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Boy, don’t you just love to hate my article titles? I know this topic has been discussed numerous times. Seriously though – for all the short term talk that happens every time we take a hit from someone who gives our industry a bad rap, we’ve never yet come to a clear consensus as an industry on how to properly deal with the ramifications. I for one think it’s time we find a way to address it. And I have a proposal on how we can work towards such a seemingly impossible goal… The SEO
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We discovered in 2009 that AdWords inaccurately attributes the geolocation of your AdWords visitors. I previously wrote a blog post about AdWords geotargeting’s inadequacies in Feb 2009 (” “> Hey AdWords, Do You Offer GeoTARGETING, Or Just GeoSUGGESTION? “). Though my desired fix (allow experts to turn off query parsing even even if defaults “on” for noobs) was echoed by many users, nothing has changed. After almost a year, Google can’t even tell me they intend to schedule an improvement in this area. AdWords users need to understand why they’re getting inaccurate geolocation information and make sure they adjust their advertising efforts accordingly, and be sure NOT to segment their ads in accordance with inaccurate info. A Second Major Problem Due to Query Parsing? I believe all of these problems relate to query parsing, which overrules the geotargeting you set in AdWords. “It’s Not a Bug, It’s a Feature” – by Mauralyn , Flickr Creative Commons Our AdWords rep called query parsing a feature. I said, “that’s like telling someone who wants a manual transmission that their automatic transmission is a feature.” Regardless, all we ask is that experts be able to turn it off. But the inaccurate attribution I cover below makes it a bit more complicated. This means that query parsing is somehow trumping IP-based geolocation in both reporting and ad serving. AdWords Geographic Report Disagrees with Both Omniture GeoSegmentation and Google Analytics [The experiments here are from one of my expert PPC/SEO/Social Media apprentices, Josh Williams , also of Fuel Interactive and WhatOurBossSaid .] Josh ran a test to see how AdWords’ geo targeting correlates with actual traffic from the targeted areas. He created a campaign targeted only to South Carolina, put an Omniture campaign parameter in the destination url, and ran it for a week. We compared the AdWords geographic report with Omniture’s GeoSegmentation report. AdWords said all but 5 impressions (and zero clicks) came from South Carolina (thus 100% of clicks were from South Carolina according to Google). That would be nice, since that’s what we asked for. However, Omniture SiteCatalyst said that the visitors actually came from 38 U.S. states, and only 12.2% of clicks came from South Carolina: The majority of visitors came from North Carolina, which as previously mentioned, fits with what we know about Myrtle Beach tourists from many other data sources. However, we didn’t ask Google to serve ads in NC, and Google says they didn’t. AdWords reports that what we asked for was achieved, even though it was not. In some circles, we would call that lying. But let’s not call an automated report a liar. Let’s give Google the benefit of the doubt and call it a technical error that they need to fix. (I would not be so cagily accusatory if I had not been through the unsatsifying AdWords customer service run-around on this issue for a year. I doubt my blog posts are more effective than running up and poking Goliath. This kind of neglect will lead Google to inherit the ire Microsoft has achieved- an ire they have expressed a desire to avoid. Neglect and/or stockholder interests could incentivize AdWords reps to be more PR diplomats than the customer champions we need.) If you don’t have Omniture, you can get the same confirmation from Google Analytics. We checked both to make sure our conclusions were correct. Our AdWords rep said this: “AdWords reports on IP addresses the same way Omniture is, so it shouldn’t show up differently in the geographic report. For example, that person from Colorado searching on the keyword with a location specific term, if he sees the ad and clicks on it, it should register as a click from Colorado in AdWords and not as a click from a South Carolina IP address.” But clearly the results show that’s not what’s happening. Omniture and GA agree with one another, and both disagree with the AdWords Geographic report. More Impossible Results Reported in AdWords Web Interface In a similar experiment, Josh created a series of 9 campaigns, each geotargeted to one state, and all using only the same two keywords: exact matches [myrtle beach hotel] and [myrtle beach hotels]. He ran these from Oct 5, 2009 to Nov 2, 2009. And when he didn’t see response, he attempted to get more impressions by raising bids and budgets. The results were striking: According to AdWords, more than 99% of the impressions came to the South Carolina campaign. Highly Unlikely, as we know from other data, and contradicted in the other study by Omniture and GA. Implications: Can You Trust Geo Data In AdWords? So why would you ever run a Geographic report in AdWords? I suggest you don’t, unless your business is not locally oriented and your brand names have no city names in them.What’s more, it means you can’t trust the impressions, clicks, and other data you see in the AdWords web interface if your campaigns are geotargeted. TAKEAWAY: Make sure you’re using another analytics package- use Google Analytics and link your AdWords account to it. Rely on that for your geographic data. GOOGLE: Fix the error, please. Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal . Local PPC: Google AdWords GeoAttribution Is
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I recently had a meeting with a potential new client who operates a high-end dating service similar to Bravo TV’s The Millionaire Matchmaker . It was one of those meetings where everything clicked. I was just as fascinated to learn about her business as she was to learn about SEO and Internet marketing strategies. The conversation flowed—it was more of a dance, really. And then she stopped me in my tracks by saying, “Oh my gosh, this is just like a great first date!” I was a bit taken back at first. I’ve been out of the dating pool for a while, so I thought I’d better ask the professional matchmaker what she meant. As it turns out, it was a compliment (not a line that I had crossed). She summed up her feelings about our meeting in two words: Excitement and trust. Now think back to some first dates you’ve had. I’ll bet that most started with a good deal of excitement, but a first date can’t be great until trust is established. Without trust there’s no cutting loose, no real connection, and no potential of a future relationship. So what’s this got to do with new client meetings? A first meeting with a potential client is no different than a first date. Well, of course there are differences (thankfully), but the same rules apply. In fact, my own “first meeting mantra” has been a big factor in the growth and success of my consulting business. A lot of people go for the whole enchilada in the first meeting—the business equivalent of taking a girl to dinner on the first date with the hopes that she goes home with you that night. Sure, it happens sometimes, but expecting to close the deal in your first meeting is an unrealistic goal that will set you up for failure. I like to think of the first client meeting as a two-step conversion process: the first goal is to establish trust and then get them excited about working with you. Five Ways to Establish
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“I mean, what are they gonna say about him, when he’s gone, huh? What are they gonna say? Are they gonna say “he was a kind man”? “He was a wise man”? “He had plans”; “He had wisdom”? Bullsh**, man! What are they gonna do when he’s gone? … Am I gonna set them straight, NO…” Dennis Hopper, Apocalypse Now I first heard about the really sad news concerning Chris Henry from Twitter and like a billion other people, googled his name to find out the latest news about him. Sure enough, Google was featuring real time results on Chris Henry SERPS since this qualified as a hot “Breaking News Story”. Now plenty of folks in our industry such as Lisa Barone , Rae Hoffman & Michael Gray were pretty down on this latest Google Initiative…I didn’t necessarily agree but I also hadn’t paid as much attention to the issue as them. However, when the Chris Henry tragedy hit, I really had a chance to evaluate Google’s offering in “optimum” conditions. I have to say that I was impressed… No, I wasn’t just a little impressed…I was impressed to the level as if I were seeing John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonius Monk, Leroy Vinnegar & Buddy Rich jamming together on the same celestial bandstand in the sky. I’ve scarcely seen anything more impressive online than what I viewed (and I suspect the real time results will only to get better). Google’s Real Time SERPS brought the immense disjointed conversation surrounding the Chris Henry story into an easily digestible extremely compelling flow that anyone could follow just by watching them scroll…and that is one heck of an accomplishment. In the relatively brief time I monitored the Real Time SERPS, here are some of the things that I saw: Major News Sources like CNN, ESPN & TMZ reporting the breaking news (of which the details weren’t always consistent). Local News Sources & Football Blogs also reporting the news. Fake News Sources reporting erroneous news (and real news sources exposing the fakes). Teammate Chad OchoCinco tweeting multiple times in anguish and other athletes like Nick Barnett who learned of the news on Twitter expressing their sadness. Expressions of sorrow from random people in the Twitterverse. Multiple people attempting to compare Henry to Tiger Woods in some manner…usually via lame attempts at humor. Friends @topheratl commenting on the story & @dr_pete answering one of my tweets about Google’s SERPS. Some spam but not enough to detract from the flow of information. The spam was no more noticeable than the ripples made by skipping a stone across a pond…slightly visible for a brief moment before vanishing for good. Each entry in the Real Time SERPS contained a different perspective on the Chris Henry story and taken together brought forth a flow of information that was as close to the “ultimate truth” as we could possibly get at that moment in time. You see, it wasn’t that long ago that I wrote a post titled “ Search as a Narrative ” (which was a rewrite of another post ) where I argued that the act of using a search engine and examining the results it returns is, in effect, creating a narrative in the mind of the searcher based upon the information shown and how that information is perceived. Google’s Real Time SERPS algorithmically brought a narrative of the story directly to the searcher without the searcher doing any work…all they needed to do is sit and watch the results scroll by (clicking on any results if they wished) and perceive the story in their own personal way. Kurosawa’s Rashomon offers the lesson that relationship of a person telling a story to its action can greatly impact that person’s current perspective and future communication of the story. To best approach the actuality of “ultimate truth”, all available perspectives must be brought together as seamlessly as possible. Google’s Real Time Search gives searchers a super-mega-amphetamine Rashomon-like perspective of breaking news…a seemingly infinite number of viewpoints culled down to representative views from trusted sources reflective of the whole. These real-time SERPS show amazingly vibrancy compared to their static counterparts. Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal . Chris Henry Rashomon’d By Google Real Time
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I can’t tell you how many jobs I’ve landed just by coming up in searches for my own name in Google. Since I am an Internet marketing professional having a web presence is a must. What if you’re not a marketing professional, is a web presence something you should work on and will it benefit you? The answer of course is…Yes! As with any business your brand is what people identify with. If you are a freelancer or a consultant you are your brand. When you Google your name what comes up? How many results are of you? How many are of someone else? If someone wanted to hire you and learn more about you what would they find? These are important questions. It should also be important to you that when a search is done on your name that information pertaining to you and your area of expertise shows up. Why? The top reason “people searches” are done on the net is to establish ones credibility. Not having anything is almost as bad as finding something bad. Does your Myspace page show a picture of you flipping off viewers? That could be damaging and costly to your image and reputation. You can keep your personal profiles private, just don’t have damaging content or photo’s showing in your limited profile. How To Brand
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Those of you who follow my writing know that I’m a bookworm . And just as I’m frequently lending books to friends (or thrusting them at their faces while ordering them to “read this,” as the case may be) I like to share great posts, resources and other items I find around the blogosphere. Real quickly before I get into that, I’d just like to mention I’m giving away a copy of The Knack . It’s an excellent business book by Bo Burlingham and Norm Brodsky, who write for Inc magazine, and should be required reading for all the entrepreneurs, consultants and others in the web business. Anyways, here’s some other great reading I’ve found online: Conversion &
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Life is a funny thing! As humans we all want to be successful and happy. Each year goes by (faster than we would like) full of goals, failures and accomplishments. Ultimately it is up to us as individuals to reach for the stars and fulfill our desires. Below you will find a list of five things that you can do to end this year in a way that will make you happy, successful and ready for the New Year! But remember, it is up to you and no one else to make it happen. If you are reading this, more than likely you are a Business, SEO, or Social Media minded person; and for that very reason I have focused the items below on you. 1. Life – The number one item that you need to do today to end this year with a bang is to evaluate your life. The reason why this is number one on my list is because if you can’t take care of yourself, then how are you going to take care of your family, job, or business? Focus some time today on going back through notes, files, and papers, really anything that you can find that has your 2009 resolutions or goals that you set earlier this year. If you can’t find anything or you didn’t put anything together then that is just fine, stay with me though. Next thing you need to do is review your resolutions or goals.
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