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One of the most common questions asked when starting a pay per click (PPC) advertising campaign is whether or not it's necessary to bid on your own name.

We've heard of several instances where search marketing agencies have insisted that their customers bid on their own names even if they rank first for their name in organic search results.

There are a few reasons why doing this can make sense:

- it can help you defend yourself against competitors who may bid on your name
- it can provide some insurance in case your name falls in organic rankings
- it can establish some visibility if your brand or website is new
- it can be inexpensive
- it's generally positive to appear in more places within search results

On the other hand, consider that many SEM agencies -- particularly large, national ones -- often apply PPC campaigns like a wet blanket. They don't take into account your specific business circumstances or how your brand already performs online.

Furthermore, these agencies include clicks for your name in their overall reporting, effectively inflating the success of your paid search campaign, and blurring the line between organic and paid search performance. 

Even though the cost per click (CPC) for your name can be quite low, if you have a relatively large brand, these low-cost clicks can amount to hundreds or thousands per month. This is money that could be used elsewhere such as on additional non-brand keywords or towards your most valuable keyword choices.

The bottom line is that paying for your own name only makes sense if:

- the volume of searches for your name is relatively low
- you don't appear first in organic listings when your name is searched
- your competitors are bidding for your name

Give us a shout for information about our custom paid search and SEO campaigns.

These days, all the world's a-Twitter and that means countless off-shoots and meta-twits (if you will). It also means game-time for the handful of URL shortening services that create short aliases for long web addresses.

URL generators and shorteners -- TinyURL being the most popular -- are nothing new and were probably first designed to work around email clients that force line breaks and to cut down the excruciating length of web addresses common to newsgroup postings.

Now, with everyone texting and tweeting in 140 characters or less, making use of a short URL to share links is absolutely essential. Start-ups like Bit.ly (the default shortener for TweetDeck), Tr.im, and Digg's new DiggBar are receiving lots of attention and investment.

Bit.ly, in particular, is trying to set new heights for URL shortening services. It's keeping web developers and marketers in mind by offering real-time link performance tracking, custom URL generation, spam filtering, and API tools.

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