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Introduction

This in-depth white paper, spearheaded by TracTru, a Google Premier Partner, delves into the evolving digital landscape of researching and purchasing Lawn Mowers. It provides actionable insights for businesses and marketers within the construction industry by examining the customer journey—from research to purchase—with particular attention to their online search habits. 

Methodology

As a Google Premier Partner, Google provides TracTru with exclusive data that gives us the following insights. First, let’s define the key performance metrics extracted from Google’s search index: 

1. Queries: Total searches conducted by users related ONLY to Lawn Mowers.
2. Ad Depth: The number of ads shown per search query.
3. Impressions: The frequency of ad displays in response to these queries.
4. Clicks: The number of times users engaged with ads or organic search results.

All data provided is pulled from the Lawn Mowers targeting segment. It is also a Year-Over-Year (YoY) analysis showcasing how the customer journey changed in just 12 months. 

Findings and Analysis

Search Query Trends

Search Growth: In 2023, research and purchase decisions were primarily made on mobile devices. Mobile searches accounted for 74% of all search activity for mowers.

• Mobile has predominantly been this industry’s gateway to search activity since 2016. In 2023, we saw yet another increase of 10%.
• For the first time in the last few years, search activity on computers increased by 8% but only made up 23% of the total volume of searches YoY
• The number of searches decreased by 5% and only made up 3% of the total volume of searches YoY

The total number of searches for Lawn Mowers increased by 9% in 2023 vs 2022. Queries go from broad to precise terms within the customer journey. 

Ad Depth and Market Competition

Competition decreased by 10% YoY inside of the customer journey within Google. But the competition is still fierce. 

• Competition Intensity on Mobile: Mobile searches faced 21.9 competitors, more than tablet and computer searches, emphasizing the competitive digital environment for Lawn Mowers.
  • Even though there are much fewer searches on tablets, we only saw the Ad Depth decrease 5% YOY, resulting in the customer viewing 20.5 competitors within their customer journey on tablets
  • Computers saw a decrease in the number of advertisers by 2%, resulting in only 15.7 competitors within their customer journey on computers.
• Understanding the Ad Depth and Market Competition increases the need for relevant ad copy and destination pages. It also underscores the importance of delivering the right message to this audience on their first query while researching products. In 2023, we saw higher click-through rates for competitive pricing and the value to their needs. 
• Decreasing Ad Depth but still Competitive: Ad depth (number of competitors) has declined 10% YoY, including an average of 20.5 competitors in the customer journey

Not all competitors are actual competitors. For example, Google cannot see the difference between manufacturers, regional and local advertising from the same brand. They are all competitors in the eyes of Google, which increases the Ad Depth and cost-per-click. 

Clicks and Engagement Patterns

Clicks on paid and organic searches increased by 19% on mobile YoY. This indicates that more research is being conducted within the customer journey. An increase of 9% in total queries but an increase of total clicks across devices of 15% indicates an increase in the length and depth of the customer journey process, clicking on more links within the search page after a query is made.

• Mount Everest: May 2023, 2022, and 2021 were the highest peak of clicks (engagement) than any other month out of the year(s). It creates a graph that looks like Mount Everest peak (May) and then slides off before and after. 
• In 2021 and 2023, we saw another jump in engagement and clicks in July but did not beat May.

The overall click growth was 15%. Mobile was up 19%, encompassing 74% of all queries and where leads are generated, making it the most critical metric. Tablet stayed steady at 3%. 

Seasonal Patterns

Knowing a seasonal pattern in researching equipment online is a basic understanding of all equipment manufacturers. This still holds and becomes even more prominent as every equipment brand is tasked to increase its market share. 

• Queries began to increase in March and peaked in May 2023. It decreased by 25% in June and jumped by 10% in July 2023. After July, the graph falls as we are heading out of season. January and December had the lowest number of queries, clicks, impressions, and ad depth.
• Ad Depth has become more aligned with the customer journey for the first time in the history of these reports. Mobile Ad Depth peaked at 25 in May 2023 compared to 20 in May 2022. It peaked again in August and September 2023 and then steadily decreased throughout the end of 2023.
• Impressions on advertising for Lawn Mowers followed the same pattern as queries. Toping out in May 2023 and then a slight increase in July 2023 as it slowly decreases for the rest of the year. The most significant number of impressions were delivered from March to July 2023. Opportunities will be uncluttered from September to December. 
• Clicks on paid and organic search results aligned with the query data.

Organic search focus and paid search should always stay on for this audience, regardless of the number of queries. The implications of not focusing on search throughout the year are just the sheer number of ad-depth. 

Implications for Marketing Strategies

• Google SGE: Google’s latest algorithm change will be its largest in over a decade. Google integrates AI suggestive 
• Share of Voice: This is incredibly important to watch as you go through each month of 2024. We know you have to win in March – July 2024 to beat your competitors and increase market share, but those months will need to be adjusted accordingly with budget fluctuations to keep your share of voice (SOV) high in these fluctuating months. 
• Strategic Focus on Mobile Platforms: Given the significant reliance on mobile devices, you must develop mobile-centric platforms and marketing strategies.
• Ecommerce: This audience must purchase products and services via mobile on business websites that meet their needs. Yes, that does include equipment. There is a market for ecommerce purchasing. 
• Capitalizing on Seasonal Highs: Marketing campaigns should be intensified during high-engagement periods, especially from March – July 2024, but do not discount the low number of searches at the end of the year for tax write-offs for commercial mowing companies.
• Campaigns are always on: Due to the number of Ad Competitors, you must be on with your marketing campaigns 12 months out of the year. Budget fluctuations will be needed as seasonal highs will need 10x the amount in paid search vs. January to reach the same share of voice.
• Navigating the VERY Competitive Digital Arena: Understanding ad depth and competition can assist businesses in creating distinctive strategies to emerge prominently in a competitive market.

Recommendations for Future Strategy

• Ensure your copy for paid search and organic meta tags related to the potential customer; you are surrounded by competitors who might be messaging better with incentives, tractor packages, or value propositions. 
• Data-Driven Marketing Initiatives: Utilize analytics to tailor marketing efforts, aligning them with observed consumer behavior patterns.
• Adaptive Content Strategy: Develop content and advertising strategies that resonate with the observed seasonal trends, ensuring relevance and engagement.
• Do not discount October to December from a customer journey perspective for equipment. They are shopping online. Marketing initiatives are necessary to capture this audience, as it was only sometimes crucial before 2020. 
• Ad Depth between Manufacturers, Regional Incentives, and Local Dealer Advertising is competing against each other in Google’s eyes. Understand what each layer is doing inside of Google search to help:
  • dominate SERP (search engine results page) with your brand.
  • understand what search absolute top impression rate you are each trying to achieve
  • which keywords are being focused on to bid with or against 
• Paid Search Recommendations: Better ads mean better Ad Rank
  • Every time someone does a search that triggers an ad that’s competing in an auction, Google calculates an Ad Rank. This calculation incorporates your bid and auction-time measurements of expected CTR, ad relevance, and landing page experience, among other factors. To determine the auction-time quality components, Google weighs a number of different factors. By improving the following factors, we can help improve the quality components of your Ad Rank:
    • Your ad’s expected clickthrough rate: This is partly based on your ad’s historical clicks and impressions (adjusting for factors such as assets and other formats that may have affected the visibility of an ad that someone previously clicked)
    • Your ad’s relevance to the search: How relevant your ad is to what a person searches for
    • The quality of your landing page: How relevant, transparent, and easy to navigate your page is
• Why ad quality matters
  • The quality components of Ad Rank are used in several different ways and can affect the following things:
    • Ad auction eligibility: Google’s measures of ad quality help determine the Ad Rank thresholds for your ad and whether your ad is qualified to appear at all.
    • Your actual cost-per-click (CPC): Higher-quality ads often lead to lower CPCs. That means you pay less per click when your ads are of higher quality.
    • Eligibility for ad assets and other ad formats: Ad Rank determines whether or not your ad is eligible to be displayed with ad assets and other ad formats, such as site links.
    • Overall, higher-quality ads typically lead to lower costs and more advertising success. The Google Ads system works best for everybody when the ads shown are relevant and closely match what customers are searching for.

Conclusion

The digital journey of Lawn Mowers consumers is increasingly shaped by their interactions with online platforms, mainly through mobile devices. For businesses selling Lawn Mowers, adapting to these digital trends is crucial. Emphasizing mobile optimization, strategic ad placements, and seasonally targeted marketing efforts are essential to effectively reaching and engaging your target audience. This comprehensive analysis highlights the necessity of leveraging digital analytics to inform and refine marketing strategies in the construction industry.

About TracTru

TracTru is a team of innovators, educators, developers, strategists and designers working to disrupt the equipment industry. We provide websites and full-scale marketing services with B2C and B2B solutions to help your dealership stand out against your competition. Our services include but certainly aren’t limited to, web design, website management, digital marketing, and advertising services for construction and construction dealers worldwide. Each piece of equipment sold plays a role in the world we’re building together. Your vision is our vision. Your goals are our goals.

In all we do, we’re Here for You.