Setting up a temporary pay-per-click (PPC) campaign can be a good way of testing potential keywords for a search engine optimisation (SEO) project, according to one expert.
Mark Jackson of Search Engine Watch explained that keyword research is vital to any SEO effort and using PPC can be a viable method of checking how specific terms and phrases work with potential customers.
Drawing on advice given by fellow SEO expert Craig Paddock at the Pubcon conference, Mr Jackson said that marketers should set up a 24-hour exact match campaign and keep the ads in a top position throughout.
Traffic should be directed to a website page that offers the best match for the keywords in question.
"You'll see how many impressions/searches were provided from the campaign, what the click-through rate was for your placements and what the conversion rate was for the placement. That's keyword research gold," he commented.
A variety of tools are available for marketers looking for the best keywords for their sites.
As well as providing a standard keyword research service, Wordtracker also recently launched a new application, Keyword Questions, allowing users to tap in a word and see what related questions consumers searched for on the web in order to get new ideas for web content.... read full details »
A growing proportion of businesses are utilising search engine optimisation (SEO) in their online press releases, it has been suggested.
Keywords and hyperlinks are being increasingly used by marketers in their online news releases to increase traffic to the website in question, Mihaela Vorvoreanu of Clemson University told BtoB magazine.
Ms Vorvoreanu, who carried out a study earlier this year confirming the increase in companies harnessing press releases for SEO purposes, explained that while marketers are still using this content to relay the latest news, they also want to directly reach customers.
"Marketing has hijacked the traditional press release and repurposed it," she commented.
An increasing number of companies in the UK are also taking a greater interest in SEO in general, according to an E-consultancy report released in April this year.
Over 60 per cent of those surveyed by the website said they intended to increase SEO investment in the next 12 months.... read full details »
One of the biggest mistakes a search marketer can make when it comes to pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns is failing to test and refine their ads on a regular basis.
This is according to Search Engine Journal's Brian Carter, who noted that few paid search campaigns can be successful with minimum management.
Marketers must organise their PPC accounts in a granular manner and run a minimum of two ads per group to be able to conduct split testing - and potentially increase return on investment by cutting out ineffective ads, he said.
At the other end of the scale, another common mistake is having to run more tests than the PPC budget can handle, Mr Carter explained.
It is advisable to receive 100 clicks per test ad within a month in order to be able to effectively evaluate the ad in question, he suggested.
"No test can be judged complete until you have significant statistics. You need a certain number of clicks in the same way that medical research requires a certain number of test patients," Mr Carter remarked.
According to David Szetala of Search Engine Watch, thorough ad testing can also help marketers to improve the content of their landing pages and potentially boost conversions.... read full details »
Microsoft intends to rebrand its Live Search offering in the next few months, reports have suggested.
Speaking to Michael Arrington of TechCrunch, a source at Microsoft said that the software giant had agreed to relaunch Live Search under a new name in early 2009.
However, few people at the company were aware of the plans and Microsoft could well change its mind in the meantime, the source said.
Mr Arrington speculated that the plans could also change if Microsoft acquires Yahoo!'s search operations, despite repeated claims from the company that it is no longer interested in Yahoo!.
According to the LiveSide blog, one of the potential new names for Live Search is Kumo, as Microsoft is believed to have taken over the Kumo.com domain name and is using it as part of an internal test site.
Meanwhile, Silicon Alley Insider's Henry Blodget remarked that the rebranding may do little to boost Microsoft's position in the search engine sector.
"The issue here isn't what Microsoft's new search brand ultimately is. It is Microsoft's refusal to put all its weight behind a single online brand," he commented.... read full details »
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