Spotlight on: Search Engine Marketing

Search Marketing has unquestionably been one of the principal drivers behind the rapid growth in online media spend in the UK. For February's Vista, we have canvassed the views of both our Paid Search and SEO teams to help identify some of the main developments we can expect in Q1 and the new opportunities and challenges these represent for our clients in 2009.

1. Pay per Click on YouTube

YouTube is actually the world's second biggest search engine. The imminent UK launch of sponsored video advertisements on the YouTube search results page is a breakthrough for seeding highly targeted and engaging video ads. TV broadcasters, for example, could bid on relevant search terms for their programme clips to appear above user-generated content e.g. Setanta TV clips being delivered to people searching for relevant football content.

2. Paid Search listings go beyond text

The results pages of the three main search engines have remained text-focussed over the years. 2009 will see increased testing of beyond-text advertising such as images or video - meaning brands will be able to out-smart competition by building out a wider range of visual assets, not just text listings, for PPC. The early movers will leverage this development to better utilise generic search terms.

3. Google CPA bidding upgrade

Google's CPA bid-tool has been around for a while, but never quite lived up to expectations. All that might change in 2009, as there seems to be increased focus on this product. A Google automated bid-tool should have access to data that is not in general release, so it would be expected to outperform the rest of the market. This could see paid search conversion rates climbing and CPAs falling in 2009.

4. Advanced Targeting functions

In 2009, we expect the advanced targeting techniques of online display - such as behavioural or demographic - to be replicated in paid search. We may see a scenario where generic search strategy is modified around whether a user matches a certain demographic profile, or if they have previously visited certain sites. A finance advertiser, for instance, could bid to target a searcher who has previously visited a relevant site like Moneysupermarket.

5. Relaxation of rules blocking multiple bids for the same term

The policy of blocking double-serving where an advertiser shows two listings against the same search term is likely to be relaxed in 2009. This will enable advertisers to promote multiple products and benefits against the same keyword. For brands that can generate overall ROI improvement from investing in multiple clicks this could present new opportunities. Look out for Airlines promoting multiple routes, or financial service providers showcasing their wider portfolio.

6. Mobile Search takes giant step

Penetration of the G1 and iPhone are making mobile search increasingly common and user friendly. If 2009 can deliver geo-targeted mobile search ads through the Google Latitude system, then this will represent a perfect platform for driving in-store footfall from mobile search.

7. Blended Search increasingly powerful

Web searches on Google will increasingly generate multiple types [blends] of information such as images, video, maps, news, books, and products - as well as the standard listings. This presents new challenges as it means that Natural Search results for a site could be pushed down the page but it also offers an opportunity to optimise a broader variety of content, improve visibility for a brand and crowd-out competitors. For the launch of Westfield's Shopping Centre, we used TV ads (video), press releases (news) to support text listings.

8. Semantic Search gains momentum

Web searches on Google will increasingly include more 'related' results and 'suggestions' alongside standard listings as Google strives to understand the relationships (semantics) between different topics. We've become familiar with, "Did you mean..." for spelling corrections; Semantic Search will go a step further, whereby Google may offer to refine your search, for example, "You may be looking for this...". As this becomes more common, SEO teams will need to identify the wider range of terms Google is suggesting to its users to ensure the site remains highly visible. For example, there's no point Domino's Pizza just being optimised for the term "Pizza" if Google is going to keep asking people if they meant "Pizza Delivery".

9. Google SearchWiki: one to watch

Google account holders can personalise search results using Google's SearchWiki by selecting sites to appear as preferred listings over any natural result when they next return to make the same search. As these listings become more popular with SearchWiki users, Google's technology may begin to rank them higher in the normal results page as a result. This presents an opportunity for companies to improve search visibility by encouraging people to select their sites for SearchWiki -such as putting live pricing in to search copy to accentuate relevancy or even subtly requesting users to "keep this in your SearchWiki!"

10. Local Search has gone social

In 2009, reviews, bookmarks, weblinks, and content such as video, may play a bigger role in determining which businesses are ranked at the top of Google Local. SEO professionals have a great opportunity to optimise Social Media at this local level - by encouraging local business people to generate an online "buzz" around their Business Listing. For example; Domino's Pizza store owners are advised to invite customer comments, add location photos and ask for links from other local web sites. This activity not only builds awareness amongst local consumers but also cultivates a strong online profile (favoured by all search engines).