My Top 12 SEM Online Resources

To ring in 2012, here is a list of my top 12 most frequently read Search Engine Marketing resources. I visit most of these sites every day – so I tend to say “yep I read that earlier” a lot. If you want to be as much of a “Great News Everyone” downer as I can be, go ahead and give these a look. In all seriousness, I get a lot of great news, tactics, and strategic ideas from these websites. And I am very thankful to the people putting in the hours of work to make them so good. :List Below: [...]

7 ½ Myths about PPC

7 ½ Myths about PPC. Because there are just too many complete lists in the world.

1. Big Pockets only, during Black Friday and Cyber Monday

1. If you’re selling TVs or Laptops, yes, you have an insane amount of competition and should Not do major holidays. *Only play with the big guys if your site has the right offers and value-adds to your visitors. I would also stick to long-tail keywords that have been proven winners for you in the past.
2. BUT if you are specialized in B2C or practically any B2B, don’t worry about big retailer competition. You should be able to run smoothly with your normal budget. Target and Amazon won’t be bidding on cold air condensers or 3M label glue. [...]

My Secret AdWords Arrow CTR Booster ⇒

The time has come for me to reveal a 2 year long secret…I have been cheating in AdWords! I found a loophole in ad copy restrictions that has allowed me to write a select number of ads with an arrow ⇒ in the copy! It has boosted CTR over nearly every ad I ever put it up against. You will see up to a ~15% CTR boost. [...]

Brick to Click Failure, an Online Marketing Lesson

I‘m not a business owner, but have worked alongside CEOs, COOs, and General Managers over the past 6 years to learn the ins and outs of pureplay eCommerce, online with retail heritage, and multi-channel businesses. I have learned the tough lessons as well shared the victories with them. My eCommerce experience has had its ups and downs, along with the success and failures of business. I have been lucky enough to be hands-on with the operations, but also lucky enough to learn the hard lessons without impacting my bank account.  

Below is a typical situation of an online business with a retail heritage. This has happened to multiple businesses I have worked with in the past. They will go nameless; but real experience has shaped this advice. [...]

Your Link is Worthless Without Tracking

Attention small business owners, enterprise marketing directors, and social media mavens: the following two words can help you stay in business, get a raise, or bring campaign enlightenment to your efforts.  TRACK EVERYTHING. [...]

The Google Comeback: Give Credit to Small Business

Google stock (GOOG) is on a rapid rise this week and up around 20% for the month reaching their yearly high. I’m not going to act like I’m a day trader, but some of the BIG influencers are pretty obvious. They are SMALL. Small business is driving the Google monster.

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Google Multi-channel Funnels – Analytics Attribution

Finally! Google brings FREE attribution to the masses! Multi-channel analytics, or attribution has been around for a while, but it cost you money. Lots of money with Omniture, and some money with Acquisio…even though the later is in a rough beta test. Of course Google Multi-Channel Funnel analytics will be in beta for a LONG TIME, but it is an awesome and extremely useful tool right out of the gate.

Google Multi-Channel Funnels

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Show Me Your CSEs

Comparison Shopping Engines (CSEs) are growing evermore popular, especially at the agency where I work, Zeon Solutions. We used to pitch the idea of expanding into CSEs, but after we had a solid paid and organic search strategy underway. But as more and more clients began experiencing success selling their products in shopping engines, the clearer the revenue stream became to us, and the more we integrated CSEs into the our standard online marketing mix. [...]

The Condescending SEM (Search Engine Marketer)

I’m guilty of speaking down to clients. Never intentionally; but it happens all too often. I run through a report or an audit and ramble off five acronyms per paragraph and expect the client to keep up. At the conclusion of the thought, or during a break to catch my breath, I get the blank stare of confusion. “What is XYZ?” they ask. As I answer their question with a robotic-like answer, I think to myself, “How much of that did they absorb? Did they miss the entire meaning or just the definition of the acronym?” [...]

AdWords First Page Bid Yellow Light

Yellow Light: Do you tap the brakes and then floor it through the yellow, or stop and shake your head at the guy who ran the light? Is this traffic or bid management in Google AdWords? In this case it is AdWords first page bid.
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