Digital Marketing Blog

Which are your best keywords? (you’ll never guess)

People who write regularly for online publications generally enjoy the process of writing and many don't want to get sidetracked into the technical area of doing keyword research.

Yet when one keyword can bring ten times as much traffic as another, we need to be very careful in our choice of words and use the best keywords wherever possible.

by Ken McGaffin 29 May 2007 10:43am 0 comments

Google rolls out new video ad formats

Google has launched its AdSense video ads in three new-size formats, a move coinciding with the first anniversary of the service.

The click-to-play blocks pay cost-per-thousand publishers for every ad impression, regardless of video plays.

by Robert Andrews 29 May 2007 10:30am 0 comments

Yahoo! readies Panama for UK launch

Yahoo! has started testing its Panama contextual search advertising platform in the UK and will roll out the full service shortly.

The company last week invited search marketing professionals to a preview of the service, which seeks to improve return on advertising investment by better targeting ads to users.

by Robert Andrews 29 May 2007 10:18am 0 comments

Digital divide narrows - Ofcom

Ofcom has published its Communications Market Report, which looks at the take up, availability and usage of the internet and telecommunications across the UK.

Last year, the report found major differences in take-up levels of broadband and digital TV, both between nations, and between rural and urban areas. This year's report (pdf) shows that these gaps are narrowing.

by Graham Charlton 25 May 2007 15:39pm 0 comments

Confused.com up for sale?

Motor insurance group Admiral has received approaches from several parties interested in buying insurance comparison website confused.com.

Admiral acknowledged the approaches in a statement and said the board was considering its options, which include "retention of the business or a partial or full disposal".

by Graham Charlton 25 May 2007 15:27pm 1 comment

Google Checkout – a paid search optimisation tactic?

Have you seen the new Google Checkout icons which are displayed with paid search ads where the merchant is using Google Checkout? The evidence we’ve heard so far is that those icons lead to a higher click through rate.

What will that do for your paid search rankings?

by Ashley Friedlein 25 May 2007 14:18pm 4 comments

Facebook welcomes third party developers

Social network Facebook announced a major facelift yesterday, with the site opening up to third party software by allowing its users to embed an array of applications into their profile pages.

Rival MySpace opened up to outside developers three years ago, but Facebook has until now resisted the move.

by Graham Charlton 25 May 2007 12:41pm 0 comments

Online retail market 'to triple in five years'

Another day, another piece of research focusing on the growth of online shopping.

Retail analysts Verdict Research say spending by online consumers rose by a third in 2006, and is set to triple over the next five years.

by Richard Maven 25 May 2007 12:07pm 0 comments

Third of employees 'risk sack for blogging'

A human resources firm has warned that up to a third of bloggers and social network users risk the sack for posting damaging material about their employer.

Croner commissioned YouGov for a survey of 2,000 people which found 39% of bloggers admitted to publishing sensitive or damaging posts about their workplace.

by Robert Andrews 25 May 2007 11:17am 1 comment

Google data capture under EU scrutiny

Google is facing concerns from EU officials over the length of time it stores users' search habits.

A working party of data protection officials from members states last week sent a letter to the search giant demanding justification for its policy of keeping hold of users' identity and search patterns for up to two years.

by Robert Andrews 25 May 2007 11:13am 0 comments