Monday, July 31, 2006

MSN Adcenter Upgrading Soon

We’ve listened to your feedback and I am pleased to let you know about an upcoming Microsoft adCenter upgrade that offers new features to improve your online advertising experience.


Some upgrade highlights:

·Now, use Microsoft adCenter with the Firefox 1.5 browser!
·Daily, weekly and monthly data will be updated every hour to help you view results and optimize campaigns in real-time.

·Select the time frame for which you want your campaign and order summaries to show, instead of viewing them in the life-to-date format.

·User-interface changes to the reporting tab will make usability simpler.

·API upgrades:
API customers will now have access to more procedure calls. Detailed API communications will be sent to API customers.

Your keywords and ads will remain live during the upgrade.

The adCenter upgrade should be complete on August 5th between 8 A.M. and 3 P.M. Pacific Time. During this period, your current keywords and ads will continue to run; however, you won’t be able to access adCenter to make changes.

Friday, July 28, 2006

Hakia: A Meaning Based Search Engine

I came across this today and thought it was interesting.

As their intro details they hope their "Meaning-based search will appeal to all Web searchers - especially those engaged in research on complicated subjects, such as medicine, law, finance, science, and literature. hakia engine is designed to evolve and improve its capabilities with each user interaction".

Though I don't think the future is in refining the search results - this seems like a good way to do that. Now if they were talking about a CPA model.............

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

The SEM Version Of The Arisocrats Joke

So if you have not seen the movie "The Arisocrats".... go out and rent it now or catch on one of the numerous cable channels... just saw it again on HBO - it actually started tonight - great movie... definitely watch it... take the joke and apply it to the various conferences/forums/blog posts - we need that level of scrutiny and humorous challenge everyday!

New Features over at AdWords

Okay you can now see what Google filters out of your adwords campaigns in the name of 'invalid clicks' - god forbid they call that Click Fraud.

You can access it at the Reports area of your account but be aware it takes some digging. First inside your main area click on the Reports tab and find Create New Report.... inside there select Campaign Performance.... next in the Advanced Options click the Add or Remove Columns option.... you will see a list of them - all of which are selected except for Invalid Clicks and Invalid Clicks Rate.... click those and let the report run and you will have a new insight into the Google campaigns.

Our ads are showing about a 10% plus invalid click rate - add the 14% the industry is using now for Click Fraud percentage and you have the 25% or so that used to be bandied about a year or more ago.

Hey at least it is a start.

AdWords is also adding the Refined Listings option - this is explained at http://www.google.com/coop - enjoy that one it offers an interesting approach and may have better results for you as the person is then basically getting to you from a refined and second click.

We are in the process of starting tests on how successful this refined search is over regular search.

Software To Put Google Ads on Desktop

When is this going to stop. Hopefully the companies using the software that in a mild way will include Google AdWords as AdWare should have the ability to block this.

As News.com reports SpiceWorks has developed a method for software providers to include AdWords alongside the software pages on your desktop... got to love it.

I am waiting for the day Google develops an ad selling platform that works on your shopping cart at the grocery store - click on the ad and the cart drives itself to the right aisle.... Come on Google that one should be easy!

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Google's Park A Domain Income Scam

You have to be kidding me. I missed this one, dealing with other things. But had heard the whispers about domain name income.

But really.... they are pushing AdWords CPC through the roof - to foil arbitrage and yet gain on the regular customers - but then are soliciting action on the harvested search pages for domains close to the keywords????

I want these guys' rationale of "Do No Evil" when I meet my maker.

I like Google but the smoke of the ever-added new 'widgets' may be hiding a blurring of 'church and state'.

If the redirect could easily be turned off - like not accepting blocked phone calls - then maybe...

and I know the argument is if it was for a domain or a keyword then a search would return this or a 'not there' message, why not allow the search results....

But the offering of income to the possible domain name association is also a slippery slope to influence on the vast collection of the non-website domain owners.

And don't forget as a registrar, themselves, they can even sell those domains to you. Why do they need the middlemen? Hell they know their traffic better than anyone. Why don't they just buy up those domains for themselves? It's their traffic afterall - they can do what they want with it - as many Dances have proven!

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Acoona Launching Pay Per Lead

I got the invitation to the launch tonight at the Museum of Natural History and thought okay a couple of free drinks and some interesting conversation.

Now I read a little more from Adotas and I am more interested in attending.

Bill Gross - inventor of PPC - is also tackling this method over at Snap.com. His CPA model is being eagerly awaited.

Google too has been rumored to be working on this in some dark recess at Mountain View - maybe I can play Treasure Hunter when I am there for the Google Dance during SES San Jose.... Larry/Sergei want to leave me some clues???

Amnesty International Seeks Search Engine Help In China

The Chinese government has been rather successful in its suppression of freedoms most thought were integral to the internet.

Google, Yahoo and MSN have all agreed to censor search results.

And now Amnesty International is calling on the engines to help fight Chinese oppression. A recent BBC story details the call for help.

Personally I think they should answer with a resounding "YES". Time to live up to the moto there Larry and Sergei - Do No Evil - that is not limited to the United States - your success is global!

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Google AdWords Inactivating Everyone

It is hard to figure out why there are all this activity putting keywords on the inactivated list and expecting high CPC to get them turned on again.

SEW Forums is exploring the randomness of it - as are other bloggers and forums.

As I mention in the thread we had one term where our CTR was 100% and they still put it inactive - guess in position 6 and converting all 5 impressions was just not good enough....

The wheels are getting a little wobbly - the Arbitrage Panel at SES San Jose is going to be fun - and I am sure one of the most attended.... I am on the panel so stop by and say hello.

Monday, July 17, 2006

Google Content Adds Category Site Selection

Guess I am a few days behind on this one - but I will be testing it this week and will get back with some insights and feedback.
Google Content is using categorization to make your site selections. They expalin it here.

Friday, July 7, 2006

SEO Books Tools

Okay two posts about Aaron today. You have to really appreciate the time and money he has spent for the industry. The free tools he offers cover the gamut of widgets we in the industry use on a daily basis.

He really helps make this job easier - not only with the tools - but also with the insights and information he provides. Thank God he hasn't been charging me by the hour - I would be broke by now.

Yahoo To Keep Showing Bids

Aaron Wall - aka seobook - posted over at ThreadWatch that Yahoo plans to change to the Google auction system but will still dispaly bid prices. That is a great touch and may have many people bound by budgets using Yahoo over Google.