Text messaging has basically taken the entire phone related world by storm. In a text a person can communicate with someone through easy, singularly sent packets of data. Just within 160 characters, an entire wide array of information can be exchanged. And through all of these benefits, the chief features of texts would have to be that they are cheap and instant.

Research already suggests that 90% of all sent messages are viewed within 15 minutes of being received. No wonder there is such a surge of texting apps, across countries and across platforms for users in every platform market. Texting apps have become more of a need rather than a hobby.

Of course, there will always be some threats too when looking for perfect apps as some of them come from third parties or are actually disguised SMS spy apps.  So if you are looking for a texting app that fulfills your need, keeps your phone safe and is supported on the Windows Phone 8 platform then worry not, here is a list of some interesting texting apps to get you started.

1.Messaging. As the name itself suggests, this app is pretty simple and singular goal oriented- -to get you a good messaging platform. This app does not come in built with your Windows Phone 8 set but is a Microsoft creation so it will go well with your interface. The app allows you to chat with your contacts (through your Facebook or Address Book) and supports video chat too. This is probably the most feature geared app on the Windows Store and that too for free.

2.Thinking of You. Now this may not be the perfect app for everyone’s texting needs but it scores a million points straightaway for cuteness points. The app is themed for two. So in other words it is designed so that you and your beloved could exchange texts in complete secrecy. Of course you could use this app for sending texts that are not necessarily to a lover but require a secure connection anyway, one away from all threats of spying. The app is free so be sure to check it out.

3.Viber. This is another popular app and is available for all platform users including Windows Phone 8. Due to WhatsApp’s security and privacy related concerns, many users are opting for alternatives like Viber. This app runs on simple identification rules. Users use each other’s contact numbers to become contacts and initiate conversations. A plus point of using this texting app is that it allows users to make calls as well.

4.Line. This app is also becoming very popular with users regardless the platform. It runs n Windows Phone 8 as well and can be better adopted on this platform since it allows users to reply if they have a PC or MacOS program once they register it with an existing email account. Line allows users to send free texts and also allows them to make calls for free. It already has people from over 230 countries using it and is quickly becoming the next global messaging app.

5.WeChat. This app gets its claim to fame from being originated in China. It also allows users to confirm each other as contacts through the use of their mobile numbers. It is a multi-platform app and allows users to send text as well as voice messages.  Further, you can share videos and location. The best feature would have to be that it allows users to sync social network feeds or plug-ins such as ‘Shake’ or ‘Look Around.’

Author Bio: Natalia David is a tech writer. She describes herself as passionate for all things mobile and writes prolifically to help her readers. She also writes about sms spy app and mobile spy apps. For details visit mobistealth. She can be reached @NataliaDavid4.

Image Credit: young text messager image courtesy of Jeff Sandquist via Flickr

Technorati Tags: microsoft, Text messaging, Viber, WhatsApp, Windows Phone 8

Competition is also growing rapidly and Wal-Mart Vs. Amazon is perhaps the World’s Biggest E-Commerce Battle:

According to Nielsen, e-commerce will gain more ground than any other segment of the retail industry by 2017, with a compound annual growth rate of 11% each year.

What is good for the big guys also provides opportunities for entrepreneurs. Creating an Ecommerce store can be exciting and challenging. Working with a company like Network Solutions makes the project more doable. They have three different monthly packages for different sized stores to help you set up and maintain your online store with ease.

When it comes to your store front display, all packages have customizable templates, which are compatible with Dreamweaver, FrontPage and Photoshop. Since online shopping is increasingly done on mobile devices, it may be wise to go with their premium program, which has an additional feature providing mobile optimized design. All three packages allow for you to have a free domain name with your annual purchase and the ability to create subdomains. All are equipped with social media buttons so people can share your products and search engine optimized (SEO) site coding helps potential customers find your site through search engines like Google. With all three packages you can use Pay Pal and Google checkout and are able to accept credit cards (if you have a merchant account).

Network Solutions offers 24/7 live phone customer service and you can access their online community which includes a forum, training videos, and contextual help tools. If you plan on selling your wares on the web, Network Solutions can help you accomplish that goal with ease and all this for an affordable monthly fee.

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Technorati Tags: E-commerce, Ecommerce, Google Checkout, PayPal

In his video response, Matt encourages “high quality” posting and identifies a high quality guest post as content “coming from someone who writes really well and has something to say.” This advice has been widely circulated so that now we have a problem of ‘embarrass de richesse’, or in other words an embarrassing surplus of riches. In this post you will find a method of selecting the very best posts from the many guest author requests you may be receiving.

The Guest Blog Post Flood

Most blog owners of any standing are probably finding a large number of e-mail requests for guest posts from budding authors. As an example, Neil Patel in his advice to such authors on How to Get Your Guest Post Published gives the following data.

Since January 1st I’ve received 931 requests for guest post submissions on quicksprout.com. And out of the 931 requests, do you know how many I’ve accepted? Zero!

That clearly represents a formidable challenge for any guest author, but it also represents a somewhat depressing task for the owner of the blog. How can you be sure that if there are some good quality posts that you will find the number you require among this haystack. This is where the perfect marriage approach, or at least a modified version of it, can be helpful.

The Perfect Marriage Approach

If you missed the memo about the perfect marriage approach, an article in the Sunday Times in 2004 gave a full explanation.  The headline read as follows: 32+27 adds up to the perfect marriage age.

Dennis Lindley, emeritus professor of statistics at University College London, put forward the theory that 32 is when men should tie the knot, while the right age for women is 27.

The theory supposes that a man has a certain window for courtship. During the window, for instance between 16 and 60 for men, a man will typically start a relationship with a woman, and at some point must decide whether to marry her or break it off and keep looking in the hope of finding a better mate. The danger, of course, is that nothing better comes along. Lindley developed a formula which gives the age at which you should switch away from searching for the dream wife and instead decide to make a commitment to the first suitable woman you meet thereafter.

A Simpler Explanation of the Perfect Marriage Approach

Dennis Lindley has been putting forward this approach for some time. In the nineteen sixties, he was Director of the Mathematical Statistics Department at Cambridge University and I was a member of that department as a graduate student. His explanation was a little simpler then (but clearly less newsworthy). His analysis is based on the use of Bayesian statistics, a field in which he is one of the acknowledged world leaders. For more information on this topic, you may find the book shown to the right, Making Decisions, is a useful primer.

As he described it then, if you decide that you could possibly date up to say 100 potential partners in order to find the best possible spouse, then the following was an optimal approach. You should date 36 potential partners without committing to any of them: in other words you play the field. You then continue to date further potential partners and tie the knot with the first one that is better than all the ones you have met up till that point. If you are extremely unlucky of course you may have to settle with whatever the 100th potential partner offers. On average this approach will ensure the best possible partner for you.

Modified Perfect Marriage Approach To Select The Very Best Guest Blog Posts

If you wish to limit the number of guest posts you publish on your blog while selecting the best then we can adapt that perfect marriage approach. Of course you never know what further high-quality blog posts may come within the next day or two, so how can you decide which guest posts you will actually publish and when you can finalize your decision.

You will of course reject any blog posts that are not of high enough quality. Suppose other authors offer you adequate quality guest blog posts and these come in at a faster rate than you might wish to publish blog posts. You must therefore reject some of these adequate quality guest blog posts. The suggested approach has the following steps:

1. Establish a buffer of 3 adequate quality guest blog posts.
2. If another adequate quality blog post arrives, then compare it with the three you have already and reject whichever one is the lowest quality of these four draft blog posts.
3. When it comes time to publish a blog post, then you publish the oldest one in your buffer. This leaves you with only two adequate quality blog posts in your buffer.
4. When another adequate blog post comes in, add it to your buffer to maintain the three blog posts reserve. You then keep repeating this cycle.

As with the perfect marriage approach to getting a partner, this process will ensure you are publishing the best possible quality guest blog posts that you receive.

It does mean that you delay informing your guest post authors of your decision until you either reject or publish their contribution. This might seem unfair, but if you have more blog posts than you can publish then publishing the best quality guest posts should be your key goal, both for you and for your successful authors.

Photo credit: Perfect Marriage image courtesy of danske via photopin cc

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Technorati Tags: Bayesian decision theory, Cambridge University, Dennis Lindley, Matt Cutts, Neil Patel, Publishing

Before the advent of digital printing on vinyl, custom banners were limited to clip art style graphics and blocky letters, but these days vinyl banners look incredible. From advertising a business, to announcing a city wide event, the uses of vinyl banners are only limited by your creativity. Whether you’re considering vinyl banners for your business, or looking for an inexpensive way to say “Happy Birthday” vinyl banners are a solution you should consider. Here’s a few of the pros of vinyl banners.

Digital Printing

Before digital printing was widely available, the only method for making a vinyl sign was by heat pressing other pieces of vinyl directly onto the banner. This not only affected the durability but also the appearance. Words had to be blocky and any graphics included were simplistic in nature (think clip art). Now that digital printing has been adapted for use with vinyl banners the ability to produce a high quality, professional looking banner is not only effortless, but also inexpensive. One benefit to digital printing is accurate color representation as well as the use of photograph quality images with thousands, or millions of colors.

Durability

One of the biggest benefits of vinyl banners over cloth or paper is the durability. Vinyl banners are tear resistant and weatherproof. These banners are also able to be used in windy areas by punching small holes to reduce the surface area that resists a blowing wind. On top of the durability the vinyl and ink used for digital printing can be UV resistant which allows these banners to be placed in direct sunlight for long periods of time without any deterioration or fading of colors. In short, UV resistant inks keep things looking bright far longer!

Uses of Vinyl Banners

The best aspect of vinyl banners is the fact that they are so versatile. In fact, you’re pretty much able to use them for anything. Due to the fact that these banners are weatherproof and durable they’re perfect for outdoor advertising. Businesses can use them to advertise special sales, open houses, or other special events like conferences. Cities may use them to promote city wide events, parades, fairs, districts, or anything else the public needs to know about. Individuals may use them for birthday banners or for anniversaries and family reunions. Since they’re so durable they can last for years if properly stored and cared for. This means you can use the same “Happy Birthday” banner year after year, which is perfect for people in various industries like catering.

Whether you’re a business or an individual, custom vinyl banners provide a solution to all your advertising needs.

Author Bio: Annie Harrington is a small business owner and freelance writer. In her free time she enjoys writing about ways business owners can positively impact their brand image with unique printed material.

Image Credit: Banner Image courtesy of MorgueFile

Technorati Tags: Advertising, Printing, Signage, Vinyl, vinyl banner

This is a guest post by Thomas McMahon.

It’s no trade secret that guest posting is a favorite technique of link builders and SEOs around the globe. This has made the inboxes of webmasters and editors who accept these outside contributions flood to the point of bursting, and has created thousands of sites that feature poorly written guest posts that are stuffed with links.

This has led many people to believe that Google will soon penalize links coming from, and going to, sites that implement guest posting since it has been abused. Needless to say, this has caused many webmasters to jump ship and stop accepting guest posts entirely, but I think this is premature and the fears are unfounded.

Stoking the Fire

While some webmasters shut down their guest posting policy, or made it much more difficult, in order to combat spam, many more have started shutting down their guest posting policy ever since Matt Cutts answered two questions in his video series.

The first video from Matt was released in early October of 2012 and it addressed the question, “What is Google’s view on guest blogging for links?” Like any Matt Cutts video, there were few hard facts but the consensus seems to be that if the quality of all parties involved is high, then Google doesn’t have a problem with it.

A month later, Matt released another video that addressed a question that has helped to spread the fear that blog owners will find their sites penalized because they allow guest posts. In the second video, Matt addresses the question, “Is Google going to hammer websites for links acquired by guest blogging?” Matt explains that Google is prepared to move against sites that feature guest posts with poor content and links, but not that they are doing so now.

What Does this Mean?

There have been plenty of articles that have gone live since these videos aired that are no better than propaganda and yellow journalism. The claim that guest posting will be targeted by Google is unfounded and unmerited. Google will keep on doing what it has been doing all along, that is combatting spam. If you accept poorly written or spun guest posts that link to irrelevant and spammy sites then yes, you will be penalized. But if your guest posts are well written and you control what is being posted with a critical eye then you’ll be fine.

To Sum Up

You should only rethink your guest posting stance if you’re playing fast and loose and letting anyone and their dogs post content on your site. This draws spun, duplicate, and spammy content faster than mosquitos after a wet spring. Stay on top of your guest posting policies and only run content that you want your readers to interact with. You, and your site, are judged by the company you keep and if you are posting poor guest posts then that will reflect in poor rankings in the long run. Don’t be quick to act and stop your guest posting entirely if you have a good policy like Barry does. Accepting well written articles is a great way to feature different views and authors, as well as helping to stay on top of your publishing schedule.

Author Bio: Thomas McMahon is a link builder by trade, but a writer at heart. He writes for Page One Power, a link building firm that promotes relevancy and quality over quantity.

Photo credit: guest post author image courtesy of aflcio via photopin cc

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Technorati Tags: links, Matt Cutts, Search engine optimization, Search Engines

As the Internet develops, so does the related commercial aspect of life. Online shopping is a way that allows people to find and purchase exactly what they are looking for instead of settling for what is available locally. Although this provides a great deal of competition for shopping and a decreased cost in price, it could be doing more damage to our community than we may be realizing.

Who hasn’t purchased something from the Internet at least once? That number is slowly increasing as more and more techniques for shopping security allow consumers to spend money online without fear of being scammed. However, have you ever thought about the ramifications of what this very convenient form of shopping is doing to the local consumer scene?

1. Sales Tax - In most states in the U.S., there is no sales tax on items purchased from buyers in another state. Most local laws demand that online sellers tax local residents of their state with the county sales tax rate, but purchases from other states are tax-free. With this decline of sales tax revenue generated by local sales, is it fair for us to blame local governments from having to increase tax rates to make up the difference? Who pays the bill for 9-1-1 services and government sponsored food programs?

2. Lay-offs - Did you know that by 2016 consumers in the United States will spend more than $320 billion on online purchases? According to a study completed by Forrester Research Inc., eCommerce will account for 9% of all sales. If people are spending more money online, then they have less to spend locally. For retail businesses, that could be quite damaging. As there is less money coming in to the store, there is less money to pay employees.

A prime example of this can be seen by taking a look at Blockbuster. This once successful video rental location was slowly dismantled as services such as Netflix, Redbox, and others decimated the business. In 2010, the Consumerist.com website reported that Blockbuster was filing for bankruptcy. As you can see from the chart, there is no doubt as to why.

3. Local Support - Layoffs from lack of income are only the beginning. Many businesses  are affected in a major way by losses created by online sales. It starts by letting people go, and then it escalates to the inability to pay utilities and finally they can no longer afford the rent. This is why businesses have been launching efforts through the “Buy Local” campaign. According to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, there is nearly a 4.5% difference in revenue changes between businesses that sponsor a “Buy Local” campaign over those who don’t.

Shopping online isn’t an evil process. It is a way that people can get what they want in a timely manner. Although there are many that delight in the instant gratification of having an item right now, there are a great number of people who are patient enough to wait for something that is exactly what they are looking for. Instead of being fearful, local businesses should expand business to online services in order to stay in competition and keep the doors open. They should embrace “Buy Local” strategies and develop innovative ways to keep the interest of local consumers. Online competition doesn’t have to destroy the bricks-and-mortar store.

Author Bio: Amanda Carlson, a blogger as well as a former newborn care nurse contributed this post. To stay connected to her previous career and share the knowledge she gained, she began writing for www.newborncare.com. You can reach her at amanda.newborncare @ gmail.com.

Photo credit: online shopping image courtesy of sevenfloorsdown via photopin cc

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Technorati Tags: Online shopping, Sales tax

This is a guest post by Ken Myers.

For the small business, promoting goods and services can be difficult at times when your budget only allows for so much spending. Although your website can offer a great deal of information, competition is great for nearly every niche. While you could spend a great deal of time and money in search engine optimization, there are other methods that could help generate interest in your business content.

Blog carnivals are blogging websites that allow others to write a piece of content and offer a link back to your main site. The main purpose of these carnivals is to generate interest for guest bloggers. Most of these carnivals are free as the content you provide helps the carnival’s host as well.

1. Content – Most of the time, your content needs to match the given subject. If your business fits a particular niche, there is a good chance there is a carnival about it right now. If your business isn’t in a niche fitting a carnival you wish to write for, don’t fret. A great deal of these will let you write about the specific topic and link back to your site regardless of its niche. For instance, you can write for that baby blog carnival with a link back to your computer business providing the content you write for that blog is of the “baby” subject.

2. How to Engage – If you’re creative enough, you could tie in your business operations with the blog carnival in question. As relevant content reigns supreme, you want the blog post to be as close to your business niche as possible. If there is simply no way to accomplish this, write a good article for the particular blog and rely on the link back to your site. Many people will click the link provided out of sheer curiosity which could turn profitable.

3. Simplicity – As long as you follow the blog carnival’s rules, you can easily create interest back to your business. It requires nothing more than registering with the blog hosting individual and writing the best content you can about the provided subject material. There are no deposits, financing, or advertising methods you need to concern yourself with. It is a very simple way to generate interest in your business without investing anything more than your time.

4. Where to Look – You can find many blog carnivals by putting “blog carnival” in your favorite search engine. However, many people have made BlogCarnival.com one of their favorite sites. This website is a collection of those people hosting carnivals and covers a wide range of topics. Otherwise, visiting blogging websites could open possibilities of those who don’t use sites such as this.

5. Why Should You – Blogs are frequented by millions of readers every day. Whether people are looking for information regarding a specific product or just want to simply keep up on current events, they are reading. Putting your own content on these blogs has great potential to be spotted by consumers who are interested in your content and wish to know more. Depending on how the blog carnival is set up, you could also create interest in Google+ by writing for these sites and linking it back to your account. This provides a greater presence for your business as a professional in your field.

While spending money on a marketing plan can make a great impact in how your online presence grows, there are many ways you can promote the business without spending a dime. Blog carnivals are very common and all it will take you is less than a half-hour to write your best content.

Author Bio: Ken Myers holds a master’s in business leadership from Upper Iowa University and multiple bachelor degrees from Grand View College. As president of morningsidenannies.com, Ken’s focus is helping Houston-based parents find the right childcare provider for their family. When he isn’t working, he enjoys spending time with his three children and his wife.

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Technorati Tags: BlogCarnival, Carnival, niche

This is a guest post by Alastair Kane.

Rising smartphone use means consumers now have near permanent online availability. As a result, encouraging them to connect with brands online, prompted by offline marketing cues (and vice versa), should be integral to marketing strategies.

A dual-sided marketing relationship, online marketing strategies (social media campaigns, e-casts, blogs, SEO and PPC campaigns etc) and offline strategies (advertisements in newspapers, magazines, brochures, billboard campaigns, perhaps even a town crier) must integrate to present a united brand front.

Synchronicity is key, and each strategy should be used to promote the other. Online marketing provides easily observable, real-time metrics and allows brands to develop wide reaching, yet personalised consumer relations via websites and social interaction. Offline marketing will provide wide coverage to more diverse audiences, though demographic analytics are much harder to determine.

When the two are merged into a symbiotic brand presence, it can double campaign effectiveness, increase consumer trust, brand credibility and authority, and enhance visibility – improving lead generation.

• Keep it consistent. Brand style, tone and ‘voice’ must blend between online and offline campaigns to avoid confusion. Brand style should be instantly recognisable and accessible, and consistency should extend through all areas – promotions should be identical and clear wherever they are advertised, and company branding (any logos, graphics, slogans, audio or visuals) should remain the same across all campaigns.
• Cross-reference campaigns. Integrated marketing campaigns reference and support each other. This can be achieved by using online media to promote offline events, promotions or sales for example. Site URL’s and social sharing information should be placed on as much offline media as possible; emails, adverts, business cards, product packaging etc. Keywords too, should be cross-referenced. Using online metrics, locate the keywords your brand is, or should be associated with, then integrate them into offline campaigns to boost authority around those terms.
• Make the most of QR codes. QR codes placed on offline media (posters, flyers, brochures etc) make promotions and offers easily accessible. Making the online available via an offline perspective, they are perfect for gathering responsive demographic data while promoting brands and products simultaneously. Any promotional campaign however should be tailored to suit unique brand demographics; if your market will not be responsive to a QR campaign, consider other options; perhaps an online contest advertised offline, or offline events promoted via social media. Remember, each strategy is aiming to distribute and grow interaction with the other.
• Keep sales teams informed. Your sales team are the ones dealing directly with customers, so it is crucial they know the timing and content of all online and offline campaigns. This maintains message consistency, presents an organised appearance, and prevents confusion. To achieve this, campaigns must be well-timed and gradually staggered – don’t have too many active promotions at once as this can confuse and overload customers.
• Analyse, analyse, analyse. All campaigns and strategies should be continually tracked to adjust to change. Offline effectiveness may be more difficult to track than online, but data can be gathered via surveys and opinion polls (these themselves can be pushed on, or offline). Such information is a necessity in determining integration success.

Though it sounds a sizeable task, strategic integration is not difficult to achieve as long as it is considered at every stage. Brands which integrate well are the ones which spring to the consumer mind first, as well as appearing highly in Google searches – a seamlessly synchronised strategy, regardless of campaign medium is the key to wider audience reach, better leads and increased sales!

Author Bio: Alastair Kane is a freelance writer and wrote this on behalf of 2touch a company which provides fulfilment services to both online and offline businesses. For more information visit www.2touch.co.uk.

Photo credit:

town crier image courtesy of Bryan Ledgard via photopin cc

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Technorati Tags: Advertising campaign, Digital media, Internet marketing, Online and offline, QR code

Not surprisingly the first question everyone is asking about the Google Chromebook Pixel is Would you pay $1300 for a cloud-centric laptop? This is all about the launch of this impressive laptop that everyone is talking about.

The Chromebook Pixel (yes, it’s really called that) is on sale now in the Google Play Store and will start shipping next week. The computer costs $1299 for a Wi-Fi-only edition; an LTE-enabled version, meanwhile, will become available in April for $1449.

Pricing is often the sticking point in making a sale and usually the ideal is that the customer decides to buy before even knowing the price.

That’s the approach that Jon Manning is suggesting in pointing to the lucrative opportunity you’re neglecting. He’s referring to the fact that many leading companies have a long tail of products they sell in relatively small volumes.

Long-tail products are those that are purchased infrequently and in small volumes. This implies that customers probably have pricing amnesia: they’re unlikely to remember what price they paid for the product the last time they purchased it – if, in fact, they’ve ever purchased it. Should those obscure products be priced at a high rate to reflect their scarcity, or at a low rate to reflect their demand?

He suggests that it’s the high price approach that will work and deliver maximum profitability.

It’s an example of the Willingness-to-Pay factor particularly in B2B Marketing. This is one of the many situations that are covered by pricing effectiveness solutions. This answers questions such as are your product prices contributing to lost deals, or are you leaving money on the table with pricing that is too low?

If pricing is the first thing the customer is thinking about, then you are dealing with a critical factor in sealing the deal. If pricing is the last thing to be considered, then you have many more options available to you.

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This is a guest post by Andrew Lolk.

Through my years working with AdWords, I’ve received quite a few requests from business owners wanting to advertise with competitor names on AdWords.

My reaction to this has always been one of compliance. But I’ve only complied after carefully educating my Clients on the dangers of using a competitor’s brand (product or company name) in AdWords.

In this post, you will learn when it’s illegal to use them (it rarely is) and what I’ve been explaining to my Clients throughout the years.

 It All Changed in 2009

Today, you’re allowed to use whatever keyword you want in AdWords without restrictions as long as they don’t go against the basic guidelines (drugs, paraphernalia, guns, etc.). But it hasn’t always been like this.

Before the 2009 policy change, you couldn’t use keywords that contained trademarks that had been registered with Google. Famous brands like Nokia and Apple were notoriously hard to advertise for if you didn’t get specific permission (which can be really difficult to obtain).

Hard Times for iPhone and Nokia Repair Shops

There are a lot of reasonable arguments as to why you shouldn’t be allowed to advertise on trademarked terms in AdWords. If a less-than-reputable company is leeching off branded searches that the brand owner has worked hard to develop (and spent a lot of money to obtain), then it’s definitely unethical to use branded terms.

But not being able to advertise with keywords like iPhone repair, iPhone screen replacement and iPhone battery change can be easily nerve-wrecking for a small iPhone repair shop.

Luis Vuitton vs. Google, Inc.

This was recognized in a case between Luis Vuitton and Google in France that was underlining whether or not an unauthorized advertiser could advertise on misspelled variants of the hard-to-spell brand name ‘Luis Vuitton’.

Luis Vuitton famously lost to Google, and this opened up the flood gates to letting advertisers advertise on all brand-based keywords, even without authorization.

Ever since this case, you’ve been allowed legally to bid on any search term that you’d like – even without authorization.

Keywords are Allowed, But You Need Authorization to Use Branded Terms in Ads

While it’s allowed and legal to use all the keywords you’d like, you still can’t use branded terms in your ads without special permission.

This makes a lot of sense. My view on the branded keywords debate is that if someone is looking for Luis Vuitton handbags, they’re essentially searching for luxury handbags of different sorts.

It makes sense to let other brands advertise when users have the intent to find luxury handbags.

Deceptive vs. Smart Advertising

Essentially, Google wants to ensure that their users find what they’re looking for. If someone has the intent of finding luxury handbags, then showing them various brands for luxury handbags makes solid sense.

When it comes to ads, the tone gets a bit different. If a user is searching for Luis Vuitton handbags, then it’s not allowed for non-authorized advertisers to use the brand within their ads (this applies to any and all keywords).

This is due to the fact that Google wants to make sure that what’s promised in the ads is also what is being delivered. If a counterfeit Luis Vuitton handbag dealer was allowed to write the following in their ads, it would obviously deceive the searcher:

Cheapest Luis Vuitton Bags
You Won’t Find Them Cheaper.
Quick Shipping at the Best Prices.
www.luxurybagoutlet.com

Clicking on the ad, they wouldn’t find real Luis Vuitton bags, but instead, cheap counterfeit versions.

My Advice to AdWords Advertisers

My advice has always been to be careful. Just because it’s allowed to advertise using your competitors’ names as keywords, doesn’t make it a good idea.

Granted, I’ve seen amazing ROI on campaigns for competitors, but I usually advise against such use if you’re in a market where your competitors are petty and if the likelihood of a lawsuit is high.

One example is from the pearl and DIY jewelry industry in Scandinavia. I’ve had a couple of Clients in this industry and all of them advertised with competitor terms.

It wasn’t unusual that the main websites in the industry had 5-6 advertisers present on them when prospects searched for their branded keywords. It was widely accepted as the cost of doing business and little effort was done to stop it.

Generic Company Names vs. Unique Company Names

If you’re dead-set on using competitor names as keywords, then you need to follow one simple principal if you don’t want to get “caught”.

Bid on competitor names that contain some sort of generic word in the name. If the situation arises and a competitor accuses you of bidding on their keyword, then just mention that you’re bidding on the generic word in broad match and searches for his competitor name is triggering your ads.

A good example of this is the name GuardianSoftware. They offer a software that monitors software. If you’re appearing with their company name (guardiansoftware), it can either be because of the keyword guardiansoftware or web monitoring software.

This is the “magic” of broad match. You can trigger the most far-fetched, yet relevant searches this way.

However, if your AdWords ads are appearing for a search for UpTrends.com, then you will have a hard time explaining yourself out of it.

Disclaimer: The law varies from country to country. The law in your country might be different from the one applying in the EU where this post is based.

 Now It’s Your Turn

How do you feel about the usage of competitor names within AdWords campaigns? Is it a fair game? Or a strategy used by those who can’t play fair?

Author Bio: Andrew Lolk is the CMO at WhiteSharkMedia.com, an AdWords agency specialized in paid search management. Follow @whitesharkmedia for more insights to AdWords and Paid Search.

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