Nathan Levi’s white paper on the subject of copy optimization (CO), which he provided to E-consultancy, was introduced in Issues #44 and #45.  This week, results from the case study help illustrate the value of CO.  Again, this is the abridged version of this paper, which can be found in full at the link above. When performing the case study, DNA (a UK Avenue A | Razorfish company) considered questions that would be most valuable to marketers.  The first question was, “Can CO improve Return on Investment (ROI)?”  They tested two messages against high traffic, driving non-branded keywords for a month, and discovered that the message with a price point actually drove greater conversions.  DNA summarized that, by including the price in the copy, one consideration in the buying cycle has been brought to the searchers’ attention before they click – essentially pre-qualifying them.  This can be valuable, especially for high-priced items.

Next, the team asked, “Were searchers more likely to convert when they felt they were being offered a choice rather than being forced into an action?” Again two messages were tested, this time against non-branded, high value keywords for a month.  The messages were “Compare and select from hundreds of insurance policies online” versus “Get a quick online insurance quote now!”  They found that the first choice performed better than the second, and feel that the reason behind this was that the first message offered a choice instead of directing the searcher to perform the action.

Following up on the first two questions, the study asked “Can subtle differences between messages create a measurable change in performance?”  They found that saying “2 free months” performed better than saying “12 months for the price of 10.”  The higher conversion for the “2 free months” copy led to further analysis of the competition. They found that the “12 for 10” or “15% off” messages were more frequent in this Paid Search landscape than “2 months free,” which may have been a major factor in the higher click-through-rate and conversions.  Like with many other Paid Search techniques, competitive analysis can be a key to effective copy optimization.

This week’s issue of SMTrends is short due to the publishing of our latest feature article: Google Universal Search First Look.  This feature is a compilation of the reviews created by Martin Vinter, in our DNA UK offices, and Adam Whippy in the NYC office.  The feature is thorough, and contains links to many other viewpoints about Google’s “new look.”

Yahoo! Panama Upgrades Begin in Europe –  According to early reports, some advertisers in Europe are now being migrated to the new Yahoo! Panama system, which launched in the U.S. a few months ago and was discussed in our last feature article, “Yahoo! Panama First Look.”  Initial coverage by Barry Schwartz at Search Engine Land.

Google Adds Actual Street View Pictures to Some Maps – Google has enhanced the functionality of some of its maps, adding actual pictures from streets in New York and Seattle to their mapping system.  As usual, the most thorough coverage to date can be found at Search Engine Land.