• by Nina Lentini , Staff Writer @Nina_Lentini, December 12, 2019

There has been a growth in search. It has changed but it's continuing to grow. The challenges can be rewarding but if you don't know what you're doing, it can be tragic.

So spoke Morgan Chemij, Sr. Director, CRM & Acquisition Marketing, HP.com, at Thursday's Search & Performance Insider Summit.

"It's really challenging to be seeing Position Zero results," he said, with so much of search ending without a click to other content. He blames Google, says it is getting into the commerce space. You can book airfare, hotels, find a plumber directly within Google without leaving the site. "Traffic is going to Google and it's monetizing it directly. It's challenging to get in front of the customer."

So what's the solution? Chemij says there is no single one. Ongoing optimization and evolution is keeping up with the pace of industry change. With a well-informed audience strategy, testing formats and execution, you can find success.

He advises: Before you start, check all of the core boxes, master the basics -- ad copy, landing pages, mobile optimization, audience, automation, ad extensions. "

If you skip the basics, you may get conquested, you may put your brand at risk ... of humor, you may show up for irrelevant searches. 

Continuously test new methods of bid optimization and automation. 

By serving the right ad to the right audience based on interests, similar lists and remarketing, you don't need keywords. "The audience component is really vital now. Continuously text audiences to understand what works best for your agenda. Search, for us, historically has been a mid- to lower-funnel component but new technologies have enabled it to have more visibility."

Test the creative to find the visual style that best resonates. "Don't necessarily go with your gut feeling."

Develop a strong results-driven testing approach. "That allows us to optimize on a monthly basis. All the data's out there, it's about taking the time to test it, and develop your own." 

Focus on tactics that both push audience leveraging and informed visualizations. "The concept of search is making its way into the display ecosystem. Being able to get strong visuals with discount messaging in front of them is hugely advantageous. 

Finally, be prepared to continuously evolve your media footprint.