Preview the Future Of Search Engine Results

Ars Technica did a great review of Google’s “Alternate Views Search Results” experiment. To take some of the new features for a first hand test run visit this page. On a similar note, Yahoo has been testing the integration of delicious social bookmarking into their search results pages.

So what does this mean for searchers?

A few weeks back Ars Technica did another posting title “The ‘Google Generation’ not so hot at Googling, after all” after review of a report published by the British Library and the Joint Information Systems Committee. The short version of the report is that even the generation that has grown up Googling everything and unaware of a world without Google still isn’t very good at formatting their search queries. Current search engine results pages on the top three engines are fairly straight forward and simple. They got a bit more complex with the introduction of universal search, however they are still a basic and static page. If searchers are having trouble finding what they want now, how will searchers be able to handle dealing with more complex search results with timelines and maps thrown into the mix? Maybe it will create a completely new industry in which you will need to hire search professionals that are highly skilled at sorting through the information via the search engines. Maybe training classes that teach people how to maximize the value of search and search engines will run along side Microsoft Word and Adobe Photoshop courses. Either way it is going to require every searcher young and old to learn how to use the more sophisticated searches to find the answers they are looking for.

So what does this mean for the search industry?

My first thought is that this will extend the long tail of search phrases. Search marketers will need to start thinking about more complex queries with dates and locations. Also, dependent on how the suggested searches are displayed (logically it would be by highest search count to lowest?) it will likely drive up the traffic on the suggested terms that are shown first. Secondly, whomever came up with the “SEO is dead”theory, I think the morphing of search results will give new challenges and opportunities to our industry. Lastly, it will force search marketers to focus even more on creating high quality websites with multiple types of content to stay competitive with their search engine visibility.

Yahoo Search Takes A Tasty Next Step

An announcement came today via TechCrunch that Yahoo has begun testing the integration of delicious bookmarking into their standard search results. The posting states that it’s unclear whether the data from delicious is affecting the search rankings as of yet, however it seems like the next logical step. It has always seemed that adding user input into search engine results as a clear next step to improve algorithmic relevance. It appears that Yahoo might actually be a step ahead of Google for once!

Google’s Gas Station Pumps

I’ve had the pleasure of watching CNN while I am unintentionally sniffing gas fumes but the days of CNN gas pump broadcasting may be numbered as a new type of gas station entertainment is jumping on stage. Starting this December, Google will install Google Maps on some 3,500 gas pumps around the United States that will allow motorists to search for local spots and print out directions from the pump itself.

In my opinion, this is an amazing idea. Google Maps and gas station pumps fit together as well as peanut butter and jelly. Next time you are lost on a road trip or looking for a good place to eat, you no longer need to walk into the gas station and ask the attendant, who the majority of the time seems like they hate any form of human communication, for directions or recommendations of good places for you to eat. Just go to the pump, do a search on Google, and print out your directions.

Google Phone OS - Free always wins

Well, it’s official! Google finally admitted they are working on an Operating System or “software stack” for mobile phones. While this is not Google phone per se, it will power a large number of different phones from Samsung, HTC, Motorola and LG. The question is whether this will make significant inroads into the territory of Windows mobile, Palm, and Blackberry as well as grow the overall mobile computing market.

US consumers are remiss to pay for anything when they can get it for free. Many consumers will withstand a barrage of untargeted ads just to get a $5 Starbucks card or a chance to win an ipod. They certainly will be enthusiastic about getting something free when the ads are much more targeted and even relevant to them. So, be prepared for Google to replace Windows Mobile or the Palm OS on most devices. It could easily be a category killer. The only possible exception would be for RIM and the addicted loyalists they have created.

So, expect Google’s stock to continue to increase while Search marketers celebrate the chance to dominate mobile advertising…

When the voices start talking back!

The LA times printed an interesting article that talks about a new Microsoft Live Search service offering that will allow users of windows based mobile phones to perform searches via voice commands. The two most challenging limitations with mobile phone applications are the size of the screen and the input options. Adding voice and speech recognition to mobile search seems to be a great solution to the input problem. Although, I remain highly skeptical of how well it can work after viewing this demo. Regardless of how well it works, kudos to Microsoft for trying to one up Google with some new cutting edge search services.

Radiohead Takes Advantage of Digital Downloads

Radiohead, one of the largest alternative bands in the world, released their new studio album “In Rainbows” via their website. The entire album can be downloaded for as little as $.90 or as much as you decide to pay for it. Although we all know that the majority of people are going to download the album for the minimum price, Radiohead is turning their album into a promotional tool to gain visibility, build fan loyalty, increase merchandise sales, and increase concert ticket sales.

For example, Google searches for “Radiohead” increased ten fold since the announcement of their downloadable album, website traffic increase 11 fold according to HitWise and news coverage of the band has increased dramatically in recent days. Although the knife is being turned that was stabled into hearts of major labels years ago by Napster, Radiohead is gracefully leading the progression of the music industry into the digital era. In the last few days, bands like Oasis and Jamiroquai have expressed interest in following suite with Radiohead.

Google Yourself!

Have you ever Googled yourself? A friend or family member? A job applicant or new potential boss? Try it!

As more and more of the worlds information is being indexed by the search engines, it is becoming increasingly important to monitor your “online profile.” As I am sure everyone went and searched their name after reading the first line; what did you come up with? Was there anything that you would prefer was not showing up or some content you wished appeared higher in the results?

This concept of “online reputation management” is becoming a must for every business whether they have a web presence or not. Reviews, ratings, testimonials, videos, and more, are becoming common place within the search engine results. There are numerous tips and tricks that can be implemented to help improve your online reputation, but the first step is to take a look. A large amount of companies and individuals seem to forget about it and are losing money, potential clients, and brand reputation because of it.

Does your business effectively monitor your reputation online???

Is Google’s Stock Too High?

Google’s stock hit $610, yesterday! Are investors getting a little crazy again?!? Now I am one of Google’s biggest fans (even though I do not own any stock), but this price certainly made me question investors’ sensibilities regarding this tech stock (seems like I have heard that comment in the past…). Yes, Google has created one of the greatest cash generating machines of our century with Adwords and Adsense, but can they sustain this growth?

For the past several years, Google has made forays into many new areas outside of search, including Print Ads, Audio Ads, Video, TV Ads, Checkout and YouTube. Not one of these efforts has added significant revenue to their bottom line. How can their stock price possibly be sustainable if all of their efforts to grow beyond search have failed? The acquisition of DoubleClick may help sustain the growth if it happens, but that acquisition looks tenuous at best with all of the reviews from the FCC to Congress.

If the Google stock bubble pops, it will certainly be felt throughout the industry. While there are certainly more online businesses with viable business models than in 2000/01, any Google price crash will be tough on the industry. So, we will all be watching to see if Google’s stock is really too high.

Google’s Adword Placement Change – Just a Tweak

There has been a lot of discussion in the blogosphere about the latest change Google announced for the top placement of paid search ads. Some SEMs are claiming it is selling out to the highest bidder or that this will be the end of SEO. Hold on a minute! Did you actually read the Google announcement on this? This is a tweak, not a major change.

Let’s take a quick look at what this change really means. A good place to start is exactly what Google announced. Here is my summary of the announcement:

Top placement (i.e, moving from the right-hand side to above the organic results) will no longer be reliant on the actual CPC you are paying. Your maximum bid will be taken into account instead. The Quality Score will still be the primary factor of whether your ad is eligible for the top spot.

Who will this affect?

Let’s start with who it will not affect. For competitive markets, this is unlikely to have any change. Bids are high enough that even under the old model, the three spots above the organic rankings were already filled if the Quality Score is high enough.

For keywords where there is less competition, such as long-tail terms, advertisers can more readily get into the top spot regardless of what the competition is bidding, if your Quality Score is high enough. Being able to garner the position above the organic results could dramatically improve your click through rate, and could dramatically increase your monthly spend for that keyword (now we see what Google’s motivation is…).

From an SEO perspective, this could have an affect for keywords where there was rarely a paid search ad above the organic results. The likely result would be lower traffic to the organic positions. This affect is likely to be limited, because the vast majority of clicks are on organic results, even when there is a paid ad in the spot or spots above the organic results.

How does this affect ad relevance for searchers?

The top spot is still not open to the highest bidder. Google is too concerned with relevance to make that type of change. If anything, this should help relevance for searchers, because relevant advertisers can more readily get into the top spot regardless of what your competition is bidding (as long as their Quality Score is high enough).

Watch Adword Spends Carefully

While this tweak is unlikely to have a big effect across a whole campaign, it will remain important to keep an eye on spends. If a campaign sees a lot of its long-tail keyword ads moved from the right-hand side to the top stop, the cumulative effect could be a big jump in spending for the month. So, keep an eye on spends and overall, I expect that this will be a positive change for advertisers and searchers.

Online Advertising, Offline Purchases

Here at Geary, we like to explore the synergy that can occur when your various marketing methods are tightly aligned, and how several parts of your marketing mix can interact in curious and unexpected ways. Two recent studies reveal just how online marketing efforts can affect offline buying habits.

As reported by SearchEngineWatch, the studies came from comScore and were commissioned by Yahoo! and local search agency TMP Directional Marketing. The first study examined the shopping behavior of 175,000 consumers, comparing the purchasing behavior of people exposed to online exposure to those who had not been exposure but were behaviorally and demographically identical.

The researchers found that those exposed to online search and display advertising tended to ‘pre-shop’ online prior to making a purchase, and this behavior boosted in-store sales. In the study, those who pre-shopped online spent 41 percent more money in-store compared to those who were not exposed to online ads.

In the study commissioned by TMPDM, 3,000 consumers were surveyed about their local searching behavior. A full 83 percent of local searchers followed up offline with a phone call, purchase, or in-store visit. Of those who followed up, 61 percent made purchases.

In addition, the study’s findings underscore the importance of optimizing local search results. Of searchers surveyed, 60 percent said that when looking for local businesses, they viewed the top results as the most relevant. A quarter of respondents didn’t want to scroll down to view more results.

These studies’ results corroborate the findings of earlier studies, such as an Accenture report that found, for example, that 67 percent of searchers prefer to buy in physical store, 69 percent research product features online, and 68 percent comparison-shop online. Lastly, comScore reported last year that 63 percent of purchases related to search occur offline!

These studies are a good reminder that the success of online marketing extends way beyond online sales. Especially when it comes to large purchases, the Internet is a common starting point, but the purchases tend to be made offline. Thus, when measuring the success of an online campaign, marketers need to track the effect online advertising has on in-store purchases.