Those eager to enhance their search engine rankings should group their keywords in the most effective way possible, according to Yahoo!.

In a post on its Search Marketing Blog, Yahoo!'s Smart Start Team suggests that online brand marketers put themselves in their customer's shoes as they search the web, noting how frustrating it is when search terms are typed in and mismatched ads are retrieved.

The search firm's team states that in order to ensure ads are clicked, they must be paired with relevant keywords.

"If your ad doesn't get many clicks, your quality index can be affected. High-quality ads are generally more relevant to searchers and therefore get clicked on more often," it notes.

Concluding, it notes that low-quality adverts are usually not as relevant or appealing to searchers, meaning they are less likely to be clicked on.

Meanwhile, sector commentator Damon Segal recently wrote on online resource Real Business that picking the correct keywords is "essential" with regard to search engine optimisation.

Online spending rose to a total market value of £4.8 billion in July, figures from the IMRG CapGemini e-Retail Sales Index show.

This figure equates to an investment of roughly £79 for every person in the UK.

Data from the study indicates that consumers continued to spend online despite the ongoing effects of the credit crunch and pressures on disposable income, with sales figures increasing by a total of 11.3 per cent on June.

Mike Petevinos, head of consulting for retail at Capgemini UK, states that online sales continue to exhibit signs of strong growth, especially in comparison to "tough trading conditions" on the high street.

He states that rising sales in apparel demonstrate consumers' "ever-increasing familiarity" with web-based retail.

Jo Evans, managing director of IMRG, adds: "Online retailers are taking full advantage of the present situation."

In other news, reports recently noted that online auction site eBay plans to introduce changes to encourage more fixed price sellers on its site.

INDIA'S burgeoning call centre industry, which has drawn thousands of jobs from Britain, is heading for contraction within the next two years, according to a new report published today.
The boom in outsourcing sales, customer services and other telephone work to low-paid, English-speaking Indians has generated competition that is driving down prices and pushing up pay, market analyst Datamonitor said in its study.

The report says newcomers to the market are aggressively discounting to grab a share of the £255 million business, resulting in shrinking margins and raising questions as to who will survive.

Datamonitor said a "shake-out" is inevitable within two or three years, and its report predicted this it will largely be driven by consulting companies exiting the market, and either spinning off their contact centre operations or turning over the management of their customer care services to third parties.