I haven't met two small business owners in a meeting where one doesn't ask how to get his or her site to the top of the Google search results list. There are transparent reasons for wanting to be first: you get more clicks, your business seems important, clicks convert into business, and your Internet traffic can skyrocket. What's the magic formula for getting to the top?
There is no magic formula Disappointing as it is, there is no single solution to move your site's rank to #1 in Google. Now that you're over that impractical wish, let's find out how you can increase your page rank and stay away from what will get your Web site tossed from consideration.
Optimize your Web site Sometimes called SEO, Search Engine Optimization (or SEM, Search Engine Marketing are related but not the same), is a marketing tool more than it is a technology process (so put it in your advertising budget). People type queries (search terms) into search engines and Google delivers results. If your site is optimized for your key product or service, then why isn't it at the top of the results? Common problem: your site hasn't been optimized and search engines cannot find it. You want examples?
Google is teaming up with Nielson, who will be helping analyze the new Google TV Ads™ advertising platform.
Google announced that they were getting into TV ads earlier this year. By working with Nielson Media Research, Google will be able to provide advertisers with the extensive information they need to improve ads that can maximize advertising spends.
Google TV Ads is built through the AdWords platform. The new data Google will be getting from Nielson's aggregated set top boxes will be blended into the AdWords system.
Google TV Ads can only currently be bought on the Dish satellite network.
AOL announced they will start selling Google Adwords under a new white labeled solution. The deal was mentioned back in December 2005 when Google invested $1 Billion for a 5% stake in AOL in order to collaborate on online video offerings and Instant Messaging among other items.
Under this new white labeling solution through a new AOL Marketplace, the company will be enabled to sell search advertising directly to advertisers on AOL owned properties. The system has been in testing for the past five months with 30 advertisers that have had the ability to buy search advertising targeted directly at the AOL Search audience, AOL client applications and on AOL.com. Advertisers can also segment and optimize traffic coming from AOL. The system does also include the reporting features that advertisers expect from Google AdWords.
It appears as though AOL's testing advertisers have been extremely happy with their results over the past few months and have actually increased their ad spends due to this new product. Needless to say with this new found success of white labeling, I wonder which media conglomerate Google hits next?
Everyone knows its America's number one pastime, and now Google has announced their entrance into the TV ad market.
There has been a lot of speculation recently surrounding the fact that Google's been nosing around the TV market to extend their offline ad experimentations, and it was just a matter of time before the news officially dropped. With this new TV Ad trial, Google hopes to improve user experiences and bring value to both advertisers and publishers. They are currently working with EchoStar and Astound Cable to deliver ads to viewers, as well as helping advertisers and programmers buy, schedule, deliver and of course measure ads on television. We also dropped news this morning about how Google and Dish Networks will be announcing a deal to serve ads over their network.
The ads will be purchased through an automated interface auction model, pricing based on a CPM basis with ads then targeted by demographic, time of day and channel. The ads will be delivered with all reporting and statistics done through set top box technologies. The boxes will report on how many times an ad was viewed and whether it was watched in completion.
So needless to say, if more advertisers buy into Google's technology and take the statistics into consideration when planning campaigns, we might never see boring, useless commercials ever again! Then again, it sure does feel a little like big brother is watching us.
We mentioned a few weeks ago potential plans for Google and Dish networks to sign a deal, and it looks like that rumor may turn into a reality.
Google is expected to announce a deal today with Dish Networks to sell television ads on the network through an online auction. During the auction advertisers will have the opportunity to bid on a price for ads per thousand households, and only pay for households who have their televisions tuned in. Google will also let advertisers know how many people decided to change the channel mid commercial.
The whole thing sounds a lot like the television version of AdWords to us. The difference being the television ads will not be contextually placed or based on a viewers past viewing habits.
Google has been testing their audio ads in a few markets since the purchase of dMarc last year. In December they officially announced the start of beta testing and things are apparently going better than expected. So well in fact that the team is looking for additional advertisers to jump on board to join the beta test and create high quality radio ads, and even set their own budgets.
Interested parties can sign up to test the clean and simple interface, with custom reporting and targeting options. Ads only take a few days to create before the initial campaign is launched which is a far cry from the weeks that it normally takes for radio ads. If you want to listen to some sample ads, you can check them out here.
Google is entering into a deal to provide more content in its Video AdSense ads. The deal will tack ads on video by content providers like Dow Jones and CondeNast. MTV started the ball rolling with video ad trials last year in the form of video spots displayed in standard Google Ad boxes. After the success of the MTV trial, Sony BMG and Warner stepped up and signed on earlier this year.
The sale of ad space has been done a few different ways so far. MTV sold their own ads, and shared revenue with Google. Is the day far off when you can walk into an ad agency and buy placement for your 20 second spot on TV, cable and Adsense?
While some may debate how useful AdSense can be as a revenue generating tool for a blog, a recent update to Google's referral structures of both AdSense and AdWords might help matters.
AdSense received enhancements both large and small:
When a publisher who signed up for Google AdSense through your referral earns their first $5 within 180 days of sign-up, you will be credited with $5.
When that same publisher earns $100 within 180 days of sign-up and is eligible for payment, you will be credited with an additional $250.
If, in any 180-day period, you refer 25 publishers who each earn more than $100 within 180 days of their respective sign-ups and are all eligible for payout, you will be awarded a $2,000 bonus (bonus payouts are limited to 1 per year).
Taking a cue from Microsoft's Virtual Earth 3D, Google has been dishing out some local ads in Google Earth. The ads are sponsored listings from Google Local advertisers and it is not clear how long they have been appearing in Google Earth. A reader on the Search Engine Land reports receiving clarification of the issue from Google. It said that if Local Business Ads were created in AdWords accounts, they will now be appearing in Google Earth, as well as on Google Maps. Customized icons can also be made to help the locations stand out even more on the map. Have they gone a bit too far by dropping ads in Earth though? I don't mind them in Google Local, but I would prefer if the Earth was clear of litter. At least we don't have to view the ads until we decide to click on the location pins.
eBay is set to display Google Ads, in a deal that will specifically utilize Google's "click-to-call" ads linking up shoppers with merchants.
eBay and Google made the announcements Monday, with both companies aiming at complementing each others strengths. Google will be the sole provider of text-based ads found on eBay. In the deal, eBay will be working closer with Google to optimize its online ads. In an effort to streamline the process of connecting shoppers with auction listings. The click-to-call ads that Google has developed, leveraging both Google and Skype's functionality in auctions to bring buyers and merchants or advertisers in touch directly.
The Google, eBay deal will start testing in early 2007. On a side note, I have personally noticed quite a bit more eBay results in Google search queries within the past month. I'm not sure if there has been some early testing going on, but it looks like eBay, and eBay auctioneers are working on some better Search Engine Optimization techniques.
Google has started dropping some tests of their streaming video ads and video content from the recent deal with Viacom's MTV Networks.
The deal sees MTV Networks providing content for the ads that will run in place of Google's AdWords on websites. Through the ads, Viacom can showcase clips of such premium programs as SpongeBob SquarePants, Laguna Beach, The Real OC, and the MTV Video Awards.
There were a handful of publishers that were chosen to be included into the beta test of the program, and one of them has provided a link to where their test is occurring. The document that was provided to publishers explained that Google's Streaming Video Content and Ads enable website publishers to display streaming video ads and video content from MTV Networks on their sites. Publishers were instructed that they will get the specific JavaScript that will embed a Flash player into their website. The ad will still be served off of Google's servers and viewers of the ad must have the Macromedia Flash plug-in installed in order to view the streaming content.
Revenue for these ads is generated on a CPM basis depending on the number of views on each ad in the content. So if someone watches the whole video and sees five ads, the publisher will be paid for those five views. If no ad is seen by the user, there will be no payment for the ad. Revenue from the ad will be split between the content provider, Google and the publisher.
Google has released its online analytics software to anyone that wants to use it to interact with their website.
Google Analytics lets users track visitors, identify navigational issues, track keywords, and where visitors are coming from. Analytics will also tie into your Google AdWords account and let you know how visitors found your site, where they came from, how they were referred, and measure your total AdWords campaign effectiveness.
Google also has a "Conversion University". A place where Analytics users can go to read up on marketing and content optimization tips from industry experts. Current new articles in the University include Increasing Conversions with Internal Search and Monitoring Visitor Conversion.
Google Analytics is simple to set up. Log in using your Google Account ID, and enter the domain you want to monitor first. Multiple domains can be added later. A code snippet has to be added to the end of all HTML pages that you wish to monitor. Google Analytics displays a nice dashboard with Executive, Conversion, Marketing, and Content summaries, as well as Marketing Optimization, and Content Optimization reports. I am currently testing it out, and so far so good. It is easily a welcome addition to your current tracking software.
Google is hitting up Viacom's MTV Networks to try out some video ad testing using the network's content. The deal was sparked due to the recent great demand for online video through broadband connections.
Google will utilize two to four minute clips promoting the shows in their Video AdSense experiment. The mini ads will be clips of SpongeBob, Laguna Beach, The Real OC, and the MTV Video Music Awards.
Revenue generated from the clips will be divided between Google, Viacom, and the website that has chosen to carry the clips. The deal also sees full length episodes of MTV Network shows like South Park and Jackass available for download on Google Video for $1.99 each.
I haven't met two small business owners in a meeting where one doesn't ask how to get his or her site to the top of the Google search results list. There are transparent reasons for wanting to be first: you get more clicks, your business seems important, clicks convert into business, and your Internet traffic can skyrocket. What's the magic formula for getting to the top?
Google is teaming up with Nielson, who will be helping analyze the new Google TV Ads™ advertising platform. 
AOL announced they will start selling Google Adwords under a new white labeled solution. The deal was mentioned back in December 2005 when Google invested $1 Billion for a 5% stake in AOL in order to collaborate on online video offerings and Instant Messaging among other items.
Everyone knows its America's number one pastime, and now Google has announced their entrance into the TV ad market. 
We mentioned a few weeks ago potential plans for Google and Dish networks to sign a deal, and it looks like that rumor may turn into a reality. 
Google has been testing their audio ads in a few markets since the purchase of dMarc last year. In December they officially announced the start of beta testing and things are apparently going better than expected. So well in fact that the team is looking for additional advertisers to jump on board to join the beta test and create high quality radio ads, and even set their own budgets. 
Google is entering into a deal to provide more content in its Video AdSense ads. The deal will tack ads on video by content providers like Dow Jones and CondeNast. MTV started the ball rolling with video ad trials last year in the form of video spots displayed in standard Google Ad boxes. After the success of the MTV trial, Sony BMG and Warner stepped up and signed on earlier this year. 
While some may debate how useful AdSense can be as a revenue generating tool for a blog, a recent update to Google's referral structures of both AdSense and AdWords might help matters.
eBay is set to display Google Ads, in a deal that will specifically utilize Google's "click-to-call" ads linking up shoppers with merchants. 
Google has started dropping some tests of their streaming video ads and video content from the recent deal with Viacom's MTV Networks. 
Google has released its online analytics software to anyone that wants to use it to interact with their website.
