PPC ADGROUP EXPANSION & OPTIMIZATION TIPS

In many cases, identifying a well structured PPC campaign usually consists of many “highly relevant” adgroups (keyword groups, text ads and LP’s). But one of the biggest challenges is Budget Allocation within those campaigns which contain those adgroups, especially when dealing with continuous expansion. Most of the time, certain adgroups will ether “suck up” all of the spend and/or provide the most conversions. In the fortunate case of having a few “goldmine” adgroups, it makes sense to re-evaluate the campaign structure to ensure that all of the best performing adgroups get their fair share of the budget. Let’s discuss…..

In essence, this is a very good problem to have because it allows for better management of ROAS%. Adgroup expansion is a sign of good Quality Score methodology. Overtime, there will be Winners, Losers and Others that need more attention. With that said, there are a few ways to alter the campaign structures to get the most out of the budgets. Here are a few ideas:

Keep them in their Family:
This approach, even though not optimal for conversions, is a good way to control the budgets across an entire group of related products or services. This can be applied to eCommerce as well as Lead Generation. If the client prefers to spend money on specific adgroups/terms, even though they do not generally drive a lot of conversions, this a good way to go.

Performance Classification:
Sometimes, you need to mix things up from the typical Quality Score structure. In this phase in the PPC Game, it’s all about Revenue’s and maximizing ROAS%. Bucketing the top performing adgroups will allow for increase Ad Serving exposure to those adgroups which need it the most. The difficult task in doing this is where the “cut off” line is with the adgroups, especially with Seasonality trends.

Intent Classification:
In this case, identifying the top keyword modifiers which drive the highest level of interaction from the searcher will generate this classification. In a past blog post on SemGeek entitled “Tips on How to Maximize Lead Quality in PPC Marketing”, I talk about the importance of measuring Keyword Intent and using that information along with conversions to create the different classification buckets.

In Conclusion:
As I mentioned before, this is a good problem to have because it’s a natural growing pain of a well structured campaign. The bottom line in all that we do in PPC is Optimal Performance. The more money we make for the advertiser/client, the better the relationship and that’s what we want. Personally, I think every PPC Marketer needs to be creative in how they approach Paid Search. Achieving good Quality Score is always a best practice, but I would take conversions and a respectable ROAS% over Quality Score any day.

TIPS ON HOW TO MAXIMIZE LEAD QUALITY IN PPC MARKETING

One of the biggest issues PPC Marketers face today is knowing what is a considered a GOOD lead and what is a BAD lead. Some would say that doesn’t matter to them, as they feel their job is to just drive leads and keep the ROAS% within their threshold, while others to strive for perfection and count on their clients for future referrals. Well, for those who don’t care about lead quality, that is just bad business practice. To solve the issue of “unqualified leads” takes cooperation from both sides and it’s pretty easy to get a sense of what’s working on what is not. Let’s Discuss.

Why “After the Click” is just as important as “Before the Click”
PPC Marketers who put a blind eye to just look at conversion quantity and not conversion quality is setting themselves up for failure. No client is going to stay with them very long if their leads never turn into $$$ for them. However, taking this first step to solving this problem starts with a simple conversation with the client and asking very specific questions like:

• Why is this not considered a good lead?
• What information do you need from the visitor to consider them qualified.
• What other information can you give me from past clients?

Then after those questions are answered, the PPC Marketer should also be allowed access to view the leads that are coming in so they can analyze the messaging and all of the other demographic and geographic information so they can come back and adjust their messaging and/or entire strategy.
Measuring Keyword Intent
Many of us know that certain Long Tail terms have specific motivations behind them. As in human behavior, our words and how we say them impact responses from those listening. Terms like Buy, Order, Immediate, Fast,  Help, Need, etc… have different levels of intent as compared to others which do not have that same level of intensity. Based on the industry that the PPC campaign is targeting, work with the client to identify these terms and apply them to the adgroup, as well as the Text Ad Messaging and test it.
Conversion Tricks to Filter out Bad Leads:
Instead of using a basic Online Form, you should create a brief survey to get the visitor engaged and allow them to provide information that could automatically  qualify them or put them in the trash. Surveys are good for two (2) reasons.

• Often get a better response rate
• Provide a sense of interaction and engagement that a general form does not.

Point Based Conversion tracking:
Tracking Conversions is a pretty easy thing to do and no matter how much work is done “before the click”, understanding with Keywords and Text Ads drive the most “qualified leads” is difficult to identify. One way to fix this problem is putting a point system in place based on the answers to the questions and have those points calculated in the Conversion Tracking Revenue Dynamic Variable (as used in eCommerce).
Based on these points, we now can see that from 1 – 10, with 10 being best, we can identify what is generating the best leads. Moreover, this will require some programming to generate a point system, but the end result will save the advertisers hundreds if not thousands of PPC dollars in the future. See an example below:
In Conclusion:
PPC Marketing is an evolving industry which continually keeps getting more and more complex and we need to find ways to get our clients they best results possible. Quality Scores and Optimal Landing Pages are good, but unless the lead turns into strong prospect, it’s all useless to the client. Obtaining better qualified leads is as easy is chatting the client to see the types of leads coming in and understanding why they were good or unqualified.

Asia Cup 2012: Bangla Tigers aim for a final roar against Pakistan

Mirpur: History beckons Bangladesh as they aim to rise above the minnows tag and notch up their biggest title since arriving on the international scene when they take on an unpredictable Pakistan in the final of the Asia Cup here on Thursday.

With former champions India and Sri Lanka shockingly thrown out of the competition, it is the most surprising summit line-up for the event which is struggling for relevance in a crowded international calender.

Defending champions India paid the price for a stunning loss to Bangladesh in the league stage while four-time winners Sri Lanka failed to register a single triumph this time.

The debacles of the two teams, who have dominated the tournament since its inception way back in 1984, paved the way for an unlikely finalist in Bangladesh, a side which is known to upstage biggies but not for going the whole hog.

he giant-killers thrashed India, chasing down a mammoth 290, but that was seen merely as one of the rare stunners that the Tigers are so well known to throw up in multi-national events.

However, the determined side proved the critics wrong by beating an already demoralised Sri Lanka as well, a result that knocked India out of the final.

"It`s a great achievement for the country, so far the biggest. We realise it`s still not over, we have another very important game. We`ll enjoy, we`ll party, but tomorrow we`ll be back to business. I hope we will fire on the 22nd," said opener Tamim Iqbal, the hero of the win over Sri Lanka with a half century.

The triumph on Tuesday night triggered wild celebrations through the country and the team itself was in a delirious huddle much after the presentations were done with.

"I think when we talk in the dressing room its like, 100 runs in 20 overs is no problem. This is the sort of confidence that we have now," said in-form all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan.

"Cricket is a mental game so this confidence is very important. If a player goes down the wicket and thinks he`ll get stumped, he will. If he thinks he will hit a six, he`ll be successful at most times," he said.

If the hosts manage to carry this confidence and clinch the big prize tomorrow, the country is set for one big party that might last quite a few days. And both Tamim and Shakib hold the key to this, at least on the batting front.

But Pakistan would look to play the party poopers. Misbah-ul-Haq`s men have not won the title since 2000 edition, which was interestingly held in Bangladesh.

Pakistan were given a mighty scare in the league encounter that they played against the spirited hosts but would still be overwhelming favourites to win the title for only the second time

They certainly have the arsenal to complete the job. Their batting looks solid with in form openers Mohammed Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed providing fine starts in the league stage.

Younis Khan and Umar Akmal have made decent contributions in the middle order. Overall, Pakistan have the line-up to post a huge total on board.

What probably might be slightly worrying is the way their bowlers have leaked runs. Pace spearhead Umar Gul has picked up wickets but it is the flow of runs that he has to check.

Aijaz Cheema was ineffective, at least against India, who managed to chase down a huge target of 330 due to the pedestrian effort of Pakistani bowlers.

Pakistan`s fielding too needs to improve. The reflexes haven`t been sharp enough and it could cost them dearly if Bangladesh manage to continue their superb run.

To sum it up, Pakistan certainly start favourites when the two captains walk out for toss tomorrow but given the high Bangladesh is on right now, it could well be the night of the underdog.

The Teams (From):

Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Abdur Rehman, Aizaz Cheema, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Hammad Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Saeed Ajmal, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Younis Khan.

Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain; wk), Abdur Razzak, Anamul Haque, Elias Sunny, Imrul Kayes, Jahurul Islam, Mahmudullah, Mashrafe Mortaza, Nasir Hossain, Nazimuddin, Nazmul Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Shahadat Hossain, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal.

Match starts at 1.30 pm (IST).

Obama celebrates St. Patty's Day at Irish bar

President Obama reached out for a little luck of the Irish on this Saint Patrick's Day.

Obama, entourage in tow, traveled to The Dubliner, an Irish bar and Washington institution located on Capitol Hill.

As Obama worked on a pint of Guinness beer, members of what appeared to be a well-lubricated crowd chanted "U-S-A! U-S-A!" and "four more years! four more years!"

The president posted for pictures and watched a little Syracuse-Kansas State NCAA basketball with the excited, green-clad patrons.

From the pool report:

"So an incumbent president facing a tough reelection fight walks into a bar..."

President Obama made a brief St Patrick's Day pilgrimage to a Washington D.C. Irish bar, The Dubliner, on Saturday, where he quaffed a pint of Guinness and enjoyed cheers from a rowdy crowd of green-clad partiers, some of whom had staked out their spots as early as 10 am. He was accompanied by Henry Healy, described by a White House staffer as the president's ancestral cousin from Moneygall, Ireland, as well as Ollie Hayes, the owner of the Publican bar that the president went to on Moneygall.

The president, thwarting any would-be pinchers with a pale moss-green jacket that read "National Parks, America's Best Idea," left the White House grounds at 12:46 pm, his motorcade snaking past well-wishers down to the Dubliner and arriving there at 12:59. A great cheer went up from patrons under a tent on the Dubliner's sidewalk terrace. Another cheer went up from the drinkers one door down at the Irish Times. At both spots, revelers adjusted their green schwag (your pooler was especially fond of the Leprecaun-style hats, though the green wigs and beads were nifty as well, while the shamrock face stickers looked like they would be regretted come Sunday morning) and fumbled with their smart phones to snap a photo. One woman loudly urged the president to "sign my face." He declined, but spent a few minutes shaking hands outside before walking into the Dubliner, past a sign that read:

"He who drinks and knows his pace is always welcome in this place. But he who drinks more than his share is never welcome anywhere."

The president got more raucous cheers as he walked in (if he paid the $10 cover, it was out of your pooler's field of vision). At the bar in the Dubliner's front room, the president enjoyed a Guinness, taking a couple of respectable sips with what your pooler read as an expression of contentedness. The resulting Guinness mustache was, pooler and others agreed, "much more 'David Niven,' and much less (AP White House ace) Jim Kuhnhenn." On two occasions, the hundreds of partiers sent up cries of "Four more years!" and there was a raucous "U.S.A! U.S.A.!" call at one point.

The president posed for a few pictures, including one with Danny Cooper Coleman, age 21 months. [Dubliner owner Danny Coleman later informed the pool that little Danny is his grandson, and that his photo adorned the "VIP Guest" badge that the president wore. Asked how the president fared with his Guinness, the elder Coleman told your pooler: "He finished it!" He said that the bartender who pulled the president's pint is named Brian Keane. He also disclosed that he had received a scant 5 minutes warning that the president was coming. The bar's website is here: http://www.dublinerdc.com/

The pool was ushered out into the sidewalk space while the president continued to sip his beer, grin, shake hands, and chat with bar patrons under a TV that was showing basketball highlights. White House trip director Marvin Nicholson came out briefly to chat with the pool. Marvin was rocking a bright green fleece. Your pooler chatted with Adam Joseph, a self-described Chicago native now living in DC, who described his brief exchange with the president. "I told him 'Mister President, it's my birthday!' And he said 'Happy birthday.'" Joseph, who said he was now 29, smiled when your pooler asked whether he had cadged a photo with the president. "Kinda. Well, I got a picture *of* him."

How to make money from your blog: 5 tips

Many people who write blogs today simply want to share their opinion on something. But then there are the business-minded folks, who have found a way to use blogs, or Web logs, to bring in a little extra cash too.

If you're interested in taking it further — blogging for bucks, if you will — here are five strategies that could turn your blog into a moneymaker.

1. Sell advertising. This is likely the most common means of leveraging a blog to generate income. If yours happens to become a well-known blog, or one that is well-received in a particular niche, it's always possible to sell ad space on your own. For Bing Blogs and services such as Google's AdSense or BlogAds, bloggers can establish ad programs. AdSense's — which lets you select several ads that are consistent with the content of your blog — pays you based on how many readers click on the ads for further information. Even better, it's free. BlogAds, on the other hand, hooks bloggers up with would-be advertisers and levies a commission in return for any ad placements that result. "The nice thing, too, is that the ads are relatively unobtrusive," says Scott Allen, co-author of The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors and Closing Deals Online.

2. Help sell others' products. Here is another click-through opportunity. Affiliate programs enable your blog to serve as a conduit between readers and online sites offering various goods and services. One popular choice is Amazon.com. If, for instance, you offer book reviews or even just mention a book in passing in your blog, an affiliate program provides a means for your readers to click directly from your blog to Amazon to obtain further information about the book.

If they break out the checkbook or charge card, you get paid as well.

3. Solicit contributions. Not every blog-related income opportunity involves hawking goods or services. As Blanche DuBois said in A Streetcar Named Desire, consider relying on the kindness of strangers. Ask for contributions. If, for instance, your small-business blog supports a cause or issue in some fashion — say you repeatedly mention tax reform, health care or some other topic — you can always ask for reader support. Even if you've attracted a group of regular followers who simply enjoy reading what you have to say, they may be willing to underwrite their loyalty with a little financial help. Programs such as PayPal make it easy to establish a simple on-site contribution collection button. "There are lots of worthy 'cause' blogs that would qualify for donations from grateful members of the blog community," says Las Vegas communications consultant Ned Barnett.

4. Market your services in your blog. Many people associate blogs exclusively with a cyberspace-based soapbox — a place to shout your opinions and little more than that. Granted, blogs are an ideal venue to share your thoughts with others, but don't overlook their capacity to generate new business as well. When appropriate, work in references to what you do and, in turn, what you may be able to offer any would-be client or customer who may be reading your blog. That can spread your opinion and your business moxie at the same time."Instead of short commentaries that begin a dialogue with readers, as many blogs do, I write the equivalent of journal articles that demonstrate my abilities, strategies and perspectives on specific issues," Barnett says. "When it resonates, it means money. Since starting this approach, I have generated three new paying clients and brought in about $10,000 on revenue — directly attributable to specific blogs."

5. Use a blog to deepen your existing customer relations. Nor does any marketing material inserted in blog content have to be limited to bringing in completely new business. By using a blog to regularly communicate with existing clients as well as other readers, you can take advantage of the opportunity to fully inform them about everything your business does. That may expand your readers' understanding of the full scope of your products or services."My blog has helped existing clients determine the range of my skills and services," says Ted Demopoulos of Demopoulos Associates, a Durham, N.H. consulting and training concern. "One client who had only used me for training in the past was surprised at my range of expertise and is now using me for a consulting project. Another who only used me on technical projects is now considering me for a more business-oriented project."

Create an RSS Link for your Blog Readers

In What is RSS? We learned how important it is to connect with your readers by exposing an RSS feed. This will ultimately lead to a bigger fan base and in time, more money for your blog. But now that you know what RSS is, how exactly do you provide this feed on your Blogger blog? You'll be happy to know that this is a very simple process.

Burn your Feed with FeedBurner

FeedBuner is a FREE service that allows you to put your feed in front of more viewers. You can read all about Feedburner here.

First-things-first - head over to FeedBurner and create your account, it only takes a couple of minutes. Once your account is setup, simply “burn your feed” by typing the URL of your blog on the home page of FeedBurner. FeedBurner will then provide you with the direct link to your blogs feed - go ahead and copy that now.

Log into your Blogger account and click on Settings in your dashboard. At your Settings page, click on the Site Feed menu.



I would suggest setting the “Allow Blog Feed” to full. This means that anyone who subscribes to your sites feed will see the entire article in their newsreader. This is just common courtesy in my opinion - don't make your readers do more work than they have to. Most people happen to be turned off by a shortened article feed anyhow… our purpose is to pull in more readers, not lose them.

Next, paste your FeedBurner feed into the “Post Feed Redirect URL” option. This is the link to your sites feed that you burned just a short while ago. Once you're done with that, save your settings.

Your Blogger blog has been setup with a full RSS feed, and you are helping your cause out by using the FeedBurner service to get your articles in front of more viewers. We are moneymaking machines after all… aren't we?

Now head over to your blog template.



Your blogs feed is ready to be consumed by the hungry vultures that are your readers. But in order to give them what they want, you have to expose it to the world. You should be looking at your blogs layout now - click on Add a Page Element and choose the Feed option.



Simply paste your FeedBurner link here and save your changes. I recommend moving your RSS link to a highly visible area of your page - near the top. Ok, you're done!

In just a matter of minutes you have created a nice shinny RSS feed for all of your loyal readers. By doing this, you're conforming to the rest of the blogging world (which is a good thing) and making your site more accessible to potential fans. Just another step in blogging for money.

Link Your StumbleUpon Profile to Your Blog

In Promoting Your Blog with StumbleUpon we learned how the StumbleUpon service can help drive traffic to our blogs. While the word traffic makes most of us cringe in our every day, offline lives. We know that traffic in the online world is our friend - and ultimately one of the most important keys to making money with our blogs.

Today I want to show you how easy it is to create a link on your Blogger blog that will direct your reader to your StumbleUpon profile. This will increase the value of your blog experience with your readers and will help promote, and generate more money from your blogs content down the road.

Navigate over to StumbleUpon and scroll down to the bottom of the page. Click on the Tools & Buttons option in the footer menu.



The StumbleUpon Buttons & Tools page gives you access to some really nifty features. But today we're most interested in linking our blogs to our StumbleUpon profiles to help spread the word. Go ahead and click on the Link to Your Profile.



On the Link to Your Profile page, you're presented with several options. Choose one and copy and paste the HTML inside the text box directly to the right. Experiment with a few and see which one you like best -- You can always come back to this page and select another if your first choice isn't ideal.



Now that you have copied the HTML, log into Blogger and head to the Layout page. Here we're going to Add a Page Element and select the HTML/JavaScript option.



Simply paste the HTML you got from StumbleUpon into the form and save your changes. That's it!

From here you can easily move around the element in your layout until you're satisfied. My personal recommendation is that you keep the StumbleUpon link near the top so it's visible to your readers.

In just a matter of minutes we were able to link our Blogger blogs to our StumbleUpon profiles. This process is going to go a long way in helping us: 1.) Network with other bloggers, 2.) Drive traffic to our blog, and 3.) Help us make money from blogging by pulling in readers.

Hope you enjoyed this article. Until next time… go earn yourself some money with your blog!

Five Ways to Drive Traffic to your Blog

 

 When you blog for money you need to create your own content (and lots of it!), implement advertisement programs like Google AdSense and WidgetBucks, and last but not least – you need traffic.
In our offline lives we dread it, but online we embrace it. I want to give you 5 ways to start driving traffic to your blog today. With a little time and patience, you will slowly start to increase your viewer ship.

(In no particular order)

5.) Post comments on other blogs.

Blogs are everywhere – there’s certainly not a shortage of them. You should have no problem finding other bloggers in your niche that are popular and interesting. Bookmark those that you like, follow their topics daily, and if you find something that sparks your interest – comment.

Become a participating voice in the community. The more interesting your comments are, the more likely your peers will follow you to your blog. And who knows – you might stand out among the crowd and be recognized by the author, which can spin off into better opportunities.

4.) Register with blog networks like: Technorati, BlogCatalog, and MyBlogLog

It’s important that you get your blog out there for others to see. You can start the process by submitting to search engines, but that’s just the beginning. Technorati, BlogCatalog, and MyBlogLog are just a few of the high profile blog networks on the web. Register with them, network with other people in your releated area, and get your word out.

When you register with these services remember a couple of things:

1.) Create a detailed profile. Let people know a little bit about you and draw them in. Without that personal interaction people may flee quickly.

2.) Tag your blog properly. Tags are very important – they’re usually one or two word descriptions of your blog. So for example my blog would fall under categories like: Money, Business, and Finance. Dig around the specific service and look for popular tags and try to use those for your blog. It allows people who are interested in these topics to easily find your site.


3.) Register with several forums.

Do a Google search for forums that are related to your niche and register. Try to be an active voice in the community. People will flock to you if you’re interesting. Not only that but it allows you to find out what others are doing and what makes them appealing.

When you register with a forum, make sure to fill out the profile, similar to the blogging services. And equally as important – make a signature that is a direct link to your blog. Your signature is shown in every post that you make – helping you gain visibility. This is all the more reason to create thought provoking discussions.


2.) Social Bookmarking and Article Submission.

Social networking, bookmarking, and article submissions are all the rage today – don’t let it pass you by. Some of the major networks include delicious, Furl, and of course, Digg. These sites will allow you to tag, bookmark, and submit articles that you think are interesting. What’s more interesting than your own work? People should know about it so go spread the word.


1.) StumbleUpon

StumbleUpon really falls into tip #2, but I decided to break it away from the pack because it provides quicker results. Like the rest of the social networking sites, you create a profile and network with others. But what makes StumbleUpon so darn unique, is that you can “stumble” thousands of sites that you’re interested in by the click of a button. So what does that mean for you? Well, you can stumble your own site. By doing this you get into the Stumble rotation, and any people that you network with can stumble across it as well.

In my experience StumbleUpon can bring great surges of traffic for short periods of time. Due to the nature of the service, you’re likely to get overlooked more than not; however, those that do stop – tend to stay. And if they like the site, they can rate it and review it for all the friends in their network to see. Are you getting the picture here? Your viewer ship has the potential to explode!

As with most things in life, there’s no silver bullet for getting traffic. It takes a lot of research, careful planning, networking, patience, and time. If you have what it takes and start using my recommendations, you will definitely start to see an increase. Hopefully that increase in traffic will help you blog for money.

Britain to Join Obama in Discouraging a Strike on Iran

WASHINGTON — Britain will add its voice to President Obama’s in discouraging an Israeli military strike on Iran when Prime Minister David Cameron begins a three-day visit here this week, a senior British diplomat said Monday.

Prime Minister David Cameron, at 10 Downing Street on Monday, is coming to the United States for a three-day visit.

 “The prime minister is pretty clear that he does not think military action against Iran would be helpful,” the diplomat, Peter Westmacott, Britain’s recently appointed ambassador to the United States, told reporters. “We do not regard that as the right way forward in the months to come.”

Mr. Cameron, he said, supports Mr. Obama’s vow that Iran will not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. And, like the president, the prime minister believes military force must be preserved as an option. But an Israeli strike, Mr. Westmacott said, could “unleash a whole variety of different consequences” and might backfire by strengthening the Iranian regime and the resolve of the Iranian people to acquire nuclear status.

“We are, all of us, concerned about what might flow from a decision to take precipitate military action,” he said.

Mr. Cameron, in his talks with Mr. Obama, is expected to press for tighter diplomatic and economic sanctions, said a senior British official in London. “There’s a lot more to be done to turn up the pressure, to turn up the dial,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks with the White House.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Mr. Cameron said, “The Iranian situation is vital, in terms of trying to demonstrate to the world, and in particular to the Iranians, our continued road of sanctions, the pressure that’s got further to run, and that we’re going to push that as hard as we can.”

Mr. Cameron is to arrive in the United States on Tuesday, a week after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel traveled to Washington to rally American support for a potential military confrontation with Iran. While Mr. Netanyahu told Mr. Obama that Israel had not decided to carry out an attack, administration officials said, he expressed fears that the window for diplomacy and sanctions was closing.

Mr. Obama urged Mr. Netanyahu not to give up on nonmilitary options, though he reaffirmed Israel’s sovereign right to defend itself, and he explicitly renounced a policy of containing a nuclear-armed Iran. Prime Minister Cameron, Mr. Westmacott said, agreed with that policy.

Britain has been less fixated than the United States on talk of war with Iran, in part because of the American presidential election campaign, in which Republicans candidates have criticized Mr. Obama’s policy as not being tough enough on Tehran. Supporters of Israel gathered last week in Washington for a conference of the pro-Israel lobbying group the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Mr. Cameron said he believed that Mr. Obama’s warnings during Mr. Netanyahu’s visit about the consequences of an Israeli strike on Iran had “changed the situation,” in terms of its likelihood. As for Britain, he said, “We’ve been very clear: If there was an Israeli strike, we wouldn’t support them.”

Britain’s voice is important because the nation is a close ally of the United States in dealing with Iran, as well as other regional trouble spots, including Syria, where its diplomatic role is central. Britain currently holds the rotating chairmanship of the United Nations Security Council, which has struggled to pass a resolution that would halt President Bashar al-Assad’s deadly attacks on civilians in Homs.

Mr. Westmacott made clear that Britain would not lead any effort to arm Syrian rebels or marshal a military intervention in the country. Lacking a consensus in the Security Council, with Russia continuing to oppose military action, he said there was no mandate to act. And he said that taking on Syria, with robust air defenses and a well-trained army, would require a much greater level of force than the Libya action had.

“The conditions are not the same,” Mr. Westmacott said. Intervening in Syria, he said, would require “a very substantial commitment of equipment and of troops.”

Mr. Obama, returning the hospitality he received on his visit to Britain last May, plans to give Mr. Cameron full ruffles and flourishes, with a state dinner at the White House on Wednesday. But the highlight may be a road trip to Dayton, Ohio, where the two leaders will watch a first-round game in the N.C.A.A. basketball tournament, featuring Western Kentucky and Mississippi Valley State.

The game was the White House’s idea, Mr. Westmacott said, adding that Mr. Cameron was familiarizing himself with March Madness. He will presumably also get a primer on the value of visiting Ohio, a swing state, in an election year.

Santorum camp: Gingrich should get out of the race

(CBS News) LENEXA, Kan. - Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, whose impressive Super Tuesday performance cemented his standing as the major challenger to front-runner Mitt Romney, said Wednesday he is agnostic about whether Newt Gingrich should get of the race and give Santorum the chance to compete one-on-one with Romney.

But you would never know it by the actions of his campaign staff.

Indeed, while the candidate was blowing diplomatic rhetorical kisses to Gingrich, top Santorum strategists were beating the drum for the former House speaker to step aside. And if he won't, conservatives and tea party supporters should pressure him to oblige, they said.

John Brabender, Santorum's chief strategist, said, "We are calling on Tea Party supporters and conservatives to rally behind the only candidate that has demonstrated over and over again he's the one that can compete against Mitt Romney." He added, "If conservatives and tea party supporters unite behind Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney will not be the nominee."

On Wednesday morning, Stuart Roy, a spokesman for the Red White and Blue fund, a super PAC supporting Santorum, was more direct: "Based on his electoral performance last night and his out-of-step record, it is time for Newt Gingrich to exit the Republican nominating process."

Santorum's aides maintain that the support Gingrich has received in recent contests - such as the 6.5 percent he received in Michigan - would have otherwise gone to Santorum and given him a victory over Romney rather than a second-place finish.

The candidate himself told reporters he would not personally call on Gingrich to step aside after Gingrich won just one Super Tuesday contest, his home state of Georgia. By contrast, Santorum won Tennessee and Oklahoma, two states that Gingrich had targeted, and also North Dakota. Santorum held Romney to a narrow win in the biggest prize of the night, the battleground state of Ohio.

"People should stay in the race as long as they feel they should stay in the race, and you know, I'm going to stay in the race because we are doing really well," Santorum told reporters after a rally in Lenexa, a suburb of Kansas City.

Asked specifically about his campaign's efforts to get conservatives and Tea Party supporters to pressure Gingrich out of the race, Santorum said, "If they're doing so, they're not doing so at my knowledge, let's just put it that way."

"I'm not saying I don't want him to get out," he said. "If he wants to get out, I'm all for him getting out. I'm all for Mitt Romney getting out. I'm for everybody getting out. I wish President Obama would just hand me the thing. But that's not going to happen."

A direct display of public pressure on Gingrich to drop out by Santorum could alienate potential Republican primary voters in upcoming contests.

The former senator from Pennsylvania also said that Kansas, which votes on Saturday, is a must-win for him. "This race is going to change again in the next week and Kansas will lead the charge," he told a group of a few hundred supporters during a rally at a graphics manufacturing plant. "We had a good night last night, but so did Governor Romney. That's why we have to start anew here. We have to do well here in Kansas. ... No, we have to win here in Kansas. And win big."

Obama: Taxes needed to reduce debt

President Obama told a group of business executives last night that "revenue" -- generated by tax increases -- is essential if the U.S. is going to substantially reduce its $1 trillion-plus budget deficits and $15 trillion-plus federal debt.

While his administration is working to cut spending, Obama told members of the Business Roundtable that "we're also going to have to deal with revenue."

"And that's something that the American people instinctually understand," Obama said. "That if we do this in a balanced way, we can solve our problems."

Taxes are going to be a big issue this election year.

Obama's potential Republican opponents -- Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul -- oppose any tax hikes, saying increases will slow the economy and hurt job creation.

Congressional Republicans, particularly the GOP majority in the House, have opposed tax hikes, leading to a string of budget crises with the White House.

Whatever happens in the November election, the tax issue will come to a head in December.

Tax cuts signed by President George W. Bush expire at the end of the year; so does the payroll tax cut signed just last month by Obama.

Obama says he wants to eliminate the Bush tax cuts for individuals who make more than $200,000 a year and families who make more than $250,o00 annually. He is pushing a new "Buffett rule" that would require millionaires to pay at least 30% of their income in taxes.

Speaking to the Business Roundtable in Washington, Obama said he is not looking for massive tax hikes, only a balanced approach toward cutting the debt:

Jermain Defoe 'dating X Factor's Alexandra Burke'

The Tottenham striker is said to have been friends with the singer for years, but they starting dating a couple of weeks ago.

Yesterday, the pair were spotted on one of their first public dates at the Landmark Hotel in north London, according to The Sun.

Defoe is apparently 'buzzing' about his new girl, a source at Spurs told the newspaper. 'She's a big personality and more than a match for him. A few of the lads have been winding him up at training about it.'

The insider claimed the couple have been in touch for some time, with Alexandra 'playing hard to get'.

However, she reportedly succumbed to the footballer's charms a couple of weeks ago.

'They are both really happy and looking forward to meeting up more often when she comes off her UK tour,' the source added.

Defoe has built up a reputation as a bit of a lothario over the years, dating a string of celebs throughout his career.

In the past few years, he's been linked to glamour girl Roxy Townsend, Imogen Thomas and Chantelle Houghton.

Defoe probably has other things to concentrate on at the moment though, other than romance. His side take on Manchester United tomorrow, who they're lagging eight points behind in the Premier League.

Arjen Robben puts Chelsea and Arsenal on alert

Dutch star Arjen Robben has suggested he will consider a return to the Premier League, potentially paving the way for a transfer to Chelsea, Arsenal or Tottenham.

The 28-year-old winger scored twice in Holland's 3-2 friendly victory over England at Wembley on Wednesday night, but has started recent games at Bayern Munich on the bench.

Arjen Robben could be set to leave Bayern Munich (Getty)

Robben has struggled with injuries during the current campaign, as well as drawing criticism from Bayern legend Franz Beckenbauer for being too selfish.

Swiss starlet Xherdan Shaqiri, who signed for the German giants last month and is due to join them at the end of the season, is viewed by many people as a replacement for Robben.

In comments reported by the Daily Mirror, the former Chelsea and Real Madrid player hinted that his future may lie elsewhere.

Robben said: 'I don't have an ideal situation in Germany. I am now considering the options I have.'

He also said that it was 'great to play at Wembley and to see many people I know' for the midweek friendly, in which he was the star performer for Bert van Marwijk's side.

Chelsea could be interested in re-signing the player who moved to Stamford Bridge from PSV in 2004, while London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham may also find a place for him.