In a nutshell the bill would allow the US Department of Justice and copyright holders to seek court orders against websites accused of facilitating copyright infringement. This could bar online advertising networks from doing business with the websites in question. Supporters of the bill say it protects the intellectual property market and industries; whilst opponents, such as Wikipedia, claim it’s a violation of the first amendment and freedom of speech.

So what does this mean for sites such as Wikipedia? Well if we take the site under the label of internet search engine, it could be forced under the new legislation to remove links to hundreds of sites deemed “infringing” of the new laws. Then it would mean trawling through thousands of links every time one site is deemed an infringement of the new law. Smaller, free knowledge sites may not have the resources to undertake such a task and could be forced to shut down entirely. 

 The structure of the internet is fantastic and revered because of these smaller sites and because everyone has a voice – and don’t forget, some of the larger sites with teams that can handle this were once small teams.  The internet could be a very different place if this becomes legal. It will be interesting to see if today’s events have any bearing on the legislation being passed, whether Wikipedia will get their message across will remain to be seen.

I think that this law could have huge, detrimental impact.  Whereby piracy is a huge issue within the online world, I don’t see how this is the answer.  There’s a huge lack of knowledge behind the legislation and it’s our job, those of us who are employed in the online world I mean, to ensure people are educated and understand the inner workings of one of the largest sectors of society.  I’m sure there are similar concerns within UK government and discussions on how to attack online piracy, and if this is passed in the US it may only be a matter of time until we’re hearing similar murmurs.

The problem arises when businesses are trying to use Google as a marketing mechanism.  As our last blog post detailed, search engine optimisation is an art form which can offer substantial ROI, but brands need to know what Google are planning to ensure they’re planning is in sync with Google’s strategy.

What brands should always bear in mind is that the consumer is at the heart of everything; if you’re optimising content for Google make sure it’s still entertaining otherwise it’s going to make no difference whether your brand is featured at the top of Google rankings or not.  Content should always be king, and your consumers should be at the heart of your campaign, keep Google in mind and know how to play the SEO game, but don’t let it dictate your play!

The latest of Google’s algorithm iterations is all about real time search, which means regular content will succeed and static content will struggle.  I for one think this is a good thing as it keeps the internet fresh and current, exactly what it’s most used for.

Search marketing – a quick overview

It was only in the early 90′s that the internet started to become a mainstream communication channel; as households gained access to faster internet connections, companies began to build websites for sales and marketing purposes. This in turn brought the need for companies such as Yahoo, Altavista and Google to appear as the web space became more crowded and information needed to be organised in a sensible way.

Search marketing was born.

With more and more websites competing for attention on a daily basis, brands had to find ways to make themselves heard among the noise. Since search engines used certain algorithms to index and rank web pages, brands and marketers started to think of ways to understand these algorithms in order to improve their ranks for specific keyword searches, and they’ve been playing a cat and mouse game with the search engines ever since.

Where next for brands?

In recent years link building / link popularity has gained an increased share of the SEO equation, and now accounts for about 60 to 70% of a site’s rankings. With this in mind, it is easy to understand why brands have been investing so much in social media development. How can you get a constantly increasing numbers of links to your site quickly and efficiently? By getting consumers to talk about your brand in social networks and link back to your site. While in principle this may sound very straightforward, it actually turns out to be fairly complex and time consuming process. In the past a brand only had to worry about their website and its content to get a decent ranking, but it now needs to rely on a completely unpredictable element, the consumer.

If a brand wants to achieve top positions in Google for example, it needs to control the flow of information on social sites as well as manage its reputation, which can demand a lot of resources and often requires a very specific set of skills. To be successful with search marketing, advertisers need to ensure that they find the right balance between SEO and customer service when developing their social media strategy.

Recipe for search marketing success

With such emphasis on link building in search engines at the moment, it is clear that social media and search marketing activities need to be planned together carefully. Advertisers need to define off site search objectives and expectations and monitor them on a permanent basis, while doing the SEO essentials properly on site. Only then will they be able to get the maximum return on marketing investment. It is worth keeping in mind that search engines are always updating their algorithms. Brands and brand owners need to keep abreast of these changes to be able to develop and adapt their search marketing strategies accordingly.

What’s integral throughout all this is to understand that the consumer is at the heart of any business, now more than ever doe consumers have a voice, and if a brand offers a good product and good service its consumers can be its greatest marketers.

As you probably know, the IAB (www.iabuk.net) is the UK’s leading trade association for online and mobile advertising.  It represents the interests of its members, which includes Commission Junction, in developing best practice and promoting the growth of these channels. One of the ways that this occurs is through the management of councils for different disciplines which includes the Affiliate Marketing Council.

The IAB AMC, currently chaired by BskyB’s Helen Southgate, has been in existence for five years and has been responsible for promotion, self-regulation and education around affiliate marketing in the UK. Examples of work carried out and information about getting involved can be found here : http://www.iabaffiliatemarketing.com

The survey has been developed to understand and promote affiliate marketing in the UK, the IAB AMC need your help. The survey will only take five minutes to complete and is anonymous so there’s no need to worry about potential ramifications. In addition, we are looking for a small number of merchants to spend ten minutes talking face to face with a member of the IAB AMC at this year’s A4U Expo in London in October. This will just be a chance for us to ask some more qualitative questions to discuss the survey. If you’re keen to be involved then email Chris Probert on chris@iabuk.net.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY

You have some time as the survey will close on Monday 10^th October – but make sure you get involved.

If you’re keen to read more about the AMC and the survey then you can visit the IAB website here.

Last week saw the release of the updated Ethical Merchant Charter by the IAB’s Affiliate Marketing Council.  This makes advertisers aware of some of the pitfalls in the affiliate channel and ensures all networks, publishers and agencies adhere to the same set of ethical guidelines and are entirely transparent within their business.

These guidelines were first published in 2009, but as we all know, the online world is constantly developing new technology on a daily basis.  The advent of mobile, development of behavioural retargeting technology and the exponential growth of social media has spurred the industry to update the charter.

We’re wholly on board with these guidelines and have already made our advertisers and publishers fully aware of the regulations.  It’s great to see the industry headed in the right direction and it’s important for all networks to support the charter.

If you want to find out more about the regulations surrounding the new affiliate marketing guide, you can download a copy here: http://www.iabuk.net/en/1/ethicalmarketingcharter.html

The recent CJ Affiliate Summit revealed that consumers are becoming savvier, highlighting a 90% increase in searches for coupons since last year.  Consumer perception is changing as well; gone are the days when you’d be considered the cheap friend for using discount codes or presenting a voucher after dinner.  Brands have recognised this shift and understand the importance of using promotional vouchers.  Sure, some may argue it devalues the brand, but everything is relative.  We know that a luxury brand would not want to use voucher codes, I can’t imagine Ferrari ever taking part in the government scrappage scheme!

A few days ago I read an article in the ‘Telegraph’ about discount vouchers causing marital strife….yes read it again! I shared this with my colleagues and the next thing I know Allanah leaned over and said “Oh my God, it’s true. I shouted at Dane last week for not using loyalty cards for his online purchases”.  It really took me by surprise!

We know how beneficial vouchers and discount codes are and it’s now ingrained in the consumer mind-set.  I certainly have voucher code sites on my radar more than ever before.  It’s become second nature and from the savings I have made over the course of this year I’m definitely a smarter shopper.

All this goes to show that consumer behaviour is changing.  Here at CJ we’re always aware of the latest and greatest technology and developments to ensure we stay ahead of the pack.  We’re fulfilling our publishers’ needs as much as possible and making sure we’re knowledgeable and can answer any questions on all new developments.  I still wonder what’s coming next…

It’s such a talked about topic because it’s important for both marketers and publishers.  Marketers are always looking to analyse their return on investment, learning more about their audience and consumer behaviour.  It’s also about bread and butter for publishers, making sure they get the credit and commission they’ve earned.

It’s a complex discussion with no one-stop solution.  I recently wrote a piece for A4U on this very topic – if you’re keen to learn more you can read it here: http://www.affiliates4u.com/news/2011/08/who-has-right-play-god-ongoing-attribution-debate/

No, not that type of Whaleshark

The online voucher industry has grown rapidly over the past five years, as the recent $40million (rumoured figure) acquisition of VoucherCodes.co.uk shows.  With over 3.8million opt-in subscribers to their weekly newsletter and over 100,000 new subscribers every month you can’t deny the influence of the site or why it held such a weighty price tag.  So what does this say about the general perception of voucher sites?

Voucher sites, of which VoucherCodes.co.uk is just one of many, have always been profitable, but for a while they were regarded as unsophisticated methods of marketing.  It was presumed that people would always search for vouchers as a last port of call, but this is not necessarily true.

We need to think more about changing consumer behaviour.  The internet is now seen as a household necessity and consumer behaviour is reflecting this societal change.  We’re shopping more online, browsing more online and researching more online – that’s undeniable.  However, consumers also have an enhanced understanding of the online marketplace.  Voucher sites, at one point a last port of call for the internet shopper, are becoming brands in their own right.

The internet isn’t changing – we’re just learning how to use it.

 
To take part click on the image below.