Pay Per Click Search Marketing Insights

For this paid search session, the best nuggets come in the form of data points from Hitwise’s Bill Tancer.

He started by reviewing findings from its white paper released earlier this year. He said that more than 75% of top 100 search terms driving traffic to all sites are brand or navigational. Bands that are proactively monitoring their brand in search receive upward of 85% of traffic from brands.

He used an example of prom dresses. Searches for prom dresses spike in January, but store sales for dresses spike in March and April. It turns out the spike can be attributed to teen magazines releasing their prom dress fashion guides in January. Searches on prom dress brands then spike later, in March and April.

“When you aren’t aware of [these trends], it creates inefficiencies in the market,” he said.

As for bidding on brand terms, Tancer gave a ringing endorsement. “Always buy your brand in sponsored listings campaigns,” he said, while noting to always pay attention to the copy, as it can be a great way to control and reinforce your brand’s message.