Search Engine Marketing

With spring springing and my daydreams increasingly occupied by thoughts of outdoor fun and games, I recently completed an analysis of pay-per-click activity in the sporting goods shopping category (U.S. only). I reviewed the top 100 category keywords (in terms of estimated volume of AdWords queries in the fourth quarter of last year) and designated each of those keywords as retail brand, product brand or nonbranded. Here's a look at the results:

We live in a Google-dominated world; more accurately, we use a Google-dominated internet. The search engine (and purveyor of social media, cloud services and other daily necessities) accounts for over 80 percent of the online query market, making it safe to assume that it set the standard for internet search functions. When choosing to shop online, modern consumers expect no less from the search boxes of the virtual stores they're browsing than they do from King Google.

With over 20 percent of Google searches now containing a location element, rising to over 40 percent of mobile searches, retailers are becoming increasingly focused on using online mapping to their advantage. Google has launched a new site (www.whenisamap.com/retail) aimed at showing the ways in which mapping can be put to work for retailers, and have found it interesting to see the varying ways retailers have chosen to use Google Maps for Business. The site has examples of great implementation, ranging from classic store locators to promoting in-store events to indoor mapping.

Etsy is letting users opt in to a test of its search results page designed to help shoppers browse listings. Etsy wrote in a press release, "Browsing on Etsy can feel like a conversation. You enter a search, then you refine, navigate and click around in order to find the perfect item. Oftentimes you might see one or two items that stand out from the rest, but want to find more before making a purchase."

The way we communicate is moving-literally. Smart phones are outselling PCs, and tablet sales are expected to outpace desktop sales by 2013. But although the screens may be smaller, the possibilities for engagement are larger than ever.

You'll find the following covered in this handy whitepaper:

- What Does Mocial Mean for Marketers?
- Determining Your Mocial Strategy and Goals
- Growing Your Email Database Through Social and Mobile
- Making Email More Social
- Extending the Reach of Social and Mobile
- Deploying Integrated Programs Across Email, Social and Mobile

State of the Social Universe: What Marketers Should Keep in Mind, from 4 Experts Who Can Help You Reach for the Stars

They shared their insights on where things are now, what trends are emerging, what marketers need to emphasize, and how they can make the most of it all. Sections include:

1) Drive the Mobile Vehicle Smartly, and Honor Your Email Opt-In Relationships
- Sara Meaney President, Strategy & Growth, Hanson Dodge Creative

2) It's About Location, Location, Location: Know Where Your Customer Is
- Asif Khan Founder and president of the Location Based Marketing Association

3) On the Rise: Social Intelligence
- Doug Camplejohn CEO of Fliptop

4) Start - and End - with Your Content
- Ann Handley Chief content officer for MarketingProfs

Valentine's Day was marred for many by failed or faulty delivery of bouquets to loved ones and many consumers and retailers had things to say about it. Google was asked to comment and it replied by email: "Google allows advertisers to bid on competitor keywords as well as to use competitor terms in the ad text itself as long as advertisers do not make any false or inaccurate claims in their ads."

If your latest Google search was faster and provided fresh, current results, it's because Google recently updated their search algorithm to reward newsworthy, updated information — and discourage reworked, repetitive, stagnant or multilinked sites to nowhere, sites that copy content from other websites or are just not very useful.

Retailers and consumer product goods companies continue to invest in online and mobile technologies that attract consumers shopping online and in stores, but those plunking down the bucks for innovation might be driving up paid search ad keywords for all.

Time to sharpen those pencils: now that the back-to-school season is winding down and students are back at their desks, we thought we’d take a look at some popular searches from the last few weeks. Students across the U.S. are hitting the books — although, as we found, not all their back-to-school searches are academically inclined.