This example would also be applicable for most brick-and-mortar businesses only interested in geo-targeted, local traffic such as restaurants.

Example (Housing Search): Now change the query to “traverse city real estate‎ or “traverse city homes‎. This time the first listing isn’t for Google Maps or an organic listing, but Google’s Housing Search tool.

(Click Image for Larger View)

Just as with Google Maps, I’m sure you can see the value of being listed in the Google Housing Search. If the searcher doesn’t opt for using the housing search to find your listing, he/she will either click on your well optimized paid or organic listing.

These same concepts will also hold true for e-commerce sites, social networking sites, blogs and lead generation sites using other Google search products such as Google Product Search, Local, News, Images, Video, or Blog Search.

If you follow basketball, a searcher can be compared to an offensive possession. Getting offensive rebounds is just like giving your site multiple listings in the SERP. The more chances you have to score per “possession‎ or per “search query‎, the more likely you will be to attract the click and score a new customer.

The Future: Google’s Universal Search

Posted by on May 25, 2007 at 01:19 PM

Google recently announced the debut of Universal Search, a major shift in the way the engine will deliver search results.

Increasingly, results from Google's vertical search engines, such as News, Images, Videos, Blogs, Local and more, will appear within the normal Web search results.

Joining these vertical silos of information with Google's regular search results will change the search engine landscape forever. In other words, Google is growing up.

Google’s simplicity of design, user friendliness, and massive index of the web have all driven it to become a household name and the number one search engine in the world in less than 10 years. Now Google is developing new and innovative ways to grow its brand and business through universal search.

These new changes are a logical maturation of Google’s search results. More than ever, content creators and search engine marketers must think vertically. This is an opportunity for companies to have additional visibility in more places, as well as broaden their audience. The meshing of vertical search should provide the Google user with more relevant results and more options for finding information in a one-stop search engine shop.

I have to give a hand to Google for finding a way to integrate all of its services into one. Google has spent lots of resources on research and development of new vertical search services. Now Google can highlight and unify all of these services and continue to grow as the world’s number one search engine.

How will these changes affect PPC and natural positioning? Wise search marketers who pay attention to trends in the search marketing world will have no problem with the changes. As a new opportunity for growth, optimization will be more important than ever. As a comprehensive search solution, universal search should also be helpful to searchers who have simply ignored Google's vertical search options, missing out on the good content available.

Is universal search the wave of the future for search? Regardless, thanks to Google the future is now.

Local Search Goes Mobile - Pizza & Beyond

Posted by chip on May 24, 2007 at 03:54 PM

Lately I find myself thinking about local search more and more. And it's no wonder with all the recent local and mobile applications that have been hitting the scene, combined with the dramatic growth in mobile advertising (both in terms of opportunities as well as in shear dollars spent). It's clear that this burgeoning market space is not only here to stay, but it is here to grow.

If you've been watching the local search space evolve, you've undoubtedly seen many exciting developments including local search engines from all the major players as well as several community built local guides, like the aptly named Local Guides.

And if you read my posts very often (and judging by the number of comments I get each month, I'm sure you do), the aspect of local search that is both the most interesting, as well as the most logical to me, is how it relates to the mobile web.

No, I'm not taking about pizza. Well at least not strictly about pizza (though that is a very practical every day application of local search - and if I owned a pizza shop you better believe I'd be making sure I was present in both the local and mobile spaces).

I'm talking about coffee shops, taxi services, and I'm talking about everything that a person could find a need for as they are out and about in an unfamiliar town, or their town for that matter, like a wifi hotspot, movie show times, an urgent care center, the nearest branch of their bank, or a hotel.

To be honest, there are definitely more businesses that could benefit from local search in one way or another, than those that couldn't. Assuming they're willing to get creative.

Recently there have been some very cool applications that take great steps in melding the world of local search and that of the mobile web together.

Local Search engine, Local.com, has announced the release of their new Local Mobile. And companies like 4Info and Go2 not only offer great tools for helping people find local services on their mobile devices; they offer great tools to help advertisers reach people searching on their mobile devices.

Paid Search Satisfies Needs, Wants & More

Posted by on May 23, 2007 at 02:57 PM

To tell you the truth, I never paid much attention to the “Sponsored Links‎ section of SERPs before becoming a PPC marketer. However, I’ve since realized the importance of their existence.

To fully embrace paid ads, I have decided to put Google to the test and run three searches on items that I want, just to see how Sponsored Links appeal to me as a consumer.

Scenario 1:
I like Eastern art, Japanese specifically, but anything from Oriental to Buddhist will enhance my shelves. I don’t want “art‎, as in paintings or photos, as my walls are filled to the corners. I’d like something both decorative and functional, but even that description may be too vague for a search engine. I decided, after much hemming and hawing, that my search term is going to be “Japanese decorative art‎.

Here are the top 3 paid search results that Google offered:

1. Japanese Arts, Powerful, spellbinding Japanese drumming, movement & music!
   www.taiko.org


2. Japanese Furniture, Traditional Cabinets, Tables & More From The Far East. Starting At $89!
   www.OrientalFurniture.com


3. Asian Wall Art, Huge Selection of Wall Decor Items. Factory Direct Prices & Free Ship.
   LampsPlus.com

Result: Ad #2 is more on the money than the others. I didn’t search for music and I especially do not want to buy wall art from a lamp vendor - that’s like buying steak at a fish joint.

Scenario 2:
I play a little guitar (not a ukulele, I just don’t play well). I’m no Slash, but I’d like to dress up as Slash while I’m playing and leap from low, stable objects in my living room, landing on my knees as if I were really playing in a concert. If I’m going to sell this fantasy to myself, I’m going to need an awesome 80’s afro wig to stuff under my Slash hat. I want a wig so real that it will flow with every tasty shred of my ax. So then, my search term will be “Slash afro wig‎.

Here are the results:

1. Slash Wig For Less, Looking for Slash Wig? Buy direct from sellers and save.
   everythingelse.ebay.com


2. Best Wig Outlet, Over 5,000 Styles of Famous Brands! Extra upto 30% off Discount Coupons
   www.BestWigOutlet.com


3. Black Wig, High Quality Wigs at Low Prices! Wigs.com - The Wig Experts
   www.wigs.com

Result: #1 hit the spot - it had a picture of Slash to prove it! Even though EBay is on every SERP produced (Looking for Blah Blah? Find exactly what you want today.), this was indeed a successful trip there.

Scenario 3: I was daydreaming about The Herculoids, an old Hanna-Barbera cartoon from the late 60’s, with Tundro, the ten-legged rhino-triceratops thing that shot explosive energy rocks from its cannon/horn. In the episode Destroyer Ants, lightning from a storm strikes a mountain holding thousands of giant ant eggs. The ants hatch and begin demolishing the planet. Even though Zandor, leader of the Herculoids, sends the ants into a bottomless pit, I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to America if we had a bolt of lightning unleash a herd of giant ants on us? With no modern-day Zandor, Tundro or Hong Kong Phooey for that matter, how will we defend ourselves? I searched quickly for anything that could defend us. Search term: Giant Ant Killer.

1. Trust Your Home to Orkin®, Professional ant control services. Get $30 off from the Orkin Man www.Orkin.com
2. How to Kill Ants, Get rid of ants! Use a faster, safer ant killer. www.Diatect.com
3. Ant Season is Here, Do it yourself and save money, Pest Control America Pestcontrolamerica.com

Result: In a mock search like this, these paid ads are all technically winners, but #3 puts the power in my hands. With the help of Pest Control America, I too could be a Herculoid, and an economical one at that. I’m sure Tundro would be proud.

Through this challenge I’ve learned that Sponsored Links are as valuable to me as they are to every consumer who shops the net. PPC ads are not only essential to promoting and selling products online, but they add a unique level of convenience for the shopper - quickly gathered, concise advertising that is relevant to your needs, wants, and even daydreams.

Google's Subscription Designation - A Positive User Experience?

Posted by steve on May 22, 2007 at 01:46 PM

There was a quick discussion recently over at Google Groups which mentioned how to take advantage of subscription-only news articles from a search engine standpoint by allowing Google to crawl and index them.

Google's recommendation for ensuring content is indexed on subscription sites is to detect whether or not a request for a particular article is coming from one of their bots, then allow the bot to bypass the registration page. This will allow access to the article which, in turn, will give it a chance to rank in Google News.

To create a positive user experience, Google also recommends allowing users to view the article one time without subscribing. You have to do so by detecting that the user is coming from a Google domain, then have that user bypass the registration page as well. It seems that a one time view could turn into multiple views with a simple clear of your browser cookies.

If this solution isn't feasible, Google's policy is to slap your publication name with a "subscription" tag to alert users that they may be prompted to subscribe or register on your site before viewing the requested article. It may just be me, but I would consider my user experience to be less than excellent if I was prompted to subscribe to an article I clicked on in a Google results page, subscription tag or not.

With Google's official unveiling of Universal Search, more and more News results will likely be making an appearance in Google's main search index, pushing other sites down in the results.

This doesn't only apply to news, though. Popular articles related to a range of topics, which were once blocked off from Google because of registration pages, could soon be updated to allow for indexing. The result being even more results with a Google "subscription" tag, as many site owners won't likely appeal to the idea of following the "free first view" approach as a simple copy and paste could result in multiple free views.

On the other side of the coin, I understand the desire of subscription sites to have articles indexed and gain more coverage throughout the search engines. The point here, however, is providing users with the best experience possible, as Google claims to want to do, and refraining from bumping relevant pages with accessible content further down in the results for subscription-designated articles.

If you have any thoughts on the issue, I'd be happy to hear them.

Tools of the Trade: HTML Validator

Posted by on May 21, 2007 at 01:14 PM

Hello, and welcome back to a second installment of our Tools of the Trade series. This time, I'd like to introduce you to one of the older tools in our toolbelt, something that I've been using for several years now.

Like my last tool of the trade, HTML Validator is another Firefox extension, this time written by Marc Gueury, and once installed it quietly sits in your statusbar. Let me elucidate:

What does this HTML Validator do? Glad you asked! HTML Validator (let's just call it HV for a bit, all those letters are getting a bit repetitive) embeds an HTML validity test into your running Firefox process.

Using the plugin is very straight forward, just browse the internet, or your corporate home page as usual, but keep checking your statusbar. If the new icon is a happy green check mark, everything's golden, keep it up. When the indicator turns into the universal yellow warning sign then there's something minor amiss with the page markup.

Common warning causes are unescaped HTML entities, such as the infamous ampersand (&), or improperly closed and nested tags. These problems generally won't prevent the page from rendering properly, but can cause unforeseen maintenance problems later on. Finally, should the indicator turn red, HV found some serious validation errors in the page. A validation error can cause certain browsers (or even spiders!!!) to fail to recognize all the content of your page.

When HV detects any problems, you can point your mouse at the icon to get a brief description of how many outstanding issues it detected. To learn more information about which concerns HV discovered in your site, bring up the view source on a page with errors or warnings and you'll notice that the source view has an extra section at the bottom of it. In the left column is a listing of all the warnings, errors, and (if configured) accessibility warnings in the current page, along with a message indicating what was wrong on the shown line. In the right pane is a description, sometimes more helpful than others, that attempts to explain the currently selected item on the left.

Why does HTML validation matter to you? Well, I hinted at it above, but the biggest concern is that a poorly structured or invalid HTML page could be more difficult for the all important search engines to index, or in the worst case, could cause the site to fall into a dark and dangerous world where the spiders fear to tread.

But in all fairness, a far more satisfying reason is probably all the mad street cred your organization will get from fellow HV users browsing the interwebs.

Read Orien's previous Tools of the Trade blog post.

Blink. Wink. Cha-Ching

Posted by on May 16, 2007 at 10:16 AM

As you write your next pay per click advertisement think about this. That ad will be judged by two powerful forms of intelligence…Human and Engine.

In his very popular book “Blink‎, Malcolm Gladwell (author of “The Tipping Point‎) analyzes first impressions. Those split-second decisions we make and impressions we get “in the blink of an eye‎

To quote Mr. Gladwell “It's thinking—it’s just thinking that moves a little faster and operates a little more mysteriously than the kind of deliberate, conscious decision-making that we usually associate with ‘thinking.’‎

Thinking that “operates a little more mysteriously‎ than typical decision-making? That phrase seems to sum up search engine thinking.

He also introduces us to something called “thin slicing‎ which describes how the human mind makes inferences and comes to conclusions based on the thinnest slices of information.

Sound familiar? Search engines also take instantaneous impressions, evaluate variables & make lightning quick decisions based on the impressions they get while crawling our sites. In essence, search engines are exhibiting traits quite similar to the human thought process. They are just more efficient thinkers with more powerful “thin-slicing‎ skills.

What does this mean to a search engine marketer? It means that every time a searcher enters keywords into a search engine what commences is a lightning quick evaluation of available ads followed by a second (slightly less) lightning quick evaluation of the ads that made the cut. It also means we not only need to make it to the results page, we need to be the most likeable ad on that page to get a click (let’s call it a “wink‎) and the most relevant, attractive and easy-to-use landing page to turn that wink into a sale.

Since Engine Intelligence is the first form of intelligence to thin-slice your pay per click ad, it is important to have a well thought out ad campaign. Ads that clearly speak to your keywords and echo the words of your landing page are a great place to start. Appropriate keywords and well placed keyword bids are other key ingredients.

Once the engine has placed your ad in front of Human Intelligence it is very important the ad is clear, relevant, and has a strong call to action. When the searcher clicks on the ad they want to have a productive experience at your site. A clean layout with up-to-date content is essential. Pleasing font and attractive colors draw the “blinking‎ eye and give favorable first impressions. Most important of all, it should be easier to buy than to leave the site and check a different ad!

To sum it up, by implementing changes that make us “blink of the eye‎ likeable to humans and engines we will get more of what we want (clicks and qualified leads) and less of what we don’t want (clicks and leads that don’t convert).

So here’s to turning that blink into a wink and ultimately "cha-ching"!

Asking About Ask.com

Posted by keirsun on May 15, 2007 at 10:59 AM

One question that a few of my clients ask from time to time is, "Why does it take so long for Ask.com to find new content on my site?"

My answer: "Our monitoring of Ask search results suggests a slow down in Ask's web crawling."

Allow me to illustrate in pictures.

As you may already be aware, Google offers a "Cached" site version, which shows you what Google saw the last time its web crawler visited your site.

Occasionally, Ask also offers a cached version, but in many cases you're likely to find a binoculars icon instead next to an Ask search result. According to Ask, the binoculars offer a "'sneak preview' of a web page when you mouse over a Binoculars icon next to a search result".

Here are a couple "sneak previews" I discovered this morning:

Yahoo: (After all, 2005 was a year to remember)

MSN: (Is there a King Kong sequel already?)

Oneupweb:

This Oneupweb site design was put to rest 2-3 years ago. This is common; I have come across old designs for a wide range of sites while looking through the Ask binoculars.

Chicago Tribune:

Ok, ok this one was tampered with a little. But you get my point.

Ask's Binoculars FAQ page offers a defense:

Binoculars Site Preview images are screen captures of the browser navigating a page, and the screen captures are taken periodically. Sites that change often may change from when we last took the screen capture for that specific site, which may temporarily cause summary text in Binoculars to differ from the body of the search result. As we are constantly updating the Binoculars screen capture, we will eventually re-visit the site and re-capture the updated image.

This provides a ho-hum explanation for sites that do change content frequently, such as Yahoo and MSN. The problem is that I frequently see outdated Ask.com "sneak previews" for sites that don't change their overall design all that often.

In my opinion these outdated views reflect poorly on Ask's standing as a useful search tool. And coupled with Ask's growing inability to find and index new site content at the same pace as other big name search engines, I'm suddenly assuming this is all a contributing factor in Ask's continuing downward slide in search engine rankings.

In the past, I've given Ask kudos for quality search results, which were originally a product of Ask's Teoma search technology.

But lately, I'm beginning to wonder if The Algorithm is all it's cracked up to be.

A Search Tribute to Mom

Posted by on May 14, 2007 at 12:50 PM

Google’s had a nice decade-long run. Yahoo’s been around for twice that. But the first search engine, dating back to well before the use of the terms SERP or Pay-Per-Click, is celebrating countless centuries as an indispensable, absolutely essential resource.

Yeah, the first search engine is Mom.

Let’s examine this.

24-hour availability.
Overwhelmed? Overjoyed? Need help? Just bored? She’s there.

Highly relevant. Personalized, even.
"Andrew, I’m sure you’ll like this yellow plaid shirt."
"You’re crazy, Lady."
(Nope, you’re right. Six years later, sadly, you’re definitely right.)

Always gets you where you need to go.
Decades ago, soccer practice. More recently, college. In between, the emergency room. Things like that.

Getting better, more efficient, more fantastic with age.
And even, occasionally, getting appreciated for it.

Spiders.
She used to kill them for me. That’s worth something.

Uncluttered. Concise. Only serves up that which is interesting.
These stretched metaphors can’t always work, I guess...

Here at Oneupweb, I’m lucky to work with seven fantastic mothers. Enter a search for "Pantheon of Moms" and, no doubt, they'll join Claire Huxtable, June Cleaver, and my mom on the first page of results. (Or, if not, there's something seriously wrong.)

On behalf of the search world, a Happy Mother’s Day to them all.

(A day late, yes, but StraightUpSearch was busy yesterday. Brunch with Mom. Duh.)

Clean Up Your Links!

Posted by on May 11, 2007 at 03:53 PM

Judging from the subject of this post, you may think I'm going to start talking about external links. However, the current object of my obsession is actually your site's internal links, and how to clean them up in terms of URL structure and link consistency.

URL Structure

1. Examples of poor URL structure: www.homepage.com/store/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=438382533
   &itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=277&iSubCat=4653&iProductID=2533?
   oh_my_god_please_make_it_stop_now_this_URL_has_so_many_
   &???&????+++_parameters_that_no_user_will_ever_bookmark_or_
   link_to_it_much_less_come_up_in_relevant_search_results
2. Examples of good URL structure:
   www.homepage.com/happy_static_page.htm



3. Why clean URL structure is important:
   Because on the whole, cleaner URLs position better. I have personally seen sites switch to dynamic URL structure and lose all of their positions - and I've also seen sites clean up their URL structure, and steadily rise.

Clean URLs are also important from a usability standpoint. They're easier to bookmark, and much more likely to also garner a little incoming link love.

Sure, dynamic URLs can be indexed by search engines. Dynamic URLs can position in SERPs. But I can assure you that if they do, it's in spite of their link structure. In any given search result, the majority of the pages that appear are not dynamic. Same goes for any site:search.

Go on - I dare you. Search for site:yoursite.com, and see which pages come up first - your static ones, or your dynamic ones.

Link Consistency

1. Examples of inconsistent internal linking:
   Inconsistent internal linking happens when you link to different versions of URLs, when mostly there's no reason to do so:
   
   
   • Inconsistent linking to index pages: (homepage.com/category/index.asp vs homepage.com/category)
   • Linking to pages with or without trailing slashes:
     (homepage.com/category/ vs homepage.com/category)
   • Linking to capitalized and non-capitalized page versions:
     (homepage.com/Category vs homepage.com/category)
   • Appending category and or breadcrumb data to the end of URLs, even though it's the same "product":
     (homepage.com/product&category=1 vs homepage.com/product&category=2)
   • And so on...
2. Why consistent internal links are important:
   The stronger your site's link structure, the stronger its positioning potential. Search engines such as Google judge a page's importance by not only how many external links point to it, but also by how many internal links point to it as well.

   By sprinkling your site with a bunch of different URLs that technically all point to the same "page", you are allowing your link relevance to be split between all of those pages, instead of directing it towards one single page.

I understand that cleaning up your site's internal links and URLs can be a time-consuming process, but it's one that is worth it in the long run. You should do it because your pages will look better, your site will position better, and most of all, because Sarah said so.

Who's on the Green Team?

Posted by teal on May 10, 2007 at 12:40 PM

I like it when I hear about corporations playing a part in the clean-up of our environment. Companies that make an effort to help clean up our Earth not only get great PR, but also set a precedence for the maintenance and consideration of our world.

The other morning as I sat clutching my first cup of coffee watching America this Morning, I caught a teaser for an upcoming story that mentioned three very familiar corporations and their efforts to clean up and/or maintain our precious environment.

Having to leave for work I unfortunately missed the story, but I did a little research online to see if I could find any articles mentioning these efforts. Below paraphrases and links to some articles explaining the green-efforts of Apple, Google, and Yahoo. And please, if my reports are not complete (or are inaccurate), please feel free to add your thoughts or information.

Apple
In the past Apple has been criticized by Greenpeace over the use of toxic chemicals in its products. By using such toxins as lead, mercury, arsenic, and more, Greenpeace rated Apple poorly in terms of environmental consideration. In a recent article released by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, it's clear that Apple is on its way to making big strides in this area. In "A Greener Apple" Jobs lays out Apple's plans and current efforts to replace the toxic materials in its products.

Google
This is somewhat old news, but Google offers employees $5,000 to purchase a hybrid car. I have read a lot about this online, and it has received a fair amount of attention (positive and negative). Some might ask why, if Google is so environmentally conscious, why aren't employees biking or walking to work? To others, this is just one more reason why Google receives over 3,000 job applications per day.

Yahoo
According to Yahoo! For Good, Yahoo is going Carbon Neutral. According to the article, the company is working to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas production in its own facilities and in various sites throughout the world. In the end, the goal is to "make [their] impact on the climate essentially 'neutral.'"

There's more to read, this is just a rundown, so check out the various efforts by search engine and technology companies to clean up our environment.

Has TiVo Impacted Paid Search?

Posted by on May 09, 2007 at 09:07 AM

I love TiVo. I hate TV commercials. I understand the need for them, based on the traditional model for corporate advertising, but they truly get in the way of a fully enjoyable television experience.

I’m not alone. Many people are jumping on the TiVo bandwagon. Not only is this digital video recorder REALLY easy to use, but we can use it to skip past those annoying interruptions during our favorite television programs.

Of course I tune in to the Super Bowl each year, like so many others, to see what new and creative ads they’ll have to entertain me this year. However, these are not the same caliber of commercials that are forced down our gullets during the rest of the year. I feel that this is the only time of the year when ad agencies give us their best; only then. Still, I’m not so sure the viewer actually remembers the product advertisers are trying to sell after the final whistle has been blown.

This leads me to thinking about Paid Search. What better way to reach your prospective customers than having your ad served up when they want to see it; on their own terms (no pun intended)? Not during the middle of their favorite TV show, but right when they need it most. They are actually ASKING for the information that you are just dying to share with them. Plus, YOU get to determine how much you want to spend promoting your business in this manner, not the network behemoths!

Large corporations are beginning to see the light, but it’s hard for them to move away from traditional “above the line‎ advertising. TechNewsWorld.com says Forrester Research is predicting that marketing dollars spent on TV ads will start to be diverted in significant numbers to more interactive channels in the near future. As corporate America starts to see the results from their Paid Search campaigns, they will most likely increase their online advertising budgets.

Now back to your scheduled programming…

Talking the Talk

Posted by on May 08, 2007 at 09:40 AM

I have a knack for language. For whatever reason, foreign speak has been one of those things — one of very few in my case — that comes somewhat painlessly. Granted, I haven’t tried my tongue at Swahili or Khoisan — too cliquey anyway — but the more “Eur-sual‎ suspects have been right up my vocal alley.

Or so I thought... I may have spoken too soon.

My linguistic confidence came to a screeching halt at Oneupweb. I felt as though I’d landed in the Brazilian rainforest and was living amongst an unintelligible tribe communicating via a form of techno-babble utterly foreign to a layman such as myself.

Tribal member: “Regarding that wiki, the blogroll near the avatar needs a trackback installed and the widget’s inoperable due to poor RSS.‎

Loser me: “Okay, thanks…? But I’m not hungry right now.‎

Apparently I’m the mutant! Somehow, I’d been forgotten by time. Given the dire state of my tech-talk savvy, I might as well sit back on the divan and enjoy a cup of Earl Grey while listening to that bangin’ new Al Jolsen platter. I could barely understand what was being said, let alone explain to anyone my own thought processes without sounding like a Chinese food order taker (no offense Chinese food order takers).

“Make that picture-thingy faster so when the word click do-dad pops up someone will get to that other contact form watchamacallit sooner. Oh, and I like blue crayons and naptime.‎

So I’m a moron.

Luckily, I’m beginning to slowly emerge from the online marketing land of lingo lethargy. This is due in large part to my contributions in updating Oneupweb’s SEO and Social Media glossaries. The latest and greatest terms — and all the rest you need to know — will soon be available in the Oneupweb Library.

And for all those venturing into the depths of the Brazilian rainforest, we’ll have a handy pocket-size print version of each available as well… so our collective FolkMind will prosper. I think.

Radical Corporate Transparency

Posted by on May 07, 2007 at 11:01 AM

For many companies today, the thought of dropping their carefully-crafted PR messages and talking directly to the consumer is terrifying. In the current corporate climate it's critical to cater to every customer's craven desire.

Your customers now have a voice that can be heard instantly before an audience of millions. Does that scare you? I hope it does. And I hope you learn to respect their opinions and give them the appropriate channels of expression and communication they're looking for. Otherwise, you're going to get f*cked harmed (Entry edited on 05/07/07 by BossMan007).

This post isn't going to preach about why you should go transparent. For that I suggest reading this recent Wired article, The Cluetrain Manifesto, The Naked Corporation or digging through the 3.8-million Google results for "corporate transparency".

The one point I will force into your brain is this: you need an honest, well-defined voice to communicate online. Any dishonesty or embedded marketing will be noticed, and will do more damage to your brand than you could ever imagine. If you're going to do this, do it right.

There are many easy ways to show the world what you're wearing under that well-pressed suit. While I wouldn't suggest adopting all of these technologies at once, I would suggest taking two or three and trying them out. With that, I present my list of online services that your company can utilize to drop your opacity a bit.

• Get a Blog

  A blog is a wonderful bridge between your website and an actual discussion. It's generally one-sided and can be tainted to contain whatever horrible marketing message you're trying to force-feed your market. It can also be an open, honest look at the forces driving your company: your successes, your failures, your ideas.

  Do: Post regularly and honestly. Allow for multiple employees from varying departments to have a voice, and allow reader comments.

  Don't: Delete comments or use your blog as another press outlet. Seriously, don't exercise any form of censorship. If your readers don't like what you're saying, it's your fault.

  Starting points: MovableType, WordPress, Blogger

• Get a Wiki

  A wiki is a website that anyone can edit. Users can change content, add/remove pages, and track changes to the Wiki. A wiki is a great idea for businesses needing multi-page documentation that is constantly evolving. It can be used to build an FAQ or a help section created entirely by users.

  Do: Allow unregistered changes. Make editing as simple as possible.

  Don't: Exercise iron-first editing. Just like your blog, you need to make certain that user content is treated with respect.

  Starting points: MediaWiki (powers WikiPedia.org), PBWiki

• Share Your Corporate Structure

  Online corporate org charts are just starting to emerge. Hierarchal employee lists with contact information will completely unclothe your corporation.

  Do: List everyone. Show rank and position. Include phone extensions and email addresses.

  Don't: Do the opposite of "list everyone".

  Starting points: CogMap, Forbes' Corporate Org Chart Wiki

• Enable Customer Discussion

  A forum or bug-tracking system can act as a public bulletin board for known issues, new ideas, and general product discussion. This system will require a bit more finesse than most other transparency solutions, because your customers are expecting an honest conversation and will revolt if they sense anything else.

  Do: Allow your employees to engage the customer directly. Respond as quickly as possible to all posts. Encourage discussion among your users.

  Don't: Include any form of marketing. Remember that this tool is for discussion only, and no one wants to hear your latest marketing campaign slogan. Also remember not to edit user content. Have I made that last point clear yet?

  Starting points: phpBB, vBulletin

And if I haven't made this clear enough: treat all user content with the utmost respect. Don't edit or delete anything submitted by your users, ever. Show that you're comfortable enough with your own business to take a few low-jabs. Take an honest approach to corporate transparency or watch your experiment blow up in your face.

Your customers are talking about you — perhaps it's time you joined them.

YahMicroHooSoft

Posted by tim on May 04, 2007 at 12:11 PM

There is much scuttle today about the idea of Microsoft and Yahoo! entering into at least preliminary discussions around the idea of somehow coming together to form an alliance. The most obvious theory, of course, is that they are potentially scared of Google; so this is a desperate act.

Personally, I think it’s far from a desperate act. Despite the meteoric flight of Google stock since the IPO and the bumps and bruises that Yahoo! and Microsoft have taken of late, both of those companies have a lot to offer and could probably continue to do just fine on their own.
More than anything, this just seems to be a good opportunity for companies to look for the strengths in one another and leverage that. No sense spending billions of dollars in R&D and years in man-time to redesign a wheel.

By coming together, these two companies can pick up tremendous strengths with handshakes, pen strokes, and - yes - still several billion dollars moving around.

I won’t dare take credit as the first to put forth this idea, but instead of one company devouring the other, they really ought to keep their identities and pull resources from one another.

Microsoft has long been known as a tech/software company (commentary and opinion on that aside). Yahoo! on the other hand has been an online player since almost the beginning. Where MS fails miserably is in getting any appreciable audience online. Activate the wonder twin powers with Yahoo! and voila, instant new online audience and network.

Yahoo!, on the other hand, has long known how to build communities and work with advertisers, but they can’t put out useful tech for advertisers to save their tails (ahem, Panama). If they throw the coding up to Redmond, within weeks they’ve moved light years ahead.

It’s an intriguing idea, and one that I, as an online marketer, would be very happy to see happen, but not because they are scared of Google. I’d just be happy to have another, strong, viable marketplace where my clients can find even more success.

PPC Ad Copy: Q1s and Homeruns

Posted by drew on May 03, 2007 at 02:16 PM

Q1 just wrapped up and earnings are in. The MLB season is moving into full swing as well. They may be unrelated, but in my boolean-oriented mind they come to mean one thing: Summer is here. I don't care what your calenders or thermometers say. Right now, my feet are wearing sandals and my brain says it is Summer.

While I may jump the gun every year, most people at this time are definitely thinking Spring and possibly getting ready for Summer. In the PPC world, that means ad copy adjustment. It is common practice to freshen up your copy now and then. A shift in market thought process though demands change.

People aren't thinking of how much they spent on Christmas gifts anymore. They're thinking about how little they spent on chocolate bunnies and Easter egg baskets. They dream of new swimsuits, Summer sports gear, or even the spontaneous enterprise software purchase. Sadly, they probably are also thinking of rising gas prices. I better see some ads targeting fuel-efficient road trips soon!

So, shake the cobwebs out of your February-focused mind and start writing some amazing May ad copy. And don't worry about hitting homeruns right away; let's just try for base-hits first.