Search Engine Marketing Company| Kneoteric eSolutions

The question of whether or not to run pay per click (PPC) campaign has been answered many a times. PPC delivers the highest ROI and its benefits supersede the ones offered by other forms of online marketing.

While PPC is the best tool in an advertiser's arsenal, it can sometimes prove to be the opposite if performed incorrectly. In this series of two newsletters, we would be discussing common PPC mistakes that may cost you money.

Common pitfalls - the impediments to your success.

Settings up a pay per click campaign is easy and businesses with little or no beforehand knowledge can do it all by themselves. But because PPC is 'believed to be easy' to setup and manage, many businesses end up losing money. While search engines have done a fantastic job at making their PPC interface easy-to-use, the campaign still needs to be optimized to derive maximum ROI.

Pay per click is a sure and easy way to advertise your business and make money, but it is also the easiest way to lose money if done wrong. Mentioned below are 15 (out of 27) common PPC mistakes that, if avoided, could save you thousands of dollars in advertising budget, and help you optimize your PPC campaign.

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What is local search?

Local searches are search queries that are intended to find information/businesses within a particular geographical location. A good example would be "florist in Seattle". Some searchers even go to the extent of typing street address. Example: "florist on olive way, Seattle"

Local searches are typically performed to look for services that are local in nature. For example florists, electricians, plumbers, bakers and confectioners, restaurants, doctors, taxi services, etc. As more and more people go online to look for such services, local search optimization is gaining precedence.

Why optimizing for local search is important?

Wouldn't it be great, if people come to your online store having already made the decision to buy from you!

Unlike general web searchers who may be looking for pre-purchase information, people looking for local businesses are much closer to a buying decision. In most of the cases, local searchers have already made a buying decision; it is only a matter of who to buy from?

In a nutshell - local searchers are ready to buy, all you need to ensure is that they buy from you.

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When it comes to pay per click search engines, the big three (Google, Yahoo and MSN) dominate the arena. The total traffic from these three search engines will probably dwarf the combined traffic from vertical search engines (VSEs). But this does not necessarily mean that there is no money to be made with vertical PPC search engines.

Online businesses stick to the big three and shy away from others because of the general (mis)belief that vertical search engines have lower conversion rate. The truth, however, is on the contrary side. Searchers using vertical search engines are deep into the consideration process, and typically closer to purchase.

Even if it was true, a low conversion rate only depicts an incomplete picture, at least in the case of PPC. While conversion rate may be low, so is the average bid price and this effectively translate into positive ROI. An example perhaps would paint a clearer picture.

Let us consider a hypothetical situation wherein each sale generates a profit of $50. With conversion rate of 3% and average bid price of $1, the profit realized for 100 clicks on Google AdWords would be $50. On the other hand, a lesser known search engine with a conversion rate of 2%, and average bid price of 30 cents will generate a profit of $70. The choice is all but obvious.

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"Oh My God! Search is changing forever" is an expression that has been generously tossed around the web every time one of the major search engines, especially Google, makes the slightest of the moves. More than anything, comprehending the implication of these changes assumes utmost importance for any search marketer and to all online business owners.

Search engine marketing is a dynamic industry and is in the process of evolution; while some changes are subtle, others are radical. With search engine marketing, the only one thing that is constant is 'change'. We have witnessed some significant changes in the year gone by; changes which threw up great opportunity and challenge, alike.

Keeping up with the tradition, "What we have learned and where are we headed", we dedicate this newsletter to the past (2008) and future (2009) of search engine marketing. The newsletter delves into some of the noticeable changes that happened in the field of search marketing in 2008, and how it changed the search marketing and online business landscape. We would also take a sneak peak at some of the predictions for the forthcoming year.

Search Engine Marketing Landscape

According to comScore 63% of the Online visitors convert Offline, and this figure reaches a staggering 92% in the case of electronic goods purchased. This finding could plausibly explain the universal question that all webmasters seek "Was the website instrumental in converting the visitor to a client?". Offline conversion tracking helps to find an answer to this query. This also helps in arriving at a more meaningful web analysis, for further insight into the efficacy of the Online Marketing campaign.

In the following paragraphs, we will discuss the importance of Offline Conversion tracking and the methods to carry it out.

Businesses like eBay, Amazon, Dell etc. purely rely on Online marketing because they are conspicuously absent from the Offline world. Online metrics are appropriate for pure plays like them. However, businesses having multi channel presence only get a myopic view of the entire picture by using Online metrics. According to James Lamberti, Vice President (Marketing Solutions), comScore "Web-only metrics such as click-through rates and online conversions don't provide a full picture of search campaigns. The ROI being realized here is significantly higher than the analytics packages can pick up."

Businesses operating in multiple channels cannot ignore Offline conversion tracking. Measuring Offline conversion will provide a holistic view and help gauge the effectiveness of cross channel marketing efforts. Measuring Online influenced Offline sales thus command significant attention and importance, as the Offline Conversions are a fallout of the Online marketing efforts.
Comprehending the impact of Online channel on Offline sales:

Assessing the impact of Online marketing on Offline sales is important to understand the phenomena of delayed conversion. Statistics have proven beyond doubt that Online research fuels Offline sales. Recent studies and polls indicate that a sizable chunk of consumers consider Internet as a research tool because of the wealth of information it offers. However, a majority of them complete the buying process Offline.

A survey conducted by Yahoo! Search Marketing concluded that only 1% of conversions materialize Online, in the same session as the initial search. A meager 7% convert Online in a different session and a staggering 92% of conversions happen Offline (delayed conversion), either via phone or in a brick and mortar shop. Another study carried out by comScore projected that an astounding 63% of all shoppers completed their purchase Offline. The study further indicated that 56% of the purchases made Online were realized in subsequent sessions.

The figures mentioned above clearly demonstrate the need for measuring Offline conversions. This need is further compounded by the fact that lack of Offline conversion tracking would result in Online marketers ceding more than half of their return on investment (ROI). As a consequence, Online marketing campaigns could be under-budgeted due to faulty measurement of ROI. A grave error which would have serious repercussion.

The figures mentioned above clearly demonstrate the need for measuring Offline conversions. This need is further compounded by the fact that lack of Offline conversion tracking would result in Online marketers ceding more than half of their return on investment (ROI). As a consequence, Online marketing campaigns could be under-budgeted due to faulty measurement of ROI. A grave error which would have serious repercussion.

The necessity to measure the 'elusive' Offline conversion gains greater significance for big ticket items such as expensive or complicated products and professional services, which are characterized by long sales cycle. This inherent characteristic act as an embargo for the sales process to be completed Online. This is especially true for websites meant for lead generation, financial services, real estate, high end electronic products, etc. A holistic approach is needed to accomplish the goal of effectively measuring Offline conversions.

Tracking Offline Conversion

"Tis the season to be jolly" and we wanted to give you one more reason to smile. We are offering a discount of 10% :) on all our packages (SEO, Link Building and PPC), to spread the yuletide cheer.

All our packages are competitively priced and a 10% discount on top of this makes it a very lucrative offer. :)

If you require further information, please visit us at Kneoteric eSolutions

We would be glad to service your requirement.

Warm Regards,
Kneoteric eSolution.

"Death of Detroit would wallop ad world" nightmares of a blue Christmas" Shocking! Tell us something we don't already know! Turning a few more pages I see, "As site traffic slows, online marketers tighten their holiday budgets."

And that's when I calmly fold-up my recent copy of Advertising Age and call my dentist to schedule that long avoided Novocain-free root canal! I mean really, all this doom and gloom is probably enough to send some folks home early for the holidays to hang out with the relatives they have successfully avoided all year long. But I'm an opportunist, so the timing couldn't be better!

There has to be an opportunity here, right? We've heard a lot of noise in the trades about the fall of online display advertising in favor of performance-based advertising. The good news is that lower budgets and fewer advertisers can actually mean less competition. For smart local advertisers and their agencies, that is something to cheer about! Literally it means more business leads for less money and a higher return on investment, if campaigns are executed properly.

We know that local advertising is, by its very nature, "performance driven." Driving direct response whether by a click, a call or an in-store visit is the essence of local marketing. Performance-based advertising is great for measuring online effectiveness, but what about when the phone rings? That part of the equation has typically been black-boxed and presents a huge opportunity. As an industry, taking credit for the phone leads we generate is a huge win; we can sign more clients and increase budgets by delivering more, highly-qualified leads, including phone calls.
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Internet is a source of information, a platform for interaction and a marketplace to do business. The uses of Internet surpass all our collective imagination, as each given moment people give it a different utility dimension. Information sharing and online trading are however the top two activities that are performed via the Internet. Online businesses actively seek avenues to exploit the online marketplace and thus increase revenue - the ultimate business goal.

Internet marketplace has witnessed a boom in recent past and now serves as an efficient platform for trade worth billions of dollars. Competition in the online arena has skyrocketed and therefore making money online is easier said than done. In order to succeed in the prevailing market conditions, it is imperative to attract and engage visitors. Having a plain website that sells products/services is passé as such websites fail to engage the visitors at granular level. With numerous options available to the customers, they would soon exit your website and go somewhere else. Web 2.0 platforms could very well be leveraged to save your website from a premature online demise.
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'Cyber Monday' would jumpstart the Christmas buying frenzy. Forecasts are projecting a healthy growth in online retail sales this festive season. The IMRG Capgemini e-Retail sales index is predicting a 15% increase in year on year sales. This comes as an encouraging statistic against the backdrop of a depressed economic sentiment. While the customers are getting ready to splurge, so are your competitors who would want to grab the Christmas goodies.

In this buying bonanza, the websites that deliver the best shopping experience will benefit. Customer experience can be enhanced by improving the usability and accessibility of the website. To those webmasters who were unable to fully carry out efforts to improve their website's usability and accessibility, we dedicate this newsletter!

The last minute changes, as discussed in this newsletter, are intended to help make up for the website's inadequacies. We hope that these changes would help you to improve further on and thereby increase the potential for better sales.

Will this holiday season be any different?

Christmas is certain and people will spend money to buy gifts. This sentiment is reflected in the Nielsen report on 'online shopping trends' which states that "Consumers across the globe are increasingly swapping crowded stores for one-click convenience, as online shopping becomes a safe and popular option."

While the upward trend in online retail is a certainty, the tight financial condition is likely to influence consumer buying behavior. Some of the most evident buying behaviors are:

* Consumers would actively look for bargains, more than ever before.
* Buyers would also look for added value and special deals.
* Shoppers are more likely to use comparison websites to make better and economical buying decisions.
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I can already hear some sighs and "Oh no, not again!" Well, I have not unearthed any of Google's dirty secrets (I am hoping they don't have any), and I am not here to make a startling revelation. I am writing this post to share with you (I hope you like it) the critical self analysis of Google's Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide.

The guide was released day before yesterday and I am sure most of you have read it by now. I'm assuming you have read it because every move made by Google attracts a lot of press and media; and travels far and wide. The guide is a good read and is informative and concise. Not a lot of things that SEO pros would not know about but then there are many people out there who are still learning the basics. It has the potential to become 'SEO's holy grail' for beginners. However I found some exclusions and conflicting views while reading through the guide.

The guide is christened 'search engine optimization starter guide' but all they say is "....following the best practices outlined below will make it easier for search engines to both crawl and index your content." I believe that it is very different to saying something like this, "....following the best practices outlined below will make it easier for search engines to both crawl and index your content and may/would increase your rankings." Google certainly did not want to comment on rankings; and whether the advices contained in the guide, if implemented, would enhance rankings.

(Intentional?) Exclusions:

The guide has successfully managed to avoid discussing or providing advice on back links or inbound links. It does discuss internal and outbound links under "Write better anchor text" and "Be aware of rel="no follow" for links". However, the only implied mention of inbound links can be found in the follow section. Read More...

A recent survey done by CapGemini predicted that online sales in the UK will witness a 60% increase over last year, for the month of October, November and December. Another research done by IMRG concluded that more than 68% of the shoppers are likely to shop online this festive season, while 77% of the shoppers are planning to do more than half of their shopping online. Reason enough to put a smile on each and every online retailer's face. The story across the Atlantic in not bad either. TNS is predicting that online sales in the United States will grow by 9% this Christmas season. This, some commentators say, could be attributed to the continuing cultural shift which has turned the religious season of glad tidings and goodwill into consumerist. This trend although will prove to be a blessing in disguise for retailers, especially for those who sell online

Christmas is a season of joy; family, friends and a fridge full of turkey, sandwiches and wine. This season is also time when most of the retailers (both online and offline) do brisk business, which in some cases, accounts for more than 40% of their yearly sales. Online retailers employ search engine optimization, Pay per click (PPC) campaign, banner ad campaigns, email marketing, amongst others to cash in on this multi billion dollar buying spree.

But with the bearish sentiments floating around, tightening credit situation and shaky consumer confidence; a small section of online retailers are wary. However there is a large section of online retailers who strongly believe that grim financial situation would have a minimal impact on online sales (if any) during Christmas. So are we really headed for a grinch Christmas?
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The message and its representation on the website play a crucial role in optimizing the conversion rate.

Continuing with our discussion on visitor engagement and how it can be effectively used to fuel conversions; we would now like to discuss the design, layout and other technical aspects of the website which could be leveraged to enhance the visitor engagement quotient of a website.

When competing for visitors that go beyond the initial sale and become long-term customers, every little detail helps. In the end, it is about meeting the visitor's needs, wants and desires. The more information that is provided to the visitors, in the format that they, the more likely they will convert to a buyer.

And the richer the customer experience is, the more likely it is that they'll keep coming back time and time again.

It should also be remembered that building a Destination Website is all about serving your audience. It is about understanding what they are looking for in a website, and providing it in excellence. Read More...

Internet undoubtedly is the greatest source of information we will ever have and there is no stopping to it. It is also a viable source for commerce and is evident from the fact that e-commerce websites are mushrooming all over the World Wide Web. People buy online because it's simple, fast and easy. Sniffing this tremendous opportunity, many offline businesses have joined the online bandwagon and raked in revenue; something they failed to realize earlier. However, this multi channel presence gave birth to a precarious situation - tracking delayed conversion.

Numerous studies and polls have shown that people extensively use Internet as a research tool because of its ability to provide vast pool of information for every imaginable thing. But when it comes to buying people prefer to visit their nearby brick and motor shop. This is especially true for products and services that are characterized by long sales cycle and therefore lead to delayed conversion. "It's increasingly clear that consumers who search for products Online will often visit brick-and-mortar locations to complete their purchase", a statement made by John Miniati, Vice President, comScore. The statement clearly demonstrates that online research fuels offline sales.

The growth and rampant adoption of web analytics to measure online conversion and therefore justify the marketing spend is sufficient for pure plays like eBay and Amazon. However, multi channel business are only able to get a myopic view by tracking online conversion and miss out on the holistic picture. A study conducted by comScore revealed that 63% of the online visitors converted offline and thus knowing the full impact of the web channel on offline sales gained precedence. This cause is further compounded by the fact that online marketers are finding it seemingly difficult to justify their online marketing budget in absence of tangible results. Tracking offline conversion which results as a fallout of online marketing efforts thus became imperative. Read More...

According to studies, online shoppers carry out more than six searches before making a purchase. This could eventually mean that the potential buyer may visit your website anywhere between one to six times using different search terms before they decide to buy.

In our last newsletter we discussed how you could get maximum ROI out of your marketing budget. In this newsletter we would further this discussion and understand how the website can be made more functional to arrest the bounce rate. A website should adhere to certain design and development requirements to be attractive to the potential visitors. Having discussed the design requirements in our previous newsletter, we will focus on the functional requirements in this newsletter.

Sites that are designed to sell products and/or services must go the extra mile to enhance the visitor's engagement with the website. Instance like Shopping cart abandonment (shoppers abandoning their carts before deciding to pay for the "items" they've added to their cart) can result in a significant loss in potential sales. But much of that can be reduced when the shopping process is streamlined and geared for shopper satisfaction. A good user experience is essential for conversions. The conversions can be enhanced by considering the following points that make the visitor experience more fulfilling.

As the topic for discussion is exhaustive, we will break it into two parts to keep you engaged. We would discuss the technical requirements in the second part. Read More...

A high ranking website on Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs), may not be enough to get you the desired audience. Not unless the keywords that you rank for, are being searched by your target audience.

This ideology forms the basis of our SEO campaigns - Rank on the keywords that help you to sell.
These keywords are arrived after carrying out a detailed competition analysis vis-a-vis your website, and would be carried out to be in sync with your specific Online Marketing objectives.

Our SEO campaign employs only ethical practices to promote your website for the finalized keywords. It would involve an adequate blend of On Page changes, coupled with Off page activities.

Finally, the cost for carrying out all this would be commensurate with your objectives.

We believe that we can help you, just as we helped others achieve their Online Marketing objectives.

Contact us for a customized quote.

Relevant traffic is one thing webmasters strive for and a link popularity campaign is undertaken with the sole intent of achieving this. However a link popularity campaign that churn links, from anyone and everyone, would not produce the desired results. The quality of links would always score over the quantity of links and quality links come from authority websites that are relevant to your website content.

A healthy number of thematically similar links substantiate the authority of a web page and serve the following benefits:

1.Enhances the crawlability of the linked web page by making it available to Search Engine crawlers.

2.Boosts' classified traffic which would potentially augment revenue.

3.Instrumental in incrementing Page Rank (PR) thus enhancing Search Engine rankings.

While links may be easy to source, good quality links adhering to the ethical link building practices take longer to develop. An effective link popularity exercise should deliver on these objectives within a reasonable period of time and effort, for it to be commercially viable for both the vendor and the client. Also, being a natural process link building mandates manual execution to ensure quality and semantic relevance.

As experts in developing quality thematic links, proven to multiply visitor count, we believe we would be able to assist you with your link building requirements. Our expertise is derived from a dedicated pool of in-house link building professionals.

Contact us to know more about our link popularity service.

The success of any paid search campaign can be gauged by the frequency and the quality of the leads generated. Most website owners are faced with the quagmire of not getting relevant traffic even after spending a significant portion of their Online marketing budget in a paid campaign.

A successful paid campaign requires continuous keyword research, bid monitoring and prudent bidding. This requires expertise and it is intensive labor.

As experts with adequate experience at managing paid campaigns, we employ the following process to effectively manage the campaigns of our clients:

1. Starts with setting up the campaign.

2. Creation of the appropriate campaign specific ad-text.

3. Ensure regular bid monitoring.

4. Conduct constant bid optimization by broad basing the keyword research.

5. Carry out continuous keyword research to target keywords, with lower bid but high traffic.

As experts we would assist you to attract the targeted traffic to your website and thus assist you to increase revenues from your paid campaign.

Contact us to get a free no obligation quote.