paid search | Internet Marketing Blog

Expert opinion: What’s ahead for paid search in 2011?

To coincide with the release of Econsultancy’s Paid Search Agencies Buyer’s Guide this week, I’ve been talking to some leading UK search agency experts about what 2011 holds for the sector.

I’ve no doubt that paid search is going to become sexy again – we’ve seen PPC products and technologies emerging such as Google’s location-based ads, Product Listings, Extensions and Sitelinks.

Additionally, Bing and Yahoo! continue to challenge Google, while new opportunities for paid search are becoming apparent, ranging from mobile through to social media.

It looks to be an exciting year ahead for what some marketers regard as a stale channel, despite its effectiveness and accountability. But what do those on the frontline think?

by Jake Hird 25 November 2010 15:46pm 11 comments

Performics: Three tips for optimizing paid search campaigns for mobile this holiday season

Halloween’s gone and Thanksgiving is on the horizon. That means it’s time for the holiday ad onslaught, which means a razor-sharp focus on optimizing paid search campaigns for most retailers. Performics predicts retail sales from actively managed paid search campaigns will grow 15% this holiday season. CEO Daina Middleton recommends creating and optimizing standalone mobile search campaigns - not just using existing holiday search campaigns - to foster sales growth.

Read on for three tips on making those mobile search campaigns more effective.

by Tameka Kee 09 November 2010 18:59pm 1 comment

Four best practice tips for Facebook Advertising

In my last post, I argued that the growth of Facebook is such that marketers can no longer ignore it as a platform. However, I also mentioned that it is much less mature than search marketing, and as such best practice techniques aren’t as well developed.

So in this post I'm sharing my thoughts on how best to use this fast emerging channel most effectively, based on how we see agencies and advertisers using our platform to manage Facebook campaigns.

by Ed Stevenson 23 September 2010 10:03am 15 comments

Demand side platforms bring display into the hands of search marketers

There is a lot of buzz in the digital world at present around the rise of demand side platforms and real time bidding being the future for display advertising and particularly network buying.

With all the data, technology, and bidding involved, paid search marketers could find themselves best placed to take advantage of the rising popularity.

by Robert Weatherhead 11 August 2010 09:08am 1 comment

Man vs. Machine: the automation of PPC campaigns

Econsultancy’s PPC Bid Management Technology Buyer’s Guide published last week highlights an increased reliance on automated campaign management tools.

But how necessary is it to use this kind of software?

by Jake Hird 09 August 2010 09:30am 9 comments

Facebook vs Google: does size matter?

Facebook recently announced it has hit the major milestone of 500m users, following hot on the heels of the news that, in the US, the site has overtaken Google for the first time. This is truly remarkable growth for a site that only launched in 2004.

However, can we judge the effectiveness of Google vs Facebook based simply on the size of their respective user bases? Should we be diverting more budget towards Facebook at the expense of search?

by Ed Stevenson 04 August 2010 13:27pm 3 comments

Retailers: understand your search revenue through integration

Recovery. Confidence. Spending. These are terms that will that will be welcomed by retailers across the world as the global economy inches away from recession. They will now be looking to capitalise on the more optimistic outlook and report more positive results.

We are clearly not out of the woods yet, so all such supporting marketing activities, such as search, need to be justified with accurate measurement. However, to date there has been a fundamental flaw in the way that it is measured and could prove to be a major stumbling block.

by Ed Stevenson 22 July 2010 10:53am 0 comments

Social media advertising for retailers

It is hard for any marketer to ignore the hype that surrounds social media. Facebook, Twitter, performance display and ad exchanges are bringing opportunities for retailers to generate demand within these massive new channels.

Facebook is probably the most accessible and it’s understandable that retailers are getting excited about its possibilities. We’re looking at a site with more than 400m active users, all of whom can be individually targeted and engaged through Facebook Ads.

by Ed Stevenson 29 June 2010 10:53am 4 comments

Seasonal search: how to do it right

Seasons and events in the UK and the world over have developed an increasing importance for brands and marketers in appealing to consumers. One only has to look at the impact of occasions such as Valentine’s Day to see how lucrative an event can be for a brand.

Search offers brands a potentially engaging way to capitalise upon this, which may not be as hard as you think. The initial groundwork of a seasonal paid search campaign must be rooted firmly in the website in question.

Depending on the brand, there are two potential options to pursue...

by Rob Pierre 21 May 2010 11:34am 0 comments

Paid search predictions for 2010

Forecasting the future of any industry is always going to be tough, let alone attempting to predict the future of a market as complex as paid search. Although leading analysts are already estimating paid search spend will grow significantly this year, how this growth is going to happen is still uncertain.

However, it’s obvious that more money will mean the number of tactics, targeting options and channels available for search marketers will need to grow to make sure search that campaigns can deliver ever-increasing return on investment (ROI).

With this in mind, I expect that the following trends are likely to drive paid search growth throughout the coming year...

by Ed Stevenson 05 February 2010 09:56am 9 comments