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Restaurant ReservationsCourtney JonesMidterm18 October 2010

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No Sponsored Links?•75% of users click on the main page, under the sponsored ads•There are no offers or promotions to be advertised with making “restaurant reservations”

Should Open Table Invest in PPC?•No…•Without investing in PPC, Open Table is the first listing…•Because most users click on the main page, under sponsored ads, Open Table’s link is in the perfect spot for the most clicksOn-Page Optimization…

•Very first words: “Make restaurant reservations…”•These words at the very top of page:

Off-Page Optimization…

•Title of the link includes: “Restaurant Reservations”•First two words of description: “Make online reservations”

“Restaurant Reservations”

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•Very user-friendly

•Has own mini search engine

•Link looks important, and like it will have the best results because of its own search bar

•Cities around the country listed shows that it is not limited

Organic Result Presentation…

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•YES

•Open Table should be featured in a sponsored advertisement, where users would see the link to learn that they can, not only make reservations for this restaurant, but also for many others around the country.

•This may lead to the use of Open Table by these users, again, when looking to make reservations at other restaurants in the future.

Should Open Table invest in PPC here?

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3rd Listing

•Should include the word “reservation” in the main heading, so that the main heading would include all keywords

•The word “reservation” should also be included in the link; for example www.opentable.com/slanted-door-reservations

How to enhance SEO…

+Clicking from Google search…

•Personalized with your predetermined location

•Recommendations for your location

•Designed for fewer clicks by using your own location with broad and shallow layout

•Local deals and events

+Original Site…

•Lays out 3 easy steps for the user, yet overwhelming : “Trusted by 14,000 restaurants”. Does this mean the user will have to sift through thousands of restaurants?•Offers “Featured Areas” section,

but unlike the search engine link, this site proves to have a narrow and deep architecture

Does not offer a “Sign Up” option, or, like on the search engine result site, does not offer the “help” option at the top right hand corner

+Site objectives and advertising…

•Open Table offers a restaurant reservation service, to be made online at the users convenience.

•The site also offers predetermined locations by using your own location, so that it can offer the user a personalized experience, and an easier navigation.

•Neither the original nor the search engine result site contain advertising

•The site offers services to 14,000 restaurants, over 160 million diners, and is a free service to online users.

+Top 10 Reasons for Returning…

•Ease of Use• The sites offer many links, three easy steps of use, and

recommendations to the user•High Quality Content• The site offers reservations to thousands of restaurants

around the country, and even internationally•Cutting Edge Technology• The search engine result link offers a search bar right in

the link, this is a great utilization of technology•Coupon and Incentive Opportunity• Restaurants could provide an incentive to those users that

make reservations using the site, this way users would want to return

•Customizable Content• Reviews should be a highlight of the site. Users are able

to leave reviews about restaurants, and the site should highlight these so that newer users can use the site as a way to get recommendations in their area.

+Testing Advertisements…

•The site is testing whether or not advertising is an effective tool on this site.•This may also test to see which types of users the site delivers to, by seeing which ads gain a response•This will allow Open Table to create a user profile, which could allow them to determine which restaurants they should be aware of providing services for…•This would also give Open Table an ideaof which sites they could advertise on forthemselves.

+Banner Ads…

•Open Table provides banner ads to its members because it knows more information about them, and can determine which ads they might be interested in•It does not display banner ads to non-members because users may think that the site is trying to sell them something, and first-time users may not understand the objective of the site •Chandron offers an

incentive for those users making a reservation•Lowes advertises the newest appliances to Open Table’s high income users who may be interested in upgrading•Cascade offers a “Buy Now” button for cleaning supplies, which may be interesting to its female users•I would not choose to advertise on Open Table because many of its users probably do not cook as many meals at home, so would not have as many dishes a someone who would be cooking at home on a regular basis.