Post Search Ads session at Search Engine Strategy San Jose.
Post Search Advertising ads are designed to tap the intent of the searcher and take advantage of that user’s needs somewhere else on the web. By tracking the searches users make, ads can then be served later in the Internet experience via targeting at the search engine level, other sites, buying search clicks one click after the user leaves the search.
Once the search is made the search engine can place a cookie or track via unique user id to retarget the advertisement. Kevin Lee of Did*It reviews the basics on post search behavioral advertising.
What are the major search companies doing with post search behavioral targeting?
- Google says that it does not perform these forms of targeting.
- Yahoo does via SmartAds and other behavioral advertising throughout their network.
- Microsoft is using adCenter and its new advertising suite via the aQuantive acquisition.
- AOL owns Tacoda behavioral advertising and Advertising.com.
Advertisements can be targeted to the post search user in both contextual advertisements or display, dependent upon the ad network.
How to get the post search user to convert?
- Different offer or price
- Different ad creative
- Different landing page
- They may be closer to the purchasing decision (research vs. buying)
One Click Away Post Search Ads
A lot of keywords may have publishers in the top results and not really the competitor. For example, if blogs or news sites are attracting visitors who make searches on keyterms you target, buy an ad on the site of that publisher.
This can be done via Google AdSense Site Targeting, Yahoo Publisher Network, sell advertising directly, AdBrite contextual advertising, Text Link Ads or other ways to buy advertising from these sites.
This way, the user searches for a keyterm, goes to a publisher site, then is served your ad. This is basic advertising strategy, but done with search in mind.
Tips for post search advertising : Keep these in mind.
- Think about the targeting parameters which go beyond the keyword.
- Geographic variables.
- Day parting factors.
Michael Benedek, AlmondNet discusses the post search advertisement opportunity. AlmondNet has been in existence since 1998 and owns four patents covering post search and owns the ‘Post Search’ trademark. AlmondNet targets ads to over 70 million US and UK based users.
Types of Behavioral Targeting:
- Advertiser Retargeting : Advertiser delivers targeted ads to users who visited their site then left. You need to find users again once they left your site.
- Inventory Extension Behavorial Targeting : Publisher with large salesforce and sold out inventory reaches their readers on other pages.
- Data Sharing : Publishers provide 3rd party access to readers by cookieing those users.
- Post Search : Ads served via purchase-intent data.
Users spend 5% of their Internet time ‘declaring’ their purchase intent via search : Post Search advertising gives advertisers the tool to communicate their message to that user later in their Internet experiece : the other 95% of the time.
Basic experience with post search behavioral ads:
- Click thru rates for behavioral targeted ads are more or less the same as untargeted ads
- Clicks from post search ads convert 5 to 10 times better than untargeted ad.
- Advertisers earn large profit with successful Post Search advertising.
- Search engine advertising is expensive, but untapped Post Search behavioral ads are not
- Maximizes overall ROI & CPM for publisher, ad network & advertiser
Difference Between Post Search & Contextual
- Purchase Intent vs. What a Person is Reading
- Person who types in “online brokerage account” vs. reading Wall Street Journal
Chris Boggs, who types must faster than I and keeps a charged batter on his laptop, has more coverage on this session at Search Engine Roundtable.
