| www.90octane.com |
|
 |
|
Thanks for turning to 90octane to learn the latest in conversion-driven marketing.
If you haven't subscribed to our RSS feed, click the button to the right. That way you're updated every time we publish an article, add a case study to our site or issue a press release. Be sure to check out "What's New at 90octane" for our recent headlines. To learn more about 90octane, click here. |
 
 |
 |
Forget Global —Google Is Going Universal 3 Ways Google Is Conquering the Universe in '09 According to the research firm Hitwise, about 69.5% of U.S. searches in 2008 took place on Google, reconfirming its dominance in the search engine marketplace. And in 2009, Google will be working as hard as ever to keep its hold on the industry. Capitalizing on Image Search, expanding mobile capabilities, and adding personalization to search results are just three of the ways they will achieve it. Capitalizing on Image Search: Google is continuously working to improve Image Search. The company recently rolled out filtering on Image Search, allowing users to specify if they want photos, clip-art, faces, or line drawings. Along with making improvements to the user experience,  Google is taking the opportunity to place ads alongside image results. For example, the image search "Cancun" returns an Expedia ad atop the search results page. According to searchenginenews.com, Google speculates that serving these ads could bring in an estimated $200 million in additional annual ad revenue.
Google is also testing Image Search Ads, which combine images with Google's traditional pay-per-click (PPC) ads. Image Search Ads are aimed at advertisers in the retail space that have products that naturally lend themselves to image results. REI, for example, takes advantage of this type of advertising to showcase its camping tents. The feature combines images from Google Base with Google AdWords ads to create expandable text ads enhanced with product images. Image search ads are entered into the same AdWords auction as standard PPC ads but provide more characters of text and three slots for thumbnail images. Expanding Mobile Capabilities: Google recently launched a new version of its iPhone app with updates that allow users to search with their voices instead of typing queries into the phone and to search using "My Location" to return local results. For example, if you say "movie show times" and the phone's GPS indicates that you're located in Denver, the search will return movie times in Denver. Don't have an Apple iPhone or T-Mobile's G1 powered by Google's Android OS? You can still take advantage of Google services on your phone. Text "Weather Denver" to 466-453 (which spells Google), and the system returns local weather information almost instantaneously. Google also has a voice-powered service accessible by dialing 800-GOOG-411 that returns local information via voice or text messaging. Personalizing Search: Google will begin to depend more on localization to make the search experience more personal. Two different users who execute the same search will not receive the same results because their IP addresses will reveal that they are in different locations, and Google will also take previous searches into account when returning results. This 2008 interview with Google engineer Matt Cutts explores localization and Universal Search in much more depth, emphasizing the importance Google places on making search results more engaging. On November 20, 2008 Google announced that they had enhanced their search results page by implementing SearchWiki. SearchWiki allows users who are logged into their Google accounts to personalize their search results by voting favorite results to the top of the list, removing results they don't deem relevant, adding URLs to the results page, and making public comments about results. Google's goal in introducing SearchWiki was to make search more useful and relevant to peoples' everyday lives; however, the immediate reaction to SearchWiki included comments that it made search results too cluttered and complaints that there is no way to turn the feature off. SearchWiki votes don't currently affect public search engine rankings, but there is some speculation they will in the future. Needless to say, Google is as busy as ever. The search giant continues to roll out features that broaden our opportunities as advertisers and also enhance our experiences as everyday search engine users. What will they think of next? |
 |
Define conversion for your pay-per-click (PPC) advertising program from the get-go. Once you know exactly what actions you want your targeted audience to take on your website, it's easier to make decisions about budget, since you'll know cost-per-conversion, and to analyze your metrics. Re-defining your conversions too often creates a moving target, making it difficult to assess program success. |
 |
|
Ramtron International Renews SEO Program with 90octane and Adds Lead Generation
Atlas Copco CMT USA Renews Contract with 90octane for Used Equipment Solutions Program |
 |
|
What marketers can do to improve lead generation programs
Improving your SEM program in 2009 Push media CPL programs make every marketing dollar count |
 |
 |
90octane is a conversion-driven marketing agency. A pioneer in response-based interactive tactics such as search engine marketing, online advertising and microsite design, the firm integrates these with more traditional channels to deliver custom, optimized programs. 90octane helps business-to-business companies generate and nurture high-quality sales leads, international nonprofits attract new donors, and top consumer brands enter new markets and increase sales.
90octane 518 17th Street, Suite 1400 l Denver, CO 80202 720.904.8169 l info@90octane.com www.90octane.com |
|
You are receiving this newsletter because you indicated that you would like to receive our 90news emailings. To be removed from this list, please click here. 90octane takes your privacy seriously and we will not share your email address with others. If you would like to receive 90news every month and are not yet subscribed, click here to sign up. 90octane 518 17th Street, Suite 1400, Denver, CO 80202 © Copyright 2009. 90octane. All rights reserved. |