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2009.10.21
MarketingProfs Digital Marketing Mixer
On Wednesday, October 21 at 10:45am, Apogee Search CEO Bill Leake will discuss “Growing PPC – Reaching Beyond the Ordinary!" Then at 3:30pm, Leake will facilitate a Hot Seat Lab on “Using Video to Boost Your Search Rankings." Save $200 off the registration fee courtesy of Apogee Search with code EARLYBIRD when you register by 10/2.

2009.10.08
Integrated Marketing Summit
On Thursday, October 8 at 2:30pm, Apogee Search CEO Bill Leake will share insights on a panel discussion titled "Search Engine Marketing and Search Engine Optimization" at IMS Kansas City at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center.

2009.10.05
SMX East
On Monday, October 5, Apogee Search Manager of Website Effectiveness Consulting Alissa Ruehl will discuss “Actionable PPC Insights From Analytics Data" at 10:15am. Then on Tuesday, October 6 at 3:15pm, Apogee Search CEO Bill Leake will join a panel discussion on “Video Search Beyond YouTube.” Save 20% off registration courtesy of Apogee Search with code smx20sempo

2009.09.24
PPC Summit LA
On Thursday, September 24 at 9:10am, Apogee Search Manager of Website Effectiveness Consulting Alissa Ruehl will discuss “Landing Page Optimization Techniques that Lower Acquisition Costs." Later that day, Ruehl will also share insights on “Secrets to Getting the Most Out of Website Optimizer and Google Analytics!” at 4:00pm. Save 10% off the two-day registration fee courtesy of Apogee Search with code APOGEE10

2009.09.22
FREE Webinar Event: PPC: Not Just the Numbers
Tuesday, September 22 at 12:00pm CST, Apogee Search Manager of Website Effectiveness Consulting Alissa Ruehl will present a free webinar entitled, "PPC: Not Just About the Numbers." Attendees will learn how to combine human insights with conversion-based bid management for improved performance.

2009.09.22
Shop.org Annual Summit 09
Apogee Search CEO Bill Leake will discuss "40+ Specific Things You Can Do to Make More Money Next Week (SEO Edition)" at the Shop.org Annual Summit 09 on Tuesday, September 22 at 1:30pm. This session will provide killer tips to improve your paid search and natural search campaign performance.

2009.09.18
AEN: Live SEO Video Lab
On Friday, September 18 at 11:00am, Apogee Search's natural search experts, Cory Barbot and Darby Tober, will present a live SEO Video Lab. Attendees will learn the process of filming, uploading, and optimizing a web video, as well as how to accomplish high-ranking search engine results.

2009.09.17
Denver SEMPO Meetup
At 5:30pm on Thursday, September 17, Apogee Search CEO Bill Leake will deliver knowledge on how to “Maximize Your Online Lead Generation Campaigns Now!” at the Denver SEMPO September Meetup. Attendees will learn nine essential techniques that will improve their online lead generation campaign’s effectiveness, ultimately maximizing conversion rates and revenue.

2009.09.16
MarketingProfs Virtual Conference
Alissa Ruehl, Manager of Website Effectiveness Consulting, Apogee Search and Kent White, President & CEO of Oregon Employees Federal Credit Union will discuss "Optimizing Website Conversion Rates through Better Testing and Usability" on the B2C track at the MarketingProfs Virtual Conference at 3:00pm EST on Wednesday, September 16. This session will focus on how your site's main pages must work in combination with campaign landing pages and your overall marketing programs in order to optimize conversion rates on your site.

2009.09.11
McCombs Entrepreneur Society Start Up Meet Up
On Friday, September 11, Apogee Search CEO Bill Leake and three other entrepreneurs will share their expertise on "Marketing in a Digital Era" at 2:15pm at the McCombs Entrepreneur Society's first annual Start Up Meet Up conference.

2009.09.09
Interactive Strategies Houston
At 10:00am on Wednesday, September 9, Apogee Search CEO Bill Leake will discuss "Making Your Website More Effective" at IS Houston. Session attendees will learn best practices for websites and specialized landing pages, the basics of A/B and multivariate testing to improve site conversions, and about Google Website Optimizer. Save 15% off registration courtesy of Apogee Search with code bleake

2009.08.12
SES San Jose
On Wednesday, August 12, Apogee Search CEO Bill Leake will be discussing "Igniting Viral Campaigns: Leveraging Consumer-Generated Content" at 9:00am. This session unveils the secrets of Web 2.0 techniques and technologies that enable companies to stand out and be talked about. Save 20% off registration courtesy of Apogee Search with code 20SPG

2009.07.22
Webinar Event: Local Search Engine Optimization - So What?
More than 40 percent of all searches on Google, Yahoo! and MSN have local intent. Local search promotion and marketing is similar to, but different than, classic website promotion. Are you getting found when the local search map comes up? Do you know how to influence that algorithm to rank for keywords that count, not just your business name? What are you doing to garner positive local reviews and community feedback? Did you know you don't even need a website to rank #1 on the Google Local map?

This webinar will show you all the newest and greatest tricks and tips to master the emerging new marketing tool of Local search.

Click here to register for this complimentary webinar.

2009.06.25
Online Marketing Summit - San Francisco
On Thursday, June 25 at 1:15pm, Apogee Search CEO Bill Leake will discuss "How to Integrate Website Effectiveness, Search and Email for Double Digit ROI Improvements." Save 20% off registration courtesy of Apogee Search with code Apogee20

2009.06.15
Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition
On Monday, June 15 at 8:30am, Apogee Search CEO Bill Leake will present a workshop entitled “The Latest Info That All Retailers Need to Know About Search Engines.” Visit Apogee Search at IRCE 2009 in booth 245 to receive a FREE paid search campaign consultation, SEO site review, or website conversion assessment! SAVE 20% off registration courtesy of Apogee Search with discount code IRCETM02

2009.06.09
MarketingProfs Business-to-Business Forum
On June 9 at 11:00am Apogee Search's Manager of Website Effectiveness Alissa Ruehl will present the "Web Usability Hot Seat Lab." Then at 3:30pm Apogee Search CEO Bill Leake and Ruehl will facilitate free One-On-One Therapy Sessions. Ruehl will give expert advice in the Web Usability One-On-One session, and Leake will consult in the SEO One-On-One session. Save $200 off registration courtesy of Apogee Search with code ESPK7

2009.06.04
Online Marketing Summit - Denver
On Thursday, June 4 at 2:25pm, Apogee Search CEO Bill Leake will discuss "How to Integrate Website Effectiveness, Search and Email for Double Digit ROI Improvements." Leake will also speak on a round-table panel entitled "Big Brands, Big Plans" at 4:40pm. Save 20% off registration courtesy of Apogee Search with code Apogee20

2009.06.03
The Latest Info that All Retailers Need to Know About Search Engines
On Wednesday, June 3 at 6:00pm EST, tune in to hear Apogee Search CEO Bill Leake's interview on wsRadio.com with RSS Ray, host of Online Marketing with RSS Ray. In this live segment, Bill will discuss "The Latest Information All Retailers Need to Know About the Search Engines."

2009.05.27
Online Marketing Summit - Chicago
On Wednesday, May 27 at 4:40pm, Apogee Search CEO Bill Leake will join a round-table panel discussion entitled "Big Brands, Big Plans." Leaders of the world's top brands give the inside scoop on how leading brands are driving success through social media, SEO and testing. Save 20% off registration courtesy of Apogee Search with code Apogee20

2009.05.21
Online Marketing Summit - Austin
On Thursday, May 21 at 1:15pm, Apogee Search CEO Bill Leake will discuss "How to Integrate Website Effectiveness, Search and Email for Double Digit ROI Improvements." Leake will also speak on a round-table panel entitled "Big Brands, Big Plans" at 3:45pm. Save 20% off registration courtesy of Apogee Search with code Apogee20

2009.05.20
Online Marketing Summit - Houston
On Wednesday, May 20 at 1:15pm, Apogee Search CEO Bill Leake will discuss "How to Integrate Website Effectiveness, Search and Email for Double Digit ROI Improvements." Leake will also speak on a round-table panel entitled "Big Brands, Big Plans" at 4:40pm. Save 20% off registration courtesy of Apogee Search with code Apogee20

2009.05.18
Online Marketing Summit - Dallas
On Monday, May 18 at 1:15pm, Apogee Search CEO Bill Leake will discuss "How to Integrate Website Effectiveness, Search and Email for Double Digit ROI Improvements." Save 20% off registration courtesy of Apogee Search with code Apogee20

2009.04.27
Interactive Austin 2009
On Monday, April 27, Apogee Search's Director of Product Development and Strategy Ian Strain-Seymour will be speaking at 11:00 am on "Measurement and Metrics." Then at 2:00 pm, Apogee's Manager of Website Effectiveness Consulting Alissa Ruehl will discuss "It's Time We Had a Talk: The Conversion Conversation." Save $25 off registration with discount code TPH200

2009.03.31
SMX Search Analytics
On March 31, Apogee's Manager of Website Effectiveness Consulting Alissa Ruehl will speak on a panel discussing “Analyzing and Converting Paid Search Traffic” at 1:15 pm. Then at 3:00 pm on April 1, Ian Strain-Seymour, Director of Product Development and Strategy, will participate on a panel entitled, “Search Analytics and Competitive Intelligence." Save 15% off registration courtesy of Apogee Search with code: SEMPO15

2009.03.26
SES NY
On March 26 at 3:45pm, Apogee Search's CEO Bill Leake will speak at SES NY on the advanced PPC panel “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark: Black Hat PPC Tactics.” Additionally, Alissa Ruehl will offer complimentary website reviews at the SEMJ.org booth 327 during exhibit hall hours. Save 20% off registration courtesy of Apogee Search with code: 20SPG

2009.03.23
OMMA Global
On March 23rd, Apogee Search's CEO Bill Leake will speak at OMMA Global in Hollywood, CA, on a panel titled, “SEO and Your Advertising: How To Make All Your Online Programs More E-ffective.” This session will address effective e-strategies for budget-challenged marketers. Save 20% off registration courtesy of Apogee Search with code: TWGLM2

2009.03.18
What's Next Boomer Summit
Apogee Search's CEO Bill Leake will speak on two panels at the What's Next Boomer Summit at Bally's in Las Vegas. Bill will speak on "Smart Ways to Reach Your Market"at the Entrepreneurship Boot Camp on March 18th and on "Reaching Boomers Online" on March 19th.

2009.03.11
PubCon South
Apogee Search's CEO William Leake and Senior VP Brian Combs will both be speaking at PubCon South on March 11, 2009. William Leake will speak on "Conversion Optimization and Testing," and Brian Combs will speak on "Universal and Personal Search - This Changes Everything." Save 20% off registration through March 6th courtesy of Apogee Search with discount code: ai-78420.

2009.03.05
RISE 2009 Sessions
Ian Strain-Seymour, Cory Barbot, and Alissa Ruehl will host two sessions for RISE 2009 on Thursday, March 5th at the Apogee Search office in Austin, TX. Ian and Cory will speak at 10:00am on "Find the Weird in Austin: How and Why to Submit Your Business to Google Local Search.” Alissa will speak at 12:00pm on “How to Turn Your Website into a Lead and Revenue Generating Machine.”

2009.02.18
Webinar Event: Optimize Pay-Per-Click Spend & Get More Out of Your Online Lead Generation Investment
Everyone is talking about getting more bang for their marketing buck, but few actually know how to do it - and prove it. At a time when marketing funds are shifting from offline to online, are you utilizing the web to its fullest and getting the most out of your marketing efforts? Join this webcast and hear from Bill Leake, a former McKinsey & Co consultant and CEO of Apogee Search, and Akin Arikan, author and Director of Product Marketing and Strategy at Unica as they discuss real strategies that you can use now to put your online demand generation activities onto a new and better trajectory.

Register now for this complimentary webinar here: https://unicacorp.webex.com/unicacorp/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=355566965&SourceId=apogee

2009.02.12
SMX West
Apogee Search is exhibiting at SMX West and providing FREE website reviews at booth 423! Apogee's CEO William Leake will be speaking twice in the SMX Theater on "SEO Tips for Your PR Efforts" and "The Dark Side of Focusing on Web Conversion Rates." Apogee's Manager of Website Effectiveness, Alissa Ruehl will be speaking on two panels discussing "Analyzing & Converting PPC Traffic" and "PPC Campaign Reviews." Save 20% off registration with partner code: smx20sempo.

2009.02.11
Web Analytics Wednesday
February’s Web Analytics Wednesday (WAW) Austin will be held at Grape Vine Market 7938 Great Northern Blvd (Anderson Rd. exit off Mopac North) on Wednesday, February 11th at 11:30 AM. It will be hosted by Ian Strain-Seymour, Director of Product Development at Apogee Search. Ian will discuss measuring user engagement. Click here to RSVP here.

2009.02.03
Webinar Event - Video Optimization: It’s Hot, it’s Easy, and it will Work for You
In this webinar, Apogee Search CEO Bill Leake will offer free, high-value video optimization tips to get your videos indexed and ranking at the top of search engines, ultimately improving your online presence and the amount of traffic to your website.

This event is brought to you by Corvent, a leader in webinar event services, and Austin-based search engine marketing firm Apogee Search.
http://www2.eventsvc.com/corvent/video?trk=apogee

2009.01.29
eMarketing Techniques Conference
Apogee Search's William Leake, Brian Combs and Alissa Ruehl will be speaking at the eMarketing Techniques Conference on Thursday, January 29, 2009 in Austin, TX.

2009.01.20
Webinar Event: Website Best Practices to Improve Conversion Rates
Driving traffic to your website is only half the battle. Your site also needs to be constructed to convert those visitors into leads or sales. In this webinar, Apogee Search’s Manager of Website Effectiveness Consulting Alissa Ruehl will give you a taste of some best practices for websites as a whole, and for specialized landing pages. She will also cover the basics of A/B and multivariate testing to improve your site’s conversion rates.

The webinar will be held on January 20, 2009 at 3:00 PM CST. Register for this FREE event at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/983159529

2009.01.14
Webinar Event: 10 Things To Do Now To Recession-Proof Your Online Lead Generation Campaigns
Bill Leake, President and CEO of Apogee Search, and Bulldog CEO Rob Solomon will host this interactive live Webinar reviewing 10 Ways to Recession-Proof Your Lead Generation. Rob and Bill have put together 10 actions you can take today to put your organization in a better position and make your lead-generation activities as effective as possible.

2008.12.04
MediaPost's Search Insider Summit 2008
Apogee's CEO William Leake will be participating in a round table discussion on "Best PPC Practices" at MediaPost's Search Insider Summit in Park City, UT on Thursday, December 4, 2008 at 11:45am.

2008.11.11
PubCon Las Vegas 2008
Apogee Search's SVP Brian Combs will be participating on three panel discussions entitled "Universal and Personal Search - This Changes Everything" on Nov. 11 and “Brand Management" and "Interactive Site Reviews: Brand & Social Reputation Management" on Nov. 12. William Leake, Apogee’s CEO, will also be speaking on a panel discussing “The Secret Life of On-Site Search Exposed!” on Nov. 12. Save 20% off registration courtesy of Apogee Search by using discount code bt-43720.

2008.11.06
Oklahoma eMarketing Summit @ Innotech
Brian Combs will be speaking at the Oklahoma eMarketing Summit on “Video Optimization and Local Search: They're here, they're hot, and they work” at 2:30 PM on Thursday, November 6, 2008.

2008.10.23
MarketingProfs Digital Marketing Mixer
William Leake of Apogee Search and a MarketingProfs Expert, will be speaking on "A Deep Dive into B2B Search Engine Marketing.” Save $200 OFF registration courtesy of Apogee Search with discount code: EPARTA08

2008.10.22
Houston Interactive Strategies
Brian Combs will be speaking at the Houston Interactive Strategies conference on "Vertical Search - And How It's Going to Rock Your World."

2008.10.16
Texas eMarketing Summit @ Innotech
Alissa Ruehl, Manager of Website Effectiveness, will be speaking on “Landing Page Optimization – An Interactive Clinic.” Also, SEO gurus Darby Tober and Jay Brock will be speaking on “Video Optimization and Local Search: They’re here, they’re hot, and they work.” Use discount code APOG8EMS to receive a reduced price of $67 on registration. Apogee Search will also be exhibiting at booth 508.

2008.10.08
Puget Sound AMA
Brian Combs will be speaking at the Puget Sound AMA on "Organic vs. Paid Search: Their strengths, their weaknesses and why you should do both" at 12pm at the Washington Athletic Club.

2008.10.08
Web Analytics Wednesday
This month’s Web Analytics Wednesday (WAW) – Austin will be held at Little Woodrow’s in downtown Austin on Wednesday, October 8th at 5:30 PM. It will be hosted by Ian Strain-Seymour, Director of Product Development at Apogee Search. Table topics will include: Measuring visitor engagement, Online marketing success, Web analytics for events, and Offline conversion.

2008.10.06
SMX East
Alissa Ruehl will be speaking on a panel on October 7th, "Reviving A Failed PPC Campaign" at 1:30pm EDT. William Leake will be presenting “The Dark Side of Focusing on Web Conversion Rate” in the SMX Theater on Tuesday, October 7th at 3:00pm EDT. Apogee Search will also be exhibiting at SMX East October 6th & 7th, so be sure to stop by and visit us at booth 307! Save 20% OFF SMX East 2008 registration courtesy of Apogee Search with this partner code: smx20google

2008.10.01
Online Market World
William Leake will be speaking on a panel discussing "Top 10 Search Marketing Mistakes" on Wednesday, 10/1 at 1pm PDT and on "Reputation Management on the Wild, Wild Web" on Friday, 10/3 at 10:30am PDT. Apogee Search will also be exhibiting at Online Market World. Stop by and see us at booth 222! And receive an exclusive 20% discount on conference registration courtesy of Apogee Search!

2008.09.17
Silicon Valley AMA
Brian Combs will be speaking at the Silicon Valley AMA on "Event Driven Paid Search Campaigns."

2008.09.10
Austin Ad Fed Monthly Luncheon
Brian Combs and William Leake will be speaking on "Getting Out of the Ghetto: Why so many Agencies Struggle with Search Marketing" at 11:30am at the Mansion at Judges Hill in Austin, TX.

2008.08.20
Triangle IMA
Brian Combs is scheduled to speak on "Closing the Loop with Offline Tracking" in Raleigh, NC at the Marbles Museum.

2008.08.19
SES San Jose
Alissa Ruehl will be speaking as part of an Expert Roundtable: "Landing Page Utopia." The discussion will be from 4:00pm-5:15pm on day 2 of the conference.

2008.08.07
Charleston AMA
William Leake will be speaking on "The Future of Search" at the Charleston AMA meeting.

2008.08.05
ad:tech Chicago
William Leake will be speaking on a keynote roundtable panel: "State of the Industry." Apogee Search will also be exhibiting at ad:tech Chicago. Stop by and see us at booth 503!

2008.07.17
Tracking Beyond the Lead: How to increase the ROI of your lead gen campaign
Alissa Ruehl will be presenting a webinar at 1pm EDT (10am PDT) July 17, "Tracking Beyond the Lead: How to increase the ROI of your lead gen campaign."

2008.07.16
SEM for SMB
Darby Tober, Natural Search Consultant, and Miles Olson, GM of Performance Marketing, will facilitate a workshop titled “Exploiting Google.” Both will speak on SEO and paid search advertising topics throughout the workshop. When registering for the event use Apogee's discount code apogee2008s1 to receive $100 off the regular price.

2008.06.19
Interactive Austin 2008 Conference
William Leake will speak on “Integrating New Media into the Marketing Plan" at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus, University of Texas.

2008.06.17
Austin Social Media Immersion
William Leake to speak on "Search Engine Optimization: Tips for Improving Your Visibility Where Your Customers Look First" at the University of Texas Club.

2008.06.03
SMX Advanced 2008
Alissa Ruehl, Manager of Paid Search at Apogee Search, will speak on "Closing The Loop: Are You Tracking Every Lead?" at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center.

2008.05.20
San Diego Direct Marketing Association
Senior VP and Chief Futurist Brian Combs speaks at the SD DMA about "Event Driven Paid Search Campaigns", a type of short term paid search advertising.

2008.05.09
High Definition Public Relations 2008 Workshop
William Leake to speak on social media and it's effect on the PR industry. Friday May 9, 2008 at the Alabama Rural Electric Association: 340 Technacenter Dr., Montgomery, AL 36117.

2008.05.05
Boston Internet Search Marketing Networking Meetup
President and CEO Bill Leake leads an open round table discussion at the Boston Internet Search Marketing Networking Meetup regarding "The Future of Search" at the Robbins Library in Arlington, MA.

2008.04.16
eMarketing Summit @ Innotech
Mr. Leake will speak on "Search Engine Building Blocks".

2008.04.08
Dallas Ft. Worth Interactive Marketing Association
William Leake discusses "The Future of Search" at DFWIMA.

2008.03.18
OMMA Hollywood
At OMMA, CEO William Leake will sit on the panel "SEO is not Rocket Science, but that doesn't mean it's easy".

2008.03.17
Search Engine Strategies - New York
Apogee Search will be exhibiting at SES New York at booth #2121, March 18th and 19th.

2008.03.12
Minneapolis Interactive Marketing Association
Bill will talk to MIMA about "Analytics and Search Behind the Scenes"

2008.03.09
SXSW Interactive
Bill will be speaking to the SXSW crowds on "SEO 3.0: Optimizing Search & Social for 2008 and Beyond".

2008.03.06
eMarketing Summit - San Antonio
Leake will kickoff the San Antonio eMarketing Summit event at Innotech on March 6 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Leake will present “Search Marketing 101,” where attendees will learn basic concepts and strategies for managing natural and paid search marketing campaigns, as well as things to look for when selecting a search marketing agency.

2008.02.26
Search Marketing Expo West
SVP Brian Combs sits on three panels at Search Marketing Expo West, which takes place February 26-28 in Santa Clara, CA. Panel discussions include “Defending Your Paid Search Budget Against New Ad Fads” at 3:15 p.m. on day one, a debate on "Search Marketing Standards" at 4:45 p.m. on day one, and “Unraveling URLs and Demystifying Domains” at 1:30 p.m. on day two.

2008.02.24
Affiliate Summit West
Apogee Search will be exhibiting at Affiliate Summit West, at booth #113, February 24 through 26.

2008.02.22
SFIMA Search Engine Marketing Workshop
At the South Florida Interactive Marketers Association on February 22, Leake will participate in a “Search Engine Marketing Workshop.” The workshop is co-presented by Jay Berkowitz, CEO of TenGoldenRules, and Joe Laratro, president of Tandem Interactive. The session will cover search marketing basics including keyword selection, setting ROI goals, common pitfalls and how to spot and avoid search marketing malpractice.

2008.02.01
Goal Setting for Your PPC Search Campaigns

Most PPC search campaign goals can be filed under one of three broad categories: traffic, branding or ROI. In all categories, we try to maximize one variable against each ad dollar spent on the campaign.

Traffic Goals: Maximizing Clicks

Most new search marketers seem to instinctively begin optimizing their campaigns to maximize traffic, or clicks. This is the simplest goal to optimize to, and a great place to start for some folks. Given a specified budget, they maximize clicks by looking for the lowest cost per click (CPC) that will still allow them to spend their entire budget.

If your average CPC is $1.00 and you are consistently reaching your daily budget of $100, chances are you are spending more than you have to. Try to continually decrease your bids until you are no longer able to spend $100 per day. If you find that $.75 is the lowest CPC that will still allow you to spend your entire budget each day, you will then want to make sure that every keyword is set to pay on average $.75 CPC.

ROI Goals: Maximizing Returns

A better approach for most advertisers is to maximize the ROI for each dollar spent on your PPC campaigns. If you are selling products on your website, this means you want to drive the most sales dollars for every ad dollar spent. This is most commonly expressed as “return on ad spend” (ROAS), and it is calculated by dividing the amount of sales dollars resulting from a campaign by the number of ad dollars spent on the campaign. For example, if you would like to earn $500 in sales for every $100 spent on your PPC campaigns, then your goal will be a 500 percent ROAS.

But what if you’re not selling products online? What if you’re trying to get site visitors to complete a loan application, request a proposal or register for membership? In these situations, we want to drive the most actions (applications, RFPs, signups) for every ad dollar spent. This goal is expressed as a “cost per action,” (CPA) and it is calculated by dividing the number of completed actions by the dollars spent. For example, if you know that you can spend up to $20 per one loan application completed on your site, your campaign goal will be to stay under a $20 CPA.

The one other variable that you will need is the conversion rate of the keyword, ad group or campaign that you are trying to optimize. A conversion rate is simply the ratio of completed actions to clicks. For example, if a specific ad group typically drives one loan application for every 10 people who click on an ad, then the ad group has a 10 percent conversion rate. Knowing your average conversion rate and your ROI goal will allow you to easily calculate the cost per click, or CPC, you can spend to achieve your goals.

Let’s extend the above loan application example:

• Our goal is a $20 CPA. We can spend up to $20 per one loan application completed.
• We have calculated that the ad group we are trying to optimize has a 10 percent average conversion rate.

By merely multiplying our CPA goal and the average conversion rate, we will arrive at the maximum CPC we can spend to reach our goal.

$20 * 10% = $2.00 Max CPC

Voila! A more detailed look at how you can use ROI goals to determine bid levels can be found in another article of mine, Bid Management Basics.

Branding Goals: Maximizing Impressions

For a small but growing number of online advertisers, the campaign goal is not to drive sales or actions, but to maximize exposure of a brand. In PPC search campaigns, this typically translates to maximizing the number of page views or time spent on site for every ad dollar spent. This type of goal is a bit more difficult to properly optimize because it requires incorporating performance data from both search engines and your Hitslink web analytics reports to calculate bid levels. But this is merely a data management hurdle that I’ll leave to a future article to explain in detail.

Conclusion

Bottom line, you must clearly define in advance which goals you have for which parts of your campaign, and use those goals to drive your setup, your measurements and your actions. Do be willing to have different goals for different keywords. For instance, many of our clients have a piece of their PPC campaigns that is ROI and a piece that is brand, and they apply different financial objectives and success metrics to each piece. Without clear understanding of what you’re trying to achieve, you’re not likely to be successful in the increasingly competitive world of PPC advertising buys.

2007.12.04
SES Chicago
President/CEO Bill Leake to speak on the subject of paid links. His interview that took place with WebMaster Radio at SES can be found at this link.

2007.11.13
Apogee Search to Sponsor Texchange Event
Apogee Search will be sponsoring and attending the November Texchange dinner

2007.10.25
Interactive Strategies '07
CEO Bill Leake to speak on Search 101 at Interactive Strategies 2007, hosted by the Houston Interactive Marketing Association.

2007.10.23
Software Marketing Perspectives
CEO Bill Leake to speak on the Future of Search at the Software Marketing Perspectives event in Austin

2007.10.11
Innotech 2007
Apogee Search to exhibit and CEO Bill Leake to speak at Austin Innotech 2007.

2007.10.03
Online Market World
President/CEO Bill Leake to speak on a panel about SEO and Usability

2007.08.20
Search Engine Strategies Conference
Apogee to attend.

2007.07.08
Affiliate Summit East
Apogee Search exhibits at the Affiliate Summit conference in Miami, Florida.

2007.06.04
Search Marketing Expo
Apogee Search attends Danny Sullivan's Search Marketing Expo Advanced in Seattle, Washington.

2007.03.13
SXSW Interactive
Apogee Search CEO William Leake speaks on How to Make Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Usability Work Together.

2006.03.07
Austin Technology Council
William Leake will be sitting on a panel about cost effective marketing for the Austin Technology Council

2005.11.16
2005 Austin Innotech
The LCG Executive Team will play an encore performance at Austin Innotech.

2005.10.11
Software 500 conference
William Leake will explore techniques for "Avoiding Search Engine Marketing Malpractices" at the Software 500 conference in Cambridge, MA.

2005.05.26
WorkSource Austin
The LCG Executive Team will be teaching an all day class on Internet Marketing as part of the 2005 Business Advantage Seminar Series for WorkSource Austin.

2005.03.18
eCommerce Strategies
LCG, as the top search marketing firm in Austin, has been chosen to headline the Internet Marketing panel of the eCommerce Strategies event in Austin.

2004.11.03
2004 Austin Innotech
Central Texas Internet Marketing Expert LCG selected to demystify search engine optimization (SEO) and pay per click (PPC) marketing to local businesses at Austin Innotech.

2004.09.16
Central Texas Direct Marketing Association
LCG VP of Services, Brian Combs, will be speaking to the Central Texas Direct Marketing Association on "How Not to get Ripped Off by your Search Marketing Vendor". 11:30am at Mezzaluna Restaurant on Colorado.