Paid Search Dominates Digital Advertising in Retail
That’s right – paid search is officially the fastest growing ad format.
A recent report released by eMarketer found that US retail advertisers will spend an incredible $13.12 billion on paid search in 2019. So if you’re doling out huge amounts of ad spend on your paid ads, not to worry, you’re in good company.
This number is a 22.5% increase in spending from last year, and it’s expected to keep on growing in years to come. Currently, 46.3% of retail digital ad spend is expended on search ads, but this percentage is expected to grow, too. In 2020, experts project that spending will increase to $15.65 billion.
All of this is for good reason, though. Paid search delivers in the retail world, whether the store be online, brick-and-mortar, or click-and-mortar. Retailers who use Google Shopping ads see conversion rates that range from 1.1% to 3.1%, which isn’t too bad. These ads are especially effective in the retail world, and retail advertisers are beginning to capitalize on this trend.
Paid search pays. Read up on some more surprising statistics on paid search in retail with this article from the Search Engine Journal.
Get Ready – Average Position Metric Is Leaving Google Ads
As of September 30th, Google Ads will discontinue their "average position" metric.
This means that should you have any reporting, rules, or scripts that use average position (like saved reports that filter on average position or custom columns that implement average position), you need to prepare to accommodate this change.
If you’re using average position in your Google Ads account, Google recommends changing over to other position metrics which were rolled out last year. These metrics include "search top impression rate" and "search absolute impression rate" which both provide advertisers with the exact impression share that their ads got while in the top positions.
Be ready for these upcoming changes, and don’t be surprised when you fail to see the average position metric in any functions you may have it employed in. The good news is that you’ll still be able to keep track of how your ads are performing in the top ad spots, so you won’t be missing out on too much by losing the average position metric.
Now is as good a time as any to change up your account before the average position metric officially loses its position in Google Ads. Take a look at more details surrounding this development with Search Engine Land’s article here.
Introducing... the Brand New Shopify Chat
Shopify just made your ecommerce life a whole lot easier.
Merchants can now implement Shopify Chat into their online stores at no additional cost and with no added technology. This application is operable on all browsers and can even be displayed on every page of your online store. Communicate with your site visitors and improve their store experience seamlessly with Shopify Chat.
According to a recent study, this is actually one of the most important things to a shopper – easy and efficient communication with a brand. We all hate those little inconveniences and issues that pop up when we’re trying to make a purchase on an ecommerce store. Easy communication helps to remedy and even avoid these problems.
Shopify Chat even integrates with the newly-released Shopify Ping, too, which allows for mobile messaging between you and your customers. Shopify really wants to spruce up your ecommerce customer service, and this new application provides them with a viable opportunity to do so.
Streamline your customer service communication with Shopify. Read about the new Shopify Chat that everyone’s chatting about here with this article from Marketing Land.
Your Website Is Lookin’ Good with Google Images
Pictures are powerful.
This is especially true in advertising your ecommerce store. According to recent research by Jumphot and Moz, Google Images search accounts for 26% of overall search. That’s why it’s crucial to keep track of the updates Google’s been making to images in search.
For instance, Google replaced the "View Image" option on images to "Visit Site" in order to direct more potential customers to product websites.
There are several ways your ecommerce store can benefit from Google Images. Start by optimizing your image with descriptive file names and alternate text so that your products have the best chance at being found by potential buyers. Additionally, you can update your product information through the Google Manufacturer Center which now allows you to update rich content such as images or videos.
Another great way to get the most out of Google Images is by implementing authentic images from your customers in the photos you select for Google. These are oftentimes more relatable to your customers than just your average product photo and will increase a potential customer’s trust in your brand as a result.
Google Images is a goldmine for ecommerce marketing. Check out some more picture perfect ways to fix up your images to create better results with Search Engine Journal’s article here.
