Category: Uncategorized

Google AdWords ranking

I was discussing the way rankings in this program work yesterday with a reader. The fact is that the ranking of your ad is based on CPC (cost-per-click) that you bid/pay and CTR (click-thru-rate). I mistakenly thought it was also influenced by PageRank.

Google AdWords: FAQ And this is why my ads sometimes show up on top: We occasionally show Google AdWords Select ads in the top spots if they qualify for Premium placement. This is determined by a combination of cost-per-click and clickthrough rate.

The Sales Cycle

Here’s a classic. It took me a while to come up with this searching the web, believe it or not.

Here is an easier way to not-integrate your marketing message with your exisiting website. We are looking to do this with a business partner next year.

Microsite rewards anything but small “With a microsite, you’re really targeting the individuals you want. You’re eliminating the fluff, and driving them to a site that contains the information you want them to see,”

TR Feedback

Got some response regarding our re-booking with Thomas Register’s from the people who want to fill their vacuum . In a feeble attempt a self-defense, I think it is “pretty pictures and prayers” that a lot of marketing is based on. And marketing people, like everyone else, want to make “safe” decisions. So the final result only makes us normal.

As an example I think the trade-show business would die if were all there just based on ROI. A hundred leads is hard to justify for five or ten thousand dollars a show costs to attend. But there are many non-measurable benefits to still attending. The paradigm is shifting, so we need to seriously consider the new opportunities, regardless of our attachment to the old ways. Time to go write my budget ideas for next year.

Another goodie from the Sitepoint newsletter

Get the inside scoop on exactly how Google’s PageRank works with this in-depth 55 page report called “PageRank Uncovered”.

You’ll learn:

– How PageRank is determined, and how important it is

– Whether or not Google’s Toolbar is accurate

– Influencing Results and Controlling PageRank

– Speeding up PageRank and How PageRank could be more than it seems

The report is definitely a worthwhile read if you’re trying to learn as much as possible about search engine optimization. I’m only surprised they’re not selling it as an ebook.

Program Name: PageRank Uncovered

URL: http://www.supportforums.org/PageRank.pdf

The news

For those who are ‘watching me’, the news is that we did sign-up for Thomas Register again. I let management make the final call on this one. Of course we cut way back from last year, but we paid more than we wanted. Is it worth it? I’ll continue to watch and see what is going on. This will be a pivotal year for TR. They will make the decision for us next year.

In related news, I got a copy of GlobalSpec‘s white paper on ROI. It makes some interesting points comparing quality of leads (which they feel is their strength) versus others. They do make a couple leaps of faith. They rank “branding” effectiveness of their website for your brand over a trade show. I think they do the opposite, reducing your products to commodities being compared just by specifications. Their ROI calculation form is basic, but, like all marketing, still requires multiple assumptions. And the ROI doesn’t then get compared to the program’s cost. If you calculate ROI as $100,000, but costs $13,000 to run, then you better make sure you can justify a 13% promotion cost and also assume that you would have never reached these people anyway (in which case the promotion is loses its value).

Of course who am I to criticize ways of calculating ROI, when we didn’t even use such a method for the TR decision. I guess that is the point, we weren’t paying for ROI, we were paying for image, positioning, competitive posturing, then ROI.

Bad B2B sites

I’ve been tempeted to run a separate blog like Flander’s Web Pages That Suck just for B2B sites. This one may just get me started:

OEM Technology

It tries to be a sourcing site for electronics, based on their tabloid-type publication. More than that it tries to be a “Industrial Quick Search” type keyword service. But take a look at their site, not to hard or your eyes might hurt.

Once you’ve seen enough there, try using one of their category urls. I tried www.environmentalstressscreening.com because that is where my products would fall. It bounces you back to their main sites directory page with blinking stars at the correct listing item. I can’t believe this junk is being used to sell listings. They claim 5,000 top keywords and 80,000 visitors a month.

This is a geeky web design article about locating your site’s features and where the user would expect them to be. Left-side navigation is the basic rule. Of course my site has top navigation. Maybe I need to rethink that idea.

Usability News – 3.1 – 2001 — Developing Schemas for the Location of Common Web Objects

Great downloads

I’m downloading and trying these new website analysis tools. I’ll report on them if I think they’re worthwhile:

ClickTracks overlays the stats from your site’s log files directly over the web pages, so you can see the interest users have and what they click on. The full version is $450. I wouldn’t use it every month, but it looks like a great site evaluation tool in place of usability studies. This might be a worthwhile tool to show your managers that what they want put on your website isn’t working.

Google Monitor is a free tool that allows you to evaluate how your website’s target keyword phrases are doing on Google. I’m starting to evaluate my website for only Google using WebPosition Gold (my old standby), so maybe this is an effective shortcut for those just starting out. I imagine it will cost money sooner or later, though.

Click Fraud – Are You A Victim?

Here is an article reviewing the risks of pay-per-click advertising–your scummy competitors clicking on your ads repreatedly. Not a big risk, but you kind of wonder what could happen!