BUS572-3 Well Researched Key Phrases, Emerging Trends and Ad Scheduling

Concept 1 - Well Researched Key Phrases

In the third session, one important concept that I have learned is in regards to thoroughly researching key phrases.  Key phrases are defined as "the very foundation of search. When a user enters a query on a search engine, she uses the words that she thinks are relevant to her search. The search engine then returns those pages it believes are most relevant to the words the searcher used" (Stokes, 2013).  Through researching for the third installment of our project, along with the assigned readings this week, this concept was deemed particularly relative to the success of a web site.  What I found particularly helpful this week, in conjunction with our assignment, was the considerations when choosing a keyword: 

1. Search volume. How many searchers are using that phrase to find what they want? 
2. Competition. How many other Web sites out there are targeting that same phrase? 
3. Propensity to convert. What is the likelihood that the searcher using that key phrase is going to convert on your site?  
4. Value per conversion. What is the average value per prospect attracted by the keyword?(Stokes, 2013).

What I found most insightful and difficult at the same time, was the selection of the correct keywords and narrowing down of those keywords in order to maximize the results.  Did anyone else find this a difficult task?  When first looking at the client's website, with the products and services they offer, several hundred keywords come to mind.  The difficulty I faced, was narrowing them down and which keywords to make exact versus broad.  For example, I was surprised at how much testing is involved with whether to use a bracket or not to use a bracket.  It also puts into perspective the A/B testing we touched upon last week and how 1 difference can have a significant impact.  Selection of the right keywords is very critical to the success of the website.  A marketer truly has to stay on top of what their prospective clientele is looking for. 

Concept 2 - Emerging Trends

Another important concept this week, deals with the importance of emerging trends.  There are four strong emerging trends for SEO:

1. Localization 
2. Personalized search
3. Usage data
4. Real-time search (Stokes, 2013)

It is very interesting to me how search engines have the capability to perform such tasks such as localization and personalization.  Localization is defined as the "practice of creating a local version of a web site for a different country or language" (Stokes, 2013).  When speaking of personalization, I find that implicit personalization is a very interesting and important concept; the capability for a search engine to customize search information based on my previous behavior is both startling and rewarding at the same time.  Although I am one to live a more private life, I kind of enjoy that search results can be customized and tailored to what I am looking for.  For example, I am always looking for new high heeled pumps.  Say for example that I have viewed the same red shoes several times.  I have put them in a shopping cart, but never made the purchase.  If a search result identified that these same shoes are now on sale, I would be more inclined to convert to a purchase.  I am interested to know if our class sees the implicit personalization as an invasion of privacy or as a benefit?  This concept can be very important, the more the marketing team knows about their clientele, the more geared advertisement they can use to convert a customer. 

Skill Set 1 - Ad Scheduling

I believe the single most important skill set I have learned this week pertains to Ad Scheduling.  Ad scheduling helps you control when you want to run your campaign.  This functionality will be critical for our client, as we anticipate a high volume of searches after work and on the weekends.  For example, we will be more inclined to have our bids maximized during peak hours and minimized during non-peak hours.  This is a very critical concept because one can easily waste their funds during a time when there are not many clicks, conversions or impressions.  Does anyone see themselves making good use out of this bidding tool?  Do you see yourself using the basic or the advanced functionality?  Our group plans on using the advanced functionality. Below I have listed a link providing helpful insight for Ad Scheduling success:

Ad Scheduling Success

Personal Reflection

In this session, I particularly enjoyed the guest speaker Tim James and his insight on Google.  He seemed very passionate about his work and the tools that are out there for us to utilize.  His notions to identify what sets your business apart, how you would describe the products and services being offered and identifying the specific call to action, were all extremely relevant to our corresponding project.  He was able to simplify what the next steps were, in a way that it was easy to understand.  When first learning all of the marketing strategies and tools that Google has to offer, it can very easily become overwhelming.  Tim was able to put into perspective that we ourselves are consumers that are constantly searching through Google, if we were looking for our client's products or services, what would we look for?  A learning goal that I am setting for myself would be to become more accustomed to conversion goals to be set when no service is offered online. 

BUS572-2 Data Analysis, User Intent and Effective Text Ad Marketing

Concept 1 - Analyzing Data - Internal Search

In the second session, one important concept that I have learned is in regards to analyzing data; specifically an internal search.  An internal search is defined as the searches that users perform on the web site, of the web site's content (Stokes, 2013).  Prior to this course, I was not aware that what users search for within a website could be collected and used for research.  This data is very important, as it could easily identify customer wants and needs to the business owner.  With data available identifying "what keywords users search for, what pages they visit after searching, and whether they search again with a variation of or different keywords" , the business owner can make the necessary adjustments to their website to appeal more towards an ever evolving customer base (Stokes, 2013).  For example, if the business owner of a local pizza shop identifies through data collection of internal search patterns/trends that many individuals in the community are searching for more nutritious/healthier versions of pizza, he may cater his web site to focus on pizza made with whole wheat crust; or pizza slices under 200 calories.  A question comes to mind with whether data collection can be stored for an individual user, or only a group of users within a certain radius.  It would be very interesting to see the layout of the data collection and how it is trended and put into a relevant format for the business owner to review and make decisions.  Does it show the results in [Exact] word/phrase searches or does the program generalize into subcategories of common internal search items?

Concept 2 - Single Page Heat Maps

 

Another important concept this week deals with the importance of identifying the reason users are taking a specific action.  Having a good understanding of this concept is important in order to reach clearly set goals for your web site.  A Single Page Heat Map identifies where users click on a web page, whether they are clicking on actual links or not (Stokes, 2013).  This concept is very important because it identifies what areas of a Web site are clickable but draw in few or no clicks, as well as areas that are not clickable but have multiple users attempting to click there (Stokes, 2013). This information allows for maximum optimization for your website.  Using myself as an example, I am very impatient when I am looking for something online.  The web site must be able to point me in the right direction in order for me to become a conversion; if something that I am looking for is not immediately available or is "unclickable", I very well may move on to the next web site that is easier to navigate and provides faster results.  A question I am raising to the group would be:  If you are searching for a product, when landing on a home page of a website, how much time are you willing to spend before moving on to another website?  I would give myself 1-2 minutes tops.  

Skill Set 1 - Creating the Perfect Text Ad

I believe the single most important skill set I learned this week was that of creating a text ad.  Sarah Peduzzi provided extremely helpful information on the requirements, suggestions for effective marketing and best practices.  She provided 6 rules to follow when creating the perfect text ad (Peduzzi, 2014):

1. Include keywords in your ad
2. Tell customers how they can participate by using strong calls-to-action
3. Include prices and promotions
4. Match your landing page with your ad message
5. Be creative in writing the ad so you can affect how it appears in SERP
6. Use ad extensions where possible

The knowledge she provided will not only help in the Google Online Marketing Challenge, it will allow me to help someone close to me market their web site more efficiently.  With this skill set that I have learned this week, I am confident in my ability to create an effective text ad.  Has anyone else found this skill set useful?

Personal Reflection 

This session I have found particularly rewarding in regards to website analytics; specifically their tracking tools and outcomes they can provide.  The use of effective analytics can influence sales and profitability as well as increase the chance that same customer will return.  This second session was very challenging, using the keyword planner for the first time.  Google's keyword planner offers an abundance of information; it can be navigated pretty easily, however I found it to be overwhelming during the first attempt.  My learning goals for the next session would be to become more familiar with the keyword planner and setup for effective marketing.  I am most interested in Ad Scheduling in order to maximize our budget for the challenge.  Below is a link providing 5 ways Ad Scheduling can improve your AdWords performance.  

Improving AdWords Performance


Peduzzi, S. (2014). Introduction to search advertising and adwords mechanics 101. Informally published manuscript, Retrieved from https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/16264956/BUS572Chatham/Session 2/Intro to Search Advertising & AdWords - Peduzzi Lunametrics.pdf 

Stokes, R. (2013). emarketing: The essential guide to online marketing. (Vol. 1). Washington DC: Flat World Knowledge. Retrieved from http://catalog.flatworldknowledge.com/bookhub/reader/19?cid=1515571