The First Rate team has completed the requirements for the Yahoo Search Marketing Ambassdor Programme. Below a selection of the necessary training to gain YSM Ambassador status:

Network Overview

1. Understanding the Search Market
2. YSM Network Overview
3. YSM Network Metrics

YSM Product Overview

1. Sponsored Search
2. Content Match
3. Rich Ads in Search
4. Premium Homepage Text Links
5. Yahoo! Messenger Text Links
6. The Integrated Approach

YSM Platform

1. Achieving Operating Efficiency
2. YSM Desktop

Editorial Guidelines & PPC Best Practices

1. Yahoo! Search Marketing Editorial Guidelines Overview
2. Account Structure & Technical Details
3. Optimisation & Best Practices
4. Editorial PPC Case Studies

Related Posts:

• Case Study – RaboPlus Search Engine Marketing
• We Couldn’t Have Said It Better Ourselves
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Google has retired the Google Advertising Professionals (GAP) programme and replaced it with a new AdWords Certification programme.

Penry Price, Vice President, Global Agency Development for Google, writes:

We’ve had a lot of great feedback from agencies and today we’re announcing changes designed to offer them better training and more rigorous certification in AdWords proficiency, and to lower costs for those who help advertisers get the most out of AdWords…The new program provides agencies and their employees with more up-to-date, comprehensive, strategy-focused training and certification on the latest tools and best practices for managing AdWords accounts.

Recently, Google has released a new set of exams for the AdWords Certified Partner Programme.

Following on from being the first AdWords Qualified Agency in New Zealand under the old exams, First Rate are happy to announce that the entire consulting team has passed both the Fundamentals and Advanced exams.

The New Google AdWords Certification Exams

There are four exams in total, here is what’s covered:

• The Google Advertising Fundamentals Exam: Basic aspects of AdWords and online advertising, including account management and the value of search advertising.
• The Search Advertising Advanced Exam: Intermediate-to-advanced best practices for managing AdWords campaigns.
• The Display Advertising Exam: Intermediate-to-advanced best practices for advertising on YouTube and the Google Content Network.
• The Reporting & Analysis Advanced Exam: Intermediate-to-advanced best practices for maximizing account performance using Google Analytics, Website Optimizer, the AdWords Report Center, and other analysis techniques.

The ‘Display’ and ‘Reporting’ Exams are not yet available, but First Rate consultants will be sitting these as soon as they become available.

Google AdWords Search Advertising Advanced Exam

The following advanced Adwords topics are covered in this exam:

• AdWords Ad Formats
• AdWords Targeting and Placements
• Keywords and Keyword Targeting
• AdWords Language & Location Targeting
• Placement Targeting for the Content Network
• Location Extensions
• AdWords Bidding and Budgeting
• AdWords Policies
• Ad and Site Quality
• Invalid Clicks Issues
• AdWords Tools
• AdWords Editor
• AdWords Reporting
• Conversion Tracking
• Optimising Performance
• Optimising AdWords Campaigns and Ad Groups
• Optimising Websites and Landing Pages
• Optimising for Greater Conversions
• Managing Multiple Accounts
• Overview of Managing Multiple Accounts
• Managing Accounts with My Client Centre (MCC)
• Using AdWords API

Related Posts:

• Using a Custom Google Analytics Configuration to Understand Online Marketing Performance
• How to Report on Actual Adwords Search Keywords in Google Analytics Reports
• 10 Worst AdWords Campaign Mistakes
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• AGENCY@Google offers 5 Principles for Digital Marketing Success

In an open letter to marketing directors, Tom Skotidas, head of marketing for First Rate, explains why they should learn about the technology agencies use to manage search engine marketing.

Dear marketing director, I hope this letter finds you and your search engine marketing program well. I am writing because I am concerned that you might be missing out on a key part of your SEM performance.

I want to discuss SEM technology – or as it’s commonly referred to, “SEM Bid Management Software”. This software uses bidding algorithms and rules to automate and help manage a company’s SEM program.

For years now, SEM technologies have proven to be outstanding add-ons to agencies’ consulting work. Leading platforms in this space include Kenshoo, Marin, Efficient Frontier and SearchIgnite – my agency’s own.

But instead of being treated as an add-on tool – a servant to the surgeon – SEM technology often ends up becoming the main feature of the agency. Unfortunately, SEM technology often replaces the very people you think are working on your account.

And this begs several questions: Does your current agency use SEM technology? Have you even been shown what the technology looks like? If so, what is the contribution of your agency’s consulting team, beyond mere software management? Have you been invited to contribute – at the strategic level at least – to the bidding and optimisation process?

I’ve spoken to hundreds of ecommerce and marketing managers over the past three years. I’ve discovered many are aware of the concept of SEM technology, but are not familiar with their agency’s actual technology offering and its impact on their SEM program.

Why is that?

Click here to download the rest of the article, as published in the April 2010 edition of AdNews: Get to know SEM technology.

Related Posts:

• First Rate Announces Exclusive New Zealand and Australian Partnership with SearchIgnite

One of our long-standing team members, Stuart, is moving on to pursue his desire to work in the non-profit space. Good for the non-profit but sad for us. As a result, there is a opening on the team right now & WE WANT YOU! (or someone you know).

The opening is for an Internet Marketing Consultant. If you know someone who would be perfect for this role, there is NZD$1000 in it for you if you refer them. Just use the bounty form to recommend them (and then tell them to be awesome so you can get the cash!).

Related Posts:

• No related posts (yet).

(Auckland, 9th February 2010) Search marketing agency, First Rate has been appointed as the exclusive licensee in New Zealand and Australia of the Search Engine Marketing (SEM) technology, SearchIgnite.

One of the world’s leading providers of SEM bid management and reporting solutions, SearchIgnite will provide First Rate with an advanced suite of tools to manage, optimise, track and report on SEM campaigns for its clients.

The SearchIgnite solution offers advanced features including cross-channel conversion path analysis and end-to-end automatic optimisation of creative, bids and landing pages.

Founder of First Rate, Jon Ostler said “We carried out an extensive, worldwide search for the best SEM technology available. In the end we chose SearchIgnite because of their technology’s leading bid management methodology, unique direct marketing features, and proven client results.”

First Rate CEO in New Zealand, Kevin Francis, said, “Due to an initially slow take up of SEM in New Zealand compared to other countries, we are now seeing a rapid increase in demand for SEM services. As New Zealand’s leading search marketing agency, we are excited to introduce cutting edge technology into the country that many local advertisers would not normally be able to access. Over the years, we have found that advertisers that take full advantage of contemporary online marketing channels like search gain a huge competitive advantage, we expect the deployment of this technology across our New Zealand clients will extend their competitive advantage further.”

Founder of SearchIgnite, Roger Barnette said, “We are excited to form a strategic relationship with First Rate across New Zealand and Australia. We were impressed with the reputation and leadership position First Rate has built up around their search marketing services.   This new strategic relationship with SearchIgnite means they will grow their leadership position further in SEM.”

-ends-

For further information or interviews please contact:
Kevin Francis
Phone: +64 9 920 1742
Email: kevin.francis@firstrate.co.nz

About First Rate
First Rate (www.firstrate.co.nz) is New Zealand’s leading search marketing agency, specialising in search engine optimisation (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), and performance online advertising.  They are recognised as leaders in developing strategies and tactics that help their clients dominate the search engines and grow their online market share. First Rate works with many of New Zealand’s leading blue chip brands.  Its clients are spread over 50 industries including retail / e-tail, financial services, education, energy, travel, and software solutions.

First Rate Ltd, Company (registered) number 969774, is a subsidiary of ASX listed Q Ltd (ASX: QXQ).

About SearchIgnite
SearchIgnite is a leading provider of search management solutions for optimizing paid search to deliver improved performance and higher ROI. The company’s search management and digital media attribution technology offers an advanced suite of tools to manage, optimize and report on paid search campaigns in one central dashboard, as well as gather insights into the relationship between media channels. SearchIgnite optimises $400 million (USD), manages 50+ million keywords and drives $8 billion+ in revenue each year for some of the world’s leading marketers. More information can be found at www.searchignite.com.

Related Posts:

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• Increasing the Performance of your Digital Media Spend with Cross-Channel Conversion Attribution
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