• Google's Performics Conundrum
    Last week, I promised to continue my discussion of GoogleClick by exploring what the deal, assuming it goes through, will mean for Google itself. Overall, my grade for the deal is very high: I'd give it an A. But I still can't give the deal an A+. For me to do that, Google will need to address its plans for Performics, DoubleClick's affiliate and search marketing division. As a search marketing firm that would be owned by a search engine, Performics presents a real conflict of interest for Google.
  • To Increase SEM conversion Rates, Look To Domain Park Site Ads
    All search marketers are on a quest for new ways to increase the ROI of their search marketing campaigns and ultimately boost conversion rates. Whether it's employing long-tail keyword strategies, using vertical and/or local platforms or fine-tuning landing page copy, we are constantly seeking better ways to drive higher conversion rates at a lower cost....
  • What's Hot At The Search Insider Summit? Two Words: Sep Kamvar
    I was fortunate enough to be asked to MC the Search Insider Summit in Bonita Springs, Fla. in a little over a week from now. As the MC, I get to open each day with a few pithy comments and hopefully insightful observations about the emerging trends and notable events in the search engine space. Let me give you, as a faithful reader of this column, the inside track on at least one of the names I'll drop regularly. In fact, take a moment to go find yourself a pen to jot this name down, because it will become vitally …
  • Should Online Newspapers Buy Keywords Related To Tragic News Events?
    Last weekend, the Associated Press ran a wire story discussing the intricacies of managing PPC news campaigns during a tragic news cycle. The story used the Virginia Tech tragedy to illustrate how search engines are now the go-to source for finding breaking news, and how traditional news outlets such as The New York Times and The Washington Post now rely on engine visibility in a breaking news situation. But the story not only stresses the power of search engines in the distribution of news, but also subtly provokes a question for news-related search engine marketers and search engines to seriously …
  • The One Trend That Explains All Others
    What do all of Google's acquisitions, the proliferation of social media, the long tail of search, and other search engine marketing developments have in common? They all connect to Integrated Asset Digitization, an emerging trend that encompasses several of the most significant issues marketers, publishers, agencies, and consumers will face for years to come.
  • Post-GoogleClick, What Of Yahoo?
    In his response last week to GoogleClick, Yahoo CEO Terry Semel pointed out that, in buying into the display ad business, Google "validate[s] Yahoo's strategy for the last few years." Semel pointed to a nice irony. As the world asks if Yahoo can catch up with Google, Google is becoming what Yahoo's been for quite some time: a business focused on several media channels at once, with search being just one of them. And if Google is shifting from search leader to a larger version of Yahoo, it's worth taking the time to rethink how Yahoo can even the score.
  • Has Google's Broad Match 'Over-Expanded' Itself?
    As paid search engine marketing matures, so do the strategies marketers employ to manage their campaigns. When Google introduced the expanded broad match a while back to the regular broad match that is so frequently used in campaigns, there was immediate interest, but there were also some issues lurking.
  • A Sea-Level Change For Search
    After spending a week with thousands of search marketers in New York last week, I think I've figured out what search's problem is. It's suffering from low self-esteem.
  • Is Personalization The Key To Video Search, Or Is Search The Key To Video Personalization?
    Try as I might, I just can't shake the video bug. It's gotten so bad that I refuse to take the juicy GoogleClick bait for this column, and will instead continue down my video wormhole. There's just so much going on in the video space and so much more to come. And, as usual, search lies at the intersection of today and tomorrow.
  • A Guide To AdWords Applied
    "If the Google model is so successful, it seems reasonable to think that everybody should be in the Google business." -- Pixsy CEO Chase Norlin. The quote's taken out of context from an email I received from Norlin last week, and that context will be good fodder for a future column. He allowed me to borrow it to set the stage for what Guidester's doing for online consumer electronics retailing, and explain why Guidester should prove to be a beacon for future innovations in search, online publishing, and ecommerce.
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