Search engine marketing news and information you can use to grow your business.
- Hide and Speak: Have a Unique Selling Proposition - 2007-06-20 00:16:01-04
In the last article before we move into site development and marketing mode, I'm going to give you the final bit of background on how we decided to set up the business. After all, the basis of your business is often the basis of your marketing message...it's not the type of thing that can serve as an after thought. (skip to "Hide and Speak: Have a Unique Selling Proposition" by Jennifer Laycock)
- What's the Best Way to Communicate With Your Clients? - 2007-06-20 11:41:16-04
We once had a client complain that they didn't know if we were doing anything for them. I guess the ranking improvements they were seeing wasn't enough of a clue. That complaint only happened once. We realized then that there was a breakdown in communications between us and our clients and instituted measures to insure that it would never happen again. I'll explain more on that later.
The great thing about the SEO industry, or any online industry really, is that you don't have to be local to handle clients. In fact, most SEOs get contracts from all over the country and even overseas. Because of the distance I don't often meet clients in person. I can count on one hand the number of clients that I've met face-to-face over the past nine years.
But being distant from your clients can have its disadvantages. Because the client can't "swing by" the office when they are in your part of town, it creates an additional burden to ensure efficient communication methods are in place.
Communication protocols
So what is the best way to communicate with distant clients? Is it by phone, email, instant messenger, blog posts? I think they can all be valid forms of communication, although none exclusively. How you communicate can be different for each client. Find out which communication method works best for them and go with that as much as possible.
Blog Posts: I wouldn't necessarily rely on this as a primary method of communication. Blogs are great at getting basic, broad information out to clients, but specifics should be handled in other ways.
eMail: Probably the most utilized form of communication because it's easiest to use and doesn't necessarily force an unneeded "conversation". If email is your primary form of communication just make sure that you're professional in your demeanor and not cryptic in your messages.
Instant Messages: This can be great way to get information to or from clients quickly but it can also have its drawbacks. Some might abuse this form of communication creating lengthy conversations where none is warranted. This can reduce productive time on a project if not used properly.
Phone: Phone calls are the most personal form of communication of the four. While effective communication may be able to be handled via any of the means mentioned above, sometimes a call is what is really needed. The phone allows you to have uninterrupted one-on-one time with the client to work through any pending issues quickly and efficiently. The phone doesn't have to be used all the time, but clients do appreciate hearing the voice of their SEO from time to time.
How much is too much?
Is there a formula for communicating with clients? Should you be in touch with them daily, weekly or monthly? I say "no" to the first questions and "depends" to the second. You should contact clients as often as is necessary to get the job done. Just like you, clients are busy as well and don't have time for idle chit chat too often. Communication should be left to as-needed basis to move the project forward with the exception of the occasional phone call, just to touch base on a more personal level.
After we were told by a client that they didn't know if we were working on their account I knew that we were not communicating with our client enough. But I didn't necessarily want to call them every day with an "update" that would have taken too much time away from working on their account and ultimately would have been counter productive.
We went to work creating a client notification system that allows us to post "notes" that get uploaded for the client to view. Our standard procedure is that anytime a team member works on a client account, a note is posted with a quick summary of the work they performed that day. We average about two to three notes per week going to each of our clients.
While these notes also get emailed to the client we find that sometimes we don't get a timely response when needed. We'll then follow that up with another email and/or a phone call until the pending issue gets resolved.
Since implementing this procedure we have found that client satisfaction has gone up. Clients are more aware of what work we are doing and, we have also found, more patient with the SEO process. They see that someone is truly working in their interests and have a better understanding of the work that goes into their optimization campaign. This little bit of effort goes a long way toward building long-term client relations and overall performance satisfaction.
Our way may not be the "right" way for you and your clients, but effective communication is key to keeping clients happy. If you have no clear ways to communicate with clients you should establish some internal guidelines that will provide you the framework for consistent and effective communication. A little communication can go a long way. Your clients may not thank you verbally, but they'll be pleased by the efforts and efficiency of your communication strategies.
- VisiStat Analytics Busy with Enhancements in June - 2007-06-20 16:00:47-04
Analytics provider, VisiStat, has been busy improving their web analytics software with enhancements over the last month. If you haven't used VisiStat before, I actually compared it against Google Analytics late last year.
Here are some of the improvements they have made:
June 5 - VisiStat releases version 5.0. which included:
- SEO Analyzer - Meta Tag Analyzer, Body Keyword Saturation report, Meta Tag Generator Tool, and SEO overview
- AdCam 2.0 Advertising Campaign Manager featuring click fraud and conversion data
- Activity Alerts e-mail notifications for specific Website visitor activities
June 12 - VisiStat announced the release of their Touch Mapping click report. Touch Map reporting uses innovative GUI technology to show site owners literally where their Web pages are "touched" by visitor clicks. With Touch Mapping, site administrators can see exactly where every visitor actually clicks their mouse on any page, down to the exact pixel.
June 19 - VisiStat releases Identies - The main function of Identities allows anyone with 'user name/password' log in privileges on a Website to identify who is logging in and see what they are doing. It's a great way to keep track of registered users and know who is using your Website the most
- Top 500 Search Engine Keywords Of The Week - 2007-06-21 18:18:29-04
Jump directly to this week's list of the top 500 most frequently searched keywords .
- SES Latino 2007 in Miami Wrap Up - 2007-06-21 23:15:05-04
Miami was the place to be this past Monday and Tuesday (June 18th, 19th 2007) if you wanted to get the scoop on search marketing for the Latin American market. Nacho Hernandez, of iHispanic, headed up a great 2-day conference by Search Engine Strategies at the Inter-Continental Hotel. Conference goers from all over Latin America, the United States and Canada spent the time in sessions that covered the basics of keyword research and linking dealing with Spanish and Portuguese languages to broader site issues such as whether to create original content or just translate existing content.
The conference kicked off with a very interesting and informative keynote with Google's Gonzalo Alonso who is the General Manager for Spanish-Speaking Latin America. Gonzalo gave us a great bit of insight into how Google is thinking through its development in Latin America. He also discussed major differences between countries and cultures. There were a few great points that Gonzalo made in his discussion with Nacho. One was that Argentina & Brazil are the fastest growing markets in Latin America. Another point that seemed to surprise some of the audience was the fact that the search engines are really the ones that have to take up the responsibility for advancing technology in the Latin American countries, since most governments do not have any plans or programs in place. From the keynote the days were broken out into two distinct tracks. One focused around Latino search marketing issues. Kicking it all off was a session that dove into exactly what the opportunities are in Latin America. It's amazing what's going on in these countries and the potential that lies there for companies wanting to launch businesses on the web there. I'd liken Latin America and the US Hispanic market to a sleeping giant, once this great market awakens, there's going to be no stopping it.
The other track featured more fundamental issues when dealing with optimization of websites. From site architecture to linking, the major issues were covered by some of the industry's best professionals like Mike Grehan, Deb Mastaler, Jessie Stricchiola, Matt Williams and many others. To bring home the point for the attendees, all of these presentations of the fundamentals had the added focus for the Latino market.
Some of the best sessions really delved into the issue of content and how to create it or translate it from another language to Spanish or Portuguese. It may sound cliché but, a lot gets "lost in translation" when you are trying to utilize content from another language into Spanish. From synonyms to slang, from jokes to stories and more, all have issues with cultural, dialect and country-to-country translations. Then, add on top of that, trying to figure out how to tell the search engine your site is a site from Columbia, Peru or Mexico – there's a lot webmasters and business people need to take into account.
Overall, I believe this was one of the best conferences I've been to of SES's. The more intimate nature, less than 1,000 attendees, allowed for you to really get to know people and ask the speakers questions about their presentations. It also allotted for better conversations after the sessions were through, great networking opportunities and for meeting people from countries you might not have gotten the opportunity to meet at the bigger conferences. This conference also exposed me and a lot of the other attendees to an entirely new market and started the "juices" flowing for great new ideas to come.
Next year, if you don't have plans, take the time to head on down to Miami, you'll be rewarded with a wealth of new knowledge and business opportunities!
- You Can't Build Relationships if You Always Interrupt... - 2007-06-21 23:46:43-04
I've explained in the past how much link building resembles relationship building. It's also fairly obvious that all forms of social media marketing require some level of relationship building. But what happens if your idea of relationship building is interrupting someone else's relationship building? Matt Bailey explains.
Scenario #1: You are in a conversation at a party, maybe with one or two other people, and someone comes up, interrupts, and starts talking about something completely different. They typically end up controlling the conversation and the original groups quickly excuses themselves to leave and find new conversations.
Scenario #2: You are at a networking event, maybe for a chamber of commerce or a conference. You are in a group of people discussing industry "stuff". Suddenly, a new person joins the group, inserts themselves into the conversation, and talks about their business and why everyone should work with them. Amazingly, they are selling themselves and their business when no one asked anything about it. (Again, people walk away.)
Scenario #3: Telemarketing Calls.
Matt goes on to share some examples of blog comments that include links.
It sounds simple enough, but links in blog comments can be a lot like the three examples above. Often the comments are left as nothing more than an excuse to link back to the commenter's own site.
That's fine, if the link really adds to the conversation, or if the commenter knows the original poster well enough to drop the link...but it shuts down conversation and turns off readers when the link drop harms the flow of conversation.
I've experienced this exact thing myself in the last week or two. There's a certain competitive web site that has been visiting one of my blogs and dropping links to their site. The unfortunate thing is that I was already linking to this site and had planned to feature more of their content down the road because I find it valuable. Unfortunately, the constant link dropping comes across as pushy and makes me hesitant to link to them.
Their pushy nature has damaged what could have been a strong relationships and a steady source of traffic and links.
So how are you doing when it comes to building relationships through blog comments? Are you the person that adds to the conversation, or have you become the "interrupter" in your eagerness to gain new links?
- Taking Google Map Matters Into Your Own Hands - 2007-06-22 11:00:16-04
Anyone that has gone hunting for an address on Google Maps knows that they tend to be a little off. By that, I mean that the markers often show up a few houses down, or across the street, or someplace else that isn't exactly where they should be. Granted, being off by less than one hundred feet isn't bad when we're talking about satellite images around the world, but it can be frustrating if you are the business that keeps having people sent across the street, or down the road. On the other hand, what do you do if you are moving your location and you need to make sure people can find you? Well, if you are Robert Sollis, you get a little creative.
Mr. Sollis wrote to Google earlier this year to explain that the Royal College of Art would be holding an event down the road in a nearby park and to ask if the Google Maps team could help him out by moving their marker for the event. He explained that new visitors would likely rely on Google Maps to get directions and hoped that Google would help them find the temporary location.
Now I highly doubt that Mr. Sollis honestly expected Google to change up their system to accommodate a week long festival, but he may have thought that they'd pitch in just for the fun of it. (More likely, he was simply setting the groundwork for some really good publicity and link bait.)
Sollis received the expected automated Google letter stating that they receive all mail but cannot reply to all mail.So Sollis wrote back to let Google know that he was taking matters into his own hands.
Yes, that's what it looks like. Sollis made his own graphic marker from pieces of carpet, cut to size and appropriately pixellated so that when Google's satellite came by again, this marker would show up perfectly in a fully zoomed image of that location.
Of course Google doesn't exactly update their pictures every few seconds, so there's little chance of it showing up on Google Maps in time.
On the other hand, for someone with a bit of time on their hands that live in an area that is frequently updated...I smell some MASSIVE Google Maps pranking potential...
- Are You Using Google Coupons? - 2007-06-22 16:51:50-04
What's that, you say? Google offers a coupon option? Why yes they do. Google announced the service last summer but hasn't done much in the way of promoting it since then. So if you'd like a way to differentiate your business on Google Maps listings, here you go. (skip to "Are You Using Google Coupons?" by Jennifer Laycock)
- Updating Your Google Maps Business Listing - 2007-06-22 18:33:13-04
Now that I've told you how to use Google Coupons to market your small business, I realize that I haven't bothered to tell you how to update your business listings on Google Maps and Google Local. Since it's hard to get the egg without the chicken (and vice versa) here's a quick tutorial on customizing your information on your Google Maps listing. (skip to "Updating Your Google Maps Business Listing" by Jennifer Laycock)
- 5 Reasons to Incorporate Eye Tracking into your SEM Strategy - 2007-06-23 11:57:46-04
If you're looking for a great way to pinpoint conversion issues or test landing pages then consider Eye Tracking. Eye Tracking is sophisticated technology which monitors eye movements of visitors (in a test environment) and through software can plot heat maps showing areas on a page which received the most attention. Here are 5 reasons why you should incorporate Eye Tracking into your search marketing strategy.
- Understand how customers interact with your site - What types of content do they find engaging? Are they missing any important calls to action?
- Test New Design Ideas - Eye Tracking is an excellent way to do a live A/B comparison using different layouts and conversion triggers.
- Test Premium/Affiliate Advertising - Help find the most important real estate on the page as well as discover how much attention visitors are giving to the ads
- Discover which features on your site are not being used - This includes things like Navigation, Forms, Conversion Triggers, Links etc...
- Enhance Site Experience - Help visitors find the content they are looking for and determine if they are confused by the navigation on your website.
- Don't be Afraid to Try and Err - 2007-06-26 12:55:09-04
A couple weeks ago Linda pointed out an interesting story about, of all things, Cucumber Pepsi. Now I know most of us on this side of the Pacific recoil at such a thought but I gotta say, it does sound somewhat, I'll say... interesting!
Despite this particular flavor being offered, there are some online marketing methods we can learn from Pepsi Co. Though already successful, Pepsi understands that long-term success and company growth means always being willing to attempt new ideas and strategies. Marketing online has proven that rule time and time again. Every year we are inundated with more marketing opportunities than every before. In order to get, and remain, successful online businesses must learn to adapt to the changing scope of online marketing and find ways to take advantage of whatever new opportunities spring up.
Pepsi doesn't have a one-size-fits-all approach. They understand that Cucumber Pepsi probably wouldn't be a big hit here in the U.S. If they were to release this product world-wide it would likely be seen as a remarkable failure, but it appears to be doing very well for them in Japan. The more targeted you can make your approach the more success you'll have.
But before you go diving into every new fad, first know what avenues will reach your target audience. Find those that will and then move forward cautiously. Always be sure to Tailor your marketing efforts toward the peculiararities of each particular audience.
Not all of Pepsi's campaigns are a hit. In fact, Pepsi Blue was considered a remarkable flop. But this just goes to prove that in marketing, you can't get a home run every time. Not all marketing campaigns succeed, even targeted campaigns.
While no one wants a flop on their hands, most successful marketing campaigns succeed only through a variety of failures along the way. Pepsi continues to look for new flavors to add to their arsenal. Pepsi Blue didn't work, but that didn't stop them from formulating Diet Pepsi Vanilla (one of the best soda's on the face of the planet).
When marketing online the success of any individual campaign will be determined by a number of factors. Some you have control over, some you don't. And even successful campaigns will vary in degrees of success! The point is, just keep pressing on. Experiment here and there, find what works and leave out what doesn't. But whatever you do, don't stop trying. If any company could survive by playing it safe, it's Pepsi. But they don't and you shouldn't either.
Note: Wikipedia has a great list of all the past and current Pepsi flavors.
- Advanced Search Advertising Curriculum now Available at SEMPO Institute - 2007-06-27 10:00:00-04
Marketing professionals who need to know how to leverage pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns for maximum effect and return on investment will benefit from the SEMPO Institute's new, intensive distance learning class: Advanced Search Advertising, the third class in SEMPO's (Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization) new series of online classes designed to help marketers better understand the intricacies and dynamics of search-based marketing.
"Advanced Search Advertising gives marketers the ability to get more return on their ad buys by providing them with a deeper level of strategy as well as hands-on tactics they can implement," says SEMPO President Jeffrey Pruitt. "The class is the most comprehensive one available to marketers and it comes at a time when online advertising is growing in importance. At the same time, these ad budgets are being scrutinized closely so providing more ROI is essential," says Pruitt.
Also available as online classes from SEMPO Institute are the Fundamentals of Search Marketing and Advanced SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Since SEMPO Institute launched its curricula earlier this year, the results have been outstanding. Some 80% of those who completed the Fundamentals course say they would recommend the Institute classes and/or take another SEMPO course themselves.
There have also been practical career successes already for those taking the SEMPO Institute classes. Martin Clinton is making a shift from a career in accounting, having taken the Fundamentals class. "My certificate enabled me to get in the door at a major agency and obtain a job interview. That would never have happened without my taking the Fundamentals course," says Clinton. "The SEMPO Institute convinced me that the search marketing field has a lot of potential and I could be happy in making a career switch," he says. Clinton is now taking the Advanced SEO class, which he says "has the level of technical detail I've been craving. It has both broad coverage and depth of detail and will help further prepare me for entering the search marketing profession."
Advanced Search Advertising Curriculum
Advanced Search Advertising consists of 13 lessons: An Evolving Opportunity, PPC Models, Keywords & Campaign, Copywriting for Ads, Bidding & Ranking, Landing Pages, Success Metrics, PPC Program Specifics, Reporting & Analytics, I.P. - Click Fraud - SPAM, Alternative PPC Search Engines, Feeds & Feed Advertising and Branding & Campaign. Curriculum cost is $2,250. Students can register online for all classes at http://www.sempoinstitute.com.
SEMPO Institute Dean Terry Plank says students will be tested and graded on each lesson, and will need a passing grade of 75% or higher in order to receive a formal Certificate of Completion.
Class Requirements
In order to take either Advanced Search Advertising or Advanced SEO, students must register first for the Fundamentals Course. "What we find," says Plank, "is that most students, regardless of their career position, find they learn something new in the Fundamentals course."
Fundamentals of Search Marketing consists of 14 lessons intended to give the student a high level understanding of the essentials of Search Engine Marketing. Cost of the Fundamentals course is $499.
Advanced SEO consists of 15 lessons including keyword research, site architecture, advanced link building, editing and optimizing pages, web analytics and brand management. Curriculum cost of the Advanced SEO classes is $1,750.
SEMPO membership is not required to take the courses but SEMPO encourages new members to join and take advantage of the 20 percent member discount on course fees (30% for Circle members). SEMPO offers military personnel and fulltime students a 50 percent discount on course fees, to encourage an influx of new talent.
- Shut Up and Listen to Your Audience for a Change - 2007-06-27 11:52:00-04
Having the right message is critical to the success of any business. The number one key to business growth is crafting a message that speaks to your target audience. The right message can overcome deficiencies in other areas. A perfect example is McDonald's. They certainly don't have the best burgers, but they've crafted a message that brings them success.
That's not to say that substance isn't important. It is. But the message can help craft the perception of the substance. To a kid, McDonald's very well may be the best burger in the world. Commercials tell us all the time that one product is superior to the other, but are they really? Does it matter? Not really. If the message convinces us then to us it is the best.
But even if you have the right message, its still important that you get it in front of the right audience. If you are getting the "right" message in front of the wrong audience then you're still getting it wrong.
I belong to a subscription service that keeps me up to date on all the goings on in Washington. They send me weekly updates and often include links which allow me to fill out a quick form to send my representatives my thoughts or opinion on certain hot topics up for debate. Recently I filled one out on the topic of privatization of social security. Here is the response I received back from Nevada's Senator, Harry ReidDear Mr. Degeyter: Thank you for contacting me to express your support for preserving the Social Security program. ...
The letter goes on but I didn't need to read more. Why? Because I did not express my support for "preserving the Social Security program". In fact, I expressed my support for Social Security Privatization.
Harry Reid, like most politicians, feel that they have the right message. And maybe he does. But that is the wrong message for the audience of me. But hey, maybe I could be convinced. Unfortunately while the rest of the letter attempts to make the case against privatization, I'm not listening. Primarily because Senator Reid didn't first listen to me.
The right message would have been one that acknowledges my viewpoint on the issue, sympathizes with it, but then (and only then) discusses the case against. That message has a higher chance of reaching me.
How you communicate through your website, telephone conversations, emails, blogs, etc. plays a significant role in your company's success. When you communicate to your customers, or potential customers... or even wanna be customers, you can easily craft the right message, only to find that it's the wrong message for any particular segment of your audience. Current customers need to be addressed differently from prospective customers. Interested parties should be addressed differently from those that are not interested but can be convinced.
In all your business communications, consider your audience and craft the appropriate message. Target different segments of your audience with language that will reach them specifically. In business communications, the one-size-fits-all approach just doesn't work. I'm sure you've got the right message, but in reality, you need the right messages.
Shut up for a second and listen to your audience. Speak to them where they are, not where you want them to be.
- Top 500 Search Engine Keywords Of The Week - 2007-06-27 19:32:58-04
Jump directly to this week's list of the top 500 most frequently searched keywords .
- When Is The Right Time To Consider Social Media? - 2007-06-30 00:14:19-04
Because there are so many different types of social media , there's really not one answer that covers everyone. Social media really depends on knowing your audience and knowing if your website is ready for the possibility of huge traffic coming from it. Have you run any PPC campaigns with horrid results? Is your website poorly optimized? How's the usability aspect of your website, do your visitors leave right away because they can't find what they need? All of these aspects can affect when and just what kind of social media to become involved with.
What's the purpose of your online marketing strategy? Is it to convert visitors, is it to gain links to your site or is it to create brand awareness? There's probably a few more reasons to the purpose of an online marketing campaign, but usually it's one of those three.
If you are looking to spread the word in a really quick way and your website could handle the possibility of an onslaught of traffic in a short amount of time, then it's likely now is the time you'd want to look at utilizing social news. Social news can create a lot of traffic in a short period of time. If you're a content site that generates news, photos, videos, etc. and you don't rely on transactions and you have a great story to share, look at utilizing Digg, NewsVine , Reddit, or Netscape. If you are looking at an alternate form of reaching a highly targeted audience to buy your products, then it's time to looking into social communities. Social communities can take on several forms, one example would be social networks like MySpace, Facebook and several hundred other types defined by language or interest. Another example would be forums that specialize in the types of products you sell, however you must take caution and follow their terms of service before approaching them.
Finally if you are looking to generate buzz in a slower, more controlled way look at approaching bloggers individually within your market space. Follow WOMMA's ethics guidelines and this can guide you in a successful campaign to promote your new products, brands or services. The key is to know your audience and to contact receptive bloggers and encourage transparency. Don't expect them to blog, but be thankful if & when they do! Social media is it's own science. There's no hard or fast rules, but it does require you to have an in-depth knowledge of your audience and what your web site can handle. Don't be afraid to dabble, just stick your foot in to test the waters first!
- Do it Yourself Social Media Marketing - A StepForth Whitepaper - 2007-07-02 16:44:15-04
A key concept to social marketing is that it is not designed to immediately provide business but instead it provides the visibility your brand needs to ultimately convert fans into buyers. (skip to "Do it Yourself Social Media Marketing - A StepForth Whitepaper" by Ross Dunn)
- A Day in the Life of a Search Engine Friendly Web Page: The Domain Name - 2007-07-02 17:17:10-04
In a previous article I wrote that a search engine friendly website is not the same as a search engine optimized website. I'm using that as a jump off point for this article on the topic of building a search engine friendly website. The purpose is to simply highlight a few of the aspects that comprise a SE friendly (not necessarily optimized) website. (skip to "A Day in the Life of a Search Engine Friendly Web Page: The Domain Name " by Stoney deGeyter)
- But What If They Say Something Bad? - 2007-07-02 19:49:22-04
Last week while I was in Denver speaking at Jill Whalen's High Rankings Seminar I had the chance to speak with several of the attendees about their own company's opinions about social media marketing. While many were excited at the prospect of opening up new lines of communications with their customers, others explained that their company executives still lived in fear of open communication.
Why? Well, in the words of one attendee "What if they say something bad about us?"
What was my response?
"They're going to say something bad about you anyway. By entering the social media realm, at least you have a chance to respond."
It's true.
If you are a large enough company, then it's pretty much a given that you've ticked someone off. It might have been your fault, it might have been a misunderstanding...but on the Internet, it's fairly common for people to hurl insults and complaints first and to seek remedy and clarification later.
This is the price of doing business online.
You may be avoiding social media because you, or your CEO is afraid of the bad things you might hear. You may think that if you continue to control the lines of communication by simply speaking at your customers, you can ignore the negative comments...but you need to ask yourself what the cost of ignoring those comments will be.
The most obviously issue is that you can't respond to the problems you aren't aware of. If you know your customers are going to complain, wouldn't you rather make sure you're there to hear it so that you can do your best to address it?
Dell has been schooled in the need to listen to customers time and time again, yet many companies continue to live in fear of what they'll find out if they allow their customers to talk to them. I'll speak to this issue from personal experience in an upcoming article from the Hide and Speak series.
Companies need to realize that running from social media means running from their customers.
What are you so afraid of?
- Yahoo Launches SmartAds - 2007-07-02 22:00:48-04
What happens when search ads and display ads are merged and you sprinkle in a bit of behavioral targeting? Apparently, you get click-thru rates two to three times higher than you do now. In fact, if Yahoo SmartAds work the way they're being hyped, you ought to be able to set up a campaign that will generate a targeted product ad based on your current sales price on the fly.
MediaPost Publications reports on the launch of Yahoo's SmartAds today:
Agencies can design a set of individual rich media creative assets and a database of offers, then let the technology assemble on-the-fly combinations.
For example, a user based in San Francisco who frequents the Boxing page on Yahoo Sports and recently searched for "Vegas deals" might get a "smart" display ad from an airline featuring the customized offer and creative: "Fly San Francisco to Las Vegas for Fight Night - $99."
Behavior is derived from both cookie-based data and information collected from Yahoo members who sign in, Teresi said. What makes the offering significant, said JupiterResearch analyst Emily Riley, is the behavioral targeting capability.
The New York Times explains it this way:
For example, a person who had recently searched for information about blenders might see an ad from Target that gives the prices for the blenders that are on the shelves in the store closest to that person's home.
The Internet has long promised this kind of one-to-one marketing, but it has often been difficult for advertisers to customize display advertisements with a broad reach.
"Ad agencies have been really struggling with how to scale the value proposition of the Internet," said Todd Teresi, senior vice president of display marketplaces at Yahoo. "We now can get scaleable one-to-one marketing."
The current system is limited to the travel verticals but Yahoo plans to quickly scale the offering to include automotive and retailers later this year.
According to The New York Times, the new system plans to be so robust that a user browsing the boxing schedule on Yahoo would not only receive an airline offer with a specific flight price for the date of the fight, but might even be able to complete their ticket purchase within the ad space without ever leaving the Yahoo page. Now that's some impressive technology.
The potential impact on online marketing is astounding. Search has long been touted as a key advertising realm because it's one of the few ways to meet Internet users as their point of interest. If you can offer up your ad for a local car dealership when someone in your geographic region searches for a new car, you've got a strong potential for conversion. That's left more traditional banner advertisements out in the cold in terms of targeting opportunity. Sure, you can make guesses about your audience based on the demographics of the site you are advertising on, but they're still guessing.
The new Yahoo! system demonstrates one of the benefits of building a content based community with so many personalized features that a user WANTS to log in. Get that user to log in and you suddenly have the ability to compile a large amount of information about them. Their gender, their age, their income level and their interests all at gathered up into a neat little database that suddenly allows Yahoo to serve up highly targeted advertising.
It will be interesting to see how accessible the system is as the program opens up down the road. Will the cost be high enough to prohibit positive ROI, thus blocking most small businesses from testing the waters? Will the creative prove too time consuming to create, leaving potential advertisers to rely on Yahoo to create their ads for them?
I also wonder (because I haven't seen this confirmed anywhere) whether the customized ads will only be available as traditional display ads, or if advertisers will also be able to take advantage of these behavior targeting features for paid search style ads.
- The Construction of a High-Performance SEO Campaign - 2007-07-03 12:38:40-04
Two years ago I put together a post about what I thought was the perfect SEO firm. I revisited that post this morning as I was looking at one of our white boards that had a list of positions that we have filled and positions that we want to fill in the coming months. My list positions required for good SEO has not changed a whole lot in the last couple of years although some minor modifications are needed.
Project manager
Each client needs to have a primary source of contact. Access to the full team is important but they need to have one person who takes responsibility to ensure that all the efforts of the team are realized into results.
SEO
This can cover one or more positions, but obviously every SEO project needs at least one person who understands the concept of search engine optimization. It's a good idea to have at one SEO that is understands the algorithms intimately and another that can look at SEO more from a marketing perspective. Putting these two minds together can help craft a very strong page that will perform both for engines and visitors.
Copywriter
Arguably one of the most important positions in an SEO company. When it's all said and done it's the copy that has to do the job of selling the product or service while also maintaining a solid keyword focus. This is no easy task.
PPC
Using PPC as part of your SEO campaign produces several unique advantages. One, you can create a short-run PPC campaign to test keyword effectiveness. Two, PPC campaigns allow for measurable and trackable testing of conversions on SEO optimized pages. A lot of on-page changes can be made to improve conversion results which won't effect the overall optimization or ranking performance of the page.
Viral marketing
Viral marketing has become a staple component of successful SEO campaigns. Not only does it help a site gain traction but it also adds to the long-term performance from the number of links that a good viral campaign can generate.
Analytics
Every aspect of the SEO campaign can be analyzed, provided there is someone looking at all the data available. Once analyzed and interpreted, this data can help lay the course for changes, improvements and continued optimization to ensure that the campaign is running on all cylinders.
Client reports
The depth of reporting provided to clients varies. It is usually not necessary to have a human component to the client reports if this information can be gathered automatically as the result of some good programming.
Usability
The role of usability is to ensure that all optimized pages maintain a strong and consistent ability to engage the user, answer their questions and drive them to the conversion. Working with the analytics usability issues can be tested and used to increase conversion rates.
Link ninja
This is a different role altogether from the viral marketer mentioned above. This role constitutes overall link management. Keeping clients out of bad neighborhoods and obtaining hard-to-establish links of high value.
Web design
This position goes hand in hand with usability, but sometimes that's not enough and an entire site needs to be considerably reworked. The web designer works with all the other team members to produce a quality, user- and search-friendly website.
Programmer
The programmer can be used to to develop automated reporting features which can eliminate many hours of work every day. Additionally the programmer can play a role in create tools that can be used for viral marketing efforts.
Not all of these positions need to be carried out by different individuals. Many of these "positions" can overlap with others, depending on the workload. However each of the roles noted below should be integrated with the total SEO process. Each of these positions are a vital component to a solid SEO campaign.
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