Here are nine predictions. Taken together, they paint a bleak picture for traditional cataloging.

This article assumes that insights gained from Web testing lead to effective print catalog presentations. That is our “Big Assumption.” If you disagree, skip to the next article. No hard feelings; see you next month. Still reading? Good. There are two decent reasons to accept the Big Assumption.

Are you on top of today’s hottest ideas in free and paid search? Here are 14 easy-to-implement ways to get your site to the top of everyone’s results. Each could support a full article in its own right, so I’ve also provided additional links to help you dig in further.

11 steps to get you up to speed

Is your company blogging yet? With the soaring cost of postage and pay-per-click advertising, blogging offers catalogers a powerful channel to get their message to prospects and customers worldwide. The cost is low. The impact is high. Here are 11 steps to get you started.

1. READ LOTS […]

You can’t just buy an increased conversion rate: you work the cycle of measuring, testing and optimizing your site. Here are guerilla tactics that even lean, in-house teams can use to move the needle.

PAY-PER-CLICK SEARCH SEVERELY UNDERUTILIZED BY PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS

Voters Are Searching For Candidates On Google & Yahoo But Majority of Campaigns Not Responding

With the 2008 presidential election just 12 months away, the Rimm-Kaufman Group today released initial results from Search and Politics ’08. This study, part of an ongoing series on paid search advertising […]

All the hype creates the impression that CyberMonday is actually the year’s highest volume online shopping day. While this may be true for a few online businesses, data from 100+ retailers shows that the majority of businesses see their top sales days a couple of weeks after CyberMonday.

Today’s web provides easy tools for competitive research. This column provides a roadmap for sleuthing a competitor in a few of hours, at no cost, using just a web browser.

The next generation of Web analytics is less about reports and more about actions and outcomes. It’s about what happens on your Website, but also about why. It’s less about waiting for an elusive “big win” to justify expensive software and more about investing in people and a series of changes that can make a real difference to your Web business’ bottom line.

As paid search marketing grows in importance and consumes a larger share of catalogers’ acquisition budgets, it’s prudent to scrutinize these programs regularly. You want to make sure your plans are being executed correctly, and that your precious marketing dollars are being used intelligently. Here are recommendations for auditing paid search marketing campaigns.