Instant Previews: The Preview

I posted yesterday that Google have announced another new search enhancement: “Instant Previews”

Well now you can try it yourself at http://www.google.com/landing/instantpreviews/

First Google Instant – now Instant Previews

Fast on the heels of Google Instant, Google have announced another new search enhancement: “Instant Previews”

Instant Previews is a new kind of visual search result using image-based snapshots, which Google say will make it even quicker for users to choose the most relevant search result.

Instant Previews provides a graphic overview of a search result with the most relevant sections highlighted, which Google say will make finding the right page as quick and easy as flipping through a magazine. Users will need to click on a magnifying glass icon next to the title of each search result and a visual overview of the page will appear. After this users just need to hover the mouse over any other result to see a preview. The newly customised results should be delivered in under a tenth of a second.

Google’s testing found that searchers using Instant Previews are about 5% more likely to be satisfied with the results they click. They say that previews provide a new way to evaluate search results, letting users see the layout of a webpage before clicking the search result – making users more likely to find what they’re looking for.

At the time of writing I haven’t actually seen Instant Previews in action, but Google believe that this new visual comparison of search results will help users not only compare results quicker, but also more easily pinpoint relevant content. So, watch this space!

NB: Previews only show on natural results – not ppc ads.

Google AdWords Changing from Sponsored Links To Ads

A short while ago, Google began testing labelling AdWords ads as “ads”. Previously these AdWords ads were headed as “sponsored links”.  Google have confirmed this rollout to Search Engine Land, the search industry’s leading online publication for the latest search news, research and anaylsis, commentary and expert advice.

A Google spokesperson said: “Yes, I can confirm this rollout. We are always experimenting with the look and feel of our search result pages, including the delivery of relevant advertising. This is on English language domains now and rolling out to all languages and domains”

Will this make a difference to ppc click rates? My first guess is no, whilst the cynic inside me thinks that it’s unlikely to happen (or last) if it proves to have any kind of negative impact on Google’s revenues.

US advertisers measure phone calls from search marketing

Google are extending their AdWords call metrics product to more US advertisers, with plans to extend it further in the future.

Google’s call metrics enables advertisers to measure the phone calls that their Google AdWords campaigns generate. Using the technology behind Google Voice, call metrics assigns each campaign a unique phone number which is automatically inserted into ads on both desktop and high-end mobile devices, where the number is clickable.

When a user calls the number in the ad, the call is automatically routed to the client and AdWords notes that the call took place. AdWords reports then show the number of calls generated by each campaign, call duration, and in the near future, caller area code.

Once advertisers know where their calls are coming from, they can refine their marketing strategy – testing different ad text variations to see which drives the most calls or reallocate budget to campaigns that bring the highest ROI.

For now advertisers still only pay for clicks on ads, but Google intend to charge for call metrics in the future.

Love your Iphone? Then you’ll love this

Love your Iphone? Then you’ll love this…..

Facebook becomes second biggest source of UK online traffic

Social networking sites accounted for 11.6% of all UK Internet visits in September 2010 with 1 in 10 visits to every website coming after a visit to Facebook – up from 1 in 13 visits a year ago.

According to Experian Hitwise, the online competitive intelligence service, Facebook accounts for 55% of all visits to social networking sites, making it by far the biggest social network in the UK. It is also the second biggest source of traffic to all websites after Google. In total, social networks sent nearly 13% more traffic to online retailers this year than last year. The three dominant players are Facebook, YouTube and Twitter which account for 75% of all visits to the the social networks and forums category.

This analysis shows more than ever before the need for businesses to get to grips with Social Media as consumers spend more and more time on social networking sites. A well concieved, and expertly implemented social media strategy will help businesses tap into the power of social media to drive online traffic and sales.

Check out http://goo.gl/kwuxx for more

Online retailers gear up for ‘Cyber Monday’

Are you already geared up for ‘Cyber Monday’?

Cyber Monday falls on Monday 6th December this year with research predicting that Britons plan to buy more gifts online than ever before. A survey by Peer 1 Hosting predicts the biggest ever peak in online shopping this Christmas, with £8.1bn to be spent online, with survey results showing that 88% of respondents in the United Kingdom will spend more online this year.

Cyber Monday is a term used to describe the first Monday in December, the peak of the Christmas shopping season, during which consumers generally spend more money on online purchases than they do any other time of the year. Consumers are likely to have searched for goods on the high street over the weekend and then used their high speed broadband connection at work to find and make cheaper purchases. Interestingly over half of the survey respondents said they actually found it easier to shop for Christmas gifts online compared to physically going to the shops in one of Britain’s high streets.

So if you haven’t done so already, you should be getting your search, media and social network campaigns tuned up and ready to go.

Last year, in a display of confidence against the recession, consumers spent more online on Cyber Monday than they did on the same day in the previous year. With the recession still biting Britain’s consumers, there had been heated speculation about how Cyber Monday 2009 would compare to that of 2008. Cyber Monday 2009, according to the IMRG (the trade body for online retailers) brought in sales of £417 million, with total sales for December over £5 billion, a 14% increase on 2008. Meanwhile Google reported that searches for “Christmas gifts” rose by 22%.

However Cyber Monday wasn’t the biggest online shopping day. Last year, according to Experian Hitwise, Boxing Day beat Cyber Monday to be the busiest online shopping day during 2009.

The second busiest day for online shopping was 27 December, followed by pre-Christmas shopping peaks such as Cyber Monday on 7 December. In 2008 Christmas Day itself was the seventh busiest online shopping day, but Experian Hitwise found it had dropped to 30th in 2009. Sales over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day increased by 36% last year, compared with 39% in 2008.

The top retailers to benefit from increased traffic after Christmas were mainly high street brands including Next, Currys, Debenhams, Tesco Direct and Comet. The week ending 26 December 2009 was the busiest week for high street retailers online, while pure-play retailers saw a decrease in visits.

Coins

Google gives a Boost to small businesses

This week Google announced a new online advertising solution to help local businesses connect with potential customers in their area. Google Boost enables business owners to easily create online search ads from directly within their Google Places account, with automated ongoing management. Boost is initially being beta tested in the US in San Francisco, Houston and Chicago.

Boost ads will appear in the “Sponsored Links” section of Google and Google Maps search result pages. As well as basic info like your company name, address, phone number and website, your ad can also include the number of reviews you’ve received, an average star rating and a link to your Google Place page to help potential customers find additional useful information about your business.

Research shows that 97% of people conduct research online before buying locally – demonstrating the need for small business owners to consider local online marketing activity to reach both new and existing customers.

Check out http://goo.gl/b7tq for more

Welcome to MikeGroves.co.uk

Welcome to Mike.Groves.co.uk.  I’m an online marketing specialist with over 12 years ‘hands on’ experience of planning and managing successful, targeted and measurable online marketing campaigns.

I’m now delighted to offer my knowledge, skills and experience to businesses large and small who want to increase sales of their products and services online. Please take a look around the site to find out more about me and my expertise.

Based in Essex, I’m ideally placed to work with clients in London and the South East, including Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Norfolk and Suffolk – as well as clients further afield.

To find out how I can improve your online marketing please feel free to get in touch or give me a call on 07827 806722

Thankyou for your time

Mike

Google launches Place Search