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Negative Keywords Improve PPC Advertising Efficiency

Submitted by garywalker on Sun, 07/11/2010 - 19:31

Recently we rebuilt and launched a PPC account for an Austin client that had over 3,000 negative keywords. In our 5+ years of search marketing, this was a record at TopSide. The research and collaboration with our client on negative keywords was very productive, and took about as many days as all the other components combined.

Twelve Questions to Ask Providers of Search Engine Marketing

Submitted by garywalker on Sat, 04/24/2010 - 08:21

As it says on the home page of our website, web marketing is a complex topic. Every day, your market gets more fractured, and there are more options to consider on what to do about it. It seems that everything to do with the Internet expands except the number of hours in your day to deal with it.

So, anything that can simplify a process without reducing its effectiveness too much should be considered, right? The questions below help you understand what kind of search engine marketing & advertising you need. For this discussion we will divide the options into two categories:

Focus On Keywords In Search Engine Marketing

Submitted by garywalker on Wed, 04/07/2010 - 16:48

The goal of today’s blog is to put some perspective on keywords as they are used in PPC advertising. Because we all use them daily in our searches, and they trigger both ads and natural results at the same time, it’s no wonder that keywords get so much attention in website advertising. Keywords happen to be one of the more tangible parts of search marketing. However, excessive focus on keywords can cause some other equally essential parts of the process to go lacking. We like lists, so...

Here’s our list of six facts about keywords in PPC ads:

How To Understand Internet Marketing

Submitted by garywalker on Thu, 12/24/2009 - 12:06

Marketing on the web, in some ways, is still like the Wild West. It has frontiers and exciting opportunities for profit, labor saving tools, and reliable experts. We also see well-intended but inept operators and a growing number of scammers and business perils. There are enough moving parts to overwhelm anyone who is not actively involved in web marketing -- even seasoned traditional marketers. From our perspective, we have two initial points of advice:

Your Company Name in Search Engine Advertising and Lead Generation

Submitted by garywalker on Sat, 11/28/2009 - 00:00

As we wrote in our May 2008 blog post, there are some very good reasons and best practices for having your company name as keywords to trigger search engine PPC ads. However, there are also some potential “gotchas” that online advertisers and buyer of leads should be aware of. Essentially, you want to make sure your company is making the most of these tactics, but not unknowingly paying for search traffic on your company name, especially at a premium price or mixed in with new customer acquisition reports.

Internet Search Engines - Used Like Telephone White Pages

Clarity in Search Engine Marketing and Advertising

Submitted by garywalker on Tue, 10/27/2009 - 23:00

In explaining website marketing and advertising, we often refer to the search engine results page as being like a split-screen television. The natural , organic results appear in the left/center of the page, and the ad results (called “Sponsored Links” in Google AdWords) display on top center and down the right side column. While both results are triggered simultaneously by the same search, the mechanisms behind the two types of results have many differences.

Reasons Your Business Should Systematically Track Incoming Phone Calls

Submitted by garywalker on Sun, 09/20/2009 - 09:12

Have you recently calculated the marketing or advertising cost of generating an incoming telephone lead or purchase? If so, were you surprised? This post explains tracking phone numbers and recording of incoming calls. The three main benefits of call tracking are: 1-to determine the source of business, 2- to monitor lead quality, and 3- to gauge your team’s effectiveness of handling the call. We find these tools particular useful for two categories of businesses: a- appointment based businesses; and b- businesses that have phone representatives answering incoming calls.

Search Marketing PPC Keywords: Attracting or Filtering Searchers

Submitted by garywalker on Wed, 08/19/2009 - 23:00

In this posting, when we use “keywords”, it relates to search terms, also known as “queries”, which computer users type in the search box when searching online. The term “keywords” is also used elsewhere: regarding page code (“meta tag keywords”); and in describing content on web pages (“keyword density”). A computer user’s query with keywords simultaneously triggers a search engine results page (SERP) containing both natural/organic results in the center of the page and ads on the top and side of the page. This fact usually compounds the confusion in those new to search marketing.

Using Google AdWords As A Research Tool

Submitted by garywalker on Sun, 05/31/2009 - 23:00

In our experience with search engine advertising, one of its unique aspects is that, in addition to directly generating online sales or leads, its robust settings provide an excellent tool for business research and planning. In the creation and management of search engine ads, the campaigns, ad groups, and more granular settings gather a great deal of useful data. This is particularly true for Google AdWords. When specifically set up for testing, the potential is a marketer’s dream. For example, we control the following primary variables:

Twelve Factors To Consider When Having A Website Overhauled Or A New Site Built

Submitted by garywalker on Sun, 04/05/2009 - 09:21

Many business owners are surprised to learn that a website can look good, contain many pages of original content, and still not be found by the search engines. Or even when it gets traffic, the same site may not be effective at converting visitors from natural or pay per click traffic to customers. Depending on the category, more than half the visitors “bounce off” the average website. This means they exited the landing page without going deeper or stayed less than a prescribed amount of time, usually 30 seconds for most web analytics programs.