Really. It's staring you right in the face.
Kerstin Baker-Ash
It's not a hard name to spell - especially the two parts of the last name. So why is it so hard for people to learn?
Someone in the Toronto area seems to disregard spelling my first and married name correctly rather consistently. I'm not one for outing people on my blog, but I find it fascinating that this person visits nearly every day, spends a minute and a half on the site and always arrives after searching "kersten baker ashe":
When you're using Google Analytics on any site, you tend to look at the wider picture rather than granular, minute details. But if a big traffic driver to your site is a misspelling, don't overlook it. Brand names are often misspelled - it could be a typo or genuine ignorance of the correct way to spell your brand, but you need to cover all of your bases.
Google frequently uses the "did you mean" more popular spelling in search results, negating the need to fully optimize your site (SEO-wise, at least) for your less informed or typo-prone customers. It's a crutch that's easily and freely used to cover a persistent misspeller, and you can largely rely on Google to direct people in the right direction if it's a common enough mistake. What about when you can't rely on Google's auto-correct benevolence to make sure your brand is covered?
Paid search. Yes, you'll have to pay. No, it won't cost you that much. Take a look at the traffic being driven to your site on brand terms. How are they spelled? What's the typical dwell time of a misspeller (in my experience, it's more than someone who has spelled it correctly)? How much is that customer worth to you in terms of repeat visits? Your boss and their ROI will appreciate investing in a couple of cheap, low traffic spelling mistakes.
Chances are, you're the only one that's going to be bidding on your list of misspells. In a world of less than wonderful business ethics, competitors often overlook the lucrative and cheap misspells in favor of brand coverage. So, maximize your brand reach and "all eyes are on you" potential by compiling a list and bidding on it. One thing to reinforce however, is that your brand is spelled a specific way; do not use Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI) because it makes your ad look cheap and hurried. Your customers are important to you - don't cheapen your brand by being lazy.
If your misspellers tend to spend more or engage with your site for longer, offer a bit of an incentive to them. Put your misspellings in a separate ad group or campaign, and create custom ads for what I affectionately call "monkey fingers". It doesn't have to be much; if you're saving 20% on the cost per conversion, offer your monkey fingers 5% off or free shipping. You won't create more misspellers by offering this ad, but you take the opportunity to show the customer you care about your business while reinforcing your brand and brand image.
It's also possible that my mystery searcher uses autofill - yours could too. Their persistence could just be laziness, but you still want to make sure you're reaching them when they're trying to engage with you.
To my mystery monkey fingers, I'd love to know what you'd like to see out of this blog. Are you looking for more information on search engine marketing? On Kerstin Baker-Ash? I'm sorry you're not always finding what you're looking for, but I'd be happy to discuss with you what it is that keeps you coming back, day after day, looking for updates.
