Google introduces “Search, Plus Your World”

Google has integrated social and personalised results into its search results.

On January 10, 2012 Google announced “Search, Plus Your World.” This integrates personalised and social results into Google’s search results; it will automatically affect organic results unless the user opts out.

This is an attempt by Google to promote social search by allowing users to search for private content that has been shared by their connections and content that they have shared with others within search results (when logged in to Google account). Private content will not be made public and will only appear on the specific users search results.

There are three different features that are part of “Search, Plus Your World”:

o    Personal Results: Users will be able to find information shared by them or their connections. Currently this is limited to Google + and Picasa.

o    Profile in Search: Users will be able to find people they know faster through search and autocomplete. This feature will allow users to find the people they know faster, especially if they have common names. This feature will also find people that the user may be interested in following.

o    People & Pages: Users will be able to find people’s profiles and Google + pages related to specific topics or areas of interest. If a relevant query is made, these pages will appear on the right hand of the search result pages. For example, if a user searches for movies, Google will suggest related Google + pages of actors and actresses that are active on Google +.

Google has also announced that with this feature, people now have the choice of viewing personalised results or non-personalised results, which is new as before this update the default was personalised results. “Search, Plus Your World” is being rolled out in the next couple of days worldwide on google.com and only for results in English. However, over time this is likely to rollout to all of Google’s properties. 

Google’s move to incorporate private results into search results, specifically those from Google + and Picasa, will monopolise a larger portion of search result pages. This further promotion of its own products may lead to further anti-trust lawsuits. Currently “Search, Plus Your World” only retrieves private data from Google + and does not include results from Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites. This is causing an outrage especially in the Twitter community as Google is making Twitter results less visible. 

This also has further implications as if  brands do not have a Google + page, they will not be suggested as part of People & Places. This means that they will lose presence in the search space. From a user's perspective, there are also potential privacy concerns with this change as people who are not familiar with the service may think that their private data has now become public.

Until the adoption and usage of Google Plus is high, the impact of this on organic search results is likely to be minimal in Australian market. However, People & Pages will affect all users, even if they are not signed in, and due to this it is imperative that brands start actively using their Google + accounts to dominate this space.  

Google’s incorporation of social into its search algorithm has the potential to change the landscape for search as it will become even harder to rank organically above the fold with no social media presence. This move from Google gives social, mainly Google +, an even more prominent position in search and due to this Starcom recommends that clients incorporate Google + into their social strategy. This further emphasises the need to create and disseminate fresh new content in order to rank well on Google.

Twitter Launches Brand Pages

Twitter has announced that it will be launching brand pages as part of its site re-design.

      On December 9^th, Twitter announced a major re-design to its site with one of the main new components being Brand Pages.  Brand pages on Twitter are very similar to those on Facebook and are intended to give brands a greater and more controlled voice. The main features of Twitter Brand Pages are the following:

• Larger customised headers that place more emphasis on the brand’s logo and tagline
• Brands have control over which Promoted Tweets show up at the top of the page.
• Promoted Tweets will appear auto-expanded. This will allow users to instantly see photo or video content linked from the tweet.
• Brands can separate @replies and mentions in order to better manage the relationship with the users.

         Brand Pages currently launched with 21 brands and Twitter announced that this would be rolled out to more brands in the upcoming months. Brand Pages currently do not work on mobile phones yet this will be launched in upcoming months as well.

Twitter’s Re-Design

        Twitter has re-designed its platform in order to simplify the user experience and allow users to discover new content. The new platform has five tabs:

• Home: This remains like the regular Twitter feed where you can follow people that you have chosen to follow.
• @Connect: Through this tab, users will be notified about who mentioned/followed them, re-tweeted them or “favorited” one of their tweets. This tab will also suggest accounts that the user may be interested in following.
•  #Discover: This tab allows users to discover new content. It will show results related to the users’ interest, their location, what they are following, and current events.
• Me: This tab acts as the user profile. It allows others to Tweet directly to the user and it allows the user to feature the user’s interest.
• Tweet: This allows users to Tweet regardless of where they are on the site.
• This re-design has also included an updated to Twitter’s mobile apps.

     Advertisers can now have an increased presence in Twitter and manage their brand image to a more extensive degree.  Brand pages will allow brands to extend their conversation with consumers. Being able to control which sponsored posts show up at the top of the timeline will enable brands to highlight specific content they want users to be aware of and interact with. Being able to split up @replies and mentions will be especially relevant for brands with high consumer engagement. By splitting them up, this impedes the conversation with users from getting diluted and customer’s inquiries to be answered effectively. Twitter’s redesign overall will have an impact for advertisers as new brands and promotions can be discovered through the #Discover tab. 

        Launching brand pages is part of Twitter’s attempt to increase engagement with advertisers. This follows the launch of Twitter’s self-serve advertising which allows advertisers to set up campaigns directly without having to contact a Twitter representative. Starcom recommends brands to set up brand pages as soon as they are rolled out in Australia. This will enable the brands to publish content geared towards its Twitter users and stir the conversation using Top Sponsored Posts. Starcom also recommends that brands take advantage of posting engaging multimedia content within their brand page in order to create a buzz.  Overall, the #Discover tab opens a new opportunity for brands to create more awareness. Brands should follow trending hash tags and create content related to these in order to increase consumer engagement.

Google’s December Algorithm Changes

Google has announced that it will announce its algorithm changes on a monthly basis.

On December 1st, Google announced that it will provide monthly updates on search changes. This is supposed to compliment its blog posts about major algorithm changes. The latest search changes include the following:

• New parked domain classifier: Google’s search algorithm can now identify and penalise parked domains. These are domains that are used as placeholders and are often filled with ads and add little value for users.

• Detecting original content: Google has added signals that can better identify original content. This is mainly used to penalise site scrapper sites and reward original content.

• Top results selection code re-write: Google has taken back a previous announcement that allowed many results from one site to appear on the first page. Google has re-written this code in order to prevent host crowding.

• Related query results refinements: Google announced that it will ease on its suggestions for search results for “rare” words. This is the case because related queries may be less relevant to the user.

• Result Freshness: Google has announced more changes to ensure the “freshness” of content. They announced a change in blog search and image indexing that will enable for fresh content to appear more often.

• More comprehensive indexing: Google announced that more long-tail documents are now available in its index which makes it more likely for them to rank for relevant queries.

Google is trying to improve the quality and relevance of search results by rewarding original new content. Google is pushing sites to create new fresh content in order to have sites rank well. Google is trying to level the playing field by not allowing one site to dominate the first page. This allows competitors and other sites to appear in search results. In order for brands to rank well, Starcom recommends brands to create original fresh content as Google has announced multiple changes in its algorithm that give preference to fresh content. In addition to this, hosting content on multiple sites can help brands dominate top results. This can be done through the use of Google + Pages and other social media outlets, especially blogs.

Google + Updates

Google has launched several updates since the release of Google Pages

Google launched Google Pages on November 7th and since then there have been several updates to Google Plus. Google has begun displaying select Google+ Pages in search results by publishing Google+ posts and giving users the option to add pages to their Google+ circles straight from search results. These options are only available for those brands that are part of Google’s Direct Connect. Google’s Direct Connect is Google’s feature that allows users to search for Google+ Pages by typing + followed by the brand name. This automatically directs users to the brand’s Google + page. Direct Connect is being rolled out slowly to those brands that have made themselves eligible for it by including a Google+ badge on their websites.

Google has also launched a Google+ Badge Tool that creates badges that show people’s faces and count the number of +1s the page has received. These badges are meant to go on brands’ sites and they include the +1 button and the option for users to add the brand’s page to their circles. Google has announced that the Google count that appears in the badge will be a compilation of all +1s across a brand including those from the homepage, Google+ Page and any ads being linked through Social Extensions.

Google has also announced its partnership with 6 companies to create management tools for Google+ pages. These companies are Buddy Media, Contact Optional, Hearsay Social, HootSuite, Involver, and Virtue.

These changes have the potential of having great impact on SEO. By displaying Google+ Pages in search results, these pages dominate more of the search real-estate. This allows brands more tools for reputation management as people are less likely to encounter negative results in search when most of the real-estate is dominated by the brand.

Starcom suggests that once brands have created their Google+ Pages, they should connect it to their websites in order to become eligible for Direct Connect. Direct Connect will be a great differentiator especially in the early stages where only select brands are part of this. Having a Google+ Page with Direct Connect will also increase the likelihood of appearing on Page 1 of search results as Google+ Pages are being published within results. Having your Google+ Page connected to your site will also be beneficial for SEO as social cues are being included into Google’s search algorithm.

Google + is Now Open for Business

Google+ is Now Open for Businesses, Brands and Places

On November 7th Google announced Google+ Pages for Businesses, Brands, Places, and any other non-living thing! Pages can be created within five categories:

• Local Business or Place
• Product or Brand
• Company, Institution or Organisation
• Arts, Entertainment or Sports
• Other

Local business pages have special options such as including a phone number, address & hours of operation.

To create a Google+ Page, you first have to create a Google+ account and create a page within it. The admin of the Google+ Page is the person that creates the page and having multiple admin is not an option. Unlike Facebook, there are no vanity URLs on Google+ (at this stage)

Businesses can have multiple pages linked to the same Google+ account. With Google+ Pages a brand can do many of the same things that a personal account can do, including: share photos, share videos, share links & conduct Hangouts.

To actually follow a business you must place it in your Circles. However, you can +1 which will add to the number of +1 for the page. Businesses can create badges for people to put on their websites. These badges will link the user to the brand’s Google+1 page. Businesses can also have their pages be found through “Direct Connect” in Google Search. If “Direct Connect” is set up, brands will automatically be added to the user’s Circles. This will happen for any business that Google determines is particularly relevant for a search and if someone searches for the business with a + symbol in front of its name.

Businesses now have another social media outlet through which to interact with their consumers. Google+ provides different unique and new ways to communicate with consumers including the video chat, Hangouts. Circles allows for consumer segmentation which has not been possible through other social media platforms. Google+ has the potential to have a significant impact on SEO as Google’s is likely to place considerable weight on the adoption of Google + within it’s search algorithm.

Starcom recommends that in the short-term, businesses should secure and verify their Google+ Pages. Until Australian usage numbers are released, Starcom do not see the development of a Google+ page as business critical. A well thought out strategy should start to be planned for, including the role of Google+ as a social platform and it’s differentiation from that of Facebook etc. In the long run, as Google+ adoption & usage increases, this could be a key business platform. The unique features of Google+ including Circles and Hangouts should be used to the advantage of advertiser’s and can allow for different and more intimate ways of engaging with consumer’s.

To set up a business page, go to:

http://www.google.com/+/business/

Google’s Algorithmic Changes Focus on Delivering Fresh Content

On November 3rd, Google announced more changes to its search algorithm. These changes give more weight to content that has been recently created. Google estimates that these changes will affect 35% of all listings. This will be especially relevant in three areas: relevant events or hot topics, regularly occurring events (annual conferences, concerts, sports), and frequently changing content (ie news and reviews).

Google has recognised that different searches have different needs. For example, if you are searching for recipes, you will still get the most relevant result and not the latest recipe that has been posted. This algorithmic improvement is supposed to provide users with the level of freshness they need and make sure they get the most up-to-date information.

Once again, businesses are being urged to create up-to-date online content such as blogs and YouTube videos to take advantage of the changes in Google’s algorithm. Starcom recommends that companies generate fresh on-line content, especially blogs. Blogs provide an opportunity to interact with consumers, and create new fresh content regularly. They are a great link building opportunity and further boost brand awareness. Businesses should regularly comment on events and issues in their industry and make sure that they are seen as the market leaders in their space. Companies that update their content regularly are more likely to be seen as authority figures in the industry as well as the SEO benefits.

Data Driven Display buying - part 2

Data based knowledge explained

The lowest hanging fruit for using data to accurately target audiences is in the remarketing area.   Tagging the clients site (and any other client owned digital content) with a DSP cookie, enables use of the data to re-message at an individual impression level.  This client data is also referred to as ‘first party data’.

A second step to tagging is to use the tags to understand a single customer journey, and then re-segment audiences to further improve targeted messaging.   Using client site data we can for instance establish segments such as existing customers (tags on ecommerce thank you pages), in market but not converted (site visitor no sale), engaged customers (converted customer who is also a facebook fan) etc.  Tags marry back to a unique IP address.

In the area of behavioural targeting, it is also possible to build audience segments through aggregated content based behaviour.    For example, targeting a car insurance message to those who have visited auto sites/content across long tail sites. 

The final area of targeting opportunity exists through buying 3^rd party data.  This is yet to take off in the Australian market place and globally has been a slow mover.   It requires buying aggregated cookie pools through companies such as blukai, quantcast or exelate.  This is a lot for Publishers to get their heads around as it enables us to use their onsite audience interactions to target these same eyeballs elsewhere online for a fraction of the cost (of course they are paid for the privilege). Initial forecasts were that 3^rd party data would be an important component for buying via DSPs, however, 1^st party data has turned out to be of much greater focus thus far.

Other advantages of data driven display:

1. The traditional performance market place (buying based on cost per acquisition / CPA), accesses purely blind inventory.   This creates a couple of issues for us as buyers.  The first being that we have no granularity regarding what is actually working site wise.  The second is concerns regarding safety of sites within the blind Network.  Both are overcome through the DSP model, as sites and performance are transparent.
   
2. Buying remarketing through Publishers and AdNetworks carries a premium.  Because they control the data, Publishers are able to use client’s tags to gain increased effectiveness and currently charge for the privilege.   With agency powered DSPs, the client ultimately owns and controls their own data, so there is no premium for remarketing.

Audience on Demand

From a Global perspective, Starcoms parent business Vivaki launched Audience on Demand as a branded approach, rather than simply promoting a technology. This provides us the flexibility and fluidity to evolve and align with market leading technology, whilst maintaining a consistent market voice. 

In the expanding DSP landscape, there will be multiple technologies competing for agency business (similar to in the search space).   Right now, Brandscreen is the only active local DSP and powers AOD.   We can expect to see Googles competitor technology – Invite, launch in 2012.

Through the scale of Vivakis publisher relationships, AOD also provides access to market advantage in the form of additional inventory, not available to the broader market.   Right now ebay and Sensis media (locally) are available and we expect the list of publisher inclusions to grow as Vivaki negotiations progress.

Our Audience on Demand (AOD) commitment to our clients is to leverage the best technology available in market to provide:

• A trust worthy demand side buying platform with full client data protection
• Access to best in class expertise and support for activation
• Proprietary analytics and transparency on all media and data relationships
• Highly customisable targeting capabilities
• Expansive reach and scale
• Cost effectiveness

Latest AOD News

AOD is now fully operational and generating significant savings for those clients involved.  As access to client data increases, we can only expect this to continue.

There are now two AOD products in market, to allow for the different trading models available via open AdExchanges and private exchanges (eg ebay and Sensis).   These are AOD Reach (open market) and AOD premium (private market).

Within AOD premium, typically whilst we have inventory access, Publishers continue to set ‘floor’ prices (CPMs).  In this way they are somewhat protected yield wise, yet still appear in the open auction environment.  This means when these impressions arise in AOD, they will only be bid on where there’s forecasted ROI in the relevance/price equation, considering the floor CPM.

Last week, 9MSN/Microsoft announced the launch of their AdExchange on the open market.  This inventory has started appearing in AOD Reach, however, it must be noted that there is limited transparency at present.  Inventory has been grouped into two buckets, with no site level data available.  MSN are expecting up to 15% of all display trading to move through their AdExchange in the first 12 months in market (based on global learning’s).

Getting Started

We recommend all client websites are fully AOD tagged so that data collection is turned on well prior to launch.

Please talk your Starcom client business team or digital planner for more information on briefing and implementation.