News : Articles Archive
September 10, 2008Start Taking Search Seriously
by Dave Pasternack
Paid search is a proven winner, yet some marketers don't take advantage of its full potential. Here's why you need to put SEM at the heart of your marketing strategy.
September 8, 2008
Is The Ad World Finally Taking SEM Seriously?
by Steve Baldwin
Is the "real world" of advertising ready to take SEM -- the most powerful driver of advertising today -- seriously?
September 5, 2008
Don't Sell to Visitors From Corporate HQ
by Kevin Lee
There's no better time to use a microsite to pump up your conversion rates.
September 1, 2008
All Together Now: Syncing Your Search Campaigns With Warehouse Inventory
by Mark Simon
How to make sure your search campaigns integrate perfectly with your inventory control software.
August 29, 2008
Learn How to Say No to Dumb Ideas
by Kevin Lee
Being a "yes man" can be dangerous to your career.
August 25, 2008
Shifting Paradigms In The SEM Agency Business
by Gerry Bavaro
In speaking to friends from other agencies who spent the last week out at SES in San Jose, I heard many of the same comments I've heard before: "it was really tactical," and "there wasn't that much forward thinking."
Why Do All SEM Agencies Sound The Same?
by Dave Pasternack
Why do SEM agencies have such a big problem differentiating their offerings to the market?
August 15, 2008
Analyzing the Perils of Government Regulation
by Kevin Lee
Are marketers prepared for new laws and enforcement actions?
August 11, 2008
Social Media: Its More Than Facebook
by Steve Baldwin
Social media's real power lies in its ability to function as a recommendation engine in which real people praise or pillory products.
August 8, 2008
Reputation, PPC Search, and SEO: Harmony or Discord
by Kevin Lee
What a bidet manufacturer and a home appliance merchant do not have in common.
August 4, 2008
The Anatomy Of Great
by Gerry Bavaro
Where does one find true greatness in SEM?
August 1, 2008
Pennywise, Pound Foolish in Paid Search
by Kevin Lee
How to calculate if a higher-paid agency is more effective than a less-paid one.
July 28, 2008
An Open Letter to Steve Ballmer
by Steve Baldwin
If Microsoft really wants to compete against Google, it first must compete against itself.
July 25, 2008
Ten Ways to Waste Your PPC Budget
by Kevin Lee
Unfortunately, far too many marketers repeatedly commit these 10 Deadly SEM Sins.
July 21, 2008
No Time For Gloom Or Doom!
by Steve Baldwin
The online ad industry is facing major challenges, but isn't about to implode the way it did in 2000-01, thanks to SEM.
July 18, 2008
The Publisher Opportunity in Search and Contextual, Part 1
by Kevin Lee
Properly executed, a keyword-targeted traffic-building campaign can turn a marketing expense into a cash machine.
July 14, 2008
Manufacturing Relevance And Experience On The Fly
by Gerry Bavaro
We're rapidly moving toward an era (call it "Web 3.0") in which many of the most important marketing variables will be automatically optimized.
July 11, 2008
CPM Auctions and Google's CPA Network
by Kevin Lee
Many marketers would love the transparency of a CPM auction for paid search position instead of the algorithmic black box, which gets more opaque all the time as the engines add new variables
July 7, 2008
Inside Microsoft's War Room
by Steve Baldwin
Microsoft -- with or without Yahoo -- has a strategic plan to be a major player in computing's next era.
June 30, 2008
Please Pass The Data
by Gerry Bavaro
The empowering force behind the un-sexy, “hard to believe it’s winning” search marketing medium is data.
June 27, 2008
Google Trends, Ad Planner, and Site Affinity
by Kevin Lee
Where does Google get the data for Google Trends or Ad Planner? Here's one theory.
June 23, 2008
The Great (And Completely Ridiculous) ‘In-house vs. Outsourced SEM’ Debate
by Dave Pasternack
Because this issue, like some grotesque zombie from the Land of the Undead, refuses to go away quietly, and because last week SEMPO (the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization) hosted a public debate on the issue, I’ll use this column to put an end to this fruitless discussion.
June 20, 2008
Kevin Lee
SEM Implications of the Yahoo-Google Pact
by Kevin Lee
How exactly will the Yahoo system decide whether to run advertising from Google, Yahoo Panama, or an alternate source, such as Microsoft?
June 16, 2008
The Hidden Minefields Of Mobile Searching
by Steve Baldwin
The Web experience on mobile devices creates a new set of issues for PPC marketers.
June 13, 2008
The Internet Sales Tax Time Bomb
by Kevin Lee
Will the law treat Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft as affiliates?
June 9, 2008
Putting The Consumer At The Center of Search
by Gerry Bavaro
Let’s face it: search is a behavior among many behaviors and interaction points, ultimately leading down the path to the golden ticket: an action.
June 6, 2008
Are Search and Affiliate Marketing Budget Cuts Irrational?
by Kevin Lee
By accounting for these expenses as a commission -- instead of a sales and marketing cost -- some marketers may be committing marketing suicide.
June 2, 2008
Microsoft Shows Its Hand
by Steve Baldwin
What matters about Microsoft's Live Cash Back is that it provides a no-risk channel for advertisers to sidestep the traditional “search engine as middleman” model we’ve lived with since the dawn of CPC.
May 30, 2008
Google AdSense: Tips for Success
by Kevin Lee
How working in the Google content network differs from working in a search campaign.
May 23, 2008
Google Content: New Strategies and Options
by Kevin Lee
What marketers need to know about Google's AdSense for content. First of a two-part series.
May 19, 2008
Will Search Ever Get Its Fair Share Of Spend?
by Gerry Bavaro
Who’s better qualified to make media more genuinely accountable and ROI-driven than the folks who are living this daily in real time, with the pressure to make it perform at every turn?
May 16, 2008
A Strong Appetite for Behavioral Search Targeting
by Kevin Lee
Whatever cool behavioral targeting options roll out will likely come from Yahoo or Microsoft.
May 12, 2008
So What IS Microsoft’s Strategy For Search?
by Steve Baldwin
Microsoft — the patient troll under the bridge collecting a toll — will have a significant piece of search's future.
May 9, 2008
The Yahoo-Microsoft Saga
by Kevin Lee
Why Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's letter to Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang may go down in history as one of the best-crafted business letters ever.
May 5, 2008
Seeking Conversions in a Discovery-Oriented World
by Gerry Bavaro
Optimizing for increased “discovery” should be something that all search marketers embrace.
May 2, 2008
SERP Position: Myth vs. Reality
by Kevin Lee
There are many ways Google and the other engines have started to personalize search results.
May 2, 2008
Deal With Search Marketing's Flaws
by Dave Pasternack
With search engines serving users and shareholders, marketers' needs often get shortchanged. Here's how to make the most of the situation.
April 28, 2008
Search In The Age Of Recession
by Mark Simon
Whether or not search is “recession proof,” it’s clear that those advertisers paying Google’s bills may yet suffer in a welter of new ways this year.
April 25, 2008
Google, Yahoo Search News Mashup in Earnings Season
by Kevin Lee
Google's Quality Score change, Microsoft-Yahoo deadline approaches, whither Performics and Avenue A, and other search engine marketing news.
April 21, 2008
More On The SEM People Problem (Part 3)
by Gerry Bavaro
Additional characteristics that mark ideal SEM candidates.
April 18, 2008
Are SEM Agency Fees Too Low?
by Kevin Lee
Are you shortchanging your campaign, along with your SEM agency?
April 14, 2008
More On The SEM People Problem (Part 2)
by Gerry Bavaro
This week, I want to discuss the specific characteristics of an "ideal" SEM professional.
April 11, 2008
Branding as a Direct Response PPC Search Byproduct
by Kevin Lee
Why branding and direct response initiatives aren't separate disciplines.
April 7, 2008
The SEM People Problem (Part 1)
by Gerry Bavaro
One of the biggest challenges the SEM industry faces is attracting and keeping qualified people.
April 4, 2008
Is Organic Search Enough?
by Kevin Lee
Pulling PPC ads after achieving high organic search position may be a very bad idea.
Mar 31, 2008
Google Demographic Targeting: Promises And Pitfalls
by Mark Simon
All hype aside, the fact that Google has at long last introduced demographic targeting to the placement targeting component of Adwords is a welcome development.
Mar 28, 2008
Recession: PPC Threat or Opportunity?
by Kevin Lee
Prepare for some short-term testing pain to weather longer-term economic pain that may be headed your way.
Mar 25, 2008
SEO vs. PPC?
by Mark Simon
Ideally both SEO and PPC should be thought of as integrated efforts that happen on parallel tracks, because they reinforce each other.
Mar 21, 2008
It's the PPC Search Economy, Stupid!
by Kevin Lee
While the economy is volatile, search marketing looks promising. But is it recession proof?
Mar 17, 2008
Back To Basics!
by Mark Simon
SEM is a peculiar field, because it stands between the high-tech world of targeting algorithms and the old-fashioned world of human grunt work.
Mar 14, 2008
GoogleClick: Death of the Third-Party Ad Server?
by Kevin Lee
Companies with large on- and offline budgets have concerns about conversion data being used to influence both pricing and future changes to the auction marketplaces.
Mar 10, 2008
Are SEM Salaries Too High, Too Low, Or Just Right?
by Mark Simon
As I’ve mentioned previously in this column, acquiring and retaining talented people is one of the biggest long-term problems the SEM industry has.
Mar 7, 2008
Search's Impact on Brand Metrics
by Kevin Lee
Search will no longer be a marketing methodology and media opportunity existing in a silo.
Mar 3, 2008
Innovation vs. Execution (Part 2)
by Mark Simon
When it comes to tech companies, including the big players in search today, innovation is often over-estimated.
Feb 29, 2008
Affiliate PPC Brand Bidding: Right For You?
by Kevin Lee
Eleven questions to weigh before working with performance-based media buying relationships.
Feb 25, 2008
Innovation vs. Execution
by Mark Simon
Innovation, while important, isn’t really the make-or-break factor that determines success in the technology business.
Feb 22, 2008
Kevin Lee
PPC Search: Create, Influence, Capture, and Harvest Demand
by Kevin Lee
Why search marketers must be aware of the overall consumer response ecosystem.
Feb 15, 2008
Vote Now for the Future of Search
by Kevin Lee
What the board election at SEMPO means to your company, campaign, and career.
Feb 8, 2008
Google Bashes Microsoft's Yahoo Bid
by Kevin Lee
What Yahoo's sale would mean to PPC marketers and digital marketing teams.
Feb 4, 2008
MS-Yahoo Will Be Good For Users, Marketers, And Online Ad Ecosystem
by Mark Simon
In formally stating its intention to acquire Yahoo, Microsoft is betting $44.6 billion dollars that Google’s rule over the burgeoning online ad market can be challenged.
Feb 1, 2008
Behavioral Focus: Their Eyes Were Watching Google
by David Honig
Who will be the next big players in the BT world? The smart money is on the ISPs.
Feb 1, 2008
Nonprofits, Google Grants, and Search
by Kevin Lee
Here's a quick primer for those of you at nonprofits or at SEM firms who haven't had an opportunity to look into the world of SEM and nonprofits.
Jan 28, 2008
Don’t Underestimate Yahoo
by Mark Simon
The whole idea that Yahoo is about to charge into an iceberg is the looniest example of negative hype I've heard in months.
Jan 25, 2008
Moving Beyond Campaign Efficiency to Campaign Effectiveness
by Kevin Lee
To thrive in any economic climate, combine efficiency with strategic testing to obtain effectiveness. Here are three places to start.
Jan 21, 2008
Recession-Ho! (The Search Ecosystem Enters its First Economic Downturn)
by Mark Simon
These are my thoughts as the search ecosystem goes into its first negative economic cycle.
Jan 21, 2008
Microsoft Acquires Fast: What Does it Really Mean?
by Dave Pasternack
Fast's assets include a set of technologies that have the potential for giving Microsoft tactical and strategic advantages as it battles Google on several important fronts.
Jan 18, 2008
The Publisher Opportunity in Search and Contextual, Part 2
by Kevin Lee
Calculate how to buy the very best traffic in a keyword campaign. Part two of a series.
Jan 14, 2008
Why Do Big Agencies Even Bother With Search?
by Dave Pasternack
I want to counter the idea that big ad agencies should be taken seriously when they claim they know how to run search campaigns.
Jan 13, 2008
Search In The Post-Web Era
by Mark Simon
The primary context for search is beginning to move beyond its traditional desktop-Web paradigm; glimpses of this contextual shift were visible at CES 2008.
Jan 11, 2008
The Publisher Opportunity in Search and Contextual, Part 1
by Kevin Lee
Properly executed, a keyword-targeted traffic-building campaign can turn a marketing expense into a cash machine. Part one of a series.
Jan 07, 2008
Insider Data Trading (The Real Reason Keyword Prices Will Rise in 2008)
by Mark Simon
Recent acquisitions by the Big Three Search Engines may allow "algorithmic collusion" unless marketers take steps to prevent it.
Jan 04, 2008
Back to Basics for CMOs?
by Dave Pasternack
It's about time that CMOs forget about crazy marketing fads and get back to marketing fundamentals.
Jan 04, 2008
2007 PPC Search Retrospective
by Kevin Lee
Kevin looks back at the significant developments in 2007, with an in-depth look at "GoogleClick."
Dec 28, 2007
Two Search Budgets for One Business?
by Kevin Lee
All this brand vs. direct response search advertising craziness must stop!
Dec 26, 2007
Breaking Free of the SEM Failure Cycle
by Dave Pasternack
One can argue that any company that puts an untrained individual in charge of buying keywords through Google, Yahoo or Microsoft adCenter without thoroughly understanding the complexities, risks, and possible costs, is doing the equivalent of putting a chimpanzee in charge of a nuclear reactor.
Dec 24, 2007
10 Media Trends To Watch In 2008
by Mark Simon
It's that time of the year again, to look ahead at what the next year might bring. So here are 10 trends that I think will dominate 2008.
Dec 21, 2007
PPC, Backwards and Forwards
by Kevin Lee
In paid search, past performance isn't a true indicator of future results. Three ways to improve your chances of winning.
Dec 17, 2007
Has Dell Lost Its Mind?
by Dave Pasternack
Dell is putting all of its marketing eggs into WPP's basket. Here's why this is a titanic mistake.
Dec 17, 2007
Let’s Monetize Privacy!
by Mark Simon
One big reason that privacy isn't taken seriously in this industry is that nobody's figured out how to build a business around it.
Dec 14, 2007
Top 10 Reasons to Double Your Search Budget for '08
by Kevin Lee
Increase your search budget before rivals collectively kick your butt, take market share, or poach your most valuable customers.
Dec 10, 2007
SES Chicago 2007: Was It Worth The Trouble?
by Mark Simon
Who but the few, the proud, and the totally search-obsessed would be willing to run the gamut of massively delayed flights, subzero Chicago winds, and crushing traffic jams to attend this thing?
Dec 7, 2007
Information Is a Competitive Advantage
by Kevin Lee
Kevin discusses how marketers can avail themselves of leading-edge information sources pertaining to search's evolution.
Dec 4, 2007
Can Search Engines Reform the DM Industry?
by Dave Pasternack
Search marketing provides a good working example of a direct marketing medium that actually self-regulates fairly well.
Dec 3, 2007
Another Crazy Week In Hype-Ville
by Mark Simon
Google is in the Energy Business, Facebook is in a user revolt, and Widget-mania is sweeping the nation. Add Russian Blackhat SEO Spammers and you have a geniunely crazy week.
Nov 30, 2007
It's 10 p.m. Do You Know Where Your Brand Is?
by Kevin Lee
Brand marketers fear their brands' ads running with a rough crowd. Are their fears exaggerated?
Nov 27, 2007
The Search Nightmare Before Christmas
by Dave Pasternack
Big-spending search marketers keep dropping the ball on the basics.
Nov 26, 2007
Trends, Illusions, And Pain Points: Looking Back At 2007 (And Forward To 2008)
by Mark Simon
A look back at 2007's most over-hyped online ad trends.
Nov 20, 2007
Low Agency Fee Rates = High Campaign Failure Rates
by Dave Pasternack
Clients are shooting themselves in the foot by forcing ad agencies to low-ball their fees.
Nov 19, 2007
Looking for Data in All The Wrong Places
by Mark Simon
Want to know where the online advertising industry is headed? Look at spending; better yet, look at orders.
Nov 16, 2007
Are You Really Ready for Black Friday?
by Kevin Lee
Retailers representing the largest category of PPC search spend may think they're ready for the Holiday Season, but Google may have a big surprise for them.
Nov 13, 2007
The Most Absurd Marketing Idea of the Week
by Dave Pasternack
Should marketing departments have their own dedicated IT staff? Not on your life.
Nov 12, 2007
Social Ads Or Social Networking Nightmare?
by Mark Simon
Facebook's much-ballyhooed "Social Ads" may be an accident waiting to happen.
Nov 9, 2007
New Research Validates Search For CPG Marketers
by Kevin Lee
According to comScore, Yahoo, SEMPO, and Proctor and Gamble, the online search customer is extremely valuable.
Nov 8, 2007
Facebook Is on the Right Track
by David Honig
Marketers should be excited about the opportunities presented by Facebook's Nascent advertising program.
Nov 6, 2007
Amazing SEM Secrets Finally Revealed!
by Dave Pasternack
Want to know the most amazing thing about SEM? There's nothing amazing about it!
Nov 5, 2007
Big Bubble? Maybe. Big Trouble? Definitely.
by Mark Simon
Continuing the discussion about the troubles of the online ad industry, Mark focuses on all the potential pitfalls of Google's dominance.
Nov 2, 2007
Have You Planned for Aspirational Searchers?
by Kevin Lee
A hypothesis on why so few searchers enter keywords, click on relevant listings, arrive at a relevant landing page, and don't buy anything.
Nov 1, 2007
The Seven Deadly Sins of Landing Page Usability
by Aaron Kupferberg
There are seven serious usability mistakes that most corporate websites commit. Interestingly, these common errors are often products of sound principles that Web designers mistakenly apply.
Oct 30, 2007
Are Media Buyers Lazy, Stupid, or Crooked?
by Dave Pasternack
The media-buying industry has set itself up in a way such that there's an incentive for ad agencies to waste clients' money.
Oct 29, 2007
A Pre-Halloween ‘Black Wednesday’ ?
by Mark Simon
Google once again sent the SEO industry into a tailspin with an algorithm shift that drew cries of "jihad" from those who had spent years getting their clients to the top of the organic rankings.
Oct 26, 2007
The Mobile Browser: Emergency Browser or Killer App?
by Kevin Lee
There's reason to be skeptical that mobile marketing will be huge in 2008: so far it hasn't lived up to the hype. And yet, what if...?
Oct 23, 2007
SEM Agency vs. In-house Team: Let’s Get the Facts Straight, Folks
by Dave Pasternack
Dave responds to a previous article in DMNews with his usual no holds barred approach, showing why doing SEM in house practically guarantees failure.
Oct 22, 2007
Online Ad Bubbles And The Future Of The Search Economy
by Mark Simon
In a follow-up to his column about a tech bubble, Mark provides tips on how to weather another dot-com crash.
Oct 19, 2007
Coca-Cola, Google, Branding, and Direct Marketing
by Kevin Lee
Kevin reports on his experience at Google's Zeitgeist conference--interactive marketing is where branding and direct response advertising converge.
Oct 15, 2007
Four Things That Could Kill the SEM Industry
by Dave Pasternack
Yes, there's been enormous growth in our industry over the past few years, but in many ways, we're still just hanging by a thread.
Oct 15, 2007
Is Google Backing Off From Universal Search?
by Mark Simon
Despite the great fanfare with which Google announced Universal Search a few months ago, they have served fewer and fewer media types on the general SERP.
Oct 12, 2007
In-House vs. Outsourced SEM: The CMO's Guide
by Kevin Lee
CMOs need to start thinking of outsourcing SEM as similar to outsourcing legal and accounting work: sometimes it just makes sense.
Oct 9, 2007
Rich Search Marketer, Poor Search Marketer
by Dave Pasternack
Many companies fail at SEM because they mistake their in house search teams for assets instead of seeing them as liabilities.
Oct 8, 2007
Is The Online Ad Industry Partying Like It’s 1999?
by Mark Simon
In 1999, stocks were flying high, and Web 1.0 was in its heyday. There are some eerie similarities between then and now.
Oct 5, 2007
Has Bid Management Become Obsolete?
by Kevin Lee
Both Google and Yahoo have introduced automated bid management tools. Here is a list of things marketers need to consider before using them.
Oct 2, 2007
Is Google a One-Trick Pony?
by Dave Pasternack
The Mountain View superstar could be the beginning of an empire or a flash in the pan.
Oct 1, 2007
Who's The Best Facebook Fit?
by Mark Simon
Google and Microsoft are in yet another overvalued acquisitions arms race. An analysis of what's different about Facebook.
Sep 28, 2007
Holiday Budget Jitters: Gut or Double Your Search Budget?
by Kevin Lee
Marketers may cut budgets in Q4 due to the overall economic slowdown. Build a case now for saving, or even increasing your search budget.
Sep 25, 2007
Madison Avenue: More Influential Than Ever?
by Dave Pasternack
Despite the confrontational rhetoric of new media chauvinists, the old dinosaurs on Madison Avenue are far from extinct. In fact, they're thriving.
Sep 24, 2007
BuzzTracker Is The Real Yahoo!
by Mark Simon
The latest Yahoo! acquisition shows that Yahoo is emerging as a powerful and unique player in online media.
Sep 18, 2007
Lead Gen Is Dead. Long Live Lead Gen!
by Kevin Lee
Leads can be differentiated in terms of quality by their sources. A new generation of lead gen firms are taking advantage of that.
Sep 18, 2007
Everything You Wanted to Know About Customers
by David Honig
In marketing, knowledge is power. The network that offers marketers the most knowledge will emerge as the leader.
Sep 18, 2007
SEM Agency Crisis: Who’s to Blame?
by Dave Pasternack
Clients who demand lower agency fees can expect lower quality results.
Sep 17, 2007
3 Ways Google Could Lose
by Mark Simon
The online king has done amazing things so far, but will its dominance continue or has it reached its peak?
Sep 14, 2007
PPC Search and the View-Through Conversion
by Kevin Lee
There is a right way and a wrong way to account for view-through conversions--and doing it the wrong way can kill your business.
Sep 13, 2007
Six Tips for Building Curiosity and Influence Into Your Search Campaigns
by Garry Bavaro
How can curiosity and influence—elements that are critical in any marketing campaign—be built or supported by search? Here are six tips to help you build a path that drives users toward a desired action, instead of one controlled by your competitors.
Sep 11, 2007
Tough Questions for CMOs
by Dave Pasternack
Many CMOs still don't give SEM the status it deserves based on its potential value to their businesses.
Sep 10, 2007
Ditch the Lunatic Web Content Crazes
by Mark Simon
We all like to think that the crazy Wild West days of interactive experimentation are over, but the exact opposite is true: There are more harebrained, half-baked content schemes on the web than ever, and at least 90% of them will fail.
Sep 7, 2007
Changes to Google’s Top Rank Formula, Part 2
by Kevin Lee
Google's new algorithm gives it one more level to pull to increase revenue at the expense of big spending marketers.
Sep 5, 2007
When Viral Marketing Turns Epidemic
by David Honig
Chat room robots, viral emails, and user generated feedback have done the one thing that a successful virus never does -- they’ve killed their hosts.
Sep 4, 2007
SEM Means Search Engine Merchandising (Not “Marketing”)
by Dave Pasternack
Your marketing has done its job once the searcher types in your keywords. SEM is more about enticing the sale then acquiring the customer.
Aug 31, 2007
Changes to Google’s Top Rank Formula, Part 1
by Kevin Lee
Google now charges advertisers a "Top Placement minimum" for ads that qualify for placement above the organic listings rather than on the right rail.
Aug 28, 2007
Dave to Ad Agencies: Do Your Homework or Get Out of My Office
by Dave Pasternack
A study by a British marketing think tank exposes an embarrassing truth about advertising agencies -— most of them do no research about their clients’ businesses.
Aug 27, 2007
Privacy Or Individuality?
by Mark Simon
Facebook recently announced that they’re going to target ads based on user profiles. Here’s what that means to privacy advocates and advertisers.
Aug 24, 2007
Quasi-Search: Contextual and Behavioral Marketing
by Kevin Lee
When marketers should look to expand their search campaign into other forms of online media that will affect search.
Aug 21, 2007
Google, Microsoft and Mechanized Warfare
by Dave Pasternack
An anecdote from World War II illuminates a lot about Google and Microsoft’s rivalry for dominance of online media.
Aug 20, 2007
How Search Will Save American Democracy
by Mark Simon
Because mainstream media coverage of the election focuses on everything but the issues, voters will need to turn to the search engines to find the information that matters to them.
Aug 17, 2007
Will an Economic Recession Hurt SEM?
by Kevin Lee
An overall slowdown in the economy could cause a tightening in marketing budgets, but there are reasons to think that SEM will survive, or even thrive.
Aug 14, 2007
Ten Internet Marketing Questions That Keep Me Up at Night (Part 2)
by Dave Pasternack
The Internet is not a level playing field, Yahoo has way too many employees, and most Web 2.0 companies will meet the same fate as their Web 1.0 ancestors.
Aug 13, 2007
GoogleClick, MicroQuant, And The Public Double Standard
by Mark Simon
Why Microsoft’s purchase of aQuantive has received the FTC stamp of approval and Google’s purchase of DoubleClick has not.
Aug 10, 2007
Which Test First?
by Kevin Lee
Search marketers need to run the tests that will likely result in the most significant revenue gains at the lowest cost.
Aug 7, 2007
Ten Internet Marketing Questions That Keep Me Up at Night (Part 1)
by Dave Pasternack
From banner ads to Google salespeople to sex offenders, Dave’s latest rant has a little of everything.
Aug 6, 2007
How Serious is Google About No Behavioral Targeting?
by Mark Simon
Last week, Google took a step down the slippery slope of behavioral targeting ads —- a journey that will inevitably end at the bottom of that slope.
Aug 3, 2007
Obsessed With the Competition
by Kevin Lee
Marketers need to stop monitoring their competition and industry averages and start monitoring themselves.
Aug 2, 2007
Death of the Rate Card
by David Honig
Even as Google stretches out its hand to rescue
newspapers from their sinking ship, the newspapers
still complain about the prices they’re getting.
Jul 30, 2007
Five Internet Marketing Questions that Keep Me Up At Night
by Dave Pasternack
There are troubling things going on in our industry that nobody is talking about. Nobody, except Dave
Pasternack, that is.
Jul 27, 2007
SEM Immaturity Threatens Industry Future
by Kevin Lee
The industry is volatile, both on the marketer and the agency side. But there is reason to hope that we will all grow up as SEM becomes a part of mainstream marketing culture.
Jul 23, 2007
MadMen and Online Ad Men: Is Advertising Really Better Today?
by Dave Pasternack
An online banner ad promoting a TV show about offline advertising suffers from technical difficulties. Which begs the question, have we improved at all?
Jul 23, 2007
Google's Shaky Investments
by Mark Simon
For the second time in its history as a public company, Google has disappointed Wall Street analysts. But this may not be the last time if they don't discipline their spending habits.
Jul 20, 2007
Google vs. Microsoft: Beyond PPC
by Kevin Lee
The arms race between the two giants in both search and apps will lead to a world where marketers must find their customers across a multitude of devices.
Jul 18, 2007
Will AOL Charge More Now?
by David Honig
Nielsen/Netratings just declared AOL “the most powerful Web brand.” Now advertisers should be concerned that publishers will charge higher rates based on bogus metrics.
Jul 16, 2007
“Which Search Engine is Best?” Nobody knows.
by Dave Pasternack
A recent study concludes that each search engine produces different results for the same search query, highlighting a need for an objective study to evaluate each engine.
Jul 16, 2007
Word to Nielsen: Brand Matters Less Than You Think
by Mark Simon
Last week, Nielsen/Netratings released a report about the most powerful Web brands, measured by time spent on a site. Here's why they're wrong.
Jul 13, 2007
Share of Voice in Search
by Kevin Lee
Google borrowed a concept from offline advertising by introducing SOV metrics to the AdWords reporting interface.
Jul 11, 2007
Can Yahoo! Get Smart Right?
by David Honig
Some of the hurdles that Yahoo will have to jump over to turn its new SmartAds program into a win for advertisers and publishers.
Jul 10, 2007
“I'm Not Who You Think I Am,” Said the Searcher to the Engine
by Dave Pasternack
Behavioral targeting is fundamentally flawed-it won't be relevant much of the time, and when it is relevant it will clutter pages and annoy users.
Jul 9, 2007
They're Smart Ads – But Are They Efficient?
by Mark Simon
Mark offers up a potential roadblock for the success if Yahoo's new ad program, and explains why success is so critical for Yahoo right now.
Jul 6, 2007
The Folly of PPC Independence
by Kevin Lee
Kevin scrutinizes eBay's “experiment” with shutting off Google AdWords, and concludes that while testing is good, abandonment leads to disaster.
Jul 2, 2007
Mobile Advertising's Goose Is Cooked
by Dave Pasternack
Dave debunks a study that tried to show that consumers don't mind mobile advertising, and predicts that in the future, consumers will find a way to turn ads off.
Jul 2, 2007
A Salute to Search Independence
by Mark Simon
Mark rattles off some amazing numbers that illuminate how successful paid search has been even as the rest of the ad industry has faltered.
Jul 1, 2007
Deciphering Web Data
by David Honig
Three questions every online marketer should ask in order to squeeze every last drop of efficiency out of online advertising.
Jun 29, 2007
Designated Searchers May Thwart Personalization
by Kevin Lee
An informal study shows that many searches are delegated to experts and influencers, which may render personalization and targeting irrelevant.
Jun 26, 2007
Did eBay Pay a Half Billion Dollars for Nothing?
by Dave Pasternack
Hitwise reported that during the period when eBay dropped its advertising on Google, traffic increased by 0.9%. This makes both eBay and Hitwise look bad.
Jun 25, 2007
GoogleBay, Or eGoogle?
by Mark Simon
eBay and Google's “lover's quarrel” of the past two weeks may never truly end. An examination of where business is headed.
Jun 22, 2007
Advice for Yahoo's Jerry Yang
by Kevin Lee
Now that Semel's out, Yahoo needs to return its focus to the reason it was founded, namely search and targeted ads.
Jun 22, 2007
I've Had It With Google Conspiracy Theories
by David Honig
The three most common theories about how Google is taking over the world, and why they're wrong.
Jun 19, 2007
Will Google or Microsoft Dominate the Post-Desktop Era?
by Dave Pasternack
As more computing is done on mobile devices, the company powering the software for those devices will have the edge.
Jun 18, 2007
Looking for Google's Future? You Can Find it on eBay.
By Mark Simon
A lesson Google can learn from its spat with eBay: don't alienate your business
partners.
Jun 15, 2007
The Buzz on Google Quality Score Changes
By Kevin Lee
Kevin offers tips on adjusting your AdWords campaign to stay on top of the ever-shifting ranking algorithms.
Jun 12, 2007
Why Haven't You Automated Your PPC Search Campaign?
By Dave Pasternack
Dave lists three reasons why so many marketers aren't using automated campaign management technologies.
Jun 11, 2007
eBay and Film Fires (Some Thoughts on Auction Media)
by Mark Simon
Mark spins a tale about unpredictability in traditional media buying and applies it to the emerging trend of auction-based media buying.
Jun 8, 2007
Beware the Beginning PPC Search Marketer
by Kevin Lee
Your competition can hurt you even if they have no idea that they're doing. But with a few smart tactics, you'll get the better of them.
Jun 5, 2007
Faith, Reason, and Advertising
by Dave Pasternack
Dave uses the analogy of the age-old human conflict to examine the battle between direct response advertisers and brand advertisers.
Jun 4, 2007
Getting Comfortable with Less Privacy
by Mark Simon
As the FTC puts Google's acquisition of DoubleClick under the microscope, they're leaving an important bloc out of the equation-actual Internet users.
Jun 1, 2007
RFP Do's and Don'ts
by Kevin Lee
Marketers who absolutely have to issue an RFP to select an SEM agency should ask these questions, and these questions only.
May 29, 2007
Microsoft Doesn't Need an Ad Agency
by Dave Pasternack
Microsoft is really interested in aQuantive's ad management software, not the ad agency.
