Matt Cutts has confirmed on a recent webmaster video that we will stop seeing as many results from a single domain on Google search pages.

Previously, it has been common to see several results on a page from a single domain eg. you search a particular clothing brand and one domain dominates the top six or seven results.

In order to improve the users experience and create more diversity, Google will bring in a new change so that you are less likely to as many results from the same domain. This not only affects page one, but subsequent results pages.

This updating of domain clustering is not a new thing, however Matt has said that this change is in response to complaints to his team about the diversity of results returned from Google searches.

The result of this change will ensure no single brand domain can dominate the search results, while other sites promoting the same products should benefit from increased visibility.

Google has just announced that with the success of Product Listing Ads (PLAs) it will be retiring product listing extensions at the end of May 2013.

What does this mean for your adwords campaigns?
Taking some basic product data from your Google shopping feed, the product listing extensions showed basic product information such as product name and price directly below your adwords copy.

With the introduction of the PLA campaigns, advertisers are seeing much better click through rates and conversions on the dedicated PLA campaigns than from product extensions. This is certainly true for our own clients, who see significantly better conversions from site links than product extensions which compete to occupy the same screen space, whereas the PLA’s can appear at the same time as a text ad with extensions.

What do I need to do now?
If you are currently using product extensions on your campaign, you can switch these off (we recommend switching to site links if you are not using these already) or they will be automatically switched off by Google towards the end of May.

If you sell products online and are not already making use of Product Listing Ads, considering setting up a new separate campaign linked to your Google shopping feed. If you need advice on how to do this, contact one of the team at toinfinity.

Exciting news here at toinfinity, we have been awarded email campaign of the month by our email partners; Adestra.

Congratulations to Alex who worked on the Weird Fish campaign.

To read more on how we won campaign of the month click here.

If you would like to utilise our email marketing skills and knowledge contact a member of the team.

If you have a Google product feed promoting your products in Google’s free shopping listings you will have received an email from Google about changes to these listings.

In a nutshell:

• You will no longer benefit from free product listings from June 2013
• If you would still like your product listings to appear, you will have to link your Google merchant account with Google adwords and set up a pay per click PLA (product listing ads)
• If you do not link your merchant and adwords accounts, your products will stop appearing in Google shopping results.

Google is phasing this in from February, so from then until June Google shopping products will be a mix of free and paid listings.

Product Listing vs Free Shopping Listing

The main difference you will see on the Google search results, is the Google shopping results showing as sponsored ads much like the product listing ads in the image above, but appearing in the same spot as the shopping results as above.

In the US, where this rolled out several months ago, the sponsored shopping results appear above natural listings, and we expect this to be the same as it rolls out in the UK.

Many US retailers are reporting an increase in click through rates when PLA and adwords adverts are appearing together, although the scheme has also received a lot of criticism as users may not realise that they are not seeing a true price comparison when looking at PLA shopping results.

For further information on Google product listings and how we can help you ensure yours is performing for your business, please contact Lol at toinfinity.

When launching an affiliate campaign it can often be quite daunting how many different types of affiliates there are.

Which affiliate is right for you? We don’t believe in a one size fits all approach, depending on the sector your business operates in will often influence the type of affiliates that you work with.  For example Financial services brands are often reluctant to work with blogs or forums as the subject of the content on the website cannot be controlled, where as these types of affiliates are ideal for fashion retailers.  We believe in tailoring the types of affiliates we work with in order to meet your business needs.

Below is a brief overview of each type of affiliate.

Cashback

Cashback affiliates – use the commission they earn and pass some or all of it on to their customers, thus offering their members and incentive to shop through their website. They have the power to generate high level sales through exclusive promotions.

Vouchercode

Vouchercode affiliates – another key player in the affiliate space offering their members a range of discount codes such as free delivery or a percentage discount.  Vouchercode affiliates also have the ability to generate high sale levels through exclusive promotions and email exposure.

Price Comparison

Price comparison affiliates should be utilised if a product feed can be supplied to the affiliate network. Customers using a comparison site are in the market for purchasing your product and as a result presence on these affiliates is essential.

Email

Email campaigns can be sent out through affiliates on a hybrid deal, a low CPM (cost per thousand emails) for purchasing the list and then the affiliate will earn the commission for all sales made.

Pay Per Click

Pay per click affiliates are most commonly used to help merchants block competitors from appearing in the merchants brand space, they can be used to push competitors to positions four and below. This type of affiliate should be used if required for tactical campaigns.

Content

Content affiliates typically own a website built around a subject the affiliate is passionate about, they supplement the up keep of the website by adding links to relevant merchants. Volume from these affiliates is generally low however generates high conversion due to the synergy between subject and advertisement.

Remarketing & Retargeting

Remarketing and retargeting affiliates can be used to retarget anyone that has left the website without purchasing. In practice remarketing is highly effective and can result in high conversion rates.

Blogs & Forums

Blogs & forum affiliates – moving on from content affiliates, bloggers can be very influential and can impact the decisions made by their readers. If a blogger is passionate about your brand they also have the ability to become a brand advocate.

Mobile

Mobile is the ‘new’ area route to market for most merchants, affiliates are already embracing this new channel in order increase their revenue, mobile campaigns can include PPC (pay per click), lead generation or display advertising, all on a cost per acquisition basis.

If you are keen to find out more about how affiliate marketing can benefit your company please contact a member of the team.

As the high street continues to deliver a poor performance for retailers more and more of them are moving online to try and buck the trend and increase their sales. Nowhere has this been more evident than with the South’s leading online marketing and e-commerce consultancy business, toinfinity, where we have seen amazing growth for our online clients.

We take a consultative approach to online marketing that has helped companies such as Weird Fish, The Happy Puzzle Company and Celtic Sheepskin; see massive growth in their online performance.

‘We have been delighted with the online marketing and e-commerce consultancy service that toinfinity provide us, their knowledge and expertise within the web and digital development space has proved invaluable to help us dramatically grow our online business and achieve record sales in 2012.’ Says Andy Davis Head of E-Commerce for Weird Fish

‘Achieving success online requires a mix of getting the right visibility in order to ensure you attract the relevant potential customers visit the website.’ says Al Keck Managing Director of toinfinity. ‘We achieve this through using search engine marketing, affiliate and social media marketing and by enhancing our customers websites to ensure visitors have a great experience when they land on their site. This ensures as many visitors as possible will buy profitably from them. In addition to growing your customer base, it is key to communicate with existing and new customers, via email marketing, to keep them engaged with your brand and coming back again and again.’

In 2012, on average we delivered 856% ROI (return on investment) on the strategies we devised and deployed. This not only meant that we significantly grew our clients businesses but also covered our own costs whilst still delivering a fantastic level of profit.

Through our strategies and expertise the team have on average achieved;

• 68% growth in quality traffic for our customers
• 37% growth in revenue for our customers
• 50% increase in the number of orders

‘We are determined to support local businesses to achieve their online aspirations. How would your business look at the end of 2013 with increases like these? While looking to take on new businesses, the quality of service is of paramount importance to us, therefore we are looking to limit new business intake to eight in 2013.’ says Al Keck

If you would like to be one of the above eight business that we are committed to grow in 2013, then call Al Keck on 01793 238697.

For many marketers the first step to digital marketing success is usually Pay Per Click (PPC) and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), combined these channels are often referred to as Search Engine Marketing (SEM).  Why are these the most important?  Because these are the channels where people are actively searching for your brand or products that are associated with your brand, therefore it makes sound business sense to make these channels top priority. These channels form the basis of our planning pyramid.

Once these channels are generating a positive ROI many clients often stop there, believing their online strategy is complete; this is where they go wrong! This is just the tip of the iceberg, so what is the next natural progression after PPC and SEO?  Affiliate Marketing.  Affiliate marketing is a low risk route to a whole new audience that may or may not be aware of your brand.  Affiliate marketing is based around a cost per acquisition (CPA) model.

How does affiliate marketing work?

The affiliate partner will advertise your brand in return for receiving a commission, once the desired action has taken place on your website, this may be a sale, lead submission or brochure.

There are often four parties involved in affiliate marketing;

1. Merchant – you the brand owner
2. Agency – Us, using expert knowledge to drive your programme forward
3. Affiliate – Website owners looking to monetize their website and provide additional content for their visitors
4. Potential Customer – Visitors, members or subscribers to the affiliates website(s)

With affiliate marketing you are in the driving seat, as the merchant you have the ability to set the commission paid per action in line with the business requirements in order to ensure a positive ROI is achieved with every completed it action.

Affiliate marketing is a low risk route to market, that aids in extending the reach of your brand through new media channels, enabling you to attract new customers on a low risk cost per acquisition model.  By launching an affiliate programme you can look to typically gain an additional 10% – 30% online revenue for your business.

If you are interested in finding out more about how affiliate marketing can help your business please contact us.

Swindon’s leading online consultancy and marketing agency, toinfinity, are delighted to have been shortlisted for the ECMOD Supplier of the Year awards for the second year running.

The ECMOD awards, supported by CatEx Direct Commerce and Direct Commerce Magazine, have had a record number of 138 suppliers receiving nominations this year so toinfinity are thrilled to be in the 34 shortlisted. The Swindon based agency is shortlisted alongside other great brands such as Royal Mail, Feefo, Hermes, UPS and Yodel.

The company will be attending the awards ceremony at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London on the 27^th November where the winners will be announced.

Toinfinity are especially pleased to be shortlisted for the prestigious ECMOD awards as it is all down to nominations by clients and is a great reflection of the high level of customer service they provide.

In the first three quarters of this year, our services have provided our clients with £2.4 million in additional revenue.  Given that the 8 weeks before Christmas drives between 25-50% of annual online sales for many of our retail clients, we’ve been planning Christmas for months.

The Boston Consulting Groups report suggests that online retailing will account for 23% of overall retail spending by 2016.  Last year saw a 20% growth in online sales, with UK consumers spending around £76billion online in 2011-12 according to the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index.

Are you ready to capture your share of this increased online spend?

Have you:

• Merchandised your homepage/website to ensure it’s promoting your best selling products and offers?
• Got an email marketing plan in place to contact your customer base with relevant products and promotions?
• Got visibility in the search engines for your brand and products? If not, although it’s too late for search engine optimisation (SEO) it is still possible to make a profitable impact with pay per click (PPC) – on average we are seeing over 400% ROI for our clients using this online marketing channel

If you already have a range of promotions planned, you’re half way there already, if not get in touch, we’ve got some fantastic ideas to boost your online Christmas sales.

The calendar might say August, but in terms of marketing you should be over two months into your Christmas marketing according to Al Keck, Managing Director of toinfinity.

“Christmas planning should start in July,” he says. “You want to be at your best. If you don’t have a plan for Christmas yet, put time aside over the next couple of weeks and get it done!”

Over the last few years, it has become increasingly common for retailers to start their sales online on Christmas day. Here at Toinfinty we are already working with clients on their Online Marketing Campaigns, SEO Strategies, Email Marketing Campaigns and Pay Per Click Campaigns for the Christmas 2012 season.

Christmas is by far the busiest time of year for the retail sector – it’s often a make or break season, so how do you ensure this Christmas doesn’t break your business?

1. Give your website a health check

• When was the last time you shopped your site like a customer? Is the buying process smooth and simple?
• Are your products easy to find?
• Do your products have enough information to help visitors make a buying decision?
• Is your product photography up to scratch? Can you zoom in and see the quality and detail of the products?
• Are you providing reviews? These provide great intel for both your business and customers as they provide real product feedback, build better descriptions, build credibility and trust.
• Are your upsells and cross-sells set up and do they make sense? Your analytics and CRM system are great sources of data to get this right.

2. Know who you are targeting with your offers

Be sure to understand your target audience. If you haven’t recently taken stock of your customer base and looked at the demographics of people that are buying from you, how can you really understand who it is that will respond well to your marketing this festive season?

Don’t forget, this data can change overtime and seasonally. Look at age, gender, location, number of purchases, average spend – build up customer profiles, give these customer types names and make sure everyone in the business knows and understands them.

3. Plan your offers down to the last detail to give to your marketing team

Once you understand fully who it is that you are marketing to, putting together offers is the easy part.

• Think about end of line products that need to be sold. Think about products that you have lots in stock of, or that your supplier on your drop-shipping contact has plenty to supply.
• If you operate on a drop-shipping method it is worth giving your supplier a call to say that you are planning this offer and check out with them the availability of getting more in if they sell out.
• If it will be difficult as a result of limited stock to put together good offer, make them scarce. Use phrases like “While Stocks Last” or “Limited Stock Available” in your marketing. Scarcity helps to sell.

4. Sort out your product gift packages and if you will be offering different, festive packaging

Many retailers plan special festive season gift packaging. All of the guys reading this would no doubt have received the big name shaving brands shaving gel and aftershave combo in the display packaging covered in images of snowflakes; or the ladies having received the specially wrapped perfume in red tissue paper and twirly curly bits on the top. Are there ways that you can re-package your products for the festive season?

5. Plan every piece of communication that you may deliver

Once you know who you are going to communicate with, and what you are going to say in terms of your specific product offerings for Christmas – get a plan in place.

• What tactics are you going to employ to do the marketing, and when will each one go out?
• Weekly Email Marketing, Increased budgets on your PPC, Banner Advertising that changes every two weeks, Weekly Affiliate Marketing campaign updates… and the list goes on. A slap-dash approach may produce some good returns as Christmas is a bumper season for shopping online, but how much more revenue would a thought through strategic approach bring in?
• Think it all through, plan out every piece of communication… but above all, make sure you have some kind of tracking in place to measure it.

6. Make sure your team is prepared for the increase in orders

Last year some of our clients said that their campaigns left them dreading Monday mornings. Why? Because the campaigns sent over a weekend resulted in huge numbers of orders from 3pm Friday to 9am Monday, which proved to be a bottleneck.  Make sure you have enough resources to deal with this issue – after all you’ve worked hard to get the order, don’t let the customer down by not delivering.

If you take on some of these points and plan a strategic approach to your Christmas Marketing Plan, or choose to employ the expert team at Toinfinty to help you deliver more sales… be prepared.