Last night I pulled the full plastic trash bag out of my kitchen garbage can and accidentally ripped it. Next thing I knew, I was standing in a pool of ketchup, while coffee grinds dripped out of the hole in the bag. I knew I should have bought the more expensive bags. The store branded bags were cheaper than the ones I usually buy, so I figured, “What difference will it really make?”. Now I am stuck with 50 tall kitchen bags that tear because they are unable to support even a paper cup. Not only that, but now I have to double-up some of the bags, so in essence, I’m just spending more money. There are just certain things that you should not purchase based on price.

Here are 10 things that I would not purchase just because they are inexpensive:

10. Garbage bags
9. Toilet paper
8. Alcohol
7. Business consultant
6. Lasik surgery
5. Defense Attorney
4. Tutor
3. Bluetooth
2. Paper plates

And the last “thing” I would not purchase based on price is:

1. Internet Marketing Firm

Cheap SEO? It doesn’t even sound like a bargain. I speak daily to companies that are looking for optimization services. One of the first things they ask is “how much will it cost? I’m looking for a cheap solution, but I have to be on the first page of Google”. I just shake my head because I know if they find what they are looking for, they are going to wind up calling me next year after they are banned by the search engines.

Cheap PPC? I speak to businesses who claim they can outsource PPC Management Programs for a very inexpensive percentage of their budget. How much human interaction, analysis, A/B testing and campaign adjustments are they going to receive at 7%? With poor campaign management, ROI would be lower and they would probably be spending more in the long run.

Beware of search marketing firms that are “cheap”. You’ll get what you pay for and the ramifications are much greater than just wiping ketchup off the floor.

Feel free to add to the list.

I’m sure everyone heard the news a few weeks ago that Microsoft made an offer to buy Yahoo for $44.6 billion. Here’s a quick recap. Soon after the announcement, Yahoo’s stock went up, then Yahoo declined Microsoft’s offer, saying that they would like to hold out for better suitors. Is Yahoo holding out for more money, or do they just not want to sell to Microsoft? Yahoo said they would decide by March 14, but time is ticking.

Other suitors have expressed interest during Yahoo’s delay, including Time Warner Inc.’s AOL and News Corp.’s MySpace.com. Yahoo claims that they are not delaying the Microsoft deal in hopes they will come to a deal with either AOL or MySpace, but that they are trying to elect board members to the Yahoo committee to decide on the impending deal. They could also be waiting for a better offer from Microsoft, which some analysts say will probably happen.

Another issue has arisen since the delay in the deal, the U.S. economy. There are concerns about how well the online advertising market will fare in this lackluster economy. The economic worries have contributed to a twenty-one percent decline in Internet search and advertising leader Google Inc.’s stock price since Microsoft pounced on Yahoo. An alliance with MySpace.com looked like Yahoo’s most likely escape route a couple weeks ago, but talks with AOL have recently heated up. Hopefully a conclusion to this deal will happen soon, but it does look probable to me that Microsoft will purchase Yahoo.

When it comes to Search Engine Marketing it is critical to ensure you are utilizing the most effective and targeted keywords to get the best return on your investment. Your keywords are the foundation to any cost per click campaign and should be chosen wisely. They should be updated and tweaked often and ultimately be paired with compelling ad copy and the most relevant destination URL.

So how do you know if your keywords are “up to par”? It is sometimes difficult to choose the best keywords when you are so close to the subject. In other words, you may think you know what searchers are typing into the search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc) to find your site, however you might be surprised to find that what you may think is being searched upon is not at all the case. This is where an analytics tool comes into the mix. It is imperative to have a tool which affords you the ability to determine the specific keywords that are driving your sales, conversions or the desired action item (such as a whitepaper download, catalog request, online form, etc.) to occur. Your keywords should never be chosen by intuition, but rather, you should rely on your analytics program to guide you to the most educated choices.

One word phrases tend to be costly and generic; research shows that the savvier the searcher, the longer the keyword phrase or tail will be. In fact, a recent article stated that the average searcher is now utilizing 4 words to run a query. This approach not only keeps keyword cost down, but also provides for a more targeted and qualified visitor. For example, someone searching for the one word phrase dentist is a lot less qualified that someone searching for Dentist in Santa Monica.

Improving the keywords in your campaigns will boost your traffic quality and as a result your sales and ROI.