Search Engine Marketing

An everything guide on how to be a successful omnichannel retailer in 2014

While leveraging big data by using software, apps and point-of-sale technology can help retailers handle everything from holiday hiring to inventory management in the days leading up to and following Black Friday and Cyber Monday, one of the most useful applications for big data technology this holiday season is in countering showrooming, a phenomenon that's been on every brick-and-mortar retailer's mind as they make preparations for their busiest season of the year.

Product listing ads (PLAs) are search ads that include concise product information such as product image, price and merchant name without relying solely on text ads to entice online shoppers. PLAs are proving that a picture is truly worth a thousand (key) words, as they're consistently driving increased clickthrough rates and conversions. Given that the holiday season is quickly approaching, it's now more important than ever for merchants to understand how to maximize PLAs. Here are some tips on how to most effectively use PLAs this holiday season.

With search moving away from desktops for a mobile alternative, Google became aware of the need need for a new web design layout that could help better monetize search results across all devices.

Here's some more evidence that good old-fashioned Google search is more valuable to apparel brands than Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram combined. WWD is reporting monster growth in the number of Google Shopping listings over the past year. We're talking a 410 percent increase in the number of merchants paying for product listing ads (PLAs) between spring 2012 and June 2013. Take Etsy, for example, which told WWD that PLAs have resulted in "40 million visits directly to listings" since it began using them last September. 

With demand for "PC plus" products (e.g., smartphones and tablets) growing by the day, Lenovo realized it had a tremendous opportunity at hand to capture market share. The problem was the brand suffered from a lack of awareness within the PC industry, with companies like Dell and HP top of mind for most consumers. To address this problem, Lenovo invested time and resources into improving its SEO. 

Product Listing Ads (PLAs) are an exciting online marketing campaign that continues to evolve. These image-based search ads have proven to deliver strong clickthrough and conversion rates by capturing users’ attention with product-specific images and pricing information. They allow advertisers to promote individual items within their feed quickly and efficiently, and require less hands-on management than search and display campaigns. 

Customer service data startup StellaService is getting a nice of nod of approval from Google, which is going to start integrating the startup's customer service data into some of its products. The first Google product to get powered by StellaService's data will be the Google Trusted Store badge program, the companies announced. As its name indicates, the Google Trusted Store program aims to signal to online shoppers which online merchants are the most trustworthy.

Ever wonder how much retailers spend on paid search? Look to the stars! Or rather, check out AdGooroo's new infographic to see the top 10 spending retail categories in 2012 as well as the top players in each category based on impressions

Charming Charlie, a Houston-based fashion, jewelry and accessories retailer, launched a local search marketing program late last year that helped its local first-page Google search rankings nearly double on average in the more than 240 cities where the retailer has brick-and-mortar locations.