Google has changed the way to select targeted geographical location in AdWords. This new feature provides more flexibility for selecting targeted areas and excluding unwanted visitors.
It is easy to access this new feature. Just login to your AdWords account, select campaign you would like to adjust, click button 'Edit Settings', click 'Edit' in Location section.
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Presenting will be Tom Leung, Business Product Manager at Google and myself John Hossack, VP at VKI Studios.
Tom will address some testing best practices, a methodology for selecting the best pages to test, as well as offer some ideas of what one should test on a given page.
I will then go through a case study of an online retailer that will illustrate how our process driven approach to landing page and funnel optimization has lead to a 300% increase in monthly revenues in a 12 month period.
If you are interested in learning how to improving your websites performance, then this is webinar that you should attend.
To learn more, or register for this event click the following link: http://www.marketingpower.com/webcast433.php
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We primarily work with MS SQL Server 2000+ and MySQL databases and there are JDBC drivers available for both of these.
I thought I'd blog about the installation (in case I need some help again in the future)
To try out Quantum DB yourself, the first thing you need to do is install the Quantum DB plugin for Eclipse.
The following instructions are based on Eclipse 3.3+
To install Quantum DB, you first need to install the GEF plugin for Eclipse
To do this: 1. Open Eclipse and go to: Help -> Software updates -> Find and Install... -> Search for new features to install
2. Select the checkbox next to the Europa Discover Site and click next.
3. Select the default mirror to check.
4. On the result page that lists the new features, expand Graphical Editors and Frameworks and select the Graphical Editing Framework option (you don't have to select the SDK, but you could select that as well if you want).
5. Go through the rest of the installation process and restart Eclipse.
Now you are ready to install Quantum DB.
To do this: 1. Open Eclipse and go to: Help -> Software updates -> Find and Install... -> Search for new features to install
2. Click the button for "New Remote Site", then type the update URL as follows: http://quantum.sourceforge.net/update-site
3. Click next and go through the rest of the installation process.
After the installation and Eclipse restarts, you now have Quantum DB installed.
To get Quantum DB working with MySQL and MS SQL Server I had to download and install the JDBC drivers.
For MySQL, you can download the MySQL Connnector/J from: http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/j/ You don't need to register to download the connector, just click the link at the bottom that says "No thanks, just take me to the downloads!"
For MS SQL Server, you can download the SQL Server 2005 JDBC Driver from: http://msdn.microsoft.com/data/jdbc/
Download and extract these to their respective folders and put them somewhere on your hard drive. I put them in the root of the Eclipse folder.
For MySQL, you should find a file called like: mysql-connector-java-5.0.7-bin.jar For MS SQL, you should find a file called something like: sqljdbc.jar
To add support for MySQL, you need to do the following:
1. Go to eclipse and switch to the view "Quantum DB" by going to Window -> Open Perspective -> Other..
2. Add a new bookmark by right-clicking inside the left "database bookmarks" panel and selecting "New Bookmark"
3. Now click "Add driver", from the dropdown list called "type", choose MySQL.
4. Now click "add external jar", point to the file mysql-connector-java-5.0.7-bin.jar (or whatever your jar file is called)
5. Click the "browse" button for the class name "com.mysql.jdbc.Driver", then go on clicking many "OK" buttons.
So, now that you have the driver installed, you need to add a bookmark for the database you want to connect to.
1. Right-click in the "database bookmarks" panel again,
2. Select the MySQL driver and click Next.
3. A dialog will be shown for you input the connection information for the database you are connecting to. Enter, this information and click Next.
4. Now enter a name for the bookmark and click Finish.
The MySQL bookmark for your database is now setup.
To add the MS SQL Server driver and bookmark, repeat the process above for adding a driver and creating a bookmark using the appropriate MS SQL file and database information.
Hope you find this useful!
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I was at a friend's place for a pot-luck dinner last weekend. We were all hanging around in the kitchen and I happened to be standing by the microwave. The host handed me a gravy boat and asked, "Hey, can you nuke this for a minute?"
"Sure, no problem," I said confidently. I put the gravy boat in the microwave and closed the door. My eyes then searched for the "Min Plus" button. After all, that's how my microwave works. Aren't they all the same?
Nope. This one was littered with unfamiliar controls. Some obviously dealt with power levels, some set a timer. There were other controls for defrost functions, a cluster of specialized "one touch" buttons for Popcorn, Baked Potato, etc. But there was no "Min Plus" button to be found...
How do I just turn the damned thing ON??
Taking a guess, I pressed 6-0-Start, assuming that would give me 60 seconds. It works on my microwave - and my sister's too. Surely it must work on all of them?
Nope. The panel beeped with every press of a button, but beyond the beeping, the microwave stayed dark and silent.
Hmmm. Maybe I have to enter a power level first? So I pressed the "Power Level", then 9 (figuring 9 would be highish). Then I pushed "Time" and 6-0. THEN I pushed "Start". This has GOT to work, right?
Nope. By now, the other party guests had noticed the long series of unproductive beeps coming from the microwave, and they started to snicker. "Hey Straker, how many years did you spend in university?" one asked sarcastically. The kitchen exploded with laughter, and everyone's attention turned to the moron who couldn't figure out how to use the microwave.
To the amusement of all, the scene continued for another agonizing minute or so, as I tried any number of pushbutton combinations in a futile attempt to bring that dead hunk of metal and plastic to life.
I eventually bluffed my way through with a cheat. I pressed "Popcorn" figuring that would at least turn the stupid thing on. It did, and a round of well-deserved applause erupted. I bowed in triumphant victory.
So... what's going on here? Am I really a hopeless techno-peasant? Well perhaps that's part of it. But I like to think there's another reason I looked like such a fool: when it comes to microwave operations, there's no established standard. Every manufacturer uses a different scheme, so you can't transfer what you've learned from using your microwave and apply it to using someone else's. You're left feeling - and looking - stupid.
And what has any of this got to do with web design? Easy. If you don't want to make your visitors feel stupid - if you want them to be able to accomplish their tasks easily - stick with established conventions. Sure, it's nice to break new ground with a new and "better" navigational system or whatever. But think twice before taking such chances. Remember yours truly at the helm of a microwave. Don't make me use the "Popcorn" button to reheat the gravy. Trust me, it doesn't work well...
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Networks The Networks category inside Google AdWords comprises 3 basic categories: Google Search, Search Network, and Content Network.
Google Search is basically the search bar. Many users search for Tonka toys, generally. However, there is a larger than recognized percentage of users who remember domain names and type in www.RudysToys.com. Businesses that run AdWords campaigns should therefore have an Ad Group that comprises their domain name and business name. The reason that you want to doe this is that, if you do not, then your competitor will. For example, my search for ww.rudystoys.com pulled an ad from EBay. The AdWords manager for Ruby's toys had only to pay about 5 cents per click to maintain position 1 -3. The cost to advertise for Tonka Toys would be about 54 cents and higher depending on the nature of the website.
The Search Network includes Google properties and partners such as Google Groups, AOL and ASK. Additional partners, include and are not limited to the following:
The Search Network provides businesses with a wealth of places to advertise. Unfortunately, the value of a click may vary depending on the goals of your business. If Rudy's Toys is participating in a brand building (or "getting the word out") campaign then advertising in diverse markets regardless of the location of search can be worthwhile. However, if Rudy's Toys is seeking sales, then the search Network might not always provide a business with maximal profit for the investment. To determine the benefits of Google Search versus the Search Network, simply run a 30 day test comparing sales and profits with the Search Network included and with it omitted. Advertise where the customer is ready to buy.
The Content Network places targeted ads in newspapers, special-interest websites and blogs. AdWords interprets the content of a website and places your ad next to that content. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. If your ad for Tonka toys occurs next to a short story where the writer has a particular fascination with children's toys and suggests that "the truck careened as an old Tonka toy" this might not be a good click. However, if your ad occurs next to a blog for toy collectors, the click is a good thing. You want, therefore, to place constraints on the places where your ads are shown to maximize revenue.
Target Audience The Journal of Medical Internet Research provides ample evidence that online businesses need to think about the fact that the world is really less English or European than it used to be. The journal speculates that two-thirds of web pages are published in English while there are over 5 billion non-English speaking people online. This means that while Rudy's toys is focused on getting that sale from the EBay, Toys R US and Toys.com, its US competitors, the company may be neglecting the high income non-English speaking person who is prepared to buy. The example becomes even more apparent when you consider the fact that in a small metropolis like Vancouver with about 2 million people, roughly 900,000 are non-English speaking. The toy store may have higher returns on investment by simply advertising to unique and often neglected market segments. For example, the word "toy" has the following variations:
To use language targeting, create about 3 - 5 pages. Use questionnaires to determine pull or interest in buying. You might realize that the man from Bombay down the road has visited your website before but felt uncomfortable asking questions about the toy that we wanted to buy for his son's birthday next week.
The point of this blog post has been to open your mind to the possibilities online - they remain endless!
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Let's take a look how htaccess can help optimize website hosted on Apache server.
1. There are many discussions about non-www and www versions of websites. What version is better for SEO? Neither is better. Just choose one version and stick with it. It will help search engines do not index the same pages under different URLs (with and without www).
Example below redirects from domain.com to www.domain.com
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^domain.com [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.domain.com/$1 [L,R=301]
Please note that Google Webmaster Central has a tool to select preferred version of domain (with or without www).
2. Many websites have internal links pointed to homepage of website as http://www.domain.com/index.html . At the same time homepage is accessible under domain as http://www.domain.com . As result, search engines could index homepage (the most important page on website) under 2 different URLs. One line of htaccess code helps avoid or fix it.
RewriteRule ^index.html http://www.domain.com/$1 [R=301,L]
3. What to do if you want to move a web page in different directory or rename file/directory? Think about that twice. Do you really need it? It's better to keep URLs of all pages stable and don't change it. In case you have to move/rename page or directory make sure you setup permanent (301) redirects from old URLs to new ones. Code below shows an example of this redirect.
Redirect 301 /old_file.html http://www.domain.com/new_file.html
Code below shows an example of htaccess file that includes all lines we reviewed above
RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^domain.com [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.domain.com/$1 [L,R=301]
RewriteRule ^index.html http://www.domain.com/$1 [R=301,L]
Redirect 301 /old_file.html http://www.domain.com/new_file.html
Redirect 301 /old_dir/file.html http://www.domain.com/new_dir/file.html
Make sure you test website after any update of htaccess file. Wrong code or any mistake can put down entire website.
If you like this post then please consider subscribing to our RSS feed.In this blog post, I will attempt to argue that the campaign settings inside Google AdWords define your destiny or fate online. The 2 categories to be discussed are as follows: basic settings and budget options.
The basic settings category asks advertisers to do the little things like simply name the campaign and define its start date and end date. On the surface, the category is simply an attempt to promote products online. Beyond the basics, the category suggests or requests well defined targeted campaigns:
Unlike specific conversion metrics that are defined inside Ad Groups, advertisers receive real metrics from well defined targeted ads because sales changes as a function of online advertising. In other words, the advertiser has more reservations for steak and lobster dinners because they are advertised online.
The budget options category asks advertisers to recommend a daily budget. Surprisingly, this simple question may be the most important question that an advertiser examines for 2 reasons: first, the AdWords budget is spread across a variety of media that include: Google search, Google partner search, and the content network - which is another tiny universe unto itself; and this means that advertising is not just occurring inside Google but in a variety of online properties; second, compared to other media--television, radio, newspaper, magazines, and trade journals--advertisers should be prepared to pay a comparable amount to convert browsers into buyers, generate sales and build brand and reputation online.
Generally, established businesses know theses costs, and consequently, the transition from the offline to online world is smoother. Small businesses, in contrast, struggle because they attempt to accomplish a variety of assumed advertising goals - branding, sales, reputation management, customer service, and promotions - from $10 per day. The cost effectiveness of Google AdWords may be its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. The ancient parable holds true online - the big fish swallows the small fish!
The budget options category contains another valuable tool that often goes unnoticed - the delivery method. It is, in my opinion, more a question of character and corporate culture than of speed or efficacy. Businesses that find themselves using Gorilla marketing tactics to get in the face of customers and never let them never forget that you offer the lowest price in town, should adopt an accelerated delivery method. Businesses that prefer customers who have thought about the decision before investing should consider a gradual delivery method. Despite my interpretations of these concepts, the true difference is that whereas the gradual delivery method means that ads will be shown equally over time, the accelerated delivery method means that ads will be shown as quickly as possible.
If you like this post then please consider subscribing to our RSS feed.Alright, get your mind out of the gutter....were talking about websites. When planning to build your online empire one questions that repeatedly comes up is whether to build one giant website, or create a number of smaller separate sites.
While each site presents its own set of unique circumstances I would advice that in most cases you will want to build one big site. Google seems to favor large sites and I can understand why. Search engines are looking to give users the best experience possible, so if a website has plenty of related content then searchers are probably going to be able to find what they were searching for.
Take advantage of the influence that these sites are given by continuing to build out your content with more articles or blog entries. This should not only help with your top keyword phrases but also with small long tailed terms that can help generate traffic which you wouldn't have normally seen.
What about sub-domains you may ask? Some developers like to break up content this way but I would suggest that this is not the answer. Search engines see sub domains much like they see separate websites. By separating your site into different sub domains you really aren't doing yourself any favors and you won't see the benefit that you can get with one large site.
Remember, just because large sites tend to do better doesn't mean that you should combine your 'pet food' and 'movie review' sites. Search engines can take into account the overall theme and as they continue to get smarter will also get better at differentiating sites that don't provide users a good experience. Also, from a usability perspective having various off-topic sites all bundled together just doesn't make sense.
It's all in the way you move it.
OK, perhaps you have recently built a few small topic related websites and want to consolidate them into one. The best thing to do would be to use a 301 redirect. By using this you will not only be redirecting the website, but you will be redirecting any links that it may have acquired.
If you like this post then please consider subscribing to our RSS feed.Many of you don't have to imagine what it's like to type your name or your company's name in Google and find search results that paint you in, shall I say, a less than positive light. And none of you have to imagine the kind of impression this leaves with people who are looking you up.
Your online reputation doesn't just depend on the press releases you send out, which journalists or bloggers they reach and how these outlets spin your brand. The real battleground for your online reputation is across the online arena in almost all the places where you or your industry are topics of debate, discussion or competition.
Circumvent the Democracy
This online battle is more democratic than ever. These days any individual with a grudge can have one of the loudest voices when it comes to who you are in the online arena.
So how does one battle against the tyranny of this online democracy? If it's a person with a grudge, It's always advisable to start with contacting them and trying to reach an agreement or understanding. If that doesn't work, or if your online image is tarnished by unflattering news articles, then its time to implement a more aggressive campaign.
Outrank negative search results with pages of your own until the bad publicity is pushed down to pages that most people just don't look at. You do this by optimizing your existing pages for the search engines, and creating even more pages that will outrank and quell the banter that's harming your online reputation.
Always Tread Carefully
You don't want to make this investment and have it backfire on you. Search Engines rank pages on the basis of relevance and trust; the pages you optimize have to communicate this not only to the search engines, but to users.
If you're going to dominate the first pages of search engine rankings with your own results, make sure your pages are worth being there. Crowding Google's results with pages that are juiced with links but deliver no real value to the people who will be consuming the information is spamming, which is invariably BAD 'netiquette'. You need to put in your time and understand how to play within the guidelines of the unspoken laws of the web.
Be truthful regarding the content of the pages you are optimizing and engage people in honest conversation; that's how you develop real trust online. This is doubly important in the more social aspects of online communications. More to come on that soon...
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This event will feature Jim Sterne, founder of the eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summits, and founding Chairman and current President of the Web Analytics Association. Jim will be speaking about the current maturity of the web analytics industry. He will share insights into the level of expertise among today's practitioners; challenges they face; the opportunities that are available; and the role we play as companies adopt the continuous improvement method of marketing optimization (at VKI Studios we have branded this as our Hippo Tango service) and truly start listening, engaging and participating in a dialogue with customers.
In addition to Jim's presentation I will be presenting a recent case study that we have put together on marketing/landing page optimization. This case study will focus on the use of web analytics and testing (in this case Google Analytics and Google's Website Optimizer) and the importance of planning and process to maximize results.
This event is targeted at people who want have an interest in marketing optimization, web analytics, and testing. I hope that attendees will gain a solid understanding of the current state of the analytics arena from Jim and an appreciation of the benefits of becoming a data driven organization and the importance of planning and process from my presentation.
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