Archive for September, 2008

Stephen Colbert Blog Corps?

September 22, 2008

The other day I became acquainted with a new type of “blog compilation” site called Boxxet.com because it kept showing up in my WordPress logs for a post I wrote about Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert and Bob Saget.

From Boxxet’s About Us page:

“Boxxet (pronounced “box set”) brings together the “best of” news, blogs, videos, photos, gear and much more on your favorite subjects. For the things you care about (teams, hobbies, interests, schools, towns, etc), Boxxet’s unique combination of computer automation and community participation produces the most diverse and complete best-of compilations.”

After seeing the referrals from Boxxet, I went to their site where I learned the post I had written about Stephen Colbert had placed this lowly blog 9th on their top Stephen Colbert bloggers list.

Stephen Colbert Bloggers

Stephen Colbert Bloggers

I hadn’t thought about the Stephen Colbert blog corps much since then, but began to notice more Colbert search referrals coming in over the weekend and thought I would see where my blog stood now in the Colbert blogger corps.

Voila! This blog is now the fifth most popular Colbert blog at Boxxet.

Take that Blog Numbers 6, 7 and 8!

Stephen Colbert Bloggers Boxxet

Stephen Colbert Bloggers Boxxet

To keep my newly discovered Stephen Colbert blog corps fires burning. here is the most recently known Colbert Quip from last night’s Emmy Awards found via the WashingtonPost.com and their new “Political Browser” News section:

Political Browser Stephen Colbert Quip

Political Browser Stephen Colbert Quip

Search Network Quality Score 10: Content Network 0

September 22, 2008

Adwords new Quality Scores have been live since September 17 according to Ophir Cohen.

Nuno Macedo of Páginas Amarelas Portugal has provided me with a screen shot of his Adwords Quality Score of 10 in Portuguese no less.

Quality Score 10

Quality Score 10

After digging further into my accounts, it appears Google Adwords will continue assigning Quality Scores to just Search Network only distibuted ads – not Content network ads – per this message:

Quality Score Content Network

Quality Score Content Network

Also appearing in my Adwords account for the first time are “Bid Below First Page” notifications:

Bid Below First Page

Bid Below First Page

Each “Bid Below First Page” notice is accompanied by Google’s recommended bid for achieving first page placement.

Now if only Adwords would provide Quality Score reporting options from their Report Center, large and small advertisers alike could begin to manage their Adwords account’s performance by its most important metric – the Quality Score.

Google Adwords Quality Score Updated

September 21, 2008

As promised on the Inside Adwords blog, Adwords accounts are now showing Quality Score data for each ad and its keyword.

I first noticed the Quality Score data across all of my active accounts yesterday.

Each ad and keyword’s Quality Score shows its status – whether the ads are showing or not as well as its numeric Quality Score.

I have found Adwords Quality scores ranging from 9 down through 2.

I am not sure whether Adwords assigns a Quality Score of 10 to any ads and keywords performance. Nor am I sure whether they score any ad and keyword below 2.

If Adwords does, I haven’t yet found any examples to share.

Within the new Adwords Quality scoring system, ads and keywords which score 9 and 8 are considered “Great”.

Adwords Quality Score 9

Adwords Quality Score 9

Adwords Quality Score 8

Adwords Quality Score 8

Ads and keywords showing 7, 6 and 5 are “OK”.

Quality Score 7

Quality Score 7

Quality Score 6

Quality Score 6

Quality Score 5

Quality Score 5

Ads and their keywords with Quality scores of 4, 3 and 2 are considered “Poor”.

Quality Score 4+No

Quality Score 4+No

Quality Score 3 No+Poor

Quality Score 3 No+Poor

Quality Score 2 No+Poor

Quality Score 2 No+Poor

I have found examples of OK Quality Scores where the ad and its keywords weren’t being shown for numerous reasons.

Additionally, I have found examples of ads and their keywords being shown while still having a Poor Quality Score.

Having numeric Adwords Quality Scores for each ad and keyword will surely help Google Adwords deliver more relevant and targeted advertising while also helping their advertisers score more targeted search traffic.

Top Search and Web Properties Query Share

September 20, 2008

comScore has released its August 2008 qSearch analysis of the the U.S. search marketplace.

According to comScore, Google core search sites continued to lead the U.S. core search market in August with 63% of the searches conducted, up from 61.9% in July.

Yahoo core search sites had the second largest amount of search traffic with 19.6%, followed by Microsoft with 8.3%, the Ask Network with 4.8% and AOL LLC with 4.3% of searches conducted.

At the top web properties where search is observed, Google web properties led with 10.2 billion searches followed by Yahoo web properties with 2.4 billion searches, Microsoft web properties with 1 billion searches and AOL LLC and it search sites with 839 million search queries.

What I found most interesting in the comScore top web properties search data was Fox Interactive’s web sites – including MySpace.com – conducted 593 millions searches compared to Ask Network’s properties 572 million searches.

July August 2008 comScore Site Search Share

July August 2008 comScore Site Search Shar

Also, according to comScore data and to my surprise, MySpace.com has even surpassed AOL’s Search Network – not including MapQuest – fielding 117 million more search queries per month than AOL search.

Even with MySpace network’s growth slowing, at some point won’t its user base and growth cause it to generate an equal and then ever increasing number of search queries per month?

At its present size and barring any significant search market disruptions, will MySpace.com eventually generate more searches per month than AOL?

Ultimately, will MySpace.com generate more search queries per month than even Microsoft’s web properties?

How to Start a Linkedin Groups Discussion

September 20, 2008

Linkedin Groups Discussions

Linkedin Groups Discussions

I have had a Linkedin account for some time and haven’t really utilized it as much as I could.

However, I recently noticed the Linkedin Groups feature and realized there might be a group for Google Adwords Professionals.

I searched Linkedin and found several groups for Google Adwords Professionals.

I found a group called Google Adwords Qualified Individuals and asked the group’s founder if I could join his Linkedin Group.

After having become a member of his group and entering the groups discussion area I then reached the overview tab which shows the group’s most recent discussion.

Linkedin Groups Discsussions Overview

Linkedin Groups Discsussions Overview

I then clicked on the discussions tab where all recent group discussions are summarized.

Linkedin Groups Recent Discussions

Linkedin Groups Recent Discussions

Before I posted my question to the group, I wanted to make sure my question hadn’t already been asked by another member.

It didn’t appear my question had been asked so I entered my question in Linkedin “start a discussion” box and submitted it to start a discussion.

Linkedin Groups Start a Discussion

Linkedin Groups Start a Discussion

My question then moved to the Most Recent Discussions field within the Google Adwords Qualified Individuals Linkedin Group.

While drafting my question I realized I could include a link to a post I had written on my blog that pertained to the subject of my question.

I included the link in the discussion.

Linkedin Groups Discussions Comments

Linkedin Groups Discussions Comments

Within a day, my WordPress blog statistics began showing clicks coming from the specifc Linkedin page where the question I had posed was up for discussion.

Members of the group from different parts of the world took the time to enter the discussion and answer my question.

By allowing an outbound link within their Groups Discussion feature, Linkedin has added a potentially new way to expand the reach and power of their network.

Domain Name Registration Statistics

September 19, 2008

Verisign the global registry operator for .com and .net, has published its September 2008 Domain Name Industry Brief.

Some report highlights:

By mid 2008 there were 168 million domain name registrations across all of the Top Level Domain Names (TLDs).

Domain registrations increased four percent over the first quarter of 2008 and grew 22 percent over the same quarter last year.

The base of Country Code Top Level Domain Names (ccTLDs) totaled 65 million domain names. Country Code Top Level Domain Names had a four percent increase quarter over quarter and a 27 percent increase year over year.

In terms of total domain name registrations, .com has the highest base followed by .de (Germany), .cn (China), and .net.

Rounding out the list of largest TLDs, .uk and .org had approximately the same number of registrations.

Domain Industry Registration Growth:

The number of new domain name registrations across all TLDs in the second quarter of 2008 was 11.7 million.

This represented a decline of new registrations by 18 percent from a very strong first quarter and eight percent from second quarter 2007, driven largely by a decline in Country Code Top Level Domain growth.

The decrease in domain name registrations reflects seasonal slowing historically seen in the second quarter.

“The composition of the domain name industry and rank order in terms of base size remained relatively constant with the largest TLDs remaining in the same rank order.”

Domain Registration Statistics

Domain Registration Statistics

The top ten largest Top Level Domains in terms of base size according to Verisign were:

1) .com
2) .de
3) .cn
4) .net
5) .uk
6) .org
7) .info
8 ) .nl (The Netherlands)
9) .eu (European Union)
10) .biz

Hurricane Ike Galveston Texas Damage on Google Earth

September 18, 2008

The teams from Google Earth and Maps have assembled images and resources for Galveston Texas residents displaced by Hurricane Ike as well as state and local emergency management personnel.

Within hours after Hurricane Ike’s arrival the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Remote Sensing Division began flying rapid response aerial reconnaissance missions of the Texas and Louisiana Gulf region.

NOAA Remote Sensing

NOAA Remote Sensing

The NOAA Remote Sensing team has published the data they have collected on their official Hurricane Ike response page.

Hurricane Ike

Hurricane Ike

The images posted on NOAA site are of the coast of Texas and Louisiana after Hurricane Ike made landfall.

The NOAA Remote Sensing Division gathered their Hurricane Ike images to meet NOAA national security and emergency response requirements.

The NOAA data will also be used for ongoing research efforts to test and further develop standards for airborne digital imagery.

To see pictures of Galveston and the Texas coastline in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, click on the NOAA base map grid boxes.

Hurricane Ike Image

Hurricane Ike Image

You can then drill down to each NOAA picture taken after Hurricane Ike made landfall.

Hurricane Ike Damage

Hurricane Ike Damage

The Google Earth and Google Maps teams have also processed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data it into a KML image overlay for easy access.

Here is just one example of the type of before and after pictures you can view of Galveston, Texas after Hurricane Ike struck the Texas Gulf Coast.

Hurricane Ike Before Picture

Hurricane Ike Before Picture

Hurricane Ike Before Picture

Hurricane Ike After Picture

Hurricane Ike After Picture

Hurricane Ike After Picture

Yahoo! Search Marketing Console?

September 17, 2008

I was cleaning up some Yahoo Search Marketing accounts this morning and was trying to find Yahoo’s Search Submit login page.

In the past, keeping track of all their search product offerings was difficult.

Yahoo has consolidated all of their search marketing products into a drop down box on their Sponsored Search login page.

The Yahoo Search Marketing login page shows 13 different search marketing product categories:

1. Sponsored Search

2. Local Sponsored Search

3. Mobile Sponsored Search

4. Search Submit Pro

5. Search Submit Express

6. Search Submit Basic

7. Marketing Console

8. Search Optimizer

9. Product Submit

10. Travel Submit

11. Local Listings

12. Directory Submit

13. Small Business

Yahoo Marketing Console

Yahoo Marketing Console

I thought I would get reacquainted with Yahoo search marketing products so I clicked on their “Marketing Console” thinking this would somehow let me manage all of my Yahoo search marketing products in one dashboard.

Not today.

Yahoo Marketing Console 404 Not Found

Yahoo Marketing Console 404 Not Found

When I clicked on the Yahoo search marketing console I was sent to a non-existent page.

I then searched for the Yahoo search marketing console – in Yahoo – and was directed back to their sponsored search login page.

Did Yahoo have a search marketing console for managing all of their search products and I just wasn’t able to locate it?

Or, did Yahoo have a marketing console they have since abandoned?

MarketingConsultants.com Domain Auction

September 16, 2008

I received this email regarding the auctioning of the domain marketingconsultants.com. My thoughts about this domain and the auction are in [brackets] below.

Hello Tim,

I am the owner of the generic premium domain name MarketingConsultants.com.

Since you are a Marketing Service provider, I thought you or your firm would be interested to know that I am auctioning off the domain through domain broker Sedo.com.

[ I am, I have been a marketing consultant for 19 years.]

The auction for MarketingConsultants.com ends in about 3 days.

You own MarketingConsultants.org.

[Yes, I do.]

Advanced Marketing Consultants

Advanced Marketing Consultants

Why not get the best extension for marketing consultants? .Com is king and this domain has it!

Why should you buy MarketingConsultants.com? Besides the points below, you can also refer to the article here:

dmueller.com/benefits-of-generic-domains

MarketingConsultants.com is without doubt the best domain for Marketing
Consultants. It would be a perfect name & a growing asset for your company.

[Agreed, depending on the price.]

It caters to a highly lucrative niche – Offline & Online Marketing.

There are 612 Pay-per-click Sponsors for the term “Marketing Consultants” on Google.

[I actually found 83 pages of sponsored ads on Google totalling 996 advertisers.]

Marketing Consultants

Marketing Consultants

Pay per click rate for “Marketing Consultants” is $3.00-4.72 at Google Adwords!

Just 750 clicks per month would cost you $3,300+ monthly if you are one of the top advertisers for this keyword, but with this domain, you can get even more targeted traffic consistently for free.

This is just a one-time investment.

[ Actually there is a one time purchase price and then an ongoing annual renewal fee between $7 and $10 depending on which registrar the domain is transferred to.]

This premium domain will bring instant brand recognition!

[ Generic descriptive names can not become brands by definition, however established brands can benefit from owning their generic equivalency.]

It would bring authenticity and trustworthiness to any Marketing Consultancy or Marketing Service business.

The majority of clients are aware that only a serious and successful Marketing Consultant would invest in the most premium domain of their industry. A domain of this generic nature adds credibility to any existing Marketing business.

[ Correct ]

Incredible: over 2,880,000 Google Search Results for “Marketing Consultants”.

Keyword Rich domain: Search engines give lot of importance to keywords in the domain.

Once developed, it will easily get high ranks on Google. Getting 1st spot 1st page position for “Marketing Consultants” would not be difficult at all.

[ If getting first page, first result weren’t difficult then every domain would be first and there wouldn’t be any need for second place results or beyond.]

Sub-domains can be used for high search engine rankings. For example, if the new owner creates sub-domain: Internet.MarketingConsultants.com then the site is most likely to top search engines for the term “internet marketing consultant”.

Same with:

NewYork.MarketingConsultants.com

Top.MarketingConsultants.com

Sophisticated.MarketingConsultants.com etc.

[ Sounds good, but I don’t think I have ever seen a sub-domain on the first page for a competitive keyword.]

MarketingConsultants.com is a 10 year old domain: it is an authority aged domain. Will easily get top ranks in search engines.

[ If so, why isn’t it there now after 10 years?]

Domain is concise and to the point. It would describe the business very well.

No hyphen. No numbers. Correct Spelling.

Domains are growing in value consistently. This domain will be a valuable growing asset for your business.

[ Possibly ]

In the long run, this domain will bring a significant number of clients and build brand awareness for any marketing consultant business. This domain will, without a doubt, give unfair advantage to any Marketing business over competitors. Increasingly larger numbers of businesses are searching, researching and buying online, and with this domain, you will dominate this sector. Disney owns family.com, Intel owns chips.com, GE owns TransportationServices.com.

Who should own MarketingConsultants.com?

It’s a rare gem of a domain. Once sold, the buyer might never sell or will sell for much higher price. Do not miss this only chance!

This domain has been professionally appraised at over $45,000, but I have not put any reserve and the current bid is only at $9,100.

MarketingConsultants.com Sedo Auction

MarketingConsultants.com Sedo Auction

[ A professional domainer will probably end up buying this domain and then monetize it with ads. ]

— More info below—

32,000 searches are done by businesses looking for Marketing Consultants on Google (below is the exact search count). That is 32,000 potential clients for the new owner of MarketingConsultants.com. Since this domain will easily rank high for search phrases like “marketing consultants”, you can expect lot of business traffic from Google alone, and these searchers are targeted and are actively looking to buy Marketing services.

Please refer to search count below:

Searches Keyword

8,967 marketing consultants
6,750 internet marketing consultants
5,484 marketing for consultants
5,229 consultants marketing
620 direct marketing consultants
501 interactive marketing consultants
490 web marketing consultants
475 business marketing consultants
459 search engine marketing consultants
443 marketing strategy consultants
417 search marketing consultants
325 strategic marketing consultants
318 email marketing consultants
310 sales marketing consultants
280 small business marketing consultants
276 network marketing consultants
276 consultants marketing network
242 online marketing consultants
211 marketing consultants houston
211 software marketing consultants
210 boston marketing consultants
193 marketing consultants san diego
175 sales and marketing consultants
152 law firm marketing consultants
145 marketing consultants uk
144 automotive marketing consultants
139 internet marketing strategy consultants
134 marketing consultants new
134 marketing consultants new york
129 real estate marketing consultants
117 marketing communication consultants
110 marketing research consultants
104 affinity marketing consultants
102 marketing communications consultants

Source: PageRank.net/keyword-suggestion

Important:
Sedo requires member verification for bids above $10k, so if you are going to bid, do not forget to verify your account at Sedo first.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me. You can also call me at
xxx-xxx-xxxx

Thank you for your time.

Best regards,

X

[ Considering I bought marketingconsultants.org for $7.41, I am having a hard time justifying entering a domain auction for the same domain albeit with the superior extension at over 1,300 times the price I paid for mine.

I will check back in a few months to see what price marketingconsultants.com was auctioned for as well as to learn what steps its new owners have taken to generate a return on their domain investment. ]

Microsoft adCenter: No Cost Per Conversion Data

September 15, 2008

Is there a particular reason why the Microsoft adCenter doesn’t provide a cost per conversion column for its advertisers?

Microsoft adCenter Cost Per Conversion

Microsoft adCenter Cost Per Conversion

The Microsoft adCenter dashboard displays ad group name, ad group start date, ad group end date, status, spend, impressions, clicks, ctr %, average position, conversions, average cpc and negative keywords.

adCenter data does show number of conversions – just not their cost. This unnecessarily creates an extra level of interpretation and work for advertisers.

Why?

If an advertiser wants to manage and understand their advertising campaign’s effectiveness through cost per conversion data – Microsoft through its omission of this metric – leaves advertisers to make their own calculations… or not.

Is this a lack of transparency in Microsoft’s adCenter?

If it is, Microsoft’s not providing its advertisers with acquisition cost data makes calculating their return on investment more difficult.

Both Google and Yahoo supply this type of data.

Surely this is just an oversight on Microsoft’s part.

If it is an oversight, adding cost per conversion data in the Microsoft adCenter dashboard would help Microsoft’s advertisers understand more about their campaigns acquisition costs and in turn their return on investment from advertising with Microsoft.

Surely providing this data in column form would be in the best interest of both Microsoft and its advertisers.