Understanding different types of keyphrases for PPC success
The majority of search queries consist of more than word - over the past decade searchers have gradually increased the amount of words per query, from 1.2 in 1998 to 3.3 in 2006.
Partly, this is because there is more noise to cut through on search engines like Google and Yahoo. But it is also about savvier searchers, finessing their query to return the most relevant results.
If you are running paid search marketing campaigns you need to understand how search queries indicate propensity to convert, and customer value.
Figuring this out can make a big difference to your return on investment from PPC campaigns...
Amazon trials 'Clickriver' PPC ad platform
Amazon is testing a new advertising programme, Clickriver, which allows businesses to place sponsored links on Amazon.com next to search results and on product detail pages.
Amazon's Clickriver Ads, which appears to be a version of Adwords, was built by A9.com, a search technologies subsidiary of Amazon.
Blogging tips from John Battelle of Federated Media
Michael Zhang at Folksonomy has a great interview with John Battelle of Federated Media, in which he shares his tips for bloggers.
Google launches custom search tool for sites
Google has launched a free tool allowing websites and blogs to offer customisable searches to their users.
Site owners signing up for the service can ‘paste’ it into their webpages and select the sites they want included in searches.
Blog Round-up: McDonalds eaters get virus, and Yahoo!'s small business scheme
A summary of the major stories doing the rounds throughout the blogosphere today...
The revenue model of user generated content?
Let’s face it shall we - no one creates something and then gives it away for free, expecting no return...
I mean, as much as we’d like to do stuff and give it away for free, in the interests of making the world a better place, the unfortunate reality is that we all have to earn our crust somehow, and if we throw our eggs into the user generated content basket, then you have to ask what the hell your revenue model is going to be?
Yahoo! links up with homepage provider
Former Google France boss Franck Poisson has hooked up with Yahoo!, which will provide advertising and search services on Webwag, his new customisable homepage venture.
The deal will see Webwag displaying sponsored links from Yahoo!, as well as launching what it claims is the sector’s first ‘personal wide web’ search feature – through which users can sift through their chosen content as well as the web as a whole.
Paul Graham says "don't sweat about business models"
An interview with Paul Graham on TechCrunch is attracting flak from the blogosphere for the investment criteria he uses for Y Combinator.
Last week we witnessed the sale of Kiko, a well-designed Y Combinator-funded online calendar. The deal went through via eBay to an as-yet-undisclosed party, for a quarter of a million dollars. Which is a good return for Paul and the Kiko founders, but not the really big bucks that they would have seen had Google bought it. Google of course launched its own calendar app, integrated into Gmail, which prompted the Kiko sale.
So does a fire sale on eBay, albeit a profitable one, mean that Graham is any more correct when he advises startup founders not to worry about business models?
Google Analytics now offers immediate access for all
Google Analytics will from today provide instant access for anybody that wants to open an account and start using the service to monitor visitor activity on their website/s.
The service, which is free of charge, provides comprehensive information on visitor behaviour to help webmasters better understand how their sites are being used and where users are coming from.
Viacom fancies coy Bebo, and with good reason
This week’s Bebo acquisition rumour comes in the shape of Viacom, the also-rans in the MySpace courtship battle. With Bebo in no rush to sell, we don’t anticipate this latest industry gossip will become a reality anytime soon.
It is plainly obvious that Big Media Companies are now scrambling all of their M&A jets in search of social networking sites to buy. This was previously something that seemed a little bit like bandwagon jumping a few months ago, but now there is a real reason for it.
Social media: the best and worst of 2009
Email marketing: six steps to improving customer engagement in 2010
Web 2.0
Graham Charlton
Strategy & Planning
