PETALUMA, CA – February 1, 2011 —

Kazak Media, a Petaluma Web Design and Internet marketing company announced today it has recently become Sonoma County’s first Google AdWords Certified Partner.

The Google Adwords Certified Partner recognition is part of Google’s Adwords Professional program, which certifies companies as being qualified to manage AdWords accounts Under Google’s certification program, companies employing Google Qualified Individuals may achieve Google Certified Partner status. In order to become a Google Qualified Individual, one must pass two Google certification exams regarding AdWords policies, account management, strategies and best practices.

For more information on Kazak Media’s PPC Campaign Management services visit: http://www.kazakmedia.com/services.html or view the company’s Google Certified Partner profile page at: http://goo.gl/4wwE2

About Kazak Media

Kazak Media is an award winning web design and Internet marketing firm based in Petaluma, CA. For over 5 years, the company has been providing a complete line of Web services that have yielded positive returns on investment for small-to medium-size businesses across the nation. Kazak Media is a Google AdWords Certified Partner. To learn more about the services Kazak Media provides please visit: www.kazakmedia.com.

Earlier today I received an email from LinkedIn telling me to try their new service called LinkedIn DirectAds.  I knew it was only an amount of time for LinkedIn to either partner with Google or create an some sort of in-house advertising model.  They have 66 million members worldwide, 32 million of them residing in the United States.  LinkedIn says, “for example you can target 7.9 business decision makers, 5.5 million high tech managers, 1.3 million small business, and 4.2 million corporate executives.”  You will be able to refine your search to target your EXACT demographic.

LinkedIn has made it relatively simple to create your first Ad.  Take a look below, I will guide you through the process.

Creating a New LinkedIn DirectAd

STEP 1 – Create Your Ad Campaign

Step one is the longest of the 4 steps, especially since it is vital to create at least 1 ad variation so you can at least split-test the effectiveness of ad1 and ad2.  LinkedIn allows you  to create up to 10 different ad variations under one campaign, all with different text and images if you’d like.  They also allow you to have a 25 character title and up to a 75 character description spanning no more than 2 lines as well as a field for your display and destination URLs.

STEP 2 – Target Your Audience

Step 2 is all about targeting your website’s audience.  They have a pretty cool way of showing you exactly how many people you are targeting.  For instance, this  screenshot shows you that there are 66,266,528 possible people that I can target with my campaign.  Let me refine my target market to demonstrate.  I run a web design firm who is looking to acquire new clients so I am going to go through the methods of refining my search to target my ideal client in LinkedIn Direct Ads. I know that I mainly design websites for small businesses so I am only going to check the boxes that would define my target client.  Take a look at the number of potential people that I now can target after filtering out the ones that generally wouldn’t buy my service, it is only 18,508.

STEP 3 – Set Your Campaign Budget

LinkedIn allows you to choose your payment method, either Pay Per Click (CPC) or pay per 1,000 impressions (CPM).  In my specific case LinkedIn says that my default bid is $4.91, with a suggested bid range between $4.91 – $5.95; Minimum Bid: $2.00.  The CPM choice says my default bid is $3.05, with a suggested bid range between of $3.06 – $3.52; Minimum Bid: $3.00.  You are allowed to select a daily budged , no lower than $10 per day, defaulting at $25. Once you have chosen your daily budged the last step is inputting your credit card information.

STEP 4 – Billing Information

Of course, the last step in the process is the billing information.  They ask for all the general billing information and also provide a helpful FAQ sidebar on all step throughout the process.

Take a look below and read what LinkedIn said in their blog post:

As the world’s largest and fastest-growing professional network, LinkedIn is a fantastic place for businesses of all sizes to reach professionals with targeted messaging.

That’s why today we’re announcing LinkedIn DirectAds, a new online product designed for LinkedIn members who want to market their business, product, or service to other members. While large brands and companies will be best served by contacting our sales team, DirectAds lets LinkedIn members purchase audience-targeted text advertising on the site for their businesses of any size. For example, maybe you’re a tax accounting firm looking to reach young professionals, or you’re a design agency looking to find potential new clients in key industries, or maybe you’ve just written a new book on a career or business topic. You can use DirectAds to get the word out to your target customers.

Using DirectAds, members can specify the audience that will see their ads (based on seven different criteria), write targeted messaging for their products, and pay by credit card – Premium Account holders even get 50% off. The whole process takes just a few minutes. We’ve opened up the product to a large number of our members, so you can try it out for your own business at https://www.linkedin.com/directads .

Like existing ads on our site today, DirectAds advertisements are intended to be non-obtrusive messages that accompany the overall experience of LinkedIn. Note that you won’t see any additional ads with the introduction of this product and every DirectAds ad includes the advertising member’s name and profile data, so you’ll know who is trying to reach members like you.

Google announced yesterday that a new feature for Adwords analytics called “search funnels” would help search engine marketing professionals better understand the way in which paid clicks lead users to their sites.

The company said that its new feature would provide “data on how ‘upper-funnel’ keywords are assisting conversions before the last click. It also enhances basic conversion reporting for AdWords.” Google also noted that Google Analytics users would be able to import data from those accounts for use with search funnels.

Barry Schwartz at Search Engine Land reported that “until now, Google would only show you the last keywords that led to a conversion. In many cases, searchers will go through a searching process that includes research that might not lead to an immediate sale but may assist in a sale after a few more searches.”

Such a tool, as useful as it undoubtedly is for paid search marketers, is unlikely to be offered to natural search engine optimization (SEO) professionals anytime in the near future, due to concerns about privacy and security, according to Schwartz.

(more…)

With local listing being more competitive than ever some firms are finding ways to monetize them.  Mike Blumenthal just wrote a short article highlighting the most recent form local map spam.  Companies are now obtaining local listings and editing the titles to incorporate such sales pitches like Get Your Firm Here Call Us or Buy This Listing.  This is nothing new, people have been spamming the map listings for years.

Simply put, as Google’s Local listings get more advanced with algorithmic changes the map muddlers  keep finding ways to temporarily beat the system.  Don’t worry about them, their listings won’t survive for ever.  I have compiled some local map spam screen-shots so everyone out there can attempt to spot and report these bogus listings.

While Google already helps reverse mortgage lenders generate leads through Pay Per Click (PPC) ads, the search engine announced it was starting to test Comparison Ads.

The new format allows user to compare multiple relevant offers and make ads more  useful for users.  Comparison ads also helps advertisers reach the people who are most interested in their products and services said the announcement.

As an example, Google uses a mortgage scenario where users searching for “mortgage” may see a promotion from Comparison Ads prompting them to select the type of loan they’re looking for and to compare rates offered.

If users click the promotion, they’re taken to a page with more detailed sponsored results. They can choose directly from the offers listed on that page, or they can further refine their search by providing additional information like income and home value.

By giving users the ability to refine their search on a number of relevant attributes, Google says it can show more targeted ads and provide its customers with more valuable leads.

Advertisers will only pay when a user calls the phone number on the business offer (Google will provide to track) or fills out a form to request a quote.

While Comparison Ads is still an early-stage feature, Google is focusing on a number of ways to enhance the user experience:

• Speed — Comparison Ads shows targeted offers in less than a second. There are no long forms for users to fill out – Users see specific offers immediately and only need to fill in additional information if they wish to further refine their results.
• Transparency — Comparison Ads only shows real products. There are no teaser rates, or bait and switch offers. Comparison Ads also standardizes the information presented to users, making it easy for them to sort and compare offers on a side by side basis.
• Privacy — Comparison Ads won’t send advertisers any user information, including anonymized phone numbers, unless the user explicitly requests more information about an advertiser’s offer.

Why is this a big deal for the reverse mortgage industry?  Google has provided targeted traffic for lead providers like Bills.com and Lendingtree through its search engine which they use to generate leads for reverse mortgage lenders.  In a way, Comparison Ads take the “middle man” out of the equation and allow the advertiser (lender) to reach consumers directly through the search engine.

Comparison Ads also provides advertisers with a Cost per Acquisition (CPA) model where they no longer pay for clicks like the traditional AdWords model.  Now, lenders will only pay when an action (phone call, form filled out) is completed.

However, reverse mortgage lead providers don’t seem all that worried.  One company that spends a significant amount of money using Google Adwords to generate leads told RMD it’s skeptical of how much an impact the new format will have because reverse mortgage lenders don’t compete nearly as much on rate as most “forward” lenders.

While the new format is only being shown to a small amount of users in certain states, Google says it will increase the number of users who see Comparison Ad offers as well as the number of advertisers able to participate.

Currently, it only allows traditional direct mortgage lenders (non-reverse mortgage) to participate.  You can see an example of how it will look at the link below.

Google Sponsored Mortgage Comparison

“There is tremendous interest in the whole category,” said Phil Greenough, Greenough Communications, a company helping marketers and brands get the most from green communications. “There is a pent-up demand for information – from the investor level, government level and the business opportunity level.”

For Joe Consumer, the key is doing the right thing. Does a company have a green product? Does a company use green shipping materials? Are companies doing their part to leave a green footprint?

“Particularly for people coming into their 20′s,” Greenough said. “They are much more away of the environment and as they make decisions we’re finding that the interest level is in the ‘green footprint’ and understanding the impact for products and services.”

A recent Generate Insight study found that, while all consumer demographics are at least somewhat interested in going green, Mature consumers (89%) are the group which always recycles, followed by GenX (consumers between 26 and 40; 69%) and Boomers (67%). The study also revealed that many younger consumers currently feel that green products are inconvenient or require too much effort.

Which leads us to the “Don’t's” portion of this article. Greenough suggests:

• Don’t make claims that are untrue because consumers will discover the truth
• Be authentic – “Even if you’re not making a big splash,” Greenough says, “it is more important to be true than to dress [a product] to be different than it really is.”
• Be real – don’t make the Wal-Mart mistake of using ‘fake bloggers’ to push traffic or sales

“Everyone is trying to understand, at a high level, what the trends are. People are looking for the innovations that will make change. [Green businesses] have to show leadership through innovation, that is what grabs the consumer and then they can make decisions about how to live a more green lifestyle.”

But, is there a true marketplace for green products and businesses? Greenough insists that there is – but the green must come with a value proposition. Consumers will use green products if the product leaves a better green footprint, saves them money or benefits the environment.

Which brings us to the “Do’s” section of this article:

• Make time to really explore the issues so you can speak to them
• Give the clients value from the green product
• Use social networks – “There is a lot of consumer generated content. At the core. . .is a story. Understand your story and make it commanding. You’ll start to build an awareness for the company/brand.”

Source:

• Biz Report

Managing small-budget pay-per-click campaigns (under $3,000 per month) is typically more difficult than managing campaigns with higher spend levels. Lack of “workable” data in smaller accounts often pushes campaign managers to make decisions based on incomplete or inaccurate information. Below is a checklist of seven items you can do today to improve performance of your smaller PPC campaign.

1. Use Negative Keywords to Block Irrelevant Traffic

Negative keywords allow you to filter out irrelevant traffic. There is no reason to pay for clicks that were generated by search queries such as “(your product) defect”, “(your product) manual”, “broken (your product)”, and so forth. Read “Negative Keywords for Your PPC Campaign” to help understand this.

2. Research Long-tail Keywords

Clicks generated from keywords reflecting purchase intent are more likely to turn into actual buyers. Examples of such keywords include “buy widget” and “get widgets” Some useful tools to research keywords are listed at “Keyword Research Tools”.

3. Separate Search Network from Content Network

Google, Yahoo! and Bing, the primary search engines, offer both search distribution and content distribution. Traffic generated via the content channel is inherently different quality from that of search. More information about developing a solid content strategy is found at “Advertising On The Google Content Network”.

4. Split Keywords into Tightly Organized Ad Groups

Make sure your keywords are organized in the most logical order. For example, keywords describing one product should not be mixed with keywords describing other products. Imagine that you’re retailer selling socks and wine. It would be illogical to place both keywords (“socks” and “wine”) into the same Ad Group. The same rule applies to less obvious examples. “Green widget” and “blue widget cover” should be placed in separate Ad Groups, for example.

5. Include Different Match Types

“Match types” allow you to improve the quality of the traffic by more closely matching users’ search queries with your keyword choices. Additionally, having all three match types (Broad match, Phrase match, Exact match) in Google and MSN might help you get more clicks for the same overall price due to the quality score discount (which occurs due to ads being ordered based on multiple relevancy factors and not solely on the per-click bid price). In Yahoo!, running multiple match types simultaneously is not permitted. Nevertheless, it’s a good idea to see if “standard match” would generate better return on investment than “advanced match.”

6. Re-configure Campaigns/Account Settings

Here is a list of standard settings that will typically optimize a smaller budget campaign.

Google (Campaign Level):

• Targeting: United States only
• Language: English
• Network & Devices: Google Search; Desktop and laptop computers
• Bidding: Manual bidding – Max CPC
• Position preference: Off
• Delivery method: Standard
• Ad rotation: Optimize

Yahoo! (Account Level):

• Sponsored Search: On
• Content Match: Off
• Match Type: Advanced
• Blocked Continents: Check off all
• Campaign Level Targeting: Block 0-18, Select U.S. only

Bing (Campaign Level):

• Tracking conversions: Checked
• Target by Location: United States

7. Use Free Pay-per-click Tools

Use free pay-per-click tools to work on your campaigns. Don’t waste time going through slow account interfaces. Use these account tools to help you navigate through Google and MSN:

• Microsoft adCenter Desktop
• Google AdWords Editor

Online marketers looking to improve their digital advertising strategies should ensure that they have high quality landing pages for their pay-per-click (PPC) advertisements.

This is the opinion of Graham Charlton, who said on the Econsultancy blog that consumers searching online will often do so with the intention of purchasing goods.

He explained that conversion rates could be made higher if firms take

AdsSpy: 15 sites by this AdSense ID

the time to set up effective landing pages.

Web pages that are brought up when internet users click on a link need to include a reasonable amount of information to persuade the potential customer to proceed to the checkout.

Mr Charlton said marketers could improve their click-through rate by linking the paid search advertisement to the landing page.

“A good landing page is one that reinforces ‘conversion intent’,” the expert explained.

He noted that online shoppers who click on a PPC advert and are brought to a generic page that requires them to search again might not bother to continue using the site.

This, he said, could reduce the effectiveness of this form of online marketing.

Earlier this month, Simon Mansell, managing director of TBG, said spending on advertising on the internet
is likely to grow in proportion to the amount of time consumers spend online.

Source:

• Live PR

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising is one of the most effective marketing tools on the internet. It’s cost-efficient, because you only pay for ads which are clicked on; and it’s a great way to promote your site.

However, there are pitfalls in the world of PPC advertising. Believe it or not, even big companies tend to run a PPC campaign wrong.

One of the biggest mistakes a PPC campaign can have, is designing an ad that navigates to a home site. To strengthen an offer’s value message, a PPC ad should direct browsers to a page that is dedicated to a specific special offer or promotion.

Some experts even prefer that there should be no links out of the page, except to the order forms. As asserted by Katherine Andes of Furniture World: “The idea is not to have the visitor surf your website, but to be motivated to purchase your product or to contact you for more information.”

Andes says that one can provide a link back to the home page, if it just sells one basic item. However, she emphasizes that the home page should be appealing to the browser, prompting him/her to take action.

A properly crafted PPC ad can generate lots of added revenue for a Website. You just need to avoid its pitfalls to experience its benefits.

Source:

• Last Click News

The online community is definitely a large market place that you cannot ignore, especially if you have an internet business. There are thousands if not millions of consumers that you can tap in the internet.

At the same time, the internet also poses a quite different challenge. The easy access that internet provides also gives you as much competition as you can imagine. It is too crowded and congested.

Having a website is not enough to make your business running and able to compete. You must take other alternatives to give way for the online community to access your website at any rate or chance possible.

You have to expose your website. Make it known. It has to be visible. It has to be frequently targeted by consumers and surfers.

Invest in marketing your internet site.  There are basically two options available to you, the SEO and PPC. These two are probably the most desirable alternatives you can get for your internet business as strategy for search engine marketing.

1. SEO

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Some researches indicate that 60% – 70% of internet surfers and users actually resort to using the Google search engine to find and locate web sites and pages, for any topic they desire. SEO is the process taken to make sure that the internet uses will find your website when ranked among the top results of a search. This way you can make sure that you will be visible and can clearly stand out from the rest.

To get a search engine optimization, you will have to build on your own internet site frequently hit internet links to web site pages. The process will involve IBLN or Independent Back-Linking Network, wherein hundreds or even thousands of pages will be utilized to promote a particular website of a client.

In SEO, there is no need for you to pay for the clicks although it will require you to spend time doing research to get a favorable combination of ads and target audience. The SEO process is a long term one. It requires months, 6 months at the least, before the proper outcome is fully achieved, but once the goal is accomplished, you will definitely get a steady source of profit.

2. PPC

PPC means Pay Per Click. It gives way advertising on a search engine. These are sponsored listings that you see whenever you make a search. There will be a charge whenever a visitor or web surfer clicks on any of your ads. There will first be a bidding process. The highest bidder for the price per click will definitely get the chance to be first listed in the search engine.

With this kind of advertising, you can still basically control your campaign as you get to create your own ad. You will also manage the target audience and still stay within the bounds of your budget. Most of the providers of PPC advertising will allow you to specify the target market, either by topic, industry or geographical location. You can also very well check if your ad gets to be shown at all and if it is competitive with the rest.

There are some guaranteed benefits when you get to maximize the PPC strategy.

*    PPC lets you advertise to the whole of the online community. It is also relatively easy to set up.

*    At first glance, PPC advertising may seem very expensive. Could it possibly happen that someone out there will go on clicking on your ad? This will definitely give you a large bill without the expected profit on your part. If this provides a lot of worries, be rest assured that there is a protection for you. Networks are able to recognize fraudulent clicks.

*    You can also set a budget for a certain period. The moment your budget has been used up by the target number of clicks, your ads will no longer be displayed until the next period you want it again displayed.

*    You will also be able to adjust well to changes in market demands and trends.

In deciding which of the two strategies will work right for you, think of your goals and of your resources. They definitely offer benefits and advantages that will work for your good. The better way to approach this two is to evaluate according to your short term and long term plans. Take the PPC course for your short term goals and choose SEO if you have long term ones.

There world is out there for you now. Just make sure you do what will work best for your entrepreneurial endeavors and visions. The secret to success lies in your hands. Just study your options well and you’ll get exactly what you want.