Performics Performance Marketing Blog: SEM, SEO, Social & Display

Google Brings Breadcrumbs to the Table

Posted by Jonah A. Berger, Search Specialist, Natural Search

The Thanksgiving holiday is here and we’ll soon turn our optimization efforts to turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and pie (OK, cake too). Google has something else in mind: breadcrumbs. I’ll explain.

A recent change to the Google SERPs we've grown accustomed to has led to the addition of site hierarchy links (aka “breadcrumbs”) at the bottom of select search results. See for yourself:

 
The query “turkey stuffing recipe” returned the AllRecipes.com search result shown above. Notice the green site hierarchy display in place of what used to be an unclickable URL that mirrored the blue (and always clickable) title tag. Except for the domain name at the far left (in this case “allrecipes.com”), the green text is now very clickable and gives searchers multiple avenues to enter a site. For example, searchers can visit AllRecipes.com through the “Recipes” category-level page, the “Holidays and Events” sub-category page and the deeper “Thanksgiving” category page, which is one directory above the title tag link destination. All said, for this particular result there are now four pages to choose from instead of one.

Finding and Removing Bad SEO, Part 2

Posted by Sam Battin, Senior Search Strategist

This post is a “Part 2,” so please feel free to go and read Part 1 before you continue.

Now that you’ve read Part 1, and you know the problems bad SEO can cause, I’ll talk about how Performics solves these problems, and how you can review your site for improper SEO. 

When Performics begins an engagement with a client, we always start with a thorough compliance audit.  We check elements like keyword density, frame usage, and outbound links to ensure that the client site is avoiding SEO practices that can harm rankings.  Like we talked about in our last article, bad SEO can get onto clients' sites in a variety of surprising ways, so it's always worthwhile to look.  Like the Russian proverb says, "Trust, but verify" and that's what we do with a compliance audit. 

If you’re not working with Performics, how can you review your site for bad SEO?

Building a Web site requires such specialized talents that it’s not uncommon for management to be unaware of all the technical contents of their site.  Management’s primary concern is to keep the business running, after all, and Web page content, HTML code, and page interlinking are the responsibility of the IT Department.  However, if your site has non-compliant or improper SEO, it can impact the bottom line and reduce the profitability of your online offerings. 

Search Happenings: Weekly Search Headlines

Posted by Dan Malachowski, Product Marketing Manager

From the Engines:

• Hitwise: Bing and Ask search share rise, Google and Yahoo! drop 1% in October.
• Free Wi-Fi from Google, Yahoo! and Bing at airports.
• Google testing ads you can skip in YouTube videos.
• Bing pulls in WolframAlpha health-related info.

Other Topics of Interest:

• Yahoo! adds Twitter tab and content to the SERP.
• Murdock thinking of blocking Google from indexing his sites.
• Twitter changes its prompt to “What’s Happening?”

Some Fun Stuff:

• Captain Morgan ambush marketing campaign fails after NFL bans "Captain Morgan" pose touchdown celebration.

Webinar Thursday: Last Minute Tips to Save the Holiday Season

Please join us for a Webinar on:
Last Minute Tips to Save the Holiday Season
Thursday, November 19, 2009
2:00PM Eastern/1:00PM Central
Register Today!

All attendees will be entered in a drawing to win a FREE Paid Search Audit.

Forrester recently projected that holiday sales will increase 8% YOY.  Matt Miller, Director, Vertical Solutions, and Dan Malachowski, Product Marketing Manager will ensure your site is ready to capture this demand.  Matt and Dan will discuss how to set up paid search bids and budgets for the holiday rush, as well as how to manage bids in market to maximize conversions while preserving budget.  Matt and Dan will also be making a list and checking it twice—the pre-holiday search checklist, that is.  They will use pet supplies retailer Stanley’s Sweaters to illustrate how your paid search program should be set up going into peak season.

Social Relevancy, Friend Endorsement Lead to Increased Conversions for Facebook CPC Ads

Posted by Michael Kahn, SVP, Marketing

Facebook recently announced the new “friends of connections” targeting option for Facebook CPC ads.  This option allows advertisers to consider all the people who are connected to their brand via a Fan Page, Application, Group or Event and then target ads at the friends of those people.  For instance, a brand can deliver an ad promoting their Fan Page to a friend of a person who is already a fan of that page.  The ad will say: “Michael Kahn is a fan of [brand’s] page.”  Because the ad is endorsed by one of the user’s friends (me), the ad is much more relevant.

Performics believes this announcement will further improve our ability to drive results for our Facebook CPC clients.  Our recent Social Marketing Study found that consumers are open to marketing messages on the social networking sites.  Based on client results, we have found consumers are even more open to marketing messages endorsed by their friends.

Through previous testing, Performics has found that click through rates (CTRs) were 100+% higher for ads that included a friend endorsement, such as “Michael Kahn is a fan of [brand’s] page."  These friend endorsed ads, called “engagement ads,” allowed users to become fans of a brand or RSVP to an event straight from the ad.  They also directed users to an advertiser’s Event or Fan Page.  In a recent test of friends of connections targeting, Performics saw a 50% increase in conversion rates over ads that did not include a friend endorsement.  Therefore, friends of connections targeting sent more qualified leads to the advertiser.  

Finding and Removing Bad SEO, Part 1

Posted by Sam Battin, Senior Search Strategist

Did you have someone do “SEO” on your site in the past couple of years?  Did they clearly explain what they did, or did they just take your money and do “something” you didn’t understand?

If so, you might want to take another look at your site, if only to make sure the “SEO” people you hired haven’t actually made your site less visible to search engines.  Legitimate search engine optimization is not an attempt to fool search engines; it’s making sure that the information on your site is fully exposed to search engines.  There’s a big difference.

Search Happenings: Weekly Search Headlines

Posted by Dan Malachowski, Product Marketing Manager

From the Engines:

• Use new Google Ad Sitelinks to drive PPC traffic to different landing pages from the same ad.
• Google introduces Commerce Search API.

Other Topics of Interest:

• Forrester predicts 8% gain YOY in holiday sales.
• 47% of retailers will be increasing their use of social media this holiday to push offers.
• Google Dashboard allows users to see the personal data Google stores.

Some Fun Stuff:

• Alligator brought in for show-and-tell escapes in school.

Consumers Open to Marketing Messages on Social Media Sites

Performics study examining 3,000 consumers’ use, response to social media being unveiled at ad:tech New York

The survey of more than 3,000 U.S. consumers comprised 100+ questions to determine how various segments of consumers use social networks in their daily lives, specifically in regard to finding out about different types of products and in relation to other media channels. The study found that marketers who embrace the medium and communicate relevant messages in consumers’ language and on their terms could gain customers and grow sales.

According to the study, consumers are willing to engage with – and buy from – brands on social networking sites. In fact:

• Thirty-four percent of respondents have used a search engine to find information on a product/service/brand after seeing an advertisement on a social networking site

• Thirty percent of respondents have learned about a new product, service or brand from a social networking site

• Thirty-two percent or respondents said messages about printable coupons on social sites resonate with them

• Twenty-eight percent of respondents said messages about sales or special deal notifications resonate with them