Tractus Design

It is painfully cliché to talk about “the rise of social” and “the power of social media.” That happened a long time ago. Now it’s settled, and we can make some real progress.

The power of social lives on beyond its ubiquity, and wields a transformative impact on SEO. Please understand that I’m not going to propagate any myths about how to increase your rankings via social media. Nor am I going to propose that SEO-is-dead-so-long-live-social. Instead, I’ll attempt to demonstrate how social is infringing upon the traditional realm of SEO as a major factor in how people find information, convert, and interact with the Internet.

The argument over the correlation of social likes and search rankings is moot. 

First, social likes are important. Their impact upon search rankings, however, is not relevant to this discussion.

Bloggers and pundits love to discuss the search ranking value of an active social presence. “Do Facebook ‘Likes’ Increase Search Rankings,” asks one author. (Her answer, interpreted:  ”Uh, we’re not sure.”) Groupon explains “How to Improve Your Search Rankings with Social Media.” Others croon that Facebook comments can improve one’s rankings.

There’s little value in debating such claims. The studies are inconclusive. What we need to do now is determine what real changes have taken place that actually affect searches.

Social Factors That Impact SEO

Keep in mind that SEO is alive and well. Yet along with the continued impact of SEO is the increasing dependence upon social for how people search, find, and respond to information. Here are the major factors that are forming this social search trend.

1.    Personalized search results.

By default, Google returns results that are most relevant to you personally, assuming you are logged in to a Google account. If you look in the upper right corner of your search results page, here’s what you’ll see:

The icon circled in red indicates that your SERP is “currently showing personal results.” Clicking the globe icon will “hide personal results.” Personal results dish up all the general content that correlates with your search, but will also show “pages, photos, and Google+ posts from your friends,” according to Google’s explanation. Google personalizes search results in order “to deliver you the most useful, relevant content for your search.”

When I searched for “Google authorship,” I returned a list of results, including this one:

See the circled icon? That informs me that this is a personalized search result. Search Engine Land is in my Google Circles. Thus, they get position number five on my personal SERP, and are denoted by the image.

Personalized results have a huge impact for real life. If you search for a lawn care company, you’re likely to return top-ranked results that your friends have +1ed. If you look for pictures of “horses” and your friend has photos of her appaloosa on her Google+ account, that’s what will top the list of pictures.

Larry Magid bemoans personalized search results in his Huffington Post article. He bases his complaints on “privacy and antitrust concerns” and “biased results.” He has a point: “It kind of ruins what Google spent so many years building.”

Hate it or love it, personalized search results mean that search engine optimization loses influence. Instead, personalized search factors bear heavily upon which returns feature prominently in your results.

You can thank social for this massive change in how SEO works.

2.  Anything “viral” is social. 

Everyone has felt the impact of viral content, clips, or trends. Admit it — you watched Gangam Style, along with more than 1.5 billion other people.

The whole viral trend is built on the power of social media. Nothing goes viral unless it is “shared,” and nothing is shared unless it happens via social media.

You simply can’t pull off a viral trend by performing some SEO tricks. It has to be social.

3.    The Social Foundation of Local Search

Local search has experienced a radical transformation since the advent of Google Places and Yahoo! Local. The results delivered by these sites are built upon social interaction and the weight of social profiles, whether business entities or individuals. From Facebook check-ins, to Yelp ratings, to Foursquare interaction, local search depends heavily upon social involvement.

4.    The Impact of Google+ 

Google+ is a game changer. I’ve already mentioned how personalized search results are determined based on who posts what in your circles. There are other major changes besides.

Let’s take one example. Google results now show the picture of the author next to the content. You’ve probably seen search results that look like this:

Those smiling mugs get a 150% increase in click-through rates over their non-pictured counterparts according to Catalyst. It pays to be seen. In other words, it pays to be active on social networks like Google+. That’s where these pictures originate — a bit of rich snippet wizardry and Google authorship verification on Google+.

Google+ is the single most powerful social force on the Internet today. Facebook may have a bigger market share, but Google+ has a bigger ownership of search power. Facebook doesn’t write the algorithms; Google does.

What’s more, Google+ isn’t just a social network; it’s a personalized web experience that extends to your every interaction with Google products. The persistent Google navigation bar keeps you constantly in tune with a personalized web experience:

This means that you’re never more than a click away from the social spin on whatever it is you’re doing.

5.    Social network searches

Much of our interaction with the web comes through our social channels. In addition to Googling, you’re also visiting sites by means of the following methods:

• Clicking links that your friends post on Facebook
• Viewing Tumblr accounts
• Clicking all those bit.ly links on Twitter, even though you don’t know what they link to
• Checking out articles that have been +1ed by people in your Google+ Circles

Web users spend a lot of time on social media. Their engagement with the web is built on how they interact with their social circles. Data from one social media research project in late 2012 revealed that 18% of the time spent online is spent on social media.

Often, rather than search for a site on Google, people will search for a site’s social profile. A Facebook business page provides excellent at-a-glance results for a local establishment’s business hours. In fact, it’s way better than navigating to the business website, tracking down the information, and hunting for the business hours. The Facebook page instantly shows the business hours.

One of the most powerful effects of a social network is the way it transforms customer decision-making. Search Engine Land’s 2012 study stated, “72% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.” More than half of consumers agreed that positive online reviews increased their likelihood of using a local business. E-consultancy declares that 88% of customers will consult reviews before finalizing an online purchase. Even conversion rates are affected by social.

Again, social media is jostling with SEO for dominancy in how people find what they’re looking for, and how they make their decisions.

Conclusion

The extent of social’s impact on search is evolving, which is characteristic of the SEO industry. We can’t forget that anything created on the web is social. Nearly every article we read is connected with an individual author, complete with his or her Twitter handle and Google+ profile. There is no escaping the intensely social nature of the Internet as a whole. Now, there’s no escaping how it is completely changing the world of SEO as we know it.

WhatsApp, the almost free messaging app, now has more users than Twitter and carries more messages than Facebook, according to its chief executive.

WhatsApp is available across half a dozen smartphone platphorms

Let’s say a potential buyer visited your site but somehow the deal bounced without a purchase or filling inquiry form. How will you induce that visitor to convert into a buyer? Here is where Google remarketing can help you. The launch of Google remarketing, specially designed to empower AdWords publisher to grab potential buyers, is one more innovation in the constantly changing marketing scenario.

Quick Overview for Novice- how to start remarketing campaign

• First of all you need to add remarketing tag. It is a kind of code that you will get from your Adwords account. You have to add this code across all the pages.
• Once it’s done, it’s time to create a remarketing list for any preferred page like a remarketing list for visitors who visited “service page”. Remarketing tag placement is most important because it instructs Adwords to save visitors from your “service page list”; whenever anyone visits that page, their cookie ID will get added to the remarketing list. There are three kinds of options for deciding the kind of visitors for making the list — all visitors to the site, those who visited a specific page or section of the website and visitors who completed Analytics’ goals. You can also make a remarketing list with the help of Google Analytics. You have to only modify the code by adding a single line and you need to update/accept privacy policy.
• The final step is to run for an Adword campaign with a striking message to demonstrate who visited your service page when they will browse other display network sites. Your remarketing communication will not be exhibited to those who don’t figure on the list.
• You can check practically with official Google Adwords Video how to use and set up Remarketing Tag and Campaign.

How Google remarketing can help increase sales

• Applying Google remarketing code will help to regain visitors by showing them ads on other places like blogs, news website, forums and articles.
• Remarketing helps to create custom impressive messages/offers which lure potential buyers to revisit your site and complete a purchase successfully.
•  This remarketing feature enables to reconnect with potential buyers/clients who left the website without purchasing or filling inquiry form.
• When a person is willing to buy services or products it matters how many times that buyer sees you.

How Google remarketing will help to build brand

• First-mover advantage: The business can take this advantage if its competitor is not using this approach.
• Positioning establishment including brand name, image, service values, warranties and packaging.
• Maintaining existence continuously.
• Since not everyone is using this approach, you can go beyond what your competitors are doing.
• Visuals Ads will create more appealing and interactive effect in the viewer’s mind.
• Visuals Ads are easy to remember and recall.

“Nobody counts the number of ads you run; they just remember the impression you make.” Famous quote by -William Bernbach

When to Use Google Remarketing Approach to Improve Sales and Branding

• To re-target people with discount or coupon code if they are bouncing from the shopping cart without completing the purchase.
• While running a special campaign.
• On special occasions like Halloween, Valentine’s Day or Christmas.
• Daily deals.
• Product launching.
• Promotion ending date reminder – Who visited promotion or giveaway page but not enrolled.
• Reputation building – If you are improving/adding any customer care services.
• Spreading “Thank you” message.

Rapid Tips

• Text ads and image ads should be in separate Ad Groups for perfect Analysis.
• Image Ads font and color combination should be matched with website to give re-call.
• Utilize all Ad Builder’s given creative variations and different sizes and shapes to impress viewers.
• Cleverly use Display Ad Builder Templates to create Ads.
• Initially start with low bidding to check the trend, clicks and ROI.
• Build Remarketing list, it can be helpful any time.
• Create audience lists to create two separate lists – those who already purchased and those who have not purchased. Accordingly decide whom to re-target.
• If you will face any issue with remarketing lists, tags and ads check your code first using Tag Assistant to verify code placement on any page. Download and install Tag Assistant via the Google Chrome Store to make sure.
• You can use conversion optimizer to achieve most profitable clicks.

There are many other networks who offer remarketing service, but for several reasons I prefer to use Google remarketing for sales improvement and better branding.

Danny Sullivan’s Feb-11 article, Google is Most Popular Search Engine By Far, clearly states how Google is still the world’s most popular one. Besides, PPC customer care support of Google AdWord is outstanding. You will get an answer to most of your queries including how to set up the campaign and conversation improvement. A huge list of powerful networks and highly reputed/branded websites are running Google Ads and have a good market share in terms of visits/trust like Forbes, Bloomberg, Inc.com etc. Your Ads will be shown here so any large, small or medium business can reach out to plenty of people and communities and get benefits.

Conclusion

Remarketing is one of the best paid options for any kind of business, especially for e-commerce and large scale ones. It can be a very good future marketing option in the internet marketing world and many large scale businesses may think of adopting it. Feel free to share your views and raise relevant questions. Your feedback will be appreciated.

Google recently released documentation on the new enhanced campaigns. They have also run training events in different cities. I have been able to enhance a few of our client campaigns as well as take part in training.

The goal at Google in their own words is to “deliver the most relevant information to the end user”. Their quest to deliver on their promise sometimes complicates the lives of advertisers trying to reach the intended audience.

Every advertiser wants to get their message to the right audience, motivate the audience to click, and produce a positive ROI. When Google changes the rules of the game, it is best to know the new rules so we can bend them in our favor. It has long been proven that breaking the rules only ends badly for the advertiser so we have to work within the rules.

Let’s look at a few of the new “rules” of the game. For Google’s version of the enhancements, you can see them at https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/2909484?hl=en.

The Type of the Device is Less Important than the Intent of the Customer

Many of us, me included, separate out traffic by device type. By separating traffic by device you have more control. For many clients a tablet will convert differently than a computer. For the same client mobile may or may not be worth the advertising dollars.

In Google’s notes they make the statement “Account management has also been consolidated for tablets and desktops”.

What this really means is you can no longer separate out tablet traffic from computer traffic. A tablet is a computer to Google. Recent studies by Adobe reveal that tablets can convert higher than PC’s. The view is that consumers are using tablets to replace their PC’s and using them in the same manner.

They believe the intent of a tablet user is the same as a computer user. We have many accounts where this is not true however to play by the new rules we will have to write ads that motivate the tablet and computer user.

A Mobile Phone User is Part of the New Frontier

Mobile traffic continues to grow. What many did not see, including the #1 search engine in the world, 10 years ago is that mobile would be at its current level. In 2013, mobile traffic is predicted to overtake computer traffic.

Google recently released documentation on the new enhanced campaigns. They have also run training events in different cities. I have been able to enhance a few of our client campaigns as well as take part in training.

The goal at Google in their own words is to “deliver the most relevant information to the end user”. Their quest to deliver on their promise sometimes complicates the lives of advertisers trying to reach the intended audience.

Every advertiser wants to get their message to the right audience, motivate the audience to click, and produce a positive ROI. When Google changes the rules of the game, it is best to know the new rules so we can bend them in our favor. It has long been proven that breaking the rules only ends badly for the advertiser so we have to work within the rules.

Let’s look at a few of the new “rules” of the game. For Google’s version of the enhancements, you can see them at https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/2909484?hl=en.

The Type of the Device is Less Important than the Intent of the Customer

Many of us, me included, separate out traffic by device type. By separating traffic by device you have more control. For many clients a tablet will convert differently than a computer. For the same client mobile may or may not be worth the advertising dollars.

In Google’s notes they make the statement “Account management has also been consolidated for tablets and desktops”.

What this really means is you can no longer separate out tablet traffic from computer traffic. A tablet is a computer to Google. Recent studies by Adobe reveal that tablets can convert higher than PC’s. The view is that consumers are using tablets to replace their PC’s and using them in the same manner.

They believe the intent of a tablet user is the same as a computer user. We have many accounts where this is not true however to play by the new rules we will have to write ads that motivate the tablet and computer user.

A Mobile Phone User is Part of the New Frontier

Mobile traffic continues to grow. What many did not see, including the #1 search engine in the world, 10 years ago is that mobile would be at its current level. In 2013, mobile traffic is predicted to overtake computer traffic.