by Devina Joshi
Internet advertising is gaining a large share of the advertiser’s spend, and search marketing has a lot to do with it. According to a study in the US, Internet ad revenues will touch $ 18 billion in 2007, and with the growing popularity of search marketing, the advertiser’s dependence on graphic ads/banners will reduce dramatically. In fact, at the IAMAI Search Engine Marketing conference held in Mumbai yesterday (September 26, 2006), Rajiv Prabhakar, head, marketing, Sharekhan, disclosed that almost 50 per cent of his company’s marketing budget is allotted to the Internet, and 50 per cent of those budgets are invested in search marketing.
Other facts from the US are encouraging, too. On an average, Internet users use 2.4 search engines, with the average number of search results per query as high as a million. Abraham Thomas, director, Internet marketing, eBay Inc., further revealed that the average number of words in a search query is 2.6, which means that Internet users are becoming more specific in their searches, a result of low patience levels. “So, a person will probably key in ‘women’s shoes’ instead of simply ‘shoes’, which wasn’t the case earlier,� Thomas explained.
He went on to make a comparison between natural search and paid search (sponsored links, for example). “While paid search involves high risks and high returns, marketers shouldn’t ignore the benefits of natural search,� Thomas said. “A good balance of the two is necessary.�
Natural search is the core offering of any search engine, so it is important to invest in it, too, he said. This can be done by altering the content on one’s website to make sure it shows up on the ever important first page of the search engine results. He gave the three-step eBay example, explaining how natural search can be best used. The first step of the ladder is ‘keyword generation’. A marketer needs to link certain relevant keywords with his site, so that when the surfer searches for that word, his site is thrown up.
“Introspection in this regard helps,� Thomas said. “A website owner must first analyse what it is that visitors surf the most on his own website. This will help him along.�
The second step is ‘trafficking’, in which creative and landing page optimisation are highlighted. When a surfer lands on the website after using a search engine, he is sometimes taken to the home page of the site. “That is okay, but an even better option is to ensure that his landing page is a relevant one, where the information he is looking for is present,� Thomas added.
Thirdly, ‘monitoring’ is important, including constantly updating keywords. “Pull out those you’re losing money on,� Thomas advised. He also cautioned those present on ‘spam practices’. A website owner must ensure his site has unique, good quality content, which should not be duplicated as far as possible.
Further, the same keyword should not appear several times on the same page of the site, just so that it throws up during a search. “This kind of keyword spamming can result in that site being blacklisted by search engines,� warned Thomas. Further, URL structures should be kept short and page re-directs should be avoided.
While Thomas was gung-ho about natural search, Sharekhan’s Prabhakar was of the opinion that paid search yields definite results, particularly lead generation, for his company. “We have always preferred search marketing to other forms of online advertising. After all, people who come looking for specific information offer better scope for conversion,� he said.
Ashok Lalla, director of Internet marketing, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, disagreed with Prabhakar’s views on paid search. According to Lalla, paid search does not guarantee a win situation because search marketing is an unpredictable game. “Search engines are like bazaars; one always gets more than what one asked for,� Lalla quipped. He also pondered over the theory that search marketing might even build brands; if a surfer becomes loyal to a site as a result of search marketing, then nothing like it.
However, Thomas of eBay felt it was too early to say that search marketing could be leveraged to build brands. “Search marketing is not a vehicle for branding; banner ads can do that,� he said. “Search marketing is more about immediate return on investment.�
The session was moderated by Sreekant Khandekar of agencyfaqs! and the event was organised by Pinstorm and agencyfaqs!
© 2006 agencyfaqs!