Best of 2008: AdWords Tips and Tactics, Part 2

Where can you find the best resources to help pass the AdWords certification exam? When is it time to drop or rewrite an underperforming ad? What factors should be taken into account when developing a new AdWords campaign? How can the Google AdWords search-based keyword tool be used for competitive research?

Discover those answers and more here in the final installment of the best posts on AdWords marketing from the past year.

Top 10 Resources to Pass the Google AdWords Exam in a Week by SEOptimise

Richard Fergie provides a helpful list of resources to help with the Google AdWords certification exam from the AdWords blog, O'Reilly, seobook, PPC Hero and other sources.

AdWords Conversion Optimizer Expands Eligibility by Inside AdWords

In important news for smaller advertisers, Amanda Kelly announced that Google had expanded the availability of its AdWords Conversion Optimizer tool to any campaign using AdWords Conversion Tracking with at least 50 conversions in the last 30 days. This powerful tool automatically optimizes conversions by adjusting ad positions based on keyword match type, the searcher's geographic location and other factors. Another Inside AdWords post worth checking out is Display Ad Builder Best Practices from Emel Mutlu, which provides guidance on maximizing the performance of AdWords display ads through customizataion and careful grouping.

Measuring a Text Ad's Effectiveness by Search Engine Watch

The always insightful David Szetela demonstrates the importance of grouping keywords properly before rushing to judgement on the quality of a text ad.

Pay Per Click Search Engine Marketing Flowchart by PPC Blog

One of the most bookmarkable posts ever on the topic of search engine marketing, this handy chart guides you through creating an SEM campaign from strategy and keyword research through keyword grouping and ad copy writing to measurement, analysis and optimization. Even better, each box in the chart links through to more detailed guidance on the specific topic from top search marketing blogs like Marketing Pilgrim on branding and exposure, SEO Book on competitive research tools, and Rimm-Kaufman on measurement.

Discovering New PPC Search Advertising Opportunities with the Google Search-based Keyword Tool by Internet Marketing and e-Business Review

Louise Rijk provides an in-depth look at Google's search-based keyword tools, including how to use it for developing landing page copy and competitive research.

Previous posts in this series:

Best of 2008: SEO Guidance, Part 1
Best of 2008: Interactive PR, Part 1
Best of 2008: SEO Tools, Part 1
Best of 2008: Search Engine Marketing
Best of 2008: Web Analytics
Best of 2008: Email Marketing Tips
Best of 2008: SEO Keyword Tips & Tools
Best of 2008: Sales & Marketing Copywriting
Best of 2008: SEO Link Building
Best of 2008: Website Design
Best of 2008: WordPress Tools and Tips
Best of 2008: Web & SEO Copywriting
Best of 2008: SEO Guidance, Part 2
Best of 2008: Social Media Optimization, Part 1
Best of 2008: AdWords Tips and Tactics, Part 1
Best of 2008: SEO Tools, Part 2
Best of 2008: SEM Landing Pages
Best of 2008: Blogging for Business, Part 1
Best of 2008: Interactive PR, Part 2
Best of 2008: SEO Guidance, Part 3
Best of 2008: Social Media Optimization, Part 2

*****

Contact Tom Pick: tomATwebmarketcentralDOTcom

Comments

Emailista said…

I love your blog! Thanks for the great resources!

11:27 PM

Tom Pick said…

Thanks so much for the positive feedback! I enjoy sharing great resources and am very glad you find them useful. And thank you for reading!

12:01 AM

All Time Greats

Getting More Out of Each Click with "Post-Click Marketing"

With the economy now officially in a recession (as if we didn't know that), marketers are under increasing pressure to do more with less. On the interactive marketing side, few marketers will get budget increases enabling them to drive more clicks. The challenge, then, is to maximize marketing productivity—to get more leads out of the same number of clicks. This is the first of two posts that will look at how to improve conversion rates to get more value from each click. One answer to this challenge is provided by "post-click marketing," a.k.a. lead automation management vendors. While the specifics of each service vary, all of them essentially: automate the process of extracting visitor IP information from your log files; match the IP address to an organization; filter out ISPs; and map the company name to one or more external databases to provide additional information (company size, industry, key contacts etc.). The better services also use geo-location filte...

Best of 2007: Articles and Blog Posts on SEM

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The 8 Layers of a B2B Web Marketing Plan

One way to think about designing a B2B technology web marketing plan is as a series of layers, like an onion. At the core is SEO—simply making your website "findable" through organic search to buyers who are looking for what you offer. Working out from the center are concentric layers of additional investment and sophistication. Small companies and start-ups with modest budgets will focus most of their efforts on the inner layers or rings, which are primarily designed for lead generation. As the company and its marketing budget grow, efforts can be expanded to the outer layers, which are aimed more at branding but support lead generation efforts. Ideally, a company eventually reaches the outer layer where pure branding activities (such as print advertising) help to maximize the effectiveness of lead generation programs (such as SEM) near the center of the circle. This diagram shows how different types of web marketing programs can be prioritized in order to maximize the retur...

Best of 2008: Social Media Optimization, Part 2

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SEO Link Building of 2008

Unless you are optimizing only for some extremely niche keywords, off-page optimization—building links from other websites to yours—is a critical and significant factor for SEO success. The blog posts cited here, some of the best of 2008 on the topic of link building, provide guidance on how and where to obtain valuable external links. They also offer advice on ineffective tactics and "bad neighborhoods" to avoid. Local Search Ranking Presentation - SMX LoMo 2008 by Website Promotion Is Not Voodoo Will Scott , president of Search Influence, shares his presentation from the San Francisco for SMX Local Mobile event. His deck actually covers the organic search marketinging basics—keywords, content and links. But his section on "where to get links" is particularly helpful for anyone seeking to optimize local search results. 8 Directory Submission Red Flags by Small Business Search Marketing Matt McGee offers advice on what to avoid when obtaining links throu...

Best of 2008 (So Far) - Social Media Optimization, Part 1

This content has been moved to Best of 2008: Social Media Marketing on the Webbiquity blog. ***** technorati tags: social media, social bookmarking, social networking, Search Engine Marketing Exposed, Anthony Kirlew, OldSchool, Social Media Optimization, David Wilson, NxtERA Marketing Blog, Elana Anderson, CNET News, Brian R. Brown, SEO Scoop, DazzlinDonna, Dan Zarrella, Search Marketing Blog Online, Jon Clark, Mixx, Linkinn, MetaFilter, Elliance, evil nofollow links, Spokeo, Pandia Search Engine News, Phil Bradley, Spokeo, eBizMBA, Compete, Max Freiert del.icio.us tags: social media, social bookmarking, social networking, Search Engine Marketing Exposed, Anthony Kirlew, OldSchool, Social Media Optimization, David Wilson, NxtERA Marketing Blog, Elana Anderson, CNET News, Brian R. Brown, SEO Scoop, DazzlinDonna, Dan Zarrella, Search Marketing Blog Online, Jon Clark, Mixx, Linkinn, MetaFil...

The Best Web Marketing of 2008

Which types of online advertising provide the highest ROI? Who's really clicking on your PPC ads? Why do PPC costs keep rising? How can you convert more clickers into buyers? Are Web 2.0 technologies now mainstream? Learn these answers and more from this collection of blog posts and articles, some of the best reporting on online research topics so far this year. Online Marketers See High ROI from SEO by Marketing Pilgrim Blogger, SEO expert and PR pro Janet Meiners reports on an MarketingSherpa study detailing the growth in paid search and organic search engine optimization. Read her post to discover which types of online advertising get a thumbs up—and which are losing favor with interactive marketers. Who's really clicking? by iMedia Connection Sandeep Krishnamurthy , Professor of Marketing and E-Commerce at the University of Washington, paints a bleak picture of the future of PPC advertising—then gets blasted for it in the Comments by some fairly high-profile...

How to Write a Strategic Marketing Plan

With so little written on this topic (at least according to Google Blog Search ), one could easily conclude that marketing professionals must be born with knowledge of how to write a strategic marketing plan embedded in their genetic code. If you didn't enter the world with this capability hard-coded into your DNA, you may find the following helpful. The first step in developing a strategic marketing plan is to identify your target markets. Include both current customers (can we sell them more of what they are already buying, products and services in addition to what they are already buying, or a more premium version of our products/services?) and new prospects. For new prospective buyers, develop a separate plan for each micromarket (e.g. hospitals, insurance companies and community banks, all of which buy very differently). Next, ask the question: what do these prospects need in order to buy from me? (NOT "what do I need to sell to them?"). Divide this into three ...

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