Will Advertisers EVER Get It?
If you knew users are searching for you, should you make an effort to help them find you?
It just occur to me we’re light years away from mainstream to remotely get internet traffic. I wrote few times in the past about how we think, from generic terms to specifics .
Few minutes ago I visited again Google and typed a number of generic/descriptive terms, terms which apply to many companies. Let’s take few for example here: McDonald - One paid result by YellowPages.com.
Fleming - No paid results
Global - One irrelevant paid result
ABC - One irrelevant paid result
A1 - No paid results
Now you probably thinking to yourself something along the lines of “These are very generic/descriptive/wide search terms!” and you are absolutely right. They are also being searched more than specifics. Why? Because the way we think! . In short, many are typing these search terms looking for specifics but remembering generics. So why is this of any importance? Because if businesses got it they would try their best to filter the traffic somehow. For example, on a search for “A1″ a business with a similar name can (and should!) advertise their business in paid results, clearly indicating what he does, hence filtering traffic.
I’m looking at many of these search terms and just wonder to myself, will they ever get it? It is as clear as daylight to me we’re very far from where we all want to be. Now we can all look at this and say “small businesses. They will get it later” but truth is, I’m referring to major businesses as well, many who simply do not target generic and descriptive search terms not understanding that much of that traffic is actually looking for them, whether they like it or not.
Source: Posted on TheConceptualist by Sahar Sarid -- Reprinted with permission -- July 19, 2008
It just occur to me we’re light years away from mainstream to remotely get internet traffic. I wrote few times in the past about how we think, from generic terms to specifics .
Few minutes ago I visited again Google and typed a number of generic/descriptive terms, terms which apply to many companies. Let’s take few for example here: McDonald - One paid result by YellowPages.com.
Fleming - No paid results
Global - One irrelevant paid result
ABC - One irrelevant paid result
A1 - No paid results
Now you probably thinking to yourself something along the lines of “These are very generic/descriptive/wide search terms!” and you are absolutely right. They are also being searched more than specifics. Why? Because the way we think! . In short, many are typing these search terms looking for specifics but remembering generics. So why is this of any importance? Because if businesses got it they would try their best to filter the traffic somehow. For example, on a search for “A1″ a business with a similar name can (and should!) advertise their business in paid results, clearly indicating what he does, hence filtering traffic.
I’m looking at many of these search terms and just wonder to myself, will they ever get it? It is as clear as daylight to me we’re very far from where we all want to be. Now we can all look at this and say “small businesses. They will get it later” but truth is, I’m referring to major businesses as well, many who simply do not target generic and descriptive search terms not understanding that much of that traffic is actually looking for them, whether they like it or not.
Source: Posted on TheConceptualist by Sahar Sarid -- Reprinted with permission -- July 19, 2008