- Facebook gives its mobile versions a facelift to better use white space: http://t.co/6myxOprd
- SEO isn’t a technical problem, it’s a people problem: http://t.co/pTri0r7F
- 3 content marketing myths that are holding you back: http://t.co/g9ST98JM
I know how much everyone loves the year-end tsunami of lists and rankings of everything from music and TV shows, to books and celebrities, so I decided to take a page out of Google’s book and put together a little sample of some of the most popular (and interesting) search phrases from our PPC campaigns over the year. While Google’s year-end zeitgeist showcases search terms/people/places/things that have shown the greatest jump in popularity from last year, the OCV Zeitgeist instead focuses on keyword phrases that help drive traffic and business to each of our brands. While some of the most popular search terms may seem like no-brainers, I’m hoping some might surprise you and shed a little insight into some of the trends we’re observing in the marketplace. With that said, sit back, relax, sip a little egg nog, and enjoy the list!
While it probably comes as no surprise that our most popular PPC search term is simply “sunglasses,” a few select trendsetters had a big impact on PPC search volume in 2011. John Lennon, Kourtney Kardashian, and Lady Gaga all made our list as the top celebrity stylemakers of the year, generating over 5,000 clicks for our PPC campaigns.
As far as sunglass styles go, wayfarers and aviators continue to dominate the market. Over the course of the year, the search terms “wayfarer sunglasses” and “aviator sunglasses” resulted in over 1,000,000 ad impressions for Sunglass Warehouse.
Staring at a computer screen all day can certainly take a toll on one’s eyes (and sometime their sanity), but luckily there are several products on the market that can mitigate this strain. One of the top searches for Reading Glasses Shopper this year was “computer reading glasses”, which generated over 28,000 ad impressions for the brand. These glasses have special lenses that minimize the negative effect of backlit computer screens and make for a much more enjoyable (and less stressful) computing experience. While “reading glasses” will always be the bread and butter for this brand, new products like computer glasses are starting to become much more relevant in the market.
Our Socks 4 Life brand has been successful because it fulfills a need for specialized socks for men and women at an affordable price. In 2011, our most popular PPC search terms were for products like “diabetic socks,” “knee socks,” and “slouch socks”. Serving these specific product and health needs is a source of great pride for OCV, and we look forward to introducing more exciting new products in 2012.
Do you hate baggage fees as much as we do? I’m sure I know the answer to that question. Paying extra for overweight baggage is a major pain, and consumers showed their hatred for these fees in 2011 by making “luggage scale” one of the most popular search terms of the year. Our luggage scale products allow you to quickly and easily weigh your bag without having to play the guessing game we’ve all probably played before…..the one where you weigh yourself holding your luggage (I know I’ve done it). The “luggage scale” search term generated over 175,000 ad impressions for the Travel Products brand this year, ranking third behind “travel accessories” and “travel adapters.”
When it comes to scarves, fashionable style is everything. Whether you’re accessorizing your outfit or just doing your best to stay warm on a cold, windy day, having a good-looking scarf on hand can work wonders. In 2011, two of the most popular fashion trends we saw in PPC marketing were for “infinity scarves” or “loop scarves” and “summer scarves.” Loop scarves are popular for lots of reasons, but everyone I’ve talked to loves them because they’re easy to wear and tie and, of course, never come untied!
Thinking about wearing a scarf during the summer might surprise you, but the “summer scarves” search term generated over 10,000 ad impressions during the summer months on 2011. These scarves are lightweight, colorful, and always add a touch of class to any outfit. Look out for lots of new summer scarf styles this year!
USA! USA! USA!
Patriotism was on full display this year for ABC Neckties. Two of our most popular search terms, “Patriotic ties” and “American Flag Ties,” generated over 15,000 ad impressions for our PPC campaigns this year, and as you can imagine, a large portion of those impressions occurred around the 4th of July. We love seeing some good old fashioned American pride around the OCV offices, and look forward to seeing more patriotic ties out there in 2012!
As we close out 2011 and look forward to 2012, all of us here at OCV want to send a huge THANK YOU out to all of our customers all over the world. We’re in business to deliver customer happiness in everything we do, and can’t wait to deliver even more happiness in 2012!
5 Things I Learned From 2011 Search Queries: One Click Ventures, December 29th, 2011 on 11:07 am
[...] for 2012 and digging through the trends of 2011. My compatriot in PPC already went over some of the most popular PPC phrases of the last year; in a similar dive through common organic queries, I found myself coming to some [...]