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Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Banner Ads Drive Search
So about to be released is a research study by the Online Publishers Association that analyzed consumer behaviors of those Internet users who were exposed to display advertising on 200 of the most trafficked sites on the Internet. I am eager to see this research as one of the main headlines is that 1 in 5 viewers of the ad conducted a related search and 1 in 3 visited the site. Not only that, they found that when driven by display ads, a visitor spends 50% more time on the site.
While I don't know if this is an argument for putting your "drive" money into banners ads, since there might be more effective drivers like online video, but it does illustrate my main contention that search engine traffic is to be "captured" and not treated like it has been driven by your SEO campaign.
But don't switch your budget out of Search Marketing either, as Display Advertising (or any media) goes hand-in-hand with your SEM efforts. A recent study by iProspect found that just as many people exposed to an ad did a related search as those who clicked on the ad. Moreover, over 40% eventually did a related search.
The upshot, learn your marketing drivers and optimize your digital footprint to capture the leads!
posted by joseph mcelroy @ 4:22 PM
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Thursday, June 18, 2009
Influence Drive Optimize
Over the last year we have been working closely with Corinthian Media, a media buying firm, to develop SEO programs for some of it's clients. Especially in the Direct Response arena. Over that time, I have come to realize how much we in the Internet space often ignore the fact that a vast amount of the traffic we see through search engines is actually driven by traditional media. I found a fairly recent research study funded by Microsoft that found over 70% of search engine traffic is navigational in nature - meaning people already knew what they were searching for when they got to the engine.
This has lead me to think about the nature of marketing with SEO. I think a lot of times we get caught up in thinking we are "driving" traffic. But that is not true, we are "capturing" traffic that has been influenced and driven by other media. While this might be a viral campaign or extensive banner networks, most of it comes from television and other media. So, we at Corporate Performance Artists have reformulated our message and mission to reflect this fact. Read this article on Influence Drive Optimize to learn more.
posted by joseph mcelroy @ 4:08 PM
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Friday, May 15, 2009
This blog is published on Amazon Kindle (pending approval)
I just went through a very simple process to publish my blog to the Amazon Kindle platform! A beta program that went live Wednesday allows my RSS feed to be available in the Kindle Store. I am still pending approval, but have high hopes that I will be accepted. You have to have your Tax Id and Banking information so that you can receive payments, but it was very secure and easy to do. Read more here
posted by joseph mcelroy @ 11:33 AM
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Thursday, May 14, 2009
Trademark Keywords can be used in Google Ad compaigns
Just not in the copy. In order to generate more revenue, Google is kicking up a controversial strategy to allow competitors to use each others trademarks in the keywords that cause ads to surface when people search for such things as brand names. Starting June 4, 200 countries (including the USA - see list here). This opens up new strategies for combined SEO and PPC campaigns, as research shows that 20% of clicks for brand name searches will actually go to comparison sites if one is available. Read more...
posted by joseph mcelroy @ 10:49 AM
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Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Google Introduces Rich Snippets
Google helps users find pages by showing them a small sample of content on page - this is called the "snippet." Google uses a variety of techniques to create snippets and give users relevant information about what they'll find when they click through to visit a site. Well, Google just recently announced Rich Snippets, a new presentation of snippets that applies Google's algorithms to highlight structured data embedded in web pages.  Read more at Official Google Webmaster Central Blog: Introducing Rich Snippets
posted by joseph mcelroy @ 2:57 PM
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Friday, March 20, 2009
Shoppers Shop Around
In a study conducted by JupiterResearch, 61% of shoppers reluctant to make certain purchases can be positively influenced by online shopping resources, especially online content tools that connect them to the opinions and behaviors of other shoppers. The study also found that 42% of shoppers visited 3 or more sites to research their purchase, and nearly all consumers are spending more time online prior to purchase. This all makes sense as, in these economic times, consumers are looking for more validation for their buying decisions. | Multiple Sources Used by Online Shoppers To Find Products | | Information Source | % of Online Researchers | | Store/retailer websites | 89% | | Search engines | 86% | | Manufacturer websites | 78% | | User ratings and reviews | 77% | | Purchaser's recommendations | 66% | | E-mail recommendations | 61% | | Best sellers | 59 | | Source: Jupiter Research/RichRelevance/BazaarVoice, February 2009 | Jupiter Research also found that only 33% of online shoppers had made up their minds about the price they were willing to pay for their purchase in advance of going online to research. Even fewer began their research having made up their minds on: - Which item or title to choose (31%)
- Which brand to buy (23%)
- Which store they would use (16%)
- When to make their purchase (13%)
This shift in behavior provides retailers with an opportunity to engage shoppers through content that connects them to products and builds their confidence in these carefully researched purchases. It points to the need for marketing campaigns that place content in carefully selected locations that represent all phases of the purchase decision. Ensuring that comparison sites and recommendation sources are highly placed and provide authoritative advise on the decision to buy. Keyword research should be targeted for not only for the direct purchase, for words that indicate various decisions a buyer has to make - "review of..., price of..., etc" And this is true, not just bad economic times, but during all conditions. Awareness of the complexity of the consumer buying process will lead to better planning to travel with them along their journey, and influencing them to buy from you when they finally put their money down.
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posted by joseph mcelroy @ 10:04 AM
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Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Market Smart
So, with the economy in a downturn, what are some possible tips for search marketers?
Have Clear Economic Targets-- Determine how aggressively or how conservatively you should be advertising and stick to your numbers. Before throwing more money at generating traffic, make sure your pages have high conversion rates.
Shift Dollars Into The Strongest Channel--This may mean moving money into organic search. It may mean moving it into pay-per-click—or another medium! Now isn't the time to maintain historic channel budget allocation simply because “we've always done it that way.”
Revisit Your Overall Marketing Strategy--Make sure that web site content and keywords reflect current market place conditions. Ensure that best practices are in place. For example, this might be a time that there are increased brand searches, as well as price/value messages.
Protect Your Bottom-Line--Don't let revenue targets established a year ago drive decisions you're making now.
Review Strategic Objectives--This might be the time for short-term ROI campaigns versus branding tactics.
Use Niche Marketing Tactics to Cut Costs: Focus Search Geographically--Instead of using search to build a broad national customer base, focus on local geographic areas (towns and cities) that are the highest concentration of your business sector. For example, Google local search emphasizes the nearest geographic center of the city. So, if you are a business that services the entire city, and your actual address isn't relevant to your customers, then using a P.O. box near the the center of town is likely to improve SEO rankings. This strategy is not advised for restaurants or boutiques-- businesses where physical proximity matters to its customers.
Maintain Search Presence--Targeted campaigns, even at highly reduced spending levels, are better than stopping SEO efforts, which are maximized over time.
Stay Calm--The American entrepreneurial spirit will prevail.
posted by joseph mcelroy @ 4:06 PM
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