Call us 0800 088 7486
Since the Google Search Plus changes recently, there appears to have been a backlash from players such as Twitter, as well as the SEO industry and users.
Google has led the way in search since its appearance on the market, replacing such well-loved engines as Altavista as well as the meta search engines – Dogpile etc. Microsoft created Bing in a long delayed response to Google as a ‘decision engine’, and there are computational knowledge engines (Wolfram Alpha), as well as new and novel engines such as DuckDuckGo.
Until recently, none of these engines appeared to threaten Google’s position as the world’s best search engine because Google did one thing better than any other – relevance. However, the latest inclusions of social results and the seeming preference given to Google properties before, for example, original content rather than a discussion about said content, has caused an upset. Whilst the social results can be switched off, many users find the fact that an ‘opt out’ is required an additional niggle to the already heated discussions about Google properties listing above seemingly more relevant non-Google properties. In addition, Google’s removal of Boolean operators (which Bing permits) feels like an unnecessary dumbing down of the search process.
There are many pieces in the blogosphere detailing Google vs Bing vs other search engines, giving examples of where Google has failed to produce the relevant results, compared to the other engines. As Google have always said, the user is only one click away from using any other engine and it seems there are now many changing teh default search engine in their browser to Bing and other options. However, there is a percentage of Internet users who seem entirely unaware that there are other search engines, particularly since many began to use the Net after “Google it” became the replacement term for “search the Internet”.
For internet marketers, the process of SEO has always been a constantly shifting set of sands; however, this latest change to Google’s search results may result in users, especially the more savvy folk, seeking alternatives to Google. For a marketer, this presents a further challenge, particularly if new search engines continue to appear which return to Google’s initial USP – relevance – which Bing appears to be achieving after a shaky start.
It is unlikely, in the short term at least, that Google’s dominance of the market will plunge dramatically. But for those who are seeking to shop or conduct research, the prevalence of social and Google results above independent sources may be irksome enough to prompt a move away from Google to other search resources. And for those whose product set and content is not specifically enhanced by social results or is directly hampered by social SERPs above theirs which lead to less relevant content, it may be time to consider paying less budget and less attention to high Google SERPs.
After all, if your target audience include those who are dissatisfied with Google and who will only hear of you elsewhere, then you will need to increase your marketing efforts across those properties to capture their attention. Are you optimising specifically for other search engines or are you simply increasing social media marketing to stay/regain top SERPS on Google?
Let us know.
Google Farmer Update
One of our favourite things about working in online marketing is that there’s always something new to think about. Embracing new technology, expanding our knowledge, keeping up with the ‘new’ and learning from the ‘old’ – these are all essential elements to an effective digital marketing strategy.
That’s why we jumped at the chance to attend last month’s Google@Manchester event – which was led by Google’s director of agency sales, Dominic Allon.
We sent Adam Symes, senior account director at ClickThrough Marketing, along with senior PPC account executives Meriem Nacer and Samantha Thomas, to check out the event and catch up on the latest industry news – direct from Google itself.
They reported back with some intriguing details, and the information that they gleaned from the event confirmed that our innovations in search marketing are very much in tune with Google’s own reports.
That isn’t to say that we didn’t learn anything new, though. So to start 2012 with some fresh industry facts, here are six things we learned from our visit to Google@Manchester – firstly in detail, and then summarised in a ClickThrough Google@ Manchester Infographic:
1. 52% of conversion journeys are multi-click
Shane Cassells, online conversion specialist at Google UK & Ireland, gave a presentation entitled ‘Full Value of Search’, during which he provided some inside information that will be useful for any online retailer. Cassells recommended that the timeout for shopping baskets on eCommerce sites should be extended, and that we should all consider offline sales in our conversion strategies, as it has been shown that 40% of customers will buy offline after researching a product on the internet.
The big statistic to bear in mind, however, is that more than half of conversion journeys involve multiple clicks – whereas nine out of ten PPC conversions are still credited to the final click. As a conversion-focused online marketing agency, this kind of statistic is a nice reminder that we’re doing things properly – understanding that conversion paths are as unique and complex as the people buying your products.
2. Google+ is the fastest growing social media platform in history
Google’s foray into social media has proven to be a powerful marketing tool, with 94% of the top 100 brands already on board. We’ve been keenly watching the progress of Google+ and it will feature significantly in our social media marketing strategy for 2012, as we create and promote Google+ brand pages for our clients.
What Google@Manchester revealed is just how breathtakingly quick the rise of Google+ has been. Despite only being launched in June of last year, Google+ now has more than 40 million members – making its initial growth faster than Facebook, Myspace or Twitter.
To further cement its position as an innovative social networking tool, the portion of the show dedicated to Google+ was delivered as a video conference via the Google+ Hangout feature.
3. Customers are nine times more likely to click on mobile banners
Dr Patrick Dixon, futurist and chairman of Global Change Ltd, delivered a stirring speech called ‘Bringing It All Together: A Look Into the Future’. His scientific approach to marketing had the crowd transfixed – our own Adam Symes described Dixon as “one of the best speakers [he had] ever heard.”
His talk focused on the future of marketing, the emotional effects that marketing has on us and how we can build emotional relationships with our end users – pointing out that 80% of potential customers will lose interest if a process takes longer than 20 seconds. He made enough points to warrant multiple blog posts on this theme alone – but for the sake of brevity, we’ll focus on the intriguing details he offered on mobile marketing.
Dixon pointed out that whilst standard web-based banners typically have a 0.5% clickthrough rate (CTR), mobile banners boast a CTR that is nine times higher. He also mentioned the fact that mobile users are twice more likely to click on a banner after 8pm than earlier in the day. With only 17% of UK businesses offering mobile-optimised websites, but almost half of online consumers using their smartphones or tablets when researching or buying a product, it’s clear that businesses are risking missed opportunities if they ignore the powerful and growing mobile user base.
4. 60% of organic clicks are from top-three search positions
Dr Dixon also shared this search engine results surprise. We’ve always focused on getting top-tier results for our clients in the results pages of Google, Yahoo!, Bing and other leading search providers – what Dixon’s statistic shows is how incredibly important it is to optimise every facet of your business’s webpage. With an increasingly clued-up online user base, appearing in the first page of a Google search just isn’t enough anymore.
5. 48 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute
Another highlight of the event was the ‘Connected TV’ panel, featuring experts from Google, the BBC and IAB (the Internet Advertising Bureau). Here we learned that video-sharing site YouTube is continuing to grow at a phenomenal rate, and how technology manufacturers, agencies and companies can come together to combine the best elements of internet video and traditional television – with the interactivity and customer targeting of the internet, and the quality and reach that television can still offer.
Perhaps the overarching theme that we can glean from this discussion is that YouTube should not be ignored as an online marketing tool. By their nature, Google+ and Facebook offer a quicker, easier and more cost-effective way of communicating directly with customers. However, when a video booms on YouTube, it really booms – few social websites have the potential for viral marketing that YouTube provides. Rest assured, we have some tricks up our sleeve that utilise the video sharing site that started it all.
6. Digital sales grew by 16% in the third quarter of 2011
‘It’s All About You’ was Mark Howe’s contribution to proceedings. The country sales director for Google UK opened the show by discussing the tremendous growth that was been observed in eCommerce in the third quarter of 2011.
This is good news for any business that uses the internet to promote its products, and further proof that consumers are increasingly turning to online purchasing despite the continuingly difficult economic circumstances. With the rise of price comparison websites, and review portals such as Trustpilot – which provide customers with the opportunity to rate online shops according to their experiences – it is more important than ever to ensure that your online business practice and promotional strategy are up-to-date. Dr Patrick Dixon predicted that price comparison websites will destroy businesses within five years if their prices aren’t competitive enough.
Did you attend the Google@Manchester event? If so, what were your highlights?
There are now only six months (162 days) left until 25th May 2012 to ensure that if your website asks for cookies there is an opt-in policy for your site visitors to accept any cookies your website places on their computers.
UK is one of only 5 countries requiring website owners to conform to this EU Directive – the others are Austria, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden. Many other countries have also passed the legislation for the ‘cookie law’ (in particular, Article 5(3) of the e-privacy directive) but are not enforcing opt-in.
The article states:
‘3. Member States shall ensure that the storing of information, or the gaining of access to information already stored, in the terminal equipment of a subscriber or user is only allowed on condition that the subscriber or user concerned has given his or her consent, having been provided with clear and comprehensive information, in accordance
with Directive 95/46/EC, inter alia, about the purposes of the processing. This shall not prevent any technical storage or access for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network, or as strictly necessary in order for the provider of an information society service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user to provide the service.’;
It is a LEGAL requirement for all sites using cookies to understand the full reach of the law and ensure their sites are compliant. The Information Commissioner has said this week that websites must try harder, and has published updated guidance on how to comply. Depending on the amount of information requested, and the level of ‘tracking’ that a cookie may seek from a user’s activities, the penalty for non-compliance could be severe – up to £500,000 for a serious breach.
There is a whole host of information about making your website and collection of data compliant with the new law before May on sites such as Cookielaw.org. This website includes a DIY Cookie Audit as well as Cookie Toolkit to help you resolve any issues that your website may face under the new law. There are also ebooks, FAQs, and much more information, online.
You will need to check every page that your visitors will visit, and try out all functionality. If your company has a large website, this may take a few people to ensure a full check has been carried out. It also gives you an ideal opportunity to check that all your forms etc are functioning as you would expect them to. Unless some kind visitor lets you know that part of your website is malfunctioning, you may not realise unless you have Objectives and Goals set up in Analytics and notice a sudden drop-off of completions of goals.
The use of cookies is sensitive – for some privacy advocates, cookies are an intrusion. For companies looking to gather additional marketing information, they are simply a tool to do a job. For instance, Google, Amazon, Facebook and most online ad agencies and brokers use cookies to target and push information to users based on the tracking information gathered.
Whichever side of the fence you sit on about cookies, as a website owner you will need to comply with the law so check out the Cookie Law on the Information Commissioner’s website today.
In a landmark case, a judge in USA has allowed the seizure of nearly 700 domain names selling Chanel products, enforced the transfer all the domain names to GoDaddy with a redirection to a notice about seizure, and Google have been asked to “de-index” the sites.
All the sites were allegedly selling counterfeit Chanel goods, but there appears to have been little regard for the international nature of the sites, and in fact some are not registered in the USA and therefore require the international domain registrars to comply with a US ruling. This would appear to be slightly shaky ground, but is proceeding nonetheless, seemingly as an extension of the American “Operation in our Sites“.
The Operation should cause some cause for concern for anyone legitimately dealing in branded goods, as well as for those re-using content where the copyright holders are American. A few instances have come to light of genuine bloggers and sites who were operating with full permission of the rights’ holders but are now embroiled in trying to recover their domains.
One has to question the wisdom of this level of action, as surely it will just push counterfeiters away from .com and .net domains and register their domains in other countries, as well as using less SEO and more social media to avoid simple detection?
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is due to come in in the USA to try to further prevent such actions such as selling of counterfeit goods and illegal use of intellectual property. However, there is considerable opposition to SOPA, deemed to be censorship, and a threat to free speech.
For anyone selling online or sharing non-original content, the moves being made to close down sites, seize domain names, and prevent search engines indexing specific sites can only be a concern, as undoubtedly the actions taken by those enforcing such laws will also mop up entirely innocent sites in their trawls across the Internet, and not just those based in or accessible by US citizens.
Will this affect your company or product set or content in any way? Let us know your thoughts.
Google has acquired Zagat.com – a local restaurant review site – and this acquisition indicates that Google are getting ever more serious about local search.
Zagat is not a start up but has reinvented itself for the Web after originally being a print based review platform. Looking at the stats – 350,000 reviewers, 100 countries, mobile, web and print presence, 32 years in the business – you can see why it would be an attractive buy for Google.
The reviews for the UK are quite sparse, although London is reasonably well-covered, and it is obvious that Google’s acquisition will mean the site gains considerable coverage and probably inclusion into the SERPs in some way. There have been plenty of intimations that reviews will play a far greater part in rankings, and adding additional value to the +1 button by linking to reviews on Zagat would seem like a good move for eateries and drinking establishments who understand search marketing.
Recently, whilst visiting hostelries and the like, it has become obvious that more and more are realising the value of online reviews and mentions. Foursquare stickers in windows and offers to the mayor, fliers on the bar encouraging reviews and offering rewards for doing so, and now services such as Urbanspoon.com have linked up with Zagat too.
For all restaurants, cafes, pubs, bars, fine dining, eateries and drinkeries of all sorts, online reviews are very important, and becoming ever more so now Google is involved.
Mobile Commerce
Google Wallet, a tap and pay mechanism for smartphones, has been in testing for a while but rumours are circulating on Twitter that the official launch date may be September 19th.
At present, Google Wallet only works on the Nexus Android smartphone which is only available in the USA, but if Google wish to corner the pay-by-phone mobile commerce market, then it is likely that it will soon be available across more Android models. Mastercard are involved in the Google Wallet project and so the endeavour is likely to seek global adoption.
What does this mean for businesses? If you have been focusing more on social media than what is happening with mobile marketing, it may be time to begin to look at the opportunities which mobile marketing presents, and more importantly, what is up and coming with M-Commerce.
Whilst many retail locations have got in on the Foursquare and Gowalla geolocation marketing, there is still a level of trepidation and uncertainty surrounding more direct mobile marketing. Obviously, the major concern is that it could be all too easy to slip up and be accused of spamming mobile users and/or targeting the wrong market by not fully understanding the process.
However, understanding mobile marketing is one thing, but grasping how to best engage with your potential customers once you have attracted them to your shop or website is of at least equal importance. Whether it is making it simple to add products to a shopping list using a mobile app barcode scanner, or making it really easy to pay using a smartphone, e.g. by incorporating a Google Wallet type idea into the shopping experience, generating sales has to be on the radar!
Although it will take time for smartphone payment apps and M-Commerce to reach mass market, the probably imminent launch of Google Wallet means that you should start looking at how this will affect your business, and how you can maximise sales potential from mobile marketing and payments by keeping an eye on forthcoming product launches such as Google Wallet and other M-Commerce solutions.
When we work with a new client reviewing their search strategy, there is a common set of issues that are often discussed. I thought it would be useful to set these down, so that you can think through which apply to you. I have covered them as a series of basic questions to be reviewed.
Question 1. Goals and objectives
Do we have the right types of goals to review paid search effectiveness and efficiency?
You should set goals and review performance against volume (e.g. visits), quality (e.g. bounce rate, conversion % to lead or sale), cost (e.g. average cost per click and cost per conversion) and value measures (e.g. for transactional Ecommerce sites with a referral engine, Cost Per Acquisition, ROAS, Revenue per visit). If you’re not running a transactional site, you should still try to establish the value of leads since you won’t be able to estimate the returns you need otherwise.
Question 2. Performance targets
Do we have clear targets to ensure the agency meets goals of value generation and cost?
If you’re not paying by performance, then it’s essential to set targets to encourage optimisation of the account through improving quality score
Question 3. Keyphrase targeting selection and reporting
Are you investing in the right keyphrases to meet your objectives and performance targets?
Often not enough consideration is given into how to group keyphrases so that the right investments are made to drive commercial outcomes. Suitable top-level grouping of the performance of the many search terms on an account will be needed to do this. For example, can you determine the commercial contribution of these:
Using the new Multichannel Funnels in Google Analytics for search analysis can help you identify terms which assist in conversion to sale, even if they aren’t responsible for the final click.
Question 4. Always on paid search
Are we investing continuously in paid search at the levels necessary to create demand for our products and help consumers choose us?
In some companies, paid search is intermittent, often related to campaigns which may miss opportunities if the case for continuous, always-on paid search hasn’t been made.
Did you know that according to Google research on their client accounts, 89% of search traffic is incremental?
Question 5. Customer journeys
Are we directing visitors to the right landing pages on our site to meet our objectives?
Test whether it is best to route visitors direct to a category landing page, rather than the home or category page. Ask where it makes sense to create tailored landing pages to increase conversion and quality score rather than existing site pages.
As mentioned in question 3, the importance of multiple visits in driving sales should also be understood.
Question 6. Improving relevance and Quality Score
How can we improve quality score?
To improve account efficiency means improving relevance of ads based on targeting through account structure, match types and ad creative.
Since Google Quality Score is so important to managing paid search we recommend you read this latest guidance if you’re unfamiliar with it.
Question 7. Google Display Network
Are we managing the display network well enough?
The Display network (once known as the Content Network) can still be effective for demand generation and generating awareness since your ads are displayed on related pages/sites according to the keywords they contain. It’s often neglected because of poor performance when it isn’t treated separately from Google search, but it can and should be optimised.
Question 8. Remarketing
Are we using Google’s new Remarketing features?
Adwords now uses cookies from previous visitors to the site to use ads on the Content Network to remind visitors who have shown interest in a product to explore more. Define clear re-targeting rules which target those with the highest intent and potential value, for example directing to the referral engine or store locator where relevant.
Question 9. Non-Google networks
Do we pay enough attention to other search networks
In this note I have focused on Google since it’s dominant in many markets but not all – in many others Google is not the market leader. But consumers do use other search networks and particularly for brand keyphrases volume will be sufficient in other search engines. So select the top 3-5 search networks that are important in your country and apply these notes across all 3 networks.
Question 10. Testing and review
What is our optimisation process to improve ROI?
All search networks have excellent options to test targeting, offer and creative, so put time into refining the approach for all the different factors above.
So those are the ten fundamental questions to improve paid search, I hope they help you review your approach.
Thought Facebook Places might be a serious contender to Foursquare and Gowalla for location marketing? Think again.
Whilst it ought to have stood a chance in the geolocation marketing stakes, Facebook rolled out Places as an afterthought, a feature with no thinking behind it. And now it has gone. In the hullabaloo of yet more privacy changes on Facebook to affect all users, Places has been consigned to the pile of tried and failed apps.
It would be interesting to look at why certain features ‘fit’ in a social network, and why users prefer other features to remain in a dedicated space. For instance, it is unlikely that everyone will start making voice calls within Facebook rather than using already established solutions such as mobile, Skype or the good old landline. Even Ebay has not really resolved that one although it was a logical fit to allow buyers and sellers to communicate via Skype.
Those who use geolocation, for whatever reason, have a preferred tool for the job. Facebook was not it. And never could be without becoming increasingly good at delivering what the dedicated solutions had found to be the big wins – badges, tips, photos, event location, crowdsourced and unique awards, discounts etc.
It will be interesting to note during 2012 how far down the social graph Facebook sinks. Already, it is feeling like it has lost its edge. And for that, you should probably blame Google+. Not that Google+ is going to fill in the space, more the space has moved.
Facebook has suddenly taken on a MySpace tumbleweed type feel, and once sites such as this lose the interest of users, there is rarely a way back up.
Which geolocation tool do you use, and why? Is it to inform friends of your whereabouts? To track down deals? To meet people you share common interests with, or FOAF? (Remember that?!)
Or are you as a marketer far less interested in any time of check ins than you were 12 months ago? In which case, what is piquing your interest right now? Tell us more……
Oh, come on. I feel like I’m being forced into choosing a link from the top 2 SERPs. Do I like it? Absolutely not.
What on earth has Google done with sitelinks?
Why oh why would I need every link to fill my minimal screen estate in this way? How long before the statistics come out to prove that the vast majority of the No 1 and 2 SERPS who swallow your screen estate in this way are also spending xyz on PPC (Pay Per Click)?
And if that commercial reason is not the motive for doing this, then what is?
Why would I want to lose most of my above the fold screen estate into these new links? Is Google telling every website designer that their navigation is so poor that Google needs to assist?
So, that’s how I feel! What do you think?
Is anyone impressed with this change, and would anyone care to offer suggestions why this is an improvement on the search engine results?
It is a development which is almost entirely wiped out by another inexplicable change on Google. We’ll cover that next….
For the last few days, there have been rumours that Bing has been running tests of paid PPC ads within the search results. Not placed off to the right or clearly highlighted at the top or bottom, but ‘camouflaged’ within the organic search results.
Now, this may prove to be an advertisers’ dream, but is likely to meet a backlash from consumers and some search agencies who have previously reacted badly to this type of ‘hidden advertising’ within the index. For search marketing agencies who work hard on organic results through SEO and search marketing, this testing of placement of paid ads in the middle of the SERPs will undoubtedly cause the SEO blogosphere to respond.
This is already a time of shifting sands for search marketing agencies, especially those who have been slow to realise the importance of social for both search engines and searchers, and with a growing focus on personalisation, dominating the SERPs is becoming ever harder. Losing one or two positions within the index to paid advertisers is more likely to cause bad feeling from those who believe the search engines need to operate a level playing field rather than favour those with large advertising budgets.
Those organic results are proving important to get return on investment and results for clients, and are where a good agency with experienced SEO staff can still outshine a mediocre one every time a search is returned.
Will Microsoft continue testing? And how will Google respond if its major competitor puts paid ads in the middle of the search results? Bing has been making advances on Google’s market share over the last year but still has less than half of that of Google. There is a fine line to tread in the search engine market between satisfying advertisers and investors, and
upsetting consumers, and only time will tell whether this is a canny move by Bing or a very bad idea.
