Internet advertising revenues in the U.S. remained strong, topping $23 billion, according to the 2008 Internet Advertising Revenue Report, released by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC). Despite a difficult U.S. economy, interactive advertising’s continued growth, albeit at a slower pace, confirms marketers’ increased recognition of the medium’s value in reaching consumers online where they are spending more and more of their time.

* Full-year 2008 revenues totaled a record $23.4 billion, exceeding 2007’s performance, itself the former record of $21.2 billion, by $2.2 billion or 10.6%. By comparison, a variety of sources indicate weakness in overall advertising spending. The Nielsen Company, for example, reported that U.S. advertising for the full year 2008 was down 2.6% compared to the full year 2007.
* Fourth-quarter revenues of $6.1 billion mark the first time the interactive advertising industry achieved, and surpassed, $6 billion in a single quarter. The figures represent a $154 million or 2.6% increase from 2007’s fourth quarter, which had revenues of $5.9 billion.
* This is the fifth consecutive year of record results.

“We are seeing an ongoing secular shift from traditional to online media as marketers recognize that ad dollars invested in interactive media are effective at influencing consumers and delivering measurable results,” said Randall Rothenberg, president and CEO of the IAB. “In this uncertain economy, where marketers know they need to do more with less, interactive advertising provides the tools for them to build deep, engaging relationships with consumers—the experience marketers gain from this will deliver dividends especially after the economy turns around.”

Search remains the main driver of revenue growth according to the report, showing a 19.8% increase over 2007. Digital video, though still a small overall contributor, more than doubled its revenue with an increase to $734 million from $324 million in 2007, demonstrating how both marketers and consumers are embracing this dynamic platform.

As in 2007, retail, financial services, computing and automotive remained the four largest verticals among Internet advertisers in 2008. Consumer packaged goods, an industry vertical historically slow to embrace interactive advertising, notably increased its share of total Internet ad revenues by 60 percent over 2007. The Internet is now the third largest ad-supported medium, marking its increasing significance to marketers and consumers.

“Though some categories in the fourth quarter slowed or even dipped, reflecting the current economic challenges, the overall performance is up, confirming interactive’s ever-growing importance to the successful marketing mix,” said David Silverman, Partner, Assurance, PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Search 45% ($10,546)
Display Related: 33% ($7,640)
-Banner Ads 21% ($4,877)
-Rich Media 7% ($1,642)
-Digital Video 3% ($734)
-Sponsorship 2% ($387)
Classifieds 14% ($3,174)
Referrals/Lead Generation 7% ($1,683)
E-mail 2% ($405)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK — To an Internet user, a click is a simple action. Accurately counting those clicks, however, is a complex operational task. The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) today announced the release of its Click Measurement Guidelines, which establish parameters for the accurate buying and selling of cost-per-click advertising. The guidelines, agreed upon by key industry stakeholders, provide a strong framework for identifying and discarding invalid or fraudulent clicks, helping ensure that only legitimate clicks are counted.

The Click Measurement Guidelines:

* Define the technical life-cycle of a “click” and outline standard methodologies by which clicks should be measured and counted, including provisions for identifying invalid and/or fraudulent clicks.
* Establish standard terms that will help streamline the buying and selling of click-based media.
* Increase transparency and consistency in click measurements for media companies, ad-serving organizations, advertisers, and third-party click auditors.

“The fact that we’ve obtained agreement within the online industry on the precise definition and measurement of a click and a procedure for identifying and eliminating fraudulent clicks is a huge win for the industry,” said Joe Laszlo, research director of the IAB. “These guidelines help assure marketers that the clicks they are paying for are generated by real people with a real interest in the product or service being advertised.”

The guidelines are the latest addition to the IAB’s ongoing efforts to harmonize interactive measurement. They complement IAB guidelines for general ad impressions, digital video commercials and audience reach measurement.

“The ability to measure consumer interactions with ads has been one of the hallmarks of the interactive advertising industry,” said George Ivie, Executive Director and CEO of the Media Rating Council (MRC). “The IAB has taken a leadership role in bringing this important work on Click Measurement to fruition and marketers and agencies will benefit enormously from it.”

“The work of the IAB and member companies has produced an excellent document that is a solid first step in this process,” said Tom Cuthbert, President, Click Forensics. “We are proud to have been a part of the process every step of the way and will continue to support the efforts of the IAB and other organizations that work to improve traffic quality.”

To view the complete document, please go to www.iab.net/clickmeasurementguidelines

About the IAB’s Click Measurement Working Group:
The Click Measurement Working Group includes representatives from 38 IAB member companies, including sellers, measurers, and auditors of online media. Initiated in late 2005, the working group, together with the Media Rating Council, has spent the last three years developing these important guidelines and achieving consensus around them.

About the IAB:
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 375 leading media and technology companies who are responsible for selling 86% of online advertising in the United States. On behalf of its members, the IAB is dedicated to the growth of the interactive advertising marketplace, of interactive’s share of total marketing spend, and of its members’ share of total marketing spend. The IAB educates marketers, agencies, media companies and the wider business community about the value of interactive advertising. Working with its member companies, the IAB evaluates and recommends standards and practices and fields critical research on interactive advertising. Founded in 1996, the IAB is headquartered in New York City with a Public Policy office in Washington, D.C.

What these services do is take a long URL and give you an alternitve URL that is much shorter. The URL for this article is http://myadvertisingmarket.com/wordpress/2009/06/02/beware-of-url-shorteners/. When run through Bit.ly, they offer http://bit.ly/tYoqr. Sometimes a shorter URL is helpful or even required. Some programs, such as, email and Twitter have length restrictions.

Much caution should be exercised before utilizing one of these services. The originator of the URL loses control over their content. A websites privacy policy could be violated by sending your viewer to an unknown third-party. What information are they gathering on your customer? Are they placing advertisements onto what your customer sees? What happens to the URL if the service goes out of business?

In general, if you want a shorter URL, you should create it yourself and keep control.

The FTC offers free information on how to comply with advertising laws. One requirement for on-line advertising is that disclosures are clear and conspicuous:

Disclosures that are required to prevent deception — or to provide consumers material information about a transaction — must be presented “clearly and conspicuously.”

Whether a disclosure meets this standard is measured by its performance—that is, how consumers actually perceive and understand the disclosure within the context of the entire ad. The key is the overall net impression of the ad—that is, whether the claims consumers take from the ad are truthful and substantiated.

In reviewing their online ads, advertisers should adopt the perspective of a reasonable consumer.

They also should assume that consumers don’t read an entire Web site, just as they don’t read every word on a printed page.

In addition, it is important for advertisers to draw attention to the disclosure. Making the disclosure available somewhere in the ad so that consumers who are looking for the information might find it doesn’t meet the clear and conspicuous standard.

Even though consumers have control over what and how much information they view on Web sites, they may not be looking for—or expecting to find—disclosures. Advertisers are responsible for ensuring that their messages are truthful and not deceptive. Accordingly, disclosures must be communicated effectively so that consumers are likely to notice and understand them.

From the USC Annenberg News:
Annual Internet survey by Center for the Digital Future finds large increases in use of online newspapers

In a year when newspaper cutbacks have made their own headlines, strong evidence of the changing nature of media use in America may be found in a single statistic: Internet users report a large increase in time reading online newspapers, according to the eighth annual Surveying the Digital Future projected conducted by USC Annenberg’s Center for the Digital Future.

In questions about reading online and print newspapers — key elements of the eighth annual comprehensive study of the impact of online technology on America — the Digital Future Project found that Internet users read online newspapers for 53 minutes per week, the highest level thus far in the Digital Future studies.

In contrast, Internet users in 2007 reported 41 minutes per week reading online newspapers.

The project also found that 22 percent of users said they stopped their subscription to a printed newspaper or magazine because they could access the same content while online.

“The most significant trend about how Americans are changing their news reading habits may be found in comparing the use of online media by light users vs. heavy users,” Center for the Digital Future director and communication professor Jeffrey I. Cole (pictured) said. “Heavy Internet users spent 65 more minutes per week reading online newspapers than do light users. This raises the question: how will the media habits of the current generation of light users change as online content continues to expand? What ramifications will these changes have for the newspapers of America?

Opportunities for Newspapers

In spite of grim prospects, significant bright spots remain for newspapers, Cole said, including “the greatest opportunities in their existence.”

“For the first time in 60 years, newspapers are back in the breaking news business,” Cole said, “except now their delivery method is electronic and not paper. Since the beginning of radio, newspapers have not been able to compete with broadcasting for delivery of immediate news. But in a digital world, newspapers can compete at least as effectively for breaking news delivery with broadcast media. On the Web, newspapers are live, and they can supplement their coverage with audio, video, and the invaluable resources of their vast archives. And, they already have talented teams of reporters and editors who can deliver the news.

“The key to newspapers’ success,” he said, “will be making bold moves entirely into the digital realm, and building business models that allow them to thrive online.”

In addition, print newspapers still have strong brand identities and reader loyalty.

In fact, while the Digital Future Project found increased reading of media content online, the study also found that a large percentage of Internet users remain loyal to print versions of newspapers. When asked if they would miss the print edition of their newspaper if it were no longer available, 61 percent of those who read newspapers offline agreed — up from 56 percent in 2007.

The Center for the Digital Future: nine years of exploring the digital realm

The Center for the Digital Future at the USC Annenberg School for Communication created and organizes the World Internet Project, which includes the Digital Future Project and similar studies in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania. Since 2000, the Digital Future Project has examined the influence of the Internet and online technology on Americans.

Center for the Digital Future
Surveying the Digital Future highlights

There should be a person named that:
* Develops and implements marketing communications strategies
* Develops and executes plans to ensure communications are developed and delivered
* Manages copywriting, proofreading, editing and publishing of web sites
* Keeps projects within time lines and budgets
* Conducts research to determine how to achieve maximum depth and breadth of audience share

The individual can be in-house or outsourced to a company that specializes in marketing and communications. Can you communicate who is responsible for your communications?

More often than not, a specialist is needed to help make sure the advertiser and the content have a good match. In this example, an advertising agent that has expertise in publishing rules and laws would be of benefit. The owner of the business is responsible for the content of the advertisement. Most industries have unique legal and liability issues. In this case, the FTC has specific rules for making environmental claims in advertising.

Some industries, such as, real estate, mortgages, transportation and hospitality, are heavily regulated in the area of marketing. In these cases, having an advertising agent that has a real estate license is a good idea. Here are just a few of the laws and regulations that govern real estate advertising: The American with Disabilities Act, Accessibility for People with Disabilities in the Information Age, Rights of the Disabled Under the American with Disabilities Act, ADA Enforcement, FTC Consumer Information and Dot Com Disclosures — FTC Rules on Internet Advertising.

Advertising Agency Special Areas Of Interest
Employment Opportunities / Help Wanted
Security Services & Alarm Systems
Real Estate
Builders & Contractors
The Greater Philadelphia Region
Green & Eco-friendly
Doctors, Practitioners, Health & Wellness
Costumes & Seasonal Items
Lawyers, Attorneys and Law Offices
Engineers & Architects
Credit Cards, Mortgages, Loans & Leases

The Internet is connecting advertisers and marketers to customers from Boston to Bali with text, interactive graphics, video, and audio. If you’re thinking about advertising on the Internet, remember that many of the same rules that apply to other forms of advertising apply to electronic marketing. These rules and guidelines protect businesses and consumers and help maintain the credibility of the Internet as an advertising medium. As with other outlets, Internet advertising must tell the truth and claims must be substantiated. For more information contact the Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov), the federal government agency responsible for enforcing advertising laws.

Throughout the U.S., SBA and its resource partners are ready to support you in business by providing free, expert advice, business training and counseling, management assistance, and mentoring. Whether you are starting or growing a business, assistance is available in-person, online, or by telephone. Click on www.sba.gov to locate an SBA office or resource partner near you or to view online training options.

A good place to start learning about advertising on the Internet is the article “Advertising and Marketing on the Internet: Rules of the Road”

In reports to Congress, the Commission examined the practices of third-party Internet advertising networks engaged in “online profiling” activities. These entities collect information about consumers as they surf across web sites to create detailed profiles which include information about consumers’ surfing habits, and other personal and non-personal information, for the purpose of sending targeted online advertising messages to individual consumers.

Now, the Commission proposes to explore how detailed consumer profiles – i.e., compilations of identifying information, preference information, purchasing habits, and other information relating to a particular consumer – are created and used by entities other than third-party Internet advertising networks. In particular, the Commission plans to consider whether and how consumer profiles are created through the merger and exchange of data between companies, regardless of whether the data at issue is collected or used online or offline, and how such profiles are used commercially. The goal of the upcoming workshop is to educate the Commission and the public about current business practices and emerging technologies.

Questions To Be Addressed
Among the questions that need to be addressed are the following:

What kinds of consumer information do businesses purchase, sell or exchange to create profiles and what are the sources of that information?

Are there new technologies or technical standards that may increase the sharing of detailed consumer information and do they include or facilitate privacy protections?

How does the merger and exchange of detailed consumer data between companies affect consumers?

What types of notice have businesses provided to consumers regarding various kinds of data merger and exchange activities?

What business purposes are served by the creation of consumer profiles through the merger of a company’s internal information about consumers with information obtained from third-parties?

INTRODUCTION
To optimize a website for ranking highest in search engine results, you should publish quality content. It should be published as early as possible and stay consistent over time. The content should be easy to read with little clutter. Particular attention should be paid to the website design and engineering. You should integrate the content into a long standing and reputable network. Search engines, such as Google.com, are concerned over any practice that may cause the population not to trust their results. If a search engine thinks you are trying to manipulate their results, they will penalize or ban you.

Q: What is SEO and SEM?
A: Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing attempt to get webpages to rank at the top of a search engine’s results.

Q: Is it possible to optimize webpages so that they rank higher?
A: The answer is a qualified, “Yes.” Yes, qualified — some things that help webpages rank higher are under your control. Some things are not. In general, it depends on the search engine algorithm. WARNING: It’s easier to damage your ranking than to improve it.

Q: What is a search engine algorithm?
A: Search engines use a complex mathematical equation to determine how results will be displayed. The algorithm is not set in stone. Usually, the search engine engineers monitor how well their algorithm works. A search engine’s popularity is dependent on the public perception of the algorithm’s results. If the results are not reflective of the web’s content, people will migrate to another search engine. If the results are tainted, people will migrate faster to another search engine. A good search engine will try to improve upon their algorithm over time.

Q: What are tainted results?
A: Exite.com and AltaVista.com are good examples of search engines that developed tainted results. At first, their engineers developed algorithms that produced great results. In particular, AltaVista became the best search engine on the www. But, as the Internet grew, they became less able to handle the growing content. Then, in an effort to help pay for the increasing costs, they let third parties taint the results in exchange for payment. Advertisers would pay to show up higher under various search terms. This practice tainted their results. Within a very short period of time, AltaVista fell from grace. AltaVista was the most recognized search engine on the Internet. Now, most people never even heard of it. The population stopped using it because they couldn’t trust the results.

Q: What else might be part of an algorithm that I can’t control?
A: As mentioned above, if a search engine takes payment to skew results, you can not control the outcome. Luckily, this type of search engine usually goes out of business in short order. But, there are many variables that good search engines use that are also out of your control. The age of your domain name is an example of a common algorithm component that you can not readily improve upon. The creation date of the webpage is another example.

Q: What are some examples for things I CAN do to help optimize my website for search engines?
A:
1) For the most part, search engines are good at reading text. Do not use Flash, Java, scripts, active webpages, php or other pages that don’t exist as text.
2) Do use text words that people are likely to search for. If you find a web engineer with good experience, he will have knowledge about search engine behavior. A good web engineer can see what search terms people type into search engines and what gets them to “click through” to the web page. A good web engineer will also have a huge database of top search queries collected over time from his network of webs. Properly employing these strings of characters will help your results.
3) Who links to you and who you link to. Most algorithms take into account the reputation of your links. If a university links to you, that will help your results. If you have commercial links to other sites, that will hurt your results.

Q: What do you tell people that ask for your help with their search engine rankings?
A: First, we can examine our resources. Then, we can leverage these assets, as well as, continue to expand on the idea. Because of your website design, web engineering and length of existence of your URL’s, it is unlikely we can get your homepage to show up at the top of search results (at least not at a reasonable cost.) However, with a reasonable budget, we could leverage our existing assets and work on an expansion plan.

We’d suggest smaller, staggered budgets instead of blowing a load up-front. A periodic and progressive advertising campaign that integrates your website and our network seems to make the most sense.

We enjoy experimenting in any number of ways. Just let us know what works for you?

Q: How is your service different or more effective then another SEO service?
A: Our service is more effective because of several key reasons:
1) Experienced web designers. The back-end of a webpage is as important as the front-end. Most publishers of websites are concerned first and foremost with aesthetics Though the look and feel of a website have some importance, the aesthetics of a site rarely influence search engine results. The back-end of a webpage is usually much more important for search engine optimization. Our web designers are among the most experienced.
2) Experienced web engineers. Not only is the engineering of a website critical, but how a website fits into the entire world wide web is vital. If a website is built to stand alone, it is unlikely to achieve critical mass. Our web engineers are among the most experienced.
3) Aged URL’s. Our web designers and web engineers started “marketing research and development” near the inception of the web browser and initial HTML specifications. Some of our URL’s have been in existence since 1994. Having your message affiliated with these URL’s is invaluable.

Q: How long should it take to move up the ranking?
A: That depends on many variables, such as, what search engine you are using, the type of product or service you offer and how your message is integrated into our advertising network. In general, it takes days or even weeks to see it rising toward the top of the charts. Usually in 6 – 18 months the ranking can be substantially improved.

Q: How will I know your service is working (page rank movement)?
A: Page rank movement will be obvious. However, it is our desire for our clients to make more money than they spend. Therefore, we hope you will know our service is working because of the results — increased customer interaction that results in improved sales.

Q: Please explain the challenges in moving up the ranking with an example, such as, if someone just created a site for an attorney and they want to get a high ranking for Mesothelioma they will likely be disappointed.
A: It is true that your competition will impact your ranking. If you are the only supplier of a high demand product, our job will be easy. On the other hand, if you are 1 of a billion suppliers of buggy whips, you will likely be disappointed. There are other variables that can’t be controlled, too. An example: two people do a search at Google.com. Unbeknown to them, they happened to land on two different Google servers that tap into two different Google databases. One person’s search results show your company listed in the top ten. The other person’s search results don’t show you at all. Though this problem can be overcome, it is much more challenging.