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‘Search, Plus Your World’ – Have Google found a way to get people to use Google+?

January 27th, 2012
by Jeremy Thomson

Google + took on a huge number of users when it first opened but since then both sign ups and use have plummeted. The amount of time people are spending on Google+ has dipped considerably but Google have now made search results more ‘social’ with what could be seen as an attempt to get people using Google+ more.

Google announced ‘Search, plus your world’ earlier this month which is supposed to be a way of expanding your search results to include more content, especially content specific to you. This meant that they would tap in to what your friends are saying about certain things and make the whole experience more ‘social’. As an idea I think this is brilliant. I would be entirely behind the idea of including results from social media within search results. If I search for a brand it would be great to be able to see what my friends think about this brand straight away without having to research this separately.

The main problem with this new expansion from Google is that this will not be the end result for most people. The results will only show ‘personal results’ from Google products, primarily Google+. This is where the idea falls short. If it were to include results from across all relevant social media it would be perfect. By focusing mainly on Google+ this makes the whole idea a whole lot less appealling to me. These guys have addressed that and created their own algorithm that would focus on results from all across the web, not just Google+ which shows some interesting, and very contrasting results.

However, all is not lost for Google+. Since launching Brand pages brands are becoming more involved in the network and ‘Hangouts’ have even become successful. The most notable example of this is Barack Obama who is set to ‘hangout’ on the social network and answer questions that people can pose to him through Youtube. People are still clearly using the network and this is a good sign for Google. Maybe if we see it enough people will gradually start using it. Maybe.

Tags: google, Goolge+, Search Plus your world
Posted in News and Events, SEO, social | No Comments »

Is it time for your business to go mobile?

January 19th, 2012
by Jonathan Dunkley

Global smartphone penetration is rapidly rising and demand for information on the go is at an all-time high. A 2010 Gartner report suggests that by 2013 more people will use mobile phones than PC’s to get online and a study by Marin Software shows a 49% increase in mobile click share on search engines in 2011. This year then is perfect time to start investing in mobile advertising and make the most of all these handheld consumers, but what steps should a business take to create a strategy?

1. Is your website mobile friendly?

For a site which isn’t optimised, the difference in conversion rates between desktop and mobile users can be huge. Some of our clients have seen a 50% drop when targeting mobile users with an ordinary website. To check out what your site looks like and if any changes are needed go to How To Go Mo, a Google website which will show you how it looks on a portable device and suggest whether changes need to be made.

2. Create a bespoke mobile PPC account

Copying an existing desktop account just won’t cut it. Users search differently on handheld devices, so mobile specific search terms must be researched to capture traffic which is more likely to convert. Ad-copy must be created which phone users will better respond to, with phrases such as “shop on your mobile” used to increase CTR. Also, carefully consider account settings such as the devices you are targeting and the time of day the ads will show. These will both be different for a mobile search campaign.

3. Track and optimise independently

Ensure that you are able distinguish between PC and mobile traffic within your tracking and reporting. Performance differences between devices mean that optimisation should be bespoke. For example an ad-copy change due to performance on desktops may not work across a tablet device and vice-versa. The key to getting good performance is to review the devices as individual accounts whilst still recognising the role each one plays in the conversion funnel.

All of the above steps are the key to getting good ROI and converting customers through m-commerce. If you need advice or strategy, Minute Steak offers bespoke mobile campaign management so please get in touch.

Tags: adwords, google, Mobile, ppc
Posted in e-commerce, Mobile, Paid Search | Comments Off

Adwords Tries To Get Social…

December 2nd, 2011
by Graeme Carlisle

I am sure you have heard of Google +, Google’s answer to the ever growing social media market. It was first released back in June, to people in the industry on an ‘invite only’ basis, however was released to the general public in September. It obviously is entering a hugely competitive market, however Google has its hard-core fans and it managed to be the fastest growing social network of all time, gathering 40 million users in just four weeks. This is all very well but at this point the network was just for consumers, people to people, no brand or company pages were allowed. That all changed at the beginning of November, businesses can now create their own brand page, much like the Facebook brand page.

This update produced a rejuvenated interest in Google + and its potential for businesses to engage in the social media landscape. Business pages can now appear in the natural listings on SERP’s where you can add them directly to your circles, assuming you are logged in to your Google account. Our very own Lucy Ingram would be delighted to show you the benefits of this for SEO, but why does this matter at all for paid search?

Well, as of last week Google announced the full release of Social Extensions in your Adwords account. Diving head first into the social media market and showing how much power it thinks the industry has on user behaviour. How will this work I hear you ask? Once you have set up your very own, shiny new brand page on Google + you will able to link it directly to your Adwords account, at a campaign level. This means that your paid search ads and Google + page now share +1’s, how lovely. The impact for your Google + page itself will not, in my opinion be that impressive. From my point of view the real winner in this relationship is your PPC ads. They will now not only benefit from the added authority of +1’s, but will also show a small selection of people who have +1’d your brand page. Your friends, your peers and all the other social media types will now be influencing your decisions on whether you click through paid search ads. The official Google AdWords blog claims that 71% of shoppers say that recommendations / reviews from friends and family have an influence on their purchasing decisions.

This is all rather good I would say and well worth doing, provided a number of things. One, your Google + page is managed well, produces original content and engages well with your consumer market and two, Google + isn’t another flop like its previous social ventures. Only time will tell. Oh and make sure you do a good job with your PPC activity too, that helps.

Tags: adwords, google, Paid Search, ppc, social
Posted in Misc | Comments Off

Brand Pages Launched on Google+

November 10th, 2011
by Lucy Ingram

Click to Call – A big advantage for small businesses?

October 28th, 2011
by Camilla King

Adwords has this week introduced the new bid-per-call functionality, allowing advertisers to bid for phone calls as well clicks when targeting PPC traffic on computers, tablets and phones. This is a significant move for many advertisers, particularly for those who rely on a stream of incoming leads via the phone, but even more critical for brands who focus on local business.

It’s no secret now that analysis of your customers’ online journey will ensure your search campaigns are an appropriate fit for the users. Moneysupermarket is already seeing 10% of overall traffic from mobile and tablets. So mobile paid search ads for local businesses, with bid-to-call campaigns could have a significant impact on advertisers,where arguably a call is more value than a PPC click.

As J Thomson argues, the trend in Digital Marketing has been for Mobile to overtake laptop and desktop computers for “the last million years”. I’d suggest this move by Google will be an important catalyst for this trend and heighten the need for campaigns targeted at appropriate devices.

So while locally focused businesses can benefit from potential new leads via the phone, does this pose a threat where small businesses can’t justify costs associated with a call centre? This is where the conversion rate and basket value would have to be considered.

It’s also worth considering the limitations of the new feature, while Adwords will report on call volumes and charges against the call function, at this time it’s not able to report on conversion or revenue data, making cost justifications difficult. Using a phone number specifically for PPC traffic only will allow some insight into conversion rates, but again requires some manual support at the call centre or business which could add complications.

Although, at this stage, there are are no functionalities for keyword level reporting, meaning optimisations on the activity are not possible. This development is still going to be a big contender to existing phone tracking solutions, and only more so are the feature advances.

Tags: adwords, google, Mobile, ppc
Posted in e-commerce, Mobile, Paid Search | Comments Off

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.

Tags: google, Sitelinks
Posted in News and Events, Paid Search, SEO | Comments Off

Google Gets Social…Again!

July 11th, 2011
by Elliot Jones

Back at the beginning of 2010, Google brought us their first serious attempt at a ‘social network’ jumping on the Facebook and Twitter bandwagon by launching Buzz. Buzz allowed Gmail users to create a profile and share content (in the form of micro blogs) between their friends and connections, just as Twitter and Facebook had been doing, very successfully, for the previous 4 years.

For that exact reason, nobody cared for Buzz, and as such it failed…miserably. Google, not taking failure lightly, went back to the drawing board, and a year and a half later, Google+ was launched.

Google+ is the newest addition the arsenal of social profiles that every online- socialite needs to have. At this point in time, only a select few have been given access to a limited field trial of Google+, but so far reviews seem positive, a much improved attempt at a ‘social network’ after the failures of past.

What Does Google+ Offer?

Google+ is based around the idea of networks, as any social networking platform should be, but unlike the complex privacy settings of Facebook, Google+ works around the concept of ‘friendship circles’. This is where Google’s attempt outshines Facebook. Your network is grouped into these ‘circles’ as you choose to group them, so you’ll have a ‘circle’ for Friends, one for Work Colleagues, one for your Family etc etc. Using a drag and drop interface, it is simple to drag and drop from your Gmail address book, and start a network within seconds, and the same goes for sharing content. Just select a ‘circle’, upload the content, and only your connections within that circle will be able to see it.

Google is always trying to make the user experience as tailored as possible. Sparks is a search/recommendation tool, that allows you to input “stuff you’re interested in”, and rather like Stumble-Upon, recommends content it thinks you might be in to.

Huddle is Google’s answer to BlackBerry Messenger, ‘mobile group texting by Google’… enough said. Although, you are limited to messaging one of your ‘circles’, which could result in the need for hundreds of different friendship groups.

Finally, there’s ‘Hangout’. As a rival to the new Facebook/Skype collaboration, Hangout is an attempt by Google to force impromptu video chat. The one major benefit is that you can use it for multiple person video calls, which has potential benefits to the conference call market, but I personally can’t really see the benefits of awkward video chat with that guy you met at the pub two years ago, or ‘hanging-out’ as Google refers to it.

Google vs. Facebook

Facebook is a well-established network with well over 500 million active users. Today, across the globe, Facebook is the first thing users check in the morning, and the last thing they check each night, and with the addition of Facebook for mobile, it is possible to be online every minute in-between. Subsequently, it’s a hard market for Google to crack, but Google+ is a great attempt, and only time will tell if it is to be successful.

Google+ For Businesses

At this stage, Google+ is openly “optimising for the consumer experience”, which in simple terms means it’s designed for friends to share with friends. However, Christian Olsen (a product manager at Google+) assures us that functionality for businesses and brands to interact with the masses is in the pipeline. At which point, a Google+ business page will be another valuable vector for consumer engagement.

Tags: buzz, facebook, google, social network, twitter
Posted in News and Events, social | Comments Off

Image Search: What exactly are you looking for?

May 19th, 2011
by Katie Saunders

Last week the search giant Google released an update. This time it was a modification and improvement to their image search. Essentially, users can now perform image searches based on categories or subjects. Rival search engine Bing has offered this functionality since 2009. This led me to wonder if Google’s update surpassed Bing’s offering and generally, how the two engines differ for image search.

I started by performing a search on each engine on the word “steak”. One thing I have noticed in recent months is that the Google results incorporate the page number that they are on. This allows you to scroll down the page without having to click for the next set of results at the bottom of every page. Bing image search has had this continual scroll functionality for a while, but does not include pages. Personally, I find that the page break helps to keep the page feeling less cluttered. The Bing results are nicely arranged within their own individual boxes though, so that keeps it feeling quite neat.

Moving on to Google’s update, the options on the left-hand side of the page now include “Sort by subject” as well as the default option “Sort by relevance”. Clicking on this option changes the page to rows of subjects with a few example images on each row. Hovering over the row or subject title then provides the user with an option to click to view more of the same.

This is all quite logical, until I click on one of the subject options. I tried clicking on the “sirloin steak” subject row and my query now read as “sirloin steak” in the search box above the images. Bing does this too but the initial results remain clickable as the subjects appear as a clickable tab across the top of the results.

This is where the Bing and Google difference was highlighted. Google funnels the user into a more specific query, but then was unable to provide subjects relating to “sirloin steak”. At this point the user has to click the back button or start the search again. The Bing layout felt a lot clearer and gave example related searches at every stage. The tab above the results meant that at any point in my search I could click back to other categories as well as related searches.

Google released the subject search option with a view to allowing searches based on descriptions. Using the term “London domed church” and hoping to come across Saint Paul’s Cathedral, Google did not disappoint. There were only eight images on the subject page; however six of these were of St. Paul’s. The Bing results were numerous and more varied, yet all still relevant to the actual search query in some respect.

So which engine is better? It depends what you are looking for. It would seem that Google’s “subject search” does work best when identifying objects based on a description. When Google released this image search update, that was their intention. Yet this is only one way that people use search. If searching for the perfect image based on one query, Bing image search provides more options for choosing related images.

Tags: bing, google, Image search, SERP
Posted in News and Events, SEO | Comments Off

Google Launch Google Map Maker

May 6th, 2011
by Lucy Ingram

Google have launched a new tool called Map Maker in America which allows you to add and update geographic information for people to see in Google Maps and on Google Earth. It enables users to add local knowledge so that it accurately reflects the area and gives people helpful insights.

The main uses of the tool are that you can edit existing information if incorrect and add features which may be a place of interest or characteristics such as rivers, telephone boxes, etc. You can add local shops to the map which haven’t created their own Google Places listing, move shops to the right position if they’re incorrect place or adjust the shape of buildings. You can also add navigation features such as one way streets or cycle lanes. Updates need to be reviewed before they can go live.

This is not yet live in the UK and no date has been confirmed for launch. However, Google are trying to get people to input information through encourage them to throw a ‘mapping party’. This is where a group of people from an area get together and correct the shape of the roads, rivers, buildings, add local footpaths, cycle routes or useful points such as post boxes.

The marketing implications of this new venture seem limited for the time being. The tool will allow you to accurately portray your business by providing more information about how to get there if you’re in a tricky location or simply being able to add the entrance to your stores. We are now seeing synergy between Google Maps and Google Products with real time information about locations of products and availability and Map Maker opens up the possibility of being able to be even more specific about information. For example, large retailers will be able to specify on a map where the product in the store. The possibilities could be endless. Watch this space for details on when it will be live in the UK.

Tags: google, google earth, Google maps, Google Places, innovation
Posted in News and Events, SEO | Comments Off

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.

Tags: adwords, google, ppc, Video Extensions
Posted in News and Events, Paid Search | 1 Comment »

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