ThinkSEM Consulting

Google AdWords Rewards Good Sentence Structure

noreply@blogger.com (ThinkSEM Consulting) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 16:15:00 +0000

Last Thursday, Google AdWords announced a big change to (select) PPC ads. It seems those marketers who like proper sentence structure will be rewarded with a much longer "headline" – but only if they're already showing up in the coveted "top 3" section. For those ads utilizing sentences for each line of their ads, they'll see the second line jump up to join the first – separated by a hyphen – and the third line will occupy the second's place:

So these ads aren't really receiving more copy for their ad; just a longer headline. How is this such a big change to Google PPC ads? Well, for starters, if you're showing up in the top 3 places, you already have a bigger boost over your competitors (i.e., those in the 4th-10th place positions) but now with the longer headlines, you can stand out amongst the top 3 spots, even if you're the third ad:

As evidence by this pizza example, it seems you can even have multiple sentences in your 2nd line and still have those show up alongside your headline.

Of course, once everyone catches on and starts writing their ads in sentence structure – i.e., ending each line with a period or question mark – we'll be back to square 1 and still need to come up with creative ad copy to stand out. But for right now, suffice it to say if you use sentences for each line of your pay-per-click ads, you're more likely to get a bump in your click-through-rate.

Gone are the days of trying to cram as many words into each line of your PPC ads as you can; now we've got to be grammatically correct. After re-writing all your ads to ensure you (hopefully) show up with a longer headline, the next step is to also show up with a Google Boost:

But wait...is it really about good sentence structure?

After re-writing some ads and checking to see what other businesses are doing to gain an edge within this new format, I'm finding it's not about overall sentence use in ads, it's really about how the 2nd line of ad copy is punctuated. The 3rd line evidently doesn't factor in at all – as long as your 2nd line appears to be proper sentence structure, you get your longer headline. The family attorney ad above is an example, as well as this:

Notice how the 3rd ad line (now moved to the 2nd line) isn't punctuated. However, the 2nd ad line IS punctuated, so it moves up to join the headline. But, wait...hang on!

That 2nd ad line isn't a sentence...is it? Come to think of it, neither of those ads used proper sentences at all. Just to be sure, I had to re-read the blog post from Google AdWords about this detail:

..."we’re changing the placement of the first description line for certain ads that appear above the search results on Google. For some ads where each line appears to be a distinct sentence and ends in the proper punctuation, description line 1 will be moved to the headline and separated by a hyphen."

This got me to thinking: what, exactly, does Google AdWords consider a sentence? According to Dictionary.com, a sentence is:

"a sequence of words capable of standing alone to make an assertion, ask a question, or give a command, usually consisting of a subject and a predicate containing a finite verb."

Curious, because the more I look, the more I run across ads which are not only missing punctuation in their ad copy, they're not even using sentence structure:

Let's not mention the fact this business makes a hefty assumption about their skills; neither their 2nd nor 3rd lines of ad copy are sentences. In fact, they're sentence fragments – and poorly punctuated ones at that. But, at least they use all English words.

I realize we live in a world of texting and instant-messaging short-hand, but could this ad's 3rd line be deemed even a sentence fragment (even with proper punctuation)?

Let's take another look at that example, so we can all see how few actual sentences exist in those 2 highlighted ads. In fact, sentence fragments abound:

Evidently Google AdWords needs to redefine their definition of "sentence," or start imposing a more thorough check of ad copy before assuming proper sentence structure is used – if that's indeed what they mean when they say each line of ad copy needs to be a "distinct sentence."

You be the judge – sentences only, or sentence fragments?

MnSEM (Minnesota Search Engine Marketing Association) to Launch with “Search Party” Networking Event in Minneapolis

noreply@blogger.com (ThinkSEM Consulting) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:59:00 +0000

This is very exciting for me and other search marketers in the Twin Cities! Join the Minnesota Search Engine Marketing Association at our first official event the “Search Party: MnSEM Launch”. Get to know MnSEM and our members with an evening of networking, drinks, and of course talking search!

Register here today!: http://mnsem.eventbrite.com/

We’re looking for feedback on what the search community would like for meet-ups in the Twin Cities. We’re currently gathering members at our group on Linkedin to connect search engine marketing folks: http://www.linkedin.com/groupRegistration?gid=3563768. We’re also on Twitter- hey! @MnSEM

Who Should Attend MnSEM: All current MnSEM members, marketing professionals who have a passion for Search (all search disciplines), and those who are interested in joining the Minnesota Search Engine Marketing Association.

Sponsor: Leading brand and media consultancy, FRWD is proud to host and sponsor the launch of MNSEM (Minnesota Search Engine Marketing Association). They can be found at: frwdco.com

When: Thursday, November 18, 2010 from 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM (CT)

Where: Headquarters of FRWD Co., in the Ford Building near Target Field in Minneapolis

FRWD Co.
420 5th Street N #1186
Minneapolis, MN 55401

About Us: MnSEM is start-up professional organization for search engine marketers in Minnesota, aligning industry professionals to promote collaboration and knowledge sharing across search disciplines. Organizers of MnSEM, include; Lisa Raehsler, SEM strategy consultant, with over 12 years of experience in online marketing specializing in pay-per-click (PPC); James Svoboda, Partner and Director of Search at the Best Search Engine Marketing Agency in Portland Oregon with a 11-year background in search engine marketing consulting; and Clint Danks, Owner of ThinkSEM Consulting, LLC, who offers PPC, landing page development, and web analytics. In all, these industry leaders bring a combined 30 years of search engine marketing experience to MnSEM.

Google Instant Preview Says Design for Function

noreply@blogger.com (ThinkSEM Consulting) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 16:58:00 +0000

When Google Instant rolled out way back when – let's be honest, anything older than "a few days" in the online world is filed in the "ago" – the entire SEO world was up in arms. Blog posts, articles and tweets of "SEO is DEAD!" abounded. Again. Every time Google does anything it's declared as a spear through the heart of search optimization. No worries. Google Instant did NOT kill SEO. Truly.

But now a new function is about to roll out within Google Instant: The Preview. Soon, not only will Google fill in the SERP while a user types; once the query is chosen the user will gain even more insight into the results. By clicking on the magnifying glass to the right of the <title> tag, every user will be able to discern just what type of web page they'd be visiting by seeing an Instant Preview:

Pretty cool, huh? It even pulls out snippets of text on the page (seems to pull data from the meta description).

So, other than the coolness of this new, soon-to-be function, what effect – if any – could or should this have on websites? On SEO? Design?

Well, therein lies the rub. Depending on how you wish your site to appear at a glance to a potential visitor, you might want to re-think how you've built your site. Do flash aspects make a site look cool once the visitor's on the page? Sure. Will it show up in The Instant Preview? Nope. Take a look at our own site's preview:

While still a good snapshot – along with some text information pulled out in orange – you can see our cool flash portion doesn't translate. Not a big deal, but certainly something to think about.

For those sites still built entirely in flash (ahem, ad agencies, you know who you are), well, they'll definitely be at a distinct disadvantage:

A slightly-less-than-desirable user experience.

And, it seems if web designers want to use a flash fade-in that also affects The Instant Preview:

Should every web master design to avoid a "bad" Instant Preview? Surely not. After all, we're not sheeple.

BUT, if you want your website's first impression to be a fully-functioning, easy-to-see experience...then yes. Also, from Google's testing, they're predicting that users who take advantage of this functionality will be 5% more likely to be satisfied with their choice. But don't take my word for it. Read more about Instant Preview, try it out, and see for yourself.

Google Instant Did Not Kill SEO

noreply@blogger.com (ThinkSEM Consulting) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:08:00 +0000

In light of the new Google Instant search function and a lot of people's unnecessary knee-jerk reactions, we here at ThinkSEM thought we'd alleviate your anxiety about search engine optimization moving forward.
First and foremost, SEO is NOT dead – as some purport it to be with this new change, very similar in function to Google Suggest – in fact, to quote Matt Cutts,

"SEO is in many ways about change. The best SEOs recognize, adapt, and even flourish when changes happen."

Just because Google has changed – again, we might add – the way SERPs are served doesn't mean website optimization is irrelevant.

How else is Google going to determine which results to show in the Instant searches? The same way they have for the past who-knows-how-long: by using their algorithms to determine relevancy between keyword queries and online documents.

The same thing happened when Google offered up their Suggest feature. This is merely suggestions without having to click any more than we have to!

Now, what will most likely change is the way search engine users actually search. Even with a specific question to be answered or need to be filled, searchers had to type in a full keyword/phrase and decide which of the results on the SERP they wanted to read. Then, they'd possibly refine their searches further, sometimes branching off into tangents until they saturated themselves with information. This is not to say Google (or any search engine, for that matter) doesn't return relevant results; rather, how many times have you started searching for one thing and ended up reading about something slightly different but it was what you needed?

Well, the same theory still applies, except now they just don't have to type as much before finding all the information they want, because it's offered up immediately for consideration. And, for those of you who don't think this is the type of search for you, you can always opt out of it. Google gives you that option right away.

So, rest easy, website owners. It's not a question of whether or not search optimization is dead; it's a question of will you recognize a great leap forward in search?

Actually, it might not even be that big of a jump forward...Google might've gone a little retro with this new feature. It seems in 2005 Yahoo! implemented a similar Instant Search function but didn't put it on yahoo.com and it evidently never flourished. Also, in 2006 AlltheWeb had Livesearch – which evidently was extremely like Google Instant – but that didn't take, either. Of course, we think that was most likely due to the fact these search functions weren't front-and-center, like Google's is.

Long story short – SEO isn't going anywhere, but search definitely is.

Adwords Game Has Changed

noreply@blogger.com (ThinkSEM Consulting) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:10:00 +0000

Pay-per-click continues to change – maybe not drastically, but Google especially is always on the lookout for any advances and improvements to this multi-billion dollar enterprise. Well, a global Adwords change is in effect (after a beta test in the UK and Canada), and it's a biggie: broad match modifier.

What is Broad Match Modifier?
According to Google's Agency Ad Solutions Blog,

"The broad match modifier lets you create keywords which have greater reach than phrase match and more controlled than broad match. To implement, put a plus symbol (+) directly in front of one or more words (no spaces between + symbol and word). Each word preceded by a + must appear in the search exactly or as a close variant."

To recap the different match types and define the newest member:

Broad match = ads show for matches on any variation of a keyword, plus similar keywords. E.g., the keyword western saddle could receive matches for western saddle pads, horse tack, roping saddle, western stirrups, etc.
Phrase match = ads show for matches on keyword phrases which match/contain phrase. E.g., "western saddle" could receive matches for western saddle pads, western saddle tack shops, fitting a western saddle, etc.
Exact match = ads show for matches on exact keyword/phrase only. E.g., [western saddle] would match only western saddle.
Negative match = ads do not show for any matches on keyword. E.g., –western saddle.
Broad match modifier = ads show for matches on exact or "close variants" (misspellings, plural/singular, acronyms, etc.) . E.g., western +saddle could receive matches for english saddle, roping saddle, barrel saddle, etc. +western +saddle could receive matches for wstern saddle, custom western saddles, etc.

With the new broad match modification option, Google's now allowing PPC marketers to refine their broad match keywords without having to add a myriad of negative keywords. For those whose pay-per-click marketing campaigns rely heavily on broad and phrase match keywords, this new modification match type can eliminate a lot of work.

It's important to note that while the broad match modifier option can show ads for close variants, that doesn't include synonyms or related searches. Also, if you're about to switch all your PPC broad match keywords to use the new modifier, be prepared for a negative shift in click volume.

Why Is Google Pushing Brands?

noreply@blogger.com (ThinkSEM Consulting) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:53:00 +0000

Last year, Google rolled out a big change – named the Vince Update – in the way their algorithm ranked brand-name sites. Sorry, in the way they "trusted" brand-name sites. While this of course had little to no effect on me personally (I don't own a brand-name website nor do I think I have to click on one when it's presented in a SERP) it did create quite a stir in the online community, and had many asking, "Why is Google all of a sudden focusing on big names?"

Well, the plot...she thickens, my friend. It seems Google's now shoe-horning other additions into their SERPs – still focused on driving eyeballs to brand-name sites.

To explain the first SERP change, I have to back up a bit and talk about Chrome – for those of you living under a rock, that's Google's browser – and one of its functions. While Chrome doesn't tell you PageRank (which seems odd, since that's pretty much Google's "cool-o-meter" for web pages), it does some pretty cool things, such as allows you to personalize your browser look and feel (mine's of course leopard print). Anyway. Other than aesthetics, Chrome also offers a Similar Pages button (in beta) to viewers; if you like the web page you're looking at and would like to quickly view, you got it, similar pages, you just click that button and voilà.

It seems Google wants to bring this function into their SERPs, as well. For name-brand searches they're offering up a "Pages Similar To" section:

These results do occur at the bottom of the SERP, but exist nonetheless. And, how does Google choose WHICH brands get represented here? Probably based on the 'trust' they perceive coming from Vince.

According to yesterday's post at Search Engine Land, Google's other addition is a test: pushing brands at the top of the SERP for product searches. However, in performing multiple searches this morning to determine the reach, it seems they've rolled this one out on a vast – if not complete – scale:

I can see where Google would test with extremely high-profile searches such as "point and shoot cameras," "HD TVs," even "laptop bags." However, I find it hard to believe they're merely testing with searches such as "dog leashes," since I myself am a dog owner and I didn't even know about the majority of those brand names. The point? I don't think Google's simply testing this anymore. It would seem to be standard procedure now...and not only is it (more than likely) here to stay; this brand-name pushing is taking up valuable real estate on the SERPs, pushing organic results even farther down.

The big question here is, why is Google pushing name brands at us?

Remarketing on the Google Content Network

noreply@blogger.com (ThinkSEM Consulting) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:20:00 +0000

It would seem Google has been dabbling in remarketing for a while. We first noticed it in the SERPs a few years ago. Historically, session-based broad match has been active within the search side of PPC; rumors run rampant that a new version of remarketing, on the content network, is in BETA and will be available to Adwords advertisers who qualify.

What is Remarketing?

Remarketing (online) is serving ads to users who've seen some aspect of your site, but didn't take a desired action. For an example, let's say a visitor is browsing your site and ends up on a key page. From this page, said visitor could convert, but instead backs out.

Then this visitor heads to another site – a site on the content network. There s/he is then served up with an ad hauntingly reminiscent of the hotel site recently visited.

Why Remarket?

What's the point of remarketing to someone who's left your site, anyway? Well, for starters, if a visitor has already been to your site – i.e., shown an interest in what you're offering – they're a pre-qualified lead. Just because they didn't take 'action' the first time doesn't mean they won't if given the opportunity again. It's much easier to 'close' an interested party than a new visitor.

As with anything in BETA, only time will tell how it'll impact advertisers – or users, for that matter – but we're pretty optimistic about Google's venture into content network remarketing.

Yahoo Search Marketing Enhancements

noreply@blogger.com (ThinkSEM Consulting) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 22:03:00 +0000

For those PPC advertisers looking to make their lives easier, Yahoo! Search Marketing has added a couple new enhancements to their dashboard: a campaign import tool and the network distribution feature (and accompanying tools).

Campaign Import Tool

Now you can easily migrate campaigns from Google Adwords into Yahoo! Search Marketing. All you have to do is download your data into a .CSV file and save it to your computer, then import the file into the Yahoo! Sponsored Search program. You can import everything from campaigns on down to keywords. However, you cannot import geo-targeting; this has to be manually added after the upload is complete.

Network Distribution

Target Yahoo! Partners, Yahoo! Search or both with this new feature. Continue to use PPC best practices by separating Search and Content Partners campaigns. This will allow you to manage the campaigns with more control. Here are some tools available to help with the feature:

Conversion-Only Analytics – a conversion is, of course, when a web user completes a desired action, whether it's filling out a form, purchasing a product or downloading a PDF. Add programming code to your 'confirmation' pages (i.e., a "thank you" page or the order confirmation) in order to track conversions. In order to enable this, you must first activate conversion-only analytics:
- Click the Administration tab, and then click the Analytics subtab. The Analytics Settings page will open. (If the analytics feature is disabled, click Enable Analytics.)
- Select the Conversion Only Analytics option.
- Click 'Activate.'
Network Distribution Performance Report* – this reporting tool gives advertisers data on the best-performing keywords and ad groups within campaigns in regards to conversions, revenue and lead generation. Being able to identify the strongest elements of campaigns – in both Yahoo! Partners and Yahoo! Search – means the ability to easily hone ads and keywords for even greater conversion.

Filter reports by hierarchy level, name, event type, distribution channel and account.
Track clicks, CTR, average CPC, cost, conversion and revenue.
*Get the most out of this by installing conversion-only analytics.

Blocked Domains – this feature allows advertisers to block their ads from showing on websites (up to 500 domains) within the partner network. If there are sites on which Sponsored Search or Content Match ads aren't performing well, it makes sense to block those and focus on the websites with the best return on ad spend (ROAS).
Ad Delivery Report – advertisers can view reports detailing the information about the URLs on which their ads are displaying. See:
- All domains/URLs where ads appear.
- Metrics by URL for impressions, cost, conversions, etc.
- Information about how individual URLs are performing, allowing better usage of Blocked Domains feature.

So there it is. An easier pay-per-click platform allowing deeper involvement, better tracking and a much easier way to implement campaigns from Google.

Contact Form Extensions: Lead Capture

noreply@blogger.com (ThinkSEM Consulting) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:55:00 +0000

It's no news Google was offering a new service for Adwords advertisers: contact form extensions. It might be news to hear if you didn't already sign up for it, it's too late – at least for now. The cut-off was January 18th, 2010; technically, since that was Martin Luther King day, the cut-off was more than likely the Sunday before or even Friday the 15th, since we're not sure Google works on weekends.

This new lead capture function – currently in beta – is yet another extension opportunity added to Google's ever-burgeoning list (including local extensions and sitelinks extensions). While other ad enhancements – such as listing a city, address or even a map within an Adwords ad – might seem intuitive information to provide a search engine user, what are the ramifications of listing out a contact form right from the SERP?

Since this is a brand-new feature and most likely isn't very easy to find, this'll be all conjecture but here are some of the pros and cons:

Pros:

CPA at point of CPC: Normally cost-per-action (CPA) marketing is more 'involved' than cost-per-click (CPC) advertising. Why? Because in a CPA model, the advertiser only pays after the visitor has clicked on an ad, gone through a funnel/process and THEN filled out a form. With Google's contact form extensions, advertisers get to acquire the lead for the cost of a click.
Information capture: Google takes care of acquiring the information and providing the lead ID or PIN to the advertiser in an email. Once the advertiser receives this information, they can call the designated phone number to retrieve the lead information. Pretty slick.

Cons:

#1 spot only: Only those ads showing up in the number 1 sponsored position can display the contact form extension. This means the ad had better already be at its best before entering into the program.
Max CPC: If your ad does show up in the #1 spot, and a visitor does fill out the form, you'll end up paying your maximum cost-per-click for that lead. Might not be a big deal for everyone, but some markets out there are pretty competitive.
Sales cycle: When you offer a user a contact form right from a CPC ad, can you be sure where you're hitting them in the buying cycle? What if they're merely looking to gather as much information as possible?
Harder sales pitch: Piggybacking off the sales cycle concern, these types of leads (i.e., those leads who've come in via 'spray-and-pray' for information) are much more likely to need a lot more information, convincing and sales talent in order to close.
Web users: Because we've worked with all types of web users, the question must be asked...will the average Joe surfing the Internet looking for information know to click on that plus sign to even find the form?

It seems our con list outweighs the pro, but of course our opinion – or, for that matter, of anyone – at this point is just that. Only time and statistics will tell how this new Google extension will fare.

Google Jump To Links in Snippets

noreply@blogger.com (ThinkSEM Consulting) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 19:22:00 +0000

It seems that along with consistently displaying sites' breadcrumbs in place of URLs within SERP snippets, Google's decided to give users another advancement in their "rich snippets." The ultimate ease in search engine use: they're also now increasingly showing 'jump to' links within the snippet, allowing visitors to 'jump' from the search results page right to the most relevant information (for them) on the listed web page.

For those not quite up-to-speed, a 'jump to' link is a link on a page which allows a web visitor to literally jump - normally down the page - to a different section within the content. Learn more about the HTML coding for 'jump to' links at the bottom of this post. Hop to it*.

I first noticed this while performing a search for "product liability law firm." It was a confusing finding at first, since this FindLaw Firmsite isn't functioning and I couldn't tell what I was looking at:

I started searching other topics and was able to find other examples across the web:

In looking for further examples, I ran across an interesting discrepancy...this screen shot (below) is interesting in that both these results look like one-line sitelinks. In the first result, the sitelinks are actually jump links within Wikipedia. So, it seems 'jump to' links can actually be presented as one-line sitelinks:

The point here is to show the difference between the relatively new (late September 2009) jump links included within snippets as compared to the older (~April '09) sitelinks addition.

Yet another way Google's working to improve their users' SERP experience via rich snippets.

Jump Link Coding
The HTML coding for 'jump to' links is two-part: one part coding for the actual content to which a jump link is pointing (a 'named anchor') and one part coding for the link itself.

So to name an anchor, you'd code it as: <a name="label">Anchor Text</a>
Then to name the link to the anchor: <a href="#label">Anchor Text</a>

* In a post about jump links, you'd think I'd have actually given a live example within this post. Well, I would've, except Blogger - according to the help forum - can't handle that type of link right now. See, they're undergoing their own enhancements, but evidently not as successfully as Google proper. Once the bug is fixed, I'll update this post to contain a working jump link...sigh.

Google Local Packs Not Showing for 'Marketing' Industry

noreply@blogger.com (ThinkSEM Consulting) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 02:00:00 +0000

About a month ago, we were putting together a training presentation for a client and needed some industry-specific slides to show local results in SERPs. The company does mainly web design, so we thought we'd show a slide of "Minneapolis web design" results to point out the traffic they were missing from local listings. (They didn't have a Google Local Business Center account.)

Imagine our surprise when we couldn't find any 7-pack results for our queries. Whether using a geographic modifier or not, the Google local results were eerily absent for web design/development keywords. What was going on? Mike Blumenthal called out this issue on November 24th with his article about the apparent web design 7-pack 'bug' which seemed to be affecting only web design and development searches, so it seemed we weren't the only ones to notice.

Google has known about this issue since then, and possibly even before. This whole avalanche was evidently started by the "one web box result bug"- wherein only 1 local listing would show where the pack of 7 was supposed to - but it seems in fixing that bug, they created this new one. Not only has the 'web design bug' not been fixed (it has a LOT of people asking "When Will Google Fix the Web Design Local Pack Bug?"); the 7-pack is now not showing up for virtually any marketing/advertising type queries:

However, it seems just about any other profession - outside of marketing - is still getting local love (with or without geography; we've added it here to show the results higher up on the SERP):

But, is the 'bug' - for those industries not currently showing up in the Google 7-pack - partially fixed? We noticed for some searches local listings can appear:

It appears with this formula: "industry/service + in + city" at least a 3-pack will show, if not the entire 7-pack. But, is this the way people are searching? Also...is this a 'bug' at all?

The reason we're beating the dead horse here is simply because of the loss of traffic. While we've noticed an overall decline (due to the holiday season), we've noticed the traffic from Google Local has taken a nose-dive. This only makes sense, since those listings are no longer showing (or, if they are, it's severely less frequently than previously). This raises a good question: if so much traffic was coming in via local listings, obviously searchers like and use them. So, do searchers miss their local query map results?
A final question - let's pose it as 'open' - to Google: when will this 7-pack 'bug' be fixed, if at all?

***Addendum***
Alas, it seems this was/is not a case of Google fixing a 'bug,' rather, it was the instigation of a new method. Said method being, simply, Google no longer shows any marketing/advertising/web design/SEO type results within the 7-pack of local listings (previously referred to as the 10-pack). According to "Joel H." of Google,

Today, we're intentionally showing less local results for web design / SEO queries. For example, [web design sacramento] doesn't display local listings today. We believe this is an accurate representation of user intent. In some cases, we do show local listings...[web design in bellingham]. I'm sure some of you feel we should be displaying local results for queries like [Web Design Vancouver]. I understand that concern, but based on our understanding of our users, we feel this is the right decision for now.

I'll give the usual disclaimer that we're constantly working on improving the user experience and results will vary over time. So, this could change in the future, but I wanted to be explicit about what we're doing today.

So that's that!

Tracking Google Adwords SiteLinks

noreply@blogger.com (ThinkSEM Consulting) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 21:16:00 +0000

What are Adwords Sitelinks?
A few days ago, Google rolled out the Adwords Sitelinks feature, allowing PPC advertisers to display site links right in their ads (it was available the beginning of November, but only to certain advertisers). Unlike organic Google Sitelinks - over which webmasters have little to no control -Adwords Sitelinks are not only an opt-in feature, they're chosen specifically by the advertiser. They don't necessarily always show: Adwords Sitelinks only display for the 'single top-ranked ad for a given user search.'

Why would it behoove an advertiser to supply more links in their pay-per-click ads? For starters, instead of showing one destination URL, with Adwords Sitelinks an ad can display a total of FIVE destination URLs. While it might seem you should offer visitors the 'best' URL for a keyword, there are times when - even in a PPC ad - the destination URL is the home page. For example, a search for a company name or even a branded search would be a good time to show multiple URLs to a visitor.

How do I Track Adwords Sitelinks?
Since this is such a new addition to the Google Adwords platform, it isn't even very prevalent - yet. On Monday we had a conference call with our Google Adwords rep, and happened to ask how on earth to track the additional destination URLs. Turns out they haven't integrated that into the automatic analytics tracking, but there IS a manual way to go about tracking Adwords Sitelinks.

Within "Networks, devices and extensions" you'll see the 'Ad extensions' option. For each ad, you can add up to (10) site links. (If you add 10, Adwords will rotate the links just as they rotate multiple ads within an ad group - they do place additional emphasis on the 'top 4' slots, and give less attention to the links in descending order after that.) You have complete control over what to call the links (anchor text) as well as denote destination URLs.

In order to track these links, you must add a unique query parameter to identify each one. For Adwords query parameters, it makes sense to call out the identifier with a 'sitelinks' reference, such as mysite.com/page?sitelinks=identifier. In the Minnesota School of Business example above, for each of the separate links (we'll use the 4 listed), possible identifying query parameters could be:

While you can certainly call out (10) separate URLs to rotate within an ad - or across multiple ads - there's also an option to track multiple anchor text links to the same destination URL. Using the same principle as above - appending a query parameter - you can call out identifiers for the different links which point to the same destination URL, like this:

What if Destination URLs Already Utilize Parameters?
For those sites which already utilize parameters, you might be thinking "how do I call out those links in Adwords?" You can append multiple parameters. The original parameter is called out with a '?' and any subsequent parameters are denoted with '&'.

For instance, if a URL was mysite.com/degrees?id=123 you would append the additional parameter for Adwords to create mysite.com/degrees?id=123&sitelink=degree-programs.

Armed with this knowledge, we set out to test Adwords Sitelinks to see how they affect overall click-throughs and how visitors use the additional relevancy in the links. Thus far, with only a few days' worth of analytics, it seems those additional (4) destination URLs are receiving approximately 10% of the clicks within ads. Keep in mind this is a very new feature, so it could be visitors aren't used to seeing those sitelinks within Adwords ads.

Good Names to Know in the Search Industry

noreply@blogger.com (ThinkSEM Consulting) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:41:00 +0000

In looking back at how far ThinkSEM has come in just 2 short years, we were thinking how we got our start, how search continues to change and where we've learned information along the way. Here are a few names we like in the search industry.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Rand Fishkin (SEOmoz)

Rand got his start in Internet marketing in high school (in 1993, no less) building websites, then moved on to the search forums and online networks. Eventually he began contributing to the conversation and had enough content to start what is now known as SEOmoz, a website devoted to providing SEO advice, tips and tools to the search community and one of the most prominent sites in the field.

Not only a CEO and founder, he frequently speaks at search conferences such as Search Engine Strategies (SES) conferences, as well as Search Marketing Expo (SMX) conferences, which he helped start. If you've attended events in the past but weren't sure which search nerd he was, he was the one wearing yellow pumas.
Learn more about RandFish.

Aaron Wall (SEOBook)

A search engine optimization expert and blogger, Aaron is CEO of SEOBook, a blog devoted to SEO training tips and tools. He also speaks frequently at SES and PubCon conferences.

SEOBook has implemented many projects over the years, including a book, a meta search engine, a keyword research tool and an SEO Firefox plug-in we highly recommend.
Learn more about Aaron.

Vanessa Fox (Nine By Blue)

Best known for creating Google Webmaster Tools, Vanessa is also a search optimization expert, consultant, blogger, speaker at search industry events and founder of Nine By Blue, a marketing company. Events she regularly attends include SES, SMX, BlogHer and Web 2.0 Conference.

Her latest blogging endeavor - Jane and Robot - revolves around advice for web developers to develop search-friendly sites.
Learn more about Vanessa.

Link Building

Eric Ward (EricWard.com)

Also referred to in the search world as "LinkMoses," Eric got his start with Internet marketing back in 1994, when he started NetPOST and URLwire. Of course, back then it was called "website promotion," not link building. Integral to the launch - and link building campaign - of Amazon.com, Eric has also helped other big-name companies get their online footing over the years.

Though he calls it 'content publicity,' the rest of us lump what he does under the broad term of link building. He continues to consult clients - some of them Fortune 500 companies - in best practices and also offers training.

Learn more about Eric.

Arnie Kuenn (Vertical Measures)

Now the president of Vertical Measures - an Internet marketing company - Arnie started building companies back in the early '90s. He won awards for his technology company in 1993, then in 1999 he started MediaChoice, which ended up being purchased by Nielsen Media in '04.

I saw this guy speak at SMX Advanced in Seattle; he has very impressive link building ideas.
Learn more about Arnie.

Pay-per-Click (PPC)

Brad Geddes (bg Theory, LLC)

Brad has too many qualifications and accomplishements to list here. His biggest achievements (according to ThinkSEM) are: becoming one of the first 100 Google Advertising Professionals; numerous yearly speaking engagements at search conferences; writing 2 books and editing a 3rd; starting bg Theory.

Learn more about Brad.

Craig Danuloff (ClickEquations)

Craig began one of the first ecommerce software companies in 1994, built one of the first desktop publishing service bureaus, has authored books and speaks at search industry conferences.

This guy is brilliant - I've seen him speak on 3 different PPC panels at SMX - and knows his stuff.
Learn more about Craig.

Blogging

Ed Kohler (The Deets)

Ed's a fellow Twin Cities resident who blogs about stuff. Thing is, he's very opinionated and while it can get him a lot of rebuttals and comments, we respect him for standing up for what he thinks is right. He never seems to be swayed other people's thoughts and keeps on blogging.

Learn more about Ed.

Local Search

David Mihm (Mihmorandum)

While he also designs and builds sites for his clients, his main focus these days is local search. If you want to learn more about local search - what it is, how to optimize for it - David's your guy.

Learn more about David.

This list isn't all-inclusive by any means; just a few names in the industry we know about, have heard speak (or even met in person), respect and think others should know about.

Adwords Local Extensions

noreply@blogger.com (ThinkSEM Consulting) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:12:00 +0000

In addition to offering simple geo-targeting options for PPC campaigns, Google Adwords also offers advertisers the option of further pinpointing potential customers with local extensions.

States/DMAs in Adwords Ads
For quite some time it's been possible to add the state or DMA – where geographically relevant – in Adwords ads.

This example shows the difference between showing the DMA versus the state but it also points out which ad - intuitively - is likely more relevant. While not one of the largest states, Minnesota is still a fairly broad geo-targeting option for something as specific as "wood flooring," which is most likely going into someone's home; and driving to Brainerd from St. Paul for wood most likely won't happen.

This next example shows more competitive businesses vying for potential customers. Notice how they're all targeting the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area to show the user they're located within the Twin Cities.

What Are Local Extensions?
Recently, Adwords has made it possible to add a company's physical address in the ad (local extension). This can be an extremely important factor, since the user can see the exact location – i.e., street address – of the business right from the ad, without having to click through to the landing page.
In larger cities – such as Los Angeles – this could mean the difference between wasted clicks/money and very qualified traffic due to location. A business located within "Los Angeles" isn't always very close to the user; it can take quite a while to drive from one side to the other. Even in smaller metro areas (Minneapolis-St. Paul) a business can be 5 miles away but the user could prefer something closer or even easier to access. With the local extension option, advertisers can let the user know immediately if the location is the best for them.

New Adwords Extensions & Enhancements

noreply@blogger.com (ThinkSEM Consulting) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:03:00 +0000

Not only does Google continually refine and improve their organic listings for users (like displaying breadcrumb navigation right in the search results), Adwords is making leaps and bounds to show the most relevant ads to users.

New Adwords Formats
The latest changes to Google Adwords are more 'extensions' options. We've already seen their local extensions gaining popularity, and now the stakes are higher. While still in their infancy, these new ad formats are already being utilized and are probably already influencing the way search engine users find information.

Ad Sitelinks
We've already become accostumed to seeing larger sites showing up in the SERPs with sitelinks – making it much easier to head right to the most important section.

Apply this same concept to Adwords and you've got Google SiteLinks. By adding site links into the Adwords ad, advertisers give users the option of clicking on the most relevant options within that site.

Thinking those sitelinks might not work? It's okay - Adwords allows you to track sitelinks to see which links are valuable.

Product Extensions
This is a feature of Google Merchant Circle. Along with giving users options on where to land on the site, product extensions give context to the ad and site. If people are searching for products, they're most likely in the buying mood, and thus showing them relevant products right from the ad is a smart way to engage them and show them some options.

This is somewhat similar to – but much more advanced – than Product Listing Ads:

Comparison Ads
This option is "only available to a limited number of advertisers in the mortgage/refinance space" but offers a very handy experience to users of comparing refinance and mortgage loans right from the ad. (images courtesy of Googleblog)

More New Ad Features

Location Extensions. These show a physical map and address (as an expansion) within the ad. Also in this category: showing multiple locations for a business, along with the possibility of searching for a specific location.

Videos in Ads. Personally I couldn't find any of these – and they're most likely only available on a limited basis – but with this format the advertiser can embed a video within the ad, again, as an expansion.

Read more about the new Google Adwords ads (and see their images; I didn't want to steal them all) here.

Google Showing Breadcrumbs In SERPs

noreply@blogger.com (ThinkSEM Consulting) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:26:00 +0000

Many years ago, there was a vast difference in the way search engines returned results in their search engine results pages (SERPs). Of course, the algorithms used different criteria for ranking, mostly based on heavy keyword usage.

There was a distinct dichotomy between those websites built for users and those employing search engine optimization tactics of the day. The split mainly occurred in regards to content and keyword usage - remember, the main 'factor' search engines looked at back then was keyword density in the content of pages. Unfortunately, those sites might not have the best layout or the usability of the site probably wasn't ideal.

But it's almost 2010 and search engines - their algorithms, ranking factors and usability criteria - have changed considerably. Now, search engines 'reward' those sites which are not only searchable but very user friendly. Keep in mind: search engines not only want their users to find relevant sites, they want them to STAY on those sites. If they stay on the site(s) they were given to choose from by the search engine, that means they've found something they like and their trust of that search engine rises. Therefore, they're much more likely to use said search engine for future searches.

While there are obviously many search engines, Google has been the 'Big Boy' on the Internet for many years, mainly due to their user-focused advances which strive to create a better experience and more relevant results for queries. Their latest advance: showing breadcrumb trails in the SERP snippet (for those sites which utilize this navigation type).

What Is Breadcrumb Navigation?
So, what are breadcrumbs and how do they benefit a user...or a search engine for that matter? Breadcrumb trails are a way to lay out navigation on each page based on the hierarchy of the site. They're horizontal navigation which is laid out either as a user clicks through the site or show the hierarchical relationship of the current page.

While it's clearly a part of a website's design/architecture, breadcrumb navigation is also clearly a user feature. From a usability standpoint, breadcrumb navigation is extremely helpful since it tells site visitors - at a glance - the path taken to reach the curent page while also providing links back to either the parent pages or home page.

Why Would Google Show Site Hierarchy in the Search Results Snippet?

Breadcrumb navigation links are live right on the SERP, giving the user access to not only the specific page relevant to the search, but the hierarchy (within the site) of that page.
The breadcrumb trail replaces the normal URL shown for the page in question. Sometimes with large, dynamic sites, the URL for a product page might be long and not user friendly (e.g., http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcat17080&type=page&qp=crootcategoryid%23%23-1%23%23-1~~q70726f63657373696e6774696d653a3e313930302d30312d3031~~cabcat0100000%23%230%23%23se~~cabcat0101000%23%230%23%2362~~cpcmcat158900050008%23%230%23%233~~nf4433139323020782031303830&list=y&nrp=15&sc=TVVideoSP&sp=%2Bbrand+skuid&usc=abcat0100000">http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcat17080&type=page&qp=crootcategoryid%23%23-1%23%23-1~~q70726f63657373696e6774696d653a3e313930302d30312d3031~~cabcat0100000%23%230%23%23se~~cabcat0101000%23%230%23%2362~~cpcmcat158900050008%23%230%23%233~~nf4433139323020782031303830&list=y&nrp=15&sc=TVVideoSP&sp=%2Bbrand+skuid&usc=abcat0100000). By showing the breadcrumb trail instead, Google's allowing users to see a relevant destination versus a long, clunky URL string which does nothing to explain the page.
This option gives the user multiple ways to access the site: by clicking on the title tag or any of the live breadcrumb links.
Showing the hierarchy of the page in question adds context to the search.

Clearly in the last decade search optimization has become more blended into design and architecture of a site. Here we're seeing evidence of Google rewarding those sites offering visitors a good on-site experience by showing this feature right in the SERP.

The only question is, will this attribute 'stick' and is it the best experience? Take for example a search for a specific product, "canon 5d mark ii," a recent DSLR from Canon. When performing a search for this specific item, a search engine user expects to be led to either a review of the product or a product page with specifications and more information.

With Google's new breadcrumb trails appearing in (some) snippets, as in the above Amazon example, the breadcrumb trail ends at "Digital SLRs," the parent or overview page for all digital cameras, instead of the actual product page. Of course, the title tag still provides the link to the actual page, but if a user first notices the breadcrumb links and decides to click on the last link proferred, it won't be the product-specific page.

Only time will tell if showing breadcrumb navigation in the Google SERPs will endure.

Google Analytics Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (ThinkSEM Consulting) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:18:00 +0000

Okay, what are cookies and how do they affect me? (Other than the ooey-gooey kind which add lbs...)

What Are Cookies?
A cookie is a file which describes information about a visitor to the site that created it. Stored on a computer's hard drive, it's somewhat of a mini-record of what sites a user has been visiting. Sounds a bit invasive, but it's really not - anyone can decide whether they want to accept cookies or not. Beware, though, you might not have full functionality on some sites if you disable cookies.

There are (2) types of cookies: persistent and temporary:

Persistent cookies: these cookies come with an expiration date set somewhere in the future. They remain on a computer's hard drive until they expire or are deleted by the user.

Temporary cookies - these cookies are much shorter-lived than their persistent brothers; they expire as soon as the user closes the browser.

So how does Google Analytics (GA) utilize a teeny file stored on a computer's hard drive?

How Does Google Analytics Use Cookies?
Since the vast majority of users have cookies enabled, Google Analytics uses 1st-party cookies to collect website visitor data. (First-party cookies are those created by the website in question, so only that website can read the data. In this case, GA.)

Along with persistent and temporary cookies, there are different ways cookies can be configured to see whether a visitor is unique or returning; to correlate a shopping cart with search campaigns; even to determine steps visitors take in a navigation sequence.

As you can see, all the cookies are utm cookies that perform various functions. All of these cookies are persistent except the _utmc cookie, which is deleted when the user closes the browser (temporary cookie).

Why All the Different Types of Google Analytics Cookies?
All the GA cookies track differently, but can be used in conjunction to collect data.

_utma - this is the Visitor Identifier cookie. Contains (4) components:

domain hash
random unique ID
timestamps (initial visit, previous session & current session)
session counter

_utmb & _utmb - work together as Session Identifiers. As defined by GA, a session = a visit, where 30 minutes of inactivity or the closing of the browser signals the end of a session/visit.

_utmb - a persistent cookie which expires after 30 minutes. Contains domain hash and additional values.

_utmc - a temporary cookie deleted when the user closes the browser. Contains only the domain hash.

Why does Google use both?

If a web page is open for 30 minutes without activity, the _utmb cookie expires but the _utmc cookie remains. The next time the user lands on the page, a new _utmb cookie is created, denoting a new session but a returning visitor.

With each new page a visitor lands on, the _utmb cookie gets refreshed, so sessions can last as long as the user keeps moving throughout the site without hitting the 30-minute 'inactivity' deadline.

_utmz - this is the Campaign Cookie. Stores campaign tracking values passed by tagged campaign URLs, including utm source, medium and campaign.

_utmv - this is for Visitor Segmentation, and is a persistent cookie. It only appears if the _setVar method is being used, contains the domain hash plus some value denoted by the user. For example, a value can be set that upon a site those visitors who login are 'members' while those who don't login are 'non-members.' By defining those 2 types of visitors, the _utmv can track data that each set is performing.

For any site utilizing Google Analytics for their reporting, this is a basic overview of how cookies are employed to collect visitor data.

*Note: Images courtesy of Google Conversion University.

Geo-targeting PPC Ads

noreply@blogger.com (ThinkSEM Consulting) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:03:00 +0000

Geo-targeting is nothing new. It's no secret that Google, Yahoo! and MSN/Bing allow PPC accounts to geo-target their ads. What's interesting is how some campaigns use this option and how the use of it – or even lack thereof – could be affecting their bottom line.

First, a brief overview of how to geo-target PPC campaigns. In Adwords, there are a few options for geo-targeting:

Bundles (Country) – this option allows you to 'bundle' countries or territories. You can select all of North America, for example, or merely show ads in Canada & the U.S. (excluding México).
Browse (Country/State/Metro) – this option allows you the option of choosing between countries, drilling down into states/regions and further into metros.
Search (any location) – here you can input your own location on the map, whether it's a country, state, metro or zip code*.

*If the zip code is small, the setting defaults to a 20-mile radius of the zip code.
Custom (Zip Code/Address) – the 'custom' option lets you plug in a specific zip code or even address, and tell Adwords the size of the radius around that specific location you'd like to target.

Notice there's an option for an address to show in your PPC ads. This is part of the Adwords new feature, Local Extensions.

In all but the 'custom' locations setting, there's a possibility the country, state, or metro you're targeting can show up underneath your PPC ads in the SERPs. While it could make the ad even more relevant to the searcher, does it always work?

Here's an example of a search performed for "dog trainer" in Google, where our PPC client (Linda Brodzik) shows up via 'custom' placement whilst a competitor is using the selected DMA of St. Paul:

Both of these ads are relevant...but which one stands out more? To me, it seems the title of "St. Paul Dog Trainer" does, since it's bolded (obviously because of the keywords used in the search), bigger and at the top of the ad. That being said, the other ad saved precious copy characters by not including their geographic focus.

Yet here's the same search performed in Yahoo!:

Are these geo-targeting tactics as relevant? Not really. Anyone who lives in the Twin Cities metro knows somewhere in St. Paul can be quite a haul from somewhere in Minneapolis (especially in rush hour). In this instance, both of these ads could probably benefit more from geographically-focused keywords versus merely geo-targeting the metro area (Yahoo! doesn't have 'custom' settings...yet?).

Of course, the best way to know exactly how this affects any campaign is to track everything with analytics. What've you found?

What SEM Can Do For Your Business

noreply@blogger.com (ThinkSEM Consulting) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:47:00 +0000

So what do SEO/SEM companies offer, anyway?

There are many bloggers, article writers, web developers and business owners out there who think search engine marketing (SEM) isn't something anyone should pay for. They believe search marketing - like any other type of marketing - is something you can read up on and learn how to do yourself. But, as I'm sure we all know, some things are best left to the experts.

Is search marketing for everyone? Of course not. Neither is social media. Neither is purchasing space on a highway billboard. It all depends on business marketing goals.

Danny Sullivan said,

Search engines are where people go to seek information. They express what they want using their own words. They’re having a conversation with that search engine, and part of the conversation back comes from the web sites that hear what they say and speak the same language.

But, Can't I Create My Own Site/PPC Campaign?
Any Tom, Dick or Harry can zip out to GoDaddy and purchase a domain with hosting, then start a web site on Wordpress and write the content. Heck, they can even create an Adwords account and bid on some keywords. Hey, if that's all a business owner needs, then super. But, are they aware of the finer points of entering into the 'conversation' Danny alludes to? Sure, they've saved money and have the pride of building their own site. The reality is, if a web site is intended to be more than an online business card, there's more to it - a LOT more - than that.

Are SEMs offering some magical service no one else can do? Of course not...but this IS something we do every day, and for those of us who adhere to best practices, we're offering a service which can be very effective for a company's bottom line and takes much less time and effort than it does to the small-business owner struggling to learn and do everything himself.

Think of it this way: if someone wants to write up her will, can she take care of that online, with a cheap, do-it-yourself service? Yes. Is it probably smarter to hire a lawyer well-versed in the law to ensure everything is done correctly? Absolutely. An even simpler analogy: are we all capable of hand-washing our clothes? Indeed, but I've yet to come across one of my friends who doesn't own a washer and dryer. Why? Because who's got the time dedicated to do as good a job as a Maytag?

So, what DOES an SEM company offer you - the small business owner, the veterinarian, the health and safety consultant agency? Lots of experience in a marketing niche, proven results, data to back it all up and peace of mind.

SEO: It's Not Snake Oil

noreply@blogger.com (ThinkSEM Consulting) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:14:00 +0000

I'm sure by now you know all about Derek Powazek and his temper-tantrum-like rant against SEOs as "evildoers, spammers and opportunists" and the resulting wrist-slap-meets-training article offered up by Danny Sullivan.

While it might seem like adding more peanut butter to an already evenly-spread PBJ sandwich, here are ThinkSEM's thoughts on Derek's extremely distorted view of search engine marketers - and their alleged attempts to con everyone with a website - and our reasons why SEO is not snake oil.

"Search Engine Optimization is not a legitimate form of marketing."
According to Wikipedia, marketing is an integrated communications-based process through which individuals and communities are informed or persuaded that existing and newly-identified needs and wants may be satisfied by the products and services of others.

In regards to SEO, the communication occurs via a company's website, which offers goods, services, etc. Just like in any type of marketing, shortcuts can be taken, sales people can fenagle and bedazzle, and prices can be inflated. So, SEO is just like other forms of marketing - there are the good, the bad and the ugly. As a consumer looking to hire out for this service, it's up to each business to do their research - as in anything - to determine the best SEO to help them out.

"If someone charges you for SEO, you have been conned."
Wow. If A = B and B = C, then this means ThinkSEM (along with every other SEO practitioner in the world) cons people? Odd, since we have plenty of happy clients who've complimented our services and told us what a great job we've done. Doesn't feel like con work...wait, because it's not! It's perfectly normal for businesses to pay for SEO services. Not every company has an in-house online marketer, just like most businesses don't employ their own PR people, their own creative directors, or their own web designers. It's not snake oil; it's just smart business sense.

"The good advice is obvious, the rest doesn’t work."
Is it true that anyone can do search engine optimization, thus negating the need to hire this service out? Absolutely. Yet, do most businesses have someone on their staff who learns SEO and becomes adept at it? It's most likely very rare. The same can be said for web design and development. Is it perfectly reasonable to assume someone can learn the basics of design concepts in PhotoShop and take an HTML course or two to learn how to put together a functioning website? Of course. Again, do most businesses have someone who learns this from scratch to do it full-time? Of course not. So, Derek, while to some people - those adept at search optimization techniques - the advice might be 'obvious,' to the average layperson or business owner it's NOT obvious. Which is why they hire the service out.

"SEO is poisoning the web...the most effective way to game Google's ranking algorithm is to plant links on as many sites as possible, all pointing to your site."
First of all, SEO isn't poisoning anything. The whole premise of SEO is to connect search engine users with the most relevant results possible. It's very simple. If you offer services or products, you use good content to describe them on your site. You build the site to be user-friendly, easy to navigate, and easily found by search engines.

Now, about gaming Google's algorithm. I'd say that a) it's going to be very difficult and b) if you're caught, you'll be penalized. What Derek doesn't know is that merely acquiring mass quantities of links from any old website isn't going to work.

There ARE some SEOs out there who try to 'game' the system, sure. Those are the people looking for a quick fix, and they're most likely going to get caught and penalized for what they're doing. That being said, there will always be 'black hat' ways to go about website promotion. Circa 1997, it was the keywords meta tag; soon search engines started ignoring that. Then it was cloaking and white-on-white text, and within the past couple of years it was link farming, which doesn't work, either.

"Make something great. Tell people about it. Do it again."
This is the one piece of good advice Derek does have. Thing is, he goes on to further describe how to do this:

Make something you believe in. Then tell people about it. Start with your friends. Send them a personal note – not an automated blast from a spam cannon. Post it to your Twitter feed, email list, personal blog. It’ll take time. A lot of time. But it works. And it’s the only thing that does.

While it's a method which can prove successful, what he's touting here is marketing via social media sites...which is not website optimization. Then to say it's the only marketing that works proves the lack of cognizance about the search industry. But, that's our opinion. What do you think - is SEO snake oil or legit?

Contact Information

noreply@blogger.com (ThinkSEM Consulting) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 22:00:00 +0000

ThinkSEM can be reached during the business hours of 8am—6pm central time at (612) 208-8SEM. If you have questions or comments after our business hours, or if you prefer email, please email us. One of our representatives will contact you within 1—2 business days.

Minnesota Search Marketing Company

noreply@blogger.com (ThinkSEM Consulting) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 20:44:00 +0000

ThinkSEM Consulting, LLC:
Your Minneapolis/St. Paul Search Marketing Company.

Who we are: we’re a small group who likes to act big. We’re the behind-the-scenes geeks who make cool things happen online.

At ThinkSEM, we don’t offer cookie-cutter packages. Our focus is helping clients achieve their online marketing goals. To accomplish that, we need to understand each and every business like it was our own. From main objectives down to the nitty-gritty details, the consultants at ThinkSEM work with each client to outline the best online approach.

We have decades of combined experience designing customized Internet marketing solutions for a wide range of clients. Staying current as the industry evolves, we’re good at adapting to the latest changes in the Internet marketing landscape. So rest at ease knowing you’re getting not only our best effort, but the latest and greatest of what’s current.

Attract Web Traffic that Matters.

That’s ThinkSEM’s goal – to funnel high-quality traffic to our clients’ websites through the use of search marketing best practices. We don’t want to get you just any traffic; we want you to attract the traffic you need to successfully run your business. It’s not an entirely altruistic idea; when our clients succeed, so do we. While we can consult on a wide variety of online endeavors, here’s some of our core ‘ammo’:

Pay-per-click advertising (PPC) – it’s not just about some keywords and ads. We can help you create a PPC campaign to drive good traffic to your landing pages, and convert that traffic when it gets there. PPC is an ongoing process, and we not only manage the up-front pre- and post-click stages; we delve into performance reports to continually refine those processes.
Landing page & conversion rate optimization – we can build campaign-specific landing pages and then test them via multivariate or A/B testing to find the best message for attracting quality leads. Fine-tuning the sales funnel allows you to capitalize on those quality leads and increase landing page conversion rates to positively affect the bottom line.
Search engine optimization (SEO) – we don’t like quick fixes, and we’re sure you don’t either. Our SEO services – including keyword research, SEO copywriting, link building, local search, analytics reporting and consulting services – are built for the long-term success of your website.
Custom website content – whether you need to dust off an old site's copy writing or start fresh, we’ll work with you to create search-friendly, professional content. We can take it a step further and implement search optimization to help attract qualified visitors.
Corporate training / speaking – we’re not about to keep all of our expertise to ourselves – we want to share the knowledge. From basic SEO concepts to understanding analytics data, we can help your business take the reins with in-depth SEM training sessions. Also, while we don’t like to brag, we do have good experience talking at some pretty big events. We’d love to come and inform about any SEM topic at your conference, meeting or other event with one or more SEM speakers.

Where We Came From.

What started out as a single SEO guru freelancing in his spare time very soon became a full-fledged business. ThinkSEM is MSN adCenter adExcellence accredited and our staff boasts a Google Adwords Certified Individual, a couple of Search Engine Strategies (SES) speakers and a lot of years, knowledge and experience in search marketing.

Oh, you want to know more about where we literally came from? We're mostly from rural Minnesota – healthy, corn-fed country kids – so we're big on family and small on pride. Probably what gives us our big-cities-offering-meets-small-town-service feel.

Small But Specialized.

ThinkSEM might be a small company, but we’re big enough to handle your toughest search marketing challenge. You won’t have to deal with a lot of account executives and entry levels who don't know how to answer your questions – it’s just us SEM gurus and our love for making your website or PPC campaign the one that stands out in the online crowd.

ThinkSEM. And Think ‘Competitive Advantage.’

At ThinkSEM we value ongoing relationships. Think of it as a partnership; we know our best work – and that of our clients – comes from close collaboration along every step of the way. If you’re interested in a custom online marketing solution for your business, results you can measure, and a long-term relationship with a company who has a vested interested in your success, then ThinkSEM.