In late September, Google released research on the role of click-to-call in the path to purchase. Surveying 3,000 consumers who recently made purchases from their smartphones, the study found that 70% of them called businesses directly after making a search. Calls were identified as the most important way to contact businesses for those consumers who were "ready to buy." Categories included in the study were Travel, Auto, Local Services, Finances, Retail, Restaurant and Technology. But is anybody answering the phone? I'll share some data that may surprise you.

Italy's Agriturismo program has been a success by any measure you might want to use. Since the initial legislation was passed in 1985, thousands of small farms through Italy, teetering on the edge of extinction, have been thrown a financial lifeline by letting operators supplement their income welcoming tourists to "stay on the farm." The program's success, however, has superheated the competition for tourism among the operators. Here, online ratings are the currency of choice. A top spot in an online directory is the difference between life and death for these businesses.And the smartest of the operators have taken this …

Over the last 14 years, I've worked with many companies for whom Christmas was vital for annual revenue goals, and I've been shocked time and time again at how many companies take an almost cavalier attitude toward holiday marketing planning. So with this in mind, I give you my five top tips for making sure this Christmas season is merry for both your customers and your marketing team.

It's hard to believe, but the holiday shopping season is quickly approaching. As search marketers, the time for effective planning to stay ahead of the fray is now. One growing and sometimes overlooked idea to consider: using product-listing ads, or PLAs. These are cost-per-click (CPC) ads that online merchants or retailers buy, with Google being first to adopt (surprise, surprise) this approach. We know that Bing is also taking a hard look at PLAs, engaged in what amounts to a closed beta, with select retailers using PLAs on Bing.