Mobile App Install Screen

Google to punish sites with mobile app nag screens

Good news! Google is fighting the good fight, taking on websites that turn up their nose at good user experience.

If you’ve ever tapped on a search result on your phone only to see a giant ad imploring you to install the site’s app, you know how annoying that can be. Google realizes that too, thanks to its own internal study that showed users often don’t click through when they encounter these ads. Now Google wants to change that by downranking sites that pull such a stunt. Starting November 1st, any site that uses large app install interstitials will no longer be deemed “mobile-friendly” by Google, which could spell disaster for the site’s SEO. Other interstitials will still be okay, however, and Google is encouraging the use of less obtrusive app install banners instead. While ads aren’t going away entirely — this is Google, after all — at least it looks like they’ll be less aggravating in the future.

Via Engadget

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New Research Shows How Digital Connects Shoppers to Local Stores

While some might say that the rise of digital has made the role of the local retail store obsolete, new research from Google suggests that the relationship between digital and in-store shopping is far more nuanced and interconnected than that. In gaining an understanding of the impact of digital on in-store shopping, we were able to debunk three common retail myths. We also identified ways retailers can use digital more effectively to connect with consumers. With two in three consumers not finding the information they need in-store and 43% then leaving frustrated, digital presents an opportunity for retailers to improve the in-store shopping experience.

The retail industry is undergoing a dramatic shift: In-store foot traffic is down, online research is up and smartphones are becoming increasingly important to the consumer’s in-store shopping journey. Here we debunk three common myths associated with the impact of digital on in-store shopping. We’ll also highlight how consumers’ digital behavior affects—and in fact, helps—retail stores today.

Myth #1: Search results only send consumers to e-commerce sites.

The Reality: Search results are also a powerful way to drive consumers to stores.

A common myth is that as a result of searching online, shoppers will only visit e-commerce sites. In reality, three out of four shoppers who find local information in search results helpful are more likely to visit stores. The lesson for retailers here is simple: Digital is a powerful way to connect consumers with stores.

Myth #2: Once in-store consumers start looking at their smartphone, the retailer loses their attention.

The Reality: Retailers can grab consumers’ attention through search results and their mobile site or app.

Digital is transforming the in-store experience for customers. Our study shows that 42% of in-store shoppers search for information online while in-store. For the most part, they’re using search engines (64%). However, almost half of shoppers head to the retailer’s own site or app. Only 30% will look up details from a different retailer’s web site or app. This presents a powerful opportunity for retailers to connect with consumers—and prevent them from turning to the competition.

Retailers can use their online presence—website, apps, mobile ads and search results—to assist shoppers in-store. This includes the integration of local information in their online presence. Geo-targeting content and ads helps retailers connect with shoppers who may be in close proximity to their store or already there.

Myth #3: Online research has lowered consumers’ expectations of stores; they really just go to a store to transact.

The Reality: Consumers visit stores for more than just a purchase, and their expectations of retailers are higher than before. They’re looking for an informative, customized experience.

Some retailers fear that today’s consumers are so well informed before they step into a store that the shop itself has become nothing but a playground for a quick transaction. In fact, people are visiting stores throughout their purchase journey—even before making a purchase. Thirty-two percent of shoppers visit stores when they’re first thinking about a purchase, and 33% actively research in stores to find out more about a potential purchase.

The consumer path to purchase is becoming increasingly mobile. Retailers that provide relevant, local information via search and online presence (mobile app and site) will increase both reach and engagement. Digital has fundamentally reshaped the shopping journey—in a good way—and savvy retailers who make use of it to attract and engage consumers will find themselves ahead of the competition.

See the full findings and report at Google’s blog.

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The 3 New Realities of Local Retail According to Google

The relationship between digital and local stores is changing. Google found three new realities of retail: digital drives in-store traffic; smartphones are in-store shopping assistants and varied shopping habits call for a holistic approach to measuring retail success. Savvy retailers are learning how to reach customers by better connecting the online to the offline and by caring less about where a sale happens and more about how to help shoppers convert.

New reality #1: Digital drives in-store traffic

As it turns out, digital doesn’t just drive e-commerce. It actually gets consumers into local stores. A 2014 study on local search behavior found that 50% of consumers will visit a store within one day of a local search on their smartphone. Scott Zalaznik, Sprint’s vice president of digital, has seen digital’s influence on offline shopping firsthand: “Ninety percent of our customers start their journey online but buy in-store.”

New reality #2: Smartphones are in-store shopping assistants

Thanks to our constantly connected world, we’ve become accustomed to instantaneous answers and a wealth of information at our fingertips, but not all retailers have translated this well into in-store experiences. Shoppers are increasingly frustrated by the lack of in-store information. Two-thirds of those surveyed said they couldn’t find the details they needed while visiting a store. Many, as a result, are turning to their smartphone to fill in the information gap. Of the 42% who research online while in stores, almost half use the retailer’s own site or app. And one in three shoppers actually prefer to use their smartphone to find additional information rather than ask a store employee for help.

New reality #3: Omnichannel shopping calls for omnichannel measurement

Though shopping habits have changed drastically, retailers haven’t necessarily caught up in the ways they measure their marketing efforts and allocate their media spend. Most retailers don’t yet understand the extent to which digital drives in-store transactions and how in-store visits affect online purchases. The result is that they’re often viewing sales in silos and undervaluing the real impact of their digital spend on total sales. Consequently, they’re making suboptimal decisions about their media mix.

Macys.com’s Serena Potter says the brand has placed a special focus on understanding just how much of local business sales come from digital searches. “We’ve been able to show that for every dollar we invest in search, we drive $6 of sales in-store,” she says.

See the full blog post here, at Google’s Blog.

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Going Local: How Advertisers Can Extend Their Relevance With Search

People have come to expect a certain amount of contextual relevance with regard to search. In fact, new research shows that four in five U.S. smartphone users believe search ads should be customized to their city, zip code or immediate surroundings. Location-based ads can quickly satisfy consumers’ expectations by featuring a store’s address, directions to a nearby business and a phone number. By adopting a local strategy—one that takes people’s locations into consideration—businesses can provide consumers with the information they need to take action.

We’ve all been in situations in which we needed to find something nearby—on a business trip in a new city, while running errands around town or even when simply planning where to go for dinner. In the past, when we wanted to find, say, a great Mexican restaurant for dinner, we’d consult our favorite foodie magazines or critics’ reviews from a local newspaper.

Today we search. We’d simply search for “Mexican restaurant” and the results would be relevant to our location. This kind of searching is now commonplace. In fact, four in five consumers use search engines to find products, services or experiences nearby. They conduct local searches wherever they happen to be; 84% use search engines on their computer or tablet and even more (88%) do so on their smartphone.

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When it comes to a local strategy, advertisers should consider the following:

Optimize for the consumer’s location. Advertisers can reach a large set of consumers by starting with a wide geographic area such as the entire U.S. and then using location bid adjustments to fine-tune bids for specific areas or zip codes.

Help consumers find what they need. Make it easier for the people searching to see the information they need most. Simply adding location extensions, a phone number or a click-to-call button right in the ad can help consumers take action faster.

Engage consumers near your stores. You should use radius bidding to reach consumers near stores and build an attribution model for local searches.

Today’s consumers are constantly connected; they’re using search engines to gain access to local information whether they’re at home, on the go or in-store. By optimizing budgets for location and providing information that is locally relevant, advertisers can deliver better experiences to people in the moments that matter.

Via Think with Google Blog

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Men Troll Google Street View with Fake Murder Scene

Dan Thompson, 56, who owns Tomson Motor in Edinburgh, Scotland, had to say sorry after receiving a visit from the police.

The mechanic had lain on the road while his colleague stood over him with an axe handle after spotting the Google camera car from a distance.

However, a web user saw the image and made a complaint.

The incident happened in August 2012 but it was not until a year later, once the pictures had been uploaded onto the Google site, that police were alerted.

Mr Thompson told the BBC Scotland news website: “By complete fluke I saw the Google car coming along the road but it had to loop the block so I had one minute to rush back inside the garage and set up the murder scene.

“There are pictures of men on Google flashing their bums but we thought we would be more classy.

“We had forgotten about it when the police arrived a year later and we apologised for wasting police time. They found it funny.”

Mr. Thompson is still very much alive, as evidenced by this photo:
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via BBC