Recently launched Google +1 is the search engine’s answer to the global success of Facebook ‘like’ and Twitter “retweet”, and a clear signal that search and social is where today’s smart consumer action is being played.
Google have been here before, of course, with Google Wave and Google Buzz. This latest attempt by the veteran search engine to go more social is a sign that they are feeling pressure from the networker sites.
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New surveys show that while two thirds of b2b companies will continue with more traditional search marketing using email in 2011, incredibly, an overwhelming number have failed to even optimise their websites sufficiently or utilised paid search. Not surprisingly, one in three SMEs are concerned over their lack of online visibility and social engagement with potential customers.
In the age of the interactive and real time social media web, where the art of online marketing has diversified into a multiplicity of channels and platforms to engage with specific market segments by Twitter and Facebook, newly released figures suggest that UK business spends less than 10 per cent of their marketing budgets to implement SEO or PPC paid search.
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Xmas shopping figures flying thick and fast – as were website visitors who fled in their droves as they experienced problems with making a purchase at over a third of UK sites, where it seems very little had changed in usability or customer engagement.
According to a YouGov survey commissioned by Online Customer Experience Management (CEM) specialist Tealeaf, it appears that there are still an overwhelming number of domains with original website design issues that caused inbound visitor traffic to abandon their basket, thereby losing valuable sales and the likelihood of a return visit.
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Just about everyone has started doing a bit of it this year! And should be getting more into it next year! Social Media – like the PC or mobile, you can’t do business without it – and in 2011, it’s time to do it properly, not try to fit it in when you’re less busy!
Doing nothing is no longer an option! Implementing a workable social media policy is now recognised as a key mainstream activity, which many website owners have been coming to terms with over the last 12 months. Efforts can vary wildly from tacking a blog on somewhere below the fold or sticking a few pics on Facebook to tweeting every day. Learning to weave a social fabric around your online marketing model is a listening and learning curve which takes time and expertise to integrate properly.
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Online smarts and algorithm savvy are rapidly changing search behaviour. Not to mention fast social media mash ups! Optimised links, faster broadband and mobile internet means we now expect every landing page to be our final product or service page destination!
Successful optimised link building across multiple messaging channels and advertising platforms combined with evolving Google SERPS now means that many online searches land directly on the required product or service page – ignoring the Home or About Us pages altogether! It is at these pages that the first time visitor receives their first, split second brand design impression and decides whether to stay or bounce away.
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One of the most widely used tools on the internet is Google’s free analytics package, obviously named Google Analytics.
A lot of people don’t realise that Google actually changed its code that you need to track your website back in 2007 and said that they would only support it for 12-24 months. With that in mind one would assume that if you are running on your old code that your website could be about to stop being tracked.
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Online Marketing and the internet are providing a vital lifeline to UK based small businesses in fighting the recession according to new research.
The question of how to get quality clicks for advertisements placed on the web has been the concern of many companies for quite a long time. There have been thousands of advertisers who have lost money because of poor ads management.
There were those who ventured on presenting their products haphazardly by using keywords which were not intelligently selected. There were even those who used a lot of keywords, thinking that any style of presentation will do. Such ideas would of course yield results too, but such results could even be doubled or tripled with good Adwords Management.
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