88% of searches are still done on desktops. Growth in search, however, is being driven by mobile phones and tablets. 10% of online retail dollars spent in Q3 2012 were on mobile devices, according to the latest e-commerce research from comScore. Mobile search is anticipated to increase to an even more substantial 12-13% during Q4 2012, and from there, it will only continue to climb.

What does this mean for you? Now is the time for businesses to prepare for the smartphone/tablet onrush. You will be behind the curve if you wait much longer to join the mobile marketplace. Call us to find out how you can prepare for the onslaught of mobile commerce

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On February 1, Facebook filed for an initial public offering and expects to begin selling shares this spring. In 2011 Facebook had profits of $1 billion on sales of $3.7 billion. 85% of that revenue came from advertising and the rest from social gaming and other fees. Facebook expects to raise at least 5 billion and hopes to raise as much as 10 billion when it begins selling stock in April or May. This is likely to be the biggest Internet or technology IPO ever.

For online marketers, the message is: social media must be embraced! Its impact is growing stronger every day. Facebook and other social media platforms will continue to be aggressive in finding ways to compete with search engines. In addition to having a presence on social media sites, many marketers are adding Facebook pay-per-click to their advertising plans. From 2010 to 2011, the number of PPC ads delivered on Facebook grew 42% and the average price per ad grew 18%. Keep in mind that it’s easy to make costly mistakes when you first venture into social media marketing. Call us if you want help with social media.

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Starting March 1, 60 of the more than 70 Google privacy policies associated with its various properties (Google search engine, Gmail, Android operating system, You Tube, Google+, etc.) will be combined into one, simpler policy. In a company blog, Alma Whitten, director of privacy, product and engineering, wrote “Our new Privacy Policy makes clear that, if you’re signed in, we may combine information you’ve provided from one service with information from other services. In short, we’ll treat you as a single user across all our products, which will mean a simpler, more intuitive Google experience.” Google insists its privacy controls are unchanged.

Google’s announcement that it will create one comprehensive profile of each user and will share data across all of its platforms has been a public relations challenge. Many users are alarmed that Google has the ability to collect data on everywhere they go and everything they do. But, is this really so different from what Google has been doing all along? Data is already shared across at least some of Google’s platforms–consider that Adwords ads are served to Gmail users based on the content of private emails. And last month, Google released Search Plus Your World, a search format that combines content that’s been privately shared with users in combination with public results.

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Google is also making headlines with the release of “Google Analytics Real-Time.” You’re now able to see how your search marketing campaigns impact your web traffic as it’s happening. Several companies offer real-time web analytics data, but not for free. “Google Analytics Real-Time” is free.

For customers who want extra processing power, advanced analysis and 24/7 support, “Google Analytics Premium” is now available for a fee of $150,000 per year. This is the first time Google has offered a paid analytics service and obviously, this is for high-dollar businesses and large agencies.

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As government antitrust officials have begun investigating Google, Eric Schmidt, former Google chief executive, is trying to reassure lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary antitrust subcommittee that the internet search company is not illegally abusing its power. The antitrust argument stems from concerns about Google’s domination of and influence on search marketing. Competitors accuse Google of giving its own content top placement in its search results. As Google has expanded into products beyond search (maps, shopping, travel), competitors are growing more troubled. Proving that Google is violating antitrust law will be complicated—the law was written long before the existence of the internet. Others have tried and failed to take Google down a notch; this may be the first real threat against Google’s reign! For now though, nothing has changed; our SEO campaigns will continue to target Google. SEO is still all about Google.

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When Facebook makes any change to its interface, you can expect plenty of complaints from Facebook users. And that’s just what happened a few weeks ago when Facebook introduced:1. Subscribe Button that gives you a way to follow the content others are posting without actually becoming Facebook friends with them (similar to following somebody on Twitter), 2. Upgraded “Friends” List that allows you to easily organize your friends into groups, and 3. Real-Time News Ticker that feeds content based on the last time you checked in so you won’t miss important status updates and new photos. These are just a few of the big changes and many more are coming. Yes, people complained, but they’re not really going anywhere. Most users have too much invested in Facebook, and love it or hate it, that’s where their friends are. Nevertheless, Facebook knows that it must stay fresh and continue building an emotional connection with users to hold on to its status as the social media leader.

Many businesses don’t think that their products/services are interesting enough to get a following on social media. How can a small hardware store, for example, get a following on Facebook? The first step is to get conversations going about related topics—offer tips on home improvement, decorating and gardening. Illustrate your postings with photos/videos of your products and services. Your products and services don’t always have to be front and center in the conversation.

If you need help figuring out how to get the social media conversation going for your business and how to generate leads from your social media campaigns, ask us. We can brainstorm ideas and get your campaign up and running. The data from your social media campaigns will be reported on your dashboard, alongside your other search marketing campaigns

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