Search Engine Marketing

Think back to the last time you were in the market for a new printer, camera or sofa. If you used a search engine like Google or Bing, chances are you were served up a mess of things from videos to news results to images. That mess probably included ads that were pretty far off the mark.

Product placement on television isn't a new concept, but the ever-increasing popularity of reality TV has changed the landscape of television programming. A Nielsen report found eight out of the 10 top shows with product placements were reality television programs.

Sometime in 2012, Google is going to surrender its position as “the” place for search on the internet. I'm quite serious. What will replace it? Chatter marketing engines will. They're going to be the leading source of online customer acquisition, retention and lifetime value sometime over the next year-and-a-half.

Join DirectMarketingIQ's own Chief Content Officer Ethan Boldt as he discusses PURL best practices and case study examples.

An important factor to success for any online retailer is which keywords to find and add to your search marketing efforts. Most retailers keep a lid on their most successful keywords, but the process for finding them isn't exactly a secret. Kate Goodman, vice president of e-commerce at women's apparel retailer Talbots, and Courtney Wegner, client services manager at iProspect, a search marketing firm, shared best practices to finding your brand's keywords in a session titled, How I Found My Best Keywords, at the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition in San Diego yesterday.

Overstock.com announced the search engine penalty enforced on it by Google in late February has been lifted. "We understand Google's position and we have made changes to remain clearly within their guidelines," said Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne.

It seems turf wars no longer just apply to the long standing East Coast vs. West Coast rivalry. It's now about actual turf. Is it time to think about lawn care already? Wasn't it just snowing?

Google has caught Overstock buying links to boost its search rankings and that's a big no-no for Google. Therefore it dragged Overstock down in its search rankings. Overstock said that Google dinging its search rankings has cost it 5 percent of revenue.

Google launched a third generation of its commerce search tool that is specifically designed for retailers' e-commerce websites. Note that Google Commerce Search is not geared for the small seller — pricing starts at $25,000 per year and is based on the number of product SKUs and number of search queries.

Travel plans are the subject of many daydreams as warmer weather approaches and days lengthen. What's the necessary ingredient for a perfect getaway? A hassle-free luggage set that accommodates your every need.