• Tag, You're It
    Kate Morris tells us one of the first things a client dissects in any site review can be the misuse of meta tags, because the tags sit at the top of every page in the header and become the first flaw seen. So, she defines the difference between "good" and "bad" tags, and why sites might require a specific type of tag in a particular circumstance.
  • Why Use Dynamic Landing Pages?
    Dynamic landing pages specific to each site visitor should become the cornerstone of your paid search campaign. Rather than create multiple landing pages, design one and use dynamic insertions to customize it for each visitor, explains Amy Hoffman. She tells us why landing pages are important, and explains ways to target the content to visitors through keywords and IP addresses.
  • Change It Up
    Differentiating your Web site and products to stand out is a priority, but what if competitors offer the same services or tangible goods? Slightly change the offer, according to Peter Da Vanzo. For example, try running slightly different campaigns targeting people at a variety of points.
  • Get Local, Target By Geography
    Chris Sisco tells us AdWords allows paid search marketers to target ads to consumers in specific building. He runs through basic, intermediate and advanced tips for such ad targeting. For example, a flower shop on the ground floor of an office building may want to target paid search ads to other renters or workers in the building.
  • Companies Looking To Stall Google's Place In Travel Industry
    Google may have trouble persuading U.S. government agencies to approve its $700 million purchase of ITA Software. Kim Hart tells us why. The deal would give Google the ability to serve up flight information in search engine results. Companies in the travel space say that service would be in direct competition with their serving up flight data. In opposition, Expedia, Hotwire, Farelogic and Kayak launched the FairSearch.org coalition to oppose the deal.
  • Negative Advertising Gets Higher Placing In SERPs
    Robert Scoble points to an interesting New York Times post about a company feeding off negative comments online to rise in search engine rankings. Apparently, according to the article, it's all part of a rip-off sales strategy. The New York-based eyeglass shop called DecoreMyEyes takes advantage of Google's inability to distinguish between adulatory buzz and scathing critiques.
  • Google Maps Gets A Makeover
    Google revamped Maps last week to incorporate local results directly in organic results. Some thought the change gave the seven-pack more real estate in the SERP. Others thought it looked like an entirely new SERP, different from both the original organic rankings and the lettered, local results. George Freitag tells us his take on the positive effects from the change and what it really means long term.
  • A Little Dirty SEO
    Gary-Adam Shannon admits at times he dabbles in what he calls "questionable SEO," but never does what he explains in the post. The only reason for diving into the unmentionable is to ensure SEOs have a method and strategy to protect their sites, stay one step ahead of the competition, and fix weaknesses before others find and exploit them.
  • 2011, The Year Of Facebook
    Social media and search will become one in 2011. That's what we're led to believe through a study released by Covario. Evidently, search marketers have discovered how using social media can strengthen campaign strategies. The report suggests companies will allocate budgets from other paid search areas and increase spending on Facebook next year.
  • Handling Google Quality Score Bug
    The quality score malfunction is causing search optimization professionals to stress out as retail heads into one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year. Google can't offer a concrete answer to fix the problem, but some point to the issue as being similar to problems seen in October. The error means higher bids and messed-up paid search auctions. The post makes some suggestions on how to get through the mess until the bug gets fixed.
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