Erik Whaley is the director of Local Search Traffic, interested in local map listings, local search marketing, local PPC and franchise marketing
In a quiet announcement made last month, Google indicated that some changes would be made to their geo targeting. The most noteworthy of the changes is the loss of the custom shape or polygon targeting. For those not familiar with the custom targeting option, it allows advertisers to draw a shape around any geographic area to only show ads inside that shape. Custom targeting allows complete control and opens up campaign...
If you manage multiple accounts with comprehensive campaign set up’s, you most likely utilize the AdWords Editor. Google just released version 9 of the tool that can be downloaded here and it comes with some much needed new features. Here is the high level list of new features. Inclusion of Ad Sitelinks Improved Add/Update Multiple and Import CSV tools Set high-end mobile targeting options Better manage multiple targeting options Improved navigation for MCC and accounts This tool...
Most companies are often faced with the dilemma of determining how to maximize limited online marketing budgets. Are you looking for high performance, but need to be conscious of costs? So what tactics should be used, PPC or SEO? The answer is both. PPC and SEO are often viewed as two very different online marketing strategies, with each side having their own supporters as to why their respective online marketing...
Call tracking is nothing new, but it can often be overlooked with all the set up options available for an online marketing campaign. Call tracking is an absolute must in terms of quantifying PPC or other paid initiatives, but let’s forget the obvious for a minute and look at some of the other benefits call tracking can provide. Customer Service: I recently had a franchise client implement call tracking across hundreds of ...
Now that Facebook has officially passed Google as the most visited site on the web, their advertising platform becomes more attractive than ever. However, even with their steady climb to the top, many online marketers remain skeptical of the advertising performance Facebook can deliver. Do consumers pay attention to ads on social networking sites? And are those clicks converting? These are just some of the questions surrounding Facebook ads...
With the recent updates Google has made to their Ad extensions in Ad Words, it makes sense to take a step back and look at each type to determine how and when to use them. Ad extensions expand the standard PPC text ads in the results to display relevant additional information that would normally be gathered on the page post click. These ad types can be effective if used properly....
What a big couple of months for the Google SERPs. First they add the “instant” feature (which I’m still getting used to) and most recently, they release a game changer in Google Place search. Google Place search is arguably the most significant change they have made in many years and as a result there is a lot of chatter on what this means for marketers and users. Most of the...
Yahoo! recently announced that they are making search more intuitive by taking a users location into consideration when suggesting search queries. Yahoo! Search Assist helps you find what you need with fewer keystrokes by taking into account the location from which you’re searching. This isn’t exactly ground breaking news as all the other major search engines have had this functionality for some time now, but it’s better late than never. This is...
As an Ad Words advertiser, you have the option to create ads that can be delivered on mobile devices. You can even target these ads to certain devices and select mobile carriers if you choose. Earlier this year Google launched a click to call ad format in Beta that can be location targeted to mobile phones. This is now out of beta and will be available to everyone in the coming...
Let’s face it, not everyone has access or resources to employ the premium search engine marketing tools such as Hitwise and Omniture. However, the same type of results can be achieved using tools available to anyone at no cost. Working in an agency and with multiple campaigns, I actually find myself using the free tools more often than the premium tools by way of effectiveness and ease of use.11 Comments
Loren Baker
+Ann Smarty
Alan Bleiweiss
David Harry
