MicroHoo: Does 1+1 really equal 3?
There are two things that make a search engine successful: quantity of traffic and the quantity of advertisers competing for the top spots and pushing up CPC’s. Currently, there is a great deal of industry speculation, which claims that, if Microsoft and Yahoo’s deal goes ahead, it could create a true competitor to Google in the search and advertising market. But is this really the case?
Yes, their traffic will be added together, but will they see higher CPCs through attracting more advertisers?
Boost your quality score with these simple tips
There are many elements of an effective paid search campaign. While much of the discussion often centers on bidding, there is an equally important component: quality score.
Quality score was introduced by search engines looking to receive maximum yield from advertising. By understanding the search engines’ approach, search marketers can take steps to improve their ROI, independent of their bidding strategy.
Paid search spending is not going down
According to a recent post from Heather Hopkins at Hitwise, the share of search traffic coming from paid listings is decreasing at the expense of organic traffic.
The stats highlight a 26% decline in the share of paid clicks, but is paid search really falling? Let’s take a closer look...
Dealing with Google’s new trademark policy
Google recently announced it would allow limited use of trademarks in the text of some search ads in the US, even if the trademark owner objects.
While previously brand owners could specify which retailers or affiliates were able to reference their trademarked brand name, any advertiser who sells a brand on its website can nowuse that brand name in the text of their Google ads.
Google’s Trademark policy change in the US is likely to impact a wide range of advertisers, brand owners, competitors, and affiliates. However, it is the brand owners who should be particularly vigilant of the new ramifications.
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Web 2.0
Graham Charlton
Strategy & Planning
