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What devices should you target with your PPC campaigns?

October 7th, 2011
by Graeme Carlisle

The answer is all of them! The key however, is tailoring campaigns specifically to get the most out of your advertising in the search channel. Recent research from Google gave a great insight into search by device and at what time of the day.

We can see that not only is there significant volume on all three devices, desktop, tablet and mobile; but also that the user behaviour is different on all three. Let’s start with the desktop computer, the original searching device. There is very little traffic throughout the night, however there is a significant peak at around 9am when people get into work, or settle into their daily browsing of the internet. Traffic is maintained at a fairly stable level throughout the working day before starting to drop off and re-stabilise at a lower level in the evening and finally slowing right down as people turn in for the night.

In comparison to this the mobile search data shows that the traffic starts to increase earlier in the day. Before work, at around 7am more people are searching on their mobile than on their desktop. This begins to stabilise as the working day begins, however we can see an interesting peak during lunchtime, just after midday. Traffic then continues to increase incrementally throughout the evening and peaks late on in the evening, before searches then drop off dramatically as people again turn in.

Finally I would like to draw your attention to the newest device available for search, the tablet. We cannot see a dramatic difference in search behaviour in the morning. Traffic builds up from around 6am and then stabilises throughout the working day. The biggest change in behaviour is seen during late afternoon and evening, where traffic then starts to ramp up at a rate much greater than that seen on mobiles. There is then a more significant drop-off than any of the other devices as the evening draws to a close.

  • So what does this all mean for advertisers?

Specific targeting is key. Do not use Adwords to ‘target all devices’ and hope for the best. Create structured and specific campaigns for the different devices, ensuring you are optimising for device specific ad copy and keywords. Make copy engaging for the device, use terms like ‘on your mobile’, ‘on your iPad’ or direct clicks to downloadable apps not standard landing pages. Don’t forget about the WAP market either, remember ad copy has a different format to PC and devices with full browsers and users also tend to use shorter tail keywords. Finally use device specific ad scheduling and bidding, what times should you focus your budget, at what times should you raise your CPC bid? These factors are different for each device. Be meticulous and thorough and you will be rewarded!

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Google ‘Mega-Sitelinks’ – Good for Everyone?

August 18th, 2011
by Katie Saunders

I feel it’s about time for another Google update, and this one just cannot be ignored. In the last couple of weeks, a Google results test from earlier in the year has been rolled out on a larger scale. Searchers now come across an abundance of sitelinks on the Search Engine Results Pages. This has implications for both Paid and Natural search.

Over the year Google has increased the number of sitelinks appended to PPC from 4 to 6. This has been beneficial from my point of view for two reasons. My clients are able to take advantage of more space on the page as well as giving consumers more options to navigate to different parts of clients’ sites.

Apparent more recently, the Natural results now include what we are unofficially terming “mega-sitelinks”. When a user types in a specific company name or brand the usual PPC ads appear at the top of the page. The Natural results show as before, however with the addition of sitelinks. While we have been seeing more SEO sitelinks within the Natural listings, the new format shows up to 12 sitelinks.

As you can see from the above example, the brand in question is positively dominating the whole of the results. In this example there is competition on the PPC side, which means that the Paid box at the top of the page is larger than on other searches. This combines with the SEO listings in such a way that there is actually only one Natural result on my screen.

This raises the question about competition. Yes, Google now allows bidding on competitor brand terms, this was in an effort to keep competition healthy.  As a user, about 75% of what I am seeing on the page is from one company. This is potentially a set-back for Affiliates or resellers, making it a lot harder for them to appear above the fold.

At the moment, this is only something that we are seeing on company names. There is one grey area though, and that is for companies that have generic words as their name. I searched for “watch shop”, unaware that this was indeed a company’s name.

Google will have to be careful here with the intent behind the search. It is fair enough to show me a whole page of results dedicated to a brand search, but it is only the Paid Search in this example that offers me a variety of watch outlets.

On a more positive note, additional sitelinks on branded searches allow the consumer more choice, and options to go directly to the right part of the site without having to use navigation. From that perspective, search becomes faster and easier, this should result in a happier consumer.

 

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Minute Steak recently attended the Sheerluxe eCommerce Conference and it was a great opportunity to hear the issues that luxury retailers are currently facing when implementing digital strategies.  Alongside concerns on how to adapt these strategies to suit their customer demographic, it seems that understanding performance and devising cost effective growth strategies causes issues for many.  Here are some key issues that were raised on the day:

  • How do I better understand my web-site performance?

Understanding the performance of your web-site is critical to optimising your online revenue.  Google Analytics is a free tracking solution that can provide you with key metrics if it is implement correctly.  Ensure that your site is tagged correctly, e-commerce tracking is implemented and goals and events set-up.  If you have these key factors in place you can tag online activity and monitor results from one platform including the linking of your AdWords Account.

  • I’ve get lots of traffic, but customers aren’t buying?

This could mean that the wrong traffic is being directed to your site or alternatively you may find your site needs to be reviewed.  If your web-site is not clear and easy to use, any budget applied to driving the right traffic will not generate the potential return.  It is important to get people that aren’t familiar with your web-site to provide feedback and test, test, test.

  • How can I increase online sales aside from increasing marketing budget?

Following on from the previous point, it is essential to plan ongoing testing and optimisation on your web-site and marketing activity.  Ensuring that activity is integrated and consistent messaging is displayed throughout the customer journey will reassure the user.  This supported by directing them to the most relevant landing page with clear product information and an easy to use purchase process will enhance your ROI.

  • Most search traffic is generated through my brand?

The first step is to look at search query processes and identify if a series of generic searches occurred before a purchase on brand.  Secondly you need to develop a search strategy that focuses on driving generic traffic to your site as these searches will often be made by new customers.  Reviewing your top selling products, USPs and Google Analytics reports will enable you to identify the generic terms that are most likely to lead to sales.  In many cases generic rankings can be costly and it can be worth testing generics in paid search before committing to a longer term natural strategy.

  • How do I devise a social strategy?

The most important first step is to complete an audit of the social landscape.  This will enable you to understand where and how your customers engage online and the activity of your competitors.  This process ensures you avoid social for social sake and instead develop a strategy that is in-line with how your customers wish to interact with your brand.  It is essential to provide a reason for your customers to engage with your social activity and dedicate time internally to produce targeted and relevant content.

The above provides an overview of the types of discussions had on the day.  Many of the businesses asking these questions were experiencing great success online, but acknowledged that they often didn’t have time to review reports and performance in the detail that they would like.  In these cases a simple online health check can be an effective way of ensuring that the basics are in place and marketing budgets are being utilised as effectively as possible.

If you’d like help with a health check or any of the above issues sound familiar, please feel free to contact us and we’d be happy to provide further advice on your digital strategies.

 

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What does the Royal Wedding mean for retailers?

April 20th, 2011
by Jeremy Thomson

Interest in the Royal Wedding has already reached fever pitch but is there scope for brands to benefit from the occasion? The level of searches for the term ‘Royal Wedding’ and many relating terms has dramatically increased in the last month.  These searches have not just come from the numerous British residents that will be flocking to London on the 29th but also a large worldwide audience highlighting the incredible level of interest the wedding.


The vast level of searches and worldwide interest has led to YouTube announcing that they will be broadcasting the entire wedding live on the Royals’ official YouTube channel so all the world will be able watch.

But what does this mean for brands, if anything at all? Is there scope to capture some of the search traffic currently being populated for this event? When we look at the popular searches revolving around the Royal Wedding there appears to only be a few search terms that have the potential to generate a return:

Term such as ‘Street Party’ and ‘Royal Wedding Ideas’ already have a number of paid search ads appearing for them looking to capture consumer interest but is that as far as it goes?

A recent poll carried out by JWT Marketing revealed that a majority of consumers would not let their purchasing behaviour be affected by the royal wedding and over half consumers asked thought it was inappropriate for brands to try and increase their sales using an association with the Royal Wedding.

Companies like Schweppes have used the Royal Wedding to create new products such as their limited edition Royal Wedding bottle for a number of their drinks. But Schweppes have also created a Facebook initiative in the form of an online card that people can sign to send their best wishes to the couple in order to use the occasion as a branding exercise.

T-Mobile used the occasion to create a new viral ad showing Kate and William lookalikes dancing down the aisle in their attempt to use the wedding to get people sharing their video and gaining some brand exposure.

Yet it seems that to drive an increase in sales and capitalise on this increased level of interest it is not the Royal Wedding where the connection must fall but in a much more subtle approach. The higher interest in Kate Middleton and, in particular, what she is wearing does seem to have had a direct impact. For example, she has recently become associated by the public with Burberry which led to the particular trench coat she wore last month selling out in a single day.

So it seems that in order to gain any advantage from this historic occasion brands must think carefully about their strategy – whether to use this as a branding exercise or a much subtler sales strategy. Unless of course you make British flags or mugs with people’s faces in the centre of them in which case business is probably booming.

 

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Google Launches New Media Ads

April 13th, 2011
by Camilla King

Over recent years we’ve increasingly seen Google test the water with new paid search ad formats, of which one of the latest has been Video Extensions. Using the same targeted keywords, copy and URL link as traditional PPC ads, users can expand a plus box to view a relevant video.

The feature creates clear opportunities for customer engagement with sight, sound and motion all within the comfort of the SERPs. It also allows extensive branding opportunities for marketers, far and beyond a standard paid search ad of the past. Primarily these extensions were beta tested in the US for movie trailers, product demonstrations or previews. The user could watch the first 10 seconds of the video without incurring a cost for the advertiser, after which a standard CPC charge would apply, and the user could click through to the site free of charge.

More recently, however the use of Video Extensions has matured, with Google announcing a new version of AdWords known as Media Ads, specifically for marketers of big movie releases. Now when a user searches for a film title or variation, a large light box will appear, dimming the rest of the screen while the video is played. The difference; there’s no keywords, no bidding, instead the verified studio behind the film will appear top, paying a standard flat rate for each click. This is all part of the Adwords New Ad Formats Initiative by Google, which was launched a year ago to improve the rich types of information within ads.

Currently on limited release for major motion picture studios only, there is some threat of monopolising the industry by disabling smaller players. Google has also indicated that the Media Ad formats will soon be available to other industries, helping to promote their videos through PPC. While the branding and engagement prospects here are exciting, we will have to wait to see the full impact on smaller players across these industries.

Google describes the offering as a “theatre-like experience”, but in reality is the full screen too invasive? And what if the user is searching for cinema showing times or film reviews?

We hope the Media Ads prove themselves to truly deliver rich format ads to the customers who want it, and do so without compromising the fair competition of PPC advertising.

 

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Can we really ever measure offline sales from search?

April 8th, 2011
by Jonathan Dunkley

Google’s AdWords blog this week features a piece of research they’ve called “Online to Store Experiments” which attempts to bridge the gap between online advertising and in store sales:

Google have done this by setting up a variety of campaigns in markets across the U.S focussing on specific products and then measuring the impact of in store sales of these products. These results were then compared to control markets where no online advertising was shown.

Online advertising, just as any other form of promotion has an impact on driving sales in store, but can this really be ever measured in the same way an ecommerce transaction can be? The variables between the test and control markets that can’t be fixed are enormous:

• Location
• Weather
• Income levels
• In-Store staff training
• Other marketing activities

… and this list could go on for some time. The simple fact of the matter is that experiments like this will never be completely fair. There are however several ways to try and track these consumers on their journey from online to offline:

• Vouchers – Driving customers in-store using vouchers has long been used by offline marketers to track sales and in the last few years exploded online with retailers and restaurants alike benefiting. These vouchers are getting smarter now, and the ability to track back to an individual advert, url or keyword is not too far off from becoming mainstream. Once this becomes the norm, tracking and optimising where these vouchers are placed becomes a whole lot easier.
• Reserve and collect – The likes of Argos and co have been doing this for years. By allowing consumers to make the transaction online and then come in to store, means it is traceable in the same way as a full on web purchase with the added benefit that you’ve got them in-store where sales staff can take over to try and cross/up sell as well as showing them the rest of your product range.
• Local Shopping – A product currently in Beta from Google, Local Product Search allows retailers to link their CMS to Google search so consumers can find specific products that are in stock and available to purchase nearby. Once they’ve found the right product at the right price, a map, phone number or e-commerce site is presented to complete the transaction. Tracking the customers once they come in to store then becomes a little trickier, but a reserve sytem or e-voucher will help this.

Progress is therefore being made to address the online to offline tracking conundrum, and whilst Google’s research is by no means perfect it certainly highlights that steps need to be taken to improve measurability in the near future.

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With just over a week to go until Mothering Sunday it’s not too late to capture searches with Google Insights showing a steady increase in the level of searches from mid Feb, but the peak is still expected towards the middle of next week.

In terms of search trends, the term ‘mothers day gift’ continues to receive considerably more UK searches than ‘mothers day present’, but overall ‘mothers day gifts’ is the key volume driver.

Last year saw an increase in the search term ‘mothers day offers’, but we have not seen a repeat of search volumes this year and the following terms are seeing the highest rises:

Seeing the rise in searches for ‘when is mothers day’, and the below graph displaying the increased volumes of searches for this term in 2011, there is a potential opportunity to gain lower CPC exposure for this highly competitive period.

If we complete a search for the term ‘when is mothers day’ we can see that only four paid search ads appear in the listings.  It might be worth testing the term in your AdWords account along with some clever messaging such as ‘Mothers Day 3rd April – Don’t disappoint your Mum this year and order her card & flowers today ‘.

This is just one simple example of how monitoring search trends and being cleverer than your competition can enable you to compete against larger search budgets.

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Google Ads – Optimising for conversions

February 25th, 2011
by Katie Saunders

This week Google launched a new feature within Adwords based on how ads are served within a campaign. Live from 23rd February, advertisers now have 3 options for how ads are delivered. The original two options; rotate and optimise for clicks remain, the interesting new option is to optimise for conversions. This does of course require Conversion Tracking to be enabled within the account as Google will use that data to decide which ads are converting best. In cases where there is not enough data to make this decision, Google will automatically show ads that are most likely to receive clicks instead. Ad rotation that is optimised for conversions will apply to all ads on Google as well as the display partner sites.

To enable the Optimise for conversions option for individual campaigns, select it in the Ad Delivery section of the Advanced Settings tab. If you want to apply it across multiple campaigns, view All online campaigns, and then select the relevant option in the Ad rotation column on the Settings tab.

The advantage that jumps out at this point is for when two landing pages are being tested against two identical ads. If the conversion optimiser is applied here, then Google automatically decides for you which of the landing pages is more successful.

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Google Boost for Small, Local Businesses

November 2nd, 2010
by Gemma Haggarty

Currently in beta in select U.S. cities, namely San Francisco, Houston and Chicago, Google Boost is Google’s new solution to helping small businesses to be found on Google and Google Maps as shown below:

Google Boost enables businesses to set up an ad within their Google Places account and then the system automatically identifies relevant keywords for the ad to appear against. Although we would support an easy system for businesses to achieve relevant and targeted exposure within the search engines, it is hard to believe that Google’s keyword targeting will generate cost effective activity.

Firstly, Google does not expand on the process taken to decide which search terms an advert will appear against; how can it guarantee their relevance and optimisation? Secondly, there is no mention of quality score which may impact the CPC paid by the business due to there only being one ad available and traffic targeted to the same landing page. Thirdly, and for us most importantly, Google only provides the following information on the performance of your account:

• Impressions (how many times your ad appears)
• Actions (how many times users click on your ad)
• Cost during a specific time period
• Top search keywords and the number of actions and impressions per keyword

The above metrics will provide information on the volume of traffic to your web-site, but does not include tracking data that will enable you gain insight into the value of those visits; whether your objective is pdf downloads, enquiries or a purchase for example. We would advise setting up Google Analytics on your web-site, setting up the relevant Goals and assigning analytics tracking to the url provided to Google Boost to ensure you can see the true value of this activity.

As this solution is currently only in beta in selected U.S. cities, we wait to hear more information on it being rolled out across the U.S. and making it’s away over to the U.K. Our feeling is that it is likely to be rolled out sooner rather than later as it is another example of Google developing a ‘solution’ for businesses that ultimately generates them more revenue whilst driving unmanaged, untargeted and potentially unprofitable traffic to sites.

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Google Instant Goes Live

September 9th, 2010
by Warren Zanin

Last night Google officially announced the launch of their faster than ever search feature, Google Instant, which serves lightning fast live result updates to users of the UK’s most popular search engine.  The speed at which Google Instant serves results is testament to their dedication to speeding up the internet (or at exponentially multiplying their Adwords revenue).

We discussed this up and coming change to searching in our blog last week and it has been strongly hinted at in Google’s twitter feed over the last couple of days.

The instantaneous results take into consideration past consumer searches, your location and past searches (personalisation) when predicting what you are searching for.  Currently, only available on the most recent version of web browsers, the results are served based on a partially typed query, which then adapts as your search query word or phrase develops.

For example, “bestival” shows at the top of results for “bes” being the most likely result that I am looking for (remember personalisation is a factor) followed by “best buy”, “best western” and so on.

Users in US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Russia using the latest browser versions (Chrome v5/6, Firefox v3, Safari v5 for Mac and Internet Explorer v8) should automatically see Google Instant results.  Based on current browser version statistics for the UK, around 56% of UK users could potentially see Google Instant results.  If over the past couple of days you have seen the swirling dot and grey logos on the Google Search homepage then your browser is compatible and if you are not seeing instant results and want to jump into the river, lest you get left behind, you can activate it here. On the other hand you can also turn the feature off either by disabling the auto-complete feature in your browser settings, changing the Google Instant setting in the dropdown to the right of the search box or by changing your settings for Google search.

How Will Google Instant Impact Natural Search

Consumer Search Behaviour
On face value we could expect that the functionality of Google Instant will impact consumer search patterns. While partially dependent on browser versions the instant results might prompt consumers to change how they search.  Being able to ‘preview’ the results for their selected search term, users may change their query mid-way upon seeing that the results aren’t serving the sites or pages that they are looking for or expect to find.  This may be especially true of high volume, generic terms where meaning or consumer intentions are subjective.

In the same vain, the nature of searches consumers use along their purchase journey may change and long tail volume could be affected by serving users with results that they want before they have typed in the entire query phrase, thereby potentially stunting the expansion of long tail search phrases and pushing up the volumes of the suggested phrases instead.

Rankings
Google have clearly said that natural search results are still based upon Google’s main algorithm for rankings.  The Instant suggestions box does eat into the most valuable area of page 1 SERPs, reducing the number of results that appear above the fold.  This reiterates the importance of compelling page tiles and meta descriptions for encouraging users to click on your site result.

Analytics
Based upon information for the Google Analytics handling of Instant searches, the referring keyword shown would not be the partial phrase but the whole suggested phrase that resulted in a successful SERP click-through. To track partial query phrases as a result of Google Instant the guys over at Webdistortion have compiled a nifty, advanced filter that is ripe for the testing.

We will be monitoring how Google Instant affects both natural and paid search, including the effect on impressions, CTRs and account performance as a whole. Our very own Jonathan Dunkley will be following on from this post with an in-depth look at the effect on paid search.



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