Archive for February, 2009

5 Burning Questions About Your Ads

In which we answer the most frequent queries from our webinars

If you want to know whether to accept a wedding invitation if it doesn’t say whether there’ll be an open bar, we recommend Yahoo! Answers. If you want to know more about how your Sponsored Search account works, though, our free online webinars are the way to go. We hold these regularly and post the archives online, but for a quick taste of the give-and-take, you can peruse the following Q&As about ads that advertisers often toss our way:

How do I change the display URL on my ads?
The display URL is the web address that is displayed with your ad instead of your destination URL, which is typically lengthy. A display URL can provide your ad with a more concise, visually appealing URL. The display URL appears below the ad’s description and must correspond to a page on your site.

You can actually change the display URL on two levels: the account level, which will become the default URL for your whole account; and the ad level, which will individually override the account-level display URL. You can change the account display URL on the Administration tab in your account by clicking the “edit” button in Account General Information section.

You can change the ad display URL by navigating to the ad group containing the ad, clicking “Edit” next to the ad, and clicking on the black arrow next to the Display URL field.

What happens if my ad title plus an inserted keyword creates a title of more than 40 characters?
When you use the insert keyword feature, you are required to enter “default text.” If using the inserted keyword in your ad would cause the title to exceed 40 characters, then the default text will be used instead.

How often is the quality index re-calculated for my ads?
Quality index scores are constantly re-calculated (every time your ad is displayed or considered for display) based on relevancy factors, along with the ad’s click-through rate relative to its position and to other ads displayed at the same time.

When receiving traffic via the Advanced match type option, is there a way to find out the exact search term that searchers used?
If you enable tracking URLs (located in the “Administrative” tab under Tracking URLs), you will be able to see what terms were searched on and the ads they matched to in your account. Read more about tracking URLs.

What are long descriptions used for?
While your long description may be shown on some Yahoo! distribution partner sites, only your short description will be shown in search results on Yahoo.com. Thus, creating a long description is optional for each ad you create. A long description can be added to provide more detailed information about your products, services and offers, but it may be seen by fewer users.

— The Team

New Ad Targeting Products Announced

Helping marketers reach the audiences they value

Today Yahoo! announced the launch of new products and features that will help online advertisers reach their target audiences more easily and efficiently. Two of them are meant for display ads:

Search Retargeting, which gives advertisers the ability to target display advertising based on user search activities. For example, if a user searches for the keyword “sandals,” indicating strong purchase intent, an advertiser can target that user with a tailored display ad for footwear.

The University of Phoenix found that Search Retargeting helped it achieve an effective cost per lead at the same level as its search campaign, and 50% cheaper than its regular display retargeting efforts.

Enhanced Retargeting, which allows advertisers to deliver dynamically generated display ads across the Yahoo! network based on user activity on an advertiser’s site. For example, users who visit an airline website to check offers for flights from SFO-JFK can be served a personalized offer for that specific flight when they visit a page within the Yahoo! Network.

In a recent trial, a market-leading online travel company saw a 230% increase in total bookings and a 651% increase in click-through rate when comparing Enhanced Retargeting to their traditional retargeting campaign. Obviously, retargeting results depend on a number of factors, including your desired audience and your creatives.

One targeting product is specifically for Sponsored Search ads:

Enhanced Targeting, which includes ad scheduling and demographic targeting within search. The new features are designed to extend the advertiser’s control over where and when an ad is shown at both the campaign and ad group level, including what time of day and day of the week an advertiser would like campaigns to run, and what age and gender they’d like to reach (demographic). Advertisers will be able to vary their bids for different segments in order to increase their ability to reach the desired audience. We’ll talk more about these changes as we make them widely available in March.

The announcement was made today as part of Yahoo!’s keynote presentation at the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s annual conference. “Marketers are looking for increased accountability for every dollar they spend,” says Michael Walrath, our senior vice president in the Advertising Marketplaces Group. “Yahoo!’s new targeting products significantly improve the ability for search and display advertisers to reach their target audience, providing increased efficiency and accountability.”

For more details on these exciting offerings, please see today’s press release.

Your Ads, Richer

Yahoo! adds video, images and custom links to search ads

Ever since we launched pay-per-click advertising, the ads have looked more or less the same: A headline, a line of ad copy, a link. They haven’t changed because, frankly, the combination works pretty well. But what if search ads could show more? 

With Yahoo!’s new Rich Ads in Search, they can. Yahoo! has been testing a new service that lets advertisers add video, images and custom search boxes to their search ads. The results are ads that can combine the relevance of search with the impact of rich media.  A small group of advertisers tested it in the fourth quarter of 2008 and saw click-through rates rise by as much as 25 percent. They’ve also seen improved brand exposure and conversion rates.

What can rich ads do?
The Rich Ads in Search program is being shared with a small number of brand advertisers such as Pedigree and Esurance and agencies such as Razorfish. The program lets advertisers:

• Post images and video, which can increase the branding impact of search advertising. Pedigree has added video to its campaigns, for instance.
• Create deep links to relevant pages, which can help drive conversions directly from the Yahoo! search results page.
• Include boxes within the listing that lets users search for their desired product or a store location directly without additional navigation. Esurance’s listing lets users enter their ZIP codes from the results page for insurance quotes.
• Show their logo, which enhances user trust.

Rich Ads in Search is currently by invitation only to a small group of our brand advertisers, but we will update you as it opens up. In the meantime, start thinking of what your search ads could do for you.

— Jeff Sweat, Blog Editor

Anyone for Some Good News?

Internet sales lead January retail sales increase

I’ve always felt that January got a raw deal. Sandwiched in between two months with beloved holidays, January typically has little to write home about, with the obvious exception of Martin Luther King Day. This year, January has something else to be proud of: according to the Commerce Department, U.S.  retail sales jumped one percent in January, reversing a six-month declining trend and defying economists’ expectations by posting the biggest increase in 14 months.

The surge was likely caused by higher gasoline prices and sales, with buyers snapping up post-holiday discounts. Though analysts caution that the relief may not last, it’s nevertheless interesting to note this unexpected upswing in sales. According to the Commerce Department, January retail sales rose 1 percent from December after having fallen for six straight months. Total retail sales (excluding autos and parts) rose 0.9 percent, which easily beat estimates by economists who expected a decline of 0.5 percent.

At the risk of sounding too much like an infomercial announcer: but wait, there’s more. The Commerce Department also reports that non-traditional retailers such as mail order and Internet sales advanced 2.7 percent in January. Given the expectations, this is great news and something that should give retailers a little spring in their step. And, of course, it looks as if online is not such a bad place to be.

It’s not clear yet whether this increase in sales is just a blip or if it’s the start of an eventual retail sales thaw. We’re still glad to see something positive happening. It may not be cause for dancing in the streets, but there’s no harm in doing a little celebratory two step—if no one’s watching and you think you can pull it off. The news is good for retailers, good for consumers and…good for January. Way to go, January!

– Noah Belson, Content Quality Analyst

Free Ship = Good Tip

It’s the wonder offer that works wonders for your sales

When I was a kid, my grandfather always used to say, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” He’s still right, but today the word “free” doesn’t raise as much of red flag as it did in Gramps’ day. In fact, more and more consumers are recognizing the value of free, especially when it comes to their online purchases and how they’re shipped. Because when it comes to shipping, “free” can be the key that unlocks the door between advertisers and customers.

Determining factor
According to a new study of 9,000 shoppers conducted by ForeSee Results, free shipping had a huge effect on holiday sales in 2008. The study showed that free shipping offers play a major role in whether consumers buy in a store or online, and, when purchasing online, where they shop. Avoiding shipping costs was the third most common response for why shoppers choose to buy in a store rather than on a retail website, behind the ability to receive the product immediately and being able to see or feel an item before purchase.

Additionally, consumers gave retailers offering free shipping higher scores than those not offering it—in every satisfaction category. These categories included likelihood to purchase online, brand commitment, likelihood to return, likelihood to recommend, and overall retailer satisfaction.

How to promote free shipping
All of this adds up to one inescapable conclusion: Free shipping can work wonders. So if you offer this option, be sure to scream it out in all of your ads, because your customers will want to know about and take advantage of it.

This is also true for all of the other special deals you offer, from coupons to discounts to free gift wrapping. If you offer it, let your customers know about it! Free shipping and other special deals are the best first impression you could possibly make on potential customers, as well as a great way of ensuring loyalty in the ones you already have.

One note though: If you offer free shipping but with restrictions—such as minimum order amounts or only on certain items—be sure to make that clear, too. The ForeSee study showed that consumers don’t like surprises when it comes to free shipping, but they’re far more lenient if the rules are explained up front.

In this time of tightening belts and careful finance monitoring, consumers are more careful than ever about where their dollars are going. Free shipping is a great way to ease consumer concerns and grow customer loyalty at the same time.

— Noah Belson, Content Quality Analyst

Heart-Shaped Box

Drawing more eyes to your Valentine’s Day ads

If you’re like me, you probably wonder why the heart became the symbol of Valentine’s Day – and why it looks nothing like an actual heart. But fortunately for you this Valentine’s Day, your users don’t have to know any of that. They just have to know that hearts on the Yahoo! search page mean Valentine’s Day products.

For the Valentine’s Day season, Yahoo! is running a heart border around Valentine’s-related ads on the right side of our page. The hearts will show up on certain Valentine’s queries for gifts, candy, cards and, of course, Valentine’s Day itself.

We’re not just doing this just because it’s cute (even though it is). Our hope is that users searching for Valentine’s Day gifts will more easily spot the ads and see something they’re looking for.  If your ad shows up on the right side of the page, instead of the top, you may also get more exposure in that position than you would have before.

For more to help you capitalize on this big retail day, read our Valentine’s Day search marketing tips.

— Jeff Sweat, Blog Editor

Getting Caught in the Web

Good news if you advertise on the Web: People are online more than ever

The average amount of time that U.S. adults spend online per week has doubled since 2001, says a recent poll conducted by Harris Interactive. And that’s great news if you’re an online advertiser.

The poll says U.S. adults spend 14 hours per week online, up from seven. That growth is fairly recent. The average number of Internet hours grew slowly between 2001 and 2006, the poll says, but took off in 2007 and increased even more rapidly in 2008.

Amazingly, the U.S. doesn’t lead the world in the amount of leisure time spent online. That distinction goes to China, whose populace on average spends 44% of its leisure time on the Internet, according to TNS Global. The company placed the U.S. in fifth place worldwide, with 30% of Americans’ leisure time spent online. For a more detailed view of how the different countries stack up against each other in terms of Web usage, eMarketer offers a snazzy graph.

Home, home on the ’net
At-home Internet usage experienced an even higher surge in the U.S., according to the Center for the Digital Future. This annual survey found that American Internet users spent an average of 15.3 hours per week online in 2007, compared with about nine hours the year before. You can see how the rise in hours breaks down for yourself.

A strong spot in a weak economy
This is great news for those who run online businesses. More users online translates to more potential sales, especially considering how online shopping has become increasingly popular over the years. In fact, according to online data tracking site ComScore, U.S. commerce conducted over the Internet totaled $214.4 billion in 2008, a 7% increase versus the previous year, and Internet retail sales grew 6% to $130.1 billion.

Those numbers are expected to continue to grow, despite the current recession. According to projections from Forrester Research, U.S. online retail sales are expected to rise to $156 billion this year. And as users increase the number of hours they spend online, they also increase the amount they spend while there.

The bottom line for online advertisers is that your customers are out there—now more than ever. All signs indicate that 2009 will be a big year for online sales, so be sure that you’re ready to meet the demand. Write strong, precise ads, make sure those ads are specific to your keywords, call out your advantages (free shipping, etc.), and employ all of the strategies that can help make your ads stand out to users.

— Noah Belson, Content Quality Analyst

Building a Foundation with Strong Keywords

Go wide—with a range of specific and general words and phrases

This is an excerpt from Yahoo!’s Smart Start guide, which is packed with helpful content to assist you in making your campaigns as effective as possible. Whether you’re an expert search marketer or just starting out, the tips from Yahoo!’s “Sharon Goodsense” offer practical search marketing insights. Download Smart Start.

Want to increase your conversion numbers? You may need to consider bidding on more specific keywords that contain things like the brands you sell and even specific model numbers. This will appeal to searchers who are closer—or ready—to purchase.

Start by looking online—and thinking like a customer
One of the best and easiest places to begin scouting out keywords is right on your web site. Look through all your pages and pick out the words that are most relevant and interesting to your customers.

• Put yourself in searchers’ shoes to come up with all of the possible ways they might be looking for what you offer.
• Consider bidding on keywords for your most profitable products and services first to spend most effectively within your budget.
• Think about what you want your customers to do (like become better informed or make a purchase).
• Review your competitors’ web sites to see what kinds of words they use to talk to customers
• Use the Find Keywords panel, on the left side of the Choose Keywords page in your account, to get possible keywords that relate to the products and services you want to promote.
• For a more advanced way to find keywords, check your web server logs. These logs can tell you what your site visitors are searching for and how they navigate through your web pages.

Customer mindset changes throughout the buying cycle
1) In the research phase…
Customers are usually just gathering information about product categories, product options and different retailers. They use broad or generic search terms during this phase. Keyword examples: television, camera, video game.

2) In the shopping phase…
Customers are comparing and narrowing their purchase options. They use more specific terms when searching during this phase. Keyword examples: plasma television, digital camera, zombie video game.

3) In the purchase phase…
Customers are ready to buy. They often know exactly what they want, and are going to use very specific search terms to find it. Keyword examples: 42” Brand X plasma TV, 8 megapixel digital camera, Zombieslayer II.

Specific keywords are often more effective than general ones

Broad keywords are great for driving traffic to your web site, but can cause you to go through your budget faster. And unfortunately, because they’re used during the research phase, they don’t lead to purchases or sign-ups as often.

To increase your chances of clicks leading to sales, it’s better to bid on more specific or niche keywords. This can slow your spending and potentially improve your results. As you’ll read later, you will need to continually monitor the performance of your keywords to make sure they’re working for your business.

If your keywords all appear to fall into one phase, now’s the time to make some changes. Look through your list of keywords and determine which phase of the buying cycle they apply to, then round out or amend your list so you’re not just focusing all of your effort and spending on one type of customer.

— The Smart Start Team