A Cohn Marketing White Paper

BUILDING ONLINE MOMENTUM FOR YOUR BRAND VIA SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING

In June 2009, more than 10 billion searches were THE BASICS performed across the leading search engines—an increase of nearly 20 percent over 20081. Only email The core of most SEM efforts lies in search engine garners more online usage in a typical day. Forrester optimization (SEO). These efforts, focused on increasing Research predicts that spending on online marketing the position and number of relevant entries referencing will top $55 billion over the next five years.2 Of that, website content within the main search results area $31 billion will be invested in search engine marketing of the leading search engines—Google, Yahoo!, and (SEM)—vastly more than any Bing—can yield dramatic results. A other channel. Search marketing top listing in Google of a relevant continues to build momentum “As the competition for link to information about a in offering marketers one of the users’ attention and the company’s product can represent most effective of all marketing a strong revenue stream and demand for an ever-increasing opportunities—and perhaps the create a significant competitive least understood and most often ROI intensifies, planning advantage over listings further underutilized. Search marketing and executing your search down the page. can be overwhelmingly technical, marketing efforts strategically deceptively complex, and veiled becomes more important.” Achieving success in organic in mystery. For the marketer new optimization involves many to SEM, navigating the waters factors, incorporates a variety of of effective search marketing can be tricky. Vendors, tactics, and demands a long-term approach. Success services, and products promising success abound. The comes incrementally, building slowly over time. Organic various tactics, costs, and methodologies are confusing efforts often require investment up front, but pay off in and distracting. time through decreasing costs and steadily increasing visibility in the search engines. Knowing which SEO So how do you effectively leverage this predominant tactics to use and to what degree can greatly affect beast? How can you avoid the snake-oil pitches and your results and the associated costs. Midas promises of unscrupulous salespeople? Paramount to the organic strategy are keywords— Think strategically. Clarify your objectives. Know terms and phrases that relate to your products and your audience. Develop a comprehensive strategy services and correspond to the words a user will that engages appropriate tools effectively over time, type into a search engine. The process to develop execute your plan methodically, analyze your successes the strongest set of possible terms that will bring the and failures meticulously, and adjust your tactics most qualified traffic to your website should focus on regularly. By applying the marketing fundamentals understanding your products and services, developing that have formed the basis of effective campaign detailed insight into the online behavioral tendencies implementation since long before the Internet existed, of your audience, and knowing the practices of your a savvy marketer can harness the search engines to competitors. With this keyword list in hand, a myriad accomplish sophisticated marketing objectives. of tactics related to developing and organizing the content and architecture of your website around themed subsets of keywords creates a foundation

CohnMarketing.com 1 upon which most other tactics can build and advantage at the start of a search results page. A listing in the can be gained. Focusing on eliminating obstacles and 10-pack can provide a return similar to a hard-fought building momentum toward conversion goals as a user battle to mount the traditional non-localized results. completes a desired action (buy, register, download, As the sheer volume of web-based content rises request more information, etc.) increases the likelihood exponentially, the search properties, in an effort to that a visitor will become a customer. increase the relevancy and value of the results, are applying local filters to meet users’ With the preliminary on-site needs. Clearly local search will implementation complete, “Local search results predominate in many new search submitting the pages of your efforts and may even provide website to leading search increasingly preempt decidedly national objectives engines ensures that the pages natural or organic results with a local-focused tactic to of your site are included within reach specific user segments. and feed the growing the indexes. Relevant searches by qualified prospects will mobile search market.” Building a strong foundation yield results that prominently positions you well to expand your feature your website’s offering. efforts and increase your success. Similarly, submissions to leading Linking objectives and audience online directories such as Yahoo!, the Open Directory, characteristics, and focusing on core organic tactics LookSmart, and Business.com can position key sections such as keyword research and content development, of your site in front of large relevant audiences. Niche strengthens your relevancy in the natural search results. directories that service specific industries and audiences Though SEO efforts can have a disproportionate level may further hone your approach. of initial investment compared to the early returns, it truly is an investment that increases in value with time. BUILDING MOMENTUM REACHING OUT As you build your core SEO strategy, a number of additional tactics proven to influence natural search Establishing a strong platform upon which to build can efforts are worth considering. Specifically, efforts have, in the long run, a multiplier effect as you engage to increase and improve the quantity and quality of additional tactics to enforce your search marketing external websites that link to pages on your site should objectives. With a strong organic effort under way, be pursued. Traditional contextual link-building efforts, it often makes sense to look to various paid search such as public relations efforts, relationships with efforts. As an SEO effort builds in time, paid search local and trade organizations and business directories, can offer more immediate satisfaction to help bridge and providing web-based tools such as mortgage the gap of expectation. calculators, can be of great value, but none are more popular today than opportunities that leverage social The paid search or search advertising opportunities networking sites and online PR optimization—both are dominated by pay-per-click (PPC) sponsored discussed later in this document. Additionally, if your listings that appear as text ads alongside organic audience is international, you can maximize your results in the major engines. When compared with international exposure through targeted visibility traditional advertising opportunities, PPC advertising using related tactics focused within international and offers unparalleled precision in tracking, testing, and localized search properties. refinement while targeting segmented audiences to complete specific conversion goals. And while PPC can A growing opportunity exists with local search. Local offer terrific ROI when executed effectively, it too can results increasingly preempt natural or organic results be a complex and expensive pursuit of elusive gains. and feed the growing mobile search market. For Similar to the SEO effort that underlies effective PPC, example, the popular Google “10-pack” that shows the possible tactics are varied and should be employed an embedded map with plotted listings often appears methodically.

CohnMarketing.com 2 The PPC effort, like SEO, begins by developing Provide the information needed to encourage forward targeted keywords and phrases based on audience momentum. Engage various testing mechanisms such characteristics, business objectives, and search as simple A/B testing or more effective (and complex) inventory—the popularity of actual searches using multivariate experiments to bring scientific precision terms relevant to your conversation with your customers. and build significant incremental gains. Expanding on the SEO keyword process, the PPC keywords reflect actual search tendencies, histories, With your campaigns deployed and active, your and related ad costs. It’s not unusual to start with a list of attention turns to managing your efforts to maximize 25 core keywords and expand that list through various ROI. Monitoring effectiveness, trends and performance modifications to a potential list of 500,000. The various patterns will protect you from fraud attacks, competitive PPC keyword development methodologies all focus advances, and changes in search-engine product on meeting particular goals for different objectives behavior that can all dramatically (and quickly) erase around increasing relevant traffic, your recent gains. Measuring, realizing conversions, and testing, and refining your tactics minimizing costs. “Focus on the user and is an ongoing opportunity. where he or she is in Moving from keyword research A number of fee-based the process. Provide to actually seeing your text ads opportunities are also mainstays run alongside the search results the information needed of the SEM world and warrant involves a number of steps. The to encourage forward consideration when reviewing platforms provide a number of paid search tactics. Depending tools to assist with organizing momentum.” on your objectives and audience the keywords, defining the characteristics, paid content correct ad messaging, testing, and inclusion services may leverage implementing the ads. A number of commercial tools specific opportunities to increase visibility and drive are also available. As the stakes get higher, in terms of qualified visitors to your website by strategically budgets and expectations, the nuances of incremental selecting specific website pages for inclusion within adjustments and management play an increasingly leading search properties. Similarly, feed-based important role. Few automated tools produce the services can be particularly beneficial for retail product results that hands-on management can in terms of marketers by creating platforms to dynamically supply building valuable relationships and maximizing media optimized data feeds to relevant search properties and dollars. product-oriented directories such as shop.com, nextag. com, and shopzilla.com. At the top of the sales funnel, where potential prospects gain awareness of your products and services and begin GET PUBLIC AND GO SOCIAL the research phase of the purchase cycle, qualified prospects enter the funnel and the sales conversation A foundational principle in developing a strategically begins. The initial landing page that a user is directed focused search marketing program relates to the to from a PPC ad has a fundamental effect on both interconnectedness of individual efforts. While possible the effectiveness and costs related to the acquisition tactics abound, and the methodologies for choosing process. It is vitally important to engineer this process and executing specific them are equally varied, the to ensure that relevant and direct messaging correlates synergies achieved by combining individual efforts can to the specific ad or ad group and that a clear and lead to multiplied results. With the rise in popularity of effective call to action aids the user in moving forward. social networking sites focused both at the consumer Pay particular attention to traffic tendencies and user and business communities and the shift of traditional behaviors throughout the entire conversion process public relations efforts to online tactics, the number to increase the likelihood that a user completes the of high-value resources to publish targeted content desired action (purchase, signup, info request, etc). across search-friendly web properties has exploded. Focus on the user and where he or she is in the process. Leveraging public relation efforts and the social web to

3 support and build upon SEM goals can yield dramatic campaigns; to create detailed statistical models that results. can tie the results of combined multi-channel efforts to direct revenue gains; and to uncover audience Lines are blurring that separate traditional roles. segments that have specific targetable characteristics. Search efforts are enhanced by optimizing PR efforts, Each campaign contributes to creating valuable and search strategies can validate online PR efforts. marketing intelligence that can be used to adjust and Your PR staff is an important part of your search optimize each subsequent effort. marketing team, and the rewards from integrating efforts can benefit both teams. Carrying this practice Ads can be tested with live audiences, and incremental forward through the emerging social channels is also changes can be made at to exploit successes each proving fruitful. In the same way that PR professionals stage of the process. Budgets can be adjusted to build are employing the social web to position companies, on opportunities as they appear, and can be protected encourage consumer engagement, garner media during down cycles. Marketers can move beyond click- attention, and monitor brand sentiment, a cooperative through rates, numbers of visitors, and page views search-focused objective can both and into a strategic approach extend your public relations that connects actual customer efforts and strengthen your “Your PR staff is an data and acquisition methods search marketing effectiveness. important part of your in order to paint a picture of the Press releases, optimized for specific tactics that not only drive search relevancy according to search marketing team, traffic and encourage action, but guidelines established during and the rewards from also build strong and profitable the search strategy definition integrating efforts can customer histories. Why settle process and published via for knowing the click-through appropriate online services such benefit both teams.” rate of a banner ad when you as prweb.com and pitchengine. can tie the results driven through com, encourage stronger organic an individual search term to a listings. Wire services, news aggregators, and media 12-month revenue projection of a targeted customer outlets carry strong authoritative weight, and the links segment? Combining the measurement analytics of they publish are held in high regard by the search all your online marketing efforts, such as search, email, engines, thus influencing rankings. Posting a press mobile, and websites, can create a powerful marketing release via a reputable wire service can disseminate that intelligence asset for your organization. release across a myriad of reputable media and news sites. Similarly, a targeted and optimized presence As marketers are being held to higher standards and are within social and emerging media networks can affect expected to produce more results with fewer resources, the search prominence of your websites’ organic analytics become an important asset. By establishing listings and facilitate a groundswell of publicity, link measurement criteria and collecting relevant data at sharing, user-generated content creation, and word-of- each stage of the marketing process, smart marketers mouth marketing effects that represent unprecedented can track on a real-time basis the effectiveness of opportunities. individual tactics with particular segments of users and build robust statistical models of their customers that MEASURE, MONITOR, AND ADJUST can be used to glean insight about the entire customer relationship and value cycle. Arguably, the greatest value of search marketing as well as the other core online channels lies just beneath THE NEXT FRONTIER the surface. They offer an unparalleled ability to track and analyze each activity; to accurately evaluate the The constant in this age of immediacy is change. Despite success, failure, cost, and benefit of individual ads and the speed at which a strategy can be formulated, a plan

CohnMarketing.com 4 developed, and tactics deployed by even the most 2009—40 percent more than a year ago. Google, the highly motivated teams, the rules of the game are in 800-pound gorilla of the search world, continues to grow, constant flux. In less than a year Twitter grew by more increasing its search volume by 58 percent in the last than 1,300 percent from obscurity to dominance.3 year.4 Competition for consumers’ attention intensifies YouTube, if ranked alongside the each day—and the successes of traditional search engines in those who effectively leverage terms of searches executed on a “Proactively measuring and the intersecting search daily basis, would outpace all but technologies continue to Google, with Facebook not far monitoring performance prove both the value of search behind. If Facebook users banded facilitates rapid adjustment marketing and the complexity together, they would form the of executing an effective to extend your budget and eighth largest country in the search marketing strategy. world. Mobile search, advertising, exploit opportunities.” Today’s marketing environment SMS/text, and mobile content demands a methodical publishing have reached the approach to search marketing mainstream, earning a prominent founded on clear objectives and place in many of today’s marketing plans, and offer driven by a focused plan that strategically engages seemingly limitless potential. The sands have shifted synergistic tactics for specific audience segments. beneath our feet and will continue to shift. Standing still invites being swept into obscurity.

Search engines continue to evolve; to be more predictive; and to strive to answer users’ questions faster and more completely. They are also growing. More than 100 billion searches have been performed in

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Steve Chitwood is director of digital strategy and online marketing for Cohn Marketing in Denver, Colorado. He has over 15 years of online marketing and interactive development experience. He has worked with numerous clients, recommending digital touchpoints and creative communications solutions that marry brand goals with consumer needs, and guiding multidisciplinary teams in integrating traditional and online marketing tactics. To learn more about Cohn Marketing and its integrated services, please visit CohnMarketing.com. You can also follow Cohn Marketing at Twitter.com/cohnmarketing, become a fan on Facebook, or view our profile on LinkedIn.

Sources 1: The Nielsen Company, August 12, 2009 2: Forrester research, August 2009 3: Nielsen NetView, 2/09 4: The Nielsen Company, August 12, 2009