Search Keywords Mean Business

Information Week

Companies spend a fortune protecting their brands. But in the context of local search advertising, keywords may matter more than trademarks.

Google claims that more people (82%) use online search engines like Google than any other medium to find local information. The number of mobile searches with a local focus is estimated to be almost 30%, according to The Kelsey Group.

And local search is only becoming more important, thanks to the proliferation of smartphones and the tech industry's focus on location-oriented data and services.

Small businesses that focus on their own brand, says Bret Fitzgerald, VP of business development for marketing services company Clearlink, are losing out on a significant amount of online traffic if they ignore generic keywords.

The reason is that far more people conduct local searches for generic terms like "pizza" or "coffee" than bother with a branded search like "Round Table Pizza" or "Peet's Coffee."

"Generally speaking, you see more searches around categorical terms than branded ones," said Kelly Hansen, local search director of operations at Clearlink.

For example, Clearlink, which manages local and map search listings for small businesses, tracked some 2,400 searches for "pizza phoenix" in the Phoenix, Arizona, area last month, but only 1,600 searches for "pizza hut phoenix" and 320 searches for "dominoes pizza phoenix."

In Austin, Texas, the preference for generic terms was even more pronounced. Clearlink saw 3,600 searches for "pizza austin," 91 searches for "pizza hut austin," and 170 searches for "dominoes pizza austin."

Fitzgerald says that it's imperative for businesses to understand that they can bring in customers if their local listings are managed properly in terms of Google SEO, so that they show up for the appropriate generic queries in Google Maps, for example.

AdWords Suggests Additional Keywords To Marketers
Story from Biz Report

A new addition to the AdWords platform could help search marketers get more from their campaigns. Although similar to the old "Optimization" tab, Goggle has added an "Opportunities" tab.

The new tab is very much like the old optimization features in that it offers additional keyword suggestions to marketers beginning or tweaking their paid search campaigns. The main difference is that the old optimization tab gave marketers advice on changes to the text or display options within in ad; the new opportunities tab simply offers more keyword options.

Although this is a good idea, the key for AdWords, and all search really, is to keep the message short and to the point. Google offers this advice on the AdWords blog:

• Focus on low prices and savings
• Target ad groups and ensure the ad is relevant
• Make it simple for consumers to make a purchase
• Use value-related keywords

Search marketing has not been immune to the volatile economy, and many marketers have pulled portions of their search marketing budgets. Marketers pulled about 14% of their search budgets in January 2009. However, the medium is still proven to be a force for marketers because consumers continue to rely on search engines to find product information, store websites and manufacturer information.