Business & Marketing Guide

I’d like to thank everyone for their feedback on posts related to Search Engine Marketing. I hear from so many people who are spending money on Google Adwords and not seeing results that I’ve made today’s post about how you can make the most of your search engine marketing.

When I started out in search marketing, I was experiencing the same thing. It seems that I could never get ahead. I might spend more but the revenue I generated for products and services simply covered my costs. Feeling a bit defeated, I called Google and eventually met with a representative to help me better understand how I might improve my results.

Believe it or not, the answer was quite simple. New ad copy, new ad groups, and keywords. You may be saying to yourself, isn’t that just more the of the same? […]

If you’re running a small or medium sized business, or perhaps a marketing department, it’s difficult to stay on top of all the marketing changes over the last couple of years. Social media, networking, new technologies… who can keep up with it all?
One way to stay on top of your marketing game it so be actively engaged. Set up Google alerts, RSS feeds, and become an avid reader of industry magazines. Even with all of this information, we, as marketers, rarely have the time to stay on top of every bit of marketing news. So how can you manage it all? Ask who, then what.
Marketing technologies, strategies, and tactics will continually evolve and change. Therefore, you need the right people on your team who can keep up with different aspects of marketing - regardless of what changes come about.Think about your team members and […]

Click through rate continues to be a key metric for Internet marketers. However, the question “What’s a good click-through rate?” is a little bit like asking “What’s your favorite movie?” Truthfully, it really comes down to personal preference. Just as some people might lean toward an adventure film as their favorite movie, others might prefer something from another genre.

The same is true for click-through rates on your Sponsored Search ads: The highest possible click-through rate may work for some—but it doesn’t work for all. That’s why the honest answer to the question is, “It depends.”

Click-through rates are naturally going to vary from campaign to campaign, and even from keyword to keyword. Everything involved in the way your ad is displayed plays a part, from your ad copy to the ad’s ranking on the results page.

This being the case, […]

For small businesses and retail establishments, local search can have a favorable impact. Marketing to customers in your neighborhood used to be as easy as putting up a sign or advertising in the local newspaper. But today’s web-savvy consumers shop for products and services locally on the Internet using local search.

Using a local search engine, marketers can target customers in a specific area while maximizing their marketing investment. They can use specific targeting, using the right keywords and search phrases to pull customers to their site and front door.

Local search offers low cost, relevant advertising dynamics, an audit trail to measure results and opportunities to increase revenues and profit. The key is partnering with a local search company that provides relevant search results, so your customers can find you easily. They should provide high-quality location data, geo-targeted advertising […]

Have you Googled your name recently? Today, more than ever, individuals are turning to the web to learn more about people they meet, interview, and simply want to know more about. With information being so pervasive, managing your reputation is more important than ever.

How to Manage Your Reputation Online

Fortunately, managing your reputation online isn’t all that difficult, but it does take work. Here are 7 basic steps you can take to ensure that your reputation doesn’t become negatively impacted by what’s being said about you online.

1. See where you stand. Start your reputation management initiative by Googling your name. Try it with quotes and with out (first and last name together). Look through each of your results on page one and page two of Google. Are there any there are are negative or you wish to remove?

2. […]