Google

Sales originate through traffic. Google is the number one source of traffic, accounting for up to 80 percent of total traffic on e-commerce sites (organic, paid, and shopping). Does Google like your site? And, most importantly, does Google like and deliver traffic to your product page?

MagnetStreet, a custom magnet developer, was 80 percent reliant on its real estate customers in 2005. Although real estate customers kept MagnetStreet employees busy from August to November, the rest of the year was stagnant. In order to resolve this staffing and seasonal production slump, to acquire new customers and to expand its product portfolio, MagnetStreet looked to Google and its suite of free tools.

Facebook may become a major player in e-commerce, and small sellers are helping pave the way. One-third (32 percent) of the online sellers responding to AuctionBytes' latest Facebook Quick Poll said they list items for sale on Facebook.

Google is penalizing Overstock.com in its search results after the retailer ran afoul of Google policies that prohibit companies from artificially boosting their ranking in the internet giant's search engine.

Now ranking as the second largest search engine online, YouTube's reach and influence on consumers can't be understated. Consider the following: over 2 billion videos a day are viewed on YouTube; there are over 480 million YouTube users worldwide; the average person spends 15 minutes a day on YouTube; and, most importantly, partner ad revenue on YouTube more than tripled in 2009. Then why is it that the social networking site is often overlooked by marketers, taking a backseat to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn?

Deals website Groupon appears to be making preparations to start operations in China, a move that could shake up the market for group buying, even though challenges lie ahead for the young U.S. company.

Savane has branched out from its previous traditional, print-based marketing campaigns and launched an exciting new interactive initiative sure to get the men’s bottoms brand some attention.

An investigative report on J.C. Penney's search efforts shows the cross-channel retailer's Google rankings were elevated via black hat search techniques. J.C. Penney used paid search links and other unsavory practices to unnaturally elevate its ranking in organic search, which Google forbids.

Greetings from sunny San Diego, where I'm covering the Online Marketing Summit (OMS) for sister publication eM+C. I know, San Diego in February, tough gig. 

According to a recent study by Janrain, 75 percent of consumers take issue with being asked to register on a website and will change their behavior as a result. The study was conducted during the height of the 2010 holiday shopping season among a nationwide cross section of consumers.