The Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP today announced that Internet advertising revenues reached almost $5.9 billion for the third quarter of 2008, representing an 11% increase over the same period in 2007. While double-digit annual growth continues, the quarter-to-quarter curve remains relatively flat compared to recent past performance. The Q3 2008 figures, published in the IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report, are 2% higher than the Q2 2008 results. Set against strong economic headwinds in the U.S. economy, Q3 2008′s $5.9 billion represents nonetheless the second-highest quarter results ever. For the first nine months of 2008, revenues totaled $17.3 billion, up from $15.2 billion in the same period a year ago and surpassing the record set in the first nine months of 2007 by nearly 14 percent.

The growth of interactive advertising that we’ve been experiencing over the past few years has stabilized due in large part to the difficult current economic climate,” said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of the IAB. “Interactive advertising continues to be the most measurable and cost-effective way to reach consumers, and we see more and more marketers seeking to harness its power.”

David Silverman, a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, added that, “a weakening economy will continue to be a challenge to all forms of advertising-supported media. However, the Internet should be better poised to withstand the storm given its ability to combine performance-based advertising along with broad-based branding.” Search marketing continues to be the primary focus for internet advertising. Read the complete article >

Not too long ago, Google introduced a SEO tool called Website Optimizer that enables search marketing companies to test several variations of web pages and their performance with site visitors.  This helpful search engine optimization tool enables the programmers to see which version converts better.  Increasing conversion rates is one of the best ways for SEO webmasters to achieve better results quickly.  Test and optimize your new content to maximize conversions from search marketing.  As a leading search marketing firm, Nationwide recommends taking advantage of the free SEO tools because they provide cost effective marketing analysis and analytics.

o    Choose the specific content and web pages to test

o    Test website modifications with your visitors

o    Learn which alterations will increase conversion ratios 

Check Google’s Website Optimizer and achieve better results immediately.

In a recent SEO Chat article, Terri Wells discusses about the obstacles of content theft online.  Web copywriting and the security needed to protect your content can be challenging and frustrating, but unfortunately it’s a reality that search marketing professionals simply have to deal with.  Wells tells a story about finding published articles that were posted on someone else’s website with no permission or authorization for republishing the copy written articles.

Stealing content, also known as e-thieving is a serious problem that dilutes the original article with no compensation while damaging any search engine optimization that should be benefitting the author.  Quite often the duplicate content can cause each site to be penalized by Google, Yahoo or MSN.  So even the original business publishing the article on their website can be penalized for the duplicate content even though somebody ripped off their genuine writing.  Many of this e-thievery has become profitable in the advent of Adsense, an revenue sharing affiliate program offered by Google.  Wells points out that if the website is hosted in the US, that laws were created to protect you and your website.  Nationwide Marketing supports SEO Chat and their content writers.

Ø  Read the Original SEO Article-  Thwarting Content Theft Written By: Terri Wells

If you are into search engine marketing, we recommend joining this year’s Las Vegas PubCon.  This event boasts of sponsors like MSN and PRWeb that bring firsthand knowledge of where search technology is headed.  Last year the event reported over two thousand search marketing groups attended.  In addition, companies like Google, Position Tech and Web Pro News will few of the exhibitors to name a few.

As our many of our search guru colleagues may already know, the term Pub Conference came by Pandia when some eager activists from the Webmaster World discussion forum invited search engine marketers to a pub in London in 2001.  Since then PubCon has evolved into a SEO event that internet marketing enthusiasts won’t want to miss.  

No other online marketing conferences provide such a wide platform for search marketing. The next Webmaster World’s Search & Internet Marketing Conference will be held Nov 11-14 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Among the many topics covered, you will find organic search marketing, pay per click advertising, social web marketing, affiliate strategies, video search engine optimization, keyword research, local and mobile search, brand management, webhosting, link building and much more.

Remember that this environment is a great place to build a network of key contacts for search engine optimization and web development.