We have below republished a recent post from MarketingMag.com.au, written by Tom Skotidas, First Rate’s Head of Marketing and Business Development:

We have always felt that search marketing and performance display were fraternal twins; that is, not identical, but definitely sharing the same DNA.

Think about it: both are built on cost per click (CPC) and cost per action (CPA) pricing models. They require constant testing and optimisation. And they are definitely direct response focused.

It was only a matter of time before both channels were recognised as such, and integration took place.

There are three technologies in particular I want to highlight, which have been successful in integrating search and display. In doing so, they have opened up many new possibilities.

1. Paid Search Video Ads

Google Adwords and Yahoo Search Marketing have released a new type of paid search ad.

They are called Google Video Extensions and Yahoo Rich Ads in Search, and allow advertisers to integrate video content within their standard text ads.

The importance of this integration is two-fold:

• Consumers are empowered with richer information about the product they are viewing, and
• Advertisers can build their brand awareness as they drive direct response.

The last point is especially important for industries that have traditionally not invested significant ad dollars into paid search. For example, the FMCG industry is well known for its light adoption of search marketing. With video ads, they can now satisfy their brand awareness-building requirements while driving traffic to their product websites.

Google Video Extensions are in limited beta mode and not currently available in Australia. However Yahoo Rich Ads are currently live in Australia, and have already received significant interest from advertisers.

2. Cross-channel, Multi-Click Conversion Attribution

We know that consumers don’t usually convert into a lead or sale after just one click. A more likely scenario involves a consumer searching, viewing, and clicking on several ads, often over the course of days or weeks, before they convert.

The ability to track and de-dupe conversions across channels (so you are not paying twice for the same conversion) is powerful, and currently available through advanced analytics platforms, like Omniture or Site Intelligence.

The problem with last click attribution

The problem lies in the conversion rate disparity between search and performance display. Compared to display, search almost always converts at a higher rate, and very often captures the last click. So paid search often takes the credit for the sale – even though display had generated an earlier click in the consumer’s journey.

Because of the last click attribution model – which is the standard in our industry – investment in performance display is usually just a fraction of search, which prevents full integration and synergy of channels from taking place.

Multi-click conversion attribution

There is a new technology that is solving the issues associated with last click attribution. It is allowing marketers to track all clicks across multiple channels, and recognise their collective contribution to the conversion. This technology is called multi-click conversion attribution.

Multi-click conversion attribution captures all of a consumer’s clicks within all channels, which took place before a consumer converted into a lead or sale. The technology then assigns a % conversion credit to each of the clicks and channels.

This is equivalent to giving a % goal credit to each player in a football team, for passing the ball around until a goal takes place.

Interestingly, the multi-click attribution model always takes a chunk of credit away from the last click (as it should), and distributes that credit among the rest of the clicks that contributed to the conversion.

Multi-click conversion attribution has profound implications for marketers investing in search and performance display. It allows marketers to:

1. ‘See’ each click and channel, and how they interact.
2. Determine performance display’s true contribution to producing conversions (instead of missing out on the last click which is often captured by paid search), and
3. Identify the true CPA of paid search and performance display.

What is the biggest benefit to marketers? Once true CPA is identified, re-allocation of channel budget can occur with full confidence. This drives incremental sales while saving money (less wastage on poorly performing keywords, banners or sites).

3. Demand side platforms

Demand side platforms (DSPs) are a technological innovation in the field of performance display. Although currently not available in Australia, they are quickly becoming mainstream in the US.

DSPs are technology tools that aggregate the inventory of multiple publishers and ad networks, and then allow advertisers to bid on this inventory in real-time. What’s more, this real-time bidding is done on a per impression basis.

The parallels to paid search are clear. And it is these parallels that have fuelled even further technological innovation.

Several SEM bid management and optimisation platforms (i.e. technology platforms that bid exclusively on paid search), have recognised the efficiency and business potential in integrating DSP within their own SEM platforms.

Examples of leading SEM technology firms that have integrated DSPs within their own platform include SearchIgnite and Efficient Frontier.

What does this mean? Well, it appears that within the next 12–24 months in Australia, marketers will be able to bid on paid search and performance display, in real-time, per impression, all within the same dashboard. This is a compelling proposition if you are trying to maximise performance, efficiency and integration across both channels.

Final thoughts

The technologies mentioned above represent the next-generation approach to integrating paid search and performance display. And while they might not yet be widely used or understood in Australia, their growth in the US and UK are certain to make them mainstream in the near future.

Marketers who recognise this and take steps to prepare themselves, will be in a superior position when that moment arrives.

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One of the most important aspects of setting up a SEO or SEM campaign is identifying which keywords you are going to target. This is always a juggling act trying to find the phrases that are the most searched for, the most relevant and most likely to convert.

There are several tools that Google provides that can help with this process, namely Google’s Keyword tool and the Google Traffic Estimator. As a research-lead consulting organisation, we have decided to carry out a study to understand how accurate these sort of tools are, as well as document some of the inherent data limitations.

There now exists new Google Webmaster Tools functionality that shows impression and click through rates for organic search. After a bit of digging into this data, we were able to examine whether the tools complement or contradict each other.

We looked at three different keywords that give us a view of some different types of consumer searches.

Please note:

• All figures were derived using the ‘exact match’ data provided by each of the tools.
• Date ranges were almost all the same, Webmaster tools data was a couple of days out due to the limited time range this gives you, but deemed “close enough” for a rough comparison.
• The site examined had a number of first position rankings for all phrases under examination, so we can be sure the impression number from webmaster tools is the most reliable possible.

We can see that all of these tools are presenting quite different numbers. While the External Keyword tool appears to be massively overestimating traffic, Traffic Estimator seems to be doing the opposite. This is especially surprising since they are supposedly driven by the same data. The positive news is that all of these seem to follow similar trends, and whilst the data does not line up exactly, the tools do give us a good relative indicator of what is being searched for.

What About Search Trend Tools?

Three major Google search analysis tools that provide trend-based data are Google Trends, Google Insights and the Google Keyword tool. We wanted to have a look at whether these lined up.

Looking at a “generic 1 word key phrase” and superimposing the graphs for each tool over each other, we can see that Google Trends (the red line), Google Insights (the blue line), and the Keyword Tool (the green bars) all correspond quite well, showing dips and peaks at the same times during the year.

Conclusion

You can’t use any one of these tools with absolute certainty. And no amount of data from last month will ever be able to tell you exactly what to expect next month.  What these tools are great for, however, is giving you an idea of what phrases and (product-) areas to focus on first. Common sense, knowledge of common consumer search patterns and understanding how the tools work (as well as the limitations) will help you find the best phrases possible for your site. And don’t forget to factor in Google Analytics keyword conversion data!

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Google has retired the Google Advertising Professionals (GAP) programme and replaced it with a new AdWords Certification programme.

Penry Price, Vice President, Global Agency Development for Google, writes:

We’ve had a lot of great feedback from agencies and today we’re announcing changes designed to offer them better training and more rigorous certification in AdWords proficiency, and to lower costs for those who help advertisers get the most out of AdWords…The new program provides agencies and their employees with more up-to-date, comprehensive, strategy-focused training and certification on the latest tools and best practices for managing AdWords accounts.

Recently, Google has released a new set of exams for the AdWords Certified Partner Programme.

Following on from being the first AdWords Qualified Agency in New Zealand under the old exams, First Rate are happy to announce that the entire consulting team has passed both the Fundamentals and Advanced exams.

The New Google AdWords Certification Exams

There are four exams in total, here is what’s covered:

• The Google Advertising Fundamentals Exam: Basic aspects of AdWords and online advertising, including account management and the value of search advertising.
• The Search Advertising Advanced Exam: Intermediate-to-advanced best practices for managing AdWords campaigns.
• The Display Advertising Exam: Intermediate-to-advanced best practices for advertising on YouTube and the Google Content Network.
• The Reporting & Analysis Advanced Exam: Intermediate-to-advanced best practices for maximizing account performance using Google Analytics, Website Optimizer, the AdWords Report Center, and other analysis techniques.

The ‘Display’ and ‘Reporting’ Exams are not yet available, but First Rate consultants will be sitting these as soon as they become available.

Google AdWords Search Advertising Advanced Exam

The following advanced Adwords topics are covered in this exam:

• AdWords Ad Formats
• AdWords Targeting and Placements
• Keywords and Keyword Targeting
• AdWords Language & Location Targeting
• Placement Targeting for the Content Network
• Location Extensions
• AdWords Bidding and Budgeting
• AdWords Policies
• Ad and Site Quality
• Invalid Clicks Issues
• AdWords Tools
• AdWords Editor
• AdWords Reporting
• Conversion Tracking
• Optimising Performance
• Optimising AdWords Campaigns and Ad Groups
• Optimising Websites and Landing Pages
• Optimising for Greater Conversions
• Managing Multiple Accounts
• Overview of Managing Multiple Accounts
• Managing Accounts with My Client Centre (MCC)
• Using AdWords API

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SearchIgnite Unveils New Breed of Search Management & Online Media Attribution Technology

SearchIgnite 4.0 changes the industry landscape with revolutionary usability enhancements, ROI forecasting and optimization capabilities

April 20, 2010 –SearchIgnite, a provider of search and performance media management solutions, today announced the release of SearchIgnite 4.0, the newly enhanced version of the company’s industry-leading search optimization and digital media attribution platform. This latest release includes a number of major enhancements such as in-line editing, ROI forecasting and other new features that make the process of managing high-performing paid search campaigns easier than ever.

Many major marketers and digital agencies including Digitas, E*TRADE and Avis rely on SearchIgnite’s proprietary technology platform to manage, optimize and report on large-scale paid search campaigns. In addition, SearchIgnite clients can utilize the company’s advanced analytics and attribution modeling capabilities to better understand their marketing performance and make smarter budgeting decisions across the online landscape, including PPC, SEO, Universal Search, email, affiliate and display advertising.

SearchIgnite 4.0 advances the platform’s capabilities with a completely overhauled and streamlined user-interface that takes advantage of Adobe® Flex, providing the greatest level of usability and functionality in the marketplace today. In addition, the platform now provides the ability to forecast paid search performance at varying budget levels in order to select the optimal spend to maximize a marketer’s goals.

“As the search landscape continues to trend toward convergence, the need for marketers to properly attribute media performance across all digital channels is paramount,” said Roger Barnette, CEO of SearchIgnite. “SearchIgnite 4.0 leapfrogs the competition in terms of its usability and support of more holistic cross-channel strategies, empowering marketers to efficiently optimize their search programs and maximize ROI. It is the most advanced optimization and attribution platform available on the market today and the best experience we’ve delivered to date.”

Key Enhancements in SearchIgnite 4.0:

• Make all changes within SearchIgnite and get the power of Excel within a Web browser — no spreadsheets needed.
In SearchIgnite 4.0, bulk changes to campaigns can be made directly within the interface and updated in real-time across all engines. This alleviates the need to download bulksheets for changes, saving marketers time and easing the campaign management process.

• Chart projected ROI at varying budget levels and make budgeting decisions with confidence.
Marketers can create their own forecasting charts to predict campaign ROI at varying budgets. These forecasts help marketers make more informed budgeting decisions by accurately predicting how much revenue search campaigns will generate at different levels of spend.

• Search and find anything — instantly.
With improved navigation, advanced filtering, robust search capabilities and a revamped user interface to streamline daily workflow, managing large and complex search campaigns has never been easier.

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We all know how hard it is to consistently beat competitors at SEM.

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Published: Ad News 25th Feb 2009

SYDNEY: BankWest has appointed search specialist agency First Rate to its search engine marketing (SEM) account following a competitive pitch with incumbent Starcom MediaVest.

The win follows BankWest’s agency reshuffle in January, which saw it hand strategic planning duties to Host’s start-up media unit Bring and media buying to Ikon, which dislodged Starcom, also the media incumbent (click here for story).

BankWest chief marketing officer David Morgan said First Rate’s appointment formalised the bank’s search arrangements following Starcom doing some “ad hoc” SEM work.

First Rate’s commission would not impact on work being done for the bank by digital agency Longtail, which it appointed in October last year, Morgan said.

First Rate is a member of the Sydney-based Q Ltd Group of companies. It provides strategies for SEM, SEO, email marketing and performance-based online advertising and tracking services.

Mark Halstead, Q Ltd head of sales & marketing, said the group has been experiencing “significant year-on-year growth in search”.

“More clients realise how important search is to overall strategy and there’s been a lot of activity from bigger clients needing SEM work.

“Everyone wants to feature on the home page of Google. Search is also extremely measurable, you can see where you rank.”

Figures released by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) show search is the fasted growing sector in online advertising, comprising 48.5% of the total pie in the December quarter 2008, an increase of 2% from the previous year.

Search and direct marketing totalled $807 million in 2008, up 30% on the previous year.

“I don’t think there’s anybody in banking who doesn’t think search is important,” Morgan said.

“All the financial services companies are using search more heavily than you’d anticipate and we’re one of them.”

Story by: Matt Porter

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After a competitive pitch, Sydney-based online marketing agency First Rate has won the search engine marketing (SEM) account of Bankwest.

Aleksandra Ljubinkovic, Head of eCommerce at Bankwest, said “First Rate impressed us with their unique and comprehensive SEM strategy and proposed tactics. The end to end focus and the leading edge methodology was the clear winner in the end. Bankwest is looking forward to rolling out our new SEM program in 2009 to bring our unique products and services to Australian consumers, and continue our aggressive marketing.”

Tom Skotidas, Sales and Marketing Director of First Rate, said “First Rate is proud to be working with Bankwest, a leader in the Australian banking industry. We look forward to using our SEM skillset to play a key role in growing their market share in the Australian market.”

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EziBuy is Australia’s number 1 online apparel & accessories site. Discover how First Rate used SEM to increase online customer acquisition for EziBuy – by over 110%.

Download the EziBuy Case Study

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Cliftons are Asia Pacific’s number 1 provider of Computer Training, Conference and Video Conferencing Facilities.

Discover how First Rate used Search Engine Marketing to increase their online leads – by over 80%.

Download this Case Study

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So what does it take to win the SEM war against your competition? Extensive keywords lists? Award winning creative? Clairvoyant bid management system?

Keyword lists, creative and bidding technology are all fairly well understood and relatively easy to deploy. So, if this is the case, what is to stop your SEM strategy deteriorating into a bidding war against your competitors where the choice is to either buy traffic at a level that is not profitable or have your ad pushed down into obscurity? 

  Continue Reading »

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