Posted by David Wilding on April 10th, 2008
Natural search
The Independent has recently seen its online market share expand – and search engine optimisation (SEO) is largely to thank for its growth, claims Hitwise.
On his blog for the web traffic monitoring service, Robin Goad asserts that while paid search has played apart in the increased success of the newspaper’s online incarnation, the role of organic search is perhaps more prominent.
The site has become the seventh most visited site in Hitwise’s news and media category, Mr Goad notes.
It was subject to a relaunch earlier this year which saw it incorporate more interactive media and download services.
And while there has been an 84 per cent fall in the proportion of traffic the site receives from searches on its own brand name since November, the period has reportedly seen the number of distinct words and phrases sending users to the site grow from 1,000 to 10,000.
The number of visits the site receives from Google News has increased ten-fold in the past year, although it is reportedly still behind broadsheet peers the Guardian, the Times, the FT and the Telegraph, as well as tabloid rivals the Daily Mail and the Sun.
Posted by Malcolm Slade on April 10th, 2008
Natural search
Websites should ensure they avoid duplicate content for effective search engine optimisation (SEO), a new report advises.
A new article in E-consultancy recommends that webmasters copy and paste sections of text into Google to ensure their content is not being replicated elsewhere.
Google penalises websites that do not include a high volume of unique content, the industry news resource explains.
Search engine rankings can reportedly fall if this strategy – one of the magazine’s top five SEO tips – is not effectively implemented.
The other tips for SEO success include isolating niche keywords and attempting to rank highly on these before trying to up search positions on more mainstream terms.
Sites are also advised to ensure the technical aspects of their SEO strategy are flawless and to link keywords.
In related news, webmasters in the UK and Ireland are to be able to bid on trademarked keywords even when they do not own the trademark from May under new rules being introduced by Google.
Posted by Mike Gomez on April 9th, 2008
Natural search
Mozilla’s Firefox web browser is gradually increasing its market share, one industry publication has observed.
Web User magazine’s editor, Ben Camm-Jones, said that while Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is unlikely to be usurped any time soon, Firefox is growing in popularity.
His comments came after Mozilla announced that its Firefox 3 browser is to be available to download from June of this year.
Net Applications figures show that Firefox has increased its market share from 14.95 per cent to 17.35 per cent since last year, while Internet Explorer’s share has dipped from 78.58 pr cent to 75.06 per cent.
However, Mr Camm-Jones notes that any gain made by Firefox is unlikely to be largely due to its new browser, as its growth has been continuing for some years.
"Of course, the proof of the pudding will be how good it is, how fast it is, and how effectively Mozilla communicate that message," he commented.
Posted by Mike Gomez on April 9th, 2008
Paid Search
Google’s decision to allow non-trademark owners to bid for trademarked terms is significant, says Hitwise.
From May, the new rules are to be implemented, in a move that brings a system already active in the paid search sphere in the US and Canada to Britain and Ireland.
On his blog for the web traffic monitor, Robin Goad notes that searches for navigational terms – such as ‘ebay’ or ‘bbc’ – have increased their share of total searches since 2005.
Hitwise analysed the top 2,000 search terms over the four week period ending in mid-October in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
The percentage of navigational searches, which are likely to be trademarked, rose from 58.2 per cent in 2005 to 76 per cent last year.
Meanwhile, there has been a 36 per cent increase in the number of online car insurance quotes referred from searches, comScore revealed this week.
Posted by Mike Gomez on April 8th, 2008
Paid Search
More than a quarter of all online quotes for vehicle cover were referred by search activity last year, a new report has revealed.
According to comScore, the number of car insurance quotes referred by web searches rose by 36 per cent last year, taking the total number to 8.9 million over 2007.
Furthermore, some 22 per cent of people surveyed by the digital world analyst said they would search for information about a motor insurance company after seeing an advertisement for a car cover product.
This compared to 26 per cent who told the information services company that they would visit the firm’s website after viewing such an ad.
Kevin Levitt, vice-president of the comScore, said: "In 2007, more than a quarter of all online auto insurance quotes were referred by a search engine."
Marketers looking to optimise search spending for the most competitive generic key phrases and terms should employ "tactical competitive intelligence", Mr Levitt added.
The report has been released after comScore found that General Motors was the heaviest web advertiser of all motor insurance companies in January.
Posted by Malcolm Slade on April 8th, 2008
Paid Search
Search engine marketing campaigns may receive a boost from the measurement of "actionable elements", according to one expert.
Advertisers need to consider more than just sales figures when mounting their campaigns, recommends Olivier Silvestre, director of Visual Sciences, on DMNews.
Purchasing keywords in broad match at low cost can help marketers understand consumer behaviour through their perusal of web analytics reports, he advises.
And measuring landing pages using the single access visit ratio – which takes into account how many users leave websites after looking at only the landing page – can provide useful insight into the effectiveness of this page.
Meanwhile, copywriting should reportedly be matched to the landing page’s projected value proposition, with ad copy optimisation taking into account click-through rates and return on actual investment, Mr Silvestre adds.
"Metrics that can be acted upon – and therefore optimised – are effective metrics and they are metrics you need to consider," he explains.
According to Avinash Kaushik on E-consultancy, financial services firms need to keep data anonymous may pose a web analytics challenge.
Posted by Gavin Smith on April 7th, 2008
Natural search
User-generated content and internet forums are boosting search activity, according to a new report.
On the Hitwise blog, Robin Goad asserts that the success currently being enjoyed by the house and garden online industry can be partly linked to online social networking.
Screwfix Direct – currently the second-most visited site in the house and garden category – has seen results from its incorporation of a forum for discussion called TalkScrewfix into its website, the search traffic monitoring service observes.
"Screwfix receives 5.4 per cent of its upstream traffic from email services, over twice the industry average, implying that users are emailing tips and links to friends and colleagues," claims Mr Goad.
Over the past 12 months, the site has seen its visits increase by 20 per cent, a development that Hitwise attributes to two important factors linked to online networking.
Forums and discussion groups boost search engine optimisation and create a base of loyal users likely to return to the site repeatedly, the blog post claims.
According to Direct Line research, 21 per cent of people intended to visit a garden centre or DIY store during 2008’s Easter break.
Posted by Malcolm Slade on April 7th, 2008
Natural search
Online retailers can boost search engine optimisation (SEO) by adding keywords to URLs, it has been claimed.
According to E-consultancy, Marks & Spencer’s large product range has resulted in long URLs that provide little SEO benefit.
The publication suggests: "Adding related keywords to product page URLs can help SEO, as well as making them more understandable (and guessable) to the site’s users."
While the retailer saw its online sales increase by 78 per cent in the 13 weeks leading up to the end of 2007, the industry magazine claims its usability could still be improved.
Another move recommended by E-consultancy is the clear display of contact details – the shop offers a range of ways for consumers to get in touch, but reportedly fails to highlight them on product pages.
The news provider points out that there is little point in obscuring contact details, because customers are more likely to buy if their queries can be easily answered.
Marks & Spencer commenced a partnership with Amazon in 2005 to improve its e-commerce performance.
Posted by Alex Postance on April 4th, 2008
Social Media
Social networking site MySpace has launched a new music download service where users can purchase their favourite songs, albums and mobile ringtones.
MySpace Music will rival Apple’s successful iTunes music store, with Universal, Sony BMG and Warner all signed up to provide content.
Users of MySpace will be able to download music tracks through the profile pages of more than five million musicians on the popular website. They will also be able to buy concert tickets and band merchandise.
Since its launch five years ago, iTunes is believed to have sold more than four billion songs and now captures more than 70 per cent of music download sales in the US.
MySpace bosses are hoping to pocket some of these sales with their new service and the music industry has welcomed their arrival on the market, believing it will create better competition and result in increased choice for music fans.
Since its launch in 2003, MySpace has sought to act as a platform for new musicians and had been credited with launching the careers of several artists, including Lily Allen and the Arctic Monkeys.
Meanwhile the social networking site has signed a deal with film company Warner Brothers to carry movie adverts on its mobile internet websites.
Posted by Alex Postance on April 4th, 2008
Paid Search
Search giant Google has announced plans to sell off the Performics division of DoubleClick as part if its integration strategy.
Google purchased DoubleClick last month for $3.1 billion and has now received regulatory approval for the acquisition.
DoubleClick consists of two divisions; an affiliate marketing company and a search engine marketing business which provides advertising and SEO services.
In a statement Google said the latter, called Performics, was to be sold off in order to avoid a conflict of interest and allow the search engine to maintain its objectivity in both search and advertising.
"It’s clear to us that we do not want to be in the search engine marketing business," said Tom Phillips, Google’s director of DoubleClick integration.
He confirmed that the search engine had received "preliminary interest" in the Performics division from a number of its existing partners.
Meanwhile there are reports that Google may be in talks with eBay to buy the VoIP service Skype or enter into a joint ownership agreement with the online auction site.
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