What do new Google algorithms mean for you?

Google is making a big change to its ranking algorithm tomorrow. For the first time, mobile usability will affect search results. If you don't have a responsively designed site or mobile version, your SEO will take a nosedive. You can check to see if your site adheres to the new guidelines here. If you or your engineers need a refresher, I highly reccommend Google's Web Starter Kit and Web Fundamentals course.

Google Buys Newspaper Ad to Show Why Newspaper Ads Don’t Work

Here’s a nice bit of multi-faceted irony for you: On Thursday, Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper ran a print ad for Google’s (directly competitive) search advertising business.

“You know who needs a haircut? People searching for a haircut,” the ad reads. “Maybe that’s why ads on Google work.”

Google’s ad ran in both the Globe‘s print and digital editions, as well as in the National Post, the Globe‘s main competitor.

When Conversations Lead to Mobile Searches

There are 7 billion people in the world, with about 2 billion connected to the Internet. Some 1 billion have smartphones.

Suzanne Mumford, Google product manager, cited those numbers from a recent presentation by Eric Schmidt. She said Android activates 850,000 phones daily running the operating system, and one-third of mobile searches have local intent, meaning people searching for nearby businesses.

Google has launched an initiative to help businesses build a mobile Web site and strategy, GoMo. Google is offering companies help in Web development and hosting space.

Some 79% of large online advertisers still don't have what Google considers a mobile-friendly site. A recent Google webinar supported the GoMo campaign. When asked during the webinar how many businesses on the call have built a mobile-friendly site, about 42% said yes and the remainder said no.

It turns out that 53% of Americans own a smartphone. About 95% use smartphones to search, 77% in a store, 43% while commuting to work. I am one of those 13% who pull out their smartphone to search on something during a conversation to look for a business, confirm facts, or further thoughts in a conversation.

Consumers engage and purchase more from mobile sites, according to Google. Consider these stats. Fifty-one percent of consumers are more likely to purchase from retailers that have mobile-specific Web sites. Research has shown that Web retailers could increase consumer engagement, such as time on site, by 85% with a mobile-specific Web site. And 40% said they would visit a competitor's mobile site instead. Those Compuware numbers from "Why the mobile Web is disappointing end-users" are from a year-old study.

Since then, Google and Microsoft have opened the doors to more features for mobile ad campaigns, such as targeting day and time.

For Google, it's part of its GoMo strategy. Drive consumers to a mobile-friendly landing page, separate mobile from desktop campaigns, use mobile-specific keywords, and rely on made-for-mobile ad formats.

To make a point, Mumford shared data from Roy's Restaurants mobile site. She said the company achieves 800% return on investment with hyperlocal advertising and mobile-only campaigns. After realizing that mobile traffic outperformed desktop traffic in click-through rates and cost per clicks, Roy's created a separate mobile-only campaign to maximize the number of calls and clicks, using hyperlocal location extensions to better target mobile customers.

The results stated in the report include achieving "800% ROI on mobile-only campaigns, drove 40% more calls, hyperlocal mobile ads had a 539% higher CTR and 67% cheaper CPC compared to previous desktop campaigns."

How many times have you had a conversation with someone in person and reached for your smartphone to consult?

(Source: Laurie Sullivan, SearchBlog, 03/15/12)