Deciding which search engines to develop paid search campaigns on can be a bit overwhelming. How does a company know when and where to expand their paid search campaigns? Most online marketers realize that Google accounts for at least 49.7% of all US searches, so it makes sense to start their paid search campaigns in Google AdWords. When it comes to expanding beyond Google, this area gets grey quickly.

Questions arise like:

• When should I advertise on new search engines?
• Which keywords should I bid on?
• What should my budget be?
• Should I use the same ad text?

The questions don't stop. Below are a few recommendations that I offer to get you moving in the right direction:

Continue reading "Expanding Your Paid Search Campaigns" »

One of the new features of Google Analytics that hasn't really seen too much press in the past month (has it really been that long?) is the new and improved graph and chart view. These graphs and charts don't vary drastically from those seen in the old interface, but they're still different enough to warrant a bit of explanation.

Basically, all of the data tables in Google Analytics have alternate graph displays for easier visual analysis of your data. Accessing these additional reports is easy. There's a series of little "Views" buttons at the top right of your data table, and each button offers you a new view for your data.

More info on each view after the jump.

Continue reading "Google Analytics Graphs and Charts" »

As first reported on the Official Google Analytics Blog, and then picked up pretty much everywhere else other than our own blog here, Google Analytics has seen its first minor feature update since the launch of the new user interface. While we certainly weren't first to break the news†, due mostly to putting the finishing touches on our updated Google Analytics training series, I did want to post my top three favorite improvements after the jump.

Continue reading "New Google Analytics Features" »

Since the new Google Analytics interface has become widely available, the people we talk to generally share a few worries and misconceptions about the new interface and what it means for them. Here are the top three misconceptions about the new interface that we hear:

Misconception #1: Oh NO - there is no conversion data!

First of all, take a nice, deep breath. When people start cruising around the new interface, they don't see any conversion data in their reports and have a mini panic-attack. In the old interface you have a handful of set metrics that show up in the right-hand columns on each report, some of which include conversion metrics.

The reason people can't find the conversion data is because in the new interface you have the 3 tabs:
'Site Usage' tab
'Goal Conversion' tab
'Ecommerce' tab

Because the 'Site Usage' tab is the first tab you see and it doesn't include conversion data, some people assume there just isn't any conversion data there, period.

The new format actually gives you a much wider variety of choices on available data, including (but not limited to) conversion data. Surprise! You just have to know where to look.

Continue reading "Top Three Misconceptions of the New Google Analytics Interface" »

Why are AdWords Conversion Tracker and Google Analytics showing different conversion rates and numbers of conversions? Which one should you believe? If these are questions you have ever found yourself asking, then you've come to the right place.

The short answer? They're both right, although neither one is perfect. This is of course assuming you've set them both up correctly. How can this be? We'll, I've attempted to put my unfortunate artistic skills to the test to try and clear up this puzzle.

So here's the story:

Continue reading "AdWords Conversion Tracker or Google Analytics.... Which One's Right?" »

We at ROI Revolution are searching for a talented, creative individual with at least six months experience with pay-per-click advertising to join our team in Raleigh, NC.

Well, I bet you are wondering what it is like to work at ROI. Let me share some of my personal experience with you.

I started working at ROI in September of 2006 and have never looked back. I completely set up pay-per-click campaigns from start-to-finish—from researching industries and keywords, to writing ad text, to campaign strategy, to bidding. It's great because I have the control to do work without someone standing over my shoulder. I can take my own creative liberties, but I have the comfort of working in a team—so if I need input or assistance from a teammate, there is always someone there!

Plus, there is prestige in working here as ROI is 1 of only 11 authorized Google Analytics consulting firms in the nation.

Continue reading "Searching For Experienced PPC Specialist" »

Many people wait too long before really delving into Negative Keyword research for their Google AdWords campaigns. This is a mistake!

Negative Keywords have more of an impact than most people realize.

Not only do Negative Keywords save you money by minimizing clicks from visitors who really are not interested in your product or service, but they increase your Clickthrough Rate (CTR) and Quality Score! This decrease in 'bad' impression will automatically give you higher quality clicks that can have a real impact on your conversion rate.

Negative Keywords can be hard to find, but the search is worth it.

Here are eight tips and tricks to getting the most out of your Negative Keyword research:

Continue reading "The Power of Negative Keywords, eight (8) tips" »

You may have read my previous article on the subject of combining Google Website Optimizer with Google Analytics. With the new Google Analytics interface, of course, there are some changes I'd like to address.

First things first, the integration remains unchanged. You can refer back to my previous post for these instructions.

Finding the information, however, is now a little different. Since there is no more Dynamic Content report (*sniff*), finding the data takes a couple steps. But don't fret, it's not too bad.

Here's how:

Continue reading "Website Optimizer Integration in the New Analytics Interface" »