Google Place Search – the potential impact on retailers without physical stores

Posted on November 17, 2010 by Andy Miller

Last week, Christos explained a number of changes to how Google displays local search results. Following on from his general observations, I take a look at what it might mean for retailers, particularly online-only retailers, who by their very nature do not have a physical store, or ‘local footprint’ if you like…

No ‘local footprint’? No problem!
Bluntly, not having a physical store might not matter that much. As Amazon’s success proves, there are millions of people who are perfectly happy to buy certain types of products without the need to touch, taste or smell the product, and will continue to do so. We assert that Amazon’s brand loyalty will not be threatened by Google’s developments, simply because we anticipate customers and prospects go to Amazon directly (either because they are already saved in favourites, or their brand is so familiar people type in the URL directly so are more likely to bypass search engines in the first place).

No ‘local footprint’? Might (might!) be a problem…!
Take a different sector though – let’s consider clothes retailing. How do brands such as ASOS or Boden respond to these developments from Google? As with Amazon, one can imagine ASOS enjoy good levels of direct traffic. Their eCRM programme is an established and increasingly sophisticated tool that keeps their customers and prospects informed, with direct routes back to the core brand and transactional site. However, we believe search engines play a more important role for ASOS or Boden within the clothing sector than for Amazon with books and DVDs, and therefore generate a relatively greater proportion of traffic for these online-only retailers.

With Google placing more and more emphasis on local listings, online shoppers will enter phrases such as “designer dresses” and increasingly be served results that includes listings for nearby retail stores (regardless of whether they use a location term within their search query). This is good news for retailers with physical stores such as TopShop, New Look, Next and the like. Not so good for their hitherto almost untouchable online-only competitor.

So, what’s to be done?
Much will depend on the relative weight of local searches within search engine’s algorithms. But as recent coverage suggests this weight will be heavy, it seems to us that digital brands such as ASOS or Boden have a number of options, which aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive;

1. The first option is to continue to innovate all elements of their digital content, both on their core site and ‘off the page’, in the hope that these innovations can offset the power of local search results. For example, it was announced only last week that ASOS would be trialling a new service called Me_tail, a virtual online fitting room service where visitors can create their own customised 3D model to match their own body shape and size before trying on different clothes and accessories. This kind of pioneering innovation is likely to appeal to online shoppers and keep pouring thousands of direct visitors back to the site on a regular basis.

2. The second option would be to evolve and expand their business model. If local search results become the dominant factor within searches, Boden could begin to suffer if they DON’T have a physical footprint. If they start to lose prominence in search rankings, it places greater importance onto their eCRM programme for sure, but whether this can offset their lack of visibility within Google remains to be seen.

While an even more refined eCRM programme should guarantee keeping the customers they already have, it doesn’t itself feel like a strategy for growth. Herein lies a wonder of this evolving business and communications world in which we live – a digital brand could start to suffer because it DOESN’T have physical shops. Lastminute.com have had their ticket booths for a while now – will we see Boden on the high street in the next year or two…?

3. Thirdly, if digital retailers choose to remain digital-only, it will be interesting to see how these retailers evolve aligning their increasingly rich content with YouTube (a hugely influential search engine in itself), something French Connection have already started to explore with ‘Youtique’. The ongoing evolution of how these retailers leverage dialogue through core social media properties such as Facebook and Twitter will also be fascinating.

Watch this space!

Google Place Search and how it affects your SEO efforts

Posted on November 5, 2010 by admin

On the 27th October Google updated how it displays local search results. In summary, no longer are local results restricted to a specific section at the top of the page. Instead, they are integrated into the main ‘natural’ listings.

It is clear that this is a major shift for Google and users alike. It is one that some are celebrating as a triumph whilst others condemn as a step too far. So what does it mean for website owners and what will be the impact?

Normal search results are pushed out of the top 10
Firstly, and most importantly, because the local (now known as Google Place results) are integrated into the natural listings, they inevitably push natural search results down the page. Take the screenshot below as an example, searching for “driving instructor Brighton”:

You will notice that the closely packed local search results (known as the ’10 pack’ and then subsequently the ’7 pack’) traditionally found at the top of the page are gone. Instead, the local (or Google Place) results are now integrated with the normal, natural search results. In essence, there is no immediately obvious distinction between local and the normal search results.

In the example below, the Place results not only dominate the top of the search engine results page (SERP) but they are actually taking the place of “natural” search results that would have traditionally appeared. The result is that just four natural search results actually make it onto page one of the SERP. This is really good news if you have your local search listings in order. However, it is bad bad news if you don’t have a local presence and have instead worked hard to get your site ranking naturally in the main SERP’s.

Adwords ads pushed down and obscured by the new map
You will also notice the map on the right hand side. Not only does this map push ads in the 4th spot further down the page it also obscures them as it moves down the page as you scroll. This makes it much harder for users to notice and access your ads if you are not bidding for a top 3 spot. This will inevitably make it more competitive and expensive for paid search ads to appear in the top 3 in what some consider to be an already over inflated market.

However, its not all doom and gloom for paid search as the new format keeps users on the main SERPS page (previously when clicking on a local result you would be taken to the map page that contained limited real estate for paid ads). This may mean a higher number of ad impressions but only time will tell if this negates the impact of the map.

Customers reviews are more prominent
You will notice that customer reviews are now a more prominent feature with the new listings. These reviews may be pulled from a variety of sites including Yelp, Thomson local and Tripadvisor to name a few.

It is acknowledged by most experts that click through rate is one of the many factors Google adopts in its ranking algorithm. A strong local listing with plenty of positive reviews is therefore likely to attract clicks, highlighting the need to encourage customer reviews on relevant websites (ensuring they are likely to be positive of course!). In theory, positive reviews = more clicks = better click through rate = better rankings.

Local results showing for non local search terms
Google also appears to have a greater understanding of intent. From what we have seen over the last few days Place results are featuring more regularly for searches that do not necessarily contain a location term (even though Google claim this not to be the case).

This will mean that general search results may be cannibalised or improved based on which side of the fence you sit on.

What does this all mean?
Google have confirmed that local and general search algorithms have been merged, which essentially means there is no going back. Google Places, and the change to SERP layout will be here to stay. It is therefore essential that you have your local listings in order as soon as possible. We recommend the following action points:

1. Make sure you have a Google Places listing set up for your business. If you already have a Google Maps / Local listing set up within a Google account you should now notice it is called Google Places – you may need to reclaim it and certainly you’ll be able to add more information about your business, including relevant keywords.

2. Review the placement of your paid ads and adjust your bidding strategy accordingly if you find you are receiving fewer clicks.

3. Ensure you are monitoring your online reputation. With customer reviews being more prominent, you need to both encourage reviews but also monitor what is being said about your products, services or brand.

Have you noticed any changes to your search engine rankings, paid search performance or traffic as a result of this change? Get in touch and let us know.

Christmas retail: gearing up for Cyber Monday (part 3 – paid search)

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Amelia Pratt

This is the third of our five part series helping you to maximise sales over the Christmas period, with a particular focus on the 6th December, Cyber Monday, when online sales peak before Christmas.

After focusing on research and planning on day 1 and website optimisation advice yesterday, I turn attention to paid search, the perfect tool for maximising sales over the Christmas period due to its immediacy and flexibility.

Day 3: Paid search

By this point, you should have established the products that will be the focus of your Christmas marketing efforts, who you are trying to sell these products to, and your key messages to attract this audience.

With this in mind, I look at how to apply this planning to the various component parts of your paid search campaign:

Keywords

I recommend you begin by reviewing the keywords you are currently targeting. If you have an established paid search campaign already focused on your ‘hero’ products, begin by looking at the historical keyword performance. Identify the keywords that have worked most effectively in terms of click through and conversion rates. Consider culling low performing keywords and divert budget into those that have proven to perform most effectively.

If you haven’t added to the keyword list in a while, now would be a good time to analyse if searchers are looking for products in ways you had not previously anticipated. Consider that come Cyber Monday, many prospects may have already decided on the gifts they are going to purchase. Search queries will become more specific as prospects get closer to the point of making their purchase (having already worked through the research and consideration stages of the buying cycle). Reflect this in the keywords you target on, and around Cyber Monday.

For example, if you sell a line of popular, branded T-Shirts, in a wide range of sizes and colours, add search term variations to your campaign that reflect longer tail search queries, for example:

Brand X blue t-shirt
Brand X red t-shirt medium
Yellow Brand X t-shirt

Targeting very specific, long tail terms will ensure you capture visitors when purchase intent is at its greatest.

Also, be sure to update your negative search term list to include those terms that you DON’T want your ads to appear against. The easiest way to do this is run a Search Query Performance report. To run this, go to the Keywords tab in AdWords and click “See Search Terms”.

Advert copy

Now that you’ve selected your terms and put them into tight-knit groups, it’s time to get creative with your ad copy. The key to maximising click through rates from your adverts is to ensure that the ad copy is relevant to the search terms being targeted, whilst also being reflective of the key messages you have established during your planning i.e. lowest prices, fast delivery and so on.

I recommend creating a number of different variations of advert copy that take account of where prospects are likely to be in the buying cycle, triggering these ads at the appropriate time in the build up to Christmas.

Let’s use our T-Shirt’s to demonstrate an example:

Mid October – mid November
A section of your target audience will already be in research mode. Reflect this in your ad copy by ‘warming up’ prospects with messaging that reflects their ‘mooching’ behaviour i.e.

“Looking for the perfect Xmas present?
Brand X T-Shirts in stock now”

Searchers will be quite willing to purchase even at this early stage if there is a compelling enough reason to do so. Therefore, you may want to offer incentives for ‘early bird’ shopper i.e.

“Starting your Xmas shopping early?
10% off Brand X T-Shirts today”

Mid-November – early December
It’s around a month until the big day, still plenty of time for shoppers but it’s definitely time to start creating a sense of urgency, especially for popular products that may run out of stock i.e.

“Brand X T-Shirts back in stock.
Buy now for guaranteed Xmas delivery”

With Cyber Monday on the 6th December, any special offers or promotions you are running to coincide must be reflected in your advert copy i.e.

“10% off Brand X T-Shirts today.
Order for delivery before Xmas”

Mid December – until the last day you can guarantee delivery
Shoppers looking for gifts from mid December onwards will be looking for guaranteed delivery before Christmas. This is where advert copy needs to create the greatest sense of urgency, especially if you have an advantage over competitors by being able to offer the latest guaranteed delivery date i.e.

“Brand X T-Shirts in stock
Order to arrive before Xmas, guaranteed”

In summary, the build up to Christmas is a great opportunity to create urgency by creating and triggering adverts that focus on the motivating factors of your target audience in the build up to Christmas, namely availability, immediacy, speed of delivery, for example.

Budget

Don’t miss out on sales due to a limited budget, especially on Cyber Monday. By this point you should have selected the products you know can deliver a return over the Christmas period. This will give you the confidence to increase budget, thereby guaranteeing all day visibility for your adverts, and maximum sales for your ‘hero’ products.

It is wise to check that click costs are not escalating as competition increases. Regularly monitor your campaign over the Christmas period. This is not the time to ‘set it and forget it’ (in fact there is never a time to ‘set it and forget it’!).

Automation

If you are not already using third party software to help automate aspects of your paid search campaign it is probably too late in the day. Often the integration can take a number of weeks, sometimes months; time you do not have.

However, if you are utilising a tool, such as DC Storm for example, ensure you are taking full advantage of the functionality on offer. This might include:

Rule based and automated bidding
This is where rules are created and applied to your campaign based on financial data, such as the price of your products and profit margins. By applying rules based on this data, you can ensure click costs stay within agreed parameters, for example calculated against your profit margins for those ‘hero’ products.

Product feed integration
Third party programs can be aligned with your stock systems to automatically take down adverts as your stock is diminished. This reduces waste by ensuring adverts are live only for products that are actually available, vitally important during the Christmas period.

Task scheduling
Tasks can be scheduled at specific times. For example, if you have a sales promotion that begins at 9am on Boxing Day and ends 5pm on the 27th December, you can schedule specific sale ad copy to run at those times.

Well, that should be enough to keep you going. Tomorrow, Lucy talks editorial link building…

Help! Why is my average cost per click increasing in AdWords?

Posted on September 14, 2010 by Andy Miller

With the announcement of Google Instant sweeping across the industry well, instantly (pardon the pun!) over the last few days, I want to cover something else equally as important that has been grabbing our attention recently: rising click costs in Google Adwords, otherwise known as CPCs (cost per clicks).

Our analysis has shown that since May, many of our clients’, across multiple sectors, have seen average CPCs increasing month on month. Why is this? Well, amongst other factors, the price you pay for a click will strongly depend on the competition for the keyword you are targeting. With this in mind, here are some factors which we feel may explain the rise in CPCs we have seen over recent months.

The end of the recession?

Many advertisers will have reduced their ad spend or cut it completely when the recession hit the UK. In turn, competition for paid ad placement is likely to have reduced. However, as we come out of recession and business starts to pick up again, many companies will be releasing budget and ploughing it back into paid search. As this channel offers almost instant search engine positioning with full control and maximum flexibility, it is the ideal tool for nervous businesses wishing to dip their toes back into search.

This is perhaps leading to greater competition and takes me nicely on to the next point…

Aggressive bidding strategies

Due to greater competition in the search auctions, companies may be forced to adopt aggressive bidding strategies in order to remain competitive and get in to the top positions for high converting search terms. This can result in bidding wars from advertisers, therefore increasing click charges across the board.

Summer promotions

Another possible explanation for the increase in CPCs is that many of our clients, operating in retail for example, run summer promotions or sales. With paid search being the ideal platform to run such promotions, many companies will be taking advantage of this – also leading to extra competition during recent months.

So, how do I remain competitive?

If the trend of increasing CPCs continues then advertisers (especially smaller businesses) will have to get a lot smarter if paid search is to remain a viable tool. Focusing on the cost per conversion for each keyword will be paramount in deciding the price you are willing to pay for each term. Small to medium sized businesses may also have to switch focus to long tail search terms as bigger brands with deeper pockets dominate the listings for the more generic, and therefore highly competitive terms.

There are many other ways to remain competitive as CPCs increase. Tools such as Conversion Optimiser will use your conversion tracking data with the aim of delivering more conversions at a lower cost. Ad Scheduling also allows you to adjust bids on certain days of the week or times of the day when conversions are usually at their highest. There are many other ways but I’ll save these for a later blog post!

Will Google Instant affect my CPCs?

As Google Instant has only been live for a few days (to those in the UK it is only available for Google account holders who are logged in), it is still very early to say what impact it may have on paid search. Over the coming weeks and months advertisers should keep a watchful eye on any unusual shifts in impressions and click-through rates (CTRs). A drop in the CTR could negatively impact quality scores, thus potentally leading to higher CPCs.

I’d love to hear if any other AdWords advertisers have experienced similar increases in their CPCs over the past few months. Please leave any comments below.

Google Instant – can everyone keep calm please?

Posted on September 9, 2010 by Ben Potter

No doubt you have heard about Google’s latest innovation in search; Google Instant. The basic premise is that Google predicts what you’re searching for in much the same way as the Google Suggest feature. The difference is that the actual results for the query are displayed and indeed change as you type.

The first thing to note is that this feature is currently only available to UK searchers who are logged into their Google account. I, for one, would love to know how the % of Google users in the UK who actually have an account and therefore how many people outside the search industry, at this stage, are aware of the change…probably very few. So before you panic about the potential impact of Instant, remember that the average Google user does not have a Google account and at this point of time would not have a clue what Google Instant is!

Anyway, to see it in action, check out the video below:

Speculation is rife as to the impact this will have on SEO. Many of the usual culprits are coming out of he woodwork to claim ‘Instant is the death of SEO’ (yawn!). I’m not going to spend time regurgitating what is being hotly debated elsewhere. Instead, I want to provide a very simple assessment of what we feel Instant means for SEO; in our view, very little. It is certainly not the death of SEO. People are still searching and Google needs to deliver relevant results. Whilst this is the case, there will always be a need for good SEO in some form…period.

Therefore, the basic principles of SEO remain unchanged; create well designed, intuitive and content rich websites TARGETED AT USERS NOT SEARCH ENGINES. Build quality links from relevant websites. Create content your target audience will find of value and market this content to the websites they frequent, and so on.

The only fundamental difference we can see is the behaviour of searchers. Search journeys may be longer because users will be interrupted by keywords and phrases they may not have considered or in fact are completely off-topic. Alternatively, generic searches may decrease in favour of longer tail phrases as people keep typing and refining their search until they see the most relevant results page. For those who have been optimising for both generic and long tail terms this won’t be an issue.

So in conclusion, Google Instant is certainly an interesting and snazzy update to the Google search experience but will it change the face of SEO? – I doubt it.

So with that ladies and gentlemen of search; keep calm and carry on!

How multichannel retailers can benefit from Google’s new search results layout

Posted on June 7, 2010 by Rosie Freshwater

If you’ve been searching on Google in the last couple of weeks you may have noticed some changes to the layout of the search results page. Google has launched its new advanced search layout and there are plenty of snazzy things you can do with your search results, some of which were available before but perhaps tucked away and therefore you may not have known about them.

There are plenty of great blog posts (like this one from @dannysullivan) that run you through the different options available and how to use them. However, we thought we would focus on some of the main functions that benefit retailers and how they can use them to improve on their multichannel marketing efforts.

First let’s have a look at the new column on the left where all these lovely new tools sit.

If we conduct a search for “designer handbags” this is the page of results we get.

For a while now Google has incorporated a number of different media types, such as images and video, into their natural search results (this is called Universal Search in Google’s case or blended search elsewhere). Google’s new look search results page now includes a very useful list of search options on the left hand side making it easy to refine your search according to images, blog posts, news, video and so on.

Once you have refined your search, to view video results only for example, you are presented with a further set of options in the lower part of the left hand column to refine your results still further. In the case of video, you can refine by length, quality and source (amongst others).

We believe this added functionality presents a number of opportunities for multichannel retailers, namely to:

Increase brand & product visibility to shoppers
Find influential people to review and talk about products
Find and engage with customers
Research hot topics to help shape a social search strategy
Help measure the impact of your marketing efforts and tweak accordingly

Let’s look at each of these in turn:

Increase brand & product visibility to shoppers

Consumers are becoming far more sophisticated in how they search for products online. The new layout from Google will facilitate this and retailers need to be aware of the areas where they must be prominent by presenting relevant content:

Images
Although image search has been a large part of the Google experience for a while now the more prominent advanced search option opens up opportunities to increase the visibility of your products to engaged searchers.

As you can see, a search for “designer handbags” now brings up the normal page of results but with a whole new bunch of refined searches in the left hand column. You can now refine by size, type of image, and even colour.

By creating great imagery in the first instance and then optimising it accordingly, this is a great opportunity for retailers to have their products featuring for a wider range of targeted searches. Make sure your product images are named according to the type of image (i.e. photo, drawing, etc) and include other details, such as colour.

e.g. /red-d&g-tote-designer-handbag.jpg

The more well optimised imagery you have on your site, the more exposure your products will get within image search. And as retailers will only be too well aware, when prospects are shopping online, especially for higher ticket items, great imagery can have a significant impact on conversion rates.

Video
Video is a further extension of good imagery and allows a higher level of engagement with customers. Product demonstrations or showing the product in a real life situation, such as catwalk style clips for clothing, can have a dramatic impact on conversion rates. And with a more prominent position on the search results page, and numerous options to refine video results, we should see more searchers viewing more videos on the search engines.

With the rise of YouTube and social media it’s been increasingly important to get involved in creating video content for the past few years. Now that Google has opened up its video results it is even more so.

Again, make sure you are optimising your video properly whether you are putting it on your site or on channels such as YouTube.

Maps The maps results option in the new layout shows Google Local Search results overlaid on a map. Therefore those looking to buy a product in a particular location can find the nearest store stocking that item. This has huge potential for retailers, especially as so few currently appear to have local business listings for their stores, optimised with their key products. Look at the results when we conduct our search for “designer handbags”:

Regardless of product range or number of stores there is huge potential in setting up and optimising Google Local Listings to ensure you are visible to regional shoppers, and importantly those searching on smart phones using mapping applications.

Find influential people to review and talk products

As search marketing and PR have converged, an essential component of a successful digital marketing strategy for retailers is engaging with ‘influencers’. In other words, bloggers, journalists, twitterers and owners of Facebook groups whose opinions, comments and product reviews can have a significant bearing on a retailers sales, brand visibility and reputation, as well as search engine rankings (every review can generate a link to a brands site).

There are two sections of the new advanced search layout that we think can help retailers in their search for those all important influencers.

Blogs
Using this advanced search feature, when searching for product related keywords, will yield a list of bloggers most relevant to those products i.e. those people that appear to be most active in talking about, designer handbags, for example:

This gives the retailer a great starting point to select the bloggers they should be building relationships with. It may be that a retailer sends their latest product as an exclusive for the blogger to review, perhaps offer some useful content or ask if they could have a guest blog slot. By building these relationships it gains the retailer extra visibility, traffic and perhaps even a link or two!

The refined search options include ‘by timeframe’ so bloggers can be approached who have been talking about the retailers type of products in the last few days, making this search option fantastic for identifying those talking about the latest trends and topics (particularly relevant to fashion).

Updates
The ‘updates’ section in the advanced search results shows what’s happening on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. These networks are highly relevant to retailers as many of their prospects and customers will be active in talking about, sharing and reviewing their latest purchases. Like bloggers and journalists, individual customers can also have an influencing affect over their friends, colleagues and peers.

Using the updates results section retailers can look through the list of people mentioning their specific products, or similar products, and what they are saying about them. They can then click through to visit relevant Twitter or Facebook profiles to see how many followers/fans/friends they have to determine their level of influence.

Engaging with prospects and customers across social media channels, in an open and public way, can lead to a positive mention of a particular product which will be seen by all the influencers followers. In addition to this, updates from networks such as Twitter, are increasingly being featured in search results, and in real-time, so regular mentions of a retailers brand or products in these spaces will start to have more and more impact on their search engine visibility.

Engage with customers

There are 2 areas of the new layout that retailers can utilise to engage on a one on one basis with customers:

Updates
This section as we have mentioned previously not only allows a retailer to research influential people who are talking about their products but also allows them to engage directly with them.

This great blog post by Danny Sullivan shows that by searching using terms such as “anyone know + key product” it will show all of the updates from people likely to be asking questions about those products. In turn, the retailer can answer those questions publicly therefore engaging with a customer or prospect, whilst also demonstrating to anyone else who might see that conversation that they are personable and care about the individual customer.

Discussions
In exactly the same way as an update search, the discussions search will show discussions happening in forums across the web related to particular products. This, again, is a great opportunity for retailers to get involved where their target audience is hanging out and provide the answers to their questions in a completely transparent manner. Be informative but friendly and the added brand visibility, loyalty and back links could have a dramatic affect on sales.

In the example below we have used the “anyone know” search again.

Again, there are a number of refined searches that can be used to filter by time and length of discussion, for example. Retailers should utilise these to make sure the discussions they get involved with are timely and on topic.

Research hot topics for a social search strategy

Central to the success of a digital marketing strategy for retailers is creating great content, in a wide variety of formats.

Creating useful content aimed at prospects and customers increases time spent on site, conversion rates, brand visibility, loyalty and search engine visibility. But how do retailers decide the type and format of content that will be most useful to their audience?

They use Google advanced search features, such as News and Updates of course!

News
Retailers will know the key products they want to create content around (the ones that yield the most sales and/or best margins). Using relevant search terms within the News section of Google search gives great insight into what is being written around those products at the moment and by who, as well as further insight into changes in the retailers industry that might affect core customers.

Retailers should look at what is being said within the online publications that their target market would read. If there is talk about “designer handbags being stolen” then write a guide to keeping expensive accessories safe or insuring against theft. If there is a key celebrity endorsing a certain handbag then write a blog post about how a particular range would suit the outfits they wear.

Again the search can be refined by date so retailers know they are writing about hot topics.

Updates
Researching using updates can give great insight and ideas to help shape a content strategy.

A key piece of information is the time line at the top of the page which shows peaks and troughs in mentions of a certain product. Retailers can therefore plan to release fresh content around a certain product at the time where activity online is at it’s highest. Strike while the iron is hot!

See the impact of marketing efforts and tweak accordingly
The Update tool is also extremely useful to measure the impact that a marketing campaign is having on brand mentions and conversation online.

The example below shows the conversation around the Burberry “Art of the Trench” campaign. It combines Facebook and Twitter updates and shows what people think of the campaign and the way they are engaging. Burberry can use this data to tweak the campaign to address any issues people have with it and focus the content around the campaign to fit with the language their target audience are using to talk about it.

As the updates are in real time, using these search filters can give an instant picture of online sentiment surrounding a campaign as it is launched to allow tweaking for better engagement and results.

Retailers can find the people who are evangelising about the campaign, engage with them and get the message spread further, deal with any confusion others may have about how to get involved and tweak the optimisation of content according to the language people are using online.

This type of response tracking works equally well with other types of marketing material likely to form part of a multichannel marketing strategy. Just sent out a catalogue? Then check what people are saying online. Are they happy to have received it, what do they think of the layout and so on?

Or perhaps track people’s immediate response to a new advertising campaign, such as this search for ‘M and S’.

Summary

We have only really touched the surface here on the opportunities offered to retailers with the new layout from Google. We have not even mentioned Google Shopping Search!

As mentioned before many of these options for search have been around for a while but many people using Google will not have been utilising them. Now they are right there in front of the customers eye retailers should be working hard to ensure their digital marketing efforts tie in with them.

The additional research tools offered are absolutely free! Any retailer who can’t afford sophisticated buzz monitoring and social media research tools should view Google’s added functionality as a viable alternative.

So where should you place the new asynchronous Google analytics code?

Posted on June 3, 2010 by admin

Google recently released the new asynchronous analytics code but there is some confusion about where this should be placed due to an apparent error in most analytics accounts.

The old code used to go just before the closing </body> tag as it could slow the page down, however the new code takes advantage of browser support meaning the code loads much faster and can ultimately be placed much further up the page.

However, if you log into you analytics account you will see the following instructions:

But if you click the learn more link you will see conflicting information that states the code must be placed in the header of the page.

So which is it? After the opening <body> tag or before the closing </head> tag?

Luckily we are not the first people to spot this and a discussion on Analytics help boards has provided the answer. Simply put you should opt for placing the tag in the head section of the page ideally before the closing </head> tag.

This could however mean quite a few CMS updates will be required to ensure code is now placed in the correct place. For those people who can only add analytics code via their CMS the real question is will this new asynchronous code still track correctly if it isn’t in the header?

If this code is placed in the body of the page it will still work, however Google is keen to ensure it catches as many visits as possible. By placing the code higher up the page in the header it is more likely it will capture every visit (and bounce) as it will load before anything else.

Google should have already updated the Analytics advice and this thread suggests we are simply waiting for the update to filter through to all analytics accounts.

However I always think its better to be safe than sorry so make sure you place the new asynchronous code before he final </head> tag rather than in the <body> of your html. Also make sure you test the site after the new code has been installed. Make sure it works well in all browsers as there are some reports of issues in IE6 and make sure you check the data in analytics after 24 hours to see what was reported in case there is any data missing.

A beginners guide to: real time search (part 2)

Posted on May 17, 2010 by admin

Last time I introduced you to the concept of real-time search. In this second installment I look at how you need to adapt your search marketing efforts to take full advantage of this potentially game-changing development. Although it’s early days for real-time search all the signs are that it will become an increasingly important part of how search engines deliver highly relevant and newsworthy information to users. Therefore, the winners will be those online marketers that adapt early.

I’m going to begin by looking at the sources search engines use to populate their real-time search results because naturally that leads to the activities you need to incorporate into your online strategy.

While Bing currently concentrates on Twitter as its primary source of real-time information, Google includes sources such as Google News links, Google Blog Search links, Google Buzz posts, as well as Jaiku, FriendFeed, Identi.ca, MySpace and Facebook fan page updates.

With most, if not all of these sites having a social element to them, the introduction of real time search reinforces the importance of a well-thought out content and social media strategy to complement ‘traditional’ SEO efforts. On this basis, I recommend you consider the following action points, not only to take advantage of real-time search, but also to widen your reach and engage directly with your target audience:

Set up accounts or profiles across the above websites even if you do not plan on using them quite yet. By doing so, you are at least taking ownership of those accounts under your brand name (before somebody else does!)

If you are going to use one social network to take advantage of real time search in the short term, choose Twitter and establish a strategy for its use (assuming it is relevant to your target audience)

Develop a robust content strategy. Success in social media, and therefore real-time search, is dictated by the quality and relevancy of the information you publish whether this is 140 character tweet or a video masterpiece. To help…

…invest in buzz monitoring software. Not only can you monitor where your brand name is being mentioned online but you can also monitor hot topics to see if they are relevant to your brand or line of business. This in turn will help you shape the content you create and in what format. Getting involved in the most newsworthy conversations makes it more likely you will gain visibility in the search results

Once you have created relevant content consider the most appropriate channels by which it can be pushed out. For example, press releases are likely to feature in Google News so ensure you create and distribute them using the right tools when appropriate

Get blogging; consider how you can publish regular blog posts relevant to your business / industry. The steady stream of fresh, newsworthy content, particularly in response to the major changes / events/ developments in your market place will, in time, ensure your target audience favours you as a source of up to date and valuable information. Search engines may well begin to so the same

Ensure that all of the above is keyword driven. Integrate targeted keywords into your content, utilising hashtags where relevant

The efforts described above will inevitably require additional internal resource. However, the relationship between search, social media and content demands that brands take a more holistic approach to their search engine optimisation efforts. With social media activity having an increasing influence on search engine performance brands cannot afford to sit on the sidelines of social media.

Conclusion

In recent months I’ve introduced you to the latest developments shaping how search engines display their results. What I hope this highlights is that search engines are in a constant state of flux as they seek to provide the most relevant results to their users.

What we must do in instances such as these is to remain clear-headed and focused on making sure that the innovations in question do not catch us out. We must therefore be innovative ourselves. Change can be good as long as you know how to tackle it. With that in mind, keep your eyes peeled for regular updates and advice.

Digital marketing benchmarking report for premium home and garden retailers

Posted on May 6, 2010 by Ben Potter

Over the course of 2010, Leapfrogg is conducting a series of surveys investigating premium retailers’ use of, and attitudes, towards digital marketing. We are looking at a number of very specific niche markets beginning with home and garden. Further surveys will look at premium fashion, health and beauty, and food and wine.

This first survey was sent to 80 premium home and garden retailers with just over a quarter taking part. Respondents included well recognised high street brands and smaller retailers.

The full report is available to download here. Below we have included some of the key findings:

Use of marketing channels

The top five online marketing channels being ‘heavily’ or ‘partially’ used by premium home and garden retailers are articles and press releases (75%), email marketing (67%), search engine optimisation (67%), paid search (66%) and voucher codes (48%).

Respondents are ‘just getting started’ with social networking (38%), micro-blogging i.e. Twitter (33%), blogging (30%) and involvement in forums and communities (25%).

Interestingly, respondents have ‘no intention of becoming involved’ in the creation of audio (55%) or video content (35%), mobile marketing (33%) and shopping/comparison engines (33%). And although a number of retailers are adopting the use of voucher codes, a further 33% have no intention of using them.

It is suggested that premium home and garden retailers take the time to investigate the opportunities presented by video and mobile in particular. Video and the use of mobile technology to access the Internet, read product reviews and download coupons/vouchers are experiencing significant growth with consumers.

Importance of marketing channels

The top five online channels that are considered most important to the success of the business are search engine optimisation (76%), email marketing (50%), articles and press releases (33%), paid search (30%) and reputation management (25%).

The areas that are felt to be unimportant are voucher codes (33%), social networking (30%), audio (27%), mobile marketing (24%) and shopping and comparison sites (24%).

Understandably, premium brands may feel the use of voucher codes ‘cheapens’ their offering. However, Leapfrogg would consider it a concern that so few companies rate the importance of social networking and mobile marketing, in particular.

Channel rating according to return on investment (ROI)

The key channels that are claimed to deliver return on investment are search engine optimisation (SEO), email marketing, and articles and press releases.

In respect of the other 13 online channels the majority view is that the return on investment is indifferent. Social networking is perceived to have a very poor return on investment by one quarter of the respondents, suggesting that premium home and garden retailers have not yet implemented appropriate systems to measure their social media marketing efforts with accuracy and in line with business goals.

Channel resource plans

The online activities where resource is being increased in 2010, compared to 2009, are social networking (65%), email marketing (60%), micro-blogging (58%), SEO (57%), activity in forums and communities (43%) and blogging (44%).

Plans to increase resource in social networking is interesting when it is considered that a quarter of respondents perceived social networking to have a very poor return on investment, whilst a lack of internal resource (see later section) was also deemed a significant barrier to the success of social media efforts. It is therefore suggested that premium home and garden retailers need to carefully consider objectives from social media activity, set up appropriate systems to measure performance and ensure adequate levels of in-house resource are dedicated to managing social media effectively.

Multi-channel marketing

Results indicate that respondents combine more traditional online activities, such as SEO, PPC and email when running multi-channel campaigns. Social media and blogging also represent popular channels, yet integrating mobile is very low, despite consumers growing use of smart phone technology to access the Internet.

It is recommended that premium home and garden retailers consider all the ‘touch points’ between brand and consumer and implement multi-channel marketing campaigns that ensure a consistent offering and message is present across all of them.

Management of marketing channels

Marketing is the department responsible for managing all online activities except PR, of which there is either a dedicated department or it is outsourced. IT is responsible for search engine optimisation (SEO) in just over one third of the retailers who responded, which might suggest it is viewed as a technical discipline as opposed to a marketing activity.

Knowledge of customers

Generally, premium home and garden retailers feel that they need to know more about the behaviour of their customers online. 82% do not know how their customers behave on social networks and 66% do not know what their customers are saying about their brand online.

The latter is a particular point of interest as consumers are increasingly willing, and easily able, to share their thoughts with hundreds, possibly thousands of others through blogs, forums, reviews sites and social networks. In turn, purchasing decisions are heavily influenced by the positive and negative reviews a retailer may receive online. It is therefore suggested respondents investigate the use of buzz monitoring tools to quickly identify the conversations happening around their brand and products.

55% feel informed about their customer’s behaviour on their website suggesting respondents have implemented, and are using analytical tools to good effect. However, 45% appear not to be using tools, such as Google Analytics, to great effect therefore limiting the opportunity to make informed decisions on optimising site performance.

Knowledge of search engine ranking factors

Premium home and garden retailers rate keyword placement (67%), website architecture (57%), Meta tags (55%), the user experience (48%) and external links (43%) as crucial to achieving high search engine rankings. Rich media content and blogging were considered by the majority as important but not crucial to improving search engine rankings.

A quarter of respondents were unsure of the impact on search engine rankings of choice of technology and social media activity. Concerning the latter, it is recommended respondents investigate the relationship between search and social media as these channels cannot, and should not, operate in isolation of one another.

Goal setting

Half of premium home and garden retailers used past performance as a benchmark for setting goals for digital marketing activity along with basing predictions on financial goals.

One third of respondents do not currently set goals for digital marketing activity. It is highly recommended that premium home and garden retailers work to establish objectives using SMART methodology to ensure there is direction and focus for digital marketing activity. In addition, appropriate tools and processes should be put in place to measure goals accurately.

Ability to track goals accurately

Respondents rated their ability to track search engine rankings (57%), online conversions (48%), email marketing performance (47%), behaviour of site visitors (35%) and affiliate marketing (33%) as good.

Areas not being tracked accurately include conversions from social media activity (74%), mobile marketing (73%) and customer lifetime value (71%).

59% do not currently track overall return on investment from digital marketing activity.

This would indicate there is still a great deal of progress to be made in the area of measurement. Retailers should be implementing the appropriate tools and processes to measure the impact of each online channel. Better tracking will not only enable return on investment to be calculated from each channel but also provide invaluable data for forecasting and developing future strategies.

Agency relationships

The split between managing work in-house and the use of external agencies is 50:50 with a slight preference for conducting more of the work in-house but using specialist agencies where needed. Those that use external resources use specialist SEO agencies, full service digital agencies, web designers, affiliate marketing and PR companies.

Premium home and garden retailers rated the ability to deliver results (95%) as the most important factor when working with an agency. Specific knowledge of the customers’ market (76%), and having open lines of communication (67%) also rated particularly highly.

Premium home and garden retailers believe it is ‘crucial’ that an online agency has knowledge of the clients’ target audience (80%), their key performance indicators (73%) and knowledge of the business plan (53%). Yet only 40% believe an agency should have knowledge of the clients’ offline marketing strategy (40%). This indicates that premium home and garden retailers need to better communicate offline activity with their agencies therefore ensuring a consistent, and properly integrated online/offline marketing strategy.

Barriers to success

The barriers that prevent premium home and garden retailers from maximising their online marketing efforts are lack of internal resource, lack of budget and a lack of understanding. Board approval and not having an appropriate measurement tool are also cited as significant barriers.

The ‘lack of internal resource’ is of particular interest as a high number of companies choose to manage digital marketing in-house yet do not appear to possess the necessary capacity to do so to maximum effect.

Download the full report here. If you would like to discuss any aspect of the report findings, please get in touch. And remember to keep a look out for future reports covering premium fashion, health and beauty, and food and wine.

The digital marketing agency for premium brands and retailers

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