Businesses using PPC as part of their web marketing campaigns saw click rates increase and overall cost per click rates decrease in the fourth quarter of 2011, Google reported on Thursday. As part of its quarterly earnings report, Google said that paid clicks increased 34 percent compared to final three months of 2010 and 17 percent from the previous three months of 2011. CPC also ... [more]

A report from Marin Software found that PPC campaigns generated twice as much activity from smartphone and tablet users in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared to the previous three-month time period. Search ads that reached iPad users generated 38 percent higher click-through rates than ads targeting desktop users, the report found. This should be a sign to paid and organic search ... [more]

Consumer electronics companies led the way in paid search marketing increases experienced in the fourth quarter of 2011, as the organizations dedicated 28 percent more to PPC, according to a report from Covario. The holiday shopping season is a traditionally a strong sales period for these businesses, so growth in supporting PPC campaigns was not unexpected. However, Covario believes ... [more]

A study from marketing firm RevTrax found that paid search marketing campaigns generate $6 in local spending for every $1 spent online, Search Engine Land reported. According to RevTrax, too many businesses using search marketing believe the channel can only improve their online sales, but RevTrax study proved the effective of paid search for local sales as well. To conduct the ... [more]

When I talk to marketers about search engine optimization and content marketing, it's always surprising to hear the same response when it comes to their existing PPC campaigns – "It's going great. We're seeing leads come in and have gotten results immediately, our online marketing is perfect the way it is." I hear this while looking at their websites and am baffled. I often see ... [more]

Microsoft is testing the placement of paid search ads mixed in with organic results, rather than displaying them to the sides or top of them, the Rimm-Kaufman Group reports. While the sponsored links are still marked as being advertisements, the inclusion of paid ads within organic results may be confusing to some consumers, and SEO marketers should consider how this can impact ... [more]

Google is extending the use of its new social sharing feature, the +1 button, to its paid advertisements. The search giant informed AdWords users of the change through an email. Google believes by adding the +1 button to AdWords campaigns, advertisers will be able to generate more qualified."Think of the +1 button as a way for fans of your business to recommend what you offer, ... [more]

Online advertising channels, ranging from search engines to social networks, are attracting larger budgets from businesses across the country. Marketers are showing elevated interest in Facebook, in particular, a recent report from IgnitionOne indicates.While companies already using the popular social network for marketing purposes have increased budgets allocated to Facebook by ... [more]

Online ad spend will exceed $80 billion this year, according to eMarketer's latest estimate. With its recently confirmed acquisition of AdMeld, it seems Google wants to ensure that its ad partners see ROI so it can draw its share of these ad dollars - and marketers may find AdMeld data helps them make better investment decisions.The eMarketer forecast indicates that the worldwide ... [more]

BIA Kelsey forecasts that social media ad revenue is undergoing rapid growth. By 2015, the firm suggests that social media will become core to internet marketing across industries.The firm predicts that social media ad revenues will grow from $2.1 billion in 2010 to $8.3 billion in 2015, demonstrating compound yearly growth of 31.6 percent. BIA Kelsey expects display ads to be the ... [more]