MISSION CONTROL Instant Sanity
Vol 1 | No 2 | Oct '10
What We're Reading
Reflecting on the Affects of Google Instant on Search Engine Marketing by Max Wellenstein
YES! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive by Robert Cialdini READ & REREAD
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he rollout of Google Instant September, 8th came with thunder that shook the entire world of search engine marketing. Google Instant profoundly changed how Google Search behaves on modern browsers. The search engine now rapidly processes search results as the user types them in, serving results that change as the search query is typed and refined. If that wasn’t massive enough, the integration of Google Suggest is much more pervasive than it has been up until now. In sum, this revolutionary change is easily the biggest upheaval in the search user interface in several years, which undoubtedly caused a serious uproar.
Google Instant Causes Instant Panic Much of the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) community reacted to Google Instant as if it was an otherworldly herald of the Apocalypse. Normally sane voices cracked with panic, wild theories predicted the end of SEO, and grown men wept openly into their blogs. In the first days following the Google Instant rollout, there were very few voices of reason among the maelstrom of insanity that erupted in its wake.
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Rocket Clicks conducts a "What We’re Reading" book review series featuring books that pique our interest, echo our ideals and leadership, and give us insight.
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f you want to get the lowdown on being a master of persuasion, this book is a must read. Delving into this easily digestible book, you’ll feel like you’ve been given inside advice on the stock market. YES! offers tips for persuasion of every kind, and they are all perfectly above-board. In fact, the insights are so compelling that you’ll literally have an unfair advantage to the rest of the world when it comes to persuasion — promise you’ll use them for good, okay? To get started, let's begin with the basic principles.
Are You Offering Too Many Options
As I predicted, the reports of SEO’s death were greatly exaggerated. After closely following our own data and remaining on the industry news pulse over the past several weeks, it seems that Google Instant really hasn’t changed all that much in respect to organic search. Though it’s a massive interface change, the results that are served up by Google Instant have actually changed very little. There was no major
How many products or service packages do you offer? Probably too many. Cialdini’s crux is that too many options cause people to walk away. With the choices the average consumer is bombarded with everyday, it’s key to not overwhelm. Delving deeper into
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Organic Search Goes Mostly Unscathed
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Rocket Clicks Link Publicity Service Partners With AdGooroo’s Link Insight Platform Rocket Clicks, a world-class internet marketing agency this month announced its partnership with AdGooroo, one of the global industry leaders in competitive marketing intelligence. AdGooroo will now be recognizing Rocket Clicks as one of its premier third-party partners in its new partner program. In addition, the partnership forges Rocket Clicks’ premiere service, Link Publicity, which is the perfect complement to AdGooroo’s acclaimed link building tool, Link Insight. Link Insight is an industry-leading link building software tool that enables website owners to find, score and build the most respected, top-quality links on the web quickly and easily. It was co-developed by AdGooroo’s cuttingedge global data collection platform and the methodologies of the world’s leading expert in "responsible link building", Eric Ward. Since 1994, Ward has been on the forefront of the link building industry. Having assisted Jeff Bezos in the launch of Amazon.com, Ward has also worked directly with the link profiles of PBS, Discovery, National Geographic, and TV Guide — to name a few. Rocket Clicks’ Link Publicity service is high-end link building centered on publicizing websites by getting the most high-quality backlinks on the web. Utilizing powerful Link Insight data, artful communications with site owners, and high-level content strategies to obtain top link acquisitions, Rocket Clicks’ Link Publicity service, now trained exclusively by Ward (AKA worldrenowned link building expert), sets the link building service apart from all other agencies in the industry — bar none. "This is an exciting partnership," says Rob Sieracki, partner and COO at Rocket Clicks. "It unequivocally changes the game in the link building industry, allowing for a realm of new possibilities for those who approach link building as a longterm link strategy."
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What We're Reading continued… this hypothesis, Cialdini goes beyond just limiting the options. Rather, he scientifically dissects the decision-making process in a fashion where the decision for the consumer is already made for them — whether they realize it or not. Do you ever wonder why it seems so difficult to make a large lunch order at Taco Bell as opposed to Chipotle — where the options are considerably narrowed? Or, for example, think about selecting the single best scoop of ice cream when you're given over 31 flavors to choose from. The Art of Convincing While many still subscribe to the hard-nosed, clobber-you-over-the-head method of relentless convincing, it’s not always the most effective. Consumers have become more cautious than ever about getting scammed — especially in the internet retail world. So while the hard sell still works for some, Cialdini suggested a more subtle, back-door approach: up the velvet rope around whatever ! Put you’re selling and tell your consumers they may not be able to join your club or buy your product. Suddenly the scarcity of the product or service instantly becomes more attractive. Why? Why do the words "out of stock" or "gone by midnight" push the panic button inside your head? Applied Persuasion Science While YES! offers gems that will undoubtedly heighten your awareness and retool your marketing mojo, keep in mind — the art of persuasion isn’t just for business. On a social level, YES! gives impeccable insight on human relations that can be applied to your spouse, kids, friends and difficult co-workers. From leveraging social proof, keeping your commitments, winning over difficult people, and creating better and stronger relationships —YES! will certainly provide you with an arsenal of tools you can draw from your back pocket.
Instant Sanity continued…
algorithm change involved in the Instant rollout. In fact, the change didn't affect organic search results anywhere close to the degree that a major or even moderate algorithm shift would have. A keyword that your site ranked #2 for prior to the rollout of Google Instant is still probably ranking #2 after Instant. User Behavior Changes With Google Instant It’s important to note that while Google Instant has had little affect on SEO, user behavior has changed noticeably. While users have embraced Google Instant, their search patterns have changed slightly. The most immediate change in behavior is found in the strong drop in percentage of users who click past page one: Users will scroll to the bottom of the first page of results, but will refine their search if they don't get what they want. This makes getting your keywords ranking on page one even more of a priority. What About Display Size? The way Instant displays search results means that users with 'standard' display
sizes will only see the first three or four organic results before they press enter. As I predicted, this makes clickthrough rates on the first three organic results even greater than before Instant. Here is the breakdown:
• Much of the industry thought Google Instant’s display would mean that clickthrough on page one, below-thefold, would drop severely. Instead, the decline has been on page two clicks. • Clickthrough on page one results (4-through 10) have barely shifted. Some studies have seen them rise slightly; some have shown a barely detectable decline. This small, yet important, possible change in behavior will require further study to determine what patterns may develop over time. • Despite much speculation, we have found that the percentage of singlekeyword searches has remained the same, while the percentage of two-keyword searches has actually declined. Interestingly, however, we’ve seen a very slight rise in three,
four, five and six-keyword searches. This is presumably due to searchers using Google Suggest to refine searches. • As far as longtail searches go, more people are using suggested longtail phrases instead of making up their own. The decline is measured at about 15% or more in the wake of Instant. Google Instant: Better Get Used To It Whether we like it or not, Google Instant is here to stay. A recent Mashable poll found that 51% of users preferred Instant to the previous version of Google Search. While Google Instant hasn’t brought SEO to ruin, it has made high-level SEO strategy more important than ever.
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