Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario » Actionable insights blog

Mobile SEO Springs Forward in 2013

Michael Martin — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:25:41 +0000

Mobile Traffic Growing Google has rapidly evolved not only the differentiators in mobile search, but also in how it’s visibly presented. The reason, as Covario shared at SMX West 2013 as well in Search Engine Land, is that more than 25 percent of all search occurs on mobile devices and this share of search trend …

The post Mobile SEO Springs Forward in 2013 appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Paid Search and Above the Line Integration

Anne-Sophie Forget — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:30:39 +0000

Paid search and Above the Line (ATL) advertising integration is a hot topic in the digital world. Discussions around marketing channel “integration,” such as search and social media, SEO and PPC, and search and ATL, are starting to make real sense for advertisers who now realize that everything should ultimately work holistically together and no …

The post Paid Search and Above the Line Integration appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Yahoo Acquires Summly: The Death of SEO or A New Life for Yahoo?

Nick Roshon — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:42:59 +0000

In late March news broke that Yahoo! acquired Summly (previously called TrimIt), a news-aggregator app created by 17-year-old Nick D’Aloisio, for a whopping $30 million. This exciting story of the British wunderkind had the media both cheering and jeering Yahoo!, with mixed analysis ranging from “it’s a publicity stunt to appeal to a younger generation” …

The post Yahoo Acquires Summly: The Death of SEO or A New Life for Yahoo? appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

What You Missed If You Didn’t Attend OMMA RTB (Real-Time Buying)

Patricia Hader — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 18:32:48 +0000

I recently had the opportunity to attend OMMA RTB in San Francisco. Though I’ve been familiar with RTB (Real-Time Buying) since 2010, the industry is growing so fast, it’s hard to keep up with latest trends and developments. (It seems to change by the month!) OMMA RTB was very informative and did a fantastic job …

The post What You Missed If You Didn’t Attend OMMA RTB (Real-Time Buying) appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Introducing LINE, an Emerging Social Network for Mobile in Japan

Taro Kaji — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 00:08:42 +0000

Unlike other countries, in Japan there is an emerging social media network that is drawing public attention. In Japan, Facebook, Twitter and Mixi are still the dominant social network services (SNS). However, LINE is a growing mobile SNS worthy to consider using for online promotion. Mixi certainly has been the dominant locally-born SNS with more …

The post Introducing LINE, an Emerging Social Network for Mobile in Japan appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

The Adoption of Windows 8 and App Optimization

Travis Irwin — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 18:50:27 +0000

The newest operating system update by Microsoft comes in the form of Windows 8. With the world turning to more touch-based technology, Windows 8 is Microsoft’s largest attempt to lead the marketplace. Windows 8 allows users to not only have an updated version of their classic operating system on their computer, but also helps customize …

The post The Adoption of Windows 8 and App Optimization appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Annotations and User-Agent Detection for Mobile

Denise Collins — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 17:47:03 +0000

The internet is no longer confined to the desktop or laptop web browser. The massively growing population of smartphone and tablet users has broadened the field of user engagement, mandating that websites be flexible in how they render and respond to a multitude of devices. A recent study by Internet Analyst, Mary Meeker, just this …

The post Annotations and User-Agent Detection for Mobile appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Extending Google Text Ads for Maximum Impact

David Hutchinson — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 18:37:28 +0000

Google text ads, the bedrock for search advertisers, should not consist of just a 25-character headline with a 60-character description and a URL. With ad extensions, search ads have the ability to gain more space on the Google results page, stand out from your competitors, and massively improve CTR. There are currently seven official ad …

The post Extending Google Text Ads for Maximum Impact appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Authorship and AuthorRank in the Post Panda SEO Landscape

Renee Haas — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 22:27:40 +0000

The Internet has been abuzz recently over the rel=author tag and Google’s impending AuthorRank update that will reward individuals who are social influencers and write sharable content with higher organic search rankings. As such, Phong Chieng, Sr. SEO Strategist, and I thought we would take a moment to review the history of this impending change …

The post Authorship and AuthorRank in the Post Panda SEO Landscape appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

A Marketers Guide to Google Analytics

Nick Roshon — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 17:23:07 +0000

Google Analytics 202 – AMA Phoenix from Nick Roshon Every online marketer needs to have a solid understanding of Web Analytics to conduct successful, data-driven campaigns. We’re fortunate to have a dedicated and highly skilled analytics team here at Covario to help us conduct deep dives into our clients’ data, as well as sophisticated Rio …

The post A Marketers Guide to Google Analytics appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Exploratory Data Analysis and Visualization for the Mean Marketer – Part 2

Chris Barton — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 20:21:29 +0000

In the previous post, we looked at how an analyst can indentify if a variable is quantitative or categorical, determine if it plays the response or explanatory role, and assign the situation a specific role-type classification. With this information at hand, I’d like to walk through an example where we can examine various role-type classifications …

The post Exploratory Data Analysis and Visualization for the Mean Marketer – Part 2 appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Exploratory Data Analysis and Visualization for the Mean Marketer (Part 1)

Chris Barton — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 18:51:01 +0000

The world’s digital information is growing faster and faster every day, and by some estimates the digital universe will reach a whopping 90 zettabytes of information by the year 2020. With this type of digital data tsunami the amount of insights that can be extracted is nearly limitless. This data revolution can already be seen …

The post Exploratory Data Analysis and Visualization for the Mean Marketer (Part 1) appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

A Revival of the Meta Tag

Heather Loomis — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 18:31:39 +0000

Recently, Google introduced a new meta tag that allows publishers to insert keywords within the source code of news articles. The news_keyword meta tag allows up to ten unique keywords that do not need to be contained within the article title or the body copy. This allows writers to craft creative article content without worrying …

The post A Revival of the Meta Tag appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Google Mega Sitelinks: What You Should Know.

Denise Collins — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 18:04:40 +0000

Previously, sitelinks consisted of approximately 5-7 links delineating what Google determine to be the most popular or most useful pages of a large branded website. With the new “mega tabular sitelinks,” there are around 5-8 different tabs presented to searchers, which include several more sitelinks to specific parts of the site.

The post Google Mega Sitelinks: What You Should Know. appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Custom URLs for Google+ – What it Means for SEO

Renee Haas — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 17:25:57 +0000

Recent reports suggest that engagement on Google+ lags that of other social networks and in an attempt to turn the tide, Google has introduced custom URLs.

The post Custom URLs for Google+ – What it Means for SEO appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

What’s the Low Down on Google’s Latest Links Downloads?

jmatheson — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 17:40:30 +0000

No other official announcement regarding this (Google Webmaster Tools (GWT)) feature was made by Google; however its release came at a time when the search engine was actively sending many Unnatural Link Notifications to webmasters. The latest links feature is being seen as a way to diagnose whether unnatural linking is taking place to a domain, but Covario believes it has much more potential.

The post What’s the Low Down on Google’s Latest Links Downloads? appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

The Demise of the Top 10 Listings

Heather Loomis — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 17:50:02 +0000

Ranking in the top 10 means you’ve made it to the first page of Google results. In an industry filled with changes, this has remained consistent: Google shows 10 blue organic links on the first page of the SERPs for all queries in most browsers default settings. Now, it appears that a listing can be in the top 10 positions on Google, but not be appearing on the first page of results.

The post The Demise of the Top 10 Listings appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Impact of Gmail in Personal Search Results on Email Marketing and SEO

Tariq Charara — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 20:29:41 +0000

From an SEO and overall marketing perspective I actually see the new feature as a positive one. Almost a year after Google launched its SSL search for signed in users, SEO practitioners are still left bruised and licking their wounds.

The post Impact of Gmail in Personal Search Results on Email Marketing and SEO appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Temperatures are rising, and so are CPCs

Charles Gaylord — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 16:54:20 +0000

While spending on paid search advertising demonstrated only luke-warm growth rates in the second quarter, we are finally seeing the expected increases on keyword pricing that had begun cooling off in October last year.

The post Temperatures are rising, and so are CPCs appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Optimizing for Multilingual Content – Version 2.0 a Google Language Update rel=”alternate” hreflang=”x” annotations in sitemaps

Maria Whatley — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 17:54:18 +0000

In December, Google announced a markup for multilingual content with the purpose of helping multilingual/multi-regional web sites better serve the correct language and/or regional URL for users worldwide.

The post Optimizing for Multilingual Content – Version 2.0 a Google Language Update rel=”alternate” hreflang=”x” annotations in sitemaps appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

All Men By Nature Desire Knowledge Graphs

sbeatty — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:48:11 +0000

The Knowledge Graph’s purpose is to understand and present the user with the most relevant information/result on Google. Google is using Wikipedia, Google Maps, other Google products, as well as some other third party data to create the Knowledge results. Google is really focusing in on keeping people actively staying on the engine (as opposed to clicking on organic results) to find the factual or the related semantic result they seek.

The post All Men By Nature Desire Knowledge Graphs appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

First Quarter Paid Search Builds on Fourth Quarter Swell

Charles Gaylord — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:52:41 +0000

Growth in paid search advertising in the high-tech and consumer electronics sector was up 22% in the first quarter compared to a year earlier, and up 1% over Q4 ’11

The post First Quarter Paid Search Builds on Fourth Quarter Swell appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Firefox Secure Search: Some Actionable Insights For Digital Marketers

drohrer — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:09:42 +0000

Why Chrome wasn’t the first to make this transition will remain unknown. Regardless, in the next few months Mozilla’s three Google settings will all default to a secure method, ensuring privacy and security for all their users.

The post Firefox Secure Search: Some Actionable Insights For Digital Marketers appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Google, Privacy and the Modern World

afunk — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 00:25:32 +0000

Individual policies from more than 70 of Google’s products and services were being consolidated into a single privacy policy: “One Policy, One Google Experience.”

The post Google, Privacy and the Modern World appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

[Keyword Not Provided]: A Deeper Look

drohrer — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:32:37 +0000

Over the past few months Google has been busy making changes like Google Search + Your World to help grow the number of users logged into their products like Google+, Gmail, and YouTube. While the initial impact from the new encryption process the reality is that the number many saw then and now is actually much higher.

The post [Keyword Not Provided]: A Deeper Look appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Who Did the SOPA Blackout Really Affect?

Jeff MacGurn — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 07:05:46 +0000

However, we were much more interested in whom this Blackout affected and how it affected them. So we went to putting together the data to understand just what the SOPA Blackout really meant and who it affected.

The post Who Did the SOPA Blackout Really Affect? appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Fourth Quarter Provides Strong Finish to 2011 Paid Search Trends

Charles Gaylord — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:16:48 +0000

Spending on paid search advertising was up by 7% in Q4 ’11 from Q3 ’11. This is after a sizeable increase in spending in Q3 ’11. This holiday season, spending in the consumer electronics sector, as well as continued investment in business analytics and information management solutions, drove modest growth. Q4 ’11 paid search spend was up 28% from Q4 ’10, which was a strong quarter a year ago.

The post Fourth Quarter Provides Strong Finish to 2011 Paid Search Trends appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Google Introduces New Encryption Process for Organic Search Queries: Results May Vary

Jeff MacGurn — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:30:09 +0000

Google announced that starting October 18, 2011 a new privacy protection process for organic search analytics. Organic search queries executed by those consumers logged into Google products will no longer be available to web analytics systems (including Google Analytics, Adobe SiteCatalyst, WebTrends, Coremetrics, etc) or other Google products (Keyword Tool, Trends, etc). Note – this does NOT impact paid search analytics – even if a searcher is logged in to a Google property.

The post Google Introduces New Encryption Process for Organic Search Queries: Results May Vary appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

A Model for Evaluating Advertisers Facebook Presence

jsmithers — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 20:34:13 +0000

Covario recently did exactly this type of study -- measuring the top 100 advertisers (using the latest Advertising Age ranking of total ad spend) on a series of factors related to their Facebook presence. In the process we established the Facebook Presence Score (FPS) and ranking.

The post A Model for Evaluating Advertisers Facebook Presence appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Retailer Tackles Duplication & Improves SEO

Eli Mueller — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 20:55:56 +0000

Enter the canonical solution. Product level duplication was running rampant. So after successfully testing smaller portions of the website, canonical tags were injected on all product pages.

The post Retailer Tackles Duplication & Improves SEO appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Football, School, and Growth in Paid Search Spend are All Back

Craig Macdonald — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 01:59:49 +0000

Our projections suggest spending on paid search is on the rebound in third quarter – growing at 28% year-over-year and 22% over the second quarter of 2011.

The post Football, School, and Growth in Paid Search Spend are All Back appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Google, a Brand’s Best Friend: How Sitelinks dominate first search results page

Maria Whatley — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 20:01:12 +0000

On August 16th, Google released an expansion of the sitelinks section of the search results page, which has been around since 2006. When searching for a specific branded term, Google often renders the first result with a list of sitelinks from the particular website.

The post Google, a Brand’s Best Friend: How Sitelinks dominate first search results page appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

What Fuels Social Media Marketers?

Jeff MacGurn — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 23:43:52 +0000

if Searchers want to appeal to the Social Influencers, all they need is equal parts Vodka, Wine and Sierra Nevada. Plus, the Searchers will need to grab another drink for the Socialites, when they get another drink for themselves.

The post What Fuels Social Media Marketers? appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

What Google’s Loss of Twitter Stream Means to Realtime Search?

PJ Fusco — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:49:30 +0000

On July 4th Google declared its independence from Twitter. This is to say that Google shut down Realtime Search, and its real-time adjunct Wonder Wheel, on July 2 as a result of Google's agreement with Twitter going up in smoke.

The post What Google’s Loss of Twitter Stream Means to Realtime Search? appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Who Pays for Social Media Advertising? The Answer Will Surprise You.

Craig Macdonald — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 18:19:52 +0000

Yesterday, Alex Funk, our Lead Media Specialist here at Covario, and I presented during a webinar on how search and social media work together. The webinar was run on Search Marketing Now (SMN) network and had about 200 participants – most of them search practitioners from various advertisers across the US. During the webinar, we asked two poll questions, the answers from which were quite interesting.

The post Who Pays for Social Media Advertising? The Answer Will Surprise You. appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Do You Like Google Plus?

Doug Gargaro — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 22:19:10 +0000

In fact, it’s no secret that Google has been steadily incorporating social signals into ranking algorithms and focusing more and more on those signals as a means to understand relevancy of content.

The post Do You Like Google Plus? appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Google’s Anti-Trust Issues: What Does This Mean to Advertisers

Craig Macdonald — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 19:08:12 +0000

The complaint is that Google uses its market position to create an unfair marketplace. Search is such an important source of revenue and traffic for retailers, publishers, travel companies, and nearly all advertisers with a Web presence and Google is the provider of nearly 75-80% of this traffic in the U.S., and 95% in Europe (according to studies done by Covario), that this concentration of power is considered a major risk to the advertisers.

The post Google’s Anti-Trust Issues: What Does This Mean to Advertisers appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

What Fuels Search Marketers – Case Study

Jeff MacGurn — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 13:10:17 +0000

This panel and conference got our me and my fellow Covario staff, who were attending the conference, thinking; it’s great to know what elements fuel SEO, but what about the elements that fuel the Search Marketers themselves.

The post What Fuels Search Marketers – Case Study appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Expected Slowdown in PPC Spend Hits Home in Q2

Craig Macdonald — Fri, 27 May 2011 21:00:38 +0000

On a global basis – spending on paid search looks like it will be up only 6% from the same quarter last year, and down by about 20% from the first quarter. Growth year to date is now at 16% annualized – right in our beginning of the year projection range of 15-20%.

The post Expected Slowdown in PPC Spend Hits Home in Q2 appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Outlook for Managing Global SEO Programs: Cloudy!

Craig Macdonald — Thu, 19 May 2011 18:05:08 +0000

The Covario Organic Search Insight(TM) technology recently started virtually querying the search engines for natural search results by using cloud computing. The cloud allows us to make a query from a virtual server in London or Singapore or Mumbai.

The post Outlook for Managing Global SEO Programs: Cloudy! appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

SEO is Not Dead Yet

jmatheson — Wed, 11 May 2011 19:13:31 +0000

At the time, SEO was once again declared to be dead. Now that over six months have passed since its public release, it seems like a good time to reevaluate some theories about the impact of Google Instant on SEO.

The post SEO is Not Dead Yet appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

A Proposal for a New Taxonomy and Measurement Framework for Digital Marketing

Russ Mann — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 21:50:53 +0000

Forrester Research has the best ad spend prediction model out there, and most advertisers, agencies, investment analysts and tech companies use Forrester estimates as the gospel. However, as the digital marketing industry has evolved, the lingo and taxonomy has created a new opportunity for re-definition.

The post A Proposal for a New Taxonomy and Measurement Framework for Digital Marketing appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Sentiment Search Signals & SEO

Eli Mueller — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 22:54:45 +0000

Even though sentiment analysis is still an emerging science (or should I say art?) its importance to the continuous online marketing conversation cannot be underestimated. Large advertisers should learn how to measure sentiment about their brands, as well as their products and/or services in a systematic way.

The post Sentiment Search Signals & SEO appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Yahoo ‘Re-imagines’ Search

PJ Fusco — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:49:20 +0000

Yahoo Search Direct compiles its top 30 search results from two different back end systems. The first system generates likely query matches and the second amalgamates content from Yahoo’s repositories and partners.

The post Yahoo ‘Re-imagines’ Search appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Whose Data Is It Anyway? Why Owning Advertising Performance Data is Essential in Today’s Hypercompetitive Market

Craig Macdonald — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 17:23:48 +0000

Covario believes that advertisers should take ownership of advertising measurement licenses because ownership of this data is critical for innovation, agility, and maintaining strong, auditable financial controls.

The post Whose Data Is It Anyway? Why Owning Advertising Performance Data is Essential in Today’s Hypercompetitive Market appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Paid Search Roars into March Like a Lion: Update on Q1 Global Paid Search Spending

Craig Macdonald — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:42:52 +0000

Through the first full week of March, and projecting to the end of the quarter, the high-tech and consumer electronics advertisers that make up the majority of our paid search client base are increasing paid search spend at a healthy 26% rate globally.

The post Paid Search Roars into March Like a Lion: Update on Q1 Global Paid Search Spending appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Selling Links? Google’s not buying it.

Pete Dudchenko — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 23:53:33 +0000

Google recently announced a change to their natural search algorithm in an effort to fight spam sites. This rides on the coat tails of their other spam fighting efforts introduced such as a blocklist extension app for their Chrome browser and the “public hand-slapping” of companies like Forbes, Overstock.com and JC Penny for using paid links.

The post Selling Links? Google’s not buying it. appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Covario INFLECTIONPoint 2011 Recap: Day #2 Keynote – Cross Media Optimization, Join the Party!

Arnel Leyva — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 19:59:58 +0000

The big question for her marketing team is, “How do they communicate to each individual consumer with an overarching concept?”

The post Covario INFLECTIONPoint 2011 Recap: Day #2 Keynote – Cross Media Optimization, Join the Party! appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Covario INFLECTIONPoint 2011 Recap: Guest Speaker #3 – Now Showing: Movie Studio Flies High At Box Office With Social Media

Arnel Leyva — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 19:29:23 +0000

The fact that each movie has the goal to make a large brand impact in such a short amount of time makes using social media campaigns even more challenging. But they found a way.

The post Covario INFLECTIONPoint 2011 Recap: Guest Speaker #3 – Now Showing: Movie Studio Flies High At Box Office With Social Media appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Covario INFLECTIONPoint 2011 Recap: Guest Speaker # 2 – Breaking News: Publisher Grows Online Subscriptions With Digital Media

Arnel Leyva — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 18:49:41 +0000

Because of the rapid migration from print to online and mobile media, traditional publishers need to create new marketing strategies and tactics, as well as new business models in order to survive and thrive.

The post Covario INFLECTIONPoint 2011 Recap: Guest Speaker # 2 – Breaking News: Publisher Grows Online Subscriptions With Digital Media appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Covario INFLECTIONPoint 2011 Recap: Panel Session # 2 – Budgeting for Search in 2011

Arnel Leyva — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 03:35:30 +0000

Search has reached maturity – both paid and organic. It is no longer a matter of whether to invest in search, but rather a matter of how much and which ones – paid, organic and/or social.

The post Covario INFLECTIONPoint 2011 Recap: Panel Session # 2 – Budgeting for Search in 2011 appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Covario INFLECTIONPoint 2011 Recap: Panel Session # 1 – Credit Crunch

Arnel Leyva — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 03:27:29 +0000

Most organizations are under pressure to improve the measurability and ROI of media spend. These expert marketers joined each other on stage to discuss, and at times debate, best practices in attribution modeling and media mix optimization.

The post Covario INFLECTIONPoint 2011 Recap: Panel Session # 1 – Credit Crunch appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Covario INFLECTIONPoint 2011 Recap: Second Presenter – Mark Mahaney from Citi Group

Arnel Leyva — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 23:42:34 +0000

In all seriousness, Mark shared that all the claims of a slowdown or maturity of the Internet are unfounded – Google is still growing, Groupon was valued in the billions of dollars, Twitter has turned tweeting into a verb, and Facebook is where Google was eight years ago.

The post Covario INFLECTIONPoint 2011 Recap: Second Presenter – Mark Mahaney from Citi Group appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Covario’s INFLECTIONPoint 2011 Recap: Keynote Presentation by Sean Corcoran of Forrester Research

Arnel Leyva — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 00:59:46 +0000

Sean explained that before even trying to figure out how to report the data, organizations should first sit all stakeholders down and agree on their common OBJECTIVES. This would create a culture of “intelligence” rather than one of mere “reporting.”

The post Covario’s INFLECTIONPoint 2011 Recap: Keynote Presentation by Sean Corcoran of Forrester Research appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Covario’s INFLECTIONPoint 2011 Recap: Welcome Top Guns of Digital Marketing

Arnel Leyva — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 00:46:45 +0000

Covario's annual INFLECTIONPoint Conference was held February 1st through 3rd in downtown San Diego, CA. The theme of this year's event was Top Guns of Digital Marketing,...

The post Covario’s INFLECTIONPoint 2011 Recap: Welcome Top Guns of Digital Marketing appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Betting on the 2011 Search Bowl: Where Would I Focus to Drive Up Your Score?

Craig Macdonald — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 01:18:36 +0000

Where would I focus to drive up my Score? Audit Score that is! I would focus on link building and overall maintenance of the technical and content infrastructure – as it is now a must to have systems in place that keep websites up-to-date.

The post Betting on the 2011 Search Bowl: Where Would I Focus to Drive Up Your Score? appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Paid Search Spending Ends 2010 With Strong Growth in APAC and EMEA

Craig Macdonald — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 22:38:19 +0000

On a full year basis, growth in 2010 for paid search globally was up 26% over 2009 spending. This was stronger than expected at the beginning of the year, when we predicted 14-18% growth.

The post Paid Search Spending Ends 2010 With Strong Growth in APAC and EMEA appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

4 Basic Optimization Tips to help you survive the BingHoo Migration

gware — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 18:44:00 +0000

Now that the Yahoo/Bing Migration is complete you may be wondering how to best optimize this combined marketplace. My suggestion is to wipe the slate clean and treat the Bing/Yahoo migration like a brand new search engine.

The post 4 Basic Optimization Tips to help you survive the BingHoo Migration appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

FTC – 1; Cookie Monster – 0: Impact of “Do Not Track” Legislation on Behavioral Targeting

Craig Macdonald — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 18:59:32 +0000

My view – this type of regulation is dumb. It creates inefficiencies in the market. Advertisers that abuse their use of personal information will be punished by the market. Same way telemarketers are.

The post FTC – 1; Cookie Monster – 0: Impact of “Do Not Track” Legislation on Behavioral Targeting appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Lift SEO with HTML5

Eli Mueller — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 21:42:45 +0000

The adoption of HTML5 is advancing rapidly. Buzz surrounding the language’s 5th major revision is ongoing and widespread. It’s being used to create interactive content, improve web semantics, and strengthen user engagement.

The post Lift SEO with HTML5 appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

A Review of Algorithmic Changes Regarding Reviews

PJ Fusco — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 18:47:19 +0000

After watching this story unfold, I have reached the conclusion that Google is not actually using any form of merchant sentiment analysis to identify negative remarks from reviewers and dampen the results of online retailers behaving badly. In other words, the current dampening of DecorMyEyes results is more likely a “surgical” not a new “systematic” response from Google.

The post A Review of Algorithmic Changes Regarding Reviews appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Bing-Hoo Poised for a Happy Holiday: Mid 4th Quarter Paid Search Spend Analysis

Craig Macdonald — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 23:47:30 +0000

The extension of the Bing platform to manage campaigns on both Bing and Yahoo is going very well mechanically. Our media buyers report that the system works efficiently (in the U.S.) and provides many improvements to the traditional Panama platform for targeting and managing paid search programs.

The post Bing-Hoo Poised for a Happy Holiday: Mid 4th Quarter Paid Search Spend Analysis appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Google Instant Refresh – Business Ramifications of Google Insights One Quarter Later

Craig Macdonald — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 22:56:04 +0000

This past October, we published a blog on Google Instant, after this new search solution had been in market for three weeks. In the blog, I discussed the key financial and strategic ramifications of the new feature of the Google results page. ...Well consider this blog piece an update – now that we are nearly one quarter into the release of Google Instant.

The post Google Instant Refresh – Business Ramifications of Google Insights One Quarter Later appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

2011- The Year of Facebook: Top Priorities for Search Marketers… Social Media

Craig Macdonald — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 23:18:26 +0000

Given that it is the 2011 planning and budgeting season for most companies, this webinar focused on the Top Priorities that search marketers have for next year.

The post 2011- The Year of Facebook: Top Priorities for Search Marketers… Social Media appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Google New Organic Recipe: Add 1 Part SEO Local + 1 Part Traditional SEO

sbeatty — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 19:49:30 +0000

When looking for a home the old real estate mantra has always been Location…Location…Location. Well, Google has applied this core principle to the new Google Location Based Organic Search Algorithm.

The post Google New Organic Recipe: Add 1 Part SEO Local + 1 Part Traditional SEO appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Listen to, Learn from and Leverage the Voice of the Customer

Arnel Leyva — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 22:19:39 +0000

Customer product reviews have garnered an increased level of trust amongst the Internet populace in part because retailers and brands have become more enlightened in their attitude toward displaying negative customer feedback on their websites.

The post Listen to, Learn from and Leverage the Voice of the Customer appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Learn How to Be a Smooth Operator – Advanced Search Operators for Link Building

kmann — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 00:43:13 +0000

In just 10-minutes you can learn all you need to know about advanced search queries to become a real smooth operator … at least when it comes to link building.

The post Learn How to Be a Smooth Operator – Advanced Search Operators for Link Building appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

What’s “The Situation” with The Google Keyword Tool?

Craig Macdonald — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 17:14:22 +0000

In late August, Google made two changes to External Keyword Tool.

The post What’s “The Situation” with The Google Keyword Tool? appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Bottom-Up Branding

Arnel Leyva — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 21:02:28 +0000

By allowing user-generated content (UGC), specifically product ratings and reviews, to be promoted in search engine results, advertisers can turn social media into a brand asset.

The post Bottom-Up Branding appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Facebook Has Passed The Tipping Point in Brand Advertising

Craig Macdonald — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 18:03:47 +0000

We recently ran a campaign for a client on paid search and on Facebook.

The post Facebook Has Passed The Tipping Point in Brand Advertising appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Let’s Look at the Instant Replay – Early Results On Whether Google Instant Is Making A Difference

Craig Macdonald — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 17:44:38 +0000

Google Instant is a significant change that advertisers should take seriously (as opposed to past changes like the “Latest” functionality, site links, etc., which had a relatively muted impact on performance.)

The post Let’s Look at the Instant Replay – Early Results On Whether Google Instant Is Making A Difference appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Social Media with SEO in Mind

Amanda Barnes — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 20:02:11 +0000

Social networks and blogs are becoming the most popular online activities, and their popularity will continue to grow as more businesses utilize them to directly engage existing and potential customers.

The post Social Media with SEO in Mind appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Seasonal SEO: It’s That Time of the Year

Eli Mueller — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 21:41:41 +0000

Online sales continue to grow as a percentage of total retail sales. For search marketers this means increased opportunity as well as increased expectations.

The post Seasonal SEO: It’s That Time of the Year appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

SEO Considerations When Redesigning a Website

PJ Fusco — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 15:12:33 +0000

Because large online organizations usually assemble a redesign team, it’s important that SEO-related priorities be well represented during the decision-making process.

The post SEO Considerations When Redesigning a Website appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Bing and Yahoo! – Same Algorithm, Different Results

Pete Dudchenko — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 21:03:05 +0000

Yahoo! and Bing are now driven by the same search algorithm for natural results.

The post Bing and Yahoo! – Same Algorithm, Different Results appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Google’s Mouse-Driven Relevancy Patent

PJ Fusco — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:26:56 +0000

Last month Google was awarded a patent on a filing made in 2005. This particular Google patent [#7,756,887] is all about using behavioral data that is used to help refine search results.

The post Google’s Mouse-Driven Relevancy Patent appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Paid Search Market Share Up Strong at 3rd Quarter Mid-Point

Craig Macdonald — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 13:22:28 +0000

Projected growth in paid search advertising is up strongly in third quarter (Q3) – 33% over the second quarter (Q2) and 21% higher than a year earlier.

The post Paid Search Market Share Up Strong at 3rd Quarter Mid-Point appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Google Adjusts International Trademark Policy; Actions to Stay On Top

Sabrina Gallier — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 23:02:34 +0000

This week, Google made two (2) adwords policy announcements that will increase competition in international markets.

The post Google Adjusts International Trademark Policy; Actions to Stay On Top appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Back to the (Agency of the) Future – Software and Marketing Collide Again

Russ Mann — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 16:47:00 +0000

The Agile software development methodology focuses on rapid iteration through cross functional and adaptive teams to quickly develop and evolve software, and even change requirements mid-stream based on the needs of the market.

The post Back to the (Agency of the) Future – Software and Marketing Collide Again appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Google “Brand” Refinements

PJ Fusco — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 20:08:06 +0000

In other words, Google’s focus on brand searches produce "brand" + "keyword" search refinements that could allow online retailers with a way to show up on 5x the search results pages if they carry all five brands.

The post Google “Brand” Refinements appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Google Gains Market Share in Japan Through Deal with Yahoo Japan

Craig Macdonald — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:46:06 +0000

Most have seen that Yahoo Japan announced yesterday its intention to leverage the Google platform to power its search operations now that the Yahoo Algo search and paid search platform are being sunsetted.

The post Google Gains Market Share in Japan Through Deal with Yahoo Japan appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Paid Search Advertising Spend Rebounds for High-Tech Advertisers in Second Quarter

Craig Macdonald — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:01:16 +0000

Growth was up markedly in Q2 2010 from Q1 2010 – particularly on Google and Yahoo. We did see the second straight quarter of reductions in spending on Bing – where in North America market share fell from 13.7% in Q4 2009 to 9.9% in Q2 2010.

The post Paid Search Advertising Spend Rebounds for High-Tech Advertisers in Second Quarter appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

If Attribution Modeling is the Answer; What Was the Question?

Craig Macdonald — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 18:09:49 +0000

Covario’s view is that the attribution modeling discussion is a red herring. Like ERP before it, it has become a buzz word that vendors and marketers use to describe a class of problems – and depending on whom is discussing the issue, can mean very different things.

The post If Attribution Modeling is the Answer; What Was the Question? appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Google Pushes Mobile Application Advertising

Ting-Yu Liu — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 18:03:23 +0000

Mobile web usage is in undeniable growth as more and more people adopt the use of smart phones. With the continuous sophistication of mobile applications, users are accomplishing more of their tasks on-the-go and not in front of a desktop or laptop. Online marketers will need to adapt to their audiences’ web behaviors.

The post Google Pushes Mobile Application Advertising appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Socialistas, Wizards & 21st Century Madmen

Arnel Leyva — Fri, 28 May 2010 18:07:54 +0000

If an SEO ‘Wizard’ and Social Media ‘Socialista’ hooked up at a party, they’d make strange bedfellows. But in a corporate structure, bedfellows are exactly what these two groups must become, if their respective channels are to reach their full potential within Google’s new time-delimited landscape.

The post Socialistas, Wizards & 21st Century Madmen appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Paid Search Ad Spending Rebounds in Q2

Craig Macdonald — Thu, 27 May 2010 23:18:59 +0000

Our mid-quarter Q2 analysis projection shows that paid search spending in the high-tech and consumer electronics sector will be up an estimated 24.9% over Q1...

The post Paid Search Ad Spending Rebounds in Q2 appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Social Media has evolved; shouldn’t your marketing program do the same?

Irvin Carlin — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:40:35 +0000

The quickest way to get in front of as many eyeballs you can pay for is through these CPC and CPM auction opportunities that are currently in their infancy stage. The metrics here are also much easier to read and readily available. Let's take Facebook text and logo ads as an example.

The post Social Media has evolved; shouldn’t your marketing program do the same? appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

“The Metadata is the Massage”

Russ Mann — Fri, 14 May 2010 17:37:16 +0000

I would now argue that we have moved to a world where the “Metadata is the Massage.”

The post “The Metadata is the Massage” appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Google Announces Site Load Speed Affects Ranking

Pete Dudchenko — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 02:21:19 +0000

By now you’ve probably heard the news that Google is factoring in site load times into its ranking algorithm. Many of you out there are probably asking yourself the same questions after hearing the news which is, “Do I need to adjust my SEO strategy?” and, “How will this affect my pages?”

The post Google Announces Site Load Speed Affects Ranking appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Digital Marketing Moving More In-House

Russ Mann — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 16:56:53 +0000

But most importantly, they are more likely to do more in-house, with their own people and with licensed SaaS software and new kinds of analytics.

The post Digital Marketing Moving More In-House appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

The Ad Business Just Got More Interesting – iAds and Promoted Tweets

Dema Zlotin — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:03:38 +0000

While these ad platforms are both in their infancy, we expect targeting of various types (demoraphic, location-based, category, keyword) and numerous biding models (CPC, CPM, sponsorships) to be tested.

The post The Ad Business Just Got More Interesting – iAds and Promoted Tweets appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Paid Search Spend Down in Q1’10 from Q4’09

Craig Macdonald — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 11:00:19 +0000

Overall paid search advertising spend was down 7.6% between fourth quarter 2009 and 1st quarter of 2010. Spending in the Americas region was down 11.9%, while increases in spend were experienced in APAC by 19.6% and EMEA by 5.0%.

The post Paid Search Spend Down in Q1’10 from Q4’09 appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Some Business Mentoring for Search Professionals with Keith Krach

Craig Macdonald — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 18:53:42 +0000

I usually use my space on Actionable Insights to discuss very specific aspects of search marketing and digital advertising. However, this time I am going to use my space to relay some information from an interview conducted with Keith Krach, who is on Covario’s Board of Directors. I have talked with Keith a number of times since he joined our Board last year – and he has been a huge influence on my professional career.

The post Some Business Mentoring for Search Professionals with Keith Krach appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Covario’s Take: Google Pulling Out of China…Winners and Losers

Craig Macdonald — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 12:20:21 +0000

In our view, the biggest losers are the Chinese citizens, who may not have as much Internet freedom as they’ve come to enjoy.

The post Covario’s Take: Google Pulling Out of China…Winners and Losers appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Covario Assesses Google’s Exit from Mainland China

Dema Zlotin — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 01:01:02 +0000

While this appears to be a clever technical and legal maneuver, we believe this approach will be blocked by the Chinese government shortly as it violates the spirit, although perhaps not the letter, of the laws in mainland China.

The post Covario Assesses Google’s Exit from Mainland China appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Building Scalable SEO Programs – Now & For The Future

Craig Macdonald — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:47:44 +0000

A few weeks back I spoke on a panel at SMX-West in Santa Clara, California. The title was “Industrial Strength SEO”, which was basically about building scalable SEO programs. My panel included Search Engine Land’s Vanessa Fox as moderator, Eric Enge of Stone Temple Consulting, David Lloyd of Cisco, Marshall Simmons of the NY Times. …

The post Building Scalable SEO Programs – Now & For The Future appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Q1 Global Search Spend Up 16% Over Q1, 2009

Craig Macdonald — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:06:21 +0000

What is a more relevant comparison is how the paid search advertisers are spending versus Q1 of 2009 – remembering that we saw a huge decrease in spend last year (average of 30-35% globally) as the impact of the Great Recession hit our customers. Spending in APAC is up 25% from last year in Q1, it is flat in EMEA (+.31%), and up 22.18% in Americas. Overall, spending is up about 16% -- right on the Covario forecast.

The post Q1 Global Search Spend Up 16% Over Q1, 2009 appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Marketing with Search and Social Media & the Customer Lifecycle

Russ Mann — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 01:58:49 +0000

The race to integrate paid (TV, Search, Display), earned (Social, UGC and SEO) and owned media (your website and distributed content) and the measurement around them to do true attribution modeling is heating up.

The post Marketing with Search and Social Media & the Customer Lifecycle appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Super Bowl Advertising’s Impact on Online Traffic

Craig Macdonald — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:47:56 +0000

With the Super Bowl played on Sunday, several of Covario’s clients who ran spots during the game are using the opportunity to measure the impact of offline ads on online traffic and brand interaction by measuring differences in search behavior over the event. We have done this several years in a row for our customers …

The post Super Bowl Advertising’s Impact on Online Traffic appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

INFLECTIONPoint 2010: Growth In Search

Tiffany Feltenberger — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:27:51 +0000

Covario INFLECTIONPoint 2010 brought in Mark Mahaney (Citi) to discuss the outlook for search based on Industry Trends. While last year, we saw tremendous budget freezing and slashing, this year is showing budget increases, namely in Online Retail and Travel. Automotive is still lugging along, and it appears that Financial Services is taking the longest …

The post INFLECTIONPoint 2010: Growth In Search appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

INFLECTIONPoint 2010: Search is Not a Silo

Tiffany Feltenberger — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:07:36 +0000

Penny Baldwin (Yahoo) noted during her keynote address at INFLECTIONPoint 2010 that you don’t need to reach the 600 million consumers on Yahoo, but the 6 million consumers right for you. She contends that the future of search marketing is combining the power of technology and human creativity to build business, continuing with the ongoing …

The post INFLECTIONPoint 2010: Search is Not a Silo appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

INFLECTIONPoint 2010: Search + Social = Voice of Customer

Tiffany Feltenberger — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:57:50 +0000

The influence of Search from Social is undeniable, but how are you invested? It’s no longer a one-way conversation, and the more you know, the more powerful your programs’ impact can be. At INFLECTIONPoint 2010, Dennis Haugan (T-Mobile USA) advises us that we want to be able to enter the world of social media without …

The post INFLECTIONPoint 2010: Search + Social = Voice of Customer appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

INFLECTIONPoint 2010: Voice of Brand Effectiveness

Tiffany Feltenberger — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:15:52 +0000

Branding always seems elusive. Putting together branding campaigns can affect several teams – onsite and offsite. Get ahead of the game by organizationally preparing to respond to multi-channel brand campaigns. On a panel at INFLECTIONPoint 2010, David Roth (Yahoo) reminded us that the key place in joint marketing efforts resides in organizational preparations. Building out …

The post INFLECTIONPoint 2010: Voice of Brand Effectiveness appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

INFLECTIONPoint 2010: Search Marketers Should “Think Bigger”

Tiffany Feltenberger — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:44:02 +0000

Shar VanBoskirk just closed her remarks at Covario INFLECTIONPoint 2010 with bold statements of how this will be the year that advanced search marketers break ahead of the pack. 1. Apply advanced analysis to your search program Go beyond reporting and dig into the data – continue to increase the complexity of the questions you …

The post INFLECTIONPoint 2010: Search Marketers Should “Think Bigger” appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Sabotage your SEM #9: Pay to be #1

Matthias Blume — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:25:44 +0000

Search marketers sometimes find themselves in exactly this situation, able to buy a certain number of clicks for a particular price, or buy exactly the same clicks for a fraction of the price.

The post Sabotage your SEM #9: Pay to be #1 appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Building an End-to-End SEO Solution: Why Covario Bought Netconcepts

Russ Mann — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:18:27 +0000

Today we announced the acquisition of Netconcepts, which is a strategic game changer in the world of SEO management for large brands.

The post Building an End-to-End SEO Solution: Why Covario Bought Netconcepts appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Sabotage your SEM #10: Compete Against Yourself

Matthias Blume — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:03:54 +0000

Just as you could bid against yourself on eBay, you can raise the amount you spend per click via the Google AdWords (and other paid search) auctions by getting multiple ads for your company onto the same search engine results page (SERP).

The post Sabotage your SEM #10: Compete Against Yourself appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Bing Cuts into Google Market Share in the US

Craig Macdonald — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 05:45:55 +0000

For the second straight quarter (Q3 &Q4’09), paid search advertising in the high-tech and consumer electronics sectors grew by double digits. In fact, growth between Q3 and Q4 was a very robust 16%, far beyond previous expectations. This was due in large part to a growing demand for ad space by consumer electronic companies during the holiday season.

The post Bing Cuts into Google Market Share in the US appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Top 10 Ways to Sabotage Your Search Engine Marketing

Matthias Blume — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 12:16:39 +0000

This posting is my list of the top 10 ways I have seen advertisers sub-optimize their performance in search. Some are due to technology limitations, misunderstanding of how the search engine algorithms work, or limited resources. However, deployment of these tactics does drive results -- we’ve done them and measured what happens. They really do work.

The post Top 10 Ways to Sabotage Your Search Engine Marketing appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Google Calls a New Play: New Android Phone Impacts Market

Dema Zlotin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:25:47 +0000

Google has seen searches on mobile devices increase by 30% in the first half of the year, and they intend to grow this developing channel. The New York Times confirmed that Google is planning to launch a smartphone in early 2010. Google has made no official announcement yet, although their mobile blog states that they have distributed the handset to employees solely for testing new technology and features.

The post Google Calls a New Play: New Android Phone Impacts Market appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Google Gets Personal

Michael Gullaksen — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:17:53 +0000

Google announced a new personalization service that will impact the natural search results. The new process will monitor individual user selections over time and present natural search results driven by past behavior. There are ramifications for advertisers trying to drive higher rankings leveraging Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

The post Google Gets Personal appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Think Bigger and ‘Move The Needle’ in your CMO and Executive Communications

Russ Mann — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 05:31:03 +0000

Would you rather be known as a great search marketer, a great marketer or as a great business person and leader?... the meeting killer: the team SEM expert gets his once-every-six months opportunity in front of the CMO and starts expounding on $1.05 CPCs, 28.5% bounce rates, and how many thousands of pages have been indexed by Google. The CMO leans back in her chair and asks, “that’s all well and good, but...

The post Think Bigger and ‘Move The Needle’ in your CMO and Executive Communications appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Start Spending at the Sound of the Bing

Craig Macdonald — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:14:28 +0000

With the mid-point of Q4 past, we did a check on how paid search spending is growing since the end of Q3. Through November 15th, we have seen global paid search growing at 18% over Q3 run rates, with 25% growth in the US alone. This is faster than we predicted in our Q3 Global …

The post Start Spending at the Sound of the Bing appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

The “Agency of the Future” will not be an Advertising Agency – it will be a Marketing Solutions Company

Russ Mann — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:00:51 +0000

And in the current economic climate, they are being forced to do a lot more with a lot less, especially less staff. Thus, it only stands to reason that a new breed of CMO would demand a new breed of agency—and it will no longer be an ad agency, it will be something new -- a “marketing solutions” company, a “marketing consultancy,” or something that hasn’t even been named yet.

The post The “Agency of the Future” will not be an Advertising Agency – it will be a Marketing Solutions Company appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Rochelle Sanchirico Recognized at 6th Annual Stevie Awards

Debbie Rosenzweig — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:18:13 +0000

Congratulations to Rochelle Sanchirico from Washington Post Digital for nabbing a Stevie Award at last Friday's Sixth Annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business.

The post Rochelle Sanchirico Recognized at 6th Annual Stevie Awards appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Creative Thinking: New Capability in Covario Marketing Action Platform Drives Performance Improvements

Craig Macdonald — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:26:04 +0000

In the last release of the Covario Marketing Action Plaform, we released a new Creative Analysis solution to help our agency customers test creative concepts at scale. Testing creative is notoriously difficult process given the data and process issues involved, however we believe that performance (ROI or CPA) can be improved by 10-15% through improved creative alignment with landing page content.

The post Creative Thinking: New Capability in Covario Marketing Action Platform Drives Performance Improvements appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Intel’s Sponsors of Tomorrow Campaign named Finalist for Two DPAC Awards

Debbie Rosenzweig — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:57:37 +0000

Congratulations to Intel and Covario for being named as finalists for two Digital Publishing & Advertising Awards! Intel's "Sponsors of Tomorrow" campaign has been named as one of three finalists for "Best Digital Integrated Campaign" and one of two finalists in the category of "Best Search Campaign."

The post Intel’s Sponsors of Tomorrow Campaign named Finalist for Two DPAC Awards appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Getting Organizational Support for SEO and SEM Projects and Campaigns

Russ Mann — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:11:18 +0000

Getting great results from SEO, especially at large companies, is not just about understanding the latest nuances of Google's algorithm, or being an expert linkbaiter, or quality score smoother. More often, it’s about managing organizational dynamics, leveraging best practices in project management, and being a great influencer.

The post Getting Organizational Support for SEO and SEM Projects and Campaigns appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Digital Scores A Comeback

Craig Macdonald — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:27:56 +0000

As predicted in the first part of this blog, as technology vendors take over the agenda at ANA from classic brand advertisers – the discussion of digital advertising comes to the fore. Diane Brink of IBM discussed Smarter Planet...

The post Digital Scores A Comeback appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

TV Ads – 4; Digital – 0

Craig Macdonald — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:33:37 +0000

The Association of National Advertisers conference is taking place in Scottsdale, AZ this weekend. It's a great conference, with senior level marketing and advertising leaders from the largest advertisers in the US. Being a digital advertiser, one would think the big topic would be the increasing way in which consumers have fragmented their approach to learning about brands - from search, to display, to blogs, to viral marketing.

The post TV Ads – 4; Digital – 0 appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Covario and Adobe Search Marketing Program Strikes Gold… Again

Debbie Rosenzweig — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:03:49 +0000

Congratulations to Adobe and Covario for securing ANOTHER of the industry's top awards! This time, the team struck gold at the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) 2009 MIXX Awards

The post Covario and Adobe Search Marketing Program Strikes Gold… Again appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

ICANN Non-Latin Domain Names and SEO Implications

Jeff MacGurn — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:25:04 +0000

It was no surprise last week that ICANN announced approval of non-Latin domain names on a number of country codes such as .cn (China), .jp (Japan) and .ru (Russia).

The post ICANN Non-Latin Domain Names and SEO Implications appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Microsoft and Google Announce Integrated Results from Twitter

Dema Zlotin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:58:04 +0000

Last week, both Microsoft and Google announced they would be integrating results from Twitter in their search results. Twitter’s real-time tweets will be indexed and presented in a structured way for relevant user queries. Additionally, Microsoft announced that Facebook status updates will also be indexed. Not to be outdone, Google announced their Social Search initiative that provides content relevant about …

The post Microsoft and Google Announce Integrated Results from Twitter appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Pricing Launch Drives Improvements in Yahoo CPA

Craig Macdonald — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:45:07 +0000

On September 9, Yahoo launched a new dynamic pricing program which allows advertisers to drive improvements in return on investment. Dynamic pricing is a way in which Yahoo is adjusting bid prices, or click charges, for paid search based on an assessment being made of the traffic coming from various sources within the Yahoo distribution network. According to Yahoo, they look at “click quality”

The post Pricing Launch Drives Improvements in Yahoo CPA appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Is your SEO glass half full or half empty?

Pete Dudchenko — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:32:12 +0000

Last week, Twitter announced that it is in advanced talks with both Microsoft and Google to help incorporate Tweeter data into search results pages. The announcement seems to be tied to the push by major search engines to incorporate real-time results into their search pages.

The post Is your SEO glass half full or half empty? appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Yahoo’s Exclusion of Inclusion

Michael Gullaksen — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:19:24 +0000

Well, today it appears this dilemma has been resolved. This is likely a result of the ongoing discussions between Microsoft and Yahoo regarding the application of the Bing algorithm and how the Bing technology will work within the Yahoo structure. Bing does not offer paid inclusion (MSN dropped Inktomi after the Yahoo acquisition in 2004), and now, neither will Yahoo.

The post Yahoo’s Exclusion of Inclusion appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Check out Adobe on AdAge… “Why Adobe Abandoned Physical Product Launch Events”

Debbie Rosenzweig — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:52:11 +0000

Here's a great video clip of Ann Lewnes, CMO of Adobe talking about how Adobe has shifted 74% of its entire advertising budget to digital venues with the recent launch of Adobe CS4 going completely digital.

The post Check out Adobe on AdAge… “Why Adobe Abandoned Physical Product Launch Events” appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Leveraging Real Estate and Analytics to Fine Tune SEO

Michael Gullaksen — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:34:53 +0000

Think of each of your pages as “properties” that can potentially show up on the Google Search Engine Results Page or SERP (similar to the Real Estate MLS). Each of these properties comprises a bunch of different SEO elements like your title tag, meta description, h1 tag, body content, link text, etc…

The post Leveraging Real Estate and Analytics to Fine Tune SEO appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Tis The Budget Season. Expect 10-15% Growth in Paid Search in 2010

Craig Macdonald — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:50:40 +0000

Our advice to customers, based on both the dynamics we are seeing in the 2H'09 data and on our conversations with customers is that paid search advertising budgets for the high tech sector will be 10-15% above 2009 levels -- and advertisers will need to maintain at least this level of budget growth to maintain online market share.

The post Tis The Budget Season. Expect 10-15% Growth in Paid Search in 2010 appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Covario clients Accenture and P&G quietly launch important digital marketing initiative

Russ Mann — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:01:59 +0000

Covario clients Accenture and P&G announced a new practice called Accenture Interactive, with P&G lauded as the first anchor client. Accenture Interactive is “a new business that Accenture has established to help companies develop world-class digital marketing capabilities and optimize online/offline investments.

The post Covario clients Accenture and P&G quietly launch important digital marketing initiative appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

The Second Wave of Display: Math and Science Rule the Day

Russ Mann — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:59:47 +0000

The Google machine can’t be stopped however, and last week the firm launched its new offensive in digital marketing, with DoubleClick AdExchange v2.0. Unlike Ms. Millard and many other agencies, publishers, and ad networks, who fear this revolution as the ultimate battle of art and science, we believe that this product launch, in conjunction with Adobe’s acquisition of Omniture, further accelerates the perfect blend of accountable creativity and a new wave of art and science together.

The post The Second Wave of Display: Math and Science Rule the Day appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Making Marketing the new Finance: Adobe Purchases Omniture

Russ Mann — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:48:17 +0000

Ann Lewnes, the Chief Marketing Officer of Adobe, has said that “Marketing is the new Finance” — meaning that the digital age is driving the corporate marketing function to become accountable for spending in a far more rigorous way than the old “reach and frequency” metric days. Adobe officially put its money where its marketing …

The post Making Marketing the new Finance: Adobe Purchases Omniture appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

SEO Tips for Dynamic Websites

Amanda Barnes — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 01:44:46 +0000

Typically, a search engine spider cannot index dynamically generated web pages, especially those with more than three (3) name-value pair parameters.

The post SEO Tips for Dynamic Websites appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

SaaS is dead, long live SaaS!

Russ Mann — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:30:04 +0000

These are all great models, but they miss a key new model that we at Covario are starting to see: large companies such as Intel and P&G licensing software and expecting some strategic services along with it—not just the setup and maintenance of the software, but the actual strategies and execution of the business processes around it.

The post SaaS is dead, long live SaaS! appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Pitching for budget, headcount, raises and promotions

Russ Mann — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:29:10 +0000

Want more budget and/or headcount? Want to be viewed as strategic and not just tactical? Want to be your CMO’s “go-to” person? At Covario, I work with a number of Fortune 500/Global 2000 advertisers, and often find search marketers inside these large organizations challenged by similar issues:

The post Pitching for budget, headcount, raises and promotions appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Tim Elam wins for wearing a D3 shirt at SES San Jose

jcolton — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:45:52 +0000

Tim Elam from Birthday Direct, Inc. receives $100 from Jeff Johnson for wearing the Covario “D3 – No Magic, Just Method” t-shirt. Thank you Tim!

The post Tim Elam wins for wearing a D3 shirt at SES San Jose appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Congrats to Stephanie Heffernan who won $100!

jcolton — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:13:29 +0000

Congratulations to Stephanie Heffernan one of our D3 T-shirt winners! Way to show your Covario spirit! gvtfnyjzrk

The post Congrats to Stephanie Heffernan who won $100! appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Congratulations to Brian Tesfazghi a D3 T-shirt winners!

jcolton — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:36:35 +0000

Thank you Brian Tesfazghi from Tesfa for wearing the Covario “D3 – No Magic, Just Method” t-shirt.

The post Congratulations to Brian Tesfazghi a D3 T-shirt winners! appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Congratulations to Brandy Dettmer one of our D3 T-shirt winners!

jcolton — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:57:17 +0000

Brandy Dettmer receives $100 from Russ Mann for wearing the Covario “D3 – No Magic, Just Method” t-shirt.

The post Congratulations to Brandy Dettmer one of our D3 T-shirt winners! appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

First Winner Announced for the Covario D3 Campaign at SES San Jose!

jcolton — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:53:31 +0000

Congratulations to our first Covario D3 T-shirt Winner Aditi Karandikar. Her prize for wearing one of these colorful shirts is a digital photo frame. Over 700 t-shirts were given away Tuesday and Wednesday at SES San Jose sporting the title “No Magic, Just Method.” Promoting the truth that there is no magic to SEO… D3 …

The post First Winner Announced for the Covario D3 Campaign at SES San Jose! appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Bottoms Up! Paid Search Spending for High Tech Advertisers Trends Upwards in July

Craig Macdonald — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:35:56 +0000

With July completed, we took a look at spending levels and sure enough, they are up by 12% from the average burn rate in Q2. Google spending was up by 9%, with the other search engines up even more. We continue to expect spending to grow throughout the balance of the year.

The post Bottoms Up! Paid Search Spending for High Tech Advertisers Trends Upwards in July appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Procter and Gamble Wins SEW Award for Most Innovative Use of Search Engine Optimization

Debbie Rosenzweig — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:23:18 +0000

And the winner is... P&G for Most Innovative Use of Search Engine Optimization! Two awards in one day! It's a great day for Covario clients.

The post Procter and Gamble Wins SEW Award for Most Innovative Use of Search Engine Optimization appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Adobe® Acrobat® 9 Wins SEW Award for Most Innovative Paid Search Program

Debbie Rosenzweig — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:06:16 +0000

Today at Search Engine Strategies San Jose, Search Engine Watch announced the winner of the Most Innovative Paid Search Campaign category. Congratulations to the Adobe / Covario team on another award-winning program!

The post Adobe® Acrobat® 9 Wins SEW Award for Most Innovative Paid Search Program appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Covario Advances Strategy for Managing Large Scale Search – Beginning with SEO

Debbie Rosenzweig — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:46:24 +0000

Covario Inc., the leader in enterprise-scale search marketing solutions, today at SES San Jose announced an advancement to its business strategy to further integrate its award-winning analytics automation technology offerings with its agency services due to the growing advertiser market demand.

The post Covario Advances Strategy for Managing Large Scale Search – Beginning with SEO appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Covario Clients Nominated for Search Marketing Excellence

Debbie Rosenzweig — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:49:50 +0000

Covario, Inc., the leader in interactive marketing analytics, today at Search Engine Strategies San Jose announced that three of its clients – Intel Corporation, Procter & Gamble and Washington Post Digital – have been named finalists in the 2009 Search Engine Watch (SEW) Awards. Designed to recognize excellence in search engine marketing, inspire innovation and encourage new ideas, the SEW Awards acknowledge outstanding marketers in 14 different categories.

The post Covario Clients Nominated for Search Marketing Excellence appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

The Introduction of the Gen X CMO

Russ Mann — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:05:44 +0000

The new CMO is also a CIO, CTO and CFO as well, and they will be more comfortable doing more in-house, running the numbers, and not requiring big media or big agencies to get the work done and make results happen. Most importantly, the new CMO will demand accountability and ROI from their staff, their spend and their partners. “Marketing is the new Finance,” says Ann Lewnes, CMO of Adobe. The new CMO will know how to facilitate conversations but not dominate them, they will simultaneously be global and local, they will use more highly targeted and sophisticated messaging through more nichey and organic channels to influence specific constituent personas.

The post The Introduction of the Gen X CMO appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Lord of the Bing

Amanda Barnes — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:12:05 +0000

One Bing to rule them all, one Bing to bind them, one Bing to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

The post Lord of the Bing appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

B-OO! Will Bing and Yahoo Scare Google?

Craig Macdonald — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:51:32 +0000

The saga continues… we’re entering a new stage as Microsoft and Yahoo have agreed on a partnership around search advertising. The purpose of this post is to describe Covario’s views on what this partnership means for our clients — the world’s largest search advertisers. What’s the Deal? Bing AdCenter will become the global paid and …

The post B-OO! Will Bing and Yahoo Scare Google? appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Covario Challenges Economics of SEO for Large Advertisers with D3

Debbie Rosenzweig — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:10:52 +0000

Covario, Inc., the leader in interactive marketing analytics, today announced a new, economics-based solution for managing online presence that challenges the traditional agency model. With its launch of D3 -- Data Driven Decisions for Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Covario has identified an automation-driven solution that dramatically reduces inefficiencies in large scale SEO management programs by automating processes that consume an estimated 30-40 percent of current investment.

The post Covario Challenges Economics of SEO for Large Advertisers with D3 appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Google Following the Breadcrumb Trail – New Breadcrumb Display May Have Impact on Google Ranking Algorithm

Michael Gullaksen — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:17:49 +0000

By Mike Gullaksen and Jeff MacGurn We recently noticed something new on Google — breadcrumbs showing up in the SERPs instead of a site subfolders for the url. We believe this is part of a test by Google regarding click through rates as they relate to what is displayed. The example below shows results for …

The post Google Following the Breadcrumb Trail – New Breadcrumb Display May Have Impact on Google Ranking Algorithm appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Did MSN Get Bling from Bing?

Craig Macdonald — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:16:08 +0000

MSN launched Bing officially on June 3, 2009. So with a month of performance information under our belts – is Bing making a difference? We investigated two issues: Have the key metrics of search platform effectiveness – Click Through Rate, Cost Per Click, and Conversion Rate – improved on the new platform? Are advertisers spending …

The post Did MSN Get Bling from Bing? appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Second Quarter Paid Search Spending Continues to Decline – Expectations for increase in Second Half of 2009

Craig Macdonald — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 23:57:50 +0000

The high tech advertiser sector shrank paid search spending in the second quarter by 9% from the first quarter (Q1’09), based on our recently released report we published. The majority of this reduction was in the Americas region (17% reduction), and on Google (8%). A couple of key observations about this most recent report that …

The post Second Quarter Paid Search Spending Continues to Decline – Expectations for increase in Second Half of 2009 appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Pain Points of In-House SEO: An Interview with Maura Ginty of Autodesk

Lisa Bari — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:38:54 +0000

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Maura Ginty, the Senior Web Manager, Global Web Content at Autodesk, the San Rafael, California based maker of AutoCAD and leader in 2D and 3D design software. Maura is a veteran Web Manager and an all-round search/SEO expert. Previous engagements included similar positions at Symantec and Lonely Planet, and she was a speaker at Search Engine Strategies in New York and Chicago - Maura will also be speaking at the upcoming SES San Jose.

The post Pain Points of In-House SEO: An Interview with Maura Ginty of Autodesk appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Engaging IT for SEO Success

Michael Gullaksen — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:11:14 +0000

I frequently meet with large advertisers to discuss SEO as it relates to their business goals and objectives. I enjoy these conversations and seemingly so do the advertisers... at least until the topic of implementing changes to support the SEO initiative comes up.

The post Engaging IT for SEO Success appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Decisions… Decisions… Conversions?

Pete Dudchenko — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:06:37 +0000

The phrase "Decision Engine" seems to be a bit of a buzzword these days. With Bing, Hunch and Wolfram|Alpha recently released, it seems like there’s a push to differentiate from industry leader Google by going beyond just showing search results to offering decisions based on the results. As a marketer however, should we be concerned that these "decision engines" represent the beginning of a movement that keeps traffic on the SERP and ultimately results in lower on-site conversions?

The post Decisions… Decisions… Conversions? appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Google’s Chinese Ambitions Paused for Now

Lisa Bari — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:42:13 +0000

Google’s ongoing struggle to win over China’s 298 million Internet users suffered a devastating blow last week when China’s government accused Google of promoting pornographic content and said it would be required to turn off its “automated search” feature (essentially autocomplete for search terms, especially important in China with the particularities of the Chinese-language script and keyboard).

The post Google’s Chinese Ambitions Paused for Now appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Getting to the Bottom of Facebook Click Fraud

Lisa Bari — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 01:26:43 +0000

Facebook has been in the news recently due to allegations of click fraud from a large contingent of advertisers. Reportedly, the social networking behemoth (about to surpass MySpace according to SOURCE) is charging advertisers for clicks that never actually make it to their sites.

The post Getting to the Bottom of Facebook Click Fraud appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Image Isn’t Everything. Yahoo Favicons Drive No Change in Search Behavior

Sabrina Gallier — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 22:20:44 +0000

Yahoo is doing a beta on Favicons. What is a Favicon? A Favicon is a corporate or product logo that is placed next to a branded paid search advertisement (see diagram below). Google is talking about allowing the same concept. The hope of marketers is that Favicons will improve brand awareness online and allow search to be used more effectively as a branding media.

The post Image Isn’t Everything. Yahoo Favicons Drive No Change in Search Behavior appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Paid Search Spending Continues to Decline

Craig Macdonald — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:46:06 +0000

Recently we did a mid-quarter update to our ongoing analysis series about how our high tech customers are managing their paid search programs. These findings are a continuation of what we were seeing in Q1 (this data is current through May 20th). Here are the highlights: Spending continues to contract, with spend from Q1 to …

The post Paid Search Spending Continues to Decline appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Covario CEO, Russ Mann, Profiled in Inc. Magazine

Debbie Rosenzweig — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:20:27 +0000

Ever wonder what successful CEOs do in their "spare" time? The most recent issue Inc. magazine includes a great profile of Russ Mann, Covario's CEO. Check out the online edition or pick up the print version for some fabulous shots of Russ and his border collie, Cross, at work on Russ' ranch. Congratulations Russ [and Cross] on your recent win and some great coverage!

The post Covario CEO, Russ Mann, Profiled in Inc. Magazine appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Bing – Decision Engine, Search Portal or Search Engine with Benefits?

Sabrina Gallier — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:14:19 +0000

Bing is calling itself a Decision Engine that provides a faster way to make more informed choices. But it is also being called a Search Portal. To me, Bing is a Search Engine with additional tools and an useful preview function.

The post Bing – Decision Engine, Search Portal or Search Engine with Benefits? appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Google Does It Again – More Trademark Policy Changes

Lisa Bari — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 23:36:28 +0000

As you may have read, Google released another change to their trademark policy for the US . This change follows their previous announcement (see Google Relaxes Trademark Bidding Policy). This latest change has the potential to have a greater impact on your paid search marketing campaigns, which is why advertisers are taking notice.

The post Google Does It Again – More Trademark Policy Changes appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Maximize Incremental ROI with Google’s Bid Simulator

Matthias Blume — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:40:35 +0000

A few days ago, Google rolled out a beta version of its new bid simulator tool to additional accounts. I am excited about this because it facilitates new bid management approaches, enables marketers to improve the efficiency and return of their paid search campaigns, and may shake up the industry a bit.

The post Maximize Incremental ROI with Google’s Bid Simulator appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Social Media Strategies in a Search World

Pete Dudchenko — Tue, 26 May 2009 23:37:46 +0000

Here at Covario, we’ve already been approached by a few companies asking how we might begin to incorporate Social Media sites like Twitter into our mix. Internally, this has been an interesting discussion since our current expertise is in Search Engine Marketing and Search Engine Optimization however the social lines are blurring things and what once was a separate channel is becoming more of an extension to the realm of Search Managers. Many companies have started to realize the importance of establishing a social presence, yet many have not fully adopted a “Social Manager” and the responsibility sometimes falls into the lap of the Search Manager, or in many cases, the Search Manager is the one to identify the need to establish a social presence for the company.

The post Social Media Strategies in a Search World appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Google’s CPC Pricing Model is Cost-per-Impression in Disguise

Matthias Blume — Thu, 21 May 2009 16:03:44 +0000

The other day, my wife and I visited a local developer’s new homes. The young woman showing us the model asked what I do. “Blah blah search marketing analytics blah blah”, I explained. “Oh, then you might be interested in our cost-per-bedroom plan”, she replied. “Huh?” She smirked, “Instead of our conventional pricing, based on the size of the home in square feet, you can specify how much you are willing to pay per bedroom.”

The post Google’s CPC Pricing Model is Cost-per-Impression in Disguise appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Twitter: The Macarena of 2009

Lisa Bari — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:48:24 +0000

Now that Oprah, CNN and Sarah Palin are on Twitter – has it officially “jumped the shark”? Is it the Macarena of 2009? Like every new product or service out there, Twitter had its early adopter phase and generated a huge amount of buzz – or tweets, pardon the pun. That is definitively over. And, the most damning issue is that Nielsen reported last week that over 60% of first-time users of Twitter do not return to the service after one month, starting a new trend of so called Twitter Quitters.

The post Twitter: The Macarena of 2009 appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Google Relaxes Trademark Bidding Policy in Additional Countries

Lisa Bari — Thu, 14 May 2009 20:42:56 +0000

Google recently announced that it is extending the trademark policy currently active in North America, the United Kingdom and Ireland. This means Google will no longer investigate trademark violations in 194 countries including Japan, Russia and South Africa, beginning in June of this year.

The post Google Relaxes Trademark Bidding Policy in Additional Countries appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Search Grows Up

Craig Macdonald — Tue, 12 May 2009 20:53:46 +0000

Last week I attended MediaPost’s Search Insider Summit conference. I wanted to share the major discussion points from the sessions and make an observation -- that the majority of the conversation was not about search marketing as a stand-alone discipline, but rather about search marketing’s role in overall marketing and its integration into process and measurement of advertising. These are the panels that I thought had the most valuable takeaways:

The post Search Grows Up appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Moving and removing negative content

Michael Gullaksen — Fri, 08 May 2009 22:05:36 +0000

Reputation Management is frequently talked about in the search engine world even to the point where Google is sometimes referred to as a reputation management engine. This is and will continue to be an important issue for both individuals and corporations around the world. Focusing on corporations, what do you do if negative or less than positive content related to your brand or corporate name begins to show up within search engines?

The post Moving and removing negative content appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Audit Score v2.0 Measures SEO Health

Debbie Rosenzweig — Wed, 06 May 2009 15:25:24 +0000

This morning Covario announced the latest release of Covario Organic Search Insight which includes Audit Score v2.0. Audit Score v2.0 is based on proprietary data developed by Covario from audits conducted on over 500 different websites across its customers.

The post Audit Score v2.0 Measures SEO Health appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Mike Gullaksen – the newest Covarian

Michael Gullaksen — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:17:42 +0000

I am happy to say this is my first week at Covario and I am truly excited about the opportunity ahead. Having a 9 year search background from iCrossing where I was SVP of Search, I truly am able to see why Covario is positioned so well to succeed. With the economic challenges and the need to be laser-focused on ROI, Search has become a focus across all marketing efforts. A true differentiator will be our clients' ability to leverage the Covario technology, coupled with strategic decisions on SEO and SEM, and the synergies between the two.

The post Mike Gullaksen – the newest Covarian appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Preventing a Website’s Being MIA with RIA – SEO in the Age of Flash

Craig Macdonald — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:01:47 +0000

There is an apt metaphor a consistent challenge faced by SEO professionals at large advertiser, the age old Philosophy 101 question “If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to see it, does it make any noise?” In this metaphor, the “tree” is a Rich Interactive Application (aka RIA, Adobe Flash, or AJAX) and the “forest” is Google.

The post Preventing a Website’s Being MIA with RIA – SEO in the Age of Flash appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Adobe Wins Ad:Tech Limelight Award

Debbie Rosenzweig — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 03:14:45 +0000

Adobe wins the 2009 ad:tech Limelight Award for Best Search Marketing Campaign Strategy in recognition of the data-driven strategy and unprecedented results demonstrated by their recent campaign titled 'Shortcut to Brilliant'. The campaign, spanning 28 countries and localized for 17 languages, leveraged advanced analytics and a variety of search engine marketing services provided by Covario, Inc.

The post Adobe Wins Ad:Tech Limelight Award appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

The New CMO – Cross Media Optimization

Craig Macdonald — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:05:47 +0000

Last week, I spoke at the WebTrends Engage Conference in Las Vegas, NV. This entry to the Covario blog represents a refutation of the “What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas” mantra – I do want to share the presentation that was given and make some suggestions to customers about how Covario will be approaching this concept of Cross Media Optimization through our technology and consulting practices in the next year. Consider this an overview of that presentation.

The post The New CMO – Cross Media Optimization appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Google Rank Data in Referring URLs?

Pete Dudchenko — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:49:56 +0000

Google has started including some new information in it's referring URL's including what many consider rank information. This can provide some very useful metrics that allows rank and conversion rate to be related to each other. However there are still some outstanding questions that need to be answered.

The post Google Rank Data in Referring URLs? appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

How SEO Managers can cheat off of their SEM colleagues

Pete Dudchenko — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 21:41:31 +0000

Why not take a tip from the lessons learned by the SEM Managers out there and start tracking your data using post click behavior combined with search engine metrics like rank to really understand the impact your SEO efforts are having for your company?

The post How SEO Managers can cheat off of their SEM colleagues appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Analysis of Global Paid Search Spend Trends from Q1 2009

Craig Macdonald — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:30:46 +0000

Each quarter, Covario publishes an analysis on the trends we see in the global paid search market based on the aggregated data of our technology customers. Covario customers are unique in that they conduct search programs on a global basis – usually through a Search Center of Excellence that centralizes the control and management of the programs. So, through Covario Paid Search insight, we see the spending on a global basis and can identify changes in allocation by region and changes in usage of local search engines. The study represents ~$250M in annual spending on the major engines for paid search advertisements.

The post Analysis of Global Paid Search Spend Trends from Q1 2009 appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Global Search Spend Analysis to be released April 2nd

Debbie Rosenzweig — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:00:45 +0000

The Q1 2009 edition of the Covario Global Search Spend Analysis released today, April 2nd. Study shows a slight decrease in paid search spending with Google impacted disproportionately.

The post Global Search Spend Analysis to be released April 2nd appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Recessionary Math: Making 1+1 Equal 3

Debbie Rosenzweig — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 22:30:34 +0000

"Recessionary Math for Marketers" is about identifying and capitalizing on the synergy between on- and off-line channels to drive better performance at a lower cost. Three areas were discussed in detail during today's session: (1) Paid and Organic Search Interaction, (2) Branded Keywords and Affiliate Control, and (3) Search and Display Correlations

The post Recessionary Math: Making 1+1 Equal 3 appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Major Advertisers to Gather at INFLECTIONPoint 2009

Debbie Rosenzweig — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 22:49:48 +0000

With a lineup that looks like the Who's Who directory of major brands and advertisers, this year's INFLECTIONPoint conference features keynotes from Disney-ABC Television Group (Albert Cheng - EVP of Digital Media), Enquiro (Gord Hotckiss - President and CEO), and WebTrends (Barry Parshall - VP of Product Strategy) and a content-rich agenda with interactive advertising leaders (and Covario clients) from Adobe, Amgen, Cisco, IBM, Intel, Intuit, Lenovo, Microsoft, NetApp, P&G, T-Mobile and Washington Post Digital.

The post Major Advertisers to Gather at INFLECTIONPoint 2009 appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.

Actionable Insights – digital marketing blog for large advertisers

Debbie Rosenzweig — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:00:52 +0000

Quite frankly - this blog is intended to share our insights, findings and analyses of online marketing trends and opportunities with our customers and the digital advertising community at large. Postings from Covarians (a little Star Trek-ish but very fitting) will include industry news and updates, in-depth analyses, strategic and tactical advice, and most importantly ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS for large advertisers. - I stress the large advertiser perspective because this is our focus, it is what we do, and it's what we know best!

The post Actionable Insights – digital marketing blog for large advertisers appeared first on Best Enterprise SEM, PPC, SEO Search Agency Leader / Covario.