Change is Inevitable

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We've Moved!

Check us out at our new blog Online Advertising Voodoo. Here we will cover behavioral targeting, search engine marketing, seo, media buying and the online advertising industry.

Google Continues to Improve Search

Google, following in the footsteps of Yahoo and Eurekster, has launched “custom search engines.” Website owners and bloggers can now create search engines of their own. They can decide what sites will be included as well as what sites will not.

Earlier this year Google started a program they are calling Google Co-op which is a program that allows Google users to influence just what pages show up in a search. Some search results are now shown as recommendations of other organizations and include the organization’s name.

Website owners and Bloggers who are experts in certain topics can create search engines tailored to their specific expertise. They can choose to include only websites they have found to be beneficial to their field. The new customized Google searches are just another way for Google to enable users to find the most relevant results.

PayPerPost Bluemonster

This puzzle piece is part of the promotion by our sister company PayPerPost. This is "payperpostbluemonster" number 46.

Simple Steps for Search Engine Rank Improvement

Everyone knows that search engines are the starting point for most internet surfers with an objective to complete. With search bars embedded in most browsers or even as stand-alone desktop widgets, perusing these search engines is the only way many people can find the information or service that suits their needs.

By making your web site search engine optimized through some simple steps, presented in an article by iMedia Connection, you can improve the chance that customer prospects will locate your site and, hopefully, convert into actual customers.

1) Brainstorm a list of keywords that you would associate with your business and its service offerings. Survey employees and customers to find what words pop into their mind first when they think about the company. Find news related to your product offerings and pull repeated words from here. Check out competitors' sites and note their headings, titles, etc. Also, make use of keyword services from search engine companies themselves, such as Google Analytics or Wordtracker.
2) Narrow down this list of keywords to find those that will cause conversion for your company. Pay attention to keywords that are heavily searched by many people. Always make sure the keywords you choose are appropriate for your company, relating to content and text actually on your site. Gauge the top sites that a keyword search reveals. If these sites are page-heavy with many incoming links, it may be difficult and expensive to steal the top spots.
3) Next, start planning long-term goals for the keywords most pertinent to your company. In order to optimize your site when competing against established sites for popular keywords, a great dedication of time and effort will be required. Put effort into the less competitive keywords to get a good base presence, and then concentrate on link-building and site expansion for the long road towards gaining rank with the first-rate keywords.
4) It’s important to optimize your web site structure to suit your goals. Use intra-site links that have text matching your keywords. Also pay attention to headings, title bars, and navigation as these all play a key role in ranking. Make sure to build friendly industry contacts to gain reputable incoming links.
5) Now that prospects can find your site, it is important that your site helps them accomplish the objective of their search. Make your site easy to navigate and full of resources and you will be converting prospects to customers in no time.

Local Search and Your Business

By next year, local paid searches are estimated to reach $1.8 billion dollars. By 2010, geo-targeted advertising in local markets is expected to reach 50 percent of total online advertising, according to MediaPost's SearchInsider. This allows local restaurants, car dealerships and other businesses to spend advertising dollars more wisely and receive a larger return.

Many firms already have search engines in place, such as LocalLaunch, Angie’s List and Yokel. These sites allow the business as well as the consumer to target searches in the most practical way. Local residents are being given the opportunity to see more geographically- practical businesses to meet their needs, which in the end will benefit consumers as well as businesses.

Microsoft is getting in on the explosion, too, creating a local search function that will allow users to partake in an overhead view of local surrounding areas.

Have you used local search to boost your business?

AdWords Go Mobile

Google and AdWords go mobile in a move designed to increase the number of advertising “inventory” outlets.

As reported on RCRNews.com, Google noted the change to AdWords that allows their clients to place ads on wireless devices using Google's mobile search service. Google launched the offering allowing their customers to place marketing messages-including clickable links-in listings retrieved during the mobile search.

AdWords customers have the ability to design their own advertisements, marketing campaigns, set daily budgets, set up planned marketing communication and pay when the searcher clicks the client’s ad or call the client.

Cellular phones have become so conventional these days that it is unusual to find a person without one. Since they commonly stay close to their owners, cellular phones are a attractive place for Google AdWord advertising.