Tag Archives: Google

May29

Gord Hotchkiss

0

How Much Would You Pay for this Unclicked Search Ad?

As David Berkowitz mentioned a few columns back, comScore CEO Gian Fulgoni pondered the implications of the fact that 95% of Google’s search advertising inventory never gets clicked. All those millions and millions of impressions get thrown out there, just to fade away as a non event as soon as one leaves the results page. Our own research, which Fulgoni refered to, shows that presence at the top of the page does have an impact on brand awareness and propensity to buy. So, logically, even if a link is not clicked, there must be value there. Fulgoni wondered if perhaps [...]

May21

Jody Nimetz

9

What’s the Best Way to Deal with a Search Engine Algorithm Update?

As we predicted a few weeks back, Google is performing a major algorithm update.  The search engines, including Google, are always making updates to their algorithms but many site owners feel it when the engines perform a major search algorithm update.  Usually when Google performs a major algo update, there are a number of theories that people come up with to try and decipher how they can improve their rankings in Google’s index or more importantly preserve their existing rankings from dropping in the results. Remember Google’s Florida Update?  It happened in November 2003 and caused Webmaster and site owners [...]

May15

Gord Hotchkiss

2

Don’t Crown Google Yet. The Rules of Engagement are Still Being Determined.

According to the Financial Times, the Search War is already over. Google’s won. Everyone else can go home now. Microhoo was the last potential challenger, and now that that deal is in shambles, the victory has been ceded to the search empire of Mountain View. Even fellow Search Insider Aaron Goldman has been searching for a Google Killer, and so far hasn’t found one. I myself said Google was going to be an extremely hard habit to break (in 5 parts, no less). It’s true that these are dark times for desktop search. There is barely a whisper of resistance [...]

May01

Gord Hotchkiss

1

Thank God for Product-Centric Leaders

All you who have Google stock, take a moment to thank Larry and Sergey. You who have fallen in lust with your iPhone, stop and say a silent prayer for Steve Jobs. And you parents who spent many a peaceful hour thanks to your kids being glued to a Disney movie, face towards Disneyland and bow to Walt himself, may he rest in peace (or a freezer, as rumor has it). Thank God for the product-centric leader, because they are few and far between. Customer-Centricity: More than Just Words   I have spent many an hour in conference rooms listening [...]

Apr11

Gord Hotchkiss

1

Making a New World Up as We Go

The frequent flier blitzkrieg continues. This week’s stop, Sydney, Australia for SMX. In the opening keynote, Danny Sullivan asked Google’s Marissa Mayer what keeps her at Google. Her answer was that there are just too many really interesting, really hard questions still to be answered. She likened it to the world of scientific discovery and pegged the current state of search and online as analogous to the 15th or 16th century. Sir Isaac Newton has just discovered gravity. From a timeline perspective, I think Marissa’s analogy works. There’s no doubt we’re at the early stages of something, but what that [...]

Mar13

Gord Hotchkiss

0

The Last Word on Breaking the Google Habit

When I started this series of columns, I had no intention of making it a series. But now, with the 5th (and final) installment, it looks like I may finally break this particular habit. It’s been fascinating for me. Hopefully it’s been equally interesting for you. We Develop Strings of Habits   In last week’s column, I talked about environmental cueing and reinforcement. Here, cues in our environment (the ubiquitous toolbar search box, for example) trigger a habit, and the expected outcome (the delivery of relevant results) reinforces the habit. This creates a sustaining cycle.   But there’s one other [...]

Mar06

Gord Hotchkiss

1

More Steps to Breaking the Google Habit

Let’s imagine that my ongoing series about the forming of habits (installment 1, installment 2 and installment 3) has so captured your curiosity that you want to find out more. You’re reading this column from your computer. You make the decision to find more information about breaking a habit. Now, let’s slow down time and look at the steps. There, in the upper left of your browser, is the Google toolbar. Or maybe you have the Google sidebar in the lower right of your window. Perhaps you’ve got Google’s homepage bookmarked. Whatever the shortcut, you don’t suddenly stop and think, [...]

Feb28

Gord Hotchkiss

1

Breaking the Google Habit

What will it take to beat the Google Habit? There’s billions of dollars that hang on the answer to that question. My last two columns looked at the nature of habits and how they can lead to an advantage for incumbents by “locking in” customers or users.   Before we look at some possible answers, it’s important to understand how and why previous attempts at breaking habits have fallen short in an area where far more academic work has been done: health care (Verplanken & Wood, 2006).   Educational campaigns have proven to have little effect on changing habitual behavior. [...]

Feb21

Gord Hotchkiss

0

Why Google is Habit Forming – Part Two

In last week’s Search Insider, I introduced the idea of habits, and why they can be hard things to break. This week, I want to explore how search engines can be habit forming as well. Cognitive Lock In   Habits form and stay formed because there is usually a cost associated with discontinuing the habit. In a commercial interaction, this is referred to as the “cost of switching”. These are the lock in mechanisms that companies hope will keep you from walking across the street to their competitors. In theory, the cost of switching on the internet should be negligible, [...]

Feb14

Gord Hotchkiss

0

Why Google is Habit Forming, Part I

My wife Jill was the victim of another drive-by “why-ing”, and I, of course, was the perpetrator. There’s a small specialty grocery store where we live that Jill visits every week or two. And almost every time, she complains about the experience. Outdated stock is repackaged. Food is rancid. The staff is surly. But she keeps buying there. After listening to another long winded vent, I dared to go where no man should go. I asked her “why”.   There were a number of reasons that she gave. It’s on the way on her daily route. Parking is convenient. Prices [...]

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