The Exact Keyword Tracking Tool by the folks at ROI Revolution allows paid search advertisers to view the exact search queries of their visitors.  Broad-match is one of three Adwords keyword setting that results in ads running based on general keyword terms and what Google believes to be relevant variations; even if these terms aren't in a campaign's keyword lists.  With the Exact Keyword Tracking Tool, the exact phrases that triggered the broad-match ad to be issued can be retrieved, instead of only allowing adwords users to view which keyword terms they've bid on drove traffic to their site.

Typically, broad-match phrases are more expensive to bid on than their counterpart's exact-match and phrase-match, due to their higher traffic volumes (and more competition).  Utilizing this tool, Adwords managers can discover trends in long tail keyword phrases that would not otherwise be revealed in typical analytics data.  With this knowledge, managers can bid on their new-found phrases, probably at lower costs due to the lower volume, detailed orientation of long-tail keywords.

The script for Google Analytics can be found here (note there are two versions: ga.js and urchin.js).

Once the script has been implemented, where will you find this data in Analytics?

1) Traffic Sources > AdWords > AdWords Campaigns report and use the Dimension User Defined dropdown.

2) Using the Visitors > User Defined report.

Tip:  Let the new code run a couple of days so you can see results

Next week Search Marketing Expo (SMX) is in town, Sam was writing about the importance of attending these type of conferences earlier this week and I totally agree. When I first started out in the industry the likes of SES (Search Engine Strategies) and SMX (Search Marketing Expo) taught me a lot and also opened up the chance for me to network with like-minded people. In fact I attend the first ever SMX conference in Seattle 2 years ago as one of my first conferences. I had the best time, both from a learning and networking perspective. And I'm honored to now be speaking at SMX.

 

This year I'm speaking on the panel: "European Search Marketing Challenges" along with one of my fellow SEO Chicks, Judith Lewis. Having run pan European and International search campaigns (both Paid and SEO) I think I have been through my fair share of challenges targeting multiple countries. I'm speaking on this panel on Tuesday 4th of November at 1 o'clock for anyone that is interested in hearing me speak.

In addition to the SMX conference, LondonSEO.org is also organising a FREE networking party on the evening of the 4th November. If you can't make it to the conference I really recommend you drop by the Freemasons Arms pub in Covent Garden and enjoy a beer and some networking with fellow search marketeers. The entire Base One Search team is planning to!

Attending a search conference can be a very valuable experience; it can also be a very memorable one. Note: consuming copious amounts of free alcohol will affect memory.
 
This post intends to illustrate and advise how to get the most from a search conference.

Consider it a manual which highlights reasons why you should be attending search conferences.

1.    Read the conference agenda thoroughly. Try to select the sessions that you have a keen interest in and will most likely to improve your skills.
 
2.    Attending a conference can be an excellent opportunity to establish new and develop existing relationships.

3.    Remember it is not only fellow professionals within your industry that attend search conferences.  It is often the case that before a business actively seeks to employ a search marketing company they will attend events such as the upcoming London SMX to get a general feel of the potential benefits a search marketing campaign can offer.  This is an amazing opportunity to network, be the first point of contact and to exchange details with prospective clientele.
 
4.    Don't be afraid to start conversations - always introduce yourself if given the opportunity. You are all in the same boat and share more common interests than you may think so don't be shy.  If it helps here are some SEO Jokes to break the ice or start with the tried and tested lines "is this your first conference?", "What was your favourite session today?" or "What industry are you in?"

5.    Don't overly pitch people - let the conversation grow naturally.  Desperation is a real conversation killer and it smells bad too. A conference should be seen as a method to make contacts not sign contracts.
    
6.    The after party which contains the secret quest of every search marketing professional - Free Beer.  Coincidently here is a drinker's guide to hangover cures.

7.    Never, Never, Never forget your business cards.  If you have made the effort of attending a conference and actively set about networking then you want them to be able to remember that fine young gentleman or lady in the future (that would be you).
 
8.    Take notes on the back of business cards - You will ultimately forget conversations no matter how great and insightful they were at the time. For future reference take notes on the back of cards highlighting what was discussed and how you might work together.

9.    Bring a SWAG bag to fill with all the free items and products from the exhibition stalls. You often find many exhibitors willing to give out free stuff to promote their product or service but be warned only part with your details on two conditions; you are offered a whole treasure trove of goodies or you are actually interested in the product or service.  I was once hounded for weeks by a sales rep who I gave my details to because I felt I had to after taking a cup warmer. Damn that cup warmer.

10.    Working within the dynamic search industry you will know that you are constantly learning new techniques, so what better way than to sit back and listen to highly experienced and knowledgeable speakers.  Debates often arise and many questions can also be asked and answered.  It is like a forum but in REAL time, amazing huh?
 
11.    It is not always the high profile search marketers that have the best tips.  Don't spend all your time trying to harass the session speakers as it is often the case that other more quiet individuals have just as much experience and knowledge. So pull up a stool crack open the Werther's Originals and soak up as much information as you can.

12.    Make it a point to hug a black hat. Although you may not employ black hat techniques it is always very useful to know what they know just to keep you aware of new techniques.  They also have some very good ideas outside of the box which can often be tweaked to fit into an online strategy. Some tips on black-hat spotting include; corner hangouts, soft whispers, secret handshakes and every time you ID me a rabbit dies t-shirts

13.    Not only do you learn from conferences they also inspire future ideas.  Surprisingly you may learn more at the bar as it often acts as fuel for the mouth of many search professionals. This information can turn out to be just as valuable as what you get in the sessions.

14.    A chance to obtain competitor research and trade secrets - If you have passed your stalking grade 1 badge you will undeniably run into employees from competing firms. When you do be friendly and ask lots of questions. Smile, be sociable and engaging. Remember how important it is to be a great listener; this will be important as scribbling annotations into a notepad is not the most subtle of methods.
 
I hope these tips and tricks act as a good resource for search professionals newer to conferences. Ultimately the number one tip would be - don't be shy - it's good to talk. There are so few opportunities to discuss your thoughts, ideas and questions outside of work so grab the opportunity and embrace it.

Once upon a time, in cyber space, a lone spidercrawled the world wide web. It crawled the web in order to find the most relevant content to feed to the enormous and  knowledge hungry  Googlesaurus. The gigantic Googlesaurus was getting more and more picky about the web pages it would eat, if it wasn't exactly to the Googlesaurus taste he would simply spit it out to its supplementary index, where it was lost forever.

The people who wrote the website content, needed the little spider to find their web pages.  And more importantly;  needed the spider to feed the content to the Googlesaurus . The struggle to know exactly what the Googlesaurus wanted from day to day got harder and harder.

 

But there were chosen once, looming in the darkness,  who understood the Googlesaurus.  The chosen ones had the capability of miraculously knowing what the Googlesaurus wanted, and needed to get bigger and stronger. These chosen ones were called:

 

SEOs- "the knights of the web". 

Twitter is a service that broadcasts 140 character notes through the twitter community of approximately 1 million users.  Think of it as a mini blog, that can be placed on websites , added to social networking profile pages, sent to mobile phones, etc.  Users can update their "tweets" via mobile phones, PDAs, instant messaging services, and a host of widgets, so many users don't even sign in to the actual site.  According to Tech Crunch there are about 3 million twitter messages broadcast every day, so my question to your company is - why aren't you part of the action?

Many companies do operate twitter accounts, keeping clients and customers in the loop.   These include Dell, General Motors, Jet Blue - and the biggest success story - Zappos.com .  So get in on the action - the username "B2BMasterMind" is still available!

Twitter Terms:
Tweet - an 140 character update, like a new note.
Follower - The Twitter profiles receiving your updates ("tweets") on their homepage.
Following - The profiles a given Twitter account is receiving tweets from.

 Why Your Company Should Twitter:
1.    Easier than blogging. 140 characters or 400 words?  Forget debates over grammar, coming up with content is no longer a struggle, and your employees wont avoid you in the halls when there hasn't been an update in a week or two.  
2.    Simple Way To Update Your Website.   Add a twitter widget to your website and your tweets are automatically updated, so clients can always see what your company is up to.  Both Twitter Feed and Widget Box have created feeds.
3.    Free Advertising.  Every time you update, your username and tweet pop to the top of your follower's homepages.   The more you update, the more you will dominate their list.  But be sure to strike balance - spamming or recycling the same comment will probably deter them from following you.   Check out Woot's twitter, a site that "focuses on selling cool stuff cheap", they advertise one new product each day. 

How To Twitter A Company:
1.    News Updates.  Did your company just send out an exciting mailing, announce a new product, or change the logo?  Let the world know about these decisions, it will keep your followers informed.
2.    Get Client Feedback.  Twitter users love responding to questions.  Ask about your products, and don't be afraid to extend the subject matter.  Twitter is an opportunity for clients to see your personality, so if you're looking for a child entertainer for your annual company picnic - let them know!  
3.    Your Company Evangalist = Twitter Star!  Tony Hseih, CEO of Zappos, is a Twitter star.  He has 15,000 people following his every word because he's funny, great at interacting with audiences, and keeps users updated on Zappos developments.  Or create a character, as Mars Candy did with their "Ms.Green" from the M&Ms lineup.  Your company could be holding the next twitter celebrity...
4.    Inter-company communication.   Imagine everyone staying on the same page at work via twitter updates.  No emails crowding your inbox, just tweets on a homepage.
5.    Find Fans.   Use a twitter engine like Steve's to find mentions of your company on twitter.  Perhaps people are talking about you (or your competitors) and you don't even know it!  Blogger Jonathon Fields was followed by Jet Blue only a couple minutes after tweeting that he was in a Jet Blue terminal. 

What are your experiences with Twitter?  Does it sound like a fad that'll die out soon enough, or is it an amazing bit of software?  

 
 

To all you web surfers out there... did you hear that Google released a browser?  Seems that this is the big news in the nerdy world!  Hum, we know pretty well the dramatic browser wars  that occurred a few years ago, witnessing the fall of Netscape and the dominance of Internet explorer as the main browser and can also see how it is now struggling against Firefox.  But as my granny likes to say 'War does not determine who is right, war determines who is left!' and i think in this case this is true.  If we look at the actual browser market we still see Internet Explorer as the dominant force (all versions inclusive) but just behind it lies 'Firefox'!  Other modern browsers like Safari or Opera are far behind with only about 5% of the market compared to IE (all versions) 50% and Firefox 44% of the browser market!