When you think about the search buying cycle, you often start with a user's keyword search. However, that's not the entire buying cycle funnel. The first steps in the buying cycle are awareness and interest. It's difficult to generate awareness in search as someone has to first know about a product or service before they can search for it.

Traditionally, the awareness cycle has taken place through CPM (cost per 1000 impressions) buys on the traditional ad networks, or via ad buys on a specific site. However, it is possible to accomplish many of these buys through Google's AdWords program. If you use content network best practices, you can optimize these buys based upon campaign metrics once you set your goals.

With the launch of AdWords new keywords plus placements targeting, you have better control in buying both CPC and CPM ads via Google than in the previous days of the content network.

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Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.

From Search Engine Land:

• Google Launches Enhanced 404 Widget
  Google has launched a new tool within Google Webmaster Tools that allows Webmasters to create custom 404 pages. To access the tool, go to Google Webmaster Tools, then click on tools on the left and then click on "Enhance 404 pages." You can then copy and paste the widget code...
• Yahoo Grouping Results & Google Tests Sort By Date Or Relevance
  It appears that Yahoo has started to group results together, by indenting listings from the same domain under the first search listing. For example, a search on search engine land at Yahoo returns these two results, the second being indented. Google is also conducting some testing with their search listings....
• Survey Says: Google Leads In Consumer Satisfaction
  Google Leads in Search Satisfaction from adAge.com reports that Google not only is leading in the University of Michigan and ForeSee Results in American Consumer Satisfaction Index, but is also "surging" in growth. Google scored a 86 in the index, up 10.3% in consumer satisfaction from last year. While Yahoo...
• Search Illustrated: People Streams
  A common misperception about search marketing is that it consists only of on-page optimization. In reality, SEM touches countless online channels with the ultimate goal of bringing targeted traffic to a web site. This week's infographic illustrates the number of channels that search marketing taps into—in addition to search...
• Day One: SES San Jose '08 Recap
  Day one of the Search Engine Strategies San Jose show is now over. Below is a recap of all the blog posts that I have found, covering the day's sessions, news and activities:...
• Yahoo Buzz Opens All Publishers & Web Sites
  Yahoo Buzz is now open to all publishers and web sites. Yahoo announced that any Yahoo user can now "buzz up" any content from any publisher on the Web. Yahoo Buzz launched in February of this year, as a Digg competitor. It was locked down to about 100 publishers and...
• Optimizing Google OneBox and Yahoo! Shortcut Local Listings
  If you have a site you want to optimize for local searches, you generally want the site to appear in the web search local listing (Google Onebox or Yahoo! shortcut). Creating a page for your local listing could be a determining factor in your listing's appearance. Below, an easy...

Search News From Around The Web:

Applications & Portal Features

• Google Sites Now Home For Spammers, Read/Write Web

Business Issues

• Google.org invests more than $10 million in breakthrough geothermal energy technology, Google
• The Curious Case of Facebook's Benjamin Ling and Sheryl Sandberg, AllThingsD
• Yahoo shares fall, analysts cut earnings forecasts, Forbes
• Yahoo! to hire 400 employees, Business Standard
• YouTube co-founder looks for his next success, Star Tribune

Local, Maps & Mobile

• Announcing a beta release of the Android SDK, Android Developers Blog
• Android: An In-Depth Video Tour of Android 0.9, an (Almost) Great (Almost) OS, Gizmodo
• Discovering the Library With Google Earth, redOrbit
• Google Maps Business Phone Verification Bug Continues, Search Engine Roundtable

Paid Search & Contextual

• Introducing the AdWords 101, 201, and 301 Seminar series, Inside AdWords
• adCenter August upgrade: credit card updates, adcentercommunity.com
• Did the Olympics Reduce Your Google AdSense Earnings?, Search Engine Roundtable
• Green Marketing Tips for PPC, Search Marketing Sage
• AdWords Downtime: August 23, 10am-4pm PDT, AdWords API Blog
• Microsoft adCenter Publisher Beta - Sign Up Today! - adCenter Blog for Advertisers, adcentercommunity.com

Searching

• Breach on Princeton Review Site Exposed Students' Data, New York Times
• Creative uses of Custom Search, Google Custom Search
• NewsCred Goes Public With Credibility-Based News Source, TechCrunch
• Google in Tamil, Official Google Blog
• Google Calling Itself Names, Google Blogoscoped
• Search engines search for better understanding, San Francisco Chronicle
• So Long EDGAR: SEC Plans Switch From Edgar To Interactive Database, ResourceShelf
• Why I Think SERPs Should Go Beyond 10 Results, Search Engine Guide

SEM Industry

• Trademark SEO Update: Jason Gambert Loses Two Motions and Must Ask Permission Before Filing Any More Motions, SEOmoz
• ABC News Looks at Protecting Your Online Reputation, Marketing Pilgrim
• PPCHero: Search Blogger of the Day, The SEO Scoop
• Sigh... More Ignorance About SEO, SEOmoz
• Internet Marketing Conference Tips: Danny Sullivan Third Door Media, Online Marketing Blog

SEO & SEM

• So You Paid for SEO & Then An Email Comes Telling You Your Site Isn't Doing Well..., seoaware.com
• Domains Are NOT Real Estate, KW Research as I. Property: Internet Law Experts Speak Out!, seoroi.com
• Search Engine Optimization: Back To Basics, Search Engine Watch
• SEM Success In 10 Minutes A Day, Search Engine Watch

Video, Music & Image Search

• Visual search engine is photographer's best friend, PC Pro

Web Analytics

• WebTrends Launches New Service to Reduce Wasted Ad Dollars, Search Engine Watch Blog

Recent Hot Items From Sphinn, Our Social News Sharing Site:

• On Domain Names, Size and Quality DOES Matter!
• Breakdancing SEO's: Brian Chappell and Martin Bowling
• Google Refuses to Penalize Me for Keyword Stuffing

Google has launched a new tool within Google Webmaster Tools that allows Webmasters to create custom 404 pages.

To access the tool, go to Google Webmaster Tools, then click on tools on the left and then click on "Enhance 404 pages." You can then copy and paste the widget code from the Google site, into your page template. For example, I set up a page at the Search Engine Roundtable at seroundtable.com/advertize.html, notice I spelled advertise, with a "Z." Google automatically notices that I have a page at advertise.html, and offers that as an option for people to visit. Here is a screen capture:

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It appears that Yahoo has started to group results together, by indenting listings from the same domain under the first search listing. For example, a search on search engine land at Yahoo returns these two results, the second being indented.

Google is also conducting some testing with their search listings. Tom Critchlow at the Distilled blog noticed Google is giving him the option to sort the Google web results by date or by relevance. I personally do not see it, but Tom shared a screen shot of it in action:

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Google Leads in Search Satisfaction from adAge.com reports that Google not only is leading in the University of Michigan and ForeSee Results in American Consumer Satisfaction Index, but is also "surging" in growth.

Google scored a 86 in the index, up 10.3% in consumer satisfaction from last year. While Yahoo was down 2.5% to 77, Microsoft's MSN remained at 75, and Ask.com dropped 1.3% to 74. AOL did increase by 3% to 69, but lost a lot the year prior and is still not where they were then, which was 74.

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