Search giant Google has launched a new service that lets marketers design their own display ads.
Businesses can access the application through AdWords and have control over text, images, logos, colour schemes and backgrounds.
The service sizes the ads to fit in a variety of placements across Google's content network, including those located in games and videos.
Currently, only users in the US and Canada can utilise the new tool.
Trevor Claiborne of the Inside AdWords team wrote on the Inside AdWords blog that the application will be helpful for those reluctant to hire a designer to create their display ads.
"If you've wanted to expand beyond your text ad campaigns, or if you've been looking for an easier way to build display ads, this tool can help," he remarked.
UK display ad spending rose by 16.3 per cent to £333.8 million in the first half of the year, according to the Internet Advertising Bureau.... read full details »
Using more specific key terms in search engine optimisation (SEO) strategies can be beneficial when it comes to attracting consumers searching for particular products.
This is according to new data from MarketingSherpa, which suggested that web users inputting long-tail phrases into search engines are more likely to look past the first page of search results - something that goes against the popular perception of first page rankings being the ideal goal of an SEO campaign.
Businesses should refine their SEO tactics accordingly to appeal to this audience by including similar long-tail phrases in their key landing pages, the firm advised.
"Even if these highly specific pages only get a few clicks per month, chances are good that those clicks will be very valuable for companies with high price points," it explained.
In August, a Yahoo! Search Marketing blog post by content quality analyst Noah Belson suggested that bidding on long-tail terms in paid search can yield greater value for money than focusing on more popular keywords, as they tend to bring more targeted website traffic.... read full details »
The financial crisis is failing to prompt marketers to cut their spending on paid search, according to new report.
SearchIgnite's latest study showed that pay-per-click (PPC) expenditure rose by 26.9 per cent year-on-year in the third quarter, with Google taking the lion's share of this spending.
However, the three major search engines all saw increases in spending, while retailers upped their own PPC expenditure by 1.5 per cent compared with the third quarter of 2007.
These retailers also experienced a small increase in conversion rates from the campaigns, according to the report.
"The strength of this ad market in today's economy suggests that paid search continues to be a highly profitable and efficient digital marketing channel for brands," explained SearchIgnite president Roger Barnette.
PPC spending in the UK rose by 28 per cent between the first half of 2007 and the same period in 2008, the Internet Advertising Bureau recently revealed.... read full details »
Yahoo! has announced that it is to roll out a US-wide marketing campaign to highlight the benefits of its search engine to potential users.
The campaign will be carried out both online and offline and will include a number of different elements, such as display and radio ads.
Writing on the Yahoo! Search blog, marketing vice-president Raj Gossain explained that the search engine had come a long way since its launch four years ago, including the release of innovative tools such as Search Assist and SearchMonkey.
"While we kept the ads light-hearted and true to the Yahoo! brand, we also didn't pull any punches," he said.
"We believe in our product and are convinced that when users take it for a spin, they'll like what they find."
Google has also started to take small steps towards advertising itself after years of relying solely on word of mouth promotion, according to a recent report in the Wall Street Journal.... read full details »
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