Search with Design

Well, since my partner-in-design has taken over reporting on new Google features this week (thanks Luke!) I’ve decided to try out a new series of posts responding to some topics from Search Engine Strategies New York.

Recently, a client emailed me a list of ‘notes and things to try’ which he received from one of the attendees of SESNY.  He asked me what he could be doing with each note that would help the optimization of his website. Rather than waste the hour or so I spent putting together the answers on one person, I thought I’d spread the responses around for the benefit of all.  I’ll try out a few of these posts and if it catches on, I’ll make it a series for the next few weeks (there are 39 points on this list in front of me!).  So without further introduction…
Note #1.   We can use Google geo-targeting ads to get an extra line of ad text that lists city and state in the ad.

To clarify the note, let me first explain that if you use geo-targeting in this way, Google will place a line beneath your ad denoting where your business or branch office is located.   Geo-targeting is not quite the right word, and ‘local search’ would probably be more appropriate.  You can see what I mean at the right.  Notice how the AOL ad doesn’t specify a location, where the Athena Capital ad does.

(As a side note, AOL is using half their title line to showcase the word Denver.  You could say that they’re not taking advantage of local search, but I would guess their ad gets more clicks when someone is looking for something in ‘Denver’)

So, where would I recommend using this kind of tactic?  Any industry where being local might be an advantage, or help to differentiate your business.  For instance, if I am a searcher looking for ‘motorcycle parts’ I might be wanting a local shop to help me select and install parts, or I could be looking for an online store.  If your ad doesn’t tell me you’re local, I’m going to assume that you’re national and click or not click depending on what I need.  In this case, the local store would lose business to people needed someone local and would gain excess (untargeted) clicks from shoppers needing a national store.

Of course, if you have a national business that is commonly mistaken for something local, this will compound the problem.  For instance, if you offer national foreclosure listings, but people looking for help with their foreclosure commonly click your ads looking for assistance, adding a locality tagline will only increase the number of untargeted clicks.

I would definitely recommend taking a careful look at which keywords these pros and cons could affect before enabling a local search campaign.  Make sure you are using them wisely.