Dispelling the Myths of SEO
Sep 21, 2009 Google, SEO, Search Engines, Webmaster Tips, Yahoo
I don’t blame webmasters, marketers or even the casual blogger for having such a hard time grasping the one true testament of SEO, if that really even exists, because things change on a daily, or even hourly basis. Plus, you have so-called experts touting tall tales of black-hat SEO, and how “in my day I could stuff keywords until the cows came home to rank 1st overall in Google”. The basics are relatively straightforward, and fundamentally unchanged over the past few years; it’s the tactics that have changed. So here is a run through of all the latest resources I could find to dispel the myths and set the records straight.
Read the rest of this entry »
Taking the backwards "IT" out of Online Marketing
Sep 10, 2009 Economics, Google Analytics, New Technology, Webmaster Tips
In the best of scenarios, collectively, the IT department within an organization is an extremely busy place, with the hustle and bustle of scoping, engineering, implementing, and testing every phase of an online web property. Priorities on projects originating from product development, marketing, sales, and support have to be weighed accordingly. However, with the ever-changing world of online marketing, companies have to be increasingly more agile, and aware of changes across the enterprise.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: content management systems, google website optimizer, information technology, legacy systems, multivariate testing, opportunity cost, work meetings
SES San Jose 2009: A look back at Day 1: from the perspective of a female newbie
Aug 11, 2009 Analytics Tools, Landing Pages, New Technology, PPC Basics, SEO, Webmaster Tips
Feeling fresh, alert and green coming off of EST and attending my first SES conference, I was met with a sluggish start to SES. This means low energy attendees, no freebies as was advertised from previous years’ attendees and worse of all, no brekkie! Even the coffee was weak. Those who needed more of a jolt had to make a trek to the Starbucks in the hotel next door or feed themselves with the $10 dollar fruit plate from the adjacent hotel.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: fundamental seo, online marketing, ses san jose 2009, sex toys
SES San Jose 2009 Day 1 Recap: Clay Shirky, Analytics, Conversion and more, oh my!
Aug 11, 2009 Analytics Tools, Bing, Economics, Google, Mobile, New Technology, PPC Programs, SEO, SES Tour, Social Media, Webmaster Tips, Yahoo
Given the recent economic downturn and attendance numbers in a downward spiral over the past year or so, turnout for SES San Jose, the granddaddy of all online marketing shows, was surprisingly optimistic. Not only are all major search engines, agencies, and tool providers on hand for the festivities, experts from all walks of marketing disciplines are presenting on their specialties. It’s the perfect storm, in the perfect weather, at the perfect time for optimizing online marketing.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Bing, global websites, Google, online marketing, search engine strategies, ses san jose 2009, Yahoo
Solid Online Marketing Tips for a Shaky Economy
Jun 25, 2009 Bing, Economics, Google Analytics, Landing Pages, New Technology, PPC Basics, SEO, Social Media, Webmaster Tips
Read the rest of this entry »
With all the talk lately about new and emerging technologies, social spheres, and potential easy wins in online marketing, it’s hard to decipher the signal from the noise. A shaky economy doesn’t help matters, because many companies are moving to either increase short-term gains or foster long-term strategy and right the boat. Fragmented advice is easy to come by, so I present to you one cohesive strategy of online marketing with a few tactical real-world examples of how you might implement change.
Tags: digital media, online marketing tips, paid search, shaky economy, smooze, social media optimization, twitter
Google's Search Based Keyword Tool: Finding Diamonds in the Long-tail
May 18, 2009 Analytics Tools, Google Adwords, Landing Pages, Search Engines, Webmaster Tips
Read the rest of this entry »
In marketing, vendor and partner transparency is king; more transparency equals better client relations. In the online marketing world, there’s the tendency for vendor relations to languish or stagnate by maintaining the status quo. After watching Google as an advertising vendor for many years, they simply aren’t that kind of company. With the web being what it is today, clients and agencies that use Google Adwords are very vocal about improvements they’d like to see made, including the improvement of transparency. Google’s new Search Based Keyword Tool is one such improvement: more better.
Tags: broad match, exact match, Google Adwords, Google Analytics, google search based keyword tool, other keyword matches, phrase match, roi
New in Google Adwords: Behavioral Targeting
Mar 25, 2009 Google Adwords, Google Analytics, Search Engines, Web Browsers, Webmaster Tips

Picking a winner can be hard.
No doubt, an internet marketer’s toughest job is finding the right mix of advertising cost, overall brand value for ad placements, and conveying value proposition to drive conversion. We can collect all kinds of valuable information through web analytics including visitor pathways, conversion funnels, top content driving revenue, and even cool stuff like demographics and socio-economic indicators. But finding sites that can supply us with our most valuable prospects can be tough. Enter Behavioral Targeting from Google Adwords.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: analytics, behavioral targeting, content network, demographic targeting, google adsense, Google Adwords, placement targeted campaigns, socioeconomic targeting
Turning Online Ads into Amish Furniture
Feb 2, 2009 Google Adwords, PPC Basics, Telemarketing, Webmaster Tips, Yahoo Search Marketing
Are you a business owner, or indirectly responsible for your online advertising conversion funnel? Have you ever wondered why your business might be getting decent traffic through online channels and programs such as Google Adwords and Yahoo Search Marketing, but it doesn’t make an impact on your bottom line? Position might be great, clicks coming through steadily each week and month, success events are pouring in but revenues are stagnant. You might be turning your online ads into Amish Furniture… no finish!
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: amish furniture, Google Adwords, offline conversion, online advertising, true story
Thinking of implementing Omniture? Things to know before signing a contract
Jan 16, 2009 Analytics Tools, Economics, Omniture, PPC Basics, Webmaster Tips
Despite the recession and tough economic times, there still seems to be a huge demand for analytics talent in the industry, especially when it comes to individuals well-versed in implementing and supporting Omniture. You have to hand it to them, they’ve become the defacto standard in web analytics through incremental in-house development of SiteCatalyst, and also through strategic acquisition of names such as HBX and Visual Sciences. But before you go rushing into signing a long-term contract with Omniture, here’s a few things you should know.
Tags: data extract, data warehouse, discover on premise, excel client, gotchas, implementing omniture, limitations, omniture consulting, omniture searchcenter, omniture sitecatalyst, sitecatalyst, video tracking
Pay-Per-Click Scams to Avoid like the Plague
Jan 12, 2009 Economics, Google Adwords, PPC Programs, SEO, Search Engines, Webmaster Tips
It pains me to have to write this post, because anyone who’s willing to throw their money at online marketing shouldn’t have to bear the cross of sitting through boldface lies. Unfortunately, I’m brought into meeting after meeting to consult for my clients in an effort to qualify online marketing vendors that promise the world. Fortunately, I’m always up for a good show, and don’t mind playing the naive web analyst.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Google Adwords, guaranteed first page, guaranteed first position, ppc scams, register keywords, reserved keywords, unlimited clicks














