enewton@brightedge.com

M Posted 8 years 8 months ago

t 9 min read

Google recently announced that their Instant Search feature will no longer function on desktop. Although Google Instant Search was lauded when it was first released, changes in consumer behavior have led the search engine giant to reconsider its value.

Google Instant search was first launched nearly a decade ago. Marissa Mayer, who led this development, described the new feature as a “fundamental shift in search.” The technology made many headlines as the digital world witnessed a new advancement in helping users get the information they desired even faster. According to Google, the Instant Search featured saved users between two and five seconds per search. Multiplied out over the billions of searches performed on Google per month, and it becomes clear why this technology was noteworthy. With Google Instant Search, as users began to type their questions and queries into the Google Search Bar, they would see the results of the suggested searches appear, allowing them to find the answers they sought without having to finish typing. Now, however, Google has decided that this feature no longer offers concrete value to users in the changing digital ecosystem. Here is what marketers should know about these developments.

Gain Search Insights With Instant

Why did Google decide to get rid of Google Instant Search?

How people use search continues to change rapidly. Mobile has outpaced desktop since 2015. Today, 71% of minutes spent online are on mobile devices in the United States, with Canada and the UK not far behind, at 62% and 61% respectively. This dramatic increase in mobile usage means that users employ different devices and input methods. Google Instant does not benefit these mobile users, and since they dominate the market, the feature itself has begun to quickly lose value. Google has said, however, that they still plan on trying to improve speed and the user experience across all devices. In a statement to Search Engine Land, Google said:

We launched Google Instant back in 2010 with the goal to provide users with the information they need as quickly as possible, even as they typed their searches on desktop devices. Since then, many more of our searches happen on mobile with very different input and interaction and screen constraints. With this in mind, we have decided to remove Google Instant, so we can focus on ways to make Search even faster and more fluid on all devices.

It is important to note that Google Instant Search is a separate feature from the search suggestions. As users type into the search bar, regardless of their device, they will still receive the suggestion query complete that they can then click on and receive their results. Unsure how much all the Google algorithm updates will impact you? See how worried you should be.

How will this impact searchers?

The impact on marketers and site owners will likely be minimal. Mobile devices did not use this feature. Since on-the-go users and mobile devices dominated search for the past few years, becoming 57% of traffic on the web in 2017, many people have become accustomed to not having it available. Search professionals should, however, pay close attention to Google’s statement, quoted above. Google said clearly that they intend to continue to find ways to make search a faster user experience for users across all devices. For marketers, optimizing sites for speed, including both mobile and desktop, will be the best course of action. Remember to avoid excessive cookies or images that might slow down your load time. For pages that would be applicable for AMP, you can consider marking up appropriately to make your site easily accessible for the mobile, on-the-go user.

Since the focus of Google’s impending efforts will be to create a smoother search experience, we also recommend that marketers pay close attention to opportunities on Google to present this rapid, helpful information. This means finding opportunities for Quick Answers and related rich snippets and structured data, like schema markup. Google continues to update the algorithm and the SERP to maximize the experience for the end user. Expect to see more advancements and greater pushes towards an improved site speed from Google as they move away from the old Instant Search feature to towards new technology. Site owners need to continue to focus on user experience, relevance, and on improving their site speed to succeed.

jcollins

M Posted 8 years 8 months ago

t 9 min read

What is Yelp and how does it work?

The popular review site, Yelp, allows customers to leave their impressions and experiences with various businesses, and with 73 million unique monthly visitors on mobile and 84 million unique monthly visitors on desktop, the potential impact of this site on consumer behavior is significant. Yelp has also risen in importance recently due to the recent increase in the use of voice search. The sales of voice-first devices, such as the Amazon Echo and Dot, as well as the Google Home, has risen exponentially. After selling only 1.7 million devices in 2015 and 6.5 million in 2016, the sale of these devices is expected to hit 24.5 million in 2017. Additionally, voice search tied with AI and machine learning as the search marketing trend marketers saw as "the next big thing" in our 2017 Future of SEO and Content Marketing Survey.

 Yelp, in particular, has become closely intertwined with Amazon’s Alexa, which uses it to provide users with information about local businesses. Through voice search, users can ask Alexa for information, like names and contact information for top-rated service providers in their area. On the app, they can then follow up on this query and receive even more information from Yelp, including the number of stars the business has. Are you ready for the voice-search tidal wave? With all these new uses for Yelp, brands must better understand how they can build a strong presence on the review platform. Creating a strong digital presence now means that brands cannot afford to neglect alternate vertical search engines, like Yelp, to increase their visibility for all prospects. Here's what you should know about Yelp for business and how you can use it to your advantage.

How do I succeed with Yelp for business?

You should create a business profile on Yelp so that you can actively engage with your customers on the platform. Fill out the profile completely so that customers can easily find your business. This includes checking your listed business hours and contact information. To make your profile as appealing as possible, you should also include high-quality images of your business. Find a few different ones that capture the tone and atmosphere you try to create at your organization. With your business profile, you will be able to engage with those providing the feedback. You can thank people for their feedback and let them know that you pay attention to what customers say and want to provide the optimal customer experience. This is the first step to successfully using Yelp for business.

How does the Yelp filter work?

For many businesses, Yelp’s filter, which decides which reviews are shown and which are not, can be a source of frustration - it can feel as though all the best reviews are swallowed by the filter. Keep in mind, however, that this filter isn't a garbage bin. Even if a review does not get displayed now, it can still reappear in the right situation.

As the business owner, you can look at the reviews to see which ones have been screened out. You can then decide if there are any that you would like to try and pull out of the filter. Most reviews caught in the filter do not appear on the business page because the user does not actively use the platform. Reaching out to reviewers, thanking them for their kind words, but letting them know that Yelp has filtered out their review because of their inactivity might encourage them to become more active on Yelp. You and others at your business may also be able to help this process by "friending" the reviewer and marking their reviews as helpful to encourage Yelp to display their reviews. Keep in mind that this process isn't a guarantee, but when it works, it can be beneficial for your brand’s reputation on the site and your use of Yelp for business.

How do I get customer reviews?

Yelp’s policies specifically forbid businesses from offering compensation for those leaving positive reviews, or for the removal of negative reviews. That doesn't mean, however, that you cannot tell satisfied customers that you are active on the platform and that you appreciate feedback. By working to provide the outstanding customer experience and then letting customers know that they can find you on Yelp, you can cultivate reviews from some of your best customers, boosting your ratings and your reputation.

What can I do with poor Yelp reviews?

Many brands think that when they receive a horrible review, they are effectively out of luck, but that doesn't have to be the case. While a negative review made on legitimate grounds is something you will have to live with, Yelp does have stringent content guidelines that reviewers must abide by on the site. Yelp can remove the reviews that violate these guidelines. 

As the business owner, you should familiarize yourself with these review guidelines. For example, reviews that represent a conflict of interest, such as one from an employee of a competitor, are not allowed. Reviews that do not stick to describing the customer experience, such as those that complain about employment processes or political ideologies, Yelp considers irrelevant and will remove as well. Feel free to contact the platform for reviews that might cross these boundaries and ask Yelp to take a look at the content. The removal of a few of your worst, unfounded reviews can be a great help to your star rating and your ranking, boosting your opportunities to use Yelp for business. It's important to note that this technique will only work for reviews that go against the spirit of what a Yelp review is supposed to be. As mentioned above, a negative review that's legitimate will stay on the site.

The local SEO opportunity is huge: a Yelp case study on local search Yelp has served as a prominent review site and an important part of local SEO for several years as customers appreciate the insight and value the opinions of past customers. With the rise of voice search, however, and Amazon’s Alexa incorporating this search vertical into their processing of queries about local businesses, brands need to pay even closer attention to their reputation on the site. Learn more about VSO or Vertical Search Optimization.

enewton@brightedge.com

M Posted 8 years 8 months ago

t 9 min read

Cash and currency has progressed from precious metal to paper money to plastic and now to binary. According to the World Payments Report, mobile payments have been rapidly increasing, growing by over 100% and reaching an estimated $55B in 2017. E-payments and non-banks also continue to see tremendous growth as customers begin to look outside traditional payment options in the increasingly diverse and digital marketplace. Credit cards make up the vast majority of the nearly $2 trillion in worldwide payments, but the next generation of payment methods are massing on their borders to try to disrupt the purchase behavior and take some of the fees that come from that huge volume. Here are some of the most popular and used that have come to represent what online payment systems are capable of for today’s customers.

PayPal

PayPal remains the most well-known online payment systems after credit cards. It has both personal and business accounts available for users. The accounts are linked to email addresses. The platform can be accessed from a variety of different devices, including mobile devices. In 2017 PayPal processes nearly 19 million payments per day and has 185 million active user accounts worldwide and processes about $400 billion per year. Customers can be paid in more than 100 currencies while also being able to withdraw funds in more than 57 currencies. Balances can also be held in 26 currencies, making it an incredible asset for those who work internationally.

PayPal personal accounts do not charge fees for those who want to use the platform to hold a balance, receive money from other users or pay for items. It does, however, charge fees for those who send or receive payments using credit or debit cards or if you use their request payment features. There are also fees if you receive payments for goods or services. Other fees may also apply to business accounts or for international transactions. The Venmo app grew exponentially in its first two years and was bought by Paypal in 2016. It processed $17.6 billion in transactions in 2016 and $6.8 billion in transactions in Q1 of 2017, which more than doubled its volume in Q1 of 2016. It is extremely popular with millennials to transfer money between people, but used by very few online retailers or providers.

Apple Pay

Apple has designed Apple Pay to make payments easy for those who use a variety of different Apple products, including the iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad. The Apple Pay system is accepted at hundreds of thousands of stores and apps according to Apple.com. Apple does not release specific numbers, but CEO Tim Cook noted triple-digit user growth in Q1 of 2017 and billions of transactions, which probably includes a significant portion of small-transaction iTunes payments. The technology allows customers to securely pay using their phones. The Apple device will simply be held near the contactless reader, which will then wake up the device and bring up the default credit card. The user will then put their finger on the Touch ID and move the iPhone to the reader. With the latest iPhone 6, users do not even need to wake up the phone, they will just put their finger on the Touch ID and the phone will vibrate and beep to let them know the payment was processed.

Chase QuickPay

Chase QuickPay has established an online payment system that allows its customers to send and receive money free of charge, requiring only that one person in the transaction has a Chase checking account. You will have to establish a Chase profile and enroll in QuickPay. Users can easily access the platform and their money through the mobile app or online. You can send money to nearly anyone with a U.S. bank account provided you have the email address or mobile number of the person you are paying. Money Magazine voted QuickPay the Best Mobile App in November 2013. There are limits on the amount that can be transferred each day. You can transfer up to $2,000 per day from External Accounts or consumer Chase checking accounts and $5,000 per day for business accounts from all combined accounts.

Wells Fargo SurePay

Wells Fargo SurePay is similar to the Chase QuickPay service. It allows you to send money to nearly anyone with a U.S. bank account using a smartphone, tablet, or computer. Users need to just sign on to wellsfargo.com or use their Mobile Banking app. Money that is being transferred to another Wells Fargo customer can be received in as little as one calendar day while transfers to accounts at other financial institutions can take up to two business days.

Snapchat's Snapcash

Snapchat announced towards the end of 2014 that they had created a new feature that would allow users to send money and payments to other Snapchat users. The payment process was established through Square, which runs its own payment processing services, Square Cash. On Snapchat the service is available to those who are at least 18 years old. Snapchat is well known for its privacy - as the videos and images that users send each other disappear after just a few moments. Similarly, the payment features will not be storing users’ financial information. Users will actually be required to make profiles on Square Cash, but they can then use Snapchat to enter dollar amounts and recipients. The recipient then receives a green payment button that allows them to accept the payment.

BitCoin and Cryptocurrencies

Bitcoin is the first implementation of a concept called "cryptocurrency," a new form of money that uses cryptography to control its creation and transactions, rather than a central authority, like a national bank or national treasury. The creators intended to liberate the digital economy from the traditional economy. Bitcoin payments are made by transferring from one Bitcoin wallet to another without any bank involvement. In August 2017 Bitcoin reached a high value of $4400 USD to one Bitcoin with a total capitalization of $72B. Because it is unregistered and untraceable it started out as the currency of choice for transactions of dubious legality carried out on the Darknet, or Deep Web, which is an encrypted layered network accessed by a special browser that passes data through multiple computers around the world to anonymize the end points. It is now accepted at more than 100 stores and sites, including some recognizable names.

Bitcoin has matured and spawned a vibrant market for dozens of other cryptocurrencies, the next 2 largest of which are Etherum and Litecoin, which both have market caps in the billions of dollars. The new currency have formed a highly speculative Initial Coin Offering (ICO) market where people try to get in early at the issue price for quick returns. In addition to the cryptocurrencies, the entire gift card industry allows stores to essentially make and distribute their own currencies. This established payment system has been around for a little more than 20 years. 20 years from now, cryptocurrencies will be as commonplace as gift cards. Online payment system providers make money on transaction fees and they make interest on the funds they hold during the settlement periods. Winning will require convenient, reliable, trustworthy systems and a marketing and distribution function that wins over enough consumers to incentivize merchants to sign up to accept their innovative new way to pay. The landscape is likely to be populated with both financial upstarts and financial stalwarts vying for the billions of dollars in fees the space provides.