Mar
3rd

Oneupweb : Eye Tracking Labs Zero In On Real-Time

Posted by Kathryn on March 3, 2010 at 1:03 pm

Remember Bill Nye the Science Guy? Kids across the country would sit glued to their televisions in awe because, after all, this was way cooler than any of the science demos at school. In Bill Nye’s hands, mundane things like vinegar and baking soda became explosive miracles of science. We all, hopefully, learned the importance of wearing eye protection.

Today, we sit glued in front of computer screens or, if we’re away from the desk, our mobile device is surely on. And rather than passively watching what happens when the unknown powder is mixed with the volatile liquid, we now have the opportunity every day to be a part of some newfangled online social experiment. You get to be one of the test subjects whenever a “beta version” of software or an app is released—it is the testing phase of development process. No goggles or lab coats required.

But not everything goes beta before it goes live. And sites like Facebook and Twitter are constantly rolling out new features or tweaking the platform. At Oneupweb, our team of digital marketing wizards are tracking, monitoring and analyzing all the new developments in the digital landscape—what will explode next?

Now here’s a little experiment you can try in the comfort of your own home that won’t require a fire extinguisher: whenever you’re ready, search for the “Oscars”, in Google (a current “Hot Topic”). You may have to scroll down a little depending on the dimensions of your browser window. Do you see the scrolling box of results? What about the big gorilla?

Well, when Google announced this new feature—real-time results—back in December 2009, we had a few questions. The basic idea is this: tweets, and current updates from Facebook, blogs, and websites will be integrated into the standard search results as they happen. But will people notice the real-time results and, more importantly, are these results getting clicks?

We rolled up our sleeves and headed to the Oneupweb laboratory. We were going to put the real-time results under the microscope, or rather, eye tracker.

Search is a key element of online marketing today. So it only makes sense for businesses to stay abreast of changes in the search landscape. And Google, Bing, Yahoo! and a variety of start-ups are getting into the real-time game. This is an online experiment that will have a huge impact on the future of search. Keep your eyes peeled—you don’t want to be caught off guard when real-time explodes.

But what about the gorillas? If you want to find out, download the free report, Search Gone Wild: An Eye Tracking Study On Google’s Real-Time Results.

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Aug
4th

One for the Road: Michigan, Round Up Your Tweeps.

Posted by Carly Wujcik on August 4, 2009 at 9:07 am

As most know, Oneupweb is headquartered on the breathtaking shores of Grand Traverse Bay in Traverse City, Michigan. What you might not know is how much we love this great state we call home. So much so, that on Monday, August 17, 2009 a portion of the Oneupweb team (our CEO included) will be embarking on a first-of-its kind tour of the state.

Sight seeing? Not exactly.

Instead, the talented Oneupweb crew is packing into an awesomely updated vintage motor home to tour the mitten, dishing out online marketing consultations and advice to Michigan businesses – for free. That’s right. Free.

The tour, called One for the Road, will provide business owners with actionable online marketing solutions that they can take back to their desks and turn into sales. And that’s not all. It’s also a one-of-a-kind networking event for Michigan business owners and employees. Now is the time for those who live and work in Michigan to band together and help each other. Because let’s face it, waiting for the economy in this state to change is an option that’s closing storefronts and shutting industries. It’s time to grab the bull by the horns. (Which of course is always easier when you have a friend to help you wrangle the bull first.)

One for the Road : Operation Michigan will be rolling into the following locations:

* Monday, August 17th Traverse City, Kickoff at Oneupweb Headquarters (noon)
* Tuesday, August 18th Ann Arbor, Gallup Park
* Wednesday, August 19th Lansing, Sharp Park
* Thursday, August 20th Grand Rapids, John Ball Park
* Friday, August 21st Traverse City, Oneupweb Headquarters

Join us at each stop between 11:00am and 6:00pm for custom solutions to your Twitter woes. A tailored action plan that your business can use to incorporate Facebook into your marketing strategy. SEO advice. Paid search answers. Anything – and I mean anything digital marketing – is fair game. Bring yourself, your peers, your business card and your questions. We can’t wait to meet you.

Can’t join us? Call the One for the Road hotline at 877.833.0667. Don’t forget to follow the One for the Road journey on Twitter @Oneupweb and @LisaWehr, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr. Surely, with this crew it will be an entertaining one to watch.

Join us Michigan. Let’s chart a new course, one that takes us back to our roots as a prosperous state filled with smiling faces, hard workers and a love for the natural surroundings we’re so blessed to have. We’re committed to doing business in this state and to helping other businesses do the same. And we’re relentless about it. If you are too, we’ll see you soon.

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Jul
29th

SEO vs. PPC

Posted by Bob on July 29, 2009 at 9:12 am

“Ladies & Gentleman, Let’s Get Ready to Rumble!!”

“Tonight we have two heavy hitters, ready to go fist to cuffs in a close combat grudge match. Let’s look at the tale of the tape. In the blue corner, wearing black trunks with gold trim is SEO. SEO has a bit of a reach advantage in this fight, and has been know to drive an incredible amount of traffic. This heavyweight has been responsible for so many accomplishments in his long career. Not only being magnificent at content optimization for core business terms, but also maintaining strong ranks among the SERP circuit. He’s been driving quality traffic for years. Yes, SEO has the endurance and is ready for a long fight. But wait, SEO has his hands full tonight.”

“Tonight’s challenger is waiting in the red corner. This combatant is wearing green trunks with navy trim; let’s give it up for PPC! The first strength that comes to mind with PPC is his speed and adaptability. PPC’s manager does a great job of controlling when his fighter should start and stop certain strategies. PPC has also been known to hit people square in the face, with the exact message that they need at that time, leaving them woozy, disoriented, and captivated by his maneuvers. And let’s not forget the tag team match that paired PPC and Landing Page, that combination was unstoppable.”

“The fight is just about to get underway here…but wait…what’s this? It appears a new contender has entered the arena. This is unprecedented: Social Media has entered the building and is approaching the squared circle. From my vantage point it appears that Social is proposing an alliance, an all powerful trifecta of power! The union of SEO, PPC, and Social, it’s unbelievable; this could possibly be the most effective marriage of online efficiency ever seen!”

Okay, maybe this is just a little bit cheesy and over the top. I’ve been accused by certain co-workers of being that “sports analogy guy”, and maybe it’s well deserved. I suppose I just wanted to make my point in an entertaining way. And my point is, the great thing about online marketing is that it gives us the ability to use several different approaches to achieve our goals. When online opportunities are put together in smart and innovative ways, the payoff can be great.

It’s really not the size of your business or the budget that you’re working with. What’s important is how you use the resources you have at your disposal. What’s important is how you maximize your budget. Your particular needs may not fall into a conventional set of line items on the online marketing to-do list. Your business is different, it may not conform to exactly what everyone else is doing, but you can still be victorious online.

A company like Oneupweb would be more than happy to look at your unique situation, and relentlessly assist your business to find the right solution (not just the traditional solution).

What do you think the future holds for online advertising?

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Jul
28th

Search – The Opportunities Are Everywhere

Posted by Chip Rice on July 28, 2009 at 3:51 pm

Today marks the start of the 5th annual Traverse City Film Festival, which of course has got me thinking about the opportunity to see great films that otherwise might not ever make their way to Northern Michigan.

But film isn’t the only thing that comes to mind for me. Oddly enough, it’s also got me thinking about search marketing.

What does the Traverse City Film Festival have to do with search marketing, you might ask? Well, it’s a perfect example of yet another search opportunity for businesses, mainly local businesses.

Consider for a moment how many people come to the Traverse City Film Festival from out of town, and the impact that this has on the local economy. Consider now that you’re the proprietor of a local business-say a local hotel, restaurant or any other activity that film goers are likely to be a patron of while they are in town to watch the films.

At what point in time do you want to start to get your message in front of this film audience? That’s right, as early as possible-probably when they are just starting to make their initial travel plans.

So let’s say someone is planning on attending the Traverse City Film Festival, there’s a good chance that a search engine will be involved during the initial stage of the plan making process. What opportunity is there for your local business to get in front of these people if they search, say “Traverse City Film Festival”?

Well let’s see, Google often times will offer recommendations for related searches. Do you see any opportunities in there?

But let’s not use those boring old text links. Why not make this even more fun by breaking out the Wonder Wheel?

That’s better. Now let’s say you operate a Traverse City hotel. And don’t out-of-towners typically need of a place to stay? So let’s just suppose that some of these out-of-town film goers click on the “Traverse City hotels” link in order to find a place to stay. Are there any opportunities there?

If I’m running a hotel in Traverse City, I can see four opportunities right off the bat.

1) Paid search – self explanatory (read up if you’re not familiar with paid search opportunities).
2) Google Maps – Local business results are front and center in local based Google queries-submitting my business here is definitely a priority.
3) Yahoo Travel – offering a wide variety of travel related information/resources-I’m making sure my hotel is included here.
4) Trip Advisor – offering reviews and comparisons of local hotels-I definitely want to make sure my business is included here as well.

Notice that I didn’t even bring up ranking high naturally in the search results, and yet, I was still able to identify four immediate opportunities to make sure I’m in front of my target audience within the SERP (search engine results page).

In my opinion natural search optimization is fundamental and always will be, but search has become a much more dynamic space than that, and as a result, the opportunities are ever growing.

So what’s the key to success in today’s search environment? Get creative, identify your opportunities and Be Relentless!

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Jul
24th

Who Knew That Finding Outrage On the Internet Would Be So Easy?

Posted by Jake on July 24, 2009 at 9:13 am

This Tuesday marks the kickoff for the fifth annual Traverse City Film Festival, an endeavor that has grown in size and scope every single year. People from all over the world come to the jewel of Northern Michigan to enjoy films that don’t play at their local Cineplex.

My friends and I have gone to the festival every year, and one of the only “complaints” I’ve ever heard is that there are “too many” good movies, and it can become difficult to decide what to see. That’s a problem I don’t mind having every year. But what can you do to help figure out the best course of action?

Thankfully, the ubiquitous search engine Google can offer plenty of help. By its very nature, the lineup of films at the TCFF is very good, and the descriptions written on the website and in the program guide make each movie sound like a winner. Many of the films have either opened in large markets like New York or Los Angeles, or played at festivals like Sundance or Cannes. So when trying to make a tough decision, looking at the organic Search Engine Results Page (SERP) can offer some valuable insight from a wide variety of sources.

For example, when I was readying myself to wait in line for five hours to buy tickets, I was reading some of the synopses, and I came across a movie called “Outrage”. The first line was something like, “the new film from the Oscar-nominated documentarian Kirby Dick…” and I stopped reading right there. Having seen Dick’s previous documentary, the brilliant “This Film Is Not Yet Rated”, I knew I had to put it on my list. Now, having bought the ticket, I realized that I would like to know a little bit more about the movie.

People don’t have to do much searching for films like “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” or “Bruno”, which opened on 4,325 screens and 2,756 screens, respectively, are backed by multimillion dollar studio ad campaigns, and are part of the pop culture that people talk about in general conversation. “Outrage” opened on five screens and never played on more than 18, so water cooler conversation about it in most sectors is probably close to nil.

Thankfully Google is there to help. As you can see below, just typing the word “Outrage” into the search bar returned four relevant results right at the top of the page: the official film website, the trailer from the Apple Movies website, the Internet Movie Data Base page, and a blog from the Los Angeles Times about the film. All of these sites can provide valuable, pertinent information for Dick’s latest documentary.

I must admit that this isn’t what I expected. The word “Outrage” is a fairly common word in the English language, particularly on the Internet, where someone is always Outraged about something. The fact that Google can interpret my intentions of this search, with seven of the 10 results returned on the first page for the film, is quite frankly pretty astonishing.

With the exception of the LA Times blog, most of the information found is “official” information. I want to know what people who have seen the movie are saying about it. Simply adding the word “reviews” brings up an entirely different SERP with none of the sites listed from our original search, as seen below. Reviews from Pop Matters, the New York Times, and Rolling Stone, among others, offer a wide variety of opinions that can help give you a better idea of what the movie is like, and if it’s something you really want to see.

The SERP also offers results pages from the sites Meta Critic and Rotten Tomatoes, the preeminent film review aggregators on the Internet. These are great websites to get an overall feeling for how critics rated the movies; Meta Critic is based on a 1-100 scale, while Rotten Tomatoes uses the “fresh” and “rotten” denotations, accompanied by a robust red tomato graphic for fresh, and a squished green tomato for rotten, and displays the overall “freshness” as a percentage. A score over 60% is “Certified Fresh.”

Another option for finding reviews is to click the “Show Options” tab right above the first result. This provides links to videos, forums, and reviews. It offers different time frames and the choice of sorting by date or relevance. This gets a little bit further away from the actual film, but the reviews tab is certainly helpful in this instance.

So all you Cinephiles, if you’ve got a few holes in your Traverse City Film Festival schedule and aren’t sure which movies to fill them with, check out the natural search results on Google. You’ll be sure to find enough information to satiate your cinematic needs.

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