Inexperienced usage

So whether you’re doing an account review because you’re checking your own performance or helping someone else figure out what opportunities exist, a checklist may help. Here’s mine, which consists of four main areas: feature usage, account structure, segmentation opportunities and trend analysis. 1. Are You Using All The Latest Features AdWords changes incredibly quickly. With weekly changes to the AdWords website, the Editor, the API and now Scripts, it’s easy to miss out on a great new feature and fall behind your competitors. One way to stay current is to subscribe to the Inside AdWords Blog to get official updates directly from Google. The fact that you’re reading this on Search Engine Land tells me you’re already paying attention, but let me just cover a few of the top features I think you should use. Conversion Tracking I can’t believe I still have to write this, but after my recent clinics, I saw there are still marketers who … [Read more...] about 4 Steps To The Perfect AdWords Audit

In part 1 of this series on Excel for search engine marketers, I started off by applauding the tool and pointing out how important it is to our industry. This week, before I get into the tips and tricks, I’d like to talk a little about training. Excel, like any sophisticated tool, can be dangerous in the hands of an inexperienced user. As proficient as I am today, I remember how intimidating it can be to the novice or even advanced user. In this industry, we often have the more junior level members pulling reports and scrubbing data. As they have the least amount of Excel training, their mistakes can be compounded when analysts try to optimize or report using faulty data. One good rule of thumb is to never assume a new team member’s excel proficiency. Run them through some testing to make sure they can handle the workload properly. Sometimes I think that Excel is one piece of software that gets the least amount of real training in relation to just how often it is used. We … [Read more...] about Excel At Excel For SEM Applications, Part 2

The Pew Internet & American Life Project just released the findings of a new survey of 4,001 U.S. adults that segments Americans into a range of groups based on usage of and attitudes toward the Internet and mobile phones. The report is provocative (even surprising) but long, so I’m just going to summarize it at the very highest level. (You can get a copy of the report here (PDF file). Out of the survey findings, Pew developed an elaborate classification scheme based on ten types that fit into three broad categories: Elite users (31 percent) Middle of the road users (20 percent) Those with few “tech assets” and limited use of technology (a whopping 49 percent) Below are the verbatim descriptions of the various sub-segments, according to Pew: Technology Elites Omnivores (8%): They have the most information gadgets and services, which they use voraciously to participate in cyberspace, express themselves online, and do a range of Web 2.0 activities. Most in this … [Read more...] about ‘Web 2.0’ Crowd A Small Minority