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