• If you perform SEM for an internet retail business, chances are you’ve had to run your fair share of test orders. Rimm-Kaufman posted a list of fake, but valid credit card numbers for easier testing (Visa, MC, AMEX, take your pick)!
  • Dave Davis over at Red Fly Marketing gives a step-by-step synopsis of the new AdWords Content Exclusion BETA test. He makes several good points regarding taking a cautious approach to limiting the Content Network and that no tool will ever replace solid manual reporting (via Placement Performance reports).
  • After reading this article on the “impending recession of PPC” by Steve Rubel, Traffick’s Andrew Goodman responded to each point. Whether it was in response to ad clutter on the search engines, or search ads being untrustworthy, Andrew makes a solid case for the livelihood of pay-per-click advertising.
  • Marketing Sherpa now has a new Landing page Handbook. Data and case studies provided in the book include trust and security icons, testing methodology, intent reinforcement, optimizing by keyword match type and social media optimization. There’s just one catch, it’s $497!!!
  • A source of debate in the PPC world is the effectiveness of Google’s content network. Personally, I’ve had great success with the content network. However, it is requires a totally different approach/mind-set/methodology from the search network. Google is assisting advertiser with the content network by offering some recent improvements such as more transparent reporting; better targeting and pricing availability; and more bidding choices. Watch for our post on Friday on how to optimize your account for the content network!
  • There is nothing like transferable knowledge! Small Business SEM has a great post on 8 things the search industry can teach small businesses. This is a great post, and I wonder what small business management could teach search marketers?
  • Need some clarification on these terms within AdWords: Minimum CPC, Maximum CPC, Average CPC? If so, Inside AdWords has been kind enough to post some definitions of these terms. These may seem basic but it never hurts to refresh your memory.