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Google Search Query Reports - Tweak your PPC and SEO

Published by Josh on 17 March, 2008 in SEM and SEO. 0 Comments

So your Google PPC campaigns are under-performing… Or your SEM client now wants you to do sort out their SEO… This is where running a Google AdWords Search Query Performance Report could come in real handy!

Search Query Reports – Where the magic happens

So what’s a search query report? It’s a report containing nearly every searched term that triggered a Google PPC ad. You find it under the AdWord’s Reports tab and it comes loaded with heaps of information on user search queries.

Which keywords are converting? Which ads are performing?

Say you want to know which search query is your highest performer and which of your ads gives you the best return from that query… Search Query Reports deliver. You can drilldown to average position, clicks, impressions, CTR, etc, and at a glance identify the winners and losers among your ads and your keywords.

Spot negative keywords. Spot new ones too!

If you find your ads are being shown through irrelevant search terms, add these to your list of negative keywords. And should you happen to come across new keywords which led to conversions (if conversion tracking is on) you know what to do.

Give your CTR a boost!

The proof is in the pudding! When we tweaked the performance of a new account following our analysis of a Search Query Report, we noticed an immediate performance lift; a 20% sales rise coupled with a drop in our CPA!

You might not get this result every time, but with new accounts when you’re unsure about where you’re at, a Search Query Report can point you in the right direction.

A perfect SEM tool? Well… almost!

One thing you’ll notice when you run a Search Query Report is that Google spits out results in that show up as ‘## other unique queries. And no (before you ask), you cannot see what those ‘unique queries’ are… So what’s up with that?

Firstly, it’s labeled as a ‘unique query’ because that’s exactly what it is: ‘unique’. It may be a sentence long and could turn up once a year at best, so you’re not missing out! Google lumps these ‘one of a kind’ queries with the other one timers to save you the bother of sifting through the clutter.

Secondly there’s a server issue. Listing all one off queries would require heaps of memory – and even Google can’t carry that load!

That said… Give Search Query Reports a try and see how you go! It could make a big difference to your accounts.

Do Yellow Pages give you a better return?

Published by Josh on 28 February, 2008 in CMS and General. 0 Comments

Sensis says they do…

A recent issue of B&T Magazine details how Sensis is investing more in its print product Yellow Pages than it has in many years. While online advertising has been on the rise at the expense of traditional advertising, Sensis is balking the trend with increased spend on paper advertising.

Using ‘metered ads’ (a US system), Sensis found that 65% of people made a purchase from a sample of 400 Yellow Pages print directory ads - a mighty conversion rate by any standpoint. Read the original Sensis media release.

Online users more likely to browse the Yellow Pages!

So the Yellow Pages convert… but who uses the print version of the Yellow Pages nowadays? According to Bruce Akhurst, Sensis’ chief executive, you’d be surprised:

“The fact is that regular internet users — people using the internet at least weekly — are more likely to use Yellow print directories than the rest of us”.

Weekly Internet Users Disagree…

Oh really? Just to be sure we surveyed the office to see if Sensis’ data reflected our reality - After all, going by Mr. Akhurst’s quote Amplify employees would qualify as ‘people using the Internet weekly’.

Our findings: Only two out of nine Amplify folk were daily users of the print yellow pages.

Do you use the Yellow Pages?

A poll of only 9 people of course means nothing. A poll of statistical outliers like the good people working at Amplify – well that REALLY means nothing. Mainly because we use these directories as laptop stands for workplace ergonomics. That said, we’d like to know what your search habits are. Do you use the Yellow Pages in print or do you find what you’re looking for using other means? Let us know!

Where do you look first for a local business or service?

Mobile Advertising - this year is THE YEAR! (Really?!)

Published by Josh on 8 February, 2008 in Mobile Advertising. 3 Comments

Ever since 3G mobiles came on the scene in 2001, the m-marketing buzz (that’s mobile marketing buzz) hasn’t exactly kept pace with reality. Here’s a quick step back in time from a Sydney Morning Herald article from 2002:

a greater change for the individual than when the telephone first became a part of our everyday life
Ericsson Phones (Late 90’s)

m-commerce will change our shopping experience… It’s also likely to be one of the most effective branding tools we have ever had at our disposal.
Martin Lindstrom, Former BT LookSmart COO (April 2000)

It won’t be long before every train or bus is filled with people reading the newspaper on their phone or hand-held computer.
Kim Yeadon, NSW Information Technology Minister (August 2000)

That’s not to say those prophecies won’t be coming true some day; the question is: when?

Introducing Mobile Codes Technology

Here we are in 2008 and we find Sensis bringing Mobile Codes Technology to new Telstra handsets. Mobile codes or QR (Quick Response) codes may be new in Australia, but they are already in use in retail promotions in Asia and with airlines abroad, including JAL, ANA and Air Canada to name a few.

QR Code billboard in Asia

Cue the m-buzz: QR codes may just be the marketing widget to help mobile advertising make its mark in the Australian market…. So what are they?

Quick Response Codes - a better barcode

QR mobile codes, a form of 2D barcode, were originally created by Japanese corporation Denso-Wave in 1994 to track parts in vehicle manufacturing and they look something like this:

QR Code of Amplify.com.au

QR Codes - a picture worth a thousand words!

With the advent of camera phones, a host of QR coding applications came into being allowing consumers the ability to transfer proofs of purchase or promotional coupons to camera phones.

How does it work? By simply taking a picture of the QR Code off a computer screen or street advertising billboard, a user is able to store the data onto his mobile.

Click on the picture below to see how QR codes might work on your mobile camera phone:

[video]crPg_eyXPTs[/video]

Cue the m-buzz: QR codes could revolutionise online marketing!

Mobile Codes - a better SMS

QR codes can carry a lot of information. How much? Here’s the breakdown of what you can store:

Numeric only Max. 7,089 characters
Alphanumeric Max. 4,296 characters
Binary (8 bits) Max. 2,953 bytes
Kanji/Kana Max. 1,817 characters

Just think of it this way, a mobile SMS allows you to send 160 alphanumeric characters. Sensis’ Mobile Codes Technology allows you to store over 25 times that capacity!

Cue the m-buzz: QR codes could help me sell just about anything!

Bridging the gap between traditional and online advertising

QR codes could further bridge the gap between traditional advertising. By allowing consumers to respond directly to advertisements on street billboards, advertisers could more accurately measure a return on ad spend (ROAS) and finally put a sales figure to ‘branding’ initiatives.

Cue the m-buzz: This might actually work… today!

QR Code of 28 Weeks Later DVD in UK

Seen QR codes lately? Used them? Tell us about it by posting on this blog!

Online Reputation Management - Know your Brand

Published by Tom on 3 February, 2008 in Reputation Management and SEO. 0 Comments

Whether you’re an ASX top 100 company, small business or an up and coming star looking to land the next big job, your reputation is critical to what others think about you.

Today, prospective job hires and businesses are going straight to Google to see what might turn up. For small businesses, especially those with little or no brand awareness, a single negative story can turn a potential buyer off and onto one of your competitors. Today, no one can afford to ignore their online profile.

For job applicants even a MySpace or Facebook entry, especially if it contains sexual references could mean the difference between getting the job or being passed by. Your online profile is a real testament to your character that a potential employer is going to consider when deciding whether you fit in with their culture. If the employer finds a reference distasteful it could mean them placing your resume to the bottom of the pile without an opportunity to explain the incident.

The recent rise to fame for Corey Delaney, a teenage from Victoria who announced a party at his parent’s place on MySpace while his parent’s were away, is an excellent case study in online reputation in the making. If he decides to pursue a career as a playboy, DJ or MC then his current online profile will fit the part. However, if he has a change of heart and decides to try his luck in a professional role, all the negative news about his teenage antics could come back to haunt him. While one would hope that his actions will later be seen as a teenage prank, the sheer amount of recent negative publicity may lead a potential employer to unfortunately judge him on what she reads.

In a corporate example, a prominent Australian marketing firm came out the on the losing end with Google after pushing the boundaries with their own reputation. After 8 months, you’ll still struggle to find the company’s website in the natural listings on Google even when you search on their company name. Instead you find, a list of articles and stories on their tumble from grace. The company has had to resort to using paid search and has even taken the extraordinary step of changing their domain name to get a fresh start.

When it comes to information online, especially negative news, it doesn’t disappear and will only get pushed down if it replaced by more current and relevant information. Businesses that ignore what their customers are saying online are at serious risk of wasting money and effort they spend to build their brands.

So what can you do to build a positive online profile or improve on a negative one?

Monitor

The first step is to know you have an issue by monitoring your brand. For budding professionals you are your brand se beware of what is said about you. Tools such Google’s or Yahoo’s Alerts will keep you on top of what others are saying about you.

Analyse

Analyse your online assets including websites, trademarks, blogs, partner sites, online forums, consumer complaint sites and social networks. Are people talking trash or just disappointed in your service?

Influence

Influence the results by participating in the conversation. Become a leader in your field of expertise or industry to influence the conversation. Your participation will help improve the perception of your brand.

By taking control of your brand you’ll be in a better position to tip the conversation in your favour and show the real you.

When to use AJAX… and when not to!

Published by Marc on 10 December, 2007 in Web Development and Web Standards. 0 Comments

A client recently approached us with the plan to render most of their website in AJAX (otherwise known as Asynchronous JavaScript and XML), a web development technique used in online forms and other interactive web apps.

For Responsive Webpages and Forms

AJAX is designed to make web pages more responsive - it allows for a page to be ’seamlessly’ refreshed with new data without requiring a reload and effecting the look and speed of the interaction. It’s fantastic in application forms where instant feedback or additional details may be required.

AJAX - Handle with Care!

But AJAX should be used with care. It can have a negative impact on a site’s search engine optimisation (SEO) and can prove problematic for disabled users. So here’s a quick breakdown of what AJAX is good at and what it’s not so good at…

What AJAX is good at:

Delivering small blocks of content - for small quick changes it works well.
Reducing the number of steps in a process - it’s great for forms with options (like application forms).
Delivering instant feedback such as validation of form fields and quick feedback on from submissions.

AJAX is not very good at:

Making content visible to search engines and any device that is not JavaScript enabled.
Bookmarking - once you’re some way down an application process in an AJAX rendered environment, you cannot bookmark individual steps like you could if each stage of the app is delivered in standard HTML.
Providing content for disabled users - the blind and vision-impaired are not able to access AJAX rendered content (and can have legal ramifications as in this example with Target in the United States and with the Sydney Olympics Website).
Providing speed benefits to users with slower machines as it puts the processing onus onto the user’s machine.
SEO: a typical implementation of AJAX is invisible to search engines. As you can replicate AJAX functionality with HTML, you’re better off using the latter for web content if you’re concerned about ranking on search engines.

To see an example of AJAX functionality, play around with the flight booking engine on Bezurk.com