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Category: Keith-Hansen

Facebook Cover Photo Features Webconsuls Team


Friday April 13, 2012

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Two weeks ago I talked about adding some finishing touches to your Facebook business page. In particular, I urged you to create your business Facebook “cover photo” and to think through what message you wanted to send with that photo. Of late, I used our Webconsuls Facebook page to feature our clients’ Facebook cover photos. All the while, I was working with our Webconsuls’ team members to determine what our cover photo should say about us.

Here is a little of how this process went: We are not a traditional brick and mortar business, so we knew we wouldn’t present a photo of our storefront. We also knew that our team members live in five different states and three time zones, so getting together for a group shot was not going to happen. Additionally, we felt that taking the approach that we use on our Twitter page, that is listing our services, would not really make us unique or tell our story.

So how do we tell Webconsuls’ story? What makes us unique?  I remember when Dick and Dennis first decided to form Webconsuls. They went back and forth about what to name their business, how would they convey their vision.  The good news is they committed this history to a press release and here is what they wrote November 16, 1999.

‘The name Webconsuls was chosen very deliberately. A consul is an official appointed by a government to advance the commercial interest of its citizens in a foreign country. Webconsuls is conceived as describing “a firm which advances the commercial interest of its clients on the World Wide Web.” As Dick Fay recently remarked, “Web sites do not automatically produce dollars. Success is realized when web sites are carefully marketed and targeted, those activities being integrated into a tailored, well–orchestrated business campaign.”‘

And so, between a few emails and phone calls the Webconsuls’ team decided our cover photo should be a collage of the team members. It is not about being techies or understanding all the latest software and tools, but more about being people who work with other people to promote the success of our clients’ businesses. It is a collaborative process and we think that is what our current cover photo says.

webconsuls facebook cover
Webconsuls’ FACEBOOK Cover Photo April 2012 – click on it to enlarge!

What do you think? Notice I said current, because we can refresh it and keep it vital. Like any collage it tells a story…Dennis, Judy and Dick meeting 31 years ago at an ARCO training seminar, Malik’s college graduation and enjoying a California sunset, Heidi receiving her master’s from NYU and “horsing around”, Alycia and Bill celebrating their wedding in Hawaii, Dick supporting his beloved DUKE and the Phillies, Dennis meeting with clients, Daniel working with animals and ‘dressing to the nines’, Keith enjoying life and supporting the Toronto Blue jays…the story goes on.

We look forward to your comments or stop by our FACEBOOK page and “like” us.

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adwords certified partner

Webconsuls has recently been recognized as a Google AdWords Certified Partner.  This certification is given to companies with Pay-Per-Click managers who currently run successful Google AdWords marketing campaigns and have also demonstrated in-depth AdWords knowledge by passing multiple professionals exams created by Google.

Google has created the Certified Partners Program for businesses that are looking to use Google marketing as a business tool to create more business but don’t have the knowledge or time to successfully manage an AdWords campaign.  The Google stamp of approval lets potential businesses know about companies with a high level of expertise and a significant amount of history in the medium.

keith webconsuls


Our PPC Specialist Keith Hansen is our Certified Google Partner. Before joining our team over four  years ago, Keith was a Yahoo Search Marketing specialist.  He was trained from the inside of the industry, a real advantage in this very competitive marketplace.  As a result of this new certification, Webconsuls and Keith will have access to next-level Google training and resources, as well as $100 in promotional credits to new businesses who are interesting in trying Google AdWords to promote their business goals.


Let us create a PPC/Google AdWords marketing proposal customized to your business goals and web site so you can see how it works and what it brings to the table.  Here is some basics on the value AdWords provides, and why it is so successful:

  1. You set the cost- we can work with any budget.
  2. Reach 84% of internet users. 
  3. Track-able to the penny- ability to know what works and what doesn’t towards optimization. 
  4. Complete Control- come up on Google searches for the keywords your target audience is searching. 
  5. Find searchers looking for your service/product!

Read more about Pay Per Click campaigns here and feel free to leave a comment or question. Keith will be happy to join the conversation.

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It has been a while since we talked about BING.  Lately clients have been asking more questions about BING. Sometimes they think it is an entirely new search engine and then they realize that prior to two years ago they knew BING as Live Search, Windows Live Search or MSN Search. In July 2009, Keith Hansen wrote a post about Microsoft & Yahoo agreeing to a search partnership. In the last few months a few clients called to verify why their Pay Per Click charges referenced BING, instead of YAHOO.  On April 11, 2011, BING launched their Business Portal beta, which is:

“a new service from Bing to help business owners create and control their online listing, making it easier for their customers to find them on Bing. With it, owners can even create deals and promote the offers on both the Bing desktop and mobile experience – for free. The BBP will replace the Bing Local Listing Center (LLC), and all existing listing on LLC have been seamlessly migrated to the Bing Business Portal.”

So now it is time for you to claim your listing(s). Don’t worry, it is free; but it will take a few minutes. And BING wants you to know that by claiming your listing your business will have a better chance of being found on BING and you will be able to highlight your strengths and create campaigns that you can even publish to your FACEBOOK account.

OK, like I said: You need to claim your listing…so start by going here and See How the Bing Business Portal Can Help Your Business Grow.  Follow the step by step instructions and if you have more involved questions you can visit BING’s Business Portal Frequently Asked Questions.

bing listing

Let me know how you do or feel free to contact me if you have more questions.

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reviewing 2010Image via Wikipedia
Webconsuls’ 2010/2011 Winter Newsletter
If 2010 was nothing else, it was a fast year. It seems only yesterday Dick Fay and I were working on our 2009 Winter Newsletter and now here we are writing our 2010/2011 Winter Newsletter. We want to take a few minutes to: Thank our Webconsuls’ clients, introduce our newest clients, highlight some marketing and software ideas, suggest two resolutions for you and support our not-for-profit clients who assist children in need.
Thanking our clients…
Webconsuls and our team appreciates our clients. We learn from each and every client by optimizing their sites, designing new sites, building blogs, coaching our clients on new software and responding to their marketing needs. As you may know, we have clients across the United States (actually in 11 states) and in two foreign countries, representing industries from hospitality to law, health care to home maintenance, real estate to retail, sports and recreation to performing arts. There is never a dull day.
Introducing our clients who joined us in 2010…
We invite you to meet our new clients and visit their websites.
Highlighting some marketing and software suggestions…

 

We know the internet is fluid. It changes daily. We try to keep our clients abreast of these changes by writing this blog, researching our clients’ requests, providing news’ feeds on our website, and publishing our newsletter. Over the past few years we have blogged a lot about social media/Google/Twitter. We have built blogs for our clients, we have worked with our clients to establish their Facebook business page.  Additionally, over the past year…
  • Dick has been particularly active assisting our clients by adding shopping carts with either PayPal or Authorize.net functionality.
  • Dennis worked with clients to add a LIVEPerson feature for online customer engagement.
  • Malik, our lead designer and web developer, is also proficient in designing clients’ e-newsletters using Constant Contact and Vertical Response.
  • Keith, our PPC specialist, works closely with several of our PPC clients to utilize phone conversion optimization software.  
  • Alycia, our branding expert, has been focused on improving Client Web 2.0 and specific SEO-related enhancements.
Suggesting two resolutions for you…

 

The first is to start reading our Webconsuls’ blog on a regular basis.  As we said above, with our blog we communicate new information that we think is important to on-line marketing and social media.


The second is to start and maintain your own blog.  Our clients with blogs generally receive more traffic than clients in similar fields without them.  Blogger now allows you to easily monitor your blog stats.  A blog is easy and relatively inexpensive to create.  Routinely writing posts can be a challenge, but it can  be rewarding with more virtual exposure, traffic, and new business.  You might start by also reading some of our clients’ blogs like –  Delytes – A ‘green’ fine foods company  or Attorney Carilyn Ibsen’s blog  or Attorney Will Bruzzo’s blog.

Finally supporting our not-for-profit clients…

 

This year, as in years past, Webconsuls made a donation in honor of our clients to those not-for- profit clients who work to support children and families in need.

Olive Crest Homes and Services for Abused Children
Since 1973, Olive Crest has transformed the lives of over 50,000 abused, neglected, and at-risk children and their families.

The Promises Foundation Miriam’s House
The Promises Foundation is committed to restoring hope for families by creating a safe environment for mothers and their children to grow and develop the tools they require to live meaningful and self-sufficient lives.

The Forrest General Healthcare Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Forrest General Hospital. The foundation helps ensure that the hospital’s vision of C.A.R.E. becomes a reality for the 17 county region that the hospital serves. Initiatives include the Inpatient Hospice Home Project, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Renovation Project and the Spiritual Grounds at Pine Grove.

We wish you a healthy and prosperous New Year. Let us know if 2011 is the year you want to add some new features to your on-line marketing. We will be happy to discuss these opportunities and plan a strategy with you.

Sincerely,
Dennis, Dick and Judy

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This version of the CNet Buzz Report has some interesting tech stories, but I was flabbergasted to hear their ripping of the iphone.  I was taken by this negative slant not because I have one and love it- I’m a Blackberry guy- but because everyone on this blog thinks the device is the second coming.

I have heard the iphone has some amazing apps, which must be true because CNet admits it does, but their take on why the iphone is a loser is interesting– the phone doesn’t work!!!

What are your thoughts on their critique?

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As the NFL season approaches, many of us sports geeks play a game where we draft our own team of offensive players who gain points to determine a winner within our own made up leagues.  Especially if you are in a city without an NFL franchise to root for (like me in LA- ridiculous), Fantasy Football brings an added element to the NFL season.  These league are provided by CBS, ESPN, and Yahoo just to name a few.

This is a great way to learn about other teams and moreover have a vested interest in more than just your city’s team.  And since many leagues are play for free, there isn’t a lot of risk.

Some leagues have been continued from year to year with the same set of owners/managers of these created teams.  My family and friends league has existed for 9 years with the same set of guys, and that is average.

Certain very competitive leagues can take themselves very seriously and include a entrance fee of hundreds of dollars.  Other leagues expand the points system of scoring to include team defenses and even individual defensive players.

Drafting in fantasy leagues can be 1 of a few different types.  Drafting players can start carte blanche every year, others can allow teams to keep a number of players and still others decide to auction players off.  You can see how developed this hobby has gotten.

Maurice Jones-Drew for the number 1 pick.  Agree or disagree?

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Les Paul died yesterday from complications from pneumonia.  If you have never heard of Les Paul or wonder why the music community is making such a big deal for this guy, let me share my perspective.

Les Paul created the guitar for rock, pop, country, funk, rap etc, etc.  The picture included are my personal instruments with Les Paul’s name on them.  They are made by the brand Gibson, and here is a short list of musicians who use the Les Paul instrument- the Edge, Slash, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Dean Deleo, Mike McCready and Stone Gossard, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello and the list goes on.  Odds are your favorite performer had this guitar used in their band.

The testimonials for this pioneer are endless at every music source I visit.  While his music was before my time, his instrument is timeless.

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District 9, is the new Peter Jackson movie involving captured and imprisoned aliens here on earth. Watch the video for a brief intro and the official trailer.

I am bringing this film to your attention because I am not a big alien movie or blockbuster big effects guy– and it still looks interesting to me. My interest comes mainly from the fact that in this movie, the aliens are not superior as usually portrayed. (Not to mention Peter Jackson is behind the project.) These aliens are vulnerable enough that they are imprisoned, instead of the normal physical, technological, and mental dominating beings that movies like Independence Day portray.

Personally, new ideas or new takes on an idea are what I look for in a movie keeping my attention. This is especially true in the modern day where with special effects, nothing is impossible to create.

Again, I haven’t seen this movie so this is not a first person recommendation, but instead I am simply saying I am going to see it over the weekend at some point.

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Microsoft and its new Bing search engine has partnered up with Yahoo and its Search Marketing.  About five years ago a similar partnership existed for a few years, which ended with Microsoft essentially saying, ok we can do it better on our own now.  Well that didn’t happen but in the meantime Yahoo has been hurt significantly, in both company/stock value and search market share.

According to the article, we care because this gives Microsoft and Bing “access to Yahoo’s audience would instantly more than triple Bing’s U.S. market share to 28 percent.”  Or as Microsoft CEO put it, “the world will be better served for consumers, advertisers and publishers, and there will be more competition for Google, if we can somehow figure out how to get Microsoft and Yahoo together in search.”  And that is key since Google’s reported market share is 65% of search.

If you are not using the Yahoo and now Microsoft partnership for your search marketing, it may be time.  Ask us- Webconsuls.com.

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Pearl Jam’s new single the Fixer is the 1st single of the new studio album ‘Backspacer’ due out on the 20th of September. The band is also playing some dates in the US and in Europe in support of it.

Not much else is know of this release but the band played the 1st Tonight Show with Conan Obrien, playing a song called “Got Some”, which I highly recommend.  It is a song of energy and emotion- Pearl Jam’s calling card in their earlier days.

As a side note, Pearl Jam re-released their epic 1st record titled ‘Ten’ with new masters of the songs done by famed producer Brenden O’brien, who has done many of their records including the new one mentioned above. As additional incentive, Pearl Jam added other takes from the Ten sessions to the re-release. This record is one of the greatest rock records I have ever heard, and the new masters are good versions- take a listen if you’re a fan of the style.

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‘It Might Get Loud’ is a rockumentary starring 2 guitar legends and one of recent music’s only significant guitar contributors- Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin, the Edge from U2 and Jack White from the White Stripes, respectively.

This film is released August 14th limited.

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A very important feature of Google AdWords is the ability to target all areas you have defined as your target audience, but just as importantly is not having those outside your coverage area able to find you. During a recent workshop on online marketing, the concept of social casino sites was brought up as an example of niche targeting done right. These platforms often focus their ads on specific demographics, ensuring they only reach users likely to engage with their offerings, maximizing returns on ad spend. Similarly, Pay Per Click is a pay-to-play game, and throwing away money on a searcher who finds your ad and therefore costs you money without being able to utilize your product/service hurts the program significantly.

In a specific case, I was targeting only the state of Florida.  So to sum up, I only wanted people in Florida to be able to find my ads.  The problem is, my tracking shows a majority of clicks from outside the state, namely New Jersey.  How can this be?  Here’s Google’s answer:
I. IP Address Does Not Match User’s Location- the good old AOL example, where all AOL users have an IP of Virginia, their home base.
II. Target Region Larger Than Expected- this makes no sense.  I have a preset area called a STATE selected.
III. Ad Showing on Location-Specific Queries- technically my ad will still come up when searchers outside the state of Florida specifying Florida in the search query like ‘Florida shoe shine’.
IV. Ad Showing on Country-Specific Domain- like point 3, searchers specifying my target area from outside the country will still find my ad.
So to sum up- the geo-targeting is not going to be able to limit the ads as advertised, although for points 3 and 4 seem to still be targeted results.
If you have information outside these 4 Google rep. points- please share.
*Update – Google AdWords now has the ability to target users in your location, or users in – or interested in – your location. Choosing users in my location will eliminate ads showing outside your target location.
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Manny Ramirez, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ slugger and left fielder will be back in the lineup tonight against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. This is news because Manny has been forced to miss the last 50 games due to a violation of the MLB’s drug policy. Ramirez was caught taking a banned substance, specifically a women’s drug known to be taken by athletes ending a period of steroid use. He has not yet been caught using steroids though, to be clear.

The Dodger’s slugger bats third in the potent lineup which leads all of baseball with the best record in the bigs. Manny comes into tonights game with 533 career homeruns, 17th on the all-time list.

There are many positions on the steroid issue, and I for one am ashamed the game has been tainted by it. Having said that, since the era is tainted with performance enhancing drugs I don’t think you can hold players out of the hall of fame because it must be the case that currently there are players in the hall that have not and will not be caught using, even though they did. So in my view, holding out players you did catch shouldn’t make a difference. I don’t think ‘well you got caught’ should be the tag line to hall eligibility.

I will be watching Manny tonight, but then again I watch most all Dodger games. I hate to say that it has become so widespread a problem, steroids that is, that I don’t really care anymore. I’d just like to see the sport cleaned up and the issue to go away.

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Michael Jackson was the ‘King of Pop’, even if you are not a pop music fan. There are few artists that change the way music is played, viewed or in this case danced to.

When I think to myself about the classic hits of Jackson’s career, I think of never being able to go to a wedding without hearing at least 3 to 5 of his hits, which then immediately fills the dance floor.

Personally I am more of a rock n’ roll guy, but I will admit I don’t enjoy dancing to anyone else’s songs much more. The way this guy moved on stage set the tone for all single pop acts after him. You look at one of today’s biggest acts, Justin Timberlake who’s career aims at the exact audience of Michael Jackson’s. Timberlake has basically said that he is just trying to be like Jackson. Originality is rare and can be revolutionary.

Michael Jackson continues the line of troubled mega-stars like Elvis, or in a sense the Beatles. With all of his recent problems and physical difficulties, may he rest in peace.

My final note is from my rock n roll perspective- check out how Jackson incorporated a rock solo played by Eddie Van Halen into a classic pop hit- ‘Beat It’.

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The continued quest in the Pay Per Click world of writing a good and targeted ad within the allotted 70 characters is not an easy one. It is widely practiced concept of writing an ad not only to attract searchers to your business/web site, but also to deter those that are not targeted to your desired audience- keeping in mind clicks are far from free. I have written in the past, not all traffic is good traffic in the PPC world.

Recently a client of mine was getting a substantial amount of clicks and responses to the call to action of his site- phone call traffic- but those phone calls were mostly of poor quality. A tactic was chosen to modify the ad to let the searcher know up front the minimum cost of the service at hand, as to confront that searcher (potentially) before the per click charge was realized. This made a significant difference in the quality of caller, because we were able to educate the searcher to what he/she was getting into with the facility at hand.

That is, the ad itself, not the landing page, stated what the minimum cost was as to get in the door. This promotion of up front facts supports the no nonsense approach that works more times than not. We are looking to promote clicks for those not scared by the ‘sticker shock’ of the price- a way to potentially modify behavior in our favor and lower costs at the same time. In this instance the time of taking that un-targeted phone call traffic was also costing money.

It may make sense and work for you in your marketplace. Use this idea particularly with any competitive advantages you may hold and highlight those things. You can reach the searcher before they take money out of your wallet and put it into Google or Yahoo’s.

Let Webconsuls reduce your spend with tools and methods like this. We’ll put it into practice for your businesses unique needs.

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Chickenfoot is a new rock n roll group consisting of veteran musicians- Sammy Hagar (vocals) and Mike Anthony (bass) from Van Halen, Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers (drums) and the guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani.

Take a listen above, if you are not a big fan of the current state of rock n roll music (like me) you will be pleasantly surprised that these wily veterans are putting out the classic sound rarely heard today.  Granted this first single isn’t the deepest subject matter, but there is still a place for a good anthem in my book.

Also look out for the performance of this track live on the Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.

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What are the major differences and rule changes between baseball and men’s softball?

Other than the difference in the ball itself being bigger and less dense, there are major differences.

Softball has an extra player in the lineup totaling 10.  Defensively this means there are 4 outfielders instead of 3, or once in a while that extra player will be added to the infield directly behind the bag at 2nd.

The pitching is the major difference from hardball.  Pitchers in softball have a requirement of an arc above the batters waist, no higher than 10 to 12 feet depending on the league.  Because the pitch is underhand, the scoring is much higher on average than hardball, where 20 to 30 runs can be scored per game.

A few other minor differences include no leading off as a base runner.  After the pitch a base runner can be ‘picked off’ through the use of a force-play (not having to tag that runner).  Also, because the pitching is underhand, most leagues have a home run rule where team A cannot have hit more than 1 more home run than team B.

These rules can vary from league to league, but to the hardcore baseball fan, these rule changes are major.

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Many Google Advertisers received an email from AdWordsnoreply@Google.com stating “In the coming weeks, we’ll upgrade your AdWords account” to their new interface.

This auto email itself stated the following points (to summarize):

-Its a ‘a new web interface designed to make campaign management faster and easier.’

-‘You’ll have at least 30 days from the date of this email before you’ll be required to use the new interface’

-‘We’re working to ensure that the new interface contains all of the reports and controls you need to manage your campaigns effectively’

Therefore there are two major points I will summarize with:
1. This is happening to everyone
2. You don’t have a choice (so you might as well switch and get used to it asap)
If you have already familiarized yourself with the new platform, please pass along any help or feedback you may have.
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Marketing at the keyword level defines 2 basic types of keywords- general and specific.  General marketplace keywords are expensive because competition is high due to high search volumes, but these keywords are expensive because their ROI tends to be poor.  A general search query means the seacher is not very far along in the buying process and at this point is educating themselves on the market; even if this education is just comparative pricing.  Specific keywords are those further along this buying process where it is evident in the search query that the searcher knows what he or she is looking for.  In extremely specific cases, product numbers are searched for goods and area codes for services.

So along the process of educating, comparing and buying a good or service it also makes sense then, to tailor your ads to each point along that graph too.  I would even argue in many cases that you don’t want to be found along the 1st two points of the graph, but nevertheless, let the data speak for itself– i.e. track everything.
 
To put this into practice it makes most sense to have ad groups within a given campaign differentiated by keyword specificity as it relates to the buying process.  Therefore it is a clear path to writing for the different targets.  Ad group 1 is written for the uneducated searcher, ad group 2 to the price comparer and 3 (if different than step 2) is for the buyer with credit card in hand.  Again, the keywords are making the distinctions for all 3 steps.
 
Confused about how this relates to your web site or online marketing?  Let us know and we’ll make it make sense customized to your business needs.
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Have you ever gotten an email notification from Yahoo Search Marketing stating that your ‘Minimum bid requirements have increased for some of your keywords’ in a Pay Per Click account you have with them?
Well let me attempt to set the record straight.  This auto notification email specifically pertains to a keyword or set of keywords in your account that Yahoo is adjusting is invisible ‘floor’ of bidding.  This is to say that for Yahoo’s PPC program, they choose and set a minimum bid required to be displayed at all, even on lower pages.  Therefore, the ‘old school’ model of being at the minimum bid of $.10 may not get you any impressions.
This auto notify email is then attempting to tell you that you may need to increase your bids as a result of this invisible floor raising up on your keyword(s).
These emails shouldn’t though, give you too much of a problem in having to log into your account and track down the affected keywords, because if you were at the minimum bid previously and now wouldn’t be displayed, you weren’t pushing this keyword aggressively in the 1st place.
It is annoying to me how Yahoo goes about its business in attempting to alarm you with auto emails, so you can take time out of your day and in their hopes, spend more money with them.  Again, if this was an important keyword for your campaign, you would be attempting 1st page positioning and therefore wouldn’t be affected.
Yahoo is sure to let you know when your account has run out of money or in this case, when it wants you/is making you bid higher on the per click level.  Now I just hope I can get some service on why they reject an Ad URL change and NOT tell me about it.
Do you have a marketing account with Yahoo and have no idea what I’m talking about?  Let me educate you and help build your business.  Yahoo historically around 33% cheaper than Google AdWords, both of which are necessary.

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