We all know paid search is a great direct-response mechanism.  We can very effectively place a product right in front of a consumer at the precise time they’re looking for a solution.  But what about effecting consideration further up the funnel?

There’s been lots of discussion about search being able to brand-build as well.  For me this is a moot point.  Having your brand appear against highly related searches time and time again will most definitely build your brand.  We’ve done work with various clients where restricting the broader terms in a campaign has resulted in reduced brand searches (and also seen brand searches grow as we’ve expanded campaigns).

However both these elements are very much pull strategies: how many advertisers use paid search to create a need in the first place?

Creating a need is what advertising agencies spend lots of time and money trying to fine tune – how to communicate to a consumer that they must buy your product because right here is a solution to that problem you may or may not have considered.

Needs-creation is prevalent across all other media – a quick trip to the homepage of smh.com.au asks me to save a life, to end my meal with a desert and coffee, to create a photo book or get a better interest rate.

Search can be used in the same way.  Sure, CTR won’t be as high & this can affect quality score but as long as both you and the client are aware that these particular terms are working to a different metric then search is a valid and cost-effective tool in driving early consideration for a product or brand.

Google’s Matt Cutts is brushing Vince’s update off as one of 300-400 per annum but webmasters and SEOs have turned their attention to Google CEO Eric Schmidt who publically stated in October 2008 that the internet is fast becoming a “cesspool” where false information thrives and “brands are how you sort out the cesspool.” It’s also been noted that the net’s founder, Tim Berners-Lee, has been making similar statements of late which leads everyone to believe that Google is giving brands a helping hand in the search results by creating an algorithmic brand element.

Those monitoring online brand conversations for their clients have noticed that an increase in brand chatter is often quickly followed by improved search rankings and consequently improved organic traffic.

So the key question being asked is how do unlinked brand mentions and social media buzz get incorporated into Google’s algorithm? Is it purely due to brand and product keywords regularly appearing side by side that results in the brand becoming associated with the product? Forum contributors observe that advertising campaigns often result in numerous video and image links – could this also be a factor?

One cynical observer pointed out that by favouring the brands Google makes them even bigger and, by so doing, increases the Adwords spend of smaller players trying to compete with the brands in the SERPs. Another sees it as a way of supressing affiliate sites which are seen as contributing to the current “cesspool”.

It’s unlikely we’ll get direct answers to these how and why questions so it’s probably best to simply be aware of the development and to factor it into SEO campaign planning.