Google personalizing search

26 11 2008

logo_40gry1The future of search engine rankings is changing right before our eyes. It used to be that when you typed your keyword into Google you could measure your ranking according to where you placed on the results page. Though you can still check your ranking that way, it might not be the most accurate measurement anymore.

In Google’s quest to offer more relevant search results, they are personalizing search so that the language you use in your search query is more closely related to the language on the web pages that show up in the results. These results are based on several factors including recent search engine queries, language, keyword phrase, search activity, browser and location. For example, if a site ranks well on a particular keyword phrase for someone living in Florida, it might rank differently for someone living in Alaska with that same keyword phase. It depends on what their search history is, where they are located, etc. This makes it a little more difficult for marketers to measure page rank as it will be different for different users.

What does this mean for marketers?
•    You should no longer measure your success by where you rank in the search engines. You should use other measurements such as ROI, conversions and traffic to measure your results.
•    Your site should be optimized with keyword rich content.
•    Your website content should speak directly to your audience, offer relevant information and give your audience a reason to stay and return to your site.

What does this mean for users?
•    Users will be offered more targeted and relevant results to their search queries.

The good news is the personalization of search will offer businesses a more targeted visitor to their site which in turn could lead to a higher conversion rate and ultimately increase your ROI.

So if I were you, I would begin measuring my overall site traffic, conversions and ROI and let measuring my site rankings be a thing of the past.

For more information on Google’s  Search Personalization check out these articles:
The Future of Google’s Search Personalization

Google Awarded Patent for Language Personalization


Comments : 4 Comments »
Tags: , , ,
Categories : Marketing Musings

Yes, and…

21 11 2008

With this economic downturn, businesses are tightening their budgets and marketers are required to do more with less money. This may be a daunting task for some, but for others, this is an opportunity to really get creative.

I read an article this morning by Sage Lewis called I love Crazy Link Ideas which suggested that this is the time to really put your best foot forward and “think outside of the box” (I know, that’s so cliché) to better market your brand. Lewis suggests writing down the craziest ideas you can come up with and offers some suggestions of his own. It’s funny because as you read his suggestions, the first few are outrageous but as you read further these ideas seem to spark some realistic ones.

This reminds me of a team-building game I facilitated at a previous job. It is called Yes, And…The object of the game is for someone to throw out the craziest idea they can think of and the next person is to only add to the idea no matter how outrageous it is by saying “yes, and…”. As you can imagine, the first few ideas are usually just plain ridiculous but as you go on down the line and people start adding to it, innovation begins to emerge.

So, in your quest to do more with less, embrace this opportunity to really shine. Use some of these exercises to brainstorm some viral marketing opportunities, linking strategies, events, etc. There are so many opportunities that cost little to no money. They do however, take some time and a little creativity. Have fun with it and see what happens. After all you have nothing to lose.

Good luck!


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags:
Categories : Marketing Musings

Link Love

13 11 2008

There is no ideal recipe for optimizing your site. The rules and algorithms for search engines are constantly changing which means you can’t just optimize your content and move on. You must continually evaluate your SEO strategy and make changes accordingly in order to be competitive.

A linking campaign is one key element in SEO (one, among many). It’s a low cost and effective way to both get your name out there and increase your search engine rankings. So why then do most businesses neglect this piece of the SEO pie? Well, plain and simple; it’s tedious and time consuming but well worth the energy.

I recently worked with a company that had a great linking campaign in place. Consequently, they also had great standings in the search engines. Now, I’m not claiming it was solely related to their linking campaign but it definitely contributed. As we all know, the more relevant links coming into your site the better. And there are many ways to gather relevant links.

Content

  • Make sure your content is fresh, relevant and offers something to your audience so it entices them to link back to your site.

Affiliate Sites

  • Find quality affiliate sites that correlate to your product and request a listing and/or link posting.
  • Be sure to link back to a relevant landing page on your site.

Blogs & Social Media:

  • Create you own blog with interesting and relevant content that links back to your site
  • Monitor other blogs, make comments and post your link
  • Create Pages, Groups and/or Profiles in various social networks with quality content and links back to your site.

There are many ways to create a linking strategy and yes, they all take time. Unfortunately, some of us just don’t have the time to do it all. So, I suggest that first and foremost, you should make sure the content on your site is interesting, appealing to your audience and has relevance to your product. Give them something to link back to. Then work from there.

For more information on creating linking strategies check out the following articles:


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags:
Categories : SEO

DVR ads still making an impression

7 11 2008

I have to admit, there are some TV commercials that I absolutely love; the “I’m a mac and I’m a PC” ad, the Comcast commercials with the Slowsky’s, various Geico ads with that famous gecko and the cavemen commercials which come complete with their own website called The Caveman’s Crib. But will I pay attention to them when I’m watching a show I recorded on my DVR? Studies say yes. So for all you ad agencies and companies creating and paying for these brilliant (and not so brilliant) advertisements fear not.

There are three things that happen when viewers are watching their favorite show on DVR; they are either skipping the commercials, scanning them or actually viewing them. Though it may seem a waste of time and money for advertisers when viewers are scanning and skipping, a recent study shows that logos and brand images are still being viewed and later referenced by consumers.

A study from researchers at Boston College found that even when DVR viewers fast forward through the commercials, the information displayed still creates brand memory despite losing sound and dropped frames. According to eMarketer’s article entitled, DVR Ad Skippers Retain Brand Memory, researchers tracked eye movements while viewers scanned through ads and found that branding info placed in the center of the screen was still effective.

This is good news for consumers as networks and cable companies debate whether viewers should or should not be allowed to fast-forward through the ads on their DVR (ABC wants to kill ad-skipping). Consumers like to be in control of the information they receive. Besides, it might just put the pressure on ad agencies and companies to come up with more creative and entertaining ads.


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags:
Categories : Advertising, Uncategorized