People really love being entertained, especially when it gets warmer. During this time they like to have fun and go to shows in their local areas. If they are well informed then 30% are likely to buy tickets for events. 46% of filmgoers usually research films online before buying tickets. Amongst those 60% of researchers will by their event tickets in this manner.
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In response to slow loading webpages that cause mobile phone users to abandon viewing them before they load in, Google is about to show Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMPs) on its Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
These AMPs will crucially be shown on the first page of Google search results and they will replace the listing of both desktop and mobile friendly pages, when an AMP exists.
Previously, Google has displayed AMPs in the ‘Top stories’ section in Google Search Results viewed on a mobile phone. But now, non-news website owners will have the opportunity to show their AMPs in Google’s search results.
AMPs are light versions of a webpages and they load almost instantaneously. Elements that usually cause slow page loading are stripped away, including slow loading ads, cookies and third party JavaScript.
In general, AMPs have had a positive reception from both users and site owners, due to the faster and more streamlined experience they offer on mobile devices.
Google has stated that there will be no additional ranking boost given to AMPs, other than the ranking boosts that mobile friendly pages already receive. If an AMP webpage exists, this will now appear in Google search results instead of the mobile friendly or desktop webpages.
Websites that do not have AMPs will not see a ranking change, while websites that do have AMPs will see this page ranked based upon the desktop version of the page. This does however mean that a desktop site with issues such as slow loading pages, will directly affect the ranking of the AMPs.
AMPs are highlighted on the results page with an AMP tag and a lightening bolt icon. For the moment, businesses should not drop their mobile friendly and desktop sites, as these are used for ranking and can contain important resources that an AMP cannot.
Certain types of searchers will undoubtedly gravitate towards AMPs. This could be for their loading speed when a slow connection exists, when data usage is limited or simply for a better experience of a site that is ad heavy.
For businesses that generate revenue through ads, AMPs already support ad networks, such as AdSense, OpenX and DoubleClick. AMPs can also be shared socially by adding the tag, which generates share buttons for Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest.
AMPs are already visible in Google Analytics. Sites using WordPress or Joomla can use a plug-in to convert pages into the AMP format. AMPs can be created one page at a time and to give businesses the chance to do this, Google will not begin to show AMPs in SERPs until later this year, although a specific date is yet to be announced.
Today it is possible to view AMPs in search results by visiting g.co/ampdemo on a mobile phone.
There are now 650,000 domains creating AMPs and 4 million AMPs are indexed by Google every week.
If you need help with your AMPs then Odyssey New Media can provide a whole range of AMP services. Contact Odyssey New Media for help at info@odysseynewmedia.com or call us on 0844 500 6911.
Beacons and proximity marketing behaviours are about to change SEO over the next 12 to 24 months, making it essential for retailers and businesses to adopt this emerging technology.
Here we take a look at how beacons will play a role in digital marketing and how search engines may rank local search queries, through the data provided by beacons.
Beacons are small Bluetooth (BLE 4.0) signal transmitters with a localised range. They can recognise when a smartphone is nearby and are designed to allow retailers or businesses to communicate with shoppers or clients.
Deployed in-store or in-reception for businesses, beacons use push notifications to show nearby clients ads, discounts, promotions or any other message that the business may wish to share.
Android and Apple iOS smartphones have had Bluetooth BLE 4.0 built in since 2013, and dual-mode beacons can now simultaneously transmit data to these devices.
The beacons themselves, are managed via a beacon management system, which allows the control staff to customise notifications, the proximity to which a push notification will be issued and the timing to deliver that content.
The latest beacons have Wi-Fi, giving a secondary communication method to interact with clients, while making beacons IoT devices (Internet of Things).
Next, we take a look at how beacons can and will be used to affect search engine rankings and provide more specific digital marketing messages..
A client or consumer’s previous search engine queries could be identified by a beacon and this information could be used to push more relevant information to the client, who is using a smartphone or tablet.
For example, if the device owner has searched for a specific brand or product previously, then the beacon could push a notification or advert to the device owner about that brand or product.
Google could collect beacon data, either directly from the beacon or the consumers device, including the exact location, foot traffic and interactions, and use this information as a ranking factor for local internet search results.
This beacon data could be added to the already strongly influenced Google local search results, which are ranked upon where the person is and what is around them. Beacon data could affect search engine results in real-time.
Beacons could also in the future, use Facebook data to see what friends have liked and use this information. For example, if a smartphone user walks into a store, the beacon could know that their spouse has recently liked a product or brand and push a tailored ad based on that information.
Beacons can also simply be used to collect data on who has been where, without at that time pushing a notification or ad to that person. Digital marketers and search engines could then use this data to target specific marketing to them, at a later time or even on another device.
Digital marketing consultants could use footfall and proximity data to develop SEO strategies based upon the in-store products or displays that attracted clients attention the most.
The way in which beacon data is used and its role in SEO is set to become more influential in the near future. However, beacon technology already exists and software updates will be used to tap into their potential.
Therefore, new beacons will not necessarily need to be deployed to take advantage of what is likely to be ongoing evolution.
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