Noah Elkin is the director of industry relations at iCrossing, which was recently named Best Search Agency of 2005 by industry trade publication OMMA. iCrossing, started more than nine years ago in Scottsdale, Ariz., is jumping into new arenas, such as the mobile search market, and expanding client services to include content creation and website design.Elkin is responsible for … [Read more...]
Retooling the Web
Microsoft was late in recognizing the profit potential of online search. Meanwhile, upstart Google surpassed older search sites such as AltaVista, America Online and Yahoo to become the clear leader in search and, therefore, online advertising revenue. In late 2005, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates and chief technical officer Ray Ozzie wrote widely quoted memoranda acknowledging … [Read more...]
Mining for Keywords
Now that you've set up your search engine marketing campaign and it's chugging along nicely, how do you take things to the next level? You've picked out some good keywords, written some good copy and you're getting a reasonable ROI, but every time you look at your pay-per-click campaigns, you just know there's more that you could be doing to maximize your investment. And you … [Read more...]
Entrepreneur Sees the Light
While reviewing newbie sites, my heart sinks as I see the world's zillionth "How to Start a Successful Online Business" site. The aspiring netpreneur, whom I'll call Bob, has obviously sweat great drops of blood to build his first site, yet he hasn't seen a dime of revenue.If only I could talk to him..."So, what made you choose Internet and affiliate marketing as the topic for … [Read more...]
A Brand New Day for BrandNewDad.com
Not every website sells widgets. But that doesn't mean every website doesn't need an effective home page.In this column, we chose an information portal as our subject. So instead of addressing questions like what the site is selling, and how to make a purchase, our focus was on the proper display of content, use of colors and communicating the benefits of registration.Our … [Read more...]
Scrutiny on the Bounty
As every good bounty hunter knows, capturing your target requires exacting execution of a well-designed plan. But unlike intrepid fugitive hunters such as reality television star "Dog" Chapman, earning sizable rewards by corralling customers online doesn't require risking life or limb.Instead of offering commissions paid in nickels and dimes, bounty programs attract a growing … [Read more...]
Power Tools
Sometimes even the simplest tasks can only be performed using the right tools. There's no point in using a chain saw when a paring knife will do the job.These are not reviews, ratings or recommendations. It's just a collection of software, services and tools that we've come across and wanted to share with you. Here they are in no specific order.T3Report.comCyData Services Inc., … [Read more...]
Affiliate Market Maturing
The affiliate space is getting more sophisticated and complex, according to the findings of the AffStat 2006 Report, an annual study examining the state of the affiliate marketing industry.Released earlier this year by Shawn Collins Consulting, the survey polled nearly 200 affiliate managers from a cross section of the industry on their overall statistics, as well as a number … [Read more...]
Lost in Translation
Ten years ago, Jaime lived outside Managua, Nicaragua, worked in a shoe factory and took college classes. The then-35-year-old did not own a car and shared a house, a TV and a stereo with his parents, along with his brother and sister- in-law. Both Jaime and his brother helped his parents pay the rent, and the rest of Jaime's paycheck went toward saving for a move to the United … [Read more...]
Have You Heard the Word?
Tell a friend: Word of mouth rocks. It's how many people find a dentist, a plumber, a pediatrician and a realtor, even a shrink. You tend to trust your friends. So when one of your close pals swears by her hairstylist, raving about what a "shear" delight he is, you are apt to give him a shot rather than thumbing through the phone book and blindly calling random barbers. Then … [Read more...]
Community Commerce
Until now online shopping has been a lonely endeavor. Think Sandra Bullock in "The Net," the 1995 film where she works from home, orders everything online and has few friends outside of cyberspace. Even 10 years later most people still shop online alone, sneaking it in during work hours or squeezing it in after everyone's in bed. "If you look at the first 10 years of … [Read more...]
Data Double Duty
Website publishers are up in arms about the potential threat posed by employees at companies, who have access to their crucial data that could be used to compete with them.Insiders have nicknamed the situation "Triple Jangro," after the catchy title of a blog post on Revenews.com by David Lewis, CEO of 77Blue. The title refers to ex-BeFree/Commission Junction product manager … [Read more...]
Linkshare Shuffle
In early February, just six months after LinkShare agreed to be acquired by Japan-based e-commerce portal giant Rakuten for $425 million, the founders of the affiliate network have decided to step aside.The resignations of Chairman and CEO Stephen Messer and President and COO Heidi Messer, who founded LinkShare in 1996, were not surprising according to industry watchers, but … [Read more...]
Kimathi Marangu: The Team Player
It's not easy to combine all those passions but Marangu has managed to strike a good balance.Marangu is the co-founder of Mall Networks, an affiliate that builds shopping portals tailor-made for affinity organizations such as school districts, charities, sports teams and consumer associations.The company, which was formed in 2005, already has a handful of private-label online … [Read more...]