ONLINE advertising is evolving to become much more than simply click-through links advertising.

Organisations tend to measure an advert’s successŠby reviewing how many times a browser ad is clicked by a potential consumer.

However, with the industry average for click-through advertising just 0.07% and the rate of successful business resulting from the ads even lower, creating an effective advert online is often far from easy. Consumers viewing an advertisement often do not follow it through to purchase a product or make use of the service.

However, Google is pioneering new technology by using keyword contextual targeting that refines the ads that people see – making them more specific and more relevant to the interests of target audiences.

No longer does Google target “males, age 30-39” but “males, age 30-39 with a high disposable income and a love of wine bars”.

This technique raises the click-through rate of Google’s targeted ads to 0.57%, and surely makes online adverts highly attractive to a wine company looking to start an advertising campaign.

Armed with this information, Google, and many others like them, can provide highly tailored ads.

The internet is no longer shooting blind in the dark but delivering ads to people with a demonstrated interest in the product or service that is being offered.

Successful use of search marketing does not stop with getting consumers to visit a website: it must also include efforts to ensure they stay there as long as possible, convert the visit into sales and engage new customers.

According to recent Google Display Network research, these practices have seen the average click-through rate rise to eight times the industry standard.

As onsite search facilities evolve, web analytic tools become essential to any brand in need of understanding the online behaviour of their target audience.

Looking at the bigger picture, they can be used to provide valuable insights into customers' perceptions and help to develop a brand identity both on and offline.

INTERNET entrepreneur Ben Hatton is founder and managing director of Liverpool agency Rippleffect. Link to Rippleffect on Twitter @rippleffected