Wordstream.com have created an infographic showing how Google Adwords auctions work. For many, the auction may be a mystery, but this graphic shows quite clearly how it works.
If you have not yet read our PPC book (available from Amazon), you may want to check out Tips 66 – 68 about keeping your Quality Score as high as possible, just for starters. Maintaining your Quality Score could save you a fortune in successful bids for a high ranking, and although there are multiple factors which affect your PPC campaigns, QS is one of those which should be a top priority.
The fact that PPC is now an extremely complex subject that requires time and dedication (Tip 9 in the PPC book) is one of the reasons why involving a specialist/ PPC internet marketing agency with experience should be considered (Tip 100).
However, never put all of your eggs in one basket. PPC can help you to quickly find the search terms and keywords for your on and off page optimisation, link building, social media activity, and more. Understanding how your potential customers and audience search, and which terms trigger a click, can be researched through PPC, and then the results of this research can be deployed in your other internet marketing activities.
Understanding the search queries that Google enters your keywords and phrases into for the auctions is of paramount importance, and for this you should spend as much time as possible studying your analytics. (Tips 78-80) Or your agency should.
This will help to build a picture of the audience with whom you are having maximum success, as well as which long tail terms are leading consumers to you. There may also be unexpected markets for your products which you can remain unaware of if you ignore your analytics and the in-depth information available to you. For instance, once you have set up goals for visitors to your site, you may see results of goal completion from referrals you had not sought nor been aware of.
So, a website, forum, blog, twitter or social media user may be regularly feeding customers to your site who complete an action, such as a purchase or download, from a target market that you had not considered. Harnessing these actions by actively engaging with that market and creating PPC ads specifically for those that complete can help to keep your QS high.
The following infographic will help you to understand Google Adwords auctions and benefit from the simple steps (outlined in the 101 Guide) or suggested/utilised by your agency to ensure Value For Money from your PPC budget.
![What is Google AdWords? [ infographic ]](http://www.wordstream.com/images/what-is-google-adwords.jpg)
A recent report by YouGov states that less than a fifth of SMEs using Google Adwords recoup their costs, and the remaining 82% do not appear to know whether they are getting any benefit from PPC or even recovering their ad spend in sales.
One of the problems is undoubtedly that many SMEs use Pay Per Click as a marketing tactic before understanding what needs to be achieved and how to do so. Whilst PPC is a potentially effective strand to any marketing bow, the temptation may be to rush in before fully understanding how the system works, and then it is also undoubtedly too simple to presume that you can use it as a “Set It and Forget It” service.
Yet, PPC is like anything in that it improves the more time you dedicate to it. So, a mere 30 minutes per week to review your campaign and try out new ad ideas and text/copy can pay dividends.
The fact that such a large number of businesses do not appear to be recovering their costs is not reflected here at ClickThrough Marketing amongst our clients. Amy Bott, Head of Paid Search & Affiliates at ClickThrough, stated, “It’s not uncommon to see ROI of three, four or five times spend. For example, one of our larger clients, Norgren, has generated £9 in sales for every £1 spent on PPC. But it’s not just big companies who can benefit. Small companies can also start to see increased returns on their ad spend by adding in keyword negatives, following best practice in account structure, limiting spend on broad match, controlling CPCs and by thinking carefully about keyword selection.”
Even companies who are spending in the tens of pounds rather than the tens of thousands of pounds on PPC can achieve similar results by understanding the mechanisms behind PPC.
In our 101 Guide to PPC we cover many of the issues such as Quality Score, campaigns, ad copy, keywords, relevancy and much more of the essential tips and tricks which will help any SME to ensure a return on the marketing spend for PPC.
This basic understanding of PPC could mean all the difference between throwing money down the drain and increasing online sales. For instance, is your business setting a cap on spending, especially during the hours that your target audience is least likely to be online? Google will happily spend your advertising budget showing ads when the clickthroughs are least likely to result in a sale, so you need to ensure that this does not occur. Low clickthroughs will also affect your Quality Score, which tends to have a knock on effect over time, lowering the likely placement of an ad in the rankings, amongst other undesirable consequences.
In addition, it is important for SMEs to realise that the competition being faced may be amongst the largest corporates, particularly for certain highly desirable terms, and spending your precious budget on these terms is likely to result in lower sales. There is also too little attention paid to making sure that the terms being used lead to the appropriate landing page and a call to action relevant to the ad copy.
Did you notice that in September, Google Analytics introduced a major new feature which addresses a well-known limitation in its service? You may not have noticed since around the same time Google Analytics introduced its’ premium service where larger organisations gain support and other features for a fee. This got a lot of the coverage at the time, but the feature I’m talking about got “drowned out” it seemed to me.
The new feature I’m referring to is Google Analytics Real Time. It was announced at the end of September and we’re seeing it introduced to more and more accounts. If you want to check, it’s in the new version of Google Analytics on the Home tab. Note though, that it is a separate set of report – it’s not real-time applied to all existing reports, instead it shows the basic information about current “Active users on the site” such as their campaign source and the content they are viewing, not their landing pages, so it’s far from comprehensive.
Here’s how it looks:
As the name suggests, Real Time gives you immediate feedback as to what is working or not working on your site or in current campaigns. This contrasts with the 2-3 hour delay before data from the most recent day was displayed. I think this is the main reason why Google always previously defaulted to the previous day in its reporting.
So how might be you be able to apply Real Time for your marketing. Here are three ideas to get you started:
So take a look, you may find it useful some time, but remember this is a separate set of reports and it does not give you full details on keywords, conversions, just popular keywords, traffic sources, content and locations.
Amy Bott - ClickThrough's Head of Paid Search
This time we put the questions to Amy Bott, ClickThrough’s new Head of Paid Search. Amy explains why she believes cross-channel attribution is key to PPC and reveals her signature dish…
Who are you? – Amy Bott, ClickThrough’s new Head of Paid Search.
When did you start at ClickThrough? – I joined on 19th September so I’m now into my 3rd week. I’ve really enjoyed it so far as it’s great to work with other people that are so passionate about digital!
What will you be doing at ClickThrough? – I have been employed as Head of Paid Search in order to provide training for the team, improve current processes and support Account Directors in delivering great results to all PPC clients. It’s also my job to ensure that we are following best practice for all PPC clients and we are aware of all the latest developments in the industry.
What were you doing before you arrived at ClickThrough? Where did you work? – In my previous role I worked as Account Director at TradeDoubler Search where I worked for just under five years (previously The Search Works). I was responsible for a number of retail clients including The Body Shop, GAP and Net-A-Porter. I also have experience working on a number of travel brands including Accor Hotels, First Choice Holidays and Opodo.
What are you most proud of in your career to date? – My proudest moment was driving huge growth for Hayes & Jarvis PPC whilst keeping the account performing within target. This change in strategy helped the brand increase revenue by 300% year-on-year for their peak month of January. The optimization techniques I developed and learnt during this time have been extremely valuable to me in my career ever since.
What do you love about your job? – I love analysing data and forming strategic plans based on my findings. I enjoy monitoring the impact of account development actions and seeing PPC client accounts become more efficient and driving greater revenue. It’s also really exciting to be part of an industry that changes so quickly and is so innovative.
What do you think is the number one thing for online marketers to watch out for in the next year? – Cross channel attribution will become increasing important for online marketers to understand in the future. This is key to ensure budgets are being allocated correctly and that all online campaigns are working as effectively together as possible. The line between online and offline marketing is going to become increasing blurred in the future. For example, QR codes in offline advertising connecting people directly to a brands website.
Who do you most admire and why? - I went to see the Dalai Lama talk a few years ago. I find his philosophy and approach to life very inspirational.
What is your favourite book? – I recently read a book by a Japanese author Haruki Murakami called ‘Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World’. It was a very well written and well thought out book. All of his books I’ve read blur the lines between reality and the unconscious mind.
What is your favourite film? – I watch a lot of films so it’s difficult to name a specific one. I do love ‘Anchorman’ though. It never fails to make me laugh – even after watching it over ten times!
What do you like doing in your spare time? – If I’m not planning to go on holiday I’m going on holiday! So far this year I have been to the South of France, Bali, Berlin & Barcelona. Next year I’m hoping to visit India, New York, Amsterdam & Paris. I also love photography, visiting art galleries, going shopping and cooking. My signature dish is a Red Thai King Prawn Curry.
Name your top three songs? – Very tough question! My answer will change depending on my mood. 1) Arctic Monkeys – ‘View from the Afternoon’ 2) Radiohead – ‘Reckoner’ 3) Elbow – ‘One Day Like This’.
Following on from a slew of announcements about Google+ additions, the latest is that the +1 and personal recommendations are to be added to ads on the Google Display network.
Google appear to be throwing pretty much everything behind Google+ and +1s and anyone serious about maximising the return in investment from internet marketing needs to grasp just what the proposed level of integration can mean for even a small company with a small budget. Whilst some features of Google’s repertoire have vanished eg Huddle, far more are being integrated into Google+ features and the +1 theory.
There may seem to be issues with G+, its adoption, the competition etc, but there is little doubt that Google are working to a strategy to harness the power of all the different applications and services into one. After all, we all now the power of the network is the square of the number of members, and Google has both consumers and number of apps to count as members, giving a 3D effect when it comes to ‘power’.
Google’s Adwords blog post shows the following screenshot of how the +1 will appear.
The fact that a +1 for a piece of content reaches across so many different places on Google’s network (G+, search results, search sites, websites, blogs, display ads etc etc) means that you can extend the reach of any single marketing campaign further than could have been dreamed of even a few short years ago.
Should you be adding a +1 button to all of your content? YES! There are many places where Google is doing the work for you, but in all those places where you have control eg your website or blog, you should ensure the +1 button is there for all to click. It also means that you can re-use content across different media, knowing that the clicks will all add together to show your authority, relevance and reach. And we all know that Google looks generously upon the creation of such content and the positive reactions to it!
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.
Zoe O’Neil - Operations Director at ClickThrough Marketing
In the latest profile we talk to Zoe O’Neil about her new role as Operations Director, process change delivery and why she loves Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
Who are you? - Zoe O’Neil, ClickThrough’s Operations Director
When did you start at ClickThrough? – I joined the Paid Search team in Nov 2010 and now have responsibility for operations across all our offerings: organic, paid, affiliate, analytics and social.
What will you be doing at ClickThrough? – I am responsible for the management of the Client Services team across PPC and SEO, overseeing the daily operations and day-to-day activities; with a focus on staff, processes systems and procedures required to accomplish the company’s mission and goals in the marketplace.
What were you doing before you arrived at ClickThrough? Where did you work? – In my previous role I was a Client Services Manager at DPM Systems, a software and systems integrators company. This was a varied role, geared up to deliver 100% customer satisfaction. I worked with customers to define their requirements and create software that transformed their business, processes and profitability. Work included writing user cases and testing, as well as implementation and training. I had to work closely with the sales and development teams to ensure that projects were delivered on time and met KPI’s and needs over the lifetime of the software.
Previous to this I spent 2 years as a Product Manager for TD SearchWare at TradeDoubler (previously called BidBuddy and owned by The Technology Works). I was responsible for the management of the product development process. Projects included the launch a Data Centre in Asia. As Client Services Manager for the same company I oversaw the client services team; managing day-to-day activities & workload, ensuring client growth and satisfaction.
What are you most proud of in your career to date? – Whilst working at The Technology Works as Client Services Manager I helped to grow the use of the BidBuddy in the UK by over 700% in the first year through demoing, training and supporting clients and agencies in using the bid management technology. Following the success of this I was responsible for supporting the roll out of the software across Europe and Asia Pacific.
What do you love about your job? – I love helping to drive change, improving process, managing people and delivering results to our staff and clients.
What do you think is the number one thing for online marketers to watch out for in the next year? - Looking at the trends and 2010, 2011 and the years to follow, social media marketing will play a prominent role in every marketers online strategy. Depending on how quickly some companies have already taken up social media, this year it will be about; 1) Those who are already using it 2) Those who are planning to use it and 3) Those who are now integrating it into their strategy.
Who do you most admire and why? - Richard Branson. He is one of the wealthiest persons in the world and not afraid of taking anything on. I spent 5yrs working at Virgin Airship and Balloon Company (VABC) and was part of he attempted round the world hot air balloon trips. Richard has proven that he can win, he can fail, and whatever happens he doesn’t take life too seriously.
He is also a people’s person. Whilst working at Virgin I was invited, along with all Virgin staff, to a summer party at his house in the middle of the World Cup. He greeted every single member of staff off the coaches and then spent the day mingling with everyone at his house, with his family in tow. When the large screen that he had booked failed to turn up he threw open his house so we could watch the World Cup on his own TV – now not many people would do that!
From a business perspective, he is uncomplicated and his people-centered approach to business (and the ability to spot gaps in markets) are extremely admirable … and he certainly knows how to build a brand!
What is your favourite book?
OUT (the first novel from Natsuo Kirino to be translated from Japanese into English) is a story of four women who work the night shift at a factory making boxed lunches. When the youngest and prettiest of them strangles her husband to death in a fit of rage, the women all rally around their friend. They decide to cut up the pieces of the dead body and dispose it off in bags around Tokyo. This sets up the scenes for a grisly and deeply disturbing tale that reveals the underbelly of Tokyo.
This is a great book and I still haven’t managed to find anything else to match it. I chose this book in Birmingham Airport whilst waiting to catch our flight to the Maldives for our honeymoon. Once I started reading it I just could not put it down, each page kept me engaged. I was actually quite sad when it ended. Natsuo Kirino’s imagery pulls you into becoming a part of every character and setting. OUT certainly walked me through areas that I never thought I could or would go, and for that I love it!
What is your favourite film? – “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” is a very funny movie with some of the funniest scenes of all time – unfortunately inbetween there is a lot of “filler” that is either too long or downright predictable. That said, certain comic segments are inspired. One of my favourite scenes sees Caine (posing as a doctor), whipping a “paralyzed romantic veteran” (a perfectly able-bodied Martin) on his legs. The line, “Oh look, he’s so happy he’s crying” is one of the best one-liners of all time, and Martin’s face is a great example of classic slapstick. My second favourite scene is the whole thing with Martin’s wacky character “Ruprecht” – ”Can I go to the bathroom?” “Of course.” “Thanks.” Martin’s face cracks me up every time. If you haven’t watch it – please watch it, it’s hilarious.
Name your top three songs? – 1) Al Green – “Let’s Stay Together” (first dance at wedding) 2) Lionel Richie – “Once, Twice Three Time a Lady” – (memory from childhood) 3) Massive Attack – “Unfinished Sympathy” (Younger Years fondest memories).
What do you like doing in your spare time? – More than anything in my spare time I enjoy spending time with my friends and family, they are the most important thing in my life. I also love to canvas paint and I am not that bad. I have done several for my house and also one for my neighbour! One of my biggest passions recently though is watching films; Romance, Action, Thrillers and Horror. Whether at home or in the cinema, I enjoy losing myself in the storyline and the characters.
John Newton, Chief Operating Officer
In this team member profile we sat down with John Newton, Chief Operating Officer at ClickThrough to chat about digital marketing, his new role as COO and what he admires about the 2012 Olympic Bid.
Who are you? – John Newton, Chief Operating Officer at ClickThrough.
When did you start at ClickThrough? – I joined as Head of Digital Marketing back in October 2009. In April 2011 I became Chief Operating Officer.
What will you be doing at ClickThrough? – In my new role I will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of all departments within ClickThrough along with our senior management team. These departments include our Client Services Team, who deliver outstanding digital marketing services to our clients, our Marketing and Sales teams and our IT, HR and Finance functions.
What were you doing before you arrived at ClickThrough? Where did you work? – Before joining ClickThrough I held a number of roles in organisations such as Yahoo!, ITV, Flextech Television and most recently an online performance marketing network. Many of these were within sales management and operations, which gave me the opportunity to get an insight into the many different aspects of marketing service delivery – from marketing and sales, through to pricing, delivery and finance.
What accounts/clients have you worked on before? – I’ve been very fortunate. Working at ITV gave me early exposure to the marketing needs and aspirations of a cross-section of some of the world’s biggest brands. In many ways, the challenges of global marketers are same as one or two man band companies – gaining and holding the attention of consumers in an increasingly cluttered marketing ecosystem. The increased emphasis on “pull” marketing in recent years, especially search marketing, has forced marketers to place more emphasis on consumers needs in their communications which can only be a good thing for brands looking to create long-standing customer relationships.
What are you most proud of in your career to date? – As Head of Digital Marketing at ClickThrough I was responsible for our rebrand last year. That encompassed all marketing communications – from our logo and branding through to our website, marketing materials, presentations and so on. The positive reaction from customers and other influencers has shown that we were right to place our highly knowledgeable staff - our ‘search conversion experts’ – at the heart of our offering.
What do you love about your job? – The variety. Very few roles offer the chance to work with so many experts in their respective fields. Digital marketing continues to throw out exciting developments every few months and I love working with our search conversion experts to help ClickThrough rise to every new challenge.
What do you think is the number one thing for online marketers to watch out for in the next year? – Search algorithms continue to evolve and the news that the major search engines now take into account social activity in calculating search results, and the advent of Google +1, are further proof that that the list of ranking factors has grown exponentially in recent years. Search engines now have a very comprehensive (if not 100% complete) profile for each website they find and the challenge for marketers will be to ensure that they keep an eye on their activity across channels (inputs) and the resulting metrics (outputs).
Who do you most admire and why? – One of the greatest achievements over the last few years was the successful UK Olympic bid. Two of my business heroes (Barbara Cassani, founder of Go Airlines and former Olympian Lord Sebastian Coe) spearheaded the campaign. There is a brilliant synopsis of the British bid at the end of Jon Steel’s book ‘Perfect Pitch’.
What is your favourite book? – Aside from our rather fabulous Search Marketing books, for my money I would say that Alan Mitchell continues to turn marketing on its head (‘Right Side Up’ was years ahead of its time) and I also love anything written by Jeremy Bullmore, who still wields one of the sharpest minds in the marketing communications industry.
Away from business books, I am currently reading Lustrum by Robert Harris, the follow-up to the brilliant ‘Imperium’. Although set in ancient Rome, this tale of the cut-and-thrust of law and politics makes it a perfect novel for today.
What is your favourite film? – Has to be Back to the Future, although I was blown away by Tron Legacy in 3D.
Name your top three songs? – Tough… 1. ‘All This Love That I’m Givin’ by Gwen McCrae – funky! 2. ‘Blow Your Mind’ by Jamiroquai – great memories. 3. ‘I’ve Found Lovin’ by the Fatback Band. But ask me tomorrow and I will give you a completely different answer!
George Chapple, Search Marketing Assistant at ClickThrough Marketing
This time we get the lowdown from George Chapple, Search Marketing Assistant at ClickThrough to discuss paid search, his new job at ClickThrough and his band ‘Crash the Party’.
Who are you? – George Chapple, Search Marketing Assistant here at ClickThrough.
When did you start at ClickThrough? – I started full time in January 2011. I initially joined ClickThrough in the content team before making the move across to work on paid search.
What will you be doing at ClickThrough? – Being a Search Marketing Assistant means I’m responsible for creating weekly and monthly reports, which look at a client’s paid search performance. I also analyse the performance and statistics on each account, whilst being creative when writing new adverts.
What were you doing before you arrived at ClickThrough? Where did you work? – Since the age of 16, I’ve worked at the Lichfield Garrick Theatre as a front of house assistant. The job involves assisting the public and ensuring that operations in the theatre run smoothly. In the summer of 2010, I graduated with a degree in English language from Reading University.
What accounts/clients have you worked on before? – Having originally joined the copywriting team, I wrote articles and press releases for a number of clients including Cookson Gold, Esporta and Sk:n.
What are you most proud of in your career to date? – In October 2010 I started an eight week internship scheme here at ClickThrough. It was a proud moment when I was told that all my hard work and endeavour had been rewarded with a permanent position at one of the top 20 search marketing agencies in the UK.
What do you love about your job? – I enjoy working on creatives for clients. There is nothing more satisfying than when one of your ads has an excellent conversion rate. The world of paid search is constantly changing, and working in such a fluid industry keeps me on my toes.
What do you think is the number one thing for online journalists to watch out for in the next year? – In the next 12 months, I expect Twitter will have an even greater impact on the world of social media. With the recent announcement of ‘Facebook style’ pages for businesses, I expect online journalists will have to be more creative in giving brands a distinctive voice to engage with an ever expanding audience.
Who do you most admire and why? – I admire all servicemen and women who have received a Victoria Cross. This is the highest military decoration and is awarded for conspicuous bravery, or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice, or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy. Those who have been given this honour have shown a level of courage which is truly inspirational.
What is your favourite book? – My favourite book is ‘Lord of the Flies’ by William Golding. This brilliantly written book highlights of the darker side of human nature, and how things can so easily get out of hand.
What is your favourite film? – ‘The Game’ which is a thriller with Michael Douglas playing the lead role.
Name your top three songs? - 1. Norah Jones – ‘Don’t Know Why’ – catchy melody and beautiful vocals. 2. Daft Punk – ‘Superheroes’ – can’t help but dance when I hear this one. 3. Everything Everything – ‘Schoolin’ – this takes me back to when I went to see them live.
What do you like doing in your spare time? – I like to keep busy when I’m not at work. I play bass guitar in a cover band called ‘Crash the Party’, I play football for a local team and I’m a season ticket holder at Aston Villa.
Whilst the noise about the Google Panda update (previously called the Farmer update) is beginning to die down, there will still be many websites who should consider the value and quality of all their content and how this may reduce their chances of good listing in the SERPs.
The obvious contenders may not be those you first assume. Aged and static content that has not been updated for some time may actually be bringing in long tail traffic, so don’t just bin old pages without checking your traffic stats and backlinks for those pages first. However, it may be that your business has changed direction since that content was added and it is no longer relevant, so take a look at some of your historic content to ensure it still fits the bill.
More likely culprits for content deemed to be of low quality by the search engines are those which may seem far too similar to other pages on other sites. For instance, if you sell products with a generic product description that other companies also sell, and you have one page per product (required for inclusion in Google Shopping/Base), these product pages may not appear unique to the spiders.
A quick fix would be to add the capability for reviews and testimonials. Until those reviews begin to appear on your site, add a “no index” tag, and then manually remove this from any pages where reviews have been added. You can request reviews from your customers for products that they have purchased, which will also give you a chance to get in touch with your customers and ask for feedback.
Other low quality pages may be a links page that includes broken links, links to irrelevant content, or links which are not providing any link juice to your site. Keep a weather eye on any links on your site to ensure that these are working, relevant and worthwhile.
Check your traffic stats (analytics) to see which pages are rarely visited or have high bounce rates. Check to see why this might be the case – is navigation difficult to reach that page? Is the content out of date or off-topic for your target audience? A quick revamp of your navigation or content may be all that is required to raise the quality score for that page.
And whilst we are talking about Quality Score – take a good look at your PPC, or ensure that your internet marketing agency understands how Quality Score works. One or two keywords in your Pay Per Click campaign that are not performing as they should can have a decidedly negative effect on your QS rating, which will affect your PPC positions.
