For all you SEO fans out there wondering about or maybe even pontificating what results if any will materialize from the launch of Google Instant, I have a rather simplistic albeit cryptic prediction:
With the launch of Google Instant; the tail will stop wagging the dog.
Adjust your search marketing communications accordingly.
This blog’s WordPress search engine referrals data often reports “marketing comunications” as a keyword source.
However, this site isn’t in the top 100 results forĀ “marketing communications” in either Google or Yahoo.
Search Engine Rank
Although SearchMarketingCommunications.com doesn’t rank in the top 100 results in Google’s or Yahoo’s web index for marketing communications, I have discovered it appears to rank first for related blogs in Google Blog Search.
Google Blog Search
Google Blog Search must be the referral source for the “marketing communications” search engine queries.
Today while searching to see if all of Search Marketing Communications pages had yet been indexed by Google, I noticed results for this blog now include a “show more results from searchmarketingcommunications.com” + box.
Google Show More Results
Clicking on the show more results plus box then produces a list of additional pages within the site without having to click through to the site.
In my site’s case, the show more results button produced a list of six pages from within the site.
Google Show All Results
Below the six pages listed within the site, Google then offers to “Show all of the results from searchmarketingcommunications.com.
This in turn produces a list of all the pages Google has found within a site.
In this site’s case, Google finds approximately 407 pages of the 550 pages that have been published.
Site:SearchMarketingCommunications.com
Hopefully, the Googlebot will eventually update its results with all 550 pages.
Although my site has begun appearing in Google search results again, for some reason only 196 of my 500+ pages @SearchMarketingCommunications.com are getting crawled and indexed.
Site:SearchMarketingCommunications.com
Any idea why only a fraction of my site is getting crawled and indexed in Google?
What steps do I need to take to get the 300+ missing pages crawled and indexed?
Several days ago I wrote about my frustration with WordPress.
I had moved my original WordPress domain to a new urlĀ – SearchMarketingCommunications.com via their domain mapping service January 29th of this year.
To my dismay, I witnessed all of my Google search referrals vanish along with my WordPress domain from the Google search results.
To add insult to injury, my new domain went nearly six months without being re-indexed by Google even after authenticating and validating the new domain with Google Webmaster tools.
I contacted WordPress again and they said it wasn’t their fault the domain wasn’t in Google’s index.
Their response may have been intellectually sound, but it didn’t help me much.
I did however decide to take their advice and use Google Webmaster Tools message center to contact Google and ask for a review of my site.
To my surprise, in my Google Webnaster tools inbox I received the following message:
Google Webmaster Tools Reconsideration Request
A Google site search for Search Marketing Communications also yielded 17 pages.
Google Index Search Marketing Communications
This is 17 more pages from my new site than were found in Google’s index yesterday.
Although I have several hundred pages in SearchMarketingCommunications.com – 17 pages in the Google index is better than none.
Googlebot crawl stats show its crawling two pages per average visit.
Googlebot Crawl Stats
I expect to see the average number of pages crawled increase with each Googlebot return visit to my site.
Another way to verify whether or not a blog is receiving optimum distribution is to check whether or not its in Google’s Blog Search.
Based on the following Google blog search results, it appears a successful Google Webmaster tools reconsideration request into Google’s index also yields placement in Google blog search.
Google Blog Search Marketing Communications
I am cautiously optimistic this entire site will soon be available in Google’s index.
If and when this occurs, I will be sure to report on the outcome here @SearchMarketingCommunications.com
The Central Intelligence Agency is recruiting via Sponsored Videos on YouTube.
Central Intelligence Agency Sponsored Videos
I wonder who manages the search marketing campaigns for the CIA?
Does the Central Intelligence Agency manage their search marketing communications process in house or do they outsource their search marketing to a search marketing agency?
I didn’t discover the CIA video under a search for the Central Intelligence Agency or CIA. I stumbled onto their video under an entirely unrelated education industry keyword.
The CIA or their search marketing agency don’t appear to be marketing their recruitment program under CIA or Central Intelligence Agency keywords in YouTube.
Central Intelligence Agency
Nor do they appear to bidding for the CIA or Central Intelligence Agency terms in Google search either.
Central Intelligence Agency Google Results
Double Click is serving the Central Intelligence Agency’s Youtube Sponsored Video ads.
Double Click is owned by Google.
If you have an interest in pursuing a career with the CIA click here for more information.
The following are some initial questions I ask potential clients when evaluating the search engine marketing potential of their business.
This multiple-choice Search Engine Marketing Communications Survey takes about two minutes to complete.
Download your copy of the Search Engine Marketing Communications Survey PDF.
What is your primary business?
A. Store-based merchant
B. Catalog
C. Virtual merchant
D. Consumer brand manufacturer
Which type of search engine marketing do you use the most?
A. More pay-per-click than organic
B. More organic than paid
C. Both equally
How does search engine marketing perform compared with your other marketing programs?
A. Better
B. Much better
C. Same
D. Worse
E. Much worse
How large is your keyword inventory?
A. Less than 50 words
B. 51 words to 100 words
C. 101 words to 200 words
D. 251 words to 500 words
E. 501 words to 750 words
F. 751 words to 1,000 words
G. 1,001 words to 5,000 words
H. 5,001 words to 10,000 words
I. More than 10,000 words
What percent of your online sales are attributable to search engine marketing?
A. 5% or less
B. 5.1% to 10%
C. 10.1% to 15%
D. 15.1% to 20%
E. 20.1% to 25%
F. 25.1% to 30%
G. 30.1% to 40%
H. 40.1% to 50%
I. More than 50%
What percent of shoppers who come to your site through your paid search program make a purchase?
A. 0.5% to 1%
B. 1.1% to 2%
C. 2.1% to 3%
D. 3.1% to 4%
E. 4.1% to 5%
F. 5.1% to 6%
G. 6.1% to 7%
H. 7.1% to 8%
I. 8.1% to 9%
J. 9.1% to 10%
K. 10.1% TO 15%
L. More than 15%
In the past year your pay-per-click conversion rate:
A. Went up
B. Went down
C. Stayed the same
By what percent did your pay-per-click conversion rate increase?
A. 2% or less
B. 2.1% to 5%
C. 5.1% to 6%
D. 6.1% to 7%
E. 7.1% to 8%
F. 8.1% to 9%
G. 9.1% to 10%
H. 10.1% to 12%
I. 12.1% to 15%
J. More than 15%
How much do you spend in a typical month on all types of search engine marketing (pay-per-click and search engine optimization)?
A. Less than $1,000
B. $1,001 to $2,000
C. $2,001 to $4,000
D. $4,001 to $6,000
E. $6,001 to $10,000
F. $10,001 to $20,000
G. $20,001 to $30,000
H. $30,001 to $40,000
I. $40,001 to $50,000
J. $50,001 to $60,000
K. $60,001 to $75,000
L. $75,001 to $100,000
M. More than $100,000
What percent of your online marketing budget is spent on search engine marketing?
A. 5% or less
B. 5.1% to 10%
C. 10.1% to 15%
D. 15.1% to 20%
E. 20.1% to 30%
F. 30.1% to 40%
G. 40.1% to 50%
H. 50.1% to 60%
I. 60.1% to 75%
J. More than 75%
What is the average amount you pay per click?
A. 5 cents or less
B. 6 to 10 cents
C. 11 to 15 cents
D. 16 to 20 cents
E. 21 to 25 cents
F. 26 to 40 cents
G. 41 to 50 cents
H. 51 to 75 cents
I. 76 to $1
J. More than $1
Will you increase your amount of pay-per click advertising this year?
A. Yes
B. No.
Do you manage your search engine marketing program in-house?
A. Yes
B. No
Do you plan to outsource your search engine marketing program?
A. Yes, within six months
B. Yes, within one year
C. Yes, within two years
D. No plans
Which search engine produces the best web sales results?
A. Google
B. Yahoo
C. AOL
D. MSN
E. LookSmart
F. Other
Which of the following programs or strategies are you using to improve your paid search program? (Check all that apply)
A. Adding more multiple word phrases to keyword inventory
B. Writing more descriptive ad copy
C. Testing keywords and phrases to land on appropriate home or product pages
D. Monitoring competitorsā use of keywords and phrases
E. Syncing keywords and phrases with product availability
F. Testing keyword inventory effectiveness using cluster analysis, data modeling and other tools
G. Other
Which of the following programs or strategies are you using to improve your organic search engine optimization? (Check all that apply)
A. Rewriting keyword descriptions on the home and product pages
B. Including the actual phrases commonly used by searchers on product pages
C. Including common product keywords in the image file names and in image display captions
D. Designing customized landing pages and creating exclusive merchandising sections
E. Enhancing site navigation
F. Increasing the use of header tags in content on the home page and product pages
G. Better use of web analytics
H. Other
What benchmarks do you use to measure the effectiveness of your search engine marketing program? (Check up to 3)
A. Site traffic
B. Sales
C. Conversions
D. Average order size
E. New customers
F. Click-throughs
G. Cost-per-clicks
H. Rank on main search engine page
I. Other
Did you allow your affiliates or other third-party resellers to bid on your brand name?
A. Yes
B. No
Do you bid on the brand names of your competitors?
A. Yes
B. No
What is the annual sales range of your online retail business?
A. Less than $1 million
B. $1 million to $4.9 million
C. $5 million to $9.9 million
D. $10 million to $24.9 million
E. $25 million to $50 million
F. More than $50 million
Thanks for taking the Search Engine Marketing Communications Survey.
Top of Page Equals Top of Mind…
Although I wrote this piece about Search Engine Displacement for DMNews and The Direct Marketing Club of New York three years ago, I believe the premise is even more prescient today than before.
The DMNews article may give you a better idea of how I approach a client’s search marketing communications problems and how important search engines have become to even the smallest of businesses.
My Search Marketing Communications blog made the fastest growing blogs list today at WordPress.com.
Search Marketing Communications 
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