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How does AdWords track performance?
AdWords uses a dynamic variable called ‘Quality Score’ that determines the keyword relevancy. A Quality Score is calculated every time your keyword matches a search query entered by the user. Quality Score measures your keyword’s click-through rate (CTR) on Google (number of times when the user responds to your Ad) and monitors the relevance of your ad text, keyword, and landing page; and several other relevance factors.
This is a question I often ask myself. As far as I can see, the answer seems to depend upon two factors – the emergence of real time search and how SEO progresses within the marketing mix.
At present it is impossible to see beyond Google when looking into the future. However, the emergence of a viable competitor does not seem as far off as it did a year ago. The merger of the Bing and Yahoo could make an impact – as long as they stop trying to play catch-up and start looking beyond existing search conventions.
One avenue that looks like it could impact upon Google’s quality-weighted algorithm is real-time search. At the moment, real-time search doesn’t offer much in terms of value for businesses. This is because of its current prominence in the social media sector. The failure of businesses to convert social media into revenue means that the connection between real-time search and revenue has not really been made.
In order for SEO to become a fully integrated part of the marketing mix, it must pay more attention to how it fits itself in with overall marketing strategy.
A main element that is currently neglected by SEO is brand.
SEO can no longer simply be about achieving brand awareness, as the methods it uses to achieve brand awareness encompass a far broader spectrum of brand components. Does our SEO strategy fit in with the brand values – is it fun, forward thinking or environmental, for example? What about our interaction with others? And which links will support the brand image?
At present, these questions are ignored by many in the SEO community, but it could be the missing piece in the jigsaw. Thinking about these questions will allow you to work with bigger brands – brands that have developed beyond a mere logo and into a philosophy. A philosophy that you must become part of…or at the very least, compromise with!
It may blur the lines between SEO and other marketing functions, but Google dictates this must be so in order to be successful in the rankings. Buying or reciprocating links will not work for the bigger clients with the popular keywords.
As such, marketing is beginning to realise that SEO is no longer the little brother that can survive off pocket money – it has grown up and must be invited to the party. But to make sure it’s invited back, it must behave appropriately! And this means paying attention to the needs of the brand it’s working with.
This issue has been discussed a million times on various blogs around the web, what is wrong with UK results?
The latest results I take a bitter dislike to today is for ‘books’. 1st, 2nd and 4th position are taken by Google with their .com .co.uk and .com.br and Amazon in 3rd, as well as adding news results and locations. I have been under the impression that Google were all for making the whole process easy and wanted to display the best results as quickly as possible.
So not only are they taking up the results with their own results, which I’m sure are not earnt like the rest of us have to earn them, but they add in their News and Location results as well which I don’t normally mind, making any relevant result at the bottom of the page and even demoted to the second page therefore going against their own ethos.
I don’t imagine for one second that this has anything to do with the dispute between Google and Amazon and I’m sure surrounding the Amazon result is purely a coincident due to the well documented results problem.
I know Google are a business and all businesses have to make money to survive, but come on this is just taking advantage and monopolising a very popular search term.
We have all seen the dubious international results being returned in UK search results but this is just going a bit too far, come on Google, try and fix the issue.
Having read (and listened to) Matt Cutt’s blog post informing the world that meta tags are useless and that description tags are only used for the listing’s ‘snippet’, I was far more interested in the latter revelation.
As everyone has pointed out, meta tags have been presumed dead for a long time. However, Matt seemed to suggest that meta descriptions are only useful for getting a good ‘snippet’ – rather than as another chance to reference your keywords.
As he pointed out, Google wants to provide your site with a good ‘snippet’. This is because it is likely to increase your click through rate.
I’ve already heard rumblings about Google using the amount of time/pages a user spends onsite before returning to the SERPs as a factor in ranking. Now I believe that Google uses click through rate as a factor to determine rankings. Maybe not a major factor, but definitely one of the many!
You may have noticed that click-through rate and impressions have been added to Google Webmaster Tools. I’m not quite sure when exactly this happened, but I am sure they have not always been there. There must be a reason for this other than purely for your information.
Therefore, if I’m right, your thinking should change (if it hasn’t already). Rather than referencing your keywords in your meta description with the aim of further increasing the relevance of your page, you should reference your keywords with the sole aim of increasing your click through rate. And you should go beyond simply informative or gently persuasive. Include an Adwords-style call to action in there. Short sharp snippets with sentences like ‘free delivery, buy now!’ etc are bound to catch the eye amongst a sea of half finished sentences.
What do you think?
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