2011 had a number of changes come down the road, not like every year I’ve seen since 1998. The search industry is evolving on a daily basis. With that in mind here are a few things we might expect to see in 2012.

1. Continued privacy/tracking issues - With the rollout of SSL in Google (allowing those users logged into their Google account to encrypt their search queries) it would be reasonable to expect more movement to protect the surfer at the expense of those trying to track queries to their website.
2. Social integration - With Google+ clearly being used as a signal in Google results and the partnership between Facebook and Bing, 2012 will surely show more integration between social and search.
3. Mobile, Mobile, Mobile - We saw exponential growth in 2011 and would be shocked if we didn’t see the same in 2012.

I may not have gone out on a limb here but it’s my two cents for 2012, Happy New Year everyone!

It appears Microsoft’s feelings weren’t hurt too bad when Yahoo spurned their overtures in ‘08. So says the WSJ reporting the software giant, who has repeatedly stumbled in the paid search arena, is putting together a proposal to buy the once dominate internet property.

One could assume the motivation is simple, instead of partnering to achieve the second largest search marketing outlet online, buying would allow Microsoft to obviously hold all of the cards, not only in profit but business strategy as well. Considering the missteps Microsoft has made over the years in trying to “crack the code” as it relates to a viable, sustainable search marketing business, the purchase of Yahoo would only guarantee they get a established presence.

Local search is the rapidly, emerging focus of Google (Google Places), Bing (Bing Local) & Yahoo (Yahoo Local) search engine advertising today. This is due to the fast growth of mobile devices (pads & smart phones) and their use in business and consumer research and buying decisions. Use of mobile optimized web pages lead to improved user acceptance and increased consumer engagement.

Consider that:

• 73% of activity online is in one way or another “related to local content”.
  Source: Google 5/07/2011
• 54% of search users have substituted Internet/search for the phone book.
  Source: comScore Networks
• 50% of connections to the internet are from mobile phones.
  Source: comScore Networks
• A mobile browser was the #1 method for searching local information (20.7 million users a month) in Dec. 2010.

Source: comScore Networks

• 58% of mobile users expect mobile sites to load faster than a desktop site.
  Source: Google

Your opportunity to grab a top Local Listing ranking is now! As of July 2011:

• 84% of businesses have not claimed their local Google, Bing and Yahoo listing.
• 79% of online advertisers do not have a mobile optimized web site.

How can The Info Group help you participate in local mobile search advertising? The Info Group is proud to announce their new Local Business & Mobile Optimization Project, designed for business to get a local & mobile presence in a relative short time frame for an affordable cost. The Local Business & Mobile Optimization Project includes:

1. Local Listing Optimization Phase:
• We claim (if needed) and optimize your Google Places Listing.
• We claim (if needed) and optimize your Bing Local Listing.
• We claim (if needed) and optimize your Yahoo Local Listing.
• We create and submit a KML sitemap to Google.
• We submit your optimized business listing to 250 premium publishers including the major Online
• Yellow Pages, various Search Engines, industry directories and 411 directory assistance.

1. Mobile Site Phase:
• We build and geo-optimize a mobile version of your website (up to 5 pages).
• We add “sniffer” script to your current website to redirect to mobile if a device supports.
• We submit a mobile sitemap to Google.

Contact Us Today to begin your Local Business & Mobile Optimization Project!

Google is re-branding their photo and blogging properties to Google Photos and Google Blogs respectively. This re-branding effort is more likely a part of their overall effort to bolster Google+, their answer to Facebook. Apparently the branding will not stop with these two products although their has been no official word on what is next.

Interesting post on the Google AdWords blog regarding their new +1 button. Take note of the reference to organic rankings being impacted by the number of +1’s a page has. This is another indication of how social media is impacting old school search and maybe Google’s answer to Facebook’s “like” button?

Although the economy is showing signs of improvement, a new report suggests small businesses are trying to get smarter with their paid search spend while decreasing their spend budget.

The State of Small Business Advertising report, conducted by online advertising firm WebVisible, found that the average small business spent $2,126 on search in Q4 2010, a 1.1% year-over-year decrease from 2009. The average keyword count was 87 root keywords per advertiser over the last three months of the year — a 30% increase from the same period in 2009.

The study, which included more than 10,000 small businesses in the U.S., indicates smaller advertisers are scaling back but becoming more efficient with paid search. This report was limited to search engines and did not include Facebook or other social media spend.

According to the report, online video usage by small businesses is on the rise with 26% of advertisers using video on their landing pages in the fourth quarter. This is up from 19% the previous year and watching video now ranks second in user actions when visiting a landing page; clicking through to the advertiser’s main Web site was the most common user action. Video views as a percentage of all user activity on landing pages skyrocketed 85% from 2009 to 2010.

Request the report here.

Google AdWords continues to push the reporting envelope compared to Microsoft’s adCenter reporting. Google announced on Friday, Jan 21, the addition of customer interaction statistics they call “Free Clicks”. These stats show you how often visitors open a product extension plusbox or get directions to your store directly from their ad. For video and display ads, you can now see how long visitors are sticking around to watch your video or interact with your ad’s content.

Campaigns with a high number of “Free Clicks” could be an indication your ads are performing better than they appear to be elsewhere in your account. Read the entire post here.

We here at The Info Group wish all the happiest of holidays and all the best in 2011! Here’s a little diddy from one of our favorite bands you’ve probably never heard of FruitCake-SuperBeing.

Google has rolled out another new feature (they come out almost everyday with one for one or another of their products) and it’s called Google Instant. Basically Google is trying to figure out what you are searching for as you type your query. I don’t know if I like it or not and from a internet marketing perspective it certainly puts the pressure on to have clients listed in the top five organically and the top 8 paid but I do wonder what this will do to search overall.

Should I assume most people will now never go below the initial recommendations they see from Google Instant? Probably not and certainly we won’t know the answer until more time has passed and we can see statistically what is happening with results. I do think this will impact the cost per click for those participating in paid search, I mean after all being in the top 8 will have to be considered prime real estate, correct?

Well I’m sure Google had this in mind in some form before they launched Instant, I just hope it’s not detrimental to the business owner’s we work for.

Best Buy Windows & Siding has chosen The Info Group to develop, launch and manage their paid search campaign. Best Buy Windows & Siding sells energy efficient replacement windows, siding and patio covers to the Dallas & Fort Worth Metroplex. The initial campaign will mainly support their replacement windows and will provide a free energy audit to qualified visitors. Some landing pages will offer a video to visitors showing the effectiveness of their windows at repelling heat from the outside through the windows.