Section 2-Around the Net in Search: Web Analytics Centralizes Marketing Data

By Laurie Sullivan , March 19, 2009 Subscribe | Back Issues | Reply to Editor | MediaPost Home

Web Analytics Centralizes Marketing Data Find Resolution Web analytics can help search marketers track campaigns across multiple online channels. Jeff Campbell lays out both pros and cons you might want to consider before making the move to adopt any one of numerous applications. One benefit includes the ability to get at the data quickly, without waiting for the agency to call and report on the campaign's failure or success. Campbell writes that some apps limit the type of available data, which creates challenges. "Impressions, ranking, open rates, views, and more are not available in most [Web analytics] tools," he writes. "WA tools only report on on-site interaction -- in other words, what users do AFTER getting to the Web site." - Read the whole story... Prioritizing In-House SEM Campaigns Search Engine Land You've decided to bring search marketing in-house, but how do you manage staffing, budgeting, content planning, infrastructure management and all the required nuances for success? Since priorities differ for organic SEO campaigns and paid search advertising, Duane Forrester steps through the basics for both. Forrester, a Microsoft exec, believes SEO campaigns typically need more careful planning because they call for participation from many areas throughout the company, from developers and programmers, to content creators and editors. Unlike SEO campaigns, setting priorities for paid search campaigns is a little more straightforward: define the goals and track the results. - Read the whole story... 2 New Google Coupon Templates Google AdWords Google has released two new display ad templates that allow you to easily create online coupons to run on sites across the Google content network. Digital ad agency Razorfish, which will continue to test display ad building templates, has begun to use the tool and sees it "as a great creative sandbox, allowing us to quickly test and iterate with new ad formats and capabilities that simple text ads can't offer," says Danny Huynh, associate search director. Each new template has a slot to feature a price or a discount such as "20% off." Extra room on the coupon provides a place for a code. As with any of Google's coupon templates, marketers can easily edit ads to change the discount level, prices and any other customizable aspects. - Read the whole story... A Goldmine In Display URLs In PPC Ads SEOmozBlog Don't forget the importance of display URLs in pay per click ads. Randy Pickard analyzes findings from a Centric eye-tracking study that measures the length of time people spend looking at display URLs on Google search query result pages. Thirty people participating in the research performed twelve searches using Google.com. Pickard discusses a variety of metrics, noting "a significant impact" on success from the display URL depending on the placement. Other metrics reveal heat maps that show "aggregated participant gaze activity during one of the twelve searches in the study." He gives us several tips aimed at achieving success, including when and where to add descriptive keywords. - Read the whole story... Ad Conversion Tracking Finds ROI Search Engine Journal Brian Carter gives us a comprehensive introduction to Google Adwords Conversion Tracking, explaining why this tool is important and what insight it can give your campaigns. Carter tells us marketers can't optimize anything until they know that keywords and ad placements are producing a return on investment. Don't guess, he says: "Key performance indicators, the metrics to judge failure and success, should be conversion based." "It doesn't matter how cheap your clicks are if you're not getting a return on investment," he said. While Google Analytics provides insight into campaigns, it doesn't offer the ROI and conversion metrics marketers need to make informed decisions, says Carter. - Read the whole story...

Search Insider - Around the Net for Thursday, March 19, 2009 http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showEdition&art_send_date=2009-3-19&art_type=44

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