Google Analytics makes it easy to make bad decisions. Really bad decisions. There’s nothing wrong with Analytics as such, aside from some poor design decisions. But it’s a power tool. But unlike many power tools, it doesn’t come with a bright warning sticker, and there are no gleaming blades and loud noises to tap into our common sense and scare … Read More
How conversion tracking hurts Google
One of the more compelling aspects of online advertising is the ability to measure and track ROI. This, however, is a misconception.
Sensible answers to ignorant SEO advice
Next time you’re at a conference, dinner, networking event or even friend’s house and the subject of SEO comes up, there’s a reasonable chance that you’re going to be confronted by a certain level of nonsense. Don’t let the moment throw you. Here are all the answers you need to firmly put the wannabe-SEO firmly in their place. “SEO is … Read More
How Dicks can really hurt your Google AdWords account (part I)
You already know that it’s easy to lose money on Google AdWords, yet I’m amazed by how many accounts I see that are not only losing money on an ongoing basis, but the account holders don’t even realise it. When I walk them through how they’re losing money and demonstrate by how much, they’re sometimes/usually/often horrified and quickly make the … Read More
10 reasons you shouldn’t be using 10 reasons lists for publicity (or anything)
1 – They’re easy to read, easy to absorb and easy to forget. 2 – The main message they communicate is that you’re no more original than the other 1.4 billion writers (see point seven). 3 – They never fail to disappoint. 4 – It’s almost impossible to maintain quality. Points 1-3 may be semi-reasonable, but 8-10 will be little … Read More
Money back guarantees, rebates and the dilution of trust
What is an unconditional money back guarantee? We’re not talking about complex ideas here. No questions asked should mean no questions asked. But the money back guarantee ain’t what it used to be.
The dark is getting darker
You probably already know that Google aren’t reporting all your organic keywords, but the problem may be more serious than you realise. The background in brief: In October 2011 Google announced that they would no longer be reporting on the organic keywords used by anyone logged into Google. In other words if someone is logged into Gmail (for example) and … Read More
Photoshooting a McDonalds burger: honesty or multi-layered deceit?
Why Your McD’s Burger Doesn’t Look Like the One in the Ad has left me feeling slightly confused and dirty. In it, the director of marketing for McDonalds Canada shows why there’s such a gap between reality and what’s presented in their ads. A few questions spring to mind. – Did Isobelle really write to McDonalds and ask that question? Really? … Read More
11,000 hours of AdWords experience: yours for the taking
On Thursday June 21st I will be running an experiment. I will be distilling over 11,000 hours of Google AdWords experience into a 45 minute presentation. I guarantee that if you attend you’ll walk away with actionable information that can be used to improve your ROI. I also guarantee that you won’t have heard my views and ideas elsewhere.* This … Read More
Outweighing the pain of upgrading software
The psychology of pain is fascinating. We can remember incidents involving pain, yet we can’t precisely recall what the pain felt like, other than the fact that it was unpleasant. We can recall tastes, smells, sounds, images and touch with far greater clarity. Yet the more recent the pain, the greater our recall of the sensation, and the more we … Read More
