The Future of Search;New Frontier or Next
Generation?
Agenda
1.Discuss the evolution of search & consumer behavior
2.Provide insight into how search technology is mirroring this
3.Explain the implications for brands and the need to reflect this change with a focus on using search plus the combination of social & mobile as their primary consumer connection point
04/18/23 :: 2
The world wide web has always been an intimidating place
“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and
opinions of the masses is an important element in
democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen
mechanism of society constitute an invisible
government which is the true ruling power of our country.
”
Edward Bernays, The father of public relations
One example of this is Anonymous:
Search has become the digital connector
As consumers, we’re used to online information & shopping
Searchingas a behavior
is not going away
Search has become critical to the digital experience
There is a need to grow with the searchers and increase their degree of specialization
Consumers are growing more adept at seeking and sharing and seeking the right information at the right place and at the right time
Query depth is naturalizing, engines are specializing
While existing search players are evolving, many new players have entered the fray
Searching
This means no engine is too small to ignore
& you cant ignore the search experience on your own site(s)
Searchers are maturing faster than advertisers
from…. PUSH
to…. PULLLove
Me?
Search behavior has accelerated a paradigm
shift
This access is changing mainstream media
Search means new content accessed
faster & often its UGC first
Social sharing features reach mainstream media & ecommerceBoth are
making a play for
searchable, on-demand TV
Social search is a new battleground
• On an average month, there are over 21B searches across the Internet but only ~14B of them happened on the major search engines
• So 30-40% of total Internet search activity exists outside of the big five’s domains
• YouTube alone had ~88MM monthly unique searchers
• Fastest growing search category on YouTube is brand commercial queries
• Facebook has over 46MM unique monthly searchers
• LinkedIn has roughly 5MM unique monthly searchers
• Kids 12-to-17 years old are only 11% of Twitter
Weaving a digital experience …
Search is a direct result of the growing ability of digital media to meet societal needs & consumer comfort through fragmented content sources and technology
Social has always been a key ingredient in the growth of digital
Social Needs
Religion / Community
Education / Training
Home / Real Estate
Recreation / Leisure
Work / Career
Finances / Retirement
Health / Fitness
Family / Relationships
Digital Activities
Membership
Mobile Access
Video / Gaming
Sharing / Collaborating
Shopping / Commerce
Communication
Content / Visitation
Discovery
Search + social are together evolving how we live
digitally
The engines know this
04/18/23 :: 12
Algorithms are updating daily to use social as an indicator of relevance and recency to enhance search
results
Video search is key to social
04/18/23 :: 13
Search activity shifting to mobile handsets, specialized apps, as well as location, content, and brand-driven environments
Mobile now has 29MM unique searchers and they are more engaged than web-based searchers (almost 2-1)
1 in 3 searches are now localSearch is specializing which is driving fragmentation
Geo-Social
examples: examples:
Recommendation
Commerce
Mobile Wi-Fi
Mapping & Directions
News & Info Trends
Fragmented search behavior beyond Google
Increasingly search is also local
04/18/23 :: 15
And everything is mobile, including
search
04/18/23 :: 16
In many countries there are more phones that citizens
So optimize your site
04/18/23 :: 17
User opens
mobile site
http://m.shoes.com
Real-Time Scraping
Mobile, brand-compliant
Template Applied
Site Optimize
1
2
3
Google sees the future value here
04/18/23 :: 18
Why Now?
1. Ubiquitous web access
2. Broadband penetration
3. Smartphone adoption
CommunicationsContent
Live events, experiential activity, digital content, TV shows, webisodes / viral video, contests, apps and widgets, stories, stunts and visual identities
Search is a bridge
Blogger outreach & digital word of mouth, viral seeding, social networking strategy, active listening, CRM, and community management
What does this mean?
Your Brand Here
Your Brand Here
Plan & budget for search first in order to tie it all together
Google knows what this means too, so should you
04/18/23 :: 21
Converting Searchers use more non-branded keywords
in early funnel searches
Converting Searchers use more non-branded keywords
in early funnel searches
67% more credit for Non Branded keywords67% more credit for Non Branded keywords
Technology is required to adapt to dynamic personalized search
04/18/23 :: 22
Sponsored listings
*With user permission, of course!
Shopping results
Organic listings
News results
Video/image listingsSocial results
“Wish list” results
Bookmarkedpage results
Filtered by web history results
Integration is the key to successful SEM/SEO
04/18/23 :: 23
So use search as a very large, real-time focus group
Test messagingAlign affiliate strategyExtend TV and print media executionsEnhance in-store promotionsInfluence live event marketing
04/18/23 :: 24
Using An
alytics
to drive
insightUsin
g Analyt
ics
to drive
insight
Initial PromptInitial Prompt
Choosing a fund
How to select a fund managerSaving for retirement
How to differentiate between funds? Case studies
Lock in period?
Fund management costs
Investment calculatorsCompare funds performance
Information Gathering
Information Gathering
ExecutionExecution
Fund changersFund changers
Targetin
g at
differen
t stagesTarg
eting at
differen
t stages
Financial Comparison Tools
Informed vs. Un-informed (new)
Informed vs. Un-informed (new)
Keyword: Investment Funds
Keyword: Investment FundsTrac
king tre
nds
beneath
fund
selectio
nTrac
king tre
nds
beneath
fund
selectio
n
Focus on
the
search t
erms Focu
s on the
search t
erms
• As digital access fragments & traditional digitizes, it all becomes more searchable and requires better tracking
• Engagement alone is not a metric, know the value of each touch point
• Cross channel measurement is critical to good SEM
Set a measurement action plan
For every $90 USD spent driving traffic only
$1 USD is spent converting that site
visitor
The opportunity for advertisers is to
segment, target, and retarget their traffic
Search needs strong analytics more than
ever
Some key take-a-ways
Plan for search early in the budgeting process
Leverage all other media & communication efforts
Optimize search for mobile, social, & local
Segment & retarget search traffic
Test messaging in search first
Optimize all digital assets to be search friendly
Focus on relevant content
Experience optimization
04/18/23 :: 27
04/18/23 :: 28
Thank you!Obrigado!Gracias!Merci!Grazie!Arigatô!Vielen Dank!Terima Kasih!谢谢您 !
Rob GriffinEVP, Product DevelopmentHavas [email protected]