Posted by: Shannon Anderson, Project Manager

Are you strapped for cash but under pressure to perform? Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns offer a cost-effective way of driving qualified traffic, and conversions, to your website? To get the most bang for your PPC buck, follow these four simple steps when setting up and optimizing your campaign.

• Focus on Targeted Keywords: Nothing will run your budget quicker than bidding on keywords that are too broad. While you may get a lot of visibility, the clicks you will receive on these ads will likely be very costly and may not drive the most qualified traffic. Honing in on your specific offerings will drive more targeted traffic to your site leading to an increased conversion rate.

• Evaluate Match Types & Negatives: Keywords that are receiving clicks but are not converting may be a sign that people are searching on similar keywords that don’t necessarily mean the same thing. These keywords may be good candidates for exact match, where your ads will only be returned if someone searches on the exact keyword. Another option is to add negative keywords to prevent your ads from showing up for searches containing those keywords.

• Adjust Budget Based on Seasonality: Evaluate past campaign performance to determine “peak” conversion times and allocate more budget toward these months, weeks or days. While it’s still important to maintain a PPC presence during the “valley” times, you’re likely to see higher conversion rates during times when decision makers and buyers are in the “Purchase” phase of the buying cycle.

• Evaluate Keywords that Convert: When optimizing your PPC campaign, determine which keywords are not only traffic drivers, but are converting too. These keywords can be broken out into a separate campaign where more of the budget can be allocated toward these top performers.

Having a small PPC budget doesn’t mean you should expect any less from your campaign. Following these four simple steps during the strategy phase and ongoing optimization will lead to increased PPC conversion rates.

Posted by: Leslie Norgren, Senior Marketing Coordinator

Search engines are becoming increasingly competitive in trying to detect and respond better to search query intent.  As Google states in their corporate information, they are striving to “understands exactly what you mean and give you back exactly what you want.”

Each search engine is able to provide query-specific information based on their unique search algorithms.  When you are launching a search engine optimization strategy it is important to consider each engine’s algorithms and their key factors in deciding search relevance.

Google relies on more than 200 signals including hypertext-matching and PageRank technology to assess the importance of webpages.  The recently launched Bing appears to place greater importance on a smaller number of factors including content, keyword placement, inbound links and strong site structure.  Yahoo also places a strong emphasis on content, in addition to XML sitemaps and the age of the site.

Knowing that each search engine has a different search algorithm may leave you questioning how to develop a search engine optimization approach that meets the needs of every search engine. read more »

Posted by: Lauren Klostermann, Project Manager

In June Yahoo announced the launch of a pilot program for My Display Ads. My Display Ads is a way for users to create their own banner ads and is designed to help small and midsize businesses reach audiences using Yahoo and its Partner Network. The entire program is powered by AdReady, a network advertiser. Users can create ads using more than 800 display templates, basing their campaigns on either CPM (cost-per-thousand impressions) or CPC (cost-per-click) pricing structures. Users are also able to track specific metrics for reporting purposes.

Yahoo’s program is based on reaching the currently under-utilized market of small business owners by making online advertising extremely accessible and inexpensive. The results of a March study by BBI (Bredin Business Information) found that SMBs are relying less on traditional marketing tactics because of the economic downtown and are moving more towards online marketing.

This move by Yahoo comes after search giant Google announced changes to its flagship advertising product, AdWords, by offering advertisers more relevant information and options.

For more information and to try out this product, visit http://yahoomydisplayads.adready.com.

Posted by: Rosemary Riley, Storyteller/Senior Copywriter

Inc. magazine today ranked conversion-driven marketing agency 90octane no. 1,682 on its third annual Inc. 5000, an exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies reporting at least $2 million in 2008 revenue. The agency also ranked 43rd for the Denver-Aurora, CO metro region. The list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy – America’s independent-minded entrepreneurs.

The Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2005 through 2008. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by the first week of 2005. Additionally, they have to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent – not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies – as of December 31, 2008. Revenue in 2005 must have been at least $200,000, and revenue in 2008 at least $2 million. 90octane achieved 190.1% revenue growth over the three-year period.

Founded in 2000, 90octane is a pioneer in response-based interactive marketing tactics. The agency creates custom lead generation, lead nurturing and search engine marketing programs for its clients in the B2B, B2C and nonprofit fields. View 90octane’s Inc. 5000 Company Profile.

Posted by: Lauren Klostermann, Project Manager

Wondering where to get the most up-to-date information from 90octane, including industry information, the latest eNewsletters, blog entries, and culture updates? Find us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/90octane. Your guest Twitterers, Lauren and Leslie, will be bringing you the most current content about conversion-driven marketing.

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Posted by: Sean Voorhies, Senior Marketing Coordinator

Conversions. Landing Pages. Landing Pages. Conversions. These two words are inextricably linked. Unlike websites or even microsites that have the breadth and depth to be many different things to different visitors, landing pages earn their rightful place on the Web, in lead generation programs, and within the marketing budget by being laser-focused and conversion-driven.

Whether the landing page houses a unique informational offer, free trial, interactive tool or some other feature, the simpler it is in highlighting the conversion action, describing benefits and moving the user’s attention from thought to action, the more effective the page will be. From button and form design to hero shots and branding, there are many “principles of simplicity” that can be applied to effective landing page design. Below we take a look at three of the simplest, and yet most overlooked, examples:

De-emphasize off-page links.
Once your traffic sources are dialed in and qualified visitors are finding and interacting with your page, the last thing you want is to emphasize a link that will take them away. Such a link usually connects to the company’s home page or a different campaign microsite. But users who prefer to visit the home page will typically seek that link out, and highlighting off-page links instead of the conversion action can confuse users who would otherwise be interested in the offer.

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Posted by: Rosemary Riley, Senior Copywriter

The word is out. Yahoo and Microsoft – considered the #2 and #3 search players following Google – have reached a deal.[1] We wanted to send you an update to explain the relationship, as we here at 90octane will be following its effects on the search landscape in the months and years to come.

So, what exactly happened last week?
-    Yahoo and Microsoft have behind-the-scenes technology used to generate the listings you get when you perform a search. Yahoo is going to give up its technology and use Microsoft’s functionality on its popular websites as part of a 10-year license.[2]
-    The deal will be reviewed by regulators, primarily regarding antitrust and privacy issues, and will likely close in early 2010. The transition will take 3-6 months, so Microsoft’s organic results should be showing up on Yahoo between summer and fall 2010. Transitioning the advertising side will even take longer. Paid listings are expected to come from Microsoft to Yahoo by early 2011.

What does this all mean?
-    If you search on Yahoo, you won’t be taken to a Microsoft site. You’ll get results just like you do now, only at the bottom of the page, you’ll see “Powered by Bing.” Bing is Microsoft’s new engine, and it’s currently receiving favorable reviews.
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