This week marked the beginning of Larry Page's rule over Google. Internet marketers have been pondering the future of Google under Page's reign, and early reports suggest the company is heading strong toward social search. The future of Google search along with discussions of developments in more traditional social media networks and ongoing conversations about the value of content marketing made up the trending internet marketing news for the week ending April 8.
As Brafton reported, Larry Page stepped into the role of Google CEO on Monday. Page's first day as the company's chief executive officer was also the day Google announced it is pursuing an aggressive patent portfolio to help it “maintain freedom to develop new products and services.” In light of last week's release of Google +1 (a social recommendation feature), many speculated that Page has new social products up his sleeve.
News that Page is using social product performance to determine employees' bonuses has further fueled ideas that Google will invigorate its move into the social market this year. As Brafton reported, a leaked memo reveals that Page told his staff, “we all have a stake in the success of this [social] effort.” Businesses might take this as confirmation of Matt Cutts' statement earlier this year that search marketers should boost social media marketing to enhance SEO.
While Page will likely take Google into the social realm, it's clear that the company is not losing its focus on local markets. Google announced a product search feature for Google Place Pages, enabling merchants who put their inventories online to attract nearby shoppers with real-time product information. The feature may also promote local ecommerce, which is expected to make gains this year.
As Brafton reported, ecommerce is expected to exceed $42 billion in Q2 2011, and eMarketer analysts expect that locally-oriented daily deal sites will play into this growth. (Notably, LivingSocial raised $400 million in funding this week, so brands may see new partnership opportunities from Groupon's leading competition soon.) Additionally, the research firm says social sites and mobile commerce will fuel 2011 ecommerce.
EMarketer's hint that mobile commerce will rise might inspire brands to boost their mobile web marketing campaigns. Whether or not engagement results in conversion, there is evidence to suggest mobile SEO reaches a growing audience. According to comScore's latest mobile market report, more than one-third of mobile users (38.4 percent) used a mobile browser in February 2011 – a 3.1 percent increase over November 2010.
Speaking of browsers, a recent report reveals that Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9 users are also avid Bing users. Bing usage is common among 22.9 percent of IE9 users, which may be worth noting because Internet Explorer is the most popular browser on the web.
Nonetheless, it might seem that Google is focusing less on Bing and more on Facebook as a potential market threat. In the past, Brafton has reported that the social site may be moving into the search market, and headlines this week reveal it is making headway in terms of ecommerce. Facebook executives told the New York Times that Likes are proven to translate into revenue for a number of businesses.
Marketers looking to boost their leads (and sales) on Facebook might want to consider the findings of a recent study that shows simpler posts increase engagement. This could be good insight for B2C and B2B marketers, but chances are B2B marketers are more focused on LinkedIn. As Brafton reported, a recent survey reveals that business-to-business brands are increasingly investing in social media, and LinkedIn is cited as the most important social platform.
The social media site that may have generated the most headlines this week is Twitter. As Brafton reported, the company updated its People search feature earlier this week in a manner that rewards Twitter SEO. When users type queries in Twitter, the site will offer People results based on both usernames and bios. The company is also expanding its emphasis on search with an updated homepage that promotes brand discovery based on people's interests.
Twitter also unveiled a new tool at this week's AdAge conference that might help marketers assess their ROI on Twitter marketing campaigns. The company confirmed its geotargeted Tweets and it is also offering a Follower Dashboard to marketers who work with Promoted Products. The Dashboard will help them monitor the growth of their followers as well understand engagement levels to plan appropriate Tweet content.
In addition to Tweet content, content marketing took its place in the online conversations this week. A Pew survey reveals the growing audience for online news content, which may inspire brands to adopt custom news marketing. This is something AOL seems to be doing at full speed – as Brafton reported the company announced it is building a full-time in-house newsroom, which marketers agree bodes well for the site's quality content.
A study reveals that creating quality content is one the leading concerns of content marketers. As Brafton reported, the top concerns are creating original content and finding the time to do so (perhaps suggesting its time for brands to outsource for unique, quality content).
Looking ahead to next week, we might expect more news about Google's move into the social market, as well as insight from ad:tech San Francisco as online marketers flock to the conference. (Brafton will be live reporting!) Internet marketers, stay tuned.
