This blog is being replaced!

Thanks to everyone who has been a loyal reader of this blog over the past year and a half. We've decided to replace this blog by launching a new retail blog which includes a range of topics relating to the retail industry and not just AdWords related news. Go ahead and check out the new Google Retail UK Blog where you can subscribe and give feedback. We will post to it regularly with news, insights and opinion relating to the retail industry as well as tips on making the most out of our tools. Here is a list of blogs that you might find interesting:

• Google Retail UK Blog - the new blog replacing this one with news, insights and opinion relating to the retail industry (also follow us on Twitter!)
• Inside AdWords - the official Google blog with news and information on Google AdWords
• Google Barometer Blog - recently launched, this blog focuses on UK insights, tips and tools for planning marketing campaigns
• Conversion Room - tips on tracking and improving conversions online

We hope you'll find some of the above blogs useful. Thanks for your time.

Visit the new Google Retail UK blog!

Posted by Dom Elliott, Product Marketing Team

Wednesday, 17 June 2009 at 09:07

Valentines Day 09 – Use AdWords to Shape your Marketing Strategy

Tips for maximising on Valentine’s day traffic

· Target key age and gender demographics with unique Valentine’s Day ad texts, keywords & landing pages

· Launch your campaigns early to meet increased search traffic by mid-January and don’t forget the last minute shoppers.

· Add both branded & non-branded keywords.

· Use Google insights for search to investigate your own product categories to see what searchers are interested in

· Expand keyword lists using the Search-Based Keyword Tool

· Use the Google Content Network to reach your target demographic and complement your search campaigns

· Consider placing your Content ads on complementary sites; remember to target gifts for women on men’s sites and vice versa

· Use Display Ad Builder to easily create image ads

· Set appropriate CPCs and competitive budgets to anticipate increased traffic

Posted by Arlene Helbert - AdWords Optimisation Specialist

Thursday, 22 January 2009 at 08:18

The New Year starts early for online shoppers in the days following Christmas

The December shopping peak continues and increases after Christmas

UK shoppers aren’t prepared to wait until the New Year’s January Sales to start

spending again.

Research shows that search activity on apparel jumps in the days immediately after

Christmas, as shoppers head online to search for early bargains in the sales and to

look for accessories for gifts which they received.

Make sure you don’t miss out on the opportunity to finish 2008 and start 2009 on a positive note.

Our advice

• Make sure your campaigns stay active.

• Consider raising your budgets or CPCs to ensure you have enough exposure

for this increased demand.

• Set up special ad texts for the time period – for example, calling out any

special offers you might have at this time.

Find out more

For more advice and information, remember you can always visit the AdWords Help

Center at http://adwords.google.co.uk/support/

Posted by Arlene Helbert - Optimisation Specialist

Friday, 2 January 2009 at 02:47

Christmas 2008 – Getting the Most from AdWords

Ensure your Campaigns are fully optimised:

-Plan ahead & allocate sufficient budget to capture the sudden increase in traffic.

-Ensure all your products are covered to capture maximum traffic.

-Be prepared to increase maximum CPCs at a time of increased auction intensity.

-Have seasonal keywords & ad texts ready.

-Ensure your activity continues through to January as searches continue well into the New Year. Have ad text & keywords to promote January sales & offers prepared & ready to go live.

-Use both search & content for maximum effect.

________________________________________________________________________

Christmas Content Campaigns:

Start Early: Ensure content campaigns are running well before Christmas to capture the attention of consumers browsing their favorite sites.

Build Ad Group Themes: Build content campaigns with general keywords. Form a theme & combine synonyms & product ranges.

Direct, Complimentary & Audience Ad Groups: Create tightly themed ad groups. Think of the types of sites where you’d like your ads to appear, for example targeting those looking for the specific product you sell such as ‘flowers’, the audience that will be looking for ‘flowers’ i.e. boyfriends as well as complementary websites related to your product for example ‘chocolate’ & ‘gift sites’.

Include Seasonal Ad text: Remember to include Christmas specific ad text, special offers & delivery times & to test out different variations of your ad text.

Use Images: Images are a powerful way of reaching & interacting with users especially for products with a visual unique selling proposition, for example luxury goods.

Ad Formats: Use Google’s different as formats (image, Gadget Ads) to connect with different types of consumers in different ways.

______________________________________________________________________

Check out older posts on this blog for more Christmas optimization tips!

Posted by Arlene Helbert - AdWords Optimisation Specialist

Monday, 15 December 2008 at 02:51

Halloween 2008 – Optimisation Tips

Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble……..

Halloween is now the third most lucrative trading period after Christmas & Easter & ahead of Bonfire Night & Valentines Day, so it’s well worth ensuring your campaigns are fully optimised to get the most from this valuable traffic season.

Be Creative: Halloween is about more than just fancy dress, parties for adults & kids means an increase in searches for alcohol, food, games & decorations. Think about whether something from your product line may fit into Halloween celebrations.

Start Early: We have seen that Halloween preparations starts earlier and earlier every year. Ensure your Campaigns are ready to go and budgets are tuned to capture the early traffic.

Leave Hide & Seek to the Kids: Let searchers know that you stock Halloween merchandise by including it in you Ad Text. Ensure you link directly to the page that sells your merchandise and include any important details such as last delivery times/ free delivery in your Ad Text.

Targeting: Halloween is even more of a traditional event in Ireland than in the UK, so it’s worth ensuring your ads are targeted to Ireland as well as the UK if you can deliver there. As the market is less saturated than the UK it is likely that your keywords well cost you less as well as help you reach a wider targeted audience.

Keyword Coverage: Ensure you have comprehensive keyword coverage to capture all relevant traffic. Use our keyword tool for relevant keywords & include all plurals & variations. Consider having a separate Halloween Campaign if you have a large range of products.

Use Negatives: Run Search Query Performances Reports to find negatives keywords to prevent your Ad from showing to irrelevant audiences. For example if you only sell Fancy Dress, ensure you add negative keywords like decorations and games.

Happy Halloween from Google!

Posted by Arlene Helbert - AdWords Optimisation Specialist

Monday, 20 October 2008 at 03:58

Back to School – Get an A+ This Year.

Make the most of the ‘Back to School’ seasonal traffic peak.

'Back to School' is the second highest traffic season within retail after Christmas so it's well worth taking advantage of this & ensuring that your campaigns are fully optimized to capture this valuable traffic.

The ‘Back to School’ season spans almost 3 full months from July to September & unlike other holidays with specific dates & deadlines for shipping cutoffs, Back-to-School is a period of time with no specific end date. It is also a season with multiple different targets from the influencers such as teens & kids, to the decision makers such as Mums & college students.

-Build a campaign strategy that speaks both to the decision makers as well as the students themselves.

Think who are the most likely users of the products you sell? Primary school children vs. high school students vs. college students.

Use your AdWords ad to influence Mums by including special Back to School offers & discounts in your ad text. Use call to action phrases such as ‘Buy Online’, or ‘Buy Now’. Highlight your extensive range & fast delivery times. Use terms such as ‘Quality’, ‘Affordable’, ‘Built to Last’ & ‘Personalised’ to set your product apart from your competitors & attract clicks.

Influence students with attention grabbing phrases such as ‘Student Savings on PC’s’ or ‘10% Student Discount’. Create content campaigns to capture students as they browse online. Content campaigns will place your ad on social networking sites, online music & book stores & many more, building strong awareness of your search campaign among your target audience.

Kids & Tweens are key influencers too. From backpacks to shoes parents often let their children decide which specific items to purchase. Use your AdWords ad to influence this market by highlighting big name brands across footwear, sports apperal & backpacks.

-Include Back-to-School specific keywords.

Run on Back-to-School specific terms such as ‘Back-to-School Clothing’, ‘Back-to-School Supplies’, ‘Back-to-School Bargains’. If you don’t want to create a whole new campaign, simply include some ‘Back-to-School’ keywords in your current campaigns to capture this valuable traffic.

-Get creative with ad text.

Use your AdWords ad to capture this valuable peak in online shopping with attention grabbing statements such as ‘Get All You Need for Back-To-School’, ‘Huge Range of Back-to-School Brands’. Test out creative ad texts by including statement phrases such as ‘Be Top of The Class’ or ‘Get an A+ This Year’.

If you have physical stores, supplementing your online marketing efforts with offline campaigns such as audio and print can also be highly effective.

Posted by Arlene Helbert - AdWords Optimisation Specialist Google

Thursday, 7 August 2008 at 05:49

Maximising Father’s Day Opportunities

Make the most of ‘Father’s Day’ seasonal traffic peaks

June 15th is Father’s Day, a day to celebrate not only Dads but all men who have acted as father figures in our lives, whether as Stepfathers, Uncles, Grandfathers or “Big Brothers.”

Shoppers in the UK plan further ahead for Father’s Day than other occasions such as Valentine's or Mother’s Day. Capture this valuable surge in online spending by ensuring your campaigns are fully optimised. You may also wish to create a specific Father’s Day campaign or create a site targeted campaign to directly target this seasonal traffic.

-Build a campaign strategy that speaks both to the gift buyers as well as the Dads themselves.

Many Dads will receive gifts that they have asked for directly or hinted at & many will receive gift cards to spend as they please. Use your AdWords ad to influence the gift receivers by including special Father’s Day offers & discounts in your ad text. Use call to action phrases such as ‘Buy Online’, ‘Buy Now’ or ‘View Our Range’.

Target gift givers by highlighting your product or service & who it might be geared to. What kind of dad is he? A gadget-lover? An outdoorsman? A sports enthusiast? Use affinities that describe dad for the products you carry.

-Create ad text that sets you apart from your competitors.

Use price points (Gifts under £X) in your ad text to attract online shoppers. Test out attention grabbing statements such as ‘Find the Perfect Gift’ or ‘Ideal Gifts for Father’s Day. Take advantage of our ad text bolding feature by including your keyword in the title of your ad. Ensure special offers promoted in your AdWords ad are clear & prominent on your landing page. It is also a good idea to make it easier to shop by directing users to suggested items that make great gifts for Dad.

- Include seasonal specific keywords.

Run on Father’s Day specific keywords such as ‘Father’s Day Gifts’ or ‘Presents for Dad’ in your campaigns. Also include other relevant Father’s Day targets with keywords such as ‘Gifts for Grandfather’, ‘Godfather Presents’ or ‘Childs Fathers Day Gift’.

- Run Content Campaigns with Father’s Day terms.

Father’s Day related search terms can be expensive. Running these seasonal terms in a content campaign can be a cost-effective way to drive traffic. Content campaigns are also a great way to target users who are researching gift ideas.

- Consider a last minute push before Father’s Day.

Highlight fast and efficient delivery. Target last minute shoppers hoping to avoid queues by including guarantees of fast, efficient delivery such as 'Free Delivery', 'Next Day Delivery', '24hr Delivery' or 'Guaranteed Delivery Time'.

Convey urgency – Remind shoppers there is still time to get the perfect Father’s Day gift.

If you have physical stores, supplementing online marketing efforts with offline campaigns such as audio and print can also be highly effective.

“Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope”. ~ Bill Cosby

Posted by Arlene Helbert - Agency, Google UK & Irl

Thursday, 8 May 2008 at 07:00

Google Optimization Tip: Bank Holidays

Google Optimization Tip: Bank Holidays

During Bank Holidays (especially wet ones!) we often see an increase in traffic in certain sub-categories. It is important that retailers are aware of these opportunities, and can maximize on the increased traffic effectively and in good time.

The March bank holidays kick off the unofficial Home Improvement Season, with popular products being: gardening equipment, sheds, conservatories, greenhouses, DIY tools and equipment.

Of course, in the Summer Bank Holidays, you'd need to add BBQs, outdoor furniture/toys (trampolines, bat-and-ball games, etc.), paddling pools, as people choose to spend more time outside. Camping equipment, trekking kit and sports clothing and equipment are also popular items from the May Bank Holiday onwards. Indeed, all Spring/Summer clothing ranges should be optimised in line with the ever-changing weather conditions. Important sub-categories are swimwear and holiday accessories.



How to Prepare:

• Make sure your customers can find you: ensure fall relevant products are represented in the keyword list
• Expand your keyword list: for maximum ROI, invest in the long-tail traffic as well as the generic terms. For example, if you sell "power tools", make sure you also list other distinguishing factors of your product: Brand? Colour? Power capacity? As always, ad group these separately with unique, targeted ads.
• Ensure offline messaging is replicated online: repeat catchy slogans, re-iterate offers.
• Click and Collect? Many customers are able to buy online and pick up in-store on their day off.
• Cheap or free delivery, as always, is popular with Bank Holiday shoppers.
• Open up budgets and monitor them! Create a Bank Holiday campaign if necessary, to manage budgets separately.
• Look at last year's performance and be strategic about how you spend. Consider ad-scheduling on some products if you saw peaks and troughs last year.
• Which Bank Holiday? If there is a national event or festival taking place, think about what your customer may be searching for at that special occasion (e.g. flowers, gifts, chocolate at Easter; Christmas entertainment vouchers, fitness equipment for New Year’s resolutions!)
• Beware the weather! If it's a sunny weekend, expect lower traffic

2008 England & Wales Bank Holidays:

New Year's Day	1 Jan
Good Friday	21 Mar
Easter Monday	24 Mar
Early May Bank Holiday	5 May
Spring Bank Holiday	26 May
Summer Bank Holiday	25 Aug
Christmas Day	25 Dec
Boxing Day	26 Dec

Posted by Emily Whitchurch - Google Retail Team, UK

Tuesday, 4 March 2008 at 07:49

Valentine's Day - Ads

It is important to separate your keywords into specific ad groups tailored to different Valentine customers. Things to consider are:

• Men: Create specific ads for male customers, stressing the ease and speed with which they can shop. If you sell lingerie and provide easy sizing guides or tips, make this known within your ad copy. Lingerie sales are expected to be down this year, in part due to falling prices but perhaps also because of the potential "risk" of the purchase. Overall, make it as easy as possible for men to get it right!
  
• Women: Popular presents could include accessories (wallets, scarves, cuff links), underwear and jewellery. In the main, women are less last-minute, so a good returns policy or delivery deal may be more appealing.
• Last-Minute Shoppers: If you have next-day delivery, make sure this is prominently displayed in the ad. If delivery is free, make it even more pronounced, and if you are able to deliver to multiple addresses (e.g. home or office), make this known too. Include last delivery dates in your ad, and reassure the customer that you will deliver by 14th, if you are able to. Other reassuring messages can help customers find you more easily (e.g. "Forgotten Valentine's Day? / Don't Worry! 100s of gift ideas online")
• Flowers: Special deals, delivery discounts and flexibility are often the most important part of any ad, but it's worth also mentioning the quality and freshness of flowers, as well as range. Make sure your rose keywords are in a separate ad group, with highly tailored ads (trial at least three), and if you have any special deals (e.g. "Spend £30 - free chocolates"), these must be mentioned. It seems obvious, but the facility to write a "personalised message" with your flowers may also appeal.
  
• Manage Budgets Effectively: Use last year's results and industry predictions to estimate peak buying times for your products. Ad-scheduling could help you fine-tune efficiency levels and help you deal most effectively with seasonal hikes in traffic. Last year, for example, searches for "flowers" on Google started to rise dramatically on 11th February, peaking on 12th, but not really tailing off until the end of the day on 14th http://www.google.com/trends?q=flowers&ctab=0&geo=GB&date=2007&sort=0) Finally, separate high-performing keywords into tailored ad groups and manage this budget separately.
  

Posted by Emily Whitchurch – Retail, Google UK

Monday, 14 January 2008 at 07:58

Valentine's Day - Keywords

Valentine's Day 2007 was estimated to be worth £1.3bn to retailers, with shoppers spending an average of £95.80 (British Retail Consortium Feb 2007). Preparation for this event should begin as early as possible. The key products for retailers during this period are:

• Flowers - If you sell flowers, be sure your keyword coverage is as comprehensive as possible, prioritising the most popular products. It would be a good idea to manage your budget for each bouquet differently, and consider writing tailored ads for best-performing bouquets.
• Chocolates - Last year, 43 per cent of people bought chocolates as presents (Retail Week, Feb 2007), possibly alongside flowers or other seasonal gifts, or as part of a special offer. Other confectionery goods such as truffles, luxury chocolates & Valentine-specific candies (e.g. chocolate hearts) are all worth double-checking on your keyword inventory and expanding upon if neccessary.
• Jewellery - Ensure good coverage on last year's best sellers, as well as any new items for 2008. Predictably, pendants, lockets, and engagement rings are going to be popular, so expand on these ad groups within your campaign, write compelling ads, & make sure you monitor your bids closely.
• Miscellaneous - Other gifts to consider are lingerie, cuddly toys, Valentine's cards and Ecards. Also popular are "experience" gifts and accessories. Remember more generic searches ("valentine's gift", "quick valentine's ideas", etc.) and don't forget to add negative keywords ("anti-valentine's", "valentine's day massacre", as well as "lyrics", "poems", etc. if you do not stock these products).

Posted by Emily Whitchurch – Retail, Google UK

Online / Offline:

Posted by Emily Whitchurch

Are you planning a sale or promotion offline? Do you have a big TV branding campaign ready to launch?

Make sure you are equally as prepared online. Add catchy slogans or jingles from radio or TV campaigns to your online branding campaign. Maybe even create new ads that mimic the language and offers you are pushing offline. Make sure that there is continuity between the two; make the most of your offline efforts by supporting them online.

Wednesday, 14 November 2007 at 03:22

Get Creative With Keywords

Posted by Emily Whitchurch

Remember that when users search for your products, they search in a variety of ways.

If you're selling hats, it's important to think about more than just the generic "hats", "cheap hats" keywords, which will also be highly competetive. Think about:

• types of hats ("bowler", "beret", "beanie", etc.),
• brands of hats ("nike", "burberry", etc.),
  
• Occasions when hats may be worn ("wedding hat", "prom hat", etc.),
  
• colours and fabric of hats ("red hat", "black hat", "wool hat", "felt hat"),
  
• and -of course- combinations of the above.
  

Although traffic for these longtail keywords is likely to be low, it is likely to be higher converting, and CPCs could be less competitive.

Welcome to Optimisation tips for Retailers!

Posted by Emily Whitchurch

It’s that time of year again & to get the season of good will off to an exciting start, we are delighted to announce our gift to you.

The launch of the AdWords iGoogle Retail Tips. If you are an online marketer, a media agency or simply want to learn more about successful AdWords marketing specifically for the UK Retail industry, then this is the place for you.

We aim to provide professionals & marketers like you with an additional resource to support you in getting the very most from your AdWords account. These feeds will be updated regularly by some of our most experienced AdWords professionals with insider account management tips & tricks, as well as notice of important upcoming events. And with the holiday season already fast approaching, we aim to include:

* Seasonal specific optimization tips & tricks
* Tips for maximizing your ROI
* General a/c management tips & best practices
* Industry events & much more.

We hope you enjoy! You may also wish avail of further AdWords support available in our Help Centre at:

https://adwords.google.com/support/

Sincerely,
The Google AdWords Retail team

“Whoever said money can’t buy happiness simply didn’t know where to go shopping” Bo Derek (1956)

Tuesday, 13 November 2007 at 10:34

Maximize your landing page for a better ROI

Posted by Emily Whitchurch

A visitor to your landing page decides whether or not to stay within 8 seconds and as many as 50% of users will leave your page after just one glance. Increase landing page conversion rates by incorporating our LPO best practices:

1. Make a lasting first impression

-Avoid using home pages or all-inclusive, multipurpose landing pages. Create a specific landing page for every ad and paid search term, this will help the user find what they are looking quickly.
- Avoid a cluttered design. Google users in particular prefer a clean design where they can immediately find what they want.

- Include important information above the fold. A users eye is first drawn to the top left hand side of the page. Users will not necessarily read text thoroughly or sequentially, therefore the first two paragraphs must state the most important information.
-Include confidence messaging. Allay visitor’s fears at a glance by including information such as online security, a price promise or customer reviews on your landing page.
-Ensure special offers promoted in your AdWords ad are clear & prominent on the page.

2. Use effective visuals

-Use pictures to sell your product. Difference locations, angles, & detail shots of your product can be incredibly persuasive. Make sure that pictures make sense & are clickable as users like to click on product pictures for a more detailed view.
- Use effective background & text colours. Using dark background colours can have a negative impact on your conversions. Using clear bright colours can help promote a sense of trust & encourages users to stay on your page.

3. Ensure your shopping cart process is clear & easy to use.

- Don’t require registration to check out. Not only is it time consuming for a user but it also forces them to commit to a relationship before they have gone through the buying process.

- Use big bold easy to find ‘buy now’ buttons. Users immediately know where to go next. Hiding ‘buy now’ buttons or making them too small can make it difficult for people to shop effectively.

- Always use Progress Indicators. They immediately let people know how long the process is going to take and will keep users from bailing prematurely.

4. Use Google Analytics to track your website.

- Google Analytics can show you where people are clicking & how they expect the website to work. Are people clicking on words or images that aren’t hotlinks? Maybe they want to know more but can’t get it. You can also learn scrolling behavior & the last field a user interacted with before leaving your page.

Tuesday, 9 October 2007 at 01:38