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Free Guidebook Helps Businesses Succeed Online

noreply@blogger.com (DotCentrex) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:36:00 +0000

Local businesses that need to find more customers can order a free 12-page guidebook titled Direct Online Customers to Your Local Business: Ten Tips To Help Your Business Succeed Online at http://localdirective.com/guidebook

The report is authored by Mike Freedman, Senior Vice President Advertising Solutions, LocalDirective.com. Freedman, who has more than a decade of experience in online marketing, has led teams that managed more than 10,0000 local business search marketing campaigns. He is certified by the eMarketing Association, the International Internet Marketing Association, Google, Yahoo and Microsoft/MSN.

Business leaders who request the free guidebook can learn:

• Why you need to reach prospects and customers online.

• Why landing pages are critically important and 11 specific tips that can improve sales or lead conversion.

• Links to nine online tools that can improve your marketing.

• Key steps you can take to attract online shoppers

• How to convince online researchers to buy offline

• Why just building a web site isn’t enough

• The three most important steps you can take to improve your online marketing.

• How to reach prospects in your neighborhood using geophrases and geo-targeting.

• Four key concepts for finding search marketing keywords that generate leads and sales.

• How to write ads that maximize click through rates.

The detailed report includes 12 pages of detailed information including advice, information and interactive exercises, 32 Footnotes and a resources section listing helpful web sites, books and training programs.

Those who request the free report by August 30th can qualify for a free custom marketing analysis report completed by an experienced, certified search marketing specialist.

LocalDirective.com offers a complete, low-cost online solution with a variety of search marketing packages, each customized based on business category, geographical location, and business objectives. In addition to search marketing, services include landing page or micro-site development, business profile development, and submission to more than 25 important online databases. For information on LocalDirective.com, call (866) 925-9524 or visit http://www.localdirective.com

SEMPO Study Shows SEM Spending Growing

noreply@blogger.com (DotCentrex) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:43:00 +0000

Despite the probable recession, spending on search engine marketing exceeded projections in 2007 and is expected to see continued growth in 2008, according to the 2007 State of the Market survey by the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO), www.sempo.org, released at a recent Search Engine Strategies conference.

Did-It President and SEMPO Board Member Kevin Lee told Search Engine Watch the growth in Search Marketing indicated by the research may be coming from unexpected places:

"I'm surprised we're not seeing as big a shift from TV. Search is getting more budget from offline media that are usually used to narrow-cast, instead of TV and radio, which are broadcast media," Lee said. "It doesn't make a lot of sense, but maybe it's because it's being moved from something niche-y to something else that's niche-y? As search becomes more recognized as something that brand advertisers can use, I'd expect to see more TV and radio dollars shift as well."

Radar Research surveyed 867 search engine advertisers and SEM agencies through research administered by IntelliSurveyInc.

Here are key findings:

"The North American SEM industry grew from $9.4 billion in 2006 to $12.2 billion in 2007, exceeding earlier projections of $11.5 billion for 2007.
North American SEM spending is now projected to grow to $25.2 billion in 2011, up significantly from the $18.6 billion forecast a year ago.

Marketers are finding more search dollars by poaching budget from print magazine spending, website development, direct mail and other marketing programs.

Paid placement captures 87.4% of 2007 spending; organic SEO, 10.5%; paid inclusion, .07%, and technology investment, 1.4%."

Search Engine Watch - Search Spend Seems Healthy Despite Slowing Economy by Kevin Newcom

Search Engine Land
The State Of Search Engine Marketing 2007 by Chris Sherman

The Internet Passes Television Reports MediaPost

noreply@blogger.com (DotCentrex) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:50:00 +0000

Today MediaPost.com reported yet another metric that further documents the meteoric rise of the internet – more eyeballs now look online than on television:

“The internet has already surpassed television based on one significant statistic - the number of gross advertising impressions served. And if online publishers can figure out how to properly measure the worth of those impressions, they ultimately will overtake television in an even more important statistic: share of marketers' advertising budgets. That was the conclusion of Gian Fulgoni, executive chairman and co-founder of comScore, during a keynote here at the opening of the OMMA conference Monday.”

According to the MediaPost article, comScore analysis indicates that the Internet now delivers "50% more" gross rating points than television.

Anyone interested in the growth of online advertising should read the full article by reported Joe Mandese, but it may also be useful to put this development in context:

According to a Morgan Stanley report:

Radio took 37 years to reach $1 billion in sales
TV took 10 years to reach $1 billion in sales
The Internet took just 3 years to reach $1 billion in sales.

The first television ad was broadcast 67 years ago on July 1, 1941 and showed a static image with a clock and the slogan “America Runs On Bulova Time”

The first web banner ad ran 14 years ago, when AT&T’s ad in Hotwired.com published, on October 25 1994.

Pay Per Click Advertising started just a decade ago, when IdeaLab’s Goto.com invented paid search marketing. GoTo.com became Overture and, in 2001, was acquired by Yahoo and was renamed Yahoo Search Marketing.

Google, now the market leader in online advertising, started its search marketing offering, AdWords, just eight years ago

The New Choice for Local Search Marketing - Local Directive

noreply@blogger.com (DotCentrex) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:56:00 +0000

(LocalDirective.com Now Sending New Customers to Local Businesses

(TAMPA, FL) --- Local businesses that have not focused on search marketing because of its cost and complexity can now gain prospects and customers through campaigns on Google, Yahoo, MSN and Ask.com, starting at just $300 a month.

For decades, local businesses have relied on yellow page ads to attract customers. But there is now growing evidence that local businesses need to consider other alternatives:

• Over 60 percent of consumers search for a local business on the internet, and only 33 percent use the yellow pages. [Source TMP Directional, 2007]

• Almost 40% of local shoppers say that a presence on the internet – or lack of presence – will affect their decision about who they do business with. [Source: Web.com, 2007]

But two problems have kept many local businesses from advertising online:

1. Online Advertising Is Complex: To reach your potential customers on Google or Yahoo, or dozens of other local sites, you have to set up accounts, manage keyword research and selection, set and optimize bids, develop and optimize ads, create a company profile, submit content to key directories and databases…and more.

2. Until Now It Was Too Expensive: Because of the complexity and knowledge required, marketing agencies concentrate on businesses willing to spend thousands, and even tens of thousands of dollars, each month.

“Too often local businesses have suffered from over-priced or ineffective search marketing campaigns,” says LocalDirective founder Lisa Maier, a Wharton MBA with significant experience in search and directional marketing. “Our team offers decades of experience building literally thousands of local advertising campaigns. We understand the local market and are dedicated to providing services aimed at that market.”

LocalDirective offers a complete, low-cost online solution with a variety of search marketing packages, each customized based on business category, geographical location, and business objectives. In addition to search marketing, services include landing page or microsite development, business profile development, and submission to more than 20 important online databases.

Clients also gain advanced campaign management services aimed at generating the greatest number of responses at the lowest cost. This optimization is how LocalDirective maximizes the return on advertising investment.

Clients are provided with reports that show the number and types of responses received. This feedback on prospect quality is used in the LocalDirective process to continually hone advertising programs and tweak the content of ads and landing pages.

For more information, visit www.LocalDirective.com, email morecustomersplease@localdirective.com or call (866) 925-9524.

Google Adds Load Time to Quality Score Equation

noreply@blogger.com (DotCentrex) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 20:52:00 +0000

Not only will load time issues cause site abandonment, a quality score penalty that started in February could hamper search marketing campaigns for sites with load time problems.

Probably the best article on this is at Search Engine Roundtable (see included link) offers these tips for avoiding load time penalties:
* Use fewer redirects.
* Reduce the page size by using fewer, smaller, and more highly- compressed images.
* Do not use interstitial pages. * Minimize the use of iframes on your landing page.
* Contact your webmaster or webhosting provider to discuss other ways of improving your website's load time."

The article also says your "load time will receive one of two grades. If it's graded This page loads slowly, your landing page quality and Quality Score will be negatively affected. If it's graded No problems found, your landing page quality and Quality Score will not be affected."”

LocalDirective.com is Now Live!

noreply@blogger.com (DotCentrex) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:10:00 +0000

Look for more news here soon on LocalDirective.com - We mean local business!

Yahoo's Flat Rate Local Search

noreply@blogger.com (DotCentrex) — Mon, 22 May 2006 16:27:00 +0000

Earlier this month Yahoo announced flat fee pricing for Local Sponsored Search ranging from $24.95 to $300...based on business marketing and geography. Advertisers are limited to just 12 opportunities per region (six on the top of the page, six at the bottom of the page.)

To qualify for the Local Sponsored Search you must first purchase enhanced natural listings for 9.95 per month...which is based on company inforamtion from InfoUSA but allows users to add up to 10 photos and list contact information and an URL. This listing is only displayed in organic results.

http://www.searchenginejournal.com/?p=3351

Using PPC Different Business Segments

noreply@blogger.com (DotCentrex) — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 15:17:00 +0000

Google AdWords offers keyword optimization advice for a number of business segments:
Auto Dealerships

Consumer Packaged Goods

Entertainment

Financial Services

Healthcare

Real Estate
Also see Pay-per-click revolutionizes real estate biz

Retail
Also see Store Front News PPC Tips

Tech B2B
Technology - Commerce
Telecom

Travel

Pew Study Points to Rise in Local Search

noreply@blogger.com (DotCentrex) — Mon, 21 Nov 2005 19:34:00 +0000

Michael Bazeley of the The Mercury News reports that, according to a report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project and comScore Media Metrix, local search is on the rise:

"In August, Internet users conducted 448 million local searches. Google Web sites captured about 44 percent of those, while Yahoo sites took in about 28 percent. However, Yahoo had the top yellow pages site, followed by Verizon and Google.

Internet companies are furiously trying to build sites that can meet the demand for local information and tap into what many see as a potentially lucrative local advertising market.

``I think there's more technology being deployed dedicated to helping people make local searches,'' said James Lamberti, vice president at comScore."

Read the full Mercury News article

Google Analytics Crashes Amid Rush For Free Service

noreply@blogger.com (DotCentrex) — Mon, 21 Nov 2005 18:40:00 +0000

Not so long ago Urchin cost $695 to $5,000 but after Google bought the log analysis and tracking software, renaming it Google Analytics, the cut the price to zero...nada!

End result? SearchEngineWatch.com reported:

"Over on the ZDNet.com Blogs, Garrett Rogers reports in the article: Google Analytics stops at 234,725 accounts, that Google is temporarily limiting the number of new users who can sign-up for Google Analytics service that became free (for many users) last week.

Rogers writes:
According to the Google Analytics "sign up" page, they have temporarily disallowed people from signing up. They also removed the "Add new profile" link from inside analytics which previously allowed a single account to track up to 40 different Web sites. With 234,725 Analytics accounts created (and probably over 200,000 additional profiles), Google has went from tracking zero to almost half a million in about a week."

According ti Search Engine Watch, the sign-up on the Google Analytics site now notifies new users when they can register.

Google Base - Live

noreply@blogger.com (DotCentrex) — Mon, 21 Nov 2005 18:25:00 +0000

GoogleBase is live at http://base.google.com

John Battelle's SearchBlog offers two sources that indicate GoogleBase may soon turn its focus to feeds and syndicated information. See http://battellemedia.com/archives/002049.php
ZD Net suggests that GoogleBase may become the world's leading XML database.

IP Pay Per Call and Call Tracking

noreply@blogger.com (DotCentrex) — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 17:47:00 +0000

Now that I've joined Click Forward my focus will center on Pay Per Click and Pay Per Call and relatede topics.

Here are two recent articles:

Palm Beach Post Launches Classifieds “Talk to Seller” Service Powered by eStara

(PRLEAP.COM) Reston, VA (October 18, 2005) – eStara (http://www.estara.com/), a leading provider of communications solutions for linking buyers and sellers, today announced the first implementation of click-to-call in online newspaper classified advertising. The service, which was launched by the Palm Beach Post, will connect online classifieds visitors to sellers via the phone.

Read more at:
http://www.prleap.com/pr/17137/

ADS-click Adds Skype-Based Pay-Per-Call Advertising Capabilities to Its Private-Labeled Solution, Which Will Be Unveiled at ad:tech New York

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 10/10/2005 -- ADS-click will present at ad:tech New York, November 7-8, its private-label online advertising solution. It will feature a new pay-per-call service connected to Skype.

The concept is simple: One click, and the advertiser picks up the phone and is directly in touch with a prospective client! The advertiser pays for the click that generated the contact. This new functionality will allow millions of customers to establish direct relationships with thousands of advertisers through a VOIP telephone central and Skype's APIs. This new feature will integrate into ADS-click's private-labeled solution, used by major Internet players in the USA, Europe and Asia.

ADS-click technology automatically analyses web pages and automates pay-per-call ad posting in relation to the page's content. It offers a phone-operator availability management as well as user-language setting. Calls will be directed to the person responsible for the product mentioned on the advertisement on which the web surfer has clicked. All these functionalities can be controlled in a web management back-office.

Are There More Bloggers Than Blog Readers?

noreply@blogger.com (DotCentrex) — Fri, 13 May 2005 12:32:00 +0000

An eMarketer article,The Business of Blogging, by Ezra Palmer, indicates there now may be more blog creators than blog readers:

"Pew data suggest that roughly 16 percent of the entire US adult population, or about 32 million adults, have read blogs. ...About seven percent of the online population, or roughly 8.4 million people, said they had looked at a blog in the last 24 hours."

"Blog creation has, if anything, outstripped the growth of readership. Technorati began tracking the number of blogs in late 2002, when it counted 15,729. As of early May 2005, the number was close to 10 million. Perseus Development estimates that there will be more than 50 million hosted blogs by the end of this year."

Is PIE the New Cookie?

noreply@blogger.com (DotCentrex) — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 12:33:00 +0000

A company called United Virtualities offers PIE - Persistent Identification Element based onm Macromedia Flash.

There are two flavors of PIE:

"AccuCounter PIE, a cookie replacement that counts Unique users accurately
Backup PIE: a PIE that not only counts unique users but also recognizes the visitor and restores any erased cookies."

Are Shared Objects the New Cookie?

noreply@blogger.com (DotCentrex) — Tue, 05 Apr 2005 22:23:00 +0000

A recent ClicZ Article by Zachary Rodgers reports that technology, based on Macromedia's Flash could replace cookies as a tracking methodology.

Recent research indicates nearly 40 percent of Web users delete their cookies every 30 days...so cookies are becoming less effective.

The new technology is based on Macromedia's Flash MX's "local shared objects" (SOs), which can be placed on a user's machine by adding Javacript to a Web page. SOs are similar to cookies, but users don't know what they are, and therefore don't delete them. Commercial anti-spyware applications also do not typically block these files.

John Quarto-vonTivadar, CTO of Future Now Inc. and co-chair of the Web Analytics Association's technology committee said "SO's can store many orders of magnitude more information than a cookie can and are also not affected by browser settings but by the Flash player settings."

Urchin is Googlized

noreply@blogger.com (DotCentrex) — Wed, 30 Mar 2005 17:06:00 +0000

Google announced plans to acquire Urchin, the log analysis and tracking program company based in San Diego. Urchin offers great technology at a low price point. Its Urchin Tracking Module (UTM) works to defeat distortions from views in cache.

Google is expected to offer Urchin products and services to advertisers. The deal could be complete as soon as April.

For more on Urchin, visit www.Urchin.com

MSN's New Paid Search

noreply@blogger.com (DotCentrex) — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 17:07:00 +0000

Microsoft Unveiled some plans for its paid search product this week. Microsoft has sold some sponsored links within its network for some time - keywords on MSN for for more than $75k but with a low CPC, for example. This weeks news signals a more significant move into paid search...bad news for Yahoo Search which has a contract through June 2006 to provide paid listings for MSN.

In great coverage of the announcement, The SeattleTimes reported:

"Companies could buy ads that, for instance, appear when 25- to 30-year-old men in Seattle making $50,000 to $100,000 a year search for Mustang convertible on the MSN Web page. AdCenter uses information from customers who registered for services such as Hotmail or who tailored the MSN home page to their interests. It supplements that with data purchased from the Experian credit bureau. A version of Microsoft's AdCenter platform is being tested in Singapore and France."

Web Inventor Points the Way to Design for Mobile Web

noreply@blogger.com (DotCentrex) — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 16:43:00 +0000

Reuters quotes Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web arguing the designers must produce simpler sites that can be used on cell phones and other portable devices.

"(The mobile Internet) will be a huge enabler for the industry ... and for big profits," Tim Berners-Lee told a seminar on the future of the Web. "Web designers have learned to design for the visually impaired and for other people. They will learn in a few years how to make Web sites available for people with mobile devices too," he said.

For more from Berners-Lee see his W3C Page.

Open Source News Releases?

noreply@blogger.com (DotCentrex) — Tue, 15 Mar 2005 01:50:00 +0000

Open Press Inc writes: "All free press releases must comply with our press release guidelines. Our editors must approve all free press releases. We reject about 30% of free press releases submitted."

"In addition to our free press release wire service, every paid and free press release, article/op-ed, or news story, gets a free topic started in our community forum where everyone who wants to discuss them can do so."

Eyetracking Research Argues for Higher PPC Bids

noreply@blogger.com (DotCentrex) — Tue, 15 Mar 2005 01:38:00 +0000

Recent Eyetools' analysis of Google pages, as reported by Brian Livingston, editor of WindowsSecrets.com, indicates:

• Top sponsored links. Sponsored links at the top of the page, and above the first editorial listing, were seen by 80% to 100% of the visitors tested.

• Right-hand sponsored links in the first three positions in the right column were viewed by only 50%, 40%, and 30% of visitors, Eyetools says. The fourth ad was seen by only 20%, and the remaining four ads were noticed by just 10% of visitors.

Losing Your Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (DotCentrex) — Tue, 15 Mar 2005 01:27:00 +0000

A ClickZ article by Rob McGann cites a Jupiiter Research report indicating nearly 40% of internet users delete cookies at leasy monthly: "Based on a survey of 2,337 U.S. respondents, the study finds that 17 percent of Internet users delete cookies on a weekly basis. Approximately 12 percent do so on a monthly basis, and 10 percent make it a daily habit." The report said consumers seem to incorrectly identify cookies with Spyware and privacy threats.

Millions of dollars in affiliate program revenue is allocated almost entirely on cookie-based tracking. More advanced tracking uses multiple technologies, including session-based tracking.

Analytics Pros Lead New Association

noreply@blogger.com (DotCentrex) — Fri, 11 Mar 2005 17:33:00 +0000

The recently formed Web Analytics Association is led by two veteran internet tracking experts Jim Sterne, of Target Marketingand Bryan Eisenberg of Future Now Inc Sterne is the author of numerous books including the classic What Makes People Click: Advertising On the Web. Eisenberg firm also produces probably the best source of information on online conversion at GrokDotCom.

Yahoo is 10 Years Old

noreply@blogger.com (DotCentrex) — Thu, 10 Mar 2005 23:15:00 +0000

The Yahoo retrospective is fun...but I think the
Yahoo submission chant has been mostly forgotten.

Are you a lead, a target, prospect or a friend?

noreply@blogger.com (DotCentrex) — Thu, 10 Mar 2005 23:15:00 +0000

Always wow offers some great thoughts on wording that's always seemed weird - in marketing we talk about targets and leads. In public relations we talk about placements and circuits.

Can't we just be friends?