LOCALIZING SEO PERFORMANCE To develop a winning SEO strategy

Rob Bucci Founder, CEO

@STATrob #BrightonSEO

LOCALIZATION & SEO

LOCALIZATION, WHAT? The move towards SERPs that are modified by the location where the query is performed.

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WE’RE CURIOUS. How does localization impact searcher behaviour?

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HOW DO PEOPLE MODIFY THEIR SEARCH QUERIES TO FIND LOCAL SERVICES?

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HOW DO PEOPLE SEARCH FOR LOCAL SERVICES THAT AREN’T BRICK-AND-MORTAR?

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HOW DOES SEARCHER BEHAVIOUR CHANGE STATE-TO-STATE?

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ULTIMATELY, THE QUESTION IS: How can localized analysis help us to build better SEO strategies?

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SO, WE DID A CASE STUDY. On one of the largest providers of auto insurance in America.

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REVENUE (2012): $16.74 BILLION

INSURANCE IS A BIG BUSINESS.

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VEHICLES INSURED BY GEICO IN THE UNITED STATES.

20 MILLION

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THE DATA SET

WE PICKED A BASIC SET OF 33 SHORT-TAIL QUERIES.

33 KEYWORDS

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SEARCH VOLUME > 100 • auto insurance

• cheap auto insurance

• auto insurance quotes

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WE USED 5 DIFFERENT TYPES OF GEO-MODIFICATION.

5 VARIANTS

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GEO-MODIFICATION? Modifying a query with a place-name. For example [auto insurance] becomes [california auto insurance].

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UNMODIFIED Example: [auto insurance]

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SUFFIX Example: [auto insurance california]

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PREFIX Example: [california auto insurance]

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FOR SUFFIX Example: [auto insurance for california]

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IN SUFFIX Example: [auto insurance in california]

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33 KEYWORDS MULTIPLIED BY 5 VARIANTS GAVE US 165 QUERIES TO TRACK.

165 QUERIES

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WE TRACKED EACH SET OF 165 QUERIES WITHIN EACH STATE. Example: [california auto insurance] tracked on a california localized SERP.

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33 SHORT-TAIL KEYWORDS MULTIPLIED BY 5 VARIANTS ACROSS 51 U.S LOCALES.

8,415 QUERIES

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WE COLLECTED THE FOLLOWING DATA• Geico’s organic ranking

• local search volume (localized to the state)

• advertiser competition

• cost-per-click

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WE CREATED A WEIGHTED RANKING SCORE. Based on organic ranking and search volume. The score indicates the relative value of a ranking.

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RANKING WEIGHTSRank Weight

1 1.0

2 0.9

3 0.8

4 0.7

5 0.6

… …

10 0.1

SIMPLE MULTIPLICATION Ranking weight x search volume = ranking score

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EXAMPLE: RANKING #2 WITH SEARCH VOLUME OF 6,600 Ranking of 2 = weight of 0.90.9 x 6,600 = ranking score of 5,940

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SO, WHAT DID WE LEARN?

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QUERY STRUCTURE

TOTAL SEARCH VOLUME

Unmodified

Suffix

Prefix

In Suffix

For Suffix

0 75,000 150,000 225,000 300,000

30

8,650

10,730

18,530

251,430

UNMODIFIED QUERIES WIN. Most searchers don’t geo-modify queries for local services without a brick-and-mortar location.

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AVERAGE COST-PER-CLICK

Unmodified

Suffix

Prefix

In Suffix

For Suffix

$0.00 $12.50 $25.00 $37.50 $50.00

$0.11

$5.08

$5.46

$7.15

$46.06

UNMODIFIED QUERIES ARE EXPENSIVE. The average CPC of a unmodified queries is commensurate with their total search volume

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GEICO’S TOTAL RANKING SCORE

Unmodified

Suffix

Prefix

In Suffix

For Suffix

0 75,000 150,000 225,000 300,000

30

8,650

10,730

18,530

251,430

18

2,522

4,575

8,889

104,705

UNMODIFIED QUERIES DRIVE GEICO’S ORGANIC TRAFFIC. It’s clear that the majority of Geico’s SEO traffic comes from unmodified searches.

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QUERY STRUCTURE MAKES A DIFFERENCE.

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WHAT DOES THIS TEACH US? Based on the previous data, one could use a PPC channel to drive a small wedge into Geico’s business.

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BUT, WE’RE ALL ABOUT SEO. When we break out the data into state-by-state markets, we can spot cracks in their armour.

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MARKETS MATTER

BUT NOT ALL MARKETS

0

200

400

600

800

Alaska North Dakota Vermont

201261

340

630590700

Total Search Volume Total Ranking Score

FOUR MARKETS MATTER. California, Florida, Texas & Michigan are Geico’s major source of organic traffic for auto insurance terms.

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TOTAL SEARCH VOLUME & RANKING SCORE

0

12,500

25,000

37,500

50,000

California Florida Texas Michigan

9,79813,62815,138

18,816 16,870

31,04029,070

40,580

Total Search Volume Total Ranking Score

TOTAL MARKET COVERAGE

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

California Florida Texas Michigan

58%44%

52%46%

DON’T TRY TO COMPETE IN THESE MARKETS. Granted, they don’t have anything close to 100% coverage, but why chase them?

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“I SKATE TO WHERE THE PUCK IS GOING TO BE, NOT WHERE IT HAS BEEN.” -Wayne Gretzky

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LOOK TO THE MARKETS THEY’RE MISSING.

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THREE OVERLOOKED MARKETS

0

3,500

7,000

10,500

14,000

New York Illinois Washington

7472,0411,445

6,180

10,72012,370

Total Search Volume Total Ranking Score

TOTAL MARKET COVERAGE

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

New York Illinois Washington

12%19%

12%

THE DEMAND IS THERE, BUT THEY LACK COVERAGE.

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HOW DO WE FORM A STRATEGY AROUND THIS INSIGHT? If we’re going to compete with Geico, we should first challenge them where they’re weak.

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SUMMING IT ALL UP

QUERY STRUCTURE MATTERS. Make sure you understand how people are searching for your products/services.

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EVERYTHING IS LOCAL. Even searches that aren’t geo-modified are impacted by localization.

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LOCALIZED ANALYSIS EXPOSES OPPORTUNITIES. By going deeper, you can find areas your competition is missing.

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EVEN THE BIG GUYS HAVE EXPLOITABLE WEAKNESSES.

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YOU CAN DO ALL THIS RESEARCH ON YOUR OWN. You just need partners who can provide the data.

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STAY TUNED FOR MORE!

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rob@getSTAT.com @STATrob