On May 28, 2009 Microsoft Ad Network unveiled Bing. Bing is a new decision engine and consumer brand that is set to provide searchers with the initial step in moving beyond search to help make quicker decisions while online (hence decision making engine). Bing was designed to do more than what current search engines do. Instead of having to click through a listing to see a website, Bing goes to the next step by providing a summary of a website with a preview tool. This enables users to quickly decide which website matches their query by eliminating clicks in and out of different sites. The user experience and instinctive tools were intended to help consumers make better and faster decisions and focuses on four major areas: making a purchase decision, planning a trip, researching a health condition or finding a local business.

Bing is here to help users easily navigate through the overload of information on the web. Part of Microsoft’s study that helped the creation of Bing included results from a custom comScore Inc. study across core search engines which shows that as many as 30 percent of searches are abandoned without a satisfactory result. The data also indicated that approximately two-thirds of the remaining searches required a refinement or re-query on the search results page.

As Microsoft began building Bing, they kept in mind an understanding of how people really want to use the Web. Bing is Microsoft’s first step toward an effort to bring advancements in search that enables people to find information swiftly and use the information they’ve found to accomplish tasks and make smarter decisions. If you are already a Microsoft Ad Network customer, your ads are being exposed to the searchers of Bing. So depending on your product, you may want to modify your existing ads and make sure that you have strong, straight to the point call to actions for an engine that promotes quick decisions.

Have you ever walked into a department store and had a store associate ask if you needed help. Normally, you’d say, “Yes, I’m looking for”…“or no thank you.” What would happen if you walked into a department store and an associate said, “It looks like you’re heading toward the shoe department, and you’re probably looking for Nike’s since that’s the type of shoe you’re wearing. In fact, weren’t you in here two weeks ago looking for Nike’s? Does this Nike ad interest you?” This is exactly what Google is doing on their home page, Google Suggest, which most people know as www.google.com.  According to a Google blog post, Google said….”we’re introducing more features to Google Suggest to help you make your searches even faster.”  These features include: suggestions on the results page, personalized suggestions, navigational suggestions and sponsored link suggestions.

We’re all familiar with “suggestions on the results page” because that’s been around for a while on other search engines.  This is when the search engine tries to anticipate what you’re looking for based on the words you type in a search box. The Personalized suggestion actually takes into account your Web history and past searches. According to the Google blog post, “we may show some of your relevant past searches as you type. Personalized suggestions will make it easier and faster for you to repeat searches that have worked before.”  Navigational suggestions will actually give the searcher the option to click on a link and go directly to a site’s page. For example if you are searching for “Kennedy Space Center” Google will suggest the link to the Kennedy Space Center home page along with other suggestions.
 
Now I’ve saved the best for last. Google’s sponsored link suggestions will actually show an ad in the suggestion box. According to the Google blog post, “sometimes we detect that the most relevant completion for what you’re typing is an ad.” This is an awesome feature especially for those who run text ads on Google.  From what I’ve seen so far, only one ad shows up per search query and the ad is always the last suggested result. This could be a great advantage for the company who gets their ad displayed on the Google Suggest page. Google has yet to say how to bid or word your ad so that it’s displayed on the Google Suggest search results. It’s only what they “detect as the most relevant completion” of a search query.

These new changes to the Google Suggest page should prove interesting in the next few months. I’m personally interested to see how the Sponsored Link suggestions will play out for advertisers. The next time you do a search on Google, check to see how many of the above suggestions you receive; you may be surprised at what you find.

It should come as no surprise that our struggling economy is a focal point for everyone. Almost all of my clients have expressed in one way or another how challenging their online business has become from many standpoints, specifically in terms of ROI. In an effort to combat these difficult times, advertising budgets are being stretched thin and cutbacks are occurring.
 
At the same time, much to our delight, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) continues to be one of the most cost effective and quickest ways for online retailers to get their message across. In fact, many clients have told me they have had to decrease (in some cases cease completely) their television, radio and print efforts, due to the increasingly high cost to advertise on these platforms. 
 
That being said, every click counts to retailers, while consumers want to get as much as they can for their hard earned money. I personally feel that when an incentive is offered, the result is two-fold. It shows compassion for consumers who are battling through this tough economic climate. It also makes prospective shoppers feel they are getting a bigger and better value and will be more apt to take out their credit card. So what are the best incentives to get prospective shoppers and qualified leads to your website? Here are just a few tips…

1. Offer free shipping whenever possible. If free shipping is not an option, perhaps offer a shipping upgrade at no additional cost.
2. Provide a free gift with purchase. This can be something small and relatively inexpensive. This is also a great branding opportunity for you. Examples: shirts, pens, notepads, etc. with your company name printed.
3. Offer a discount; even 5 or 10%, as every little bit helps.
4. Extend a customer loyalty discount for repeat customers, or a coupon code that provides a discount on a future purchases.
5. Be sure to have competitive pricing. Online shoppers are smart and they will search around now more than ever before for the best deal. If your pricing is favorable, you will more than likely get the sale. If possible, offer a low price guarantee.
6. Provide free samples with orders; shoppers love samples!
7. Extend a free trial of your service.
8. Give a free whitepaper and/or newsletter when searchers register on your site. This is a great way to build your database and remarket in the future.

I recommend testing any of the above tips and then track your progress to see which incentives work best for you and your business. Good luck!