Will the dot-com go the way of the Dodo in the light of ICANN’s decision to open up top-level domain names? Not likely, but it would be entertaining to own ".enquiro".

FYI, there are currently 21 top level domains (TLDs) that we’re all used to seeing, including .com, .ca, .gov and .edu.
Important highlights of the ICANN decision:

• Applications will be accepted starting in April 2009 and likely cost ~$100,000 to register to help offset ICANN’s cost
   
• Top level domains will be available in non-Latin languages such as Arabic and Cyrillic
   
• Applicants must “demonstrate their technical capability to run a registry operation for the purpose that the applicant sets out.”
   
• ICANN will approve or restrict applications based on “generally accepted legal norms relating to morality and public order” (#6 on page 20 of the GNSO report), decided by an international arbitration panel.
• Disputes over TLDs will be auctioned or subject to intellectual property law.

The biggest impact will likely to be the increased use of search. It’s already mildly annoying to end up at an unexpected site when you type in the wrong TLD at the end of an address. Opening it up like this will cause more frustration and drive users to search instead of type.

The third in the series in looking at how we search and how it might impact our brand relationships. Today, I look at how the emergence of web search marks a dramatic leap forward in our quest for information.

Google has been on a roll with some major announcements in the past week.  First there was the announcement of the addition of the new layer to Google Trends with Google Trends for Websites, a fun tool that gives you a view of how popular your favorite websites are, including your own! It also compares and ranks site visitation across geographies, and related websites and searches.

Now today there was an announcement about Google Ad Planner, a "research and media planning tool that connects advertisers and publishers."  Basically how Ad Planner works is that it lets users enter their demographics and specific Web sites related to their target audience. From there, Ad Planner then relays information about the sites that the company’s audience may view.  This works both on Google’s content network and off the content network.  The tool is free but by invite only.  You can apply here.

A word of Caution to Adwords Advertisers:

Recently, we have seen a notable increase in the number of what appears to be phishing (A.K.A spoofing) attempts targeting Google Adwords Accounts. These attempts mirror the same strategy that was used to steal account information from bank accounts; where the email appears to be from Google Adwords, yet the URL is a different variation to the Google Adwords link. Google does attempt to contact you through emails; however, should you receive an email alert, please look into your account through the user interface directly. A valid email from Google will include your Customer Identification Number (CID). Do not click on the email link and enter in your account information. For example, a recent email we received appeared as the following:

This email on the surface appears to be legitimate; however, when looking at the email’s hyperlink we see the following destination URL: http://www.adwords.google.com.qwoid.cn/select/Login. When we checked, our Google Adwords accounts were perfectly fine.

Should you receive a similar email, Please do not click on the email. Instead opt to log-in to the user interface directly or call your Google Adwords Representative. Google recommends that you report the attempt to Google Adwords Support.

THIS IS THE SECOND in a series exploring the question of how we interact with search pages and the impact on brand relationships. Today we look at why we search in the first place.

Let’s begin with perhaps the most fundamental question ever asked in this industry. Why do we search? I’ve been in this industry for over 12 years now, and I’m not sure I’ve ever heard an answer to it. Why do we seek information? Is this need cultural or inherited? Is how we seek information changing?

The Roots of Curiosity

We search because we are curious. And curiosity comes from chaos. Curiosity allows us to survive in a dynamic and unstable environment. The more things change, the greater our curiosity. It keeps us alert and looking for the knowledge we need to survive. So the drive to be curious is inherited, but the degree of curiosity is cultural. Our environment determines how curious we are. If nothing changed, we wouldn’t need curiosity. So it’s probably not coincidental that for some of us, curiosity declines as we age. We seek more stable environments. Our need to monitor and adapt to our environment decreases, and with it, our need to learn.

We seek information for many reasons. Remember, almost every action we take is driven by emotion, but there is usually a rational justification that accompanies it. Our emotions and our reason work together to pick the best possible path for us. Antonio Damasio has done extensive research in this area, referring to our emotional cues, our gut instincts, as "somatic markers." Rational thought needs information, and information, in turn, feeds our emotions. Information is essential grist for our curiosity mill.

Essential Information

Information is key in everything we do. Either we have this information stored in our brains–allowing us to conduct the task in question or function normally–or we don’t, causing us to seek it. The problem in seeking information is not one of quantity, it’s one of quality. There has never been more information available, but it can be difficult finding the right information. In our culture, a huge part of our cognitive effort is spent filtering out the onslaught of information that bombards us every day. No culture in history has been surrounded by more information than our present one, and it’s expanding exponentially.

Sometimes our need for information is purely rational. We need information to complete a task (looking up a phone number, referring to a map, reading directions) or to learn something new. Sometimes our need for information is less clear-cut, tied in with the social machinations that make us human. Remember, gossip is a glue that binds our society, and gossip is nothing more than the gathering and sharing of personal information. So our information-seeking is often tied to an incredibly complex concept of social structure and status. Sometimes we seek information because we need it. Sometimes we seek information just because we want it. Information is a valuable currency in our society, and it can be one factor in determining social status. Obviously, the information gained from supermarket tabloids and searches for "Britney Spears" is of questionable value–but we, as humans, also have a need for this type of information. Information helps define political structure and alliances, in-groups versus out-groups, elevated status within a group and other purely social functions.

The Easiest Path to Information

Our quest for information comes from within and without. As we constantly scan our environment, we find situations we need to respond to. This can trigger a physiological and intellectual chain of events that requires information. We scan our store of information, retrieve what we have and identify what we don’t. Sometimes the need is immediate. We need the information now. Sometimes it’s far off and the information-seeking process is of much longer duration.

If we need to seek information because we don’t have it stored in our memory, most of us will take the easiest path. Our information retrieval habits will vary from person to person, but generally we seek to save energy, so we will take the shortest route to the information. And our path will be dictated by how well we know what we’re looking for. When we seek information, our quest can fall into three different categories: we don’t know what we’re looking for, we know what we’re looking for but don’t know where to find it, or we know what we’re looking for and where to find it. Which path we take to find information depends on where we feel it will be easiest to find the answer. When we talk about information-seeking and the ease of retrieval, the Web–and in particular, Web search–has been the most significant development in the history of man. That’s where we start in the next column.

Originally published in Mediapost’s Search Insider, June 19,  2008

We have received a number of questions regarding the use of microsites and the SEO benefit they may bring for site owners.  Karen from California asked, "What is your feeling about microsites……people in our company want to build lots of microsites… On each site we will have some (limited) content. Good idea or bad idea?  Is this the best use of our resources or is it better to build up our main site?"

Great question Karen.  The answer is… well as clear as mud….as is the case with a number of SEO strategies, the answer to these questions is…. it depends.  It depends on what your goals are for these microsites and what you are trying to accomplish from an online perspective.  To begin to answer this question, let’s examine what a microsite is.

Microsites Defined

A microsite is a small web property (website) that is usually used to target a specific type of visitor.  The site is usually more niche in nature dealing with a more narrow product or solution line and is often used for temporary promotion.  The attraction of using microsites is that they are quick and easy to produce and can become a great tool for promotion of a specific topic.

The thing with microsites is that we have seen microsites provide mixed results.  Sometimes the results can be fantastic where the microsites rank well and provide a really great return, while other times they simply take away from the goal of the main site.  Think about this:  In essence the use of microsites basically provides more competition for your own site.  Why would you want to compete with yourself for the valuable search engine real estate?  For example if your main site is a strong site with lots of content and decent rankings, why would you want to jeopardize the success of that site?  The other issue with microsites is the on-going maintenance of them.  It can take a lot of resources to maintain and optimize them.

Having said that, microsites can help focus on a specific topic and quickly become an authority on that topic, resulting in rankings for that topic.  If you are focusing on a specific topic or product, microsites can be very effective.  Microsites are great for short term promotions.  In addition from an SEO standpoint, Microsites give you the ability to insert keywords into the URL of the site which can be of benefit when optimizing for search engine rankings.

When deciding on whether or not to use microsites, ask yourself:

1. What is the goal of the microsite?  To promote the main site?  To rank for niche terms.  To spin-off a new product?  To target a specific audience?
2. Do you have the resources to maintain and properly optimize the microsite?  Do not assume that just because you create a new microsite that you are going to rank well in the search engines.
3. Will you be directly competing with your other web properties?
4. Will the site be used for short term or long term gain?
5. Will the microsites have unique and interesting content that is not duplicated on your other sites?

Quite often site owners and webmasters will use microsites for:

• New Product / Solution Promotion
• Promotion of an Upcoming Event/Contest
• As a Testing Environment
• Launch of a Viral Marketing Campaign
• SEO: To Leverage a keyword rich Domain / URL
• SEO: To Help Build External Links to a Main Site

As you can see there are benefits to both.  Depending on your situation, it would be a good idea to build up your main site and maybe experiment with a couple of microsites to begin with, just to see what value they can bring.  If there is success, then you can always roll out more.  Microsites work best for short term promotion.  If you goal consists of long term strategy, you may simply want to promote your main site and use microsites when there is need for a more specific promotion.  The microsites should focus on making the user take a specific action.  Ensure that there are clear calls to action and ensure that you link back to your main web properties.

When leveraged properly, microsites allow site owners to:

• Concentrate on specific target
• Communicate a clear, concise message
• Test SEO tactics 
• A/B Testing of site usability features
• Qualify Leads

To answer the question as to if microsites are a good or bad idea, you first need to look at your online goals.  Next think of the resources required to set up and maintain the microsite(s).  Finally evaluate the expected return.  How will the use of microsites affect your bottom line?

Examples of Creative Use of Microsites

Ford Race Challenge
7up In
NHL PowerPlay
WidgetQube from Media Trust
Lays’ - Whats the Program.com

Additional Microsite Information Resources

HP Communities
Search Engine Land: The Pros And Cons Of Microsites As An SEO Option
Divide And Conquer - The Benefits Of Microsites
Niche Marketings Using Microsites - from Travel Industry Association

We’ve had a number of inquiries about using heading tags lately, so we thought we would highlight a few tips when incoporating the use of heading tags into your page content.  The purpose of a heading tag is to provide an indication as to the outline of a page.  Typically your most important content should be found higher up on the page, thus the H1 tag becomes important for the title of this content.  Use <h1> for your top-level headings.  Use only one <h1> heading tag per page. 

The heading tags consist of six elements: H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, H6 header elements

The proper format for heading tags  in essence would look something like this: 

Main Heading - use <h1> tag

Sub-Heading 1 - use <h2> tags

Sub-Heading 2- use <h2> tags

Sub-Heading 3 - use <h2> tags

     Sub-Category 3.1 - use <h3> tags

     Sub-Category 3.2 - use <h3> tags

          Sub-Category 3.2.1 - use <h4> tags

          Sub-Category 3.2.2 - use <h4> tags

          Sub-Category 3.2.3 - use <h4> tags

Sub-Heading 4 - use <h2> tags

We have had questions such as, "Can you have more than one <h2> tag on the page?"  The answer is yes as seen in the example above.  Can you have the <h2> tag appear before the <h1> tag.  The answer is yes this is possible, but why would you?  Are you suggesting that this content is more important than that of the <h1>?  Again when using heading tags the purpose is to provide an outline of the page.  It is meant to work with the <h1> and down from there.  Remember, you do not want to get too spammy with the use of heading tags.  Avoid overuse of heading tags and improve the site experience for your users on your website.

What’s the best thing about instant noodles? It’s that they’re instant. Would you still like them if they took all day to prepare? Probably not. But we love instant noodles because they’re quick and they’re satisfying.

Sponsored search, aka PPC, can be kind of like instant noodles, too. You can get satisfying results fairly quickly. That’s because with PPC you can measure your results, figure out what’s working and what’s not, make adjustments, measure again, and keep focusing your ad campaign until it’s working the way you want. For marketers, it’s an awesome tool because you can measure the results on a very detailed level and make changes instantly.

Organic search is more like PPC in slow motion. You might get some quick wins early on, but organic – like the word implies – is not something you can just manufacture out of thin air. The cool thing about a well run organic campaign is that once you have a properly optimized web site and you’ve achieved good search engine positioning, SEO is the gift that keeps on giving. In other words, great bang for the buck over the long term. And of course, SEO campaigns can be measured, too.

Some people might think PPC campaigns are not worth considering, because it’s too expensive or doesn’t apply in the B2B market. Well, that’s a longer discussion, but Enquiro Research has done some fascinating studies on the brand lift of search that might give you some insight into the potential gains of running both organic and sponsored searches simultaneously.

Of course, a PPC campaign that is not managed well can certainly burn up your budget in no time; I’m talking daily ad budgets that are spent before lunch time. No noodles for you. And it’s easy to waste money on head keywords that everybody’s bidding on, and miss out on really affordable long tail phrases that no one’s fussing about. The right long tail or even torso phrases can sometimes bring you a much better qualified lead, too.

Whether it’s organic or sponsored search, do what you can to make sure your company is visible on the web. Your customers, and potential customers, are using search engines regularly to find a company just like yours.

I love debate. I love defending my ideas, and in the process, shaping, refining and sometimes discarding them as they prove to be too unwieldy or simply incorrect. My last two columns have generated a fascinating debate around the concept of branding in search. Fellow Search Insider Aaron Goldman, comScore Chairman Gian Fulgoni, his senior vice president of search and media, James Lamberti, Erik du Plessis, Millward Brown executive and author of  “The Advertised Mind” (fascinating book, by the way), as well as a host of others, have taken up the debating gauntlet on this particular topic.

As luck would have it, we just wrapped up a study with Google in Europe — and data there seems to show that I’m dead wrong about the inability of unclicked search ads to build brand, reinforcing the view of Gian and Aaron (Aaron has his own research, and ours seems to support his findings). We saw brand lift (based on traditional metrics) of anywhere from 5 to 15% on even unclicked ads. And this was with thousands of respondents across four different product categories in three different markets, so I don’t think it’s an anomaly.

The easy thing would have been to toss in the towel and admit I was wrong. But I’m not so sure about that. I’m convinced the neurobiological underpinnings I outlined in my column two weeks ago are sound and that the reasons for the apparent contradictions lie in some aspects of the search interaction and brand recall that I overlooked and the metrics we use to measure them.

But, in looking at this, I realized that this topic lies at the heart of a fundamental and not-yet-explored aspect of search: how does it influence our brand relationships? In one regard, I’m wholly in agreement with Aaron, Gian and James. There’s a tremendous amount of branding value being left on the table with search. Where we differ is in the nature of that value. But that’s not an easy thing to explore. It’s certainly beyond the scope of a single column. So yesterday I sent an email to my MediaPost editor asking if I could use this column over the next several weeks to lay out my hypothesis for how we interact with search. Thankfully, she agreed. So, beginning this week, I’d like to begin unraveling that knot.

In my weekly columns over the next few months I’d like to explore several questions:

Why do we search: This goes to Aaron’s comment that we don’t always search for information about a purchase. And this is absolutely true. We search for many different reasons. I’ll look at what motivates us to search and our mental frame of mind when do so. Is searching a conditioned behavior?

Why we search the way we do: Through all Enquiro’s research, we have found very consistent search patterns. Why do we search the way we do? How do we forage for information? And why is a search engagement “thin,” while a Web site engagement is “thick”?

Why does searching trigger information retrieval, but doesn’t necessarily create new memories: I’ll look at how memory works, specific to the act of searching, and how this differs from other types of advertising.

Why we use search differently at different stages in our purchasing behavior: The way we use search early in the process can be significantly different than the way we use it later. And it’s not the classic search “funnel” you may think.

Why the traditional brand metrics used are not accurate measures of likelihood to purchase, especially when applied to a search interaction.

Why search can be the most important brand tool in a marketer’s arsenal, if it’s used in the right place. It’s a matter of understanding what search can do and what it can’t. And, even more importantly, understanding how to measure that value.

And finally, will the changing nature of search change the way it acts as a branding strategy?

In this process I hope to provide supporting research where I can (there’s little empirical research in this area). I’ll also be reaching out to others, including my debating partners, to capture their views as well. And, as always, I invite you all to join the conversation.

Originally published in Mediapost’s Search Insider, June 12,  2008

After Jody’s excellent article on dealing with search engine algorithm updates we received a number of questions by folks who had noticed that their rankings change depending on where they are. You are likely seeing different results at work than you do at home; the same will often happen when you’re travelling.

Google serves different results in two important ways right now:

• Geo-targeting: Enquiro is located in Kelowna, BC, about a 5-hour drive from Vancouver. I get astonishingly different results (both organic and sponsored) between using our native IP address and a US-based proxy. For some clients we see a change of over 100 results on the SERP depending on where the searcher is located (or appears to be located). Google also recently clarified that the practice of serving different pages to users based on their IP address and location (called IP delivery and Geolocation ) is just fine, as long as you treat Googlebot just like any other searcher.
• Personalized Results: Millions of people use Google’s services beyond search: Gmail, webmaster tools, analytics, Ad Words and a host of others. If you’re logged in then Google will adjust the search results to make them more relevant to you.

The solution is to look at search engine visibility. This involves examining your whole keyword basket, across multiple engines. You can’t be over-focused on how one or two keywords are performing, but look at the whole picture. Think strategically.

You also need to consider the impact of geographically relevant results, personalized results, and Universal Search results.

So if you’re ranking for a particular keyword in a particular engine changes, remember it’s only one part of a very large puzzle. A comprehensive search marketing campaign with both organic and sponsored solutions is still the best way to make sure your website gains, and maintains, great visibility.