via AudioBoo
Monday, 27 July 2009
Sunday, 26 July 2009
Ad Extensions - Introduction - AdWords Help
Google PPC Ad Extensions - Introduction
Ad extensions expand a standard text ad with additional business information such as an address, helping web users easily find out more about your business. Ads will appear as normal across Google and the Google Network, but the additional information may also appear on Google.com and its properties, such as Google Maps, in an enhanced format. For example, if you own a bicycle repair shop in downtown Tokyo, a customer near your store searching for bicycle repair shops or tools to repair their bicycle is a local user you could more effectively reach with ad extensions. The user will see your text ad, along with your business information.
Pricing and traffic
You're charged in the same way for ad extensions as you are for a standard text ad. However when your ads are shown on Google Maps, you won't be charged for clicks on your ad that expand the info windows on the map interface, but you will be charged for clickthroughs from the info window to your website.
This is really important news for local businesses (retail, restaurants etc.) as well as any company with physical shops or offices.
At i-KOS.com we manage a bunch of PPC campaigns for retailers and providing a ROI on regional campaigns is always difficult not to mention rime consuming (setting up tons of ad groups to encompass the neighboring towns).
What I am fascinated about is how far these extensions go; what else will Google allow advertisers to add! Any ideas please share.
You should follow me and keep in touch http://www.www.twitter.com/mylesdavidson
Beware how you go about enticing new customers - at the expense of your current ones...
Trying to entice new customers is an absolute must, they are the life-blood of many businesses especially those with a high churn.
But this is a picture of my hair dressers and here’s the point I walked past a new salon on the way to book an appointment at my usual and seeing this sign actually made me turn on my heels. My loyalty is not worth a discount (I have used them four five years) whereas a stranger gets one quarter off!
I have thus voted with my feet and booked an appointment at the new place; which indecently was 40% less!
@mylesdavidson - come follow me now on my journey in Twittersville
Tuesday, 21 July 2009
News item relating to Dartford Power 'outage'
Power failure, Dartford area
Print pageWe’re sorry some customers in the Dartford, Broadway, Crayford and Erith areas are still off supply.
The work is difficult and time consuming and the safety of our staff and customers is of course our priority. Because of the complexity of the repairs, it is hard to be completely accurate but we hope power will be restored to everyone during the course of tomorrow (Wednesday) evening.
We have already restored power to about 31,000 customers by various means but unfortunately customers in Dartford will be off supply until permanent repairs are made. Our engineers are though looking at the possibility of installing additional generators in some areas to supplement those already in place.
The rota connections will continue until the repairs are complete.
Crayford will go on again at 15.00 today. A pattern of 3 hours on then 6 hours off will continue until we make permanent repairs.
The following postcodes, all starting with DA, will be on between 1800-2100 and again this pattern of 3 hours on then 6 hours off will continue until we complete repairs. The postcodes are:
DA 16 - 1 DA7 - 4 DA7 - 5 DA8 -1 DA16 - 3 DA5 - 3 DA7 - 6 DA16 - 2 DA5 - 1 DA17 - 5 DA6 - 8 DA6 - 8 DA17 - 6
The following postcodes, all starting with DA, will be on between 21.00 - 00.00 and again will follow a pattern of 3 hours on then 6 hours off, until we complete repairs.
The postcodes are:
DA16 - 3 DA7 - 5 DA7 - 4 DA6 - 8 DA 16 - 1 DA6 - 7 DA16 - 2 SE2 - 0 SE18 - 2
These times will be staggered slightly as not everybody can come on at once. We realise some postcodes do overlap.
During periods when people are back on supply for temporary periods, we would ask that they use power for essential purposes only, and also turn down fridges and freezers (which are high energy users), to prevent the system being overloaded. At EDF Energy Networks we are doing all we can to get power to people but we would appreciate and thank everyone for their support in this.
The British Red Cross (BRC) are on site again today to help our vulnerable customers.
We are talking to our regulator Ofgem about our guaranteed standards and more information will be available on this either later today or tomorrow.
As always any losses have to go through your own insurance.
Thank you for your patience we do realise how difficult it is to be without power for such a long time. We are of course doing everything possible to restore supply as soon as possible and will continue to work around the clock to complete permanent repairs.
via edfenergy.com
This must be what it was like during the war; without the constant terror, bombs dropping, rations... But it is weird, folk are talking to each other and I am hearing stories of neighbours checking up on each other.
Of course it is a serious inconvenience for the business but there are the erderly to consider - what makes my blood boil is the belief that this was an act of vandalism.
POWER CUT: Customers face 36-hour wait for power after major cable fire (From News Shopper)
POWER CUT: Customers face 36-hour wait for power after major cable fire
7:05pm Monday 20th July 2009
ELECTRICITY engineers were still struggling tonight to restore power to many thousands of customers whose supply was cut off following major fire damage to high voltage electricity cables.
EDF Energy has warned work to fully restore supplies could take more than 36 hours to complete.
Thousands of people across Bexley, Dartford and the Orpington area lost their electricity supply, with shops, offices and Bexleyheath's Cineworld, forced to close.
The company said vandals may have been responsible for the fire which broke out on a cable bridge in Dartford at 12.47pm today.
The bridge carries the cables across a waterway behind the Arriva bus garage in Central Road, Dartford.
EDF Energy Networks engineers are currently on-site working closely with Kent Fire Brigade.
EDFsaid it has nearly 100 employees working on the incident.
It added: "Our teams will be working through the night, including at the site."
A company spokeswoman said: "Our priority is restoring customer supplies as quickly as is safely possible.
"However, this is a complex and difficult situation and the bridge needs to be safe enough for our engineers to begin to carry out repairs and then lay and join new cables to the network.
"We expect this work to take at least 24 to 36 hours, maybe longer, although we will try to restore supplies to as many customers as we can, as soon as possible."
She added: "However, it is likely there will be periods of further interruption until the full restoration work is complete."
The company promised: "Staff in our call centres are endeavouring to contact vulnerable customers who may be affected.
"We will also be providing generators for key sites where possible."
EDF said the locks on the security gates at each end of the cable bridge appeared to have been broken open.
It says four major electricity circuits have been damaged in the blaze, as well as damage to one of the bridge's concrete supports.
Supplies to some areas were restored gradually during the afternoon, using other routes, but there are still large numbers of people without electricity tonight.
As well as working on-site with Kent Fire Brigade, EDF engineers are also liaising with local council officials and the Kent and Met. police forces.
The spokeswoman said: "We do appreciate people's patience and apologise to everyone affected."
She added: "Tampering with the electricity network is extremely dangerous, and in this case has caused considerable damage and major inconvenience to many thousands of people who have been left without electricity supplies."
People are urged to listen to local radio stations for the latest information.
The EDF Energy emergency number is 0800 028 0247, although the situation is unlikely to change for some time.
Bexley police say they are working with Bexley Council and other agencies to ensure the safety and wellbeing of Bexley residents.
Emergency services and hospitals are working as normal and additional police patrols are taking place across Bexley borough.
The London Fire Brigade has advised people using candles because they have no power, to take particular care and never leave them unattended.
Bexley Council is trying to ensure that disruption to essential services is kept to a minimum.
And Bexley Care Trust (NHS) is making sure vulnerable people under its care are kept safe.
People with concerns about their health should continue to call their local health services as they would normally do.
If your GP is affected by the power failure, call NHS Direct on 0845 4647.
For out of hours enquiries continue to call Grabadoc on 020 8319 3030.
Monday, 20 July 2009
Quality is in the Content - well to a point I for one think its over-rated!
via fastcompany.com
I am ultimately not so sure Google is as clever and pervasive as some articles; maybe this one suggest.
Sure things need to match up pretty much but you would've had to pretty much exhaust almost all keywords on all search engines (the relative low hanging fruit) to need to go to this level of trying to improve the quality score.
I would rather invest in landing pages (conversion) and focus on A>B tests months before thinking about adapting content for quality score. In fact I would say its the last consideration. You need to prove the model first - quality score is granular detail.
@mylesdavidson
experimenting with posterous...
Autopost is really powerful stuff but its now posting to other services that post to twitter - If i'm not carefull ill create an infinite loop and bring social media to its knees.
O2 launches prepaid VISA card
via o2money.o2.co.uk
Interesting move from a company that knows how to get customers to manage money afterall pay-as-you-go is the same as prepaid.
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