Why PPC is about to skyrocket – and then CRASH

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Times are tough. But one area that is ready to soar is pay-per-click search marketing (PPC). That most measurable and controllable of digital marketing opportunities, PPC looks like a no-brainer in this economy. Have you called a newspaper lately and asked them if they’ll charge you per phone call generated? Even with ad sales down

5 Memorable Lessons from my Sarah Palin PPC Campaign

Thanks to everyone for participating in my “Are you man enough to write a PPC ad about a woman VP” contest. Many excellent entries (see original post). Here are the results: McCain is 72 years old  Avg US life expectancy is 78 years  Is Palin qualified? Read This  DailyKos.com   1.31% Click-through rate         Sarah Palin’s Secrets  What

And They’re Off…Palin PPC Finalists Selected…Ads Live on Google

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Thanks to everyone who participated in the Palin PPC contest (see post below). It was difficult to select 4 ads to test live on Google, but ultimately I choose these: Sarah Palin’s Secrets What the GOP doesn’t want you to know about McCain’s running mate from James Archer (@jamesarcher) I like this one because it’s

The Truth About Publicis Buying Performics

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In a sign that major advertising agencies are continuing to recognize the long-term profitability of search marketing, Publicis Groupe bought Performics from Google today. One of the largest search marketing agencies, Performics will join Digitas and other Publicis entities as part of VivaKi Nerve Center (no, I am not making this up) the new strategic

Agencies Need to be Testing Landing Pages

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Average length of stay on a Web site is approximately 2 minutes and 30 seconds overall. Approximate length of stay by visitors coming from search is about 10 seconds. Why the difference? Search users are less likely to know your company and its attributes in advance, and they know there are several other options available

Google to Show Search Volume – Another Blow to Agencies

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In a LOOOOONG overdue move that provides some much-needed transparency to the PPC business, Google has added search volume data to their keyword research tool.  This means that when you use Google to research potential search terms for your clients’ pay-per-click campaign, Google will actually give you an idea of how many people actually search

91% of Top Digital Agencies Not Buying Their Own Brands on PPC

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In a shocking (and embarassing) revelation today, AdWeek uncovered that of the 56 world-class digital marketing agencies featured in their Annual Report Card, just 5 are purchasing their own brand names in PPC. In fairness to the firms, most of them appear at or near the top of organic search results for their own brand

Google’s Popularity is Costing You Money

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Paid search management vendor Covario said today that PPC spending was up 52% in Q1 2008 versus 2007. 52% is a big leap for an already red-hot digital marketing tactic. But perhaps more interesting was the finding that Google took in 85% of the paid search spend in the first quarter. (No wonder Yahoo! rushed

Just What They’re Looking For: Using Landing Pages to Improve Paid Search Marketing

As I write this, hundreds of thousands of businesses are competing to convince people that their Web site is online nirvana – the beatitude, not the band. But, given all the other marketing tactics available, why has pay per click search marketing gone from nowhere to a $3 billion dollar industry this year, and $5.5

Pennies from Heaven? Contextual Advertising Generates Online Ad Revenue

Not long after the beginning, when the first-ever ad appeared on the previously commercial free World Wide Web (for Absolut Vodka, on wired.com), the consensus among the Internet and advertising intellectuals and futurists was that thousands of Web sites would “narrow-cast” their content to specific niche audiences, and even small Web site publishers could earn