You've managed to get people to your site, but how do you get them to convert? Learn three strategies—based on various case studies—for boosting your site's conversion rate. more

"Not long ago in the world of online content, the top search engines were a lot like the most popular casinos in Las Vegas," writes Brendan Cournoyer at the Business 2 Community blog. "Millions came to test their luck at the tables, but the few who knew the tricks—assuming they ... more

B2B marketers are moving away from traditional marketing tactics toward online content marketing: 82% now use content marketing in their programs, making it more popular than search marketing (70%), events (68%), and public relations (64%), according to a report by HiveFire. more

"You know content marketing can do big things for your brand," writes Corey O'Loughlin at MarketingProfs' Daily Fix blog. "The only problem is: The powers that be may not know enough about content." How do you persuade the C-suite about content marketing's value to your SEO efforts? You'll need a solid ... more

MarketingProfs guest blogger Chris Wise shares five tricks of the trade to see if your business idea will fly with customers. more

Most of the world's top marketing executives understand the dramatic shifts occurring in the way they engage with customers, but still struggle to manage the change, according to a new survey from IBM: 79% of CMOs expect a high or very high level of marketing complexity over the next five ... more

If you don't optimize your blog—or other online content—there's a good chance you're missing out on higher search-engine rankings that could extend your reach well beyond your site's current readership. But take heart: Sometimes all you need are a few tweaks here and there. "A little attention to this area ... more

Google Android strengthened its lead in the US smartphone market in August 2011, accounting for 43.7% of smartphone subscribers, up 5.6 percentage points (PPs) from the previous three-month period, according to data from the comScore MobiLens service. more

This summer, Google+ cannonballed into the middle of the social networking pool. Whether it's the next big thing is still open to debate—but here's why Google+ matters to you: "Someone adds you to a circle? Get an email. Tags you in a photo? Get an email. You get the point," ... more

Want to increase Web traffic via organic search without breaking the bank? Learn three key ways to build and promote content on your website—and attract and maintain more visitors. more

Facebook may still rank second behind Google among the nation's most visited websites, but online Americans spend nearly four times more hours per month using Facebook than Google, according to data from Nielsen. more

Although Google remains the search engine of choice for most customers, you can't ignore the importance of optimizing for Bing—which currently powers nearly a third of all stateside searches. And at the Bing Community's Webmaster Center blog, Duane Forrester provides insight into Bing's SEO preferences. "[There] are a few items we love to ... more

When searching for information on the Internet, people tend to exhibit one of three distinct behavioral search patterns, according to new research by About.com, which explores the various mindsets that drive Web search. more

Need to stay on top of stats? Let the games begin. Make monitoring metrics fun, and learn how to keep track of your social media, search engine optimization, and email marketing efforts. more

Though overall global marketing budgets in the tech sector are increasing 3.5% in 2011, they are not keeping pace with annual revenues in the sector, which are expected to grow 6.5% over 2010 levels, according to a report by IDC. more

"In the United States, the franchise industry accounts for almost 40% of all retail sales," writes Dedric Polite at the HubSpot blog. "Unfortunately, many franchise companies with large networks of franchisees spread throughout the country are not taking advantage of on-page search-engine optimization best practices." To help change that picture, Polite ... more

Although online shoppers who arrive at retail websites via Facebook and Twitter are less likely than those who arrive via search engines to make a purchase, they tend to spend more money when they do buy, according to research from RichRelevance. more

"Beginning at the dawn of Google, when I first got my feet wet with PPC, you could learn everything in an afternoon," writes Jared Reed at SteadyRain. "These days, it seems like there's a new management tool, tracking metric, or ad product springing up every hour." Still, social media remains ... more

Google Sites led the US explicit core search market in August 2011 with 64.8% of search queries conducted, followed by Yahoo Sites with 16.3% and Microsoft Sites with 14.7%, according to data from comScore. more

Social networks and blogs now reach 80% of online adults in the US and together account for nearly one-quarter (22.5%) of the time Americans spend online, according to a report from Nielsen. That makes social media the top online category in the US, followed by online gaming, email, portals, search, ... more

MarketingProfs blogger and MPU marketing specialist Matt Snodgrass is thrilled about the upcoming MPU course, Search Marketing School, and offers 5 reasons why. more

Total measured advertising expenditures reached $71.5 billion in the first six months of 2011, up 3.2% from the same period one year earlier, according to data released Kantar Media. Spending growth eased slightly during the second quarter, reaching $36.5 billion, up 2.8% from a year earlier. more

"Every brand wants a cadre of evangelists who can help sway millions of readers with product reviews, blog posts, videos, tweets, etc.," write the Ivy Worldwide team in an article at MarketingProfs, "but the only way to do that is to allow influencers to make up their own minds, post ... more

Mobile local search is growing at unprecedented levels: 77.1 million mobile subscribers accessed local content* via mobile devices in January 2011, up 34% from the 57.6 million who did so one year earlier, according to a report by the Local Search Association (LSA). more

US advertisers are expected to spend nearly $77 billion on interactive marketing by 2016—as much as they now spend on TV—according to a new report by Forrester Research. By 2016, search, display, mobile, email, and social media together are expected to constitute 26% of all ad spending, up from 16% ... more