'Micro-conversions needed' to measure PPC impact

The impact of PPC strategies should be measured not just by full conversions, but by enquiries that might lead to offline purchases, according to an expert.
An industry insider has commented that advertisers should set up micro-conversion rates to see if pay per click (PPC) marketing techniques are driving offline sales.
Interactive marketing manager for Extra Space Storage Scott Jensen told Marketing Sherpa that often people will find out about a service online, but then complete a purchase in person at another time.
In order to measure this impact, he recommended that companies should create micro-conversion rates for customer enquiries and apply a monetary value to each one of these conversions.
Mr Jensen claimed that using this matrix of how much each enquiry is worth allows businesses to better quantify how useful PPC techniques have been.
He explained: "A keyword might [fully] convert online once every six months. That being said, that does not mean that it is not contributing to sales."
Last month, Marketing Sherpa advised advertisers to improve the quality and accuracy of product descriptions to improve natural search rankings.
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Marketers 'must adjust to maintain SEO rankings'

Advertisers have to alter their SEO campaigns to ensure that they maintain successful search rankings, according to an industry insider.
An industry commentator has told marketers to monitor their search engine optimisation (SEO) rankings, to make sure they do not fall behind their competition.
Writing on a blog for SEOmoz, Scott Willoughby pointed out that many of the tactics marketers use in SEO will stay the same, but there is a need to "future-proof" strategies.
He highlighted the need to concentrate on delivering the fundamentals of search marketing, while at the same time tweaking the details to maintain success.
"In order to stay on top of your game, you need to keep an eye on your rankings over time and adjust accordingly," Mr Willoughby wrote.
In his view, SEO is not a one-off campaign that advertisers can forget about once they have completed a campaign, but an "ongoing process".
Last month, an online marketing executive at Coast Digital pointed out that a good SEO organisation will be able to show what they have achieved through web analytics statistics.

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Google 'will not be sole SEO platform in future'

Portals other than Google will still have a vital role to play in search marketing, says an expert.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) will need to be carried out across a range of portals in the future, with the focus not just on Google, according to an industry expert.
Deputy news editor at New Media Age Will Cooper noted that Google does provide consumers with a solid base to search for what they want on the internet.
However, he claimed that people will still search across various company portals.
In his view, one company will always dominate an area, but it is another point entirely to suggest that a search engine such as Google will displace all other search sites and portals.
"I wouldn't imagine - I might be wrong - we'll get to a point where Google will become the main place you start for everything," he explained.
Mr Cooper made his comments following the launch of the Google Social Search tool, which the organisation has advised will work best if users create a public profile with the company.

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Expert champions SEO work

Search engine optimisation is a valuable service with proven results which must be differentiated from spam, says an industry commentator.
A marketing expert has discussed the positives of hiring a search engine optimisation (SEO) team to work on developing online presence.
James Fairweather, online marketing executive at Coast Digital, noted on his blog noted that the key to good SEO is quality content combined with effective delivery techniques.
He stated that this makes search marketing a completely different ball game to spam, since the content must be fresh and unique otherwise it will not drive traffic.
Mr Fairweather pointed out that a reputable SEO company will be able to prove what their work has achieved through web analytics statistics, so clients can see what they are paying for.
"Realistically, I could do my own accounting, or write my own will - yet many people will pay an accountant or a solicitor because they will do a better job," he commented.
This week, the marketing manager at Canterbury of New Zealand highlighted SEO as a key feature of the company's online strategy.

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SEO "critical" feature of online promotion

SEO techniques have proved to be very useful as part of a sportswear brand's online promotion campaign, according to the organisation's marketing team.
An industry insider has claimed that search engine optimisation (SEO) is an important part of branding online.
Steven Morris, e-commerce marketing manager at Canterbury of New Zealand, noted that SEO is a key feature in the launch of the company's new website.
He described how the sportswear brand has used the marketing technique alongside paid search to drive traffic since being bought by JD Sports Fashion in August.
Mr Morris said that the campaign is "working well" in pushing through conversions, following its campaign to improve natural search rankings.
"SEO is critical in our online strategy, most immediately as we prepare for the busy Christmas period and the 2010 Six Nations competition," he explained.
Earlier this year, Canterbury of New Zealand added email marketing to its advertising portfolio.
This week, a content quality analyst on the Yahoo! Search Marketing blog recommended writing "concise and well written" descriptions of products to boost SEO efficiency.

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Technical and witty descriptions 'can drive SEO'

Hiring writers to produce high-quality descriptions can improve retail SEO, says an expert.
By describing products in the right way, retailers can improve the search engine optimisation (SEO) of their products, according to an industry expert.
Eric Deniger, chief executive officer of Working Person's Store, told Marketing Sherpa that having writers produce high-quality descriptions of products can be beneficial.
He recommended that they show technical aptitude about the product they are describing.
It is also important to use a conversational style, because this will build trust with the customer, Mr Deniger continued.
"We want to make sure that we maintain a position of technical aptitude in the marketplace far beyond the retailers who copy and paste the bullet points from the manufacturer's website," he told the website.
As well as these style points, Mr Deniger noted that a keyword-rich approach is necessary to reach different demographics.
This week, online marketing director of Zoombits.co.uk recommended using links from journalists to boost SEO efficiency, because they will often be high-authority and natural sources.

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Making adverts accurate 'is vital for SEO'

Search engine marketers will improve the success of their campaigns by making sure adverts clearly explain the product on offer, says an expert.
Advertisers must make sure that adverts are well written if they want consumers to pay attention and improve search engine optimisation (SEO), one sector analyst has claimed.
Writing on the Yahoo! Search Marketing blog, content quality analyst Noah Belson pointed out that advertisers must make their promotions as appealing as possible.
An important part of this is making sure that adverts make sense, so they must be "concise and well written", he continued.
"As in school, grammar and spelling count. Users tend to ignore poorly written ads that are hard to decipher, or those that simply indicate a lack of attention," wrote Mr Belson.
In his view, marketers will be helping themselves by explaining as clearly as possible who they are and what they are offering.
This week, an industry expert speaking to Marketing Sherpa claimed that high-quality descriptions of products can drive SEO, with technical aptitude and a conversational style being two key features of successful style.

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Effective SEO tactic is to "get journalists on board"

SEO marketers have been told that getting links from journalists could be a good way to improve search efficiency, according to an expert.
Journalists could hold the key to efficient search engine optimisation (SEO), an industry insider has suggested.
Online marketing director of Zoombits.co.uk Sam Tilston made his comments following research by Econsultancy and Guava, which showed that 48 per cent of companies have reported an increased return on investment on SEO over the past year.
Mr Tilston observed that SEO marketers could improve their service by concentrating on getting good links to the right journalists, rather than link building, since Google will see through this latter tactic.
He explained: "The only way you'll stay on top is if you get natural, high-authority website links. The only way to do that is to get journalists on board and get them to link to you."
It is also vital for businesses to keep in contact with SEO companies, because Google will make about 400 changes to its algorithm each year and it is beneficial to know how each alteration affects search strategies, continued Mr Tilston

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SEO 'gives longer-term rewards'

An industry insider has claimed that businesses who want a better return on investment should choose search engine optimisation over paid search.
Using search engine optimisation (SEO) to build up traffic to a website gives a much longer-term reward than paid search campaigns, according to an industry expert.
Sam Tiston, online marketing director of Zoombits.co.uk, claimed that using paid search is similar to "renting the traffic", since companies are paying for all the business they receive.
In comparison, he commented that concentrating on SEO can offer a better return on investment.
Mr Tiston explained: "You're investing up front for a longer term, but after six months or so you're going to have those positions and you're going to get the constant flow of traffic."
He suggested that online retailers will use traffic through the website in order to sell their product and SEO and paid search will be two of the main ways of doing this.
Recently, Econsultancy announced that 45 per cent of companies are planning on increasing their paid search budget in the future.

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SEO "like creating a masterpiece"

Undertaking search engine optimisation (SEO) strategies on a website is similar to the creation of a beautiful painting, according to one sector commentator.
Carrying out search engine optimisation (SEO) strategies on a website has a number of similarities with the creation of a masterpiece, one sector commentator has asserted.
In an article for online resource SEO Consult, a user known only as Michael said that an SEO strategy needs a solid foundation upon which to be based, in the same way that a masterpiece painting requires a blank canvas.
"Doing SEO on your website is like creating a masterpiece. If your canvas is moth-eaten and stained, your masterpiece is not going to come out as such. On the contrary, you will end up with a half-cooked job instead," he stated.
As such, he recommended taking SEO into consideration when a site is just a blank canvas and ensuring that it permeates every element of its design and structure.
Earlier this month, Matt McGee, editor at Search Engine Land, told web resource SmallBusinessComputing that SEO is not as complex an idea as some might think.

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Yahoo! identifies possible retail SEO spikes

With the holidays just around the corner, Yahoo! has told marketers to begin their preparations for potential spikes in SEO.
Yahoo! has pointed out several potentially positive windows in retail search engine optimisation (SEO) coming up soon and warned advertisers to prepare well.
Writing on the Yahoo! Search Marketing blog, content quality analyst Noah Belson claimed that the holidays give marketers plenty to cheer about.
He highlighted Black Friday and Cyber Monday either side of Thanksgiving weekend as established shopping days.
Also, the first or second Monday of December has been coined by eBay as Green Monday, which Mr Belson commented is widely accepted as a very popular day for online retail.
"Advertisers need to get started now, to make sure that their campaigns are ready when consumers are," wrote Mr Belson.
He claimed another important day is known as Brown Monday, when retailers offer their biggest discounts and last-minute deals before Christmas.
This week, White Hat Media reported that SEO has been vital in raising online awareness of its client The Gym Group, as it drives web traffic.

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SEO 'vital to gym advertising campaign'

The marketing specialist at the centre of an advertising campaign for The Gym Group has said that SEO and social media are the key drivers of online awareness.
The marketing company which helped launch a new promotional campaign for a gym has highlighted the importance of search engine optimisation (SEO) in attracting customers.
White Hat Media designed the website and the SEO campaign for The Gym Group, which currently offers budget gym facilities in London, Surrey and Liverpool, but is planning major growth in the near future.
Jeremy Spiller, managing director of White Hat Media, commented that SEO is a key factor in generating web traffic and the online awareness that the organisation is aiming for.
He said: "We are working together on various ongoing online marketing activities to further drive sales and increase brand awareness."
Social media was also used to get the attention of consumers, added Mr Spiller.
This week, editor-in-chief of Search Engine Land Danny Sullivan bemoaned the criticism that SEO often receives and claimed that it is different to spam because it is more content-focused.

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Search engine's marketing campaign "very focused"

Google's new advertising campaign looks very effective and should not be considered a scare tactic by the search giant, says an industry insider.
Following the release of a new marketing campaign by Google, an industry insider has commended the search engine.
Ray Jones, head of communications and external affairs for the Chartered Institute of Marketing, dismissed the idea that these latest adverts are a scare tactic to show rivals the extent of their influence and financial muscle.
He suggested that the search engine is just trying to stay ahead of its competitors, as he claimed Google has been "exemplary" in the nature of its advertising in the past.
"For people on increasingly scarce budgets a campaign like this, focusing on the problems people endure every day, makes it seem like a very focused campaign on a clear market," explained Mr Jones.
In its official blog, Google stated that its applications are used across two million businesses in more than 100 countries.
Mr Jones added that there is a huge market for search and display advertising online, so it is likely that the company is trying to extend its influence with this latest advertising campaign.

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SEO 'not the same as spam'

Search engine optimisation is different to spam and should not be treated as the same sort of content, according to an expert.
An industry commentator has stressed that search engine optimisation (SEO) should not be confused with spam.
Danny Sullivan, editor-in-chief of Search Engine Land, wrote on the website that too often people who complain about SEO are not aware of how it differs to spam content.
He claimed that saying all SEO is spam is like declaring that all advertising and email marketing is spam, when in fact the basis of it is ensuring relevancy to what users are searching for.
Mr Sullivan pointed out that effective SEO will be based on top quality content, with everything else built on top.
"They should have good content. Trust me, a good search engine optimiser would love nothing more than to deal with a site that has outstanding content from the get-go," he wrote on the website.
In his view, the problem is that there is always going to be spam due to the lack of moderation online.
Last week, Marketing Sherpa advised search marketers that keywords which produce the most effective SEO will change over time.

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Relevancy 'vital in PPC marketing'

Pay per click advertising can be expensive so people must make sure that they carry out the process as efficiently as possible, says a commentator.
It is essential that website operators utilise their keywords in all parts of their advertisement page if they are going to employ pay per click (PPC) marketing, according to an industry commentator.
Peter Kolat, a representative from Realestateids.com, wrote in a Bigger Pockets blog post that PPC adverts can cost a lot of money if the process is not carried out correctly.
He suggested studying the topic or hiring someone else to organise a campaign if possible.
However, if people decide to do their own PPC marketing then he stressed the importance of making all content relevant.
Mr Kolat informed readers that no matter what the keywords are, "make sure that the phrase appears in the ad headline, ad body, ad destination url and the headline of the landing page itself".
Last week, Yahoo! announced that it is aiming to improve relevancy in its search results pages by allowing users to select specific providers when they look for a product.

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