mike moran step by step search optimization

Microsoft PowerPoint - Mike_Moran_Step-by-Step Search Engine Marketing Success.ppt

2008 Mike Moran

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Step-by-Step Search Marketing Success

Mike MoranFebruary 2008

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2008 Mike Moran

How can you drive demand for your products?

40202010Conversions

2%1%2%1%Conversion Rate

2000200010001000Visitors

Increase your conversion rate Increase your

traffic

Or both

Base

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2008 Mike Moran

Direct marketing is run by the numbers

Cover, size, inserts, response form

Envelope, letter, return envelope

Elements

Mailing lists are culled by demographics, firmographics, RFM, and other factors

Segmentation

Catalogs

Conversion rates are low but costs are, too

! Create multiple versions; analyze response ! Test responses to multiple designs! Monitor over time and adjust

Editors and copy writers assure a consistent message

Direct Mail

Testing

Response

Message

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Search marketing is similar

Web design, navigation, function, images, textual content

Elements

Keyword lists are culled by demographics, firmographics, RFM, and other factors

Segmentation

Conversion rates are low but costs are, too

! Create multiple versions; analyze response ! Test responses to multiple designs! Monitor over time and adjust

Editors and copy writers assure a consistent message

Search Marketing

Testing

Response

Message

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Using search marketing to drive conversions

! How many search visitors come to buy?! The right search result puts the visitor in the Learn

stage to view a product page.

! How many customers that view a product page put items in their carts?

! And how many check out?! Multiply by your average revenue

and you have the impact of search on revenue.

Learn

Buy

Shop

Use

Get

Search

Increasing the success rate at any stage increases the overall conversion rate

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Figure 2-1 Types of Search Results. The Google search results screen clearly separates paid from organic results; other search engines combine them.

What are the kinds of search marketing?

Organic search is editorial resultsPaid search is advertising

Paid Search

Organic Search

2008 Mike Moran

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Organic Search Process

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Organic search marketing might be done cheaply

! You have no per-click fees to pay

! You control your own content, so you can write it to match

! You control your Web site so you can let the search spider discover and indexyour pages

! But if your site is poorlydesigned or has badcontent, repair can bequite expensive

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Match the query

query

entered query

How does organic search work?

It starts with a queryThe searcher enters a few words and

the search engine analyzes the query.How many words?

What language is it?Are the words spelled right?

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Search Index

Match the query

query

analyzed query

entered query


The search engine consults its indexThe search engine looks at its list of all the words to see which Web

pages each word is found on.Then it compares the lists to see which pages contain all the words.

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Search Index

Match the query

query

analyzed query

Rank the matchesmatching

URLs

entered query


The search engine decides which pages are bestThe search engine weighs each page to see which ones have best

combination of the searchers query words on the page and the best links to them from other important pages.

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Search Index

Match the query

query

analyzed query


URLs

Displayresults

sortedURLs

titles and snippets

entered query


The search engine decides what to display

What are the titles of the best pages?

What text should be extracted as the best snippet for each page?

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Search Index

Match the query

query

analyzed query


URLs

Displayresults

sortedURLs

top 10results

titles and snippets

entered query

search results


The top 10 appearJust like magic, right?

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How do pages get into the search index?

! Crawls the home page of a site

! Stores the text on the page in the search index

! Follows links on that page to do the same with other pages on that siteand other sites

Search Index

Spider

Home page Interior pages

The search engine spider program:

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Step 1: Get your sites pages into search indexes

! The Megastars

! The Specialists

! The Locals

Get Pages Indexed

Choose Keywords

Optimize Content

AttractLinks

Choose the search engines to target and check them

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! Improper redirects of URLs

! Incorrect robots coding

! JavaScript and DHTML navigation

! Flash or other rich media content

! More than two dynamic variables in a URL

! Session parameters (id= or session=):

Get Pages Indexed

Choose Keywords

Optimize Content

AttractLinks

Remove spider traps that prevent pages from indexing

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! Site maps

! Countrymaps

! Productlists, likethis onefrom IBM(PageRank9 fromGoogle)

Get Pages Indexed

Choose Keywords

Optimize Content

AttractLinks

Create spider paths that help your pages be discovered

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! Use the top-level domain (.co.uk, .se, .dk, .no, etc.) of the country the page should be indexed for

OR

! Host your page on a server in that country

OR

! Get linksfrom manycountrypages

Make sure pages are in the right country indexes

Get Pages Indexed

Choose Keywords

Optimize Content

AttractLinks

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Step 2: Choose your keywords and landing pages

Get Pages Indexed

Choose Keywords

Optimize Content

AttractLinks

Learn

Buy

Shop

Use

Get

Search ! Answer research questions with informational content

! Respond to product queries with comparisons

! Provide detailed model and product pages for buyers

Capture customers at every stage of the buying cycle

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Get Pages Indexed

Choose Keywords

Optimize Content

AttractLinks

! Dont target keywords that are too hot (they multiple meanings or are poor matches for your site)

! Avoid keywords that are too coldtoo few searchers look for them

Choose keywords that are just right

! Brainstorm words with your team

! Check your search referrals

! Check your site search facility

! Check your competitors

! Use keyword tools

Use all sources to target your keywords

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! Dont just translate the original words! Pick the must-win keywords and the

landing page for each country

Treat each language and country individually

Get Pages Indexed

Choose Keywords

Optimize Content

AttractLinks

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Get Pages Indexed

Choose Keywords

Optimize Content

AttractLinks

Choose a landing page for every keyword

! Where does your customer want to be?

! Be careful when choosing the same page for multiple keywords:

! Product LifecycleManagement andPLM is OK

! Aerospace PLMand AutomotivePLMno!

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Step 3: Audit and optimize your landing pages

Get Pages Indexed

Choose Keywords

Optimize Content

AttractLinks

Choose a landing

page for keywords

Analyze the landing

pages metrics

OK?

Audit the landing

page

no

Improve the landing

pages content

yes

Choose the next landing page

Start! Every keyword

needs a landing page

! Examine rankings, referrals, and conversions

! Check your keyword usage on your page

! Focus on keywords in titles and throughout your text

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Step 3: Audit and optimize your landing pagesAcronym

Title text is

in an image

No real relevant links

Uninteresting

Google Rank:

#175

The Before

Picture

Get Pages Indexed

Choose Keywords

Optimize Content

AttractLinks

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Step 3: Audit and optimize your landing pagesFull keyword in title

Title is

now text

Keyword-ri

ch

Many relevant links

The After

Picture

Google Rank:

#1

Get Pages Indexed

Choose Keywords

Optimize Content

AttractLinks

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! Most translation services are not trained in search marketing

! A translation that does not contain keyword-rich copy wont give you high organicsearch rankings

! You must communicate the exact variations of keywords you want in the copy andmust insist they are usedwith the proper density

Optimize pages in their nationallanguages, not original languages

Get Pages Indexed

Choose Keywords

Optimize Content

AttractLinks

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! Search engines usually analyze your pages to identify the language

! But, for vertical and smaller search engines, encode your page properly:

! Language meta tags--Here is the tag for Japanese:

! Character set meta tagsAgain, the tag for Japanese:

Get Pages Indexed

Choose Keywords

Optimize Content

AttractLinks

Code your language properly on your pages

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! Most translation services are not trained in search marketing

! A translation that does not contain keyword-rich copy wont give you high organic search rankings

! You must communicate the exact variations of keywords you want in the copy and must insist they are usedwith the proper density

Get Pages Indexed

Choose Keywords

Optimize Content

AttractLinks

Translators must understand search copywriting

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Step 4: Make your site a link magnet

! Make your content interesting and fresh

! Blogs

! Podcasts! Provide something

unique, such as auseful free tool

Get Pages Indexed

Choose Keywords

Optimize Content

AttractLinks

Attract one-way links with content people want to link to

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! Long weird URLs:http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/dpp.do?vertical=Buying %20Guides&cat=Televisions&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&splash=true&n-state=http://www.live.bguides.webcollage.net/_wc/televisions_1.html~~~G!0B6765CD4

C51!XRHzYAguDp1SwH5C~~~~@http://guides.sears.com/server/sears/bguides-televisions-showcase

! Forced registrationbefore allowingsomeone to viewyour page

Remove roadblocks that stop people from linking to you

Get Pages Indexed

Choose Keywords

Optimize Content

AttractLinks

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! Get your suppliers, customers, partners, dealers, and other companies to link to you

! Use Yahoo! Directory ($299 per year) and Open Directory (free)

! Use specialty directories for your industry or for specialized content, such as podcasts:

Get your site listed by partners and by Web directories

Get Pages Indexed

Choose Keywords

Optimize Content

AttractLinks

2008 Mike Moran

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Paid Search Process

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Paid search is the fastest way to get traffic

! Organic search can take months but paid search can happen in minutes

! And, done properly, youll get a great return

! But if you dont knowwhat youre doing

! You can lose a lotof money ina hurry

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Match the query

query

entered query

How does paid search work?

It starts with a queryThe searcher enters a few words and

the search engine analyzes the query.How many words?

What language is it?

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Ad Database

Match the query

query

analyzed query

entered query


The search engine consults its databaseThe search engine looks at its list of all the words to see which ones

have ads associated with them.

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Ad Database

Match the query

query

analyzed query


ads

entered query


The search engine decides which ads are bestThe search engine weighs each ad to see which ones have best

combination of the clickthrough rate and per-click bid.

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Ad Database

Match the query

query

analyzed query


ads

Displayresults

sortedads

adcopy

entered query


The search engine decides what to display

What is the copy of the best ads?

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Ad Database

Match the query

query

analyzed query


ads

Displayresults

sortedads

top results

adcopy

entered query

search results


The top ones appearJust like magic, right?

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Local search is taking off

! Local search allows searchers to qualify their keywords with locations.

! And lists the businesses found in the phone book for that location.

! Searchers can even get their results shown on a map to see the location closest to them.

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Contextual advertising works for many advertisers

Conversion rates may be lower, so make sure per-click costs are lower, too

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Shopping search might top all the opportunities

The highest conversion rates, but per-click costs are often lower, too

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But paid placement is where most marketers play

! Bid on any keyword what youll pay for each click

! If your profit exceeds your click fees, you win

! It sounds simple, but

Paid placement bidding is really a personality test

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Step 1: Choose your targets

! Shopping search products! Paid placement:

!Choose deeper keywordsthan for organic

!Choose your match types!Choose your location

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Step 2: Choose your placement bidding strategy

! Profit is good, but what about Lifetime Value?

! Bid management tools can automatically adjust your bids based on some metrics but not profit or lifetime value

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Step 3: Optimize your clickthrough rates

! Emphasize the keywords in your title and your description

! Test different variations of the copy to find the one with the most clickthrough

! Ensure that yourDisplay URL is shortand readable

! Use automatedkeyword insertionto reduce workload Anatomy of a Google ad

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Step 4: Optimize your conversion rates

! Which keywords results in the highest conversions?

! Track every conversion and report on it! Test different copy variations:

! Ad copy! Landing page copy! Copy on every other page in your

conversion path

! Change it, change it, and change itagaindont stop trying to improve, ever

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Read all about it! Buy this book, read it, and then

read it again.--Chris Sherman, Search Engine Watch

! Updated at each printing

www.mikemoran.com

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)&'*#+,-.$/#%+$%#00#'

For more information about the books, and for the free Biznology newsletter and blog:

Available now! Great book.

--Robert Scoble, Scoblizer blog

! Act now and read it.--Bryan Eisenberg, Author of #1 best

seller Waiting for Your Cat to Bark?

mike moran step by step search optimization

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