While Google is the number one choice for most people who are searching for information, digital marketing experts wonder if it will continue to be the consumers’ A1 choice for shopping. Here are some things to think about:
• Presently, Google is one of the top three websites that prospective customers visit as part of their shopping process. Another site is Amazon.com. This has led to Google developing a strong relationship with buyers.
• Google is the single largest source of digital marketing traffic for most e-commerce websites. These websites strongly rely on Google for targeted traffic that will convert into sales.
• Google works to constantly enhance the user experience, providing customers with more relevant results, and ease of use. One example is the Panda/Farmer update that started in mid-February and continued till November. This update was one of the most far-reaching algorithmic changes made in the last decade. It helped Google develop a deeper relationship with consumers, based on the positive experiences they had while running searches.
• Since the last year, Google has been working to improve its shopping and wallet capability, and is trying to integrate a shopping functionality with its search results pages. Through this functionality, Google aims to be more relevant to users who are interested in online shopping.
Reviews and ratings are one of the most important things referred to by consumers before making a purchase. They also help drive useful traffic to e-commerce websites. Hence, digital marketing analysts expect customer reviews to hold a prominent place in Google’s shopping functionality.
There is no doubt about it; Google has become a quasi retailer. Here, two interesting questions being asked by digital marketing specialists are:
• When will Google’s experience be persuasive enough that large numbers of customers begin considering it, whenever they have to shop?
• What should digital marketing brands and retailers do to ensure that their products/services are the number one thing in customers’ minds?
• How to get consumers to directly visit one’s shopping outlets (whether these are at a retail store, on their website, or on Facebook)?
In the digital marketing arena, some brands will win while some will lose. If companies want to stay ahead of their competitors, one of the foremost things they need to do is to create a Google+ Brand Page. Getting an early digital marketing presence on Google is expected to reap golden harvests in the future.
Qudos Digital is a leading digital marketing consultancy, and can be contacted on 0845 388 5583 or info@qudosdigital.co.uk.
