Juan Carols Perez believes Microsoft has, for the most part, been able to earn a prominent spot at the top of the technology chain -- well, in all areas but one. Perez point to search as the one market where the company's "doggedness" has failed to pay off. Armed with years of statistics and references (plus a timeline), Perez marches through Microsoft's failings in search one by one. He also provides insight on how Google changed the search landscape.

Harry Gold shows us how to tie predictive modeling to display ads. He explains it's important to set a "media rate threshold" by identifying the most you would pay for a CPM or click based on historical data. This helps to optimize the campaign and reduce costs by removing obsessive testing for placements that won't perform in the first phase of the campaign. Gold provides an example of a predictive modeling table, with factors such as impressions listed in chronological order of key performance indicator metrics, from budget to cost per sale.

Siddharth Shah suggests optimizing brand keywords based on a campaign's return on investment -- but not to always follow the typical strategy, which is to bid all brand terms to the first position. He provides an alternative strategy, and explains that marketers could forfeit benefits from the SEM campaign if they choose to follow the typical route. One problem is that brand campaigns contain more than 1,000 brand variations, of which more than 500 may get clicked on in any given month.

In an interview with Shagun Vatsa, local search expert David Mihm describes some of the changes he has seen in local search during the past few years. The two also talk about how analyzing local data differs when using Google Analytics vs. the LBC Dashboard, and whether one offers more precise data. For those interested in local search, Mihm's blog, titled Mihmorandum, offers topic ranging from Google's new format for local listing ads, to the possible side effects of call tracking in local search.

How do you calculate the true cost of SEO? Eric Enge tells us. Changes in domain, URL, and content are a few of the factors marketers should consider. Enge calls attention to the nuances and the consequences for each. One consequence could become a loss in traffic, he warns. Use 301 redirects to point search engine crawlers to the new pages. This should minimize the loss. And, if you have overspent or underestimated, he also suggests ways to mitigate the damage you might have caused.

Emily Williams writes that Google has made it easier to track and manage AdWords conversions by adding three tabs--Conversion, Webpages, and Code. She also provides a link to directions on how to implement the tool. Once the code is applied, AdWords Conversion Tracking places a cookie on computers or mobile phones to track AdWords ads clicked on.

Affiliate marketing has become another way for Google to embed itself in your conversion streams, writes Aaron Wall, who believes the search engine shouldn't always get a bite of the pie. For starters, he writes, Google needs to do a better job of screening paid search ads, especially when the U.S. government determines companies are not legitimate. Wall points to videos commissioned by the Federal Trade Commission mocking ads about FreeCreditReport.com, and then to search engine rankings for the keywords "annual credit report," where the government's site falls into slot No. 4 behind FreeCreditReport.com. He also points to …

Here you will find eight steps to create a blog that ties into your company's SEO and multimedia strategy. After all, 70% of B2B marketers write on a company blog, according to the latest MarketingSherpa B2B Marketing Benchmark Report. Some of the steps include establishing goals for each post, developing keyword lists to incorporate into the copy, and providing writing guidelines.

Rand Fishkin tells us where to focus efforts when learning about SEO. He calls some of the topics "simple, but not necessarily easy," especially when delving into patent analysis and building ranking models. In the accompanying video, Fishkin talks about building a test platform and finding someone to give offer up search engine advice. He also suggests getting involved with the SEO community, but provides a cautionary caveat on relying on blogs and forums for information.

Bringing down search costs to drive significant increases without losing sales has been the Holy Grail for marketers, especially in 2009 as budgets tightened. Kevin Lee provides a different perspective by looking at proven principles in other areas of marketing, such as direct mail, and applying them to SEM strategies. "How do you increase efficiency once you've got your campaigns set up properly?" he asks. Halfway into the post you find out. Lee also bullet-points how to find your audience, establish and leverage the relationship, and prepare for the future in social media and search.