Google's new "Instant Search" may have major effects for advertisers

Meet the new Google search. Typing out the full search query and hitting "enter" are things of the past. While it may not sound like a very exciting change, Google Instant is actually the largest change to the search giant in over a decade, and with it may come major changes for search engine marketers. On the new Google Instant, "search results and suggestions continually update as Google attempts to predict queries from the very first character entered in the search box. This is a major change in search technology and Google predicts this will save users more than 350 million hours a year, or two to five seconds per search, on average."

Now that you have the basics- CLICK HERE to jump over to Google, and complete a basic search before you read on.

So... did you stop to look at the screen, take a sip of your coffee, or sneeze while you were typing? My guess is you did, and if your brief pause was 3 seconds or longer, each of the paid listings on the top and right hand side of the page were considered, by Google's standards, impressions to the advertisers serving those ads.

Why this is bad: Increase in impressions = lower click through rate = negative impact on historical calculation of quality score = increase in the associated cost-per-click = higher costs without a higher return.

• In essence, there will be more total searches compiled. Many of our clients will have to pay more to compete in the search space, especially when bidding on more higher traffic keywords.

With Google Instant only a week or two old, we are forced to anticipate the impact of the engine's change and adjust our strategy accordingly. Stronger calls to action and page titles will be extremely important as there will be a much shorter time for searchers to view and interact with the results page.

Thought and resources:

• Putting paid search aside- Is the increase in brand exposure a good thing, even if for a second while the query is being typed?
• With this release, don't be surprised if Google AdWords give us an "average exposure time" metric.

BP Damage Control Team Buying Search Terms

BP has purchased sponsored listings at the top of Google, Yahoo and MSFT Bing search results. Search for the terms "Oil Spill", "Oil Cleanup" or "Oil Leak" and you should find BP's oil disaster response website serving in the top position.

This is not uncommon. Many companies buy search terms in an attempt to control a message. What this means is that people searching for information about the spill have a good chance of seeing BP's site at the top of their search results. This practice is often considered unethical. Should we allow BP to control the message in the case of the biggest environmental disaster in US history? BP's ad:

BP Response

Learn About BP's Progress On The

Gulf Of Mexico Responce Effort.

www.BP.com/GulfOfMexicoResponse

And who is in the second position, you ask?

BP Gulf Oil Spill Lawsuit

Did you Suffer Damages From The

Gulf Oil Spill? Call 1-800-544-9922

www.OilSpillCleanUpLawsuit.com

Explaining Search Engine Marketing to Your Great Grandfather

I recently had an interesting conversation with my 94 year old grandfather. He spent more half of the last century in the advertising industry and is ecstatic that I followed in his footsteps. But, in reality, he doesn't even own a computer, let alone understand how advertisers are utilizing the digital space to reach consumers. I attempted to explain, and he pretended to understand. One thing lead to another and we began to discuss how search engine marketing worked. I used storefronts on a New York City block to describe the process. Thought I would share this to mark a week when we brought two other Stern client's SEM efforts in-house.

I explained to my grandpa that search engine marketing takes place in an electronic marketplace and refers to the placement and location of retailers in a new age market. SEM seeks to increase the visibility of the butcher, tailor, pharmacy, etc.

The heaviest oncoming traffic runs in one direction passing a series of stores. The first store on the closest corner, a butcher, is naturally the first to come into view for those passing by and therefore gets not only the most attention, but also the most business. Because of the butcher’s excellent location, it will have the highest monthly rent. The tailor next door, and each subsequent store on the block will have slightly lower monthly rents due to the fact that they receive less exposure, and therefore less business.

Thoughts and Resources:

• Figured I would completely lose him if I attempted to explain how the relevance of the website in relation to the searched term plays into the equation..
• Google's face lift: http://bit.ly/NewGoog
• More information and a history of search: http://bit.ly/SEMwiki