New research from UKOM – UK Online Measurement – shows that there’s been a significant increase in the amount of time that British residents are spending online. According to UKOM, web use has grown by 65% in the last three years; web users are spending an average of just under a day a month on the internet.
There’s significant change in the way people are using the internet. Social networks and blogs are taking up the majority of time spent online. The growing focus on information sharing and interaction between users and the sites they visit is clearly reflected in UKOM’s report.
What does this information mean for the online marketing industry? An increase in web use means there’s more potential for engaging with visitors. Well, although UKOM’s figures might seem distressing at first, showing a relative 3% fall in the use of search engine websites, there’s a concurrent 10% increase in the use of portals, which increasingly incorporate their own search functions. Think Yahoo!, MSN’s integration of Bing on its homepages, the increasing ubiquity of iGoogle… People are using the web more, so they’re using search more, they’re just getting used to having search come as part of their portal.
It’s the increasingly social nature of web use that presents the biggest opportunities in our industry. Brands and businesses – i.e. our existing clients and our future clients – need to react to this change, and we need to be there to offer them the skill-sets and the tools that meet their needs.
It’s in the interests of the search platforms to facilitate effective advertising and marketing, hence Google’s quick response to changes in web use (Content network remarketing, for example). It’s in our interest, and the interests of our competitors, to do a number of things:
- Continue to develop our analytics methodology so we can deliver actionable insights within a changing online environment.
- Adapt our use of advertising platforms so we’re always exploiting the opportunities that will benefit our clients.
- Ensure that we continue to deliver best-practice SEO which is always centred on the visitor.
We’re well up for it.
Does anyone have any other opinions on what UKOM’s report indicates for our industry? Leave a comment and share your insight.
May 21st, 2010 - No Comments »
Posted in General | Tags: content network, google, search stat, seo, Social Media, web analytics
Writing search engine friendly text which is keyword-rich and actually readable can be a tricky thing. It’s helpful to take a step back from focussing on the technical side of SEO, and concentrating instead on the real reason you’re writing your copy: to communicate with website visitors. Don’t ignore opportunities for crafting a search engine friendly sentence, but remember that copywriting has been around for a lot longer than search engines, and the best copy has always been based on clear, persuasive communication.
Focus on what you want to say, and work out how you’re going to say it. If you’re struggling, there’s a treasure trove of advice on numerous blogs and websites dedicated to the business of SEO copywriting. They all agree on the basics…
Keep in mind your client’s needs, identify the correct tone for your copy, and be ready to edit and redraft.
It’s at this editing and redrafting stage that you should really focus on your keywords and keyphrases. Copy that fits your client’s needs should be easy to optimise. Exact match keywords (brand name, product name, etc) should be in place already. A review will throw up opportunities to balance keyword density, removing them from areas where they seem too numerous, and fitting them in where there’s the opportunity.
The kind of long-tail keyphrases that can significantly improve your search reach may not have appeared fully formed in your copy. Some research, however, should identify related words and common queries that existing/potential visitors are combining with your keywords when they search. Alter your existing copy to include these phrases; you should be able to identify opportunities for placing them in a way that benefits your copy. Keep it balanced, with the focus on communication, but don’t be shy about using your keywords.
Remember that when you’re using keywords and keyphrases, you’re communicating with your visitors using the same language they’ve used to find you. They expect to see your client’s name, the name of their product or service, and so on. It’s an SEO copywriter’s job to repeat without seeming repetitive; it’s every copywriter’s job to engage, persuade and communicate.
May 17th, 2010 - 1 Comment »
Posted in Search Engine Optimisation | Tags: content strategy, copywriting, seo
Google have launched a further sophistication to adwords targeting; Broad Match Modifier. By adding a “+” before keywords, you can ensure that your ad is only triggered by users whose search contains that keyword. Google will also trigger your ad for searches containing plurals, misspells / common alternative spellings, and abbreviations. It’ll avoid synonyms and related searches, offering greater accuracy in your ad exposure.
Broad Match Modified keywords fit snugly between Broad and Phrase searches, and should offer a combination of Broad search volume with Phrase search control and manageability. Google are pushing it at PPC users who normally focus on exact and phrase match keywords, as it offers greater possible exposure. The reverse is also true, with Google advising that PPC users who tend to concentrate on broad search results may see a preliminary reduction in click-through and conversion rates. Ideally, of course, the increased relevance of ads with the broad match modifier should help to bring these back up.
Google have, as usual, published some excellent supporting literature for this new feature. Two very important practical points for those of you who want to implement the Broad match modifier:
- Don’t put a space between the “+” and the keyword.
- Do put a space between the keywords.
May 12th, 2010 - No Comments »
Posted in PPC Management | Tags: adwords, adwords match types, google adwords, modified broad match, PPC Management
