Over the past couple of years Google has been working on tailoring its search results so that users are given more relevant and targeted search results. To achieve this Google looked at two main modifications. There were personalised search and geographical location targeting. The geographical location targeting altered search results based on one’s location whereas personalised search gave users results based on their preferences. Preferences would come from a users search history and options that they had set.
These different modifications are all very useful but what if users just want normal unaltered Google search results. At Just Search we often need regular search results as we perform many analysis for client proposals but to get these results we have to play around with various settings. This is all set to change as Google is introducing notifications to tell users which results have been altered. The image below shows an example of this in action.
This update is interesting as it gives users an insight into how Google works and the ability override settings if choices being made by Google are wrong. Google has for a long time has stated is open book policy and tried to remain as transparent as possible. This modification goes some way to support that claim as users will now get some idea on how Google is using our data. It will be interesting to see if Google opens up any of its other services.
Mark
SEO Programmer
Posted in Search Engine Optimisation | No Comments »
Some of the less technical among us may think that all PPC is about is simply “increasing the bids” now and again, but they could not be further from the truth.
There are three main phases within a paid search campaign, research, development and management.
Within the research phase we have to ask a few questions to help us better understand the market and client. These are:
1. What are the long and short term goals?
2. How are we going to track and measure campaigns?
3. Who is the target audience?
4. What are the landing pages like?
5. Who are the competitors?
It is also important to have carried out in depth research with the aim of picking out the most targeted ones. Using the wrong keywords in a campaign means a much lower ROI and wasted click spend. Methods of carrying out keyword research could be brainstorming, where we literally write as many keywords out as possible that we think people would use to find the client website and using analytical data that already exists to gain an insight into what keywords people are actually using.
Based on the research comes the choice of paid search advertising model. Currently the models used within Google Adwords are cost per click (CPC), contextual (content network) and pay per action (PPA, due to be shelved at the end of August). Each of these models has their own advantages and disadvantages. So what comes next?
Development is where we take our research and place our keywords into themed campaigns and ad groups. We then look at creating optimised ad creative (ad text) that calls out to users and displays product specific information. It is essential that this stands out from the competition; otherwise why should someone choose your ad over another.
When managing a new campaign for a client it is important to think about the budgeting strategy, bidding strategy, day parting strategy and ad text strategy. These will be a key factor in a campaigns performance. When it comes to optimising an account it is essential to use an analytics tool so that you can make qualified changes based on user behaviour, rather than blind stabs in the dark that may wreck a campaign.
Adam
PPC Consultant
Posted in Pay Per Click | No Comments »
