Neil Lemons’ Blog

One of the measures of search engine marketing success is getting keyword targeted traffic through organic or natural listings. This is obvious. Being able to see the difference in paid and unpaid traffic is not so obvious to the beginner, but it is where the truth of success comes. It is no secret that paid traffic can actually have more value per visitor in some industries (if you know what you are doing), than unpaid traffic, but you should never throw the baby out with the bath water. In other industries pay-per-click inflation has gotten the best of bidders. In any case, it’s very important that you tag your paid search campaigns.

Tagging is a fancy word for naming something unique to identify its origin, and it’s highly important to tag your ads through AdWords. For most analytics or web stats programs you have to tag ads manually in which you should use a dynamic string attached to the destination URL. Google Analytics makes it easy on you (in exchange for being Big Brother) and will tell us the difference between paid and unpaid traffic automatically IF one default setting is changed through AdWords.

Here are the easy steps to making this change:

1. Login into AdWords

2. Go to the “My Account” tab, 4th Green Tab on the right

3. Then go to “Account Preferences”

4. Under “Tracking” on the right side, edit and set “Auto-tagging” to “Yes”

By default it is set to “No.”

In the future if you decide to use Yahoo! Search Marketing or MSN adCenter (which I recommend you do), you have to manually tag the ads (adding a bit of description to the destination URL). This way you will be able to tell what is ppc traffic and what is organic from Yahoo and MSN. Use this tagging URL builder.

Contact Rachel at 214-887-8586 Ex 518 to request a code.

High school yearbook sales are down in Houston schools. Some say it’s sites like Facebook or just the fact that books are not as relevant to kids since they can keep their memories in virtual interactive photo albums. Others believe it has to do with demographics.

“They all want them, but it’s like, who’s got $60?” Miller said of yearbooks. “They would rather go buy their tennis shoes or buy a grill for their mouth or something. A book is not as significant today to a child.”

-Lisa Schwartz, a manager at the Houston office of Taylor Publishing

Notice the bolded words…funny. Read the whole story

This release caught my eye because I have recently been working on SEM strategies for non-profits that use this exact software. I can only predict what they have to say. I assume the Internet has helped charitable organizations immensely with the ease at which one can donate, set up ongoing giving programs, and Businesswire.com

University marketing departments and alumni associations should be all over MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube. Major universities should also be hiring SEOs and paid search specialists. If they cannot increase their exposure and credibility by being on top 100 lists, why not be on the top ten on Google for certain programs. There seems to be a huge market abrew. Anyhow, I applaud Ohio State University for getting its own YouTube Channel. Read the story here.

At the National Venture Capital Association’s annual meeting Wednesday, Efrusy sat on a panel with executives from advertising firm Omnicom Group Inc. (OMC), entertainment content company Viacom Inc. (VIA), and Internet giant Yahoo Inc. ( YHOO), to discuss the power of online advertising.

Among the topics was the hot-button issue of whether Facebook and other advertising-based social networking sites deserve lofty valuations at this point. “Would we love to own MySpace for $700 million? Absolutely,” said Wade Davis, senior vice president at Viacom, which was interested in Facebook in the past. Would Viacom buy Facebook for $15 billion? “Absolutely not. Nor did we want to pay $1 billion. There is a lot of hype, a lot of activity, but a lot of dollars aren’t being made.” Read the whole story at CNNMoney.

The Dallas Business Journal just released its annual Book of Lists for 2008. Below is one list from the book, the Top 25 Dallas Web Design Companies list is based on revenue brought in from 2006.

Some might argue this is not completely accurate since these firms count monies their clients spend on media toward their revenue calculation, when they are actually just brokering (or passing through) the media buys. Either way, The Dallas Business Journal definitely lends credibility to companies searching for these world class web firms. Looks like there is a three way tie for the 11th and a two way tie for 18th place on this list of most revenue producing website design company in Dallas.

1. Click Here Inc. – www.clickhere
2. Zunch Worldwide Inc. – www.zunch.com
3. Imaginuity Interactive Inc. - www.imaginuity.com
4. Apollo Interactive Inc. – www.apollointeractive.com
5. MarketNet Inc. – www.marketnet.com
6. Enlightened Technology Group Inc. – www.etgroup.net
7. InSite Interactive – www.insite.net
8. The MasterLink Group Inc. - www.masterlink.com
9. NetSuccess Inc. – www.netsuccess.com
10. QuickSilver Interactive Group – www.qsigroup.com
11. Elevel – www.elevel.com
11. The Wilkins Group Inc. – www.wilkins.com
11. Aztec Systems Inc. – www.aztecsystems.com
14. ISHIR Inc.— www.ishir.com
15. Ariamedia Corp. —www.ariamedia.com
16. CI Host – www.cihost.com
17. Ellipse Group Inc.— www.ellipseinc.com
18. Design Wonders Networking - www.designwonders.com
18. Ariesnet Inc. – www.ariesnet.com
20. Bloomfield Knoble – www.bloomweb.com
21. RGB Interactive LLC— www.rbginteractive.com
22. Sentient Inc.— www.sentient-inc.com
23. OneFastBuffalo - www.onefastbuffalo.com
24. Vizion Interactive Inc.— www.vizioninteractive.com
25. Boxcar Creative LLC – www.boxcarcreative.com

Last night, at the Dallas Junior Chamber of Commerce monthly meeting, Cali Lewis presented how to “Be Your Own Media” through podcasting. Dallas-based video and audiocast evangelist Cali Lewis is the cute host of GeekBrief.TV, which features three to five minute video podcasts covering new technologies, consumer electronics, and Web 2.0 projects. Check out my video and commentary inside.
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I became familiar with Elance.com in 2005 while researching different ways to find clients and contractors when I used to do sales and recruiting for a 3D animation studio (I didn’t design it). Ironically outsourcing became the slow kiss of death for that company in the end.

Here is how Elance describes itself:

“Elance is an online workplace where businesses find and hire people ‘on demand’ to get work done quickly and cost effectively.”

-Elance.com’s About Page

I describe Elance as: Read the rest of this entry »

DFW Search Engine Marketing Association, an organization aimed at furthering the awareness of Internet and search marketing in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, gathered in the Richardson Renaissance Hotel last night to listen to Microsoft adIntelligence representative Jorie Waterman and Rob Scott speak on the latest keyword research tools and recent IP laws affecting website owners.

Although I have been involved in search marketing since 2005, this was the first DFW SEM gathering I have ever attended. I thought I would report from a non-member, outsider’s perspective, on my initial impression of what the group offered.
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