Drake Morton recommended read:

More Search Marketing Strategies

For The Next Decade

THE emergence of search-as-research, one of several growing practice areas that will reshape search engine marketing over the coming years. This column, part three of a four part series, examines ways search marketers are getting smarter about measuring success, and the implications this trend has on search marketing strategies in the future.

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The New York Times

Google Tests Video Ads for Search

Lookout, here come Google video ads–and on Google search, no less, a development that few thought would ever happen. Google on Thursday began testing not just videos ads, but also ads with images, maps and other interactive features. Marissa Mayer, Google vice president of products and user experience, said the change marks the search engine’s evolution into a true aggregator and organizer of the Web’s information. She adds that text ads aren’t as effective on pages containing images and video, because users’ eyes naturally gravitate toward those features.
This raises the interesting question of whether video and image ads will detract from the search engine’s natural results, which will still be mostly text. However, videos will not automatically play, nor will maps automatically pop up. Video and interactive image ads will have a small button with a plus sign that users click to interact with it. For now, advertisers will bid on video ads just like they do for text ads at no extra charge. (more…)

Natural Search and Mobile SEO

The process of doing keyword research for mobile search is different than it is for desktop search, partly because there’s far less user data for mobile queries and partly because the absolute search volume data from popular keyword research tools isn’t 100% accurate anyway. Bryson Meunier’s post offers some best practices for mobile keyword research, using an in-depth examination of the top 100 mobile search queries from AT&T’s Beyond MEdia Net search engine. According to the data, 73% of the mobile queries were navigational–meaning that almost two-thirds of the searchers already knew what they were looking for. This differs from the consensus on desktop search that the majority of queries are informational in nature. Because of this factor, Meunier says that using branded terms, competitor terms and names of known products as core keywords could be your best bet for increased mobile search visibility. Meunier adds that creating a mobile site and using the term “mobile” in the copy as a secondary keyword can also lead to increased traffic from mobile search engines, as users seem to want to make sure that they’re navigating to a site that’s accessible and optimized for their mobile browser. 

 

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A Must Read from Drake Morton 

What Does A Recession Mean

For Your Search Program? 

 

by Chris Copeland , Friday, January 25, 2008 

 

BY MOST ACCOUNTS, THE U.S. economy is about to enter the 12th recession since WWII. The last came in 2001 following the attacks on 9/11 and roughly a year and a half after the dot-com-fueled stock market reached its peak and began its rapid decline through the bubble bursting. Now, we find ourselves inside another economic downturn where the housing market and the lending institutions that support them have both been thrown into upheaval. It is also the first recession since Google’s rise to prominence. In 2001, Google’s market share was only 12%; now it is over 60%. 

 

It raises the question: Is Google and search at large a recession-proof business?

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by Phil Leggiere , Wednesday, January 23, 2008 

 

Breaking The Complexity Barrier 

 

FOR LARGER ADVERTISERS, BEHAVIORAL TARGETING is no longer a “wish-list” item. It’s become an accepted part of the everyday marketing mix, bringing with it new possibilities for extending not only reach but efficiency deep into the long tail of consumers. For smaller advertisers, however, the promises of BT have remained largely theoretical, as Michael Sprouse, CMO of ad network AzoogleAds, explains below. Making BT small and advertiser-friendly, he says, will involve breaking the complexity barrier. 

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Drake Morton Recommended Read:

Recession Proof Search Engine Optimization Tips

Posted by Lee Odden on Jan 18th, 2008 |

In this month’s Target Marketing Magazine, a TopRank authored article on how small businesses can gain a competitive marketing advantage by leveraging content promotion, blogs, social media and universal search was featured. Recently there has been some dialog and commentary on certain SEM channels about upcoming harder economic times calling for SEO to be taken back to the basics: “Textbook SEO” as Mike Grehan would put it. I disagree with the premise that companies should stop experimenting with new tactics and stick with the fundamentals. Effective SEO in any economic environment means getting more creative, not mundane.

“As search engines evolve with features such as personalized, social and unified search, so must marketers evolve — especially those on a budget.”

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Search Focus: Once Was Lost

If Search is an Afterthought,
Your Site Will Never be Found

It would seem to be the perfect pairing: Web design and development join forces to work harmoniously with search to design a holistic, customized user experience. But oftentimes, search is an afterthought and efficiencies are lost because of poor planning.
With few (and well-compensated) exceptions, Web designers, copywriters and developers typically aren’t trained in the art of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
This becomes a significant challenge when you want a bleeding-edge Flash Web site to appear high in natural search results, when paid search demands relevant landing pages, and when your company’s goal is to increase qualified leads and/or improve sales efficiently. (more…)

Do you know the words your potential customers use to describe your product or service?

When it comes to Search Engine Optimization, your understanding of what search words and phrases your potential customers will use, is absolutely essential to the success of your site.

Take some time and think it through.

This article is recommended by: Drake Morton 

Writing For Search Engines Is Really About Writing For Your Customers

by Ambar Shrivastava , Friday, December 21, 2007 

 

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION IS SOMETIMES characterized as a practice that panders to an algorithm. In reality, an increasing number of potential customers and readers are using search engines to find content. It’s a misnomer to say that SEO is about writing for search engines. Content generation is really about writing for your customers. 

 

According to Nielson / Net Ratings, 46% of Web sites are found through search, and 55% of all online purchases result from Web sites found through search engines. Savvy SEO professionals think about content creation as writing for this audience. 

 

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