Cars.com Adds DealerChat to Online Advertising Packages

Auto search site Cars.com has added a new feature, DealerChat, to its online advertising offering. It's available immediately, at no extra cost, and does exactly what the name says it does - allows dealers to chat with ready-to-buy customers, directly from their Cars.com listings.

"Cars.com is committed to equipping our dealers with the tools they need to engage in-market shoppers, drive traffic to their stores and close more sales," said Dennis Galbraith, vice president of advertising products and training at Cars.com. "By adding chat functionality to our listings, we give dealers a powerful new way to communicate with in-market shoppers who are still on their listings and interested in learning more about their vehicles and their dealership. Every chat inquiry represents a potential deal and gives our dealers a new opportunity to build a relationship with the prospect and win their business."

Andre Johnson, general Manager at Rothrock Chevrolet Lotus near Philly, tried DealerChat as part of a test and found great results.

"If they're going to chat, they want to know, 'Do you have that car now?' You have a greater chance of selling them the car - and not losing them - than when you're emailing them information about the car when they already have that in front of them," said Johnson.

With the economy the way it is, dealers need all the help they can get. It's great to see sites like Cars.com understanding their advertisers and helping them increase sales in these changing times. I've noticed that Cars.com is very good at this. Last November, Cars.com hosted a free webinar discussing how online ads drive offline traffic.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on January 26, 2:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Related: Search Types: Vertical

Google Wants Feedback on Ad Planner

Google is asking for feedback on Ad Planner. The media planning tool was launched last June as a limited release and then made available to everyone last November.

Need incentive to complete the survey? Google is giving away 50 $50 gift certificates to the Google Store. (Seriously? How about some AdWords credit instead?)

Have you tried Ad Planner? Give us your impressions in the comments.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on January 26, 1:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Related: Google: AdWords

Taking It Back: YouTube Allows You to Delete Your Own Comments

Ever written something on the internet you wish you could take back? Well, now on YouTube, you can take it back.

YouTube is allowing users to delete their own comments. Of course, it's always prudent to take a moment (or 100) and be sure you really want to make that comment in the first place.

After all, there is still the Abuse & Safety Tool that people can use to report inappropriate comments. And that tool can be used before you've cooled down and reconsidered that comment made in the heat of the moment.

So, as always, comment wisely. But we all make mistakes, so, thank you YouTube, for giving us an eraser.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on January 26, 1:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Related: Google: YouTube

Global Internet Audiences Exceeds 1 Billion in December 2008

Last month, the global internet audience surpassed 1 billion, according to comScore. Asia-Pacific leads the pack at 41 percent share with Europe coming in at second at 28%.

Broken down by country, China is in the lead, with USA in second:

And here are the top sites:

“Surpassing one billion global users is a significant landmark in the history of the Internet,” said Magid Abraham, President and Chief Executive Officer, comScore, Inc. “It is a monument to the increasingly unified global community in which we live and reminds us that the world truly is becoming more flat. The second billion will be online before we know it, and the third billion will arrive even faster than that, until we have a truly global network of interconnected people and ideas that transcend borders and cultural boundaries.”

It's still amazing to me that 5 billion people are not using the internet, despite my travels to underdeveloped areas of the world. I wonder just how quickly that second billion will get online. What say you? Leave a comment about your thoughts on reaching this milestone.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on January 26, 8:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Related: Stats: comScore

Yahoo! Search Marketing Updates Help Center

Yahoo! Search Marketing has updated its help center. Specifically, it has made the following changes:

Better organization and easier navigation
Stronger search functionality
Links to related information available
Single Page FAQ

On the front page of the Help Center, you'll find four main sections:

Advertise Online with Yahoo! - This section outlines the account sign-up process for prospective advertisers.
Managing Your Account - This helps walk existing advertisers through the campaign creation process.
Fine-Tune Your Account - Advertisers ready to manage their account to a higher level of performance can mine this section for info on optimization features and general strategies for managing to specific business objectives or by industry.
Learn Online - A repository for all training materials, tutorials, webinars and webinar summaries, and general education material to help raise your advertiser IQ.

What do you think about the updated Yahoo! Search Marketing Help Center? Let us know in the comments.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on January 26, 8:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Related: Yahoo: Search Ads

UK PR Firms Should Learn SEO at SES London 2009

Back in December, I posted two items to the Search Engine Watch Blog that encouraged UK PR firms to learn SEO at SES London 2009. With the Search Engine Strategies conference just three weeks away, I figure that now is a good time to remind my UK public relations colleagues why they must attend this must-attend event – even after official confirmation that Great Britain is in recession.

Fredrick%20Marckini%20and%20Greg%20Jarboe%20at%20SES%20London%202008.jpg My first post was entitled, “Half of British and Irish Marketers Use SEO for PR Purposes.” It reported on new research by Citigate Dewe Rogerson that found 51.4% of marketers in the UK and Ireland use search engine optimization (SEO) tactics for public relations (PR) purposes. However, the research also found that over four in 10 marketers in the UK and Ireland said that they did not have the in-house digital skills to develop a sound online PR strategy.

My second blog post was entitled, “Online PR Industry in UK Can Learn Lessons from SEO Industry.” It reported on a new Online PR Industry Benchmarking Report by E-consultancy that found about half of companies that outsource online PR are using PR agencies, but the other half are using search marketing agencies or web development agencies to develop and deliver their online PR strategy. The report also found, “Agencies and specialists should note that levels of client satisfaction are not encouraging and they may need to improve their Online PR knowledge and offering.”

So, if UK PR firms and UK public relations specialists want to do more than muddle through Britain’s economic downturn, then they need to attend Search Engine Strategies London, which will be held Feb. 17-20, 2009, at the Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, Islington.

Now, I would urge public relations specialists to attend the opening keynote by Matt Mason, Author of “The Pirate’s Dilemma”, and the Orion Panel, “Measuring Success in a 2.0 World”, on Tuesday, Feb. 17. And I would recommend that they attend the Orion Panel, “SEO: Where to Next?”, on Wednesday, Feb. 18. But I’d advise UK and European marketers, corporate decision makers, webmasters and search engine marketing (SEM) specialists, including pay per click (PPC) advertisers and search engine optimization (SEO) consultants, to attend these sessions, too.

However, if I were organizing a virtual track for just my PR peers, there are a number of sessions that I’d strongly encourage them to attend.

On Tuesday, Feb. 17, they should go to:
• Universal & Blended Search
• WebTrends Workshop
• Online Video Update - The Next Wave
• Analytics: Data Into Action

On Wednesday, Feb. 18, they should go to:
• SEO Through Blogs & Feeds
• News Search SEO
• Video & Podcast SEO
• Link Building Basics
• Keywords & Content: Search Marketing Foundations

On Thursday, Feb. 19, they should go to:
• Brand & Reputation Management
• Social Media Optimization
• Duplicate Content & Multiple Site Issues
• Beyond Linkbait: Getting Authoritative Mentions Online
• Local Search Marketing Tactics

On Friday, Feb. 20, they should register for these training workshops:
• Reaching Your Audience Through Blogs
• Link and Reputation Workshop

UK PR firms and UK public relations specialists will also want to visit some of the exhibitors that will be at SES London 2009. This includes PRWeb, which is recognised as a leading online news and press release distribution service worldwide.

John Mulligan of SEO-PR interviewed Jiyan Wei of PRWeb at SES San Jose 2008. Wei talked about the public relations benefits of providing press materials online and the ease with which PRWeb customers can set up their own newsrooms complete with releases and other media.

PRWeb NewsRoom Launch Preview with Jiyan Wei

All this should convince UK PR firms and UK public relations specialists that they must attend this must-attend event. (And if they register for SES London 2009 by Monday, Feb. 2, they can save £100!)

Posted by Greg Jarboe on January 26, 2:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Related: SEM Industry: Trade Shows

SEW Experts: 10 Ways Twitter Can Make Money

Search Engine Watch Expert - Erik Qualman With traditional advertising proving less effective, marketers need new outlets like Twitter and Facebook to help create interest and demand. In today's building brand equity column, "10 Ways Twitter Can Make Money," Erik Qualman shows that by working new features into the service, the company could enhance users' Twitter experience, and monetize their service at the same time.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on January 26, 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: Web Analytics 101, Part 2

Search Engine Watch Expert - Ron Jones When using Web analytics, it's easy to get caught up in all the numbers and lose sight of the overall goal of increasing your site's ROI. It doesn't do any good to use Web analytics to produce cool charts and reports, but then fail to act. In today's SEM 101 column, "Web Analytics 101, Part 2," Ron Jones illustrates how Web analytics can be used to make decisions to improve the effectiveness of an online marketing strategy and the performance of a Web site.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on January 26, 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It’s NOT Business as Usual at SES New York 2009

According to Google Trends, the search volume and news reference volume for “hope” are greater than they are for “fear.” And it’s worth noting that the search volume for “recovery” is greater than it is for “recession,” although the news reference volume is the other way around.

SES%20New%20York%202008%20web%20analytics%20session.jpg Still, this is NOT the time for “Business as Usual.” And you can see that reflected in the agenda for Search Engine Strategies (SES) New York, which includes a new track dedicated to “Search & the Fear Economy.” Thousands of the nation’s marketers are expected to attend this year’s event, slated for March 23-27, 2009, at the Hilton New York.

The new conference track, “Search & the Fear Economy,” features a line-up of timely themes:
-- Searching for a Solution: The Impact of Today's Economy on the Search Landscape;
-- Survival of the Fittest 2.0;
-- Publishing: New Business Models for Changing Times; and
-- Pay-for-Performance: Winning Strategies for Advertisers and Agencies.

And that’s not the only change in the conference agenda.

There is a second new track, “Search & the C-Level Exec,” which features these sessions:
-- Entrepreneurs and C-Suite Executives: A Fast-Track to Search Marketing Fluency;
-- Thinking Outside of Your Website: Branding Without Borders;
-- Budget Migration: Going Digital without Impacting Your Brand; and
-- Implementing an Effective Digital Corporate Governance Program.

But wait, there’s more!

In addition to the search engine marketing training workshops on Monday, March 23, there is also a one-day Bruce Clay SEO Training Course on Friday, March 27. And in between the optional SEM and SEO training are 65 conference sessions, two keynotes and an Orion Panel.

With the search industry rapidly changing, SES organizers are also reserving several sessions for late-breaking topics to be announced closer to the event. All this makes SES New York a must-attend event in the search industry as well as the largest show in the global SES series.

If you want to get a flavor of SES New York 2009, check out the Day 1 highlights from Search Engine Strategies New York, 2008. And it is worth noting (again) that the economy was in a recession back then, even if it hadn’t been officially declared.

Search Engine Strategies New York 2008

So, as President Barack Obama said in his inaugural address, “Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.”

And one of the places to start is at SES New York 2009. And if you register by Friday, March 6, 2009, you can save up to $200. Hey, that’s equivalent to 40% of the tax cut – or payroll tax credit – that Obama is proposing to give individuals. And even “in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive,” $200 is still $200.

Posted by Greg Jarboe on January 23, 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Related: SEM Industry: Trade Shows

Job Search is Fastest Growing Online Content Category in 2008

For news that should shock no one, the job search niche is the fastest growing online content category, according to comScore. The niche has grown a whopping 51% to 18.8 million visitors.

CareerBuilder.com leads the pack with over 9 million searches.

Women, the 25-49 age group and the $75,000+ salary set saw the most growth in job searches in December 2008 versus the same month a year prior:

Posted by Nathania Johnson on January 23, 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Related: Search Types: Jobs

CNN.com Testing Longer In-Stream Video Ads

Ken Liebeskind over at Clickz.com is reporting that CNN.com is testing longer in-stream video ads. On inauguration day, a 60 second ad for Starbucks appeared in a video featuring President Obama's speech.

It should be interesting to see the results of the test, especially for a news organization. The inauguration wasn't exclusive to CNN. About the only thing I'll wait for is an in-stream ad while I'm watching a TV show online. And that usually only happens on the rare occasion when I'm trying to record too many shows at the same time on my DVR, which can only handle two tuners at a given time.

But how should the results be interpreted? It's hard to imagine that a longer ad would increase conversions, but many advertisers might use in-stream ads as branding anyway, especially since that's what television advertising (the "other" video advertising) is primarily used for.

CNN is in prime place to conduct this testing. Last spring, they led the field in news video searches, beating Google (and YouTube), MSNBC, Yahoo and MSN.com.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on January 23, 9:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Related: Search Types: Multimedia

Yahoo! to Announce Q4 2008 Earnings Next Tuesday, January 27

Yahoo! will announce their fourth quarter 2008 earnings next Tuesday, January 27 at 5pm EST/2pm PST. Will Yahoo!'s report be similar to yesterday's Google and Microsoft earnings?

Google and Microsoft's ads were a bright spot in their earnings calls. Even though Google beat the Street, the profit saw a big drop in a year marked by a tough economy. But Google still saw increases in paid search. Microsoft's profits were also nothing to write home about, but search revenue experienced double-digit growth.

Like pretty much every company out there, Yahoo will have bad news to report. Let's face it, 2008 was not there best year (big understatement). But the news has the opportunity to be offset by a fresh tone set by brand spankin' new CEO Carol Bartz.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on January 23, 9:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Related: Yahoo: Revenues

Google Maps Updates Transit Site

Google Maps has announced a new update to the Transit site. When you visit, now you'll find a map with markers showing every city where full schedule routing is available.

It's been quite a couple of weeks for Google Maps and their transit features. Earlier this week, Google and New York City launched nycgo.com and opened a public Information Center in Manhattan. A week ago, Google launched a new Transit layer in their Maps feature.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on January 23, 8:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Related: Google: Maps

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