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Search Engine Marketing Review

posted by: Admin  /  12 April 2010

As we know, the business of the Internet is a constantly evolving arena where big advantages reward those who stay in touch with the latest trends.  In this blog post I take a brief look at the state of online marketing, the trends we’ve seen of late, and take a look at the results of a recent survey which give us an insight into what to expect in 2010.

The search engine marketing industry in North America alone was worth around $14.6B in 2009, 8% higher than 2008.  The worldwide recession made 2009 a particularly slow year for the first three quarters, but a significant upturn in quarter 4 has continued into 2010, leading market analysts to estimate 14% growth in 2010 at around $16.6B.

Companies continue to move money from IT and other marketing activities into search engine marketing, and social media now plays a significant supporting role in most online marketing strategies.  The results are pretty much as expected.

• Google dominates, with 97% of companies paying to advertise on Google AdWords.
• On average, companies expect to spend 43% more on SEO in 2010 than they did in 2009.
• Social media marketing budgets are still modest compared to search engine optimization and paid search.
• The number of companies who engage in search engine optimization (90%) has remained steady since 2007, while the proportion of companies carrying out paid search marketing (now 81%) has increased from 78% in 2009 and 70% in 2008.
• Three quarters of companies are using Facebook (74%) and Twitter (73%) to promote their brands or companies.

The statistics above are taken from a worldwide survey of nearly 1,500 agencies and marketers from over 65 countries, but what does all this tell us about likely trends for 2010?

Well quite a lot, but I think the most prominent points to come out of this survey are:

The number one challenge facing search marketers this year is being able to accurately measure their ROI (Return On Investment). 

Whilst this seems like a fairly obvious point to make, it’s worth noting that online marketing will continue to drive future budget decisions, making quality of statistical information a key factor in a businesses overall marketing strategy.  The survey saw:

• 42% of respondents citing return on investment as their biggest challenge for SEO,
• 43%  citing ROI as the biggest challenge for paid marketing,
• a massive 63% seeing this as the key issue with Social Media Marketing
  

Social Media Marketing will continue to compliment search engine optimisation and paid web advertising campaigns. 

An increase in investment in Social Media Marketing is envisaged in 2010.  Whilst this may seem pretty obvious, it wasn’t as recently as 18 months ago.  Twitter for example, has come from being a non-consideration to one of the most prominent social marketing platforms in that time, with 73% of companies and 80% of agencies using it for brand marketing.

Other findings include:

• The number of companies who engage in SEO remains the same as 2009 (90%)
• More than 50% of companies have noted an increase in keyword costs used in paid marketing
• Agencies have seen the print advertising sector as even more heavily hit, with 69% of respondents noticing a shift of budget from newspaper and magazine advertising, to online marketing.

If you’re looking for more from your Search Engine Marketing plan, give Fivesite a call on 01234 292200.

Search Engine Marketing Trends

posted by: Heather  /  12 November 2009

Recent research has thrown up some interesting information about the current Internet market trends and developments.

Not only are we seeing more and more evidence to show the growth of online marketing but we are also finding out what this means to the Internet surfer’s attitudes to search engine results.

Summary of Online Activity

The table above shows us which areas various companies are spending on online services. As you can see Keyword Research is in the lead with 70% of companies focusing on it. This is a significant number and perfectly demonstrates the importance of getting ahead in SEO programs. The competition for a space on the first results page of Google is increasingly tough but getting there will provide unparalleled Internet exposure for relatively low cost.

The latest Google stats…Why is it still so important to be on the first page?

• 68% of people try another search if they can’t find what they want on the first page of search results. (June 2008)
• 91% of Internet users prefer using natural search results when looking to buy a product or service online. This shows that most people trust natural search results much more than they do PPC adverting.
• Only 8% of Internet users go beyond the third page of results.
• 7/10 people said that they would click a search result on the first page of results.
• Out of those 7/10 people, 90% said that they would change their search if they didn’t find what they wanted on the first page.

By not being on the first page of the major search engines you will loose a huge percentage of potential customers searching for keywords relevant to your service.

How have other Businesses been developing their online marketing strategy?

More and more businesses are allocating valuable Budget to paid search.
This is because it is a cost effective, tried and tested method of generating leads and sales. It is relatively easy to manage and can deliver good levels of ROI in the wake of difficult economic challenges.

Stronger focus on Analytics and Optimisation
Companies are becoming much more creative and confident in their approach to paid search, which has resulted in them paying more attention to the details of conversion and landing page optimisation, in order to maximise their ROI.

Tracking and reporting have been a key focus for companies because of the need for even greater accountability during a recession.

Google continues to rule
The number one goal for all companies is still to focus on hitting the first page in Google search. Although other search engines such as Bing (Microsoft) and Yahoo are still important, Google is growing and evolving at an incredible rate…

For example, Google recently reported revenues of $5.94 billion in 2009; an increase of 7% compared to the same period of 2008.

For more information on how we can help you with your Internet exposure call us on 01234 292 222

Google Wonder Wheel

posted by: Heather  /  19 August 2009

What drives every successful PPC campaign is ensuring that you have a comprehensive and accurate keyword list. It is imperative that you are targeting the right keywords and that your keyword list is extensive and robust. However, when it comes to SEO and PPC you can not afford to rest on your laurels because the Internet is ever evolving and your keywords need to be as well.

Continually maintaining a relevant keyword list may seem like a lot of pressure but we can help you achieve the best possible results when it comes to gaining as much visibility as possible on the big search engines such as Google. Google itself is always developing to make searching the web as easy as possible for its users. Therefore understanding and its new ventures is essential. The latest development by Google is the Google Wonder Wheel.

As this diagram shows, the Wonder Wheel is a more visual way of searching the web. In the example I have used the term 'outlook email' as the main search phrase and the other terms are related searches that may be of interest to the searcher. When you click on one of these related searches a new 'wheel' appears in that subject area whilst keeping your entire search history mapped out on the page. This means that moving back and forth and into new related areas is extremely easy and you can visually map out how Google is relating your searches to others in the same subject field.

For SEO and PPC purposes this is extremely exciting as it means that choosing your keywords is now infinitely easier as the Wonder Wheel actually provides a map in which you can navigate through. This is useful as it has proved to be a valuable tool when writing copy for a website as it shows what terms Google relates to others. It is well reported that in ranking results Google doesn't only look for the search terms; it also analyses the surrounding content to see if it appears relevant. By using the Wonder Wheel it is straightforward to find out what terms Google relates to targeted key phrases and these related terms could be utilised in your website's content.

At the moment the direct impact that Wonder Wheel is likely to have on SEO is unclear but, alongside the other features found in the new options bar, it provides another interesting advancement in the way searches may be conducted in the future and is already proving to be extremely popular. To find it, simply conduct a search in Google and you should see a tab that reads 'show options'. You will then see the Wonder Wheel listed on your left like this:

The other tool in this section can also be extremely helpful when conducting keyword research, looking for those new niches you may be missing, is the Google Related Search option. This tool works similarly to the Wonder Wheel but it has no graphical element. However, it contains more results and the results are slightly more detailed as it stands but the Wonder Wheel is constantly being improved so that it is on the same level as the related search.

Knowing these kinds of progressions and developments online is exactly why we are so successful in our SEO and PPC campaigns for our clients. If you have any questions about SEO and PPC or are looking into this area for new marketing opportunities for your business then please give us a call on 01234 292 222 and we'd be happy to help.