Theme: Finds at Ad:Tech for Small Businesses

I spent an entire day tramping through the 247 booths in the Exhibit Hall at Ad:Tech at San Francisco's Moscone Center on Thursday, April 27, 2006. My main goal was to learn about products and services that might interest my small- to middle-size business readers.

There were lots of larger ad and marketing agencies, offering to perform almost any service you might need. They're out of the reach of most of you.

However, I found several trends that may be of interest and explored the technology of making dynamically-generated webpages more visible to the search engines. Here's what I found:

Newest Buzzword: Behavioral Targeting

The biggest new buzzword by far at Ad:Tech was "Behavioral Targeting." Suddenly every company had a "behavioral targeting" solution. Sure, and I have a bridge to sell you.... These days "behavioral targeting" can mean at least three things -- and you need to know the difference between them. Read the article.

Affiliate Networks Are Everywhere

I found 12 affiliate networks and probably missed a few. Remember, that since many of these are quite new, the number and quality of affiliates may not match the largest networks. Read the article.

Attract Return Visitors via Games on Your Site

Here's an approach that may appeal to younger target demographics, if that's what you're seeking to attract. I found two vendors. Probably not too inexpensive, but perhaps just what you need if you're look to build loyalty in a youthful marketplace. Read the article.

Better Indexing of Dynamically Generated Webpages

I spent half an hour with YourAmigo.com to learn just how to make dynamically-generated websites better indexed by search engine spiders. Here are the steps and two vendors you can use -- a do-it-yourself solution for $60 per quarter and a consultant-driven solution. Read the article.

Briefly Noted at Ad:Tech San Francisco

There's no real rhyme nor reason to these entries, just things I found of interest, trends, and some products that might meet a need you have. These include e-commerce periodicals, a business plan change for Kanoodle, PPC bid management tools from analytics providers, phone call tracking by keyword searched on, Internet video convergence, local advertising helps, ad revenue providers, live chat 24/7 from India, and ad sales marketplaces. Read the article.

New Ecommerce and Web Marketing Articles

Each month our team of link editors scours dozens of online periodicals and resources to find key information on e-commerce and Web marketing. With so much new literature available to you, how do you find what you need quickly and painlessly? Here's a selective and searchable database of article and resource links to help your research and keep you up-to-date in the field. (Links gathered in a given month are usually available during the second week of the following month.)