• Why Microsoft Is Going It Alone With Do-Not-Track
    Microsoft got into hot water with the FTC and ad industry self-regulators recently over its decision to ship its next version of Internet Explorer, version 10, with the "Do Not Track" option turned on by default. How could anyone be against Microsoft - which is about to ship millions of copies of Windows 8 with IE 10 aboard - making the reasonable assumption that users would like to start their online computing experience in some level of anonymity, a state that they can of course modify should they positively elect to be tracked at a Web site of their own …
  • Paralyzed By Choice
    In last week's column, I looked at how Harvard Business Review bloggers Karen Freeman, Patrick Spenner and Anna Bird spelled the end of the purchase funnel. Today, I'd like to look at the topic they tackled in the second of the three-part series, "If Customers Ask for More Choice, Don't Listen."
  • 2022: A Search Odyssey
    In my last column, I shared SEM lessons learned from my ten-year Bonnaroo reunion. One of the more heady revelations I had at the festival was that "a lot can happen in 10 years." As I think about the 20-year reunion in 2022, many questions come to mind: Will my kids think I'm cool or lame for going? How much will a gallon of gas cost? Will Phish still be doing their thing? How will the world of search marketing look? For the sake of this column, let's put that last one in our pipe and smoke it.
  • Free Google Product Listings: RIP, We Hardly Knew Ye
    When October rolls around, retailers will be finding their free ride on Google Product Search is over -- it will be replaced by Google Shopping. No longer will marketers be able to just provide Google a data feed of their inventory and product details and sit back and enjoy free activity from organic search.
  • Practical Ways To Go 'Killer' With Social Intelligence
    I've long regarded search query data as a clear manifestation of customer needs and wants. Search engine users go to great lengths to precisely articulate what they're in search of. There's power in harnessing that intelligence. It allows search marketers to speak the language of prospective customers, and meet the needs of site visitors after the click. Yet, despite all the power that search query data alone holds, augmenting that intelligence with social data can prove to be infinitely more powerful.
  • The Death Of The Purchase Funnel
    A recent series of three posts on the Harvard Business Review blog by Karen Freeman, Patrick Spenner and Anna Bird explored some of the myths about how consumers make decisions. I think each of these has direct implications for search marketers, so over the next three weeks I want to explore them one at a time.
  • Considerations For Measuring Search And Social Content In Real-Time
    The subject of analytics and measurement is one of the most critical areas to your ongoing strategy and tactical development. By acting in a participatory manner toward search, social, and content marketing, your business gains equity in visibility, trust, authoritativeness, direct revenue generation, and awareness, among many other factors.
  • Taking Time To Stretch
    A close friend and mentor of mine once told me his key to successful public speaking: "The trick isn't in finding a new topic; the trick is to find a new audience." I've put that advice to use on a few occasions, and when the topic is search I've developed a good, repeatable story. I'm comfortable with the subject matter, which allows me to be confident in the delivery. But as good as this advice is in the short term, it clearly isn't viable forever. Things change, and new subjects become popular as the interest level in familiar ones diminishes. …
  • In Search of Simpler Things
    Live with yourself long enough, and you learn a few things. For instance, I learned that I like digging holes.
  • Five SEM Lessons From Bonnaroo
    Loyal readers know I'll go to great lengths to find inspiration for my Search Insider columns, culling SEM lessons from fictional characters, Middle Eastern countries, Major League Baseball general managers, immortal CEOs, and even random sports. Today, my muse is the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, held this past weekend in Manchester, Tennessee. Ten years ago, at the very first Bonnaroo, my buddies, Matt, Lance, Bryan, and I made a pact to return for our 10-year reunion in 2012. Sure enough, we stayed true to our word. Here are five takeaways from Bonnaroo that can be applied to SEM:
« Previous Entries