More Netizens Becoming Search Engine Users
Posted by on November 29, 2005 at 12:12 PM
Have you ever Googled for a shrimp curry recipe? Exclaimed "Yahoo!" when you found the complete discography of your favorite Scandinavian-folk-rap artist? Did you Ask Jeeves why it's so hard to think of a verb for "MSN Search"? If so, you're probably one of the 60 million American adults who use search engines daily, according to a recently published study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project and comScore. The comScore data show a jump from 49.3 million daily search engine users in September 2004 to 60.7 million in September 2005 (23%). The study also found that search engine usage is the second most popular online activity, behind email.
The study includes a lot of interesting information, but what stood out to me was the reported increase in the percentage of internet users who use search engines daily. It's gone from 30% to 41%. Frankly, I'm surprised it's that low - even keeping in mind that the percentage of users who have ever used search engines is much higher (90%). I believe search engine usage lags behind email for three reasons: 1) using email fulfills a social need and can be a proactive or passive activity, whereas search engine use is strictly proactive; 2) the proliferation of email marketing enables and encourages users to reach desired goods and services by clicking on links within emails; and 3) search engine users don't reliably get the answers they seek.
The problem of the latter is twofold - no algorithm is perfect (or psychic), and relatively few people understand how to use search query syntax to generate better results. An earlier Pew study found that only 40% of women and 54% of men are "very confident" in their search abilities. And survey of our own analytics data suggests that only a tiny percentage of search engine users employ advanced operators like "quotes" and +word.
Search engines have the potential to be the ultimate embodiment of today's "on demand" culture. When coupled with broadband connections, they enable us to seek answers, entertainment, news, community, products, and information in mere seconds. Mobile search lets us take those capabilities on the road. Knowledge is power, but knowing how to find knowledge is almost as good.
Buddies for life...I think
Posted by on November 23, 2005 at 11:31 AM
Last week, AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) users logged on to discover a new friend - er, Buddy. "ShoppingBuddy" is a new AIMbot that you can "converse" with to get help finding products, mostly from The Gap. Wanting to avoid the Day-After-Thanksgiving crowds, I decided to take ShoppingBuddy for a test drive:
Straightupsearch: Hi ShoppingBuddy, how are you today?
ShoppingBuddy: Hello again. ;-)
Straightupsearch: My, aren't you coy? So, what should I get my mom for Christmas?
ShoppingBuddy:
- Search results for mom
- Netgear Switch [$65.00 - $99.99]
- Linksys EtherFast 10/100 Switch [$19.95 - $38.38]
- D-Link Micro USB Hub [$11.00 - $38.38]
Straightupsearch: An Ethernet switch? Really? I was thinking more along the lines of some nice gloves...
ShoppingBuddy: I didn't find any good matches 4 U but may I ask you a question?
Straightupsearch: sure
ShoppingBuddy: OK, who R U shopping for today?
Learn how to make your gift even more special at gap.com
Straightupsearch: My mom is really more of a Talbot's kind of lady. Ok, what should I get my little brother?
ShoppingBuddy: good
Straightupsearch: Most of the time he is, I guess.
ShoppingBuddy: Indeed
Straightupsearch: Anyway, he likes Godzilla collectibles.
ShoppingBuddy: OK, I'm searching for matches 4 U. Gimme a sec...
ShoppingBuddy:
- Search results for Anyway likes Godzilla collectibles
- I Love Lucy Mug All About You [$12.95]
Straightupsearch: Are you saying that Lucille Ball is a monster?!
Straightupsearch: OK, last try. What should I get my boss?
ShoppingBuddy: k
Straightupsearch: K is worth 5 points in Scrabble
ShoppingBuddy: OK, I'm searching for matches 4 U. Gimme a sec...
ShoppingBuddy):
- Search results for worth 5 points Scrabble
- Scrabble Cuff Links at RedEnvelop [$75.00]
Straightupsearch: Scrabble Cuff Links - perfect! How did you know? Thanks, ShoppingBuddy!
IMO (in my opinion), IMO (Instant Messenger Optimization) is probably not the next frontier, unless the AI gets a lot better. ShoppingBuddy also gets its results from AOL Shopping, which is not the most comprehensive index of products and information. I got much better results by using AOL Search and using the same "search terms".
ShoppingBuddy is certainly trying to endear itself to the kids though, with all the "you"="U", "are"="R", and "for"="4" IM shorthand. Maybe I should ask ShoppingBuddy if he knows where I can buy "Hooked on Phonics".
Landing Pages Should Be More Like Mariano Rivera
Posted by vern on November 21, 2005 at 04:00 PM
I'm not much of a baseball fan but I do appreciate excellent performance. Rivera is a relief pitcher or for the NY Yankees. In the late innings of a ball game, when preserving a win is on the line, Mariano goes to work as one of the top-ranked "closers" in baseball. A good PPC strategy includes landing pages designed to preserve the win - to close the sale.
I recently had a conversation with a client who wanted to use an existing page from his web site as a landing page. As Kristie discussed a few days ago, website home pages are ill-suited to generating conversions. Linking a paid search click to any other existing website page can be a bad idea as well. These pages are not designed to be used as an extension of the paid search ad or to close the sale. Studies have shown that when a searcher clicks on a paid search ad selling a product, they are likely to buy that product if they find what they are looking for. A properly designed landing page has one mission - to convert the searcher to a customer - to close the sale. Think of the search experience as a sales process. When someone types "buy rocket fuel" in Google, they want to do literally that. They will click on an ad that they feel will deliver what they are looking for. It must move them to "buy rocket fuel" as efficiently, quickly and easily as possible. Things happen fast on the Internet. A good landing page gets right to the point, supplying the information necessary for a purchase decision with no distractions. The landing page must continue the laser-focused selling message that began with the paid search ad click.
The landing pages we implement for our clients act as the next step in the sales process for a single product and a very specific target market at an attractive price point. Just like the paid search ad. The landing page message in one case is - It's simple, easy, inexpensive, and typically include a risk free guarantee. The landing page design evokes a feeling of ease and confidence. It is uncluttered, to the point and asks for the sale.
Existing website pages are intended to be informational in nature and to assist in the beginning of the online research process. They are not designed to close the sale. By clicking on a paid search ad, the searcher has already begun the sales process and eliminating links or any other distractions allow us to guide the searcher to the sale in a very precise manner.
Don't lose the online sales game. Put focused paid search landing pages, specific to your ads, to work in the late innings to preserve the win - close the sale.
Where's Martha?
Posted by steve on November 16, 2005 at 01:43 PM
I was watching The Apprentice: Martha Stewart a couple weeks ago (and apparently, I was one of the few) when the youngest candidate, David, was dismissed. He's only 22, but the owner and founder of an internet advertising company.
When Martha let him know "he wasn't working out," David made a case for himself before he left. His position in her company would not be decorating wedding cakes or gathering flowers for the perfect bouquet. It would be helping her market her web site through search engine optimization. He told the ex-con that her site didn't show up anywhere when someone searches for "recipe" (in fact, it's not in the first 100 results in Google). And even though David still didn't "work out," she wanted to discuss these ideas further with him at a later date.
That spurred some curiosity. I wondered what other terms Martha Stewart's well-known site wasn't positioned for. So I did a little research.
I remember her saying that she creates some of the finest wedding cakes in the world. But can anyone find them? Well, since her site wasn't anywhere to be seen when I searched for "wedding cakes" in Google, probably not.
It's not uncommon to see Ms. Stewart frolicking through her garden with clippers in hand, occasionally trimming an already perfectly trimmed topiary. Let's see if anyone is using any of her wonderful ideas. I put "gardening ideas" into Google. What did I find? Nothing.
How about crafts? Martha is like the real life MacGyver. She could make a Christmas ornament with a toothpick and stick of gum. She has become famous for her creativity in craft design, so I figured this was a fail-safe topic. I typed "crafts" into Google and her site didn't show up. Perhaps it's too broad. The holidays are coming up; maybe people need some unique ideas. How about "holiday crafts?" Still nothing.
I gave it one last shot: "insider trading." There we go! Her name comes up on the second page! Now Martha may be able to settle for having great visibility on that term, but I'm not so sure about the others. She's going to need some real help optimizing her site if she wants to become a billionaire twice over.
There is no free lunch - not even from Google
Posted by on November 14, 2005 at 04:34 PM
Just like your mother told you, if it's too good to be true, it probably isn't true. Google offered free analytics today, setting off some buzz. And as with many non-events from Google, I'm only discussing it as a service to my colleagues—adding to the buzz, nonetheless. (sigh)
Is this anything? So now you've got free Urchin services gussied up in Google logos. Keep in mind it is not magic. You still need to install it; make sure it's tracking properly and interpret the data. Google is not going to send you emails that say, "you need to offer free shipping," "your target audience isn't using the word 'drawer pulls' anymore" or "your landing pages will sell better with reindeer images."
And just how free is access to your customer behavior? Are you comfortable that an advertising publisher can see what's working for you and what isn't? Aggregate data might help it hone product lines, encouraging better products for its clients. And, would it follow that high performing products would be higher priced, eventually—wouldn't it? (Being good business people and all.) And do you really want Google to see what's happening with your campaigns on Yahoo and MSN? (I can hear your gasps of horror from here!)
In short, Google has dressed a wolf up in sheep's clothing and now it's going to eat your lunch—for free!
Going Home (Page) For The Holidays?
Posted by on November 11, 2005 at 10:17 AM
So you have the clicks, but do you give them what they want?
A great paid search campaign can only get you so as far, what's important is what a user finds once they pull back the curtain.
Whether you're managing your own PPC strategy or have a SEM vendor managing things for you, it's important that just as much attention is paid to your landing pages as to the campaign itself. You've already won half the battle when your ad appears after a search and it's so compelling that the searcher clicks, but then what? Regardless of whether you're using a custom landing page or another page on your site, it's important the searcher finds what they are looking for.
Don't fall into the trap of sending all your ads to your home page. You're not going to get people to throw a few additional products into the cart if they're looking for one specific item. More likely the searcher will get frustrated and click back... right out of your site!
A more effective PPC strategy to take is to point each ad to the appropriate landing page on your site. If a 'giant light up Santa Claus yard ornament' is what they want, don't send them to the general holiday decoration page. Give the searcher what they searched for and what they expect.
Simply getting a good click through rate does not seal the deal, because making the conversion is the hardest part. Don't be blown away by your competition this holiday season by wasting searchers' time. There's a reason why people do their holiday shopping on the internet!
Turn Signals, Window Wipers & Touch Screens: Mobile Search Fuels Up for the Long Haul
Posted by keirsun on November 09, 2005 at 10:02 AM
Last night I saw a TV commercial for mobile phones with online video access. The brand name escapes me, but the image of people lying around anywhere and everywhere, watching videos on their mobile phones, stuck with me. Sure, it's a nice thought, having time to loiter away my lunch hour watching last night's Letterman. And I won't be surprised if, in the near future, I see a teenager here and there, tuning in to their palm-size screens. But, while mobile phones have their merits, I have my doubts that I will ever utilize this technology on a regular basis. My primary deterrent is that the screen is just too damn small. There's no fun in squinting, and old I am not (yet).
In regards to search engine marketing, I have yet to have one client ask me, "How does my homepage appear on a mobile phone screen?" or "Can somebody find my site using Google Mobile?" Maybe the thought has yet to enter the collective marketing consciousness. But with television ads for video-capable, Wi-Fi phones interrupting my favorite sitcom, I have to believe that site owners are telling themselves, "That's not my online audience."
So, where do turn signals and window wipers come into all of this? Let's think simplicity. Let's think the next vehicle of mobile search. Let's think in-dash, touch-screen internet access, right there in your car dashboard.
Of course the technology already exists. Companies like Stargate Mobile have been working with Ford Motor Company to develop an in-dash, touch-screen PC that runs on Windows XP. In fact, Stargate unveiled their new F-Series tool for contractors at a recent specialty equipment trade show.
But why do contractors get to have all the fun? People, in general, like to use tools that are simple. Even more so if that simple tool utilizes new technology. Imagine, running your errands around town on a Saturday afternoon with Wi-Fi, or WiMax, access literally at your fingertips: Search for the nearest store with off-the-wall birthday cards for Uncle Bob, let the kid watch Robots (again) via your favorite online movie service, and tune your ears to your favorite New Zealand radio station (XM? What's XM?). Even more importantly, an in-dash system could (and should) be less of a driving hazard. Accessing your favorite website could be as easy as setting the cruise control. Of course, the details are being ironed out as you read this. But I know the last thing I want to do while turning left, finding the defrost, setting the intermittent wipers, and checking my blind spot is to try to locate menu options on a mobile phone.
So, let's pretend that mobile search moves into a dashboard near you. What websites become favorites in a touch-screen heavy environment? Obviously, sites that provide simple, touch-screen friendly navigation. We already know that usability equals conversions.
Imagine the marketing possibilities. 18-wheeler friendly restaurants on I-70. Learn to speak Swahili on your way to work. A "Holiday Sale Items" Podcast Button on your homepage, that educates potential customers via their car stereo speakers. Websites designed to cater to mobile touch-screen users.
If I have the choice between that little phone and an in-dash monitor with simple-to-use navigation, there is only one winner in this drag race, every time.
Theories are for science!
Posted by on November 09, 2005 at 09:56 AM
Just recently I had an interesting conversation with a fellow PPC colleague of mine that left me curious and frustrated at the same time. The discussion surrounded the topic of local sponsored search campaigns. She was explaining to me how local search listings, like those of Yahoo's Local Advertising, or Google's geo-targeted network, allow the marketer to have a more focused listing while costing less per click.
Now I'll admit I am a bit green to the vast world of SEM. However, as a recent graduate with some professional business experience under my belt, I feel as though I can walk the walk and talk the talk... up until now. After thinking about this conversation for a couple of days, I began to question certain concepts and skills I learned a year ago in a college classroom.
This idea that a focused ad aimed right at your target audience can cost less per-click than that of a general campaign has just disproved many marketing and advertising theories. Typically, the cost to promote your product/service increases as the media becomes more targeted toward your audience. At least that is what we're taught in academics.
However, in the real world of search marketing it seems to be the exact opposite. Perhaps someone out there in book publishing and university land might want to give students a heads up on newer technologies and what is really going on. Other than the obvious, "general search terms cost more than targeted terms" or "targeted terms are just not searched on as much as broad terms" I am curious as to what others have to say or think about this concept.
Tiny Screen, Big Opportunity: Mobile Search Today
Posted by on November 07, 2005 at 04:52 PM
In July 2005, Oneupweb released a free white paper, entitled Mobile Search and Its Implications on Search Engine Marketing. The paper covered mobile search demographics, behavior, technology, and evolution. We also identified what steps marketers can take today to make sure their businesses are mobile-friendly tomorrow. Since July, a lot has changed in the mobile search landscape. What hasn't changed is our prediction that mobile search is on the cusp of becoming an essential marketing channel for B2C and B2B businesses alike. Whether you're trying to sell a pizza to a hungry guy walking down the street, or a group health insurance plan to an HR manager tapping away at his PDA while waiting in an airport, mobile search is coming. Here are a few key developments marketers should be award of:
Yahoo and TiVo Launch New Service - Do you TiVoo? Yahoo and TiVo hope that you do. Their agreement means TiVo subscribers will be able to set their TiVos remotely, using Yahoo's web-based interface. Pretty cool, but wouldn't it be even better if you could set your TiVo from your mobile phone...? Yahoo also announced that it is partnering with SBC to offer its own cell phone, giving mobile users easy access to Yahoo search, email, photos, and more. The phone will be manufactured by Nokia, and will operate on the Cingular network.
Google also announced today that it has enhanced its local search feature to include satellite maps. This gives Google mobile search users the ability to plot local search results on a map and get walking or driving directions. More interesting to marketers though, is the new "click to call" type feature, where users can automatically have their cell phones dial any business that comes up in Google's local search results.
And in October, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) announced the creation of a Mobile Search Working Group to explore the possibilities of mobile search marketing and design a system for mobile search advertising and content.
Long Term SEO Strategy or Just "Fool's Gold"
Posted by chip on November 04, 2005 at 03:25 PM
There is an old adage which says "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is". This holds true for many things in life, but it's especially true in search engine marketing and optimization. While I understand that the industry is very young and there is still a lack of awareness as to what SEO is and what the potential benefits of a sound SEO strategy are, there seems to be an alarming amount of information out there that treats the industry as a series of tricks and voodoo spells intended to fool the search engine algorithms.
While the thought of some quick trick that propels your site to the top positions may seem very appealing, it can also be very dangerous. It's true that things like cloaking, hidden text, stuffing keywords, hosting mirror domains and farming links may indeed push your site up the SERPs in the short term. But in the long term, these practices will not only fail to improve your online presence, they can get you penalized or even banned from the engine's indices. Don’t lose sight of your long term goals when developing an SEO strategy. These tricks may appear to be all shiny and bright, but upon closer inspection they are nothing more than fool’s gold. With all the time, effort and money that are devoted to marketing and branding efforts, such short sighted strategies are counterproductive.
It is better to think of your SEO strategy as an important extension of your other marketing efforts. The online presence of your site will fair much better over the long term if you think of SEO along these lines. Put the effort into defining what your online business goals are. Research what keywords are important to your industry, your business and your customers. Remove any unnecessary hurdles that may keep the search engine spiders from finding your relevant content. Work on improving the linking structure of your site. Monitor your progress and track the important metrics of not only positions, but traffic, sales leads and conversions. If an SEO strategy is developed and implemented in the right way, it will be a long term contributor to your business' branding and overall marketing strategies.
Successfully optimizing a site for the long term requires time, effort and expertise. When thought of as a component of your overall marketing strategies it will show the kinds of rewards that fool’s gold never could.
The Jagger Backlash Myth
Posted by dave on November 02, 2005 at 02:51 PM
Look out Mick, there is a new Jagger in town. And although you will never see this Jagger on the cover of Rolling Stone or performing a Super Bowl half time show, this new Jagger is surrounded by a buzz all its own. I'm talking about the latest shakeup over in Mountain View, California at the Googleplex. The newest addition to the long list of Google updates, dubbed "Jagger" has raised some eyebrows and ruffled more feathers in the SEO community.
The common theme of these tirades? Irrelevant results. Results so bad that Google's stock price will assuredly sink to K-Martian depths. Results so bad that Google's days as king of the search engine mountain are about to come to a quick and decisive end. Results so bad, they say, that average users are already taking note and flocking like lemmings over to Yahoo! for all their search needs (and can PPC advertisers be far behind?)
This theory of an angered general public forced to shift their searching habits because of a dramatic transformation in the relevancy of the results returned by Google has been backed by plenty of siteowners' anecdata showing an increase in Yahoo! traffic the week after the Jagger update.
I am a sucker for numbers. In fact, I'm willing to believe almost anything you tell me, if you can back it with numbers. Use the Pythagorean Theorem to show me that the world revolves around a gopher in a potato field in Boise, and I'm on board. I'll go to college campuses and pass out flyers preaching the gospel of the sacred gopher. In fact, I will even help foot the bill for the 10,000 silk-screened heavyweight light grey t-shirts.
Given my affinity for numbers, I figured that I needed to explore this mass exit theory a little bit more. So, using statistical traffic data gathered from a random sampling of several clients, I set out to see if I could match the results others had found. Unfortunately, after analyzing the data, there is no sacred gopher, and no jailbreak run away from Google and their post-Jagger results. Our data shows very little difference between pre- and post-Jagger Yahoo! traffic, and as a statistical kicker, showed an increase in the amount of traffic delivered by Google.
So, back to the drawing board. No lemmings, no sacred gopher, and no undisputable proof that Google is losing its stranglehold on the search market. All in all, a very disappointing day.
Just to make myself clear, I'm not saying there is no merit to what others have found. A backlash may be coming. People may begin to gradually shift their searching habits based on a growing dislike for the results they find on Google. But, at this point, I see no concrete evidence to back it up. And without the numbers, I just can't jump off the lemming's cliff.
The Vanity Side Of Search Engine Marketing
Posted by duncan on November 01, 2005 at 01:38 PM
"You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you." Remember this old Carly Simon tune? Maybe. Maybe not. I am dating myself a bit here, and I know that many in the SEO/ SEM industry may be too young to remember this hit.
How does vanity come into search engine marketing? It is most typically a factor in search engine optimization and the ubiquitous search engine position report. We all know the drill; get a list of keywords and see how high up your site is listed in the major search engines. Seeing a top spot is always a blast. "Wow, that's me up there" or "See, we got your site to the top, wasn't it worth hiring us?" Plainly, checking your rankings is often a drill that accomplishes little other than feeling good about being well positioned.
The rubber meets the road when those terms that are well positioned also lead to new business, sales leads, improved branding and the like. When you are well positioned for a keyword that no one searches for, or for one that is way off target, it does little to help your business even though it may feel great.
Are search engine position reports useless? Position reports themselves are limited in their ability to tell you how effective your SEO efforts have been. You must have other detailed analytics to truly measure whether your efforts and/ or investment in SEO is paying off. You need to know which of your keywords are driving traffic and conversions. You need to know which search engines are sending this traffic. Search engine positions reports can't tell you all of this.
Should we just forget search engine position reports then? No. We need these reports to paint a complete picture of SEO efforts. They can be useful in helping you figure out which page on your site is favored by the search engines for various keywords. You can use position reports to track the competitors in your space. They are worth keeping around, but please stop giving them more importance than they need.
If you are using position reports as your only means of proving SEO success, then you are "so vain" and this song probably is about you. Give these reports their proper place and surround them with the other data you need.
