Yearly Archives: 2011

Design & Development

Over the last three months, a bunch of folks have used my server response code tester to check whether their web sites correctly respond to broken links, correct links, etc. Per my first post about the tool, I’ve been storing the results—don’t worry, no personal data, just web site, response codes, and a grade—for a… Read More

PPC

I don’t often re-post other people’s stuff, but I love this guide to Adwords auctions from Wordstream: © 2011 WordStream – a certified AdWords partner. (Click the image to visit Wordstream.com and see the full graphic)

Design & Development

If you run an internet marketing agency, you have one client you dread more than any other: Yourself. We launched a revamped Portent site several months back, then rebuilt this site a bit later. In 16 years, I think we’ve rebuilt our company site 8 or 9 times. Some lessons I’ve learned: You’re a frakking… Read More

SEO

I wrote a post, and this time lots of folks taught me good stuff. See the comments after the post for great info I’d totally forgotten on how Google calculates site performance Google, I’m very… disappointed. You may have noticed that Conversation Marketing is a wee bit more speedy now. Last week, a page on… Read More

Social Media

StumbleUpon has gone from hipster niche play to social media giant. In this post, I’ll analyze and visualize the StumbleUpon audience, and give some tips for marketers seeking to use this channel to drive traffic. With more than 20 million users, sending more than 1 billion referrals per month, StumbleUpon is a major player in… Read More

Social Media

Yes, it’s true. Portent is looking for two interns: a social media intern and a PPC intern for the winter months. The position starts ASAP and both have the potential for full-time employment. If you know someone fresh out of college who might dig a fun gig where they’ll learn the ropes of internet marketing,… Read More

PPC

Yesterday I gave a plain English explanation of Adwords quality score: Why it exists and how it (probably) works. Today we get to have some fun: There are soooo many ways to destroy your quality score. I’ll explain the top 7, and give a tip for improving your score at the same time. 1: The… Read More

PPC

You may bid more than anyone else for the phrase ‘rubber duckies’ in Google Adwords. But that doesn’t guarantee you a top ranking. Your quality score influences your position, too. You may, for example, be able to get a #1 Adwords ranking while bidding for the #2 spot. Bizarre, I know. But here’s how it… Read More

Analytics

Google Analytics now has this cool, real-time stats dashboard. At first, I thought it was just fluff—something to use up my spare 2 minutes/day. But, it’s really handy. I’ve found five good uses for it so far: Test social media posts in real time: Send out a tweet, and then watch the result. Send a… Read More

Random

I’m doing a webinar soon(ish). I’ve got three potential topics: An SEO update: Basic SEO advice after Panda. This would target beginner-intermediate internet marketers and site owners. Content marketing 101: A high-level look at the pieces involved in a successful content marketing campaign, and how they fit together. A guided tour of Google Analytics: A… Read More

Internet Marketing

I spent this afternoon in a fascinating branding exercise for a client. We talked a lot about what comprises a brand. A lot of it was stuff I’ve talked about here before: Your brand is the totality of the experience customers have when they encounter you. But it suddenly dawned on me that a lot… Read More

SEO

SEO is complicated, and it’s easy to fall for a ripoff artist, or someone who’s just clueless. But there are some easy ways to detect SEO buttheads. Here’s how you can tell if someone making big promises is utterly full of horse manure: 1: The spam e-mail Butthead indicator #1: The unsolicited e-mail. Strength: 2/5… Read More

Random

I’m a sensitive guy. I cried when I saw the movie Gallipoli. Of course, my parents had dragged me to see it when I was 11, which is enough to permanently warp anyone. This week, though, has really raised some humdingers: The new Google Reader interface, which resembles a cross between an Etch A Sketch… Read More

PPC

I haven’t heard much about Contact Form Extensions since PPC Hero talked about the beta last January 2010 (yeah, AWHILE ago) and all but forgot about it until I ran across it today myself. Searching on what will be a super hot topic, well now, I found a contact extension form ad in the sidebar,… Read More

SEO

I got to participate in the ‘Future of Search’ panel today at the Seattle Interactive Conference. Two subjects came up that I must expand on a bit: My car This is my car. It is a Buick Regal Turbo. It is awesome: OK, now that that’s done with. What scares me about the future of… Read More