"When you tie search ads, display ads and your landing pages together with a consistent message, the mixture can help your advertising resonate with users and drive site traffic and sales to a whole new level," says Nick Stamoulis, guest YSM blogger and president of Brick Marketing. And he offers tips for using a search/display combo to maximize your ROI. First, define your target audience--then, define clear, separate goals for your search and display ads. For example, the search campaign may be better at driving actual clicks and conversions, while the display ads can be utilized for brand …

Google Maps has quickly become a viable local search channel for many small businesses--but the interface problems continue to leave some advertisers in the lurch, wondering where their listing is. Mike Blumenthal posts a quick fix-directl from the Google Maps team--for advertisers who are sure their listing has been approved and should be showing up, First--check to make sure the listing is actually approved--and if so, do a "find businesses" search for it on maps.google.com. If the listing still doesn't appear, head over to your Local Business Center Account and click "edit" next to the rogue business listing. …

Sarah Bird tackles some of the industry furor over the recent trademark infringement case between two Florida companies, finding that there's actually no need for alarm. Orion Bank sued Orion Residential Finance for using its trademarked terms "Orion," "Orion Bank," and "Orion Bancorp" with the AdWords negative keyword option--and won. But the companies didn't actually go to trial, instead, settling out of court. While some have argued that the settlement sets a dangerous precedent for future battles over trademark usage and negative keywords, Bird notes that the case was unique because of the similarities between the …

With China's Internet user population equaling (and by some reports topping) the number of Web users in the U.S., the market seems ripe for a search boom. And a recent search survey found that China's searchers tend to be loyal (64% stuck to one search engine--and 82% of them chose Baidu), young and affluent. But while the market is evolving, it doesn't seem to be shaping up quite like the U.S. search landscape. So Ellen Keohane says that stateside search marketers interested in expanding into China need to get up to speed--and do it fast.

With an average conversion rate of almost 21%, Office Depot took the top spot in the latest Nielsen MegaView Online Retailer report. QVC and VistaPrint rounded out the top three with 19% and 18%, respectively, and Greg Howlett notes that these stats clobber the 2.5% conversion rate typical of online retailers. The secret to these spectacular conversion rates isn't what you'd think, either. "First of all, site redesigns, improved shopping experiences, security policies, privacy policies, and similar factors that so-called conversion experts tout will not do it," Howlett says. While these improvements may boost conversion rate, …

A Web site analysis and review can spiral into a three-hour or three-day project, but follow Stoney deGeyter's tips and you can get a solid overview of the merits and flaws of a site in about 20 minutes. Start with the top, bottom and side navigation schemes, and follow up to make sure that info flows from page to page (and link to link) in a logical fashion. Content comes next. Do you have enough? Check the overall design, and then work on a page-by-page basis. The home page is prime territory, followed by the about …

Keirsun Scott wraps up OneUpWeb's month-long review of the less-known facts about Google's corporate culture and strategies with a rundown of the seven reasons the industry should keep an eye on the giant as it continues to grow. Search landscape control and manipulation are at the top of the list. With Yahoo testing Google search ads, and the giant's market share hovering at about 70% the available options for marketers are... well, almost nonexistent. "A sudden drop in search positions on Google can devastate a company that relies on Google traffic," Scott says. "All in all, this post …

Danny Sullivan does a deep dive into the options Microsoft has for continuing in the wake of its failed/botched/withdrawn bid for Yahoo--and the possible ramifications for both of the giants. At the crux is the question of how Microsoft will fare in the search landscape sans Yahoo, particularly after five years (and billions of dollars) of investment. "Microsoft hasn't even been able to challenge Yahoo (still in low double-digits), much less Google," Sullivan says. "Maybe Yahoo will pull off being the number two in search and online advertising that Microsoft wants to be, while Microsoft becomes …

Poorly categorizing your products can frustrate potential customers and confuse search engines. If your products aren't assigned to the right category, users may not find what they are looking for, which will frustrate them and keep you from making a sale. Similarly, if your products belong to multiple categories, you can confuse the search engine, which will return duplicate content. Stoney deGeyter tackles the issue and offers advice on how to avoid both pitfalls.

Starting May 5, Google will allow all companies in the U.K. to bid on any term they want, meaning your competitor could potentially outbid you for the right to advertise against your company's name. As U.K. companies prepare for the change, Stuart Tofts takes a look at some of the stats and possible implications. According to Hitwise, 91.8 percent of people in the U.K. searching for a particular brand end up on the appropriate Web site. Expect that to change. In the U.S., for example, where Google has never exercised trademark control, that number is just 84.2%.