Google+ Opens Ad Door To Google TV, Social Games, Interest-Based Search And Display by Laurie Sullivan

Can Google do for social what it did in search? Advertisers have been waiting to answer that question for years as they waved good-bye to Wave, waited through privacy issues in Buzz, and watched as social network Orkut gained acceptance in Brazil, but nowhere else. ...Read the whole story

  • Brands Lack SEO Link-Building Skills by Laurie Sullivan

    IBM and T-Mobile tied for first place overall in a study that analyzes search engine optimization practices, but brands still have much to learn when it comes to link building, according to a Covario study released Wednesday. ...Read the whole story

  • Google Unleashes Zippy Mobile, Analytic Tools by Laurie Sullivan

    From mobile to social and beyond, Google released a dizzying array of tools, products and services in the first three days of this week. Each floated to the surface with little fanfare, but made a major splash as they appeared. ...Read the whole story

10 Sports Analogies For SEM by Aaron Goldman

Two weeks ago, in a column about attribution models, Gord Hotchkiss cited John Yi's bowling and pinball analogies for marketing. That got me thinkingL "How many sports analogies can I come up with for marketing?" The answer: 152. Too easy. So I asked myself, "How many sports analogies can I come up with for SEM?" The answer: 10. ...More

  • Google Ad Sitelinks: Facing Up To The Challenges by Janet Driscoll Miller

    Google claims that using ad extensions can greatly enhance click-through rate and ad engagement. In the case of ad sitelinks, for instance, Google claims that advertisers can realize a 30% improvement in CTR, and my own testing with clients has shown that to be true as well, with advertisers recognizing a 25%-30% bump in CTR. While ad sitelinks provide advertisers with additional ways to gain both visibility and clicks from their ads, what are the challenges of using ad sitelinks -- and how can you address them? ...More