So your client's better-than-average homepage has slipped from fourth or fifth place on the first SERP to first or second place on the second page for a particular keyword, and they want you (or your copywriter) to tinker with the copy. Before making any changes to keyword density, image or title tags, or even the "About Us" section, Karon Thackston says you should ask your clients some questions first. Are conversions suffering? If so, then perhaps a change in copy is necessary. But it could also be due to a new shopping cart or other usability changes that degraded the …

The Online Marketing Boot Camp gets underway today in Burlington, Vermont. Over the course of four days, attendees get schooled on the nuts and bolts of Google Analytics (GA), e-commerce metrics and social media. Web analytics firm Epik, Champlain College and Google Analytics have all partnered to host the course, and instructors include industry vets like Avinash Kaushik and MyWebGrocer's Alec Newcomb, as well as members of the GA team. To facilitate maximum face time, there are only 70 spots in the camp. The first day, panelists wax poetic about the intricacies of analytics in standard conference style. The following …

Coming up with interesting, keyword-rich articles on a consistent basis isn't the easiest task for Web site owners (particularly if they're small business owners more focused on actually running the business). But Patrick Winfield has some tips for developing link-worthy content, and it starts with researching the heck out of a particular topic. First, set up a Google Alert so that you can be notified whenever there's breaking news, or a new blog post or video uploaded for the topic of choice. Winfield also suggests trolling the comment streams of relevant blogs, as the discussions can often "be a huge …

Jennifer Osborne lays out some of the most common mistakes she's seen small business owners make with their paid search accounts, starting with not bothering to adjust the default account settings chosen by Google or Yahoo. While the AdWords interface is "awesome" and their customer service "rocks," Osborne says that the defaults are set to maximize Google's revenue--not yours. "Sometimes that means that you'll make a lot of money too," she says. "But sometimes it means that you will not be running as efficient a campaign as you could be." PPC account holders also seem to struggle with geographic targeting--and …

Bernard Lunn argues that one giant "Google-killer" may not emerge--but that the giant may eventually be chopped down by a combination of number of smaller, more nimble engines and overarching market forces. For example, VC's continue to pump money into core search startups--to the tune of sums like the $25 million that Cuill snagged in April. While such strong investment is not what you'd expect in a "consolidated market with one mighty big gorilla sitting on top," Lunn says that innovators will keep trying as long as the money train continues to chug along. Meanwhile, there's still room …

"Word-of-mouth traffic can be some of the best, most qualified visitors to your site," says Joy Brazelle. "But, how do you actually know if you are getting traffic from word-of-mouth?" Brazelle says to dig deeper into your direct traffic stats, particularly branded keywords and non-search referrals. For example, direct site visitors either know your URL and type it directly into their browser, or have your site bookmarked. "As your brand becomes part of more and more conversations, the number of visitors who will know your URL will increase," she says. You should also monitor your branded keyword stats, as visitors …

The adCenter Desktop is Microsoft's offline PPC account management application, and the software giant has currently made it available for public testing. Interested parties should contact their adCenter rep (or in the absence of one, call the general support line and ask to sign up for the beta). The tool allows adCenter users to navigate through and bulk-edit multiple accounts, scan campaigns for editorial issues before uploading, and improve campaigns with built-in keyword intelligence tools.

OK, so Michael Arrington doesn't go so far as to say that Google has become evil this year, but he does argue that 2008 will likely be the year that the search giant loses its "innocence" in terms of media and government perception. Google's DoubleClick acquisition took nearly a year's worth of scrutiny from regulators (particularly in Europe) before it was cleared, and Arrington reports that U.S. politicians are already "lining up" to examine the proposed Yahoo outsourcing deal. Not to mention the fact that some in the media are drawing attention to Google's default search box status in Firefox. …