(posts_in_the_category): SEM
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The SEO SEM Sandwich
By Michael Nicastro on 06/24/2014
SEO better known as, “search engine optimization” is the process of driving free traffic to your site on search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing. The world-wide web is a giant content storage center much like a supermarket stores food. Think of Google, Yahoo, and Bing as the supermarket clerks that assist you in finding your food. Their job is to scan the web for relevant content that we search for.
As a marketer, it’s important to make your content easily accessible for search engines, which allows for increased traffic. To do so, it’s necessary to optimize the following layers of your website. Think of it like a layered sandwich; you’ll need all of the individual ingredients to make it delectable.
Google Takes SEM Query Data Behind The Curtain
By Les Hostetler on 04/21/2014
This week marks the annual Adwords Performance Forum, where search professionals from all over the nature gather to meet with Google and learn the latest changes taking place in Adwords. Last year, the big topic was Enhanced Campaigns, which was just rolling out and on which I wrote last time. This year, the topic will be somewhat more esoteric, but may prove to be nearly as contentious.
Google recently announced their “Security Enhancement for Search Users.” To understand what’s happening, a short history lesson is in order. Prior to 2011, when a user clicked on an organic search listing, the query they typed in to generate the search results was also sent to the website. Within the site’s analytics data the webmaster could see what queries were generating organic traffic to their site. In 2011, Google gradually started encrypting the query data for organic searches. This meant that instead of sending the query information to the site it just showed up in the analytics data as “not provided”.
Enhanced Campaigns: Nearly One Year Later
By Les Hostetler on 03/24/2014
In late July of 2013, Google enacted a change to AdWords called Enhanced Campaigns. The change tied mobile bids to desktop bids using a “vectoring” system, in which the mobile bid was a percentage of the desktop bid. By tying the bids together, Google essentially forced search marketers to participate in the mobile space by default. “This may be the most significant shift in AdWords since its inception,” said Chris Copeland, CEO of GroupM Next, GroupM’s digital research arm, at the time.
Search marketers were not happy with the change and have since had the opportunity to experiment, learn and adapt. Were their initial fears justified? Looking back over the course of the last year, the answer is yes.
