How to analyze search funnels

Posted: March 24, 2013 in Uncategorized
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As search engine marketers, many of us just focus on the last click before a conversion. However, there is a growing trend towards analyzing the path that a customer takes before an online conversion. Search Funnels, in Google AdWords, help you do that. They basically help you measure performance and make changes beyond the last click. Most importantly, they change the way you think about ‘conversions’.

Setting up search funnels

1. Go to Columns.

2. Click on Customize Columns.

3. Add Search Funnels.

4. Pick the metrics that you wish to see.

Analyzing search funnels

There are multiple ways in which you use the search funnel data. Here are some examples from my experience.

1.      Download a keyword report. Use ‘If’ formula to highlight keywords where impression-assisted conversions are higher than regular conversions. In these cases, it means that your target audience searched for a keyword you targeted, but didn’t click on your ad. The reasons for it could be many, but an easy win here could be to filter for keywords with a high average position (above 4 or 5). Bid higher on these keywords as these seem to be relevant (got impressions) but weren’t high enough to be clicked on.

2.      Download an ad report. Again, use the ‘if’ formula to check if the impression-assisted conversions are higher than the regular conversions. Some of the cases in which the impression-assisted conversions would be higher than actual conversions are listed below:

a.      A user just decided to click on organic search results rather than the ad

b.      Your ad wasn’t relevant

c.      It didn’t have a convincing call-to-action.

Filtering ads based on this report makes it easier to review ad copy and make changes, if required.

3.      Download an ad report. Again, use ‘If’ formula to highlight ads where click-assisted conversions are higher than regular conversions. This report will showcase ads which got clicks but no direct conversions. Again, the reasons could be more than one.

a.      The user was just browsing. Eg: in the case of those looking for ‘product reviews’.

b.      The user was looking for something that you don’t measure in terms of conversions. Eg: a physical store rather than an online purchase.

c.      The landing page wasn’t relevant enough. It may be that you are using a generic home page as the landing page rather than a specific product page.

d.      The url has an issue and is taking the user to an error page. In this case, the conversions will be 0 though.

e.      The landing page doesn’t reflect your ad copy text. Like, are you saying ’30% off’ and directing them to a page which has discounted products but doesn’t clearly say ’30% off’?

Some of these issues may be easy to find with search funnel data. The point to remember though is that it is not always important to measure ad performance via conversions. Sometimes ads / keywords are important assistants in the path to conversion too. What’s important is to find such keywords / ads.

What should paid search marketers learn in 2013?

Posted: January 27, 2013 in Uncategorized
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If your world revolves around CPCs, CTRs and CPAs, it’s time for you to add some more arms to your bag of ammunition. In 2013, there is a lot for you to get a foothold in.

1. PLAs: Product Listing Ads or PLAs are product displays that you see on the right hand side of Google’s search results page. The fact that Google purchased BufferBox, a shipping locker startup, in November 2012, shows that it is trying hard to give Amazon tough competition. What does it mean for you as a digital marketer? A signal that Google is going to push PLAs further in the market. PLAs run on feeds. So there is definitely some learning involved in optimizing these campaigns. But it should be on your radar, as according to The Search Agency’s Q4 2012 paid search report, PLAs accounted for 13.6% of total Google spending for advertisers in Q4, a 236% increase from Q3.

2. Facebook advertising: Facebook Graph Search is still a mystery. Well, more or less. But we do know what the basic idea is all about. While for a user, it may mean better search results (if any) in terms of places / things liked by his/her friends, for an advertiser it may mean more targeting options. So ensure you set up an alert to read anything on this front. Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open.

3. Mobile / Tablet advertising: This is something you may be doing already as most campaigns nowadays are segmented based on device. However, make sure it does not get a step-motherly treatment. Optimize it differently. Don’t paint it with the same brush that you use for analyzing desktop advertising. The platform is different and its usage is different. So search volume is different and keywords used are different too. For instance, auto-correct is big on mobile considering people dislike typing on mobile. Or CTRs tend to be inflated because of fat finger syndrome. According to The Search Agency’s report, advertiser spend on smartphones and tablets in Q4 represented 15.6% of total spend, a 79% increase YoY. The numbers speak for themselves.

4. Bing advertising: Agreed, advertiser spend on Bing is fairly small as compared to Google. However, Bing is taking small steps towards increasing its spread. As the report says, Bing had a 4% increase in click traffic. So understand the platform inside out.

5. It’s all about RoAS: This isn’t new. You’ve heard it before. But it’s worth reiterating. Clients are typically going to measure your effectiveness based on RoAS or Return on Ad Spend. Focus on that. Show them the hard facts.

Good luck for the year ahead and happy clicking!

Bing Vs Google: Is it about who markets better?

Posted: December 16, 2012 in Uncategorized
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I love Bing’s home page backgrounds. They are always so colorful, bright and different.  There’s a zing to them. Something trendy about them.  Very unlike Google’s simple, white home page, with just the doodle adding hints of colors.

That said, there aren’t many people who use it. Sure, it’s about the results rather than the design. Yet, how many of us have compared results on both the engines. Not many right? Market share statistics don’t show much of a difference even after the ‘Bing it On‘ challenge. While close to 90% of Internet users search on Google globally, less than 5% do the same on Bing.

Bing definitely has a lot of distance to cover. And it’s trying. Hard. And yet again, not many people know it.

So did you know about Scroogled? That’s Bing’s idea of showing how Google’s shopping results are actually paid ads and not genuine listings. It’s call to action on the page? To try Bing or make it your home page.

There are still a few people who have seen Bing’s Scroogled ad. However, when it comes to Bing’s reward points strategy, it seems it is lesser than a few; at least based on the quick poll I did among a few random people.

So here’s what Bing is offering you to search through its engine and refer it to your friends. You can win Gift cards from RedEnvelope (I love this site!), ProFlowers, Amazon, Starbucks etc. You could even enter sweepstakes to win Windows Phone. Yeah, that’s the big one. But winning is tough. You get 1 credit for 2 Bing searches and you can earn up to 15 credits a day. Referring a friend brings you more points of course. You get 5 each for 5 friends who join. And for a $5 Starbucks card, you need 525 credits. That’s over 1000 searches on Bing. Worth it? Perhaps, if Bing becomes your default search engine.

So here’s my view on it.

a. If Bing wants to attract users to its site by this strategy, it’s not worth it. It’s a great idea to reward loyal users, but not really for first-time users. That’s simply because, it asks for a lot before it can reward you. So if Bing wants to get Google users to shift to it, this may not be the best idea.

b. Bing needs to market better. It’s coming up with ideas but a marketing blitz is missing. And that’s essential when you’re dealing with a Goliath like Google.

I still search on Google. It’s more like a habit. The shift is tough. But yes, a sweepstake is tempting and I did give it a shot. Did I win? Nah! :-(

5 Things You Should Test In Your Landing Page

Posted: December 2, 2012 in Uncategorized
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It’s the holiday season! Bombarding your customers with emails for that final purchase on your site? Or structuring ads nudging them to gift more? This media blitz calls for new landing pages or at least redesigned ones, right?

So here’s the thing. While you, as retailers have got another excuse to push your products to your customers, what’s been your plan of action to ensure great user experience for them? If you’re not sure, then here are 5 essentials that should be on your testing checklist before taking your new landing page live.

1. Device compatibility: According to comScore, 4 in every 5 smartphone users, which represents 85.9 million U.S. users, accessed retail content on their device in July 2012. But how many times have you browsed through a site on your phone, only to see the website design, structure and content squeezed down to a mobile template? Many times, isn’t it? Sure, many sites are available as mobile apps. Nonetheless, responsive web design is essential so as to ensure that your website responds or adapts to the environment with multiple fluid grid layouts.

2. Browser compatibility: A common mistake made before a site release is to test the landing page only on one browser. While Chrome scores the highest in terms of web usage statistics, it is followed by Firefox, IE, Safari and Opera. The first three are essential when it comes to testing, as put together, they constitute over 95% of web usage. Plus, while testing, you will realize that your landing page behaves differently, in different browsers. The layout may look fine on one while it may be lop-sided on another. Some functionalities may work fine on one browser, while on others they may fail to perform. So test and test well.

3. Content: It’s important to test your content on your landing page. This includes reading, re-reading and reading again for grammatical errors, typos and SEO gaffes. Also, it is essential to do A/B testing on various titles, images and layouts to ensure that you use the one that is the most efficient in helping you achieve your goals.

4. Call to Action widgets:  Your landing page, invariably, may have a call to action widget. It may be an inquiry form, a click to call button, a group deal or a buy button. Have you tested the navigation to ensure that

a. The widget is visible and easy to spot?

b. It works just fine on all devices and browsers?

The importance of testing the call to action cannot be overstated. It’s the last mile. If it doesn’t come to the notice of your site visitors or doesn’t perform its task when clicked upon, your entire campaign can go a waste. This one requires thorough testing.

5. Backend integration: You may have various email ids, contact forms, web links and action items for your site visitors. Do you test if all of these are well integrated with the backend? For instance, you have an email id for contact. But did you test if mails are reaching? You may have your blog link on your website. But does it take the site visitor to the right URL on clicking? You may have Buy now buttons on your page. But does your backend update you immediately on every purchase?

Testing is not an ad-hoc task. It’s a recurring essential. Keep this checklist in hand before you take your landing page live.

5 Online Stores for Unique Gifts

Posted: November 4, 2012 in Uncategorized
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The Indian e-commerce industry, excluding travel, is around $550 million and over the last three years, about $350 million have been invested in it. While global players like Amazon and eBay have made baby steps into the market, local biggies like Flipkart have been expanding bigtime (love their television ads). And then there have been several group deal sites that got launched and then either failed to evolve or got acquired.

Online shopping for gifting has been a trend that has managed to hold sway, especially when it comes to festive seasons like Diwali or Rakshabandhan. No wonder, popular classifieds site, Sulekha also goes big on promoting its gifting sub-domain especially to Indians abroad, keen on sending Rakhis or gifts to their folks in India or vice versa.

However, when it comes to personalized or unique gifts, there are very few sites  that cater to this niche segment. Most sites bet big on the usual products like electronics, books, clothes, jewelry and chocolates. It took me some time to make this list of five sites in India where you could find some unique gift items.

ExcitingLives:  ExcitingLives, as a site, could do better when it comes to UI. But when it comes to the collection of products on offer, the word that defines it, is definitely varied. You can sort based on who you want the gifts for (me, wife, husband, boss etc) or on the basis of sub-categories like Bar, Experiences, Fashion, Naughty, Personalized etc. Interesting finds include a Doomed Skull Shotglass that  takes on a frightening look based on the color of your drink and Clown Surprise where a clown and a funny character comes home with a cake. Same day delivery option is also available.

WastedFish: This is a sleek site targeted towards a niche segment. Here, you can find quirky barware and drinking games. Sample these. There’s a Drinking Roulette, where if your shot glass number corresponds to the number played, it’s bottoms up for you. They even have a Beer Can Phone, which is, as the name says, a beer can shaped landline phone. Thumbs up to this site for its quirky product designs.

1469workshop: Love everything Punjabi? This is the site for you? You can buy karas, patiala salwars to jootis and phulkaris here. T-shirts with funny quotes are also available. Tired of coffee mugs? Check out the Chaah mug. You can even buy Punjabi music. Collection is limited and targeted but if Punjabi quotes on T-shirts is your sense of style, this site is worth a visit.

UrbanLadder: This site comes across as one of the best when it comes to UI and navigation. It is simple, elegant and easy to browse through. If unique furniture and home accessories are what you are looking for, this should be on your list. The products look really well-designed and seem to come with great finish. Pictures are of high quality and impressive. Deck chairs, perch foot stools, TV units, folding book shelf etc are all available. Liked the Tranforming Ladder Chair which with a flip-over converts from a chair to a ladder, and the Wheeled storage bins for dumping knick-knacks. The hitch? Delivers currently only to Bangalore, Mumbai and NCR.

DesignDeal: This site has a curated collection of designs from multiple designers and brands, available at discounts. Unique ottomans, contemporary wire and iron furniture, M F Husain’s artwork and eclectic lighting are available. The products are high-priced, with a bent towards home collection. However, discounts are up to 75%. It’s a members only site so registration is required to even browse through the products.

Let me know of your experiences with these sites.

How does Gmail SMS work?

Posted: October 11, 2012 in Uncategorized
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Mobile is becoming increasingly important in the digital arena. No two ways about it. No wonder then that Google launched its SMS or Short Messaging Service from Gmail in India today.

This is how it works. Gmail chat allows you to choose between call and SMS option. If you choose SMS, it asks you to enter the recipient’s name (mandatory) and mobile number of course. Once you do that, the chat window opens. Then, all you need to do is enter your text message.

You get 50 SMS credits in the beginning, which get added to with more usage. So if the recipient replies to you via SMS, you receive the reply in your chat window and your credits get added up.

Gmail SMS

Gmail SMS Chat Window

So what do I like about it?

a. It allows me to connect with people who may not be online all the time.

b. I don’t need to spend anything for sending the SMS via Gmail.

c. I can receive the SMS in my chat window like I would via a messenger.

d. Supports multiple countries and a number of operators.

What could improve?

a. Each SMS ends with a ‘You may reply’. Seems redundant for every message.

b.  The platform does not seem to be integrated with Google Talk on mobile. Had it been, it would have given competition to applications like Whatsapp. However, this seems intentional to help partnering mobile operators, as the recipient spends money for every SMS based on network charges.

Now would this enhance Google’s advertising revenue via mobile platform? Would be worth keeping an eye on.

 

Volkswagen’s Creative Digital Addition to a Print Ad

Posted: September 10, 2012 in Uncategorized
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‘Feel the shiver of excitement?’, the morning paper asked me. And trust me, I did. The creative word-play was a full page advertisement by Volkswagen, the German automobile manufacturer, in The Hindu, a leading daily newspaper in India.

So again, why did I feel the shiver of excitement? Not because of the copy, or the car’s design. Rather, I heard a Vroom sound and the paper vibrated, the moment I spread it open. Shocked me out of my wits when it happened.

Volkswagen had creatively added a black box in its ad which was light-activated. It had a microchip that played the sound of a car zooming by and vibrated so that you actually ‘feel the shiver’.

Did it work for me? It sure did in terms of grabbing my attention and making me talk about it. I had already texted a few people about it, showed it to others and am now writing about it. But it also annoyed me as I didn’t know how to turn it off. Was there a switch off button that I was not aware of? Not sure. I just closed the paper and put it aside and voila, it stopped.

Volkswagen had done a similar experiment earlier as well when the morning papers spoke to their readers about Vento, again via a microchip. What intrigues me is whether the ad attracted and converted the target audience to purchase the manufacturer’s cars or did it actually distract them from the core objectives. As for me, I was too overwhelmed by the use of the device rather than reading the copy. What do you think? Check out the ad below and let me know your thoughts.

Volkswagen Ad

Volkswagen Ad in The Hindu with microchip-embedded speaker box

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