Local search ads get a boost from images and coupons, according to eMarketer. The post points to a couple of recent studies to support the thesis. For example, an April 2011 study from MarketingSherpa found that of the 37% of the U.S. marketers surveyed who had a local business listing, 81% optimized paid-search ads by including the business phone number or traditional search tactics like keyword optimization. Forty-eight percent added images to the listings, and 16% used coupons. So if paid-search ads gain from images, Vertical Search Works might be onto something. The company provides an image along with paid-search …

Search engine optimization professionals can generate organic traffic to one Web site, but optimizing local organic traffic to dozens or hundreds isn't that easy. Brian Bluff shares a few tips on optimizing sites for the remote branches, stores and franchises regardless. Bluff suggests putting together a strategy to tackle the multitude of Web sites, including a vision statement, clearly defined metrics, and action plan.

Google sitelinks, or links to Web pages in query results, take searchers to specific pages on a site. The links can serve up based on assumed intent from keyword terms used to search on the query. Eric Wortman tells us how sitelinks work, what it means for marketers and Web sites, and how to monitor results.

Marketers can use a variety of strategies to achieve success when it comes to international SEO, but Kevin Gibbons provides thoughts on selecting the best strategy for specific types of brands. He explains the concepts and tells us when and why marketers should use local top-level domains, subfolders, and subdomains. Think of the Web site as a brand, he writes. While it may sound like a no-brainer, French-language Web sites in France should take advantage of the .fr domain.

Fashion shoppers like the Web. Some might not buy online, but rather research purchases before walking into a store. Recent stats from a GSI Commerce survey show how a multichannel approach to retail is vital for clothing brands. In fact, nearly half of consumers prefer shopping for fashion online rather than offline. And 64% consult a fashion retailer's Web site before making a purchase. This highlights the importance of a Web site with a strong on-site search engine divided by distinct categories. Graham Charlton points to the stats from GSI, suggests what consumers might want from fashion retailers online, and …

How soon before marketers see the convergence of search engine optimization and paid search in ads? A Rimm Kaufman Group analyst has spotted Google testing the display of an "unusually" long line of copy at the bottom of paid-search ads. It appears that in this test, Google takes the text snippet from the company's landing page and includes it as an additional line of text for the paid-search ad.

Bill Slawski has spotted a series of Google patents that don't have much to do with search. The oddest patent in the bunch offers a way to electronically tune drums, cymbals and other percussion instruments. Some patents point to video game controllers. Most of the patents describe hardware devices, rather than software. He points to Google's new hire earlier this year -- Johnny Chung Lee, core developer for Microsoft's game controller Kinect -- before jumping the Redmond, Wash. ship to sail for dock in Mountain View, Calif.

Now that Microsoft's adCenter has confirmed changes to broad and phrase match behavior, Mark Ballard believes restrictive ad serving could be the problem holding back Microsoft and Yahoo from bringing in better financial results. He provides graphs and analysis for the lack of gains in search alliance traffic share, declining search partner traffic, and match type use to validate his point.

Google recently introduced into AdWords new settings to segment paid-search ads to consumers on tablets. Kevin Lee provides targeting techniques that can be used to begin running a profitable campaign. He takes us through how to analyze opportunities in targeting ads to consumers using tablets, identifies what to look for in metrics and traffic volume, and reminds marketers to manage bids based on best practices given industry categories.

One size rarely fits all. Marketers who believe paid-search ads follow that ideology will end up throwing away a good portion of their budget. To help marketers personalize messages, Erica Conner serves up six ways to avoid targeting paid-search campaigns to the masses. She reminds us of Facebook ads and music recommendations in iTunes as examples.