lifting the lid on search marketing

Lifting the Lid on Search Marketing ~ how it works; what you can do ~

Note: This presentation was created for the 2009 Travel Distribution Summit held in Singapore on April 2, 2009

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www.waterandstone.com

  what is search marketing ?

The term search marketing encompasses a range of activities, from classic search engine optimization, to management of pay-per-click (PPC) services, to use of Web 2.0 techniques to promote your site and make it more visible to searcher.

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  key factors to consider

  The domain name   Relevant Inbound links   Content of URLs   Amount of content   Keyword density   Internal link density   The age of your domain   Consistency of your search marketing efforts - inconsistent efforts under-perform

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  formulate reasonable goals Yes, I know, we all want to be #1 on Google…

  Remember that Google rankings are only a means to an end – the goal is an increase in relevant traffic. You don't have to be on page one of Google to achieve this goal (though it does help!).

  Keep this in mind as it will shape your implementation and your tracking -- and without it, you are likely to waste your efforts.

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  conduct an SEO audit What to consider:

  Identify areas of opportunity (keyphrases with more traffic and less competition)   Where you rank now, relative to your key words   # of inbound links   # of pages indexed   Who currently dominates your chosen keywords   Their inbound links & pages indexed   Compare your metadata to theirs   Conduct content audit to assess suitability for optimization for your keywords   Decide which pages to optimize

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  don't forget the long tail

  The longer the keyword combination, the less competition, AND the higher the conversion rate!   Generic keyphrases are highly competitive and require long term commitment (or PPC).   The long tail is often the point of least resistance.

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  online tools & resources

  Google Webmaster account   Yahoo! Site Explorer   MSN's Webmaster Center   Page Rank finder (of your choice)   Wordtracker   The search engines themselves   Alexa Ranking   Your PPC reports   Your web analytics reports   Google AdWords blog   Webmaster World   Search Engine Watch

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  offline tools (installed apps)

  Advanced Web Ranking   Link Popularity Checker   Your homegrown tools

  Tracking sheet   Audit sheet   Competitor analysis

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  Make your site search friendly   This is classic “SEO” -- the process of optimizing a site for the search engines.   It is necessary!  One of the few areas where you really need an expert’s assistance.   Key Issues:

  Search engine friendly URLs (SEF)   page titles   metadata   element attributes   keyword density   internal link density and link text   Robots.txt file

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  The place of metadata

 Metadata isn’t dead (though it is less important)   It should not be ignored   Key field => Description   Key field => Keywords   Key field => Robots  Many optional fields here

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  Make your site search friendly - extras

 Use a site map   Implement effective handling of 404s   Enforcement (and use) of consistent URL formulation (www or not www)   Tags (taxonomy) : can have a positive affect on internal link density   Internal links – use title attribute and use link text

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  now you are ready to register!

  You must manually register on the key engines   Automated software has a limited and secondary role  Create & maintain XML site maps   Set up Google Webmaster Tools account   Set up Yahoo! Site Explorer account   Set up an MSN Webmaster Center account  Don’t be afraid to re-register if the site does not show up in a reasonable period of time – but don't overdue it!

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  building links

 Hit the key directories - Yahoo!, DMOZ, any niche market directories   Look at your competitors’ links pages   The key: Relevant, high ranking sites   Build links to your key pages -- not just the homepage  Use keyword-specific link text   Investigate services like Link Metro   Are you willing to buy links?   This takes massive amounts of time.

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  increase the number of pages indexed

 Create internal links  Maintain a site map on your site   Keep those URLs friendly!   Keep XML site map updated  Consider using "spider food"

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  what’s a “friendly” (SEF) URL?

Search Engine (& user!) Hostile: http://www.balitravelportal.com/index.php? page=main.php&action=ShowCategory&catid=56

Friendly: h/p://www.balitravelportal.com/south‐bali/kuta

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  the role of PPC

  When you absolutely, positively have to be on Page One -- today!  Both Yahoo! and Google have programs worth looking at.   Google = no set up fees, daily budgets with no deposit   Yahoo! = small set up fee + prepaid deposit charged against daily   Google has better syndication and site targeting   PPC does not directly impact your search position

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  SEO 2.0

  Digg & Newsvine can fast-track listing   StumbleUpon – can drive traffic   Exploit the increasing number of social

bookmarking sites   Establish a presence on relevant niche

community sites.   Don't forget Wikipedia.   Content creation for Web 2.0 sites worthwhile –

This is the New PR.   Get bookmarking tools on your site   Is your site suitable for a widget?   If you have suitable content, offer RSS feeds

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  SEO 2.0 - Participating in Community

  Seek out community sites frequented by your target markets.

  Create a place to interact with them.   Logical choices:

  Facebook   Orkut   Bebo   Hi5   MySpace   A Small World   other niche sites suitable to your offering

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  SEO 2.0 – Does it Work?

Consider These Two Examples…

  Facebook   Initiated the ‘I Love Bali Villas’ group for client in Dec 07   Today, over 1,600 members

  54 photos

  Numerous posts

  TripAdvisor:   Set up account for client's brand   Contributed postings, photos, forum advice

  Now client's #1 non-search engine referrer

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  SEO 2.0 – What about Twitter?

  Love it or hate it, but don't ignore it.   Your Twitter profile will be indexed.

  It's useful for tracking market sentiment towards your brand and for identifying trends.

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  special SEO considerations

Site rebuilds   must plan and manage migration!   I.D. key indexed pages   put 301 re-directs on them

In the sandbox…   nothing to do but wait

Blacklisted   can petition for re-indexing   get your Google Webmaster account set up

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  you have to track!

  Where do you stand now? If you don't know, that is the first issue to address. You must have some baseline / context to evaluate efforts.   Ask: What’s working?   Ask: What needs more attention?   Feedback the knowledge into your efforts.   Google Analytics is a great choice and the price is right!   Programs like Advanced Web Ranking are also very useful.  Check those PPC reports   Check your Google Webmaster account

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  managing your SEO team

  Be suspicious of people who promise specific results.   Negotiate performance-based contracts, where possible.   Budget for ongoing maintenance activities.   Get your SEO in order before launching a campaign.   Track obsessively!   Don’t allow Black Hat methods!

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  Ric Shreves


www.WaterAndStone.com

[email protected]

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eMail:

Thank you for your time.

lifting the lid on search marketing

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