1. Get PPC accounts ready. Talk with your reps about whether you’ll continue using your Bing account, create a new Bing account, or migrate your Yahoo account over. If you don’t have a rep, now is the time to get Bing set up they way you want it because they’re going to start providing Yahoo’s search results on a limited basis in August.
2. Review organic traffic and adjust SEO efforts. Since Bing will soon start serving both paid and organic search results, it’s important to make sure you’re well optimized for the Bing algorithms. Look at your analytics data and understand which keywords are driving significant business from Yahoo.com. Then figure out how well you rank for those terms on Bing to understand if you’ll continue to receive that search traffic.
3. Watch your budgets. Testing is going to begin very soon, so watch your Yahoo and Bing accounts closely to make sure you’re reaching your ROI and budgetary goals.
4. Review the new editorial guidelines. The teams have developed and published a set of new editorial guidelines. Make sure your keywords and ads are compliant now so you don’t have any surprises in the next couple months.
5. Beware the holiday factor. The full roll-out is expected in late Q3 or early Q4. The companies are conscious of the holiday season and say that if there are problems the roll-out will be reversed until early 2011.

1. Increase the size of your Call-to-Action button. This is the easiest way to increase conversion rates for lead gen. Big buttons almost always out-perform smaller buttons. One good rule of thumb is that the Call-to-Action button should be slightly larger than the logo at the top of your page. Size really does matter here and the bigger, the better.

2. Keep your form is short and sweet. Don’t ask for information your sales team doesn’t need. For B2B lead gen, we usually recommend First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone (optional), and maybe Company and/or Position (if lead quality is a real problem). Don’t ask for too much more than that. For B2C lead gen, don’t be too intrusive…especially if you’re using these leads to close a sale down the road. Consumers are smart and they don’t want to give you too much personal information until they’re ready to buy.

3. Ensure call to action is above the fold. Visitors who find themselves on your landing page should not have to scroll down (and better not EVER have to scroll right) to see your call to action. The “submit” button should be on the top portion of your page whenever possible. It’s a good idea to have additional, supporting calls-to-action below the fold, but keep your primary conversion goal attainable without scrolling.

4. Use contrasting colors to draw eyeballs to your conversion action. Light green, blue, and orange buttons typically have the highest conversion rates. Sometimes red buttons convert well, though many site visitors subconsciously associate the color red with “stop.” Whichever color you choose, make sure it pops off the page visually and can be seen easily while standing away from your computer screen.

5. Don’t be afraid of whitespace. Space around your Call-to-Action button is very important, as whitespace mixed with contrasting colors will help it pop off the page. The rest of your landing page should also use whitespace appropriately. Don’t clutter your page with text and use space to break up ideas logically.

6. Fast page loads are important. Very simply, the landing pages (and websites) that load quickly consistently have higher conversion rates than slow-loading pages. And it makes sense, who wants to wait for a slow website? Do whatever you can to make your pages load blazing fast.

7. Tell visitors what action to take. Make it painfully obvious what you what them to do on your page. Then make it easy to do. We’re talking the fewest number of clicks and least amount of info necessary. Use a headline with a strong call to action, and reinforce that in the sub-heads and body copy. Your form should repeat the call to action at the top of the form and again in the button text.

8. Use graphics appropriately. Images are important on your landing page, and they should used to draw visitors in and make them interested in the reading the text. However the graphics should not be so powerful that they distract from your call to action.

9. Track, track, track. Test, test, test. Ensure tracking codes are set up correctly before launching your campaign. It’s so important to be able to compare the conversion rate of one landing page to another. Once you have tracking in place, then test your changes. Don’t assume your changes are going to help, sometimes the best ideas perform worse than the control page. Test every landing page change side-by-side your existing landing page. Make sure you run your tests long enough to get statistically significant data. You can use Google Website Optimizer to run free A/B and multivariate tests.

10. Employ the 5-foot Rule. If you’re thinking of testing a change on a landing page, look at your original and proposed test page from five feet away. If you can’t notice what’s different about them, this probably shouldn’t be your initial test. Start by testing more obvious differences, then once you’ve found a general design/layout that works, then try testing smaller, less obvious changes.

It’s important to remember that these are general rules of thumb and your results may be very different. If you want help planning, executing, or analyzing a landing page test, please fill out the contact form on the right.

On May 11, 2009, Magnifi Online was named one of the Top 25 Advertising Agencies of 2008 by the San Diego Business Journal. Each year the journal releases its annual Book of Lists and this is the first year that Magnifi Online made the cut.

The company’s founder and CEO, Kris Hutchinson, said, “I am so honored to see our company on this list. We’re only three years old but we are truly competing with the big shops in town.”

Founded in early 2006, Magnifi Online is both the youngest ad agency on this year’s list and the fastest growing. “We may not have the most sales (yet), but we are growing faster than any other agency in San Diego,” said Hutchinson. With impressive 218% income growth over 2007, Magnifi Online outpaced other well-known interactive agencies like Geary Interactive, eVisibility, Red Door Interactive, and SiteLab.

In terms of geographic breakdown of clients, Magnifi Online was similar to NYCA, Epicenter Advertising, and 760 Media in that their 2008 client base was well diversified between local San Diego businesses, California companies, national corporations, and internationally based organizations.

Many of the agencies on this year’s list specialize in broadcast, print, direct mail, and other traditional advertising media. Meanwhile, Magnifi Online predominantly falls in the “Other” category since about 80% of the company’s sales come from online marketing services (and the balance come from web design services). Magnifi Online specializes in paid search management, search engine optimization strategy, landing page design and optimization, and social media marketing.

Hutchinson added, “our plan is to continue doing what we’ve been doing: thrilling our customers with exceptional customer service and phenomenal ROI. Despite the state of the economy, I am confident that we’ll be even closer to the top of next year’s list.”

To download a PDF of the San Diego Business Journal’s Top 25 Advertising Agencies, click here. To contact the Magnifi Online team and discuss ways to partner, please click here or the button below. To learn more about Magnifi Online’s services, click here.

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October 23, 2008

The Peloton, a luxury condo and loft community in Boulder, CO has aligned with Magnifi Online, a full-service Search Engine Marketing agency to promote their website through popular search engines.

While The Peloton had been running pay-per-click advertising on Google, Magnifi Online, working in tandem with The Peloton’s agency of record, Epiphany, Inc., recommended an advanced search engine marketing strategy. The strategy included optimizing The Peloton’s website for organic search engine rankings and simultaneously re-structure the pay-per-click search engine advertising and including conversion tracking and optimization toward The Peloton’s objectives.

“We quickly saw the opportunity to apply advanced strategies to increase targeted traffic to The Peloton’s website through SEO and PPC, while increasing the ROI on their existing Search Engine Marketing program. Our experience in optimizing PPC campaigns to deliver increased traffic and leads at lower costs was leveraged to build a successful PPC campaign for The Peloton,” says Kris Hutchinson, CEO and Founder of Magnifi Online.

Real estate is one of the most competitive industries for Search Engine Marketing as recent studies show that 3 out of every 4 homebuyers are turning to search engines to begin their search. As the industry becomes more competitive, less sophisticated advertisers often start increasing their bids wildly in an effort to stay at the top of the search results while more advertisers are competing for the same amount of traffic. The Peloton is staying ahead of the curve by proactively refining their Search Engine Marketing strategy to capture organic and paid search traffic efficiently.

Through Magnifi Online’s partnership with Epiphany, Inc., the search engine marketing strategy was integrated into The Peloton’s general marketing plan. With proven experience in generating leads for real estate developers and improving the cost efficiency of search engine marketing campaigns, Magnifi Online was able to greatly improve The Peloton’s PPC performance by utilizing smart, data-based bidding strategies; thorough keyword research and data analysis; extensive ad testing; and in-depth strategic thinking.

Magnifi Online’s approach to SEO involved providing a thorough audit and actionable recommendations for improving the website’s architecture, content, and link building techniques. Magnifi Online employed analytical keyword research utilizing industry tools to identify the most opportunistic keywords for organic rankings.

The Peloton (www.thepeloton.com), a new-urban community two blocks from Boulder’s vibrant 29th Street Entertainment District, is a thriving development where luxury amenities meet a down-to-earth community atmosphere. Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Freddy Halcomb says, “The Magnifi Online team has taken us to a new level of Search Engine Marketing. With full tracking and optimization capabilities we now have the full picture and can understand the cost of each lead, which has exceeded our expectations.”

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August 4, 2008

With an increased focus on utilizing the HeatherGardens.org community website to generate new prospects, Heather Gardens hired Magnifi Online to optimize their website to increase search engine rankings and increase traffic from search engines. This effort is part of a comprehensive marketing plan aimed at attracting prospective real estate buyers and future residents to Heather Gardens.

Heather Gardens is a resort-style active adult community located in Aurora, CO, just outside the Denver metro area. The community is home to nearly 3,800 residents who enjoy a range of clubs, community activities, and an executive 9-hole golf course. The community is facing increased competition in the area and has launched a campaign to attract Baby Boomers to the community.

“With an increased focus on attracting younger buyers, Heather Gardens realizes the importance of marketing their website through search engines. Many homebuyers turn to Google and other search engines as the first step of their home search,” explains Andie Jones, Director of Client Services.

Magnifi Online’s approach to optimizing Heather Garden’s website involves employing a thorough site audit and analysis of the website’s technical structure, content, and link popularity, as well as in-depth research to refine the selection of target keywords.

Keith Schmaus, Heather Gardens’ General Manager, says that keyword selection was a challenge for Heather Gardens because the terms the target audience uses to search for senior communities varies greatly and often includes phrases that are not part of the Heather Gardens brand. “Magnifi Online was able to provide a thorough analysis of our market and search trends to guide us in a keyword direction that wasn’t necessarily intuitive but makes a lot of sense strategically. Their in-depth thinking will allow us to cast a broader net and that will impact our search engine rankings and traffic,” says Keith.

Magnifi Online will recommend strategic amendments to the website that will allow Heather Gardens to compete with, and surpass, other active adult communities that are using search engines as a means to attract new buyers.

Heather Gardens (http://www.heathergardens.org) is an age-restricted resort-style residential community located in Aurora, Colorado, about 10 miles southeast of downtown Denver. Heather Gardens’ homes are located in a 198-acre park-like setting around a premier executive 9-hole golf course. Their active adult community has become a favorite among empty nesters, seniors and retirees — persons wanting a more carefree lifestyle without all the burdens of single-family home ownership.

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July 29, 2008

Magnifi Online has once again been asked to speak with top California real estate agents and mortgage brokers at this year’s CAR Expo, October 14-16, 2008 at the Long Beach Convention Center. Magnifi Online, a top search engine marketing and optimization agency with years of experience and many clients in the real estate industry, is a natural choice for the California Association of REALTORS (CAR)’s annual event.

Kris Hutchinson, the company’s founder and CEO, presented an informative speech at last year’s CAR Expo, held in Anaheim. The event was a smash hit, but unfortunately many real estate pros were turned away at the door due to the stellar turnout and lack of additional seating.

This year, however, CAR Expo organizers have acknowledged the popularity and importance of search engine marketing and booked Hutchinson for two separate presentations to ensure that all interested real estate agents have an opportunity to attend and learn. You can catch Hutchinson during the October 14th “Tech Tuesday” lineup at either 9:30am or 2:00pm.

The focus of this year’s presentations will be to build upon last year’s discussion about the basics of Paid Search management and Organic Search optimization. Hutchinson will educate attendees on ways to maximize the impact of their online marketing campaigns. He will also provide best practices specific to the real estate industry, as well as answer questions from the audience.

Magnifi Online will also have a booth on the conference room floor, and encourages REALTORS to come by and ask any additional questions they may have. If you are a real estate agent or other real estate professional in the Southern California region, you owe it to yourself to hear from Magnifi Online. You can expect to leave with actionable ideas for improving your online marketing efforts.

For more information, contact Magnifi Online or visit the California Association of REALTORS website.

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In a recent case study, Google details how its content and search networks were used in tandem and to near-magical effect by search engine marketing agency Magnifi Online for its client, RealAge.com.

This rare move by Google — publicly singling out a search engine marketing company for praise — is yet another trailblazing success story for Magnifi Online founder, Kris Hutchinson, a search engine marketing pioneer for more than a decade.

“Our client was looking for what most companies look for when they enter the SEM space: maximum exposure, minimum investment. We were looking for opportunities to deliver and found ourselves focusing more and more on the Google content network, which has been a losing proposition for most paid search management companies.”

“We realized that by running a few Placement Performance Reports and treating the content and search networks like they should be treated — as different channels with different audiences — we could get a lot more bang for our buck and for our clients’ bucks, too.”

“Magnifi Online optimized our account for the Google search network and content network, helped us to understand the nuances of each, and successfully managed ROI-positive campaigns that generated 40% more conversions in 2007 than in the prior year!” said RealAge.com Marketing Director, Ron Grinblat.

“Getting kudos by having Google use us for a case study was the icing on this cake,” says Hutchinson. “But the sweetest part was figuring out the Google content network, and getting it to perform like paid search should.”

Read the Google case study.

About Magnifi Online

The search engine marketing experts at Magnifii Online know which dials to turn, which buttons to push, and which creative to run to generate greater returns for their clients. Google calls Magnifi Online “a search engine marketing agency that offer[s] the right combination of strategy, consultation, and analysis.” Contact them here.

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April 15, 2008

The Direct Marketing Association is serious about staying ahead the curve, and so is Magnifi Online. That’s why today’s speech by Magnifi Online’s founder to members of the Orange County DMA was so well received.

Google was the topic of the day, but not the Google product savvy marketers have grown to know and love. Rather, the group discussed the plethora of other marketing opportunities now available through Google. The list is long and includes text, banner, video, and rich media ads on sites throughout the Google Content network…the world’s largest network of websites, reaching 3 out of 4 internet users worldwide.

But that isn’t all! You can also buy TV ads, radio ads, and print ads through Google. Hutchinson shared Magnifi Online’s experience with these new products, and the audience was pleasantly surprised to learn that when purchased through Google, advertisers get best-of-breed tracking capabilities, an easy-to-use online interface, and deeply discounted rates.

Hutchinson then showed how Google’s move into traditional media should not be looked at with alarm. Traditional advertising agencies tend to feel threatened when they first learn of these new products. Hutchinson reassured the crowd that there will always be a need for strategic planning and compelling creative.

The organizers of the day’s seminar were so impressed by the information learned, they asked Magnifi Online to return on May 21st and address the Los Angeles chapter of the Direct Marketing Association. For more information or to reserve a seat, visit the Los Angeles DMA’s website at ladma.org.

To download the complete presentation, click here.

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April 5, 2008

Everyone knows that Google provides the best paid search marketing products around. But did you know that you can also use Google to buy ad space on TV, radio, newspapers, and other non-Search media? Better yet…Google’s prices are often much lower than traditional outlets!

On April 15, Magnifi Online’s founder and CEO, Kris Hutchinson, will speak at a conference entitled “Google: Everything BUT Search”, to be held at the Wyndam Hotel in Costa Mesa, CA. Hutchinson will be joined by Chris Deon, founder of San Diego’s iMarketers Association (iMarketers.org). The event will kick off at 11:30 am with networking and lunch, following by presentations from Hutchinson and Deon explaining the new products, how to identify which are the best fit for your business, and how to maximize your return on investment.

Cost for the event is $45 for members of the Southern California DMA and $55 for non-members (if registered before April 8, 2008). More information can be found at DMAsc.org.

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April 2, 2008

Frustrated by increasing costs and withering returns on investment, de Bono Consulting was all but ready to abandon their existing pay-per-click (PPC) internet marketing campaigns when they approached Magnifi Online President & CEO Kris Hutchinson for advice. Hutchinson, an expert in Search Engine Marketing and Optimization, assured them that such drastic measures were unnecessary.

“The beauty of pay-per-click advertising is that, when done right, we have so much control over ROI. An experienced Search Engine Marketing agency can optimize PPC campaigns to deliver maximum revenue at minimal cost. Years of such experience will allow us to help de Bono Consulting build successful pay-per-click campaigns despite industry-wide CPC increases,” Hutchinson explained.

As more advertisers begin competing for the same amount of search traffic, less sophisticated advertisers often start increasing their bids wildly in an effort to stay at the top of the search results. Similarly, advertisers who have poor ad copy and ineffective landing pages are forced to bid higher CPCs to maintain their top positions. Rather than solving the problem through analytical ad copy and landing page testing, advertisers often simply increase their bids. In doing so, they drive up the bid prices for all the other advertisers as well.

Magnifi Online’s approach to creating custom PPC campaigns for de Bono Consulting involves employing smart, data-based bidding strategies; thorough keyword research and data analysis; extensive ad copy and landing page testing; and in-depth strategic thinking. Also, by leveraging direct ties with their dedicated Google team, Magnifi Online has provided de Bono Consulting with insights most advertisers wouldn’t be able to get on their own.

de Bono Consulting (deBonoConsulting.com), a global training and management consulting firm that specializes in the field of innovation by facilitating idea generation sessions and delivering innovative thinking seminars for organizations throughout the world. Business Development Manager, Amy Hoey, says that hiring Magnifi Online to get their PPC campaigns back on track was a critical first step to online marketing success.

“Kris and the Magnifi Online team took an in-depth look at our needs, goals, and historical performance, and used that analysis to begin building highly focused, more strategic pay-per-click campaigns. They showed us how to work smarter in the complex world of online advertising.”

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