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The first blow appeared to come from economic uncertainty in the presidential race, and mixed emotions on economic growth numbers.  The second blow undoubtedly arose two weeks ago with the news of investment banking collapses and takeovers, plunging the markets into a downward spiral.  It seemed that the markets were optimistic about the so-called $700-billion dollar Government bailout, but it was not to be and resulted in the third blow to companies across the US.  But hope springs eternal, especially in light of economic hardships, which always tend to spur innovation and opportunity for those that take calculated risk.  Online marketing may be the key that catalyzes the next innovation.

Many online marketers talk about how they’ve performed multivariate tests, assembled focus groups, brought in external consulting companies, and maybe even overhauled their e-commerce engines to maximize conversion, but few actually share insights about how they do it.  Perhaps they have their own insider methodology or patented design concepts, or perhaps they’re embarrassed to admit it’s easier than you think!

In the closing paragraph of my article posted yesterday on recent improvements made to the Omniture SiteCatalyst and SearchCenter applications, I mentioned the company also recently released a SiteCatalyst app for the iPhone.  Love it or hate it, the iPhone has amassed a huge following world-wide in the developer community and can now boast a significant application base.  Omniture is the first analytics company out of the gate, so how do they fare?

Commiseration used to be the operative theme for many Omniture user group meetings, as many people continue to bask in a love-hate relationship that really defines the analytics suite.  Don’t write this post off as negative just yet because the light at the end of the tunnel is slowly closing in.  That’s right, Omniture Search Center and Site Catalyst are almost at a point where setting up and manipulating reports seems, gasp, easier!

Many people often ask me, what is a good click through rate for a campaign, or how can I get more people to click my ad on lower positions in Google Adwords?  The answer isn’t always obvious because the effect of greater CTR can hamper business objectives and budgets.  However, if you’re confident in your site’s ability to convert visitors, you want more eyeballs to really ramp up sales or lead generation.  If that’s the case, this post is for you.

If Google hadn’t already converted a whack of internet denizens into big brother conspiracy theorists, it might just finish things off by forcibly pushing fence-sitters into wearing tin foil hats.  Using Nasa’s base near Mountain View, sinking optical fibre into the Pacific Ocean, and bidding for wireless frequencies were all big stories that more or less made reasonable business investment sense, but c’mon - launching a satellite into space?

Just when you thought it was safe to call a truce in the browser wars, Google comes up and hits you in the face with a cream pie.  Sure, you think it’s funny at first and perhaps it tastes pretty good, but it might spell trouble for online marketers.  Find out why Google Chrome, the newest web browser on the scene is causing a stir - good and bad.

Not long ago WebTrends announced the release of their newly re-branded online marketing solution they now dub Ad Director.  After talking with representatives at Search Engine Strategies San Jose, it’s a bit of a departure from the intricately granular management platform Omniture Search Center provides, but might be a welcome change for SEMs looking for a more high-level strategic solution.