Category Archives: SEO

Understanding Cross-Platform Consumer Behavior in the Digital World

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Estimated Reading Time for This Post: 2 minutes, 46 seconds; approximately 554 words.

Each day, countless consumers use multiple mobile devices to engage in shopping. Interestingly enough, there are multiple touchpoint stages that a consumer will go through before a purchase is actually made. For example:

Consumer uses tablet to browse for items

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Consumer uses laptop to research item further

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Consumer goes to store, uses mobile device to research item further

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Consumer makes in-store purchase and/or uses laptop to order online

Looking at Consumer Behavior on Digital Devices

In a 2012 study by Google called, The New Multi-screen World, Google looked at consumer behavior across multiple devices in order to study how consumer behavior has (and continues to) evolve. The following are some interesting statistics:

  • We use an average of 3 different screen combinations/day (81% smartphone + TV, 66% smartphone + laptop/pc, 66% laptop/pc + TV)
  • TV is a major catalyst for search
  • Micro-moments across multiple screens offer advertisers more touchpoint opportunities to engage consumers throughout the day – ex: someone who has 15 free minutes of time will check their bank account online, etc. via their mobile device.
  • 44% of all spur-of-the-moment searches on smartphones were to accomplish a goal compared to 43% on PCs
  • 59% of smartphone users shop online in-home
  • 84% of smartphone users shop from their PC/laptop at home
  • 81% of smartphone users engage in spur of the moment shopping versus 58% of PC/laptop users
  • 67% of us start shopping on one device and continue on another

What Online Marketers Need to Understand

Because of the increasing prevalence and saturation of mobile/digital devices in the marketplace, one could definitively conclude that mobile devices will continue to not only influence consumer buying behavior; mobile devices will also continue to function as an accessory to making purchasing decisions. Therefore, businesses need to adjust their marketing strategies and pay closer attention to how consumers use mobile devices for researching, browsing, and buying.

For example, not all digital devices are created equal. Abandoned shopping carts from mobile devices (and digital devices) may be traced back to poorly designed websites, confusing checkout screens, and the inability for users to save their progress between different digital devices. Saved shopping carts, for instance, may help to keep consumers engaged with the brand/product and encourage them to come back to complete their purchase (Amazon is a great example of this).

Marketers shouldn’t limit themselves to creating conversion goals and CTAs that are targeted for one device. Rather, marketers need to understand that consumer behavior today often includes the use of multiple devices, sometimes simultaneously. For example, Google revealed that often, smartphones are companion devices to consumers while they are watching television. During commercials, or even during shows, consumers use their smartphones to research information about what they’re watching, or they may use their smartphones to browse other un-related information.

It is during these downtimes that marketers have an excellent opportunity to convey branded messages. For instance, if your targeted audience is Baby Boomers, it may behoove you to research the prime time frame and/or shows that Boomers watch, and build your marketing messages/collateral into a format that is readily and easily available to them – whether its ads on Facebook, Twitter, or some other online spot.

Final Questions

  • What sorts of digital devices is your target audience using?
  • If you’re a marketer, how can you help your clients achieve more visibility through studying consumer behavior?
  • What strategies do you plan to put into place to tie into how consumers interact with their digital devices?

[source]

5 Tips For A Better Landing Page Experience

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Estimated Reading Time for This Post: 2 minutes, 11 seconds; approximately 448 words.

Having trouble converting page views into paying customers? Experiencing high abandonment rates on your website? It may have something to do with your landing page.

In an ever increasingly digital world, you only have milliseconds to convert readers into buyers, window shoppers into paying customers…and your landing page experience has everything to do with the success you experience.

Why?

There are numerous factors that go into a great landing page experience – elements that you may have never even considered before. Below, we outline 5 key tips to help you improve your user experience.

Create a Better Landing Experience in 5 Steps

Target Your Consumer.

Who is your customer? What are they interested in? Does your landing page content speak to that consumer? Target your consumer by creating content that is tailored to their needs, whether that’s to answer a question, solve a problem, or provide information. Your content should be something that the consumer wants, needs or doesn’t yet know that they need.

Keep it relevant.

Study your target consumers. The more you know about them, the better off you’ll be able to come up with content that is specifically tailored to them. Keeping your content relevant = Keeping your consumer on your landing page.

Consider the design.

Web design continues to be one of the most overlooked, avoided areas for webmasters. Why? Many are unable or unwilling to invest in a visually appealing, functional web design  due to a fear of cost, a fear of time commitment, or both. However, with a little digging, there are actually many affordable web designs available if you’re willing to roll up your sleeves a little.

Include pertinent information.

If your website has to do with sports cars, and you are guiding someone to a landing page titled “Sports Car X,” it only makes sense to the consumer that the page should be about “Sports Car X”.

When designing your landing page, don’t trick or confuse consumers by titling your page one thing and then discussing something totally irrelevant. Relevancy not only helps retain potential consumers, it also helps the search engines figure out what your landing page is about.

Find a unique way to tell your story.

As unique as you may think your business is now, there’s always someone out there waiting to compete with you, if they’re not already. How will you differentiate what you are doing from what they are doing? What is your unique selling proposition (USP)? Find a unique way to tell your story. Use CTAs sparingly but strategically. Offer something to your consumers that they won’t be able to find anywhere else.

What other tips can you think of to improve the success of your landing pages?

Rise of Ad Tech, Social Media Gives Businesses More Control

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"Social Media apps" by Jason Howie on flickr ccEstimated Reading Time: 2 minutes, 9 seconds. Contains approximately 430 words.

According to the latest forecasts out from ZenithOptimedia, Global ad spend is on track to grow 5.5% this year to $537 billion, while Internet advertising will account for nearly one-quarter of that, at $121 billion.

If there was ever any doubt as to where people are spending most of their time these days, this latest information will certainly put out that fire. In fact, Zenith goes on to predict that Internet display will almost certainly take over paid search at $74.4 billion versus $71.1 billion by 2015. This could spell trouble for companies like Google, who have traditionally dominated the Internet ad space in the past.

Keeping an Eye on Mobile Ad Spend

As Ingrid Lunden over at TechCrunch recaps, all eyes are now turning to mobile as mobile continues to experience rapid growth. This makes sense as more people are using mobile devices to access information on the Internet, from tablets to smartphones to other types of portable devices. Compare the following as case and point:

In 2013, $13.4 billion was spent on mobile ads, but by 2016 that will rise to $45 billion, or 28% of Internet ad spend and 7.6% of total ad investments.

Researchers at Zenith stated,

“Mobile will leapfrog radio, magazines and outdoor to become the world’s fourth-largest medium by the end of our forecast period..”

The Rise of Social Media Advertising

Even more impressive is the rise of social media advertising, which is currently growing at 29% each year.

Why is this?

1- Audience

As mentioned earlier, social media is HUGE. If you don’t have at least a Twitter account and a Facebook account, then you simply don’t get it. Consider the social media giant, Facebook, which currently has more than 1 billion users and is on pace to soon cross the 1 billion mark on just mobile alone! The advertising potential is limitless.

2- Rise of Ad Tech

Perhaps even more poignant is the rise of Ad Tech. Why? Ad Tech allows businesses to gain more control over what they buy and where it’s being seen. “It also provides a greater amount of data to be able to measure the impact that their marketing investments are having.”

Finally, when it comes to world comparisons of Ad Spend and advertising in general, the U.S. remains the biggest market for advertising, at more than three times the value compared to the next-biggest market.

Bottom line? It’s time to start thinking through some new online social strategies and thinking of new ways to engage the countless users who log in each day to social sites. How can you capitalize on that potential?

[HT TechCrunch]

5 Reasons Why SEO Matters for Business Success

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Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes, 16 seconds. Contains approximately 456 words.

What role does search engine optimization (SEO) play in the grand scheme of online business success? Does it even matter anymore?

The answer is: Yes, more than ever.

Does SEO matter?

5 Reasons Why SEO Matters to the Success of Your Business

COST

Compared to other forms of traditional print media, online marketing, specifically search engine optimization, is cost-effective. It is also highly relevant as more people are using the Internet to search for items, information, business and various other services. The cost also yields a better return for investors and businesses as they can more specifically target, measure and track exactly where money is being spent and what is working versus what isn’t working.

Being able to track and pinpoint exactly how and where conversions come from can help to plan a better budget to help keep overhead down. Additionally, let’s not forget about the fact that while brick and mortar businesses still do exist, there are even more businesses that are saving overhead costs by simply setting up shop online.

INTEGRATION WITH SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media seems to be the wave of the future as recent research indicates a higher drive towards social media ad spend. Facebook alone has more than 1 billion users who are logged in at any given time. Optimizing content, creating appealing ads and integrating social sharing is all a part of putting together a comprehensive, social media plan.

CREDIBILITY

Google+ is the perfect example of what it means to have credibility on the Web. Taking the above point a step further, social integration and SEO go hand in hand. Optimizing content for the web and integrating that optimized content in the form of a blog post, for example, that has your business name and face attached can add tremendous value to your brand. On the Internet, your business (and those who work for your business) have the opportunity to leverage brand awareness and drive customers to your website. By integrating SEO into your online content strategy, you can help establish (or reinforce) credibility and help your business stand out as the go-to resource for those in your industry.

COMPETITION

All of your competitors are on the Web. All of them have some sort of search engine optimization strategy in place. All of them are using SEO and keeping a finger on the pulse of the various algorithms and studies that come out each day. If you don’t believe it, you’re missing the boat.

IT WORKS

At its core, even the most basic SEO-employed techniques merit some sort of recognition for the value they can add to an existing website. Whether this involves the correct use of Meta Tags and Titles or the implementation of a keyword strategy, creating content that is relevant without overdoing it, matters, and search engines are still taking notice.

No One Can Guarantee #1 Rankings

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Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes, 2 seconds. Contains approximately 75 words.

I am constantly answering my prospects questions on “Can you Guarantee 1st place or 1st page results”. My answer has Always been No.

I usually state that “the only people that could guarantee you would be Google Employees, and you’re not going to find a single Google employee who will offer you that guarantee.”

Below is a video from the Google employee who works on the Google Algorithm that ranks results. Please watch for a further explanation.

The Difference Between noindex and nofollow

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The easy explanation is noindex means doesn’t get indexed in google. nofollow means google doesn’t give link credit to that pages links.

Examples:

noindex, follow: You could have a page onsite that is noindex (will not show up on google search results page) but google will follow the links out that are on that page.

noindex, nofollw: That page will basically not exist in google and the links on that page will NOT be counted in any way.

index, follow: The page will show up in google and google will let link juice flow from links on that page

index, nofollow: That page will show up in google and the links on that page will NOT be credited with link juice flow.