Successful Search Engine Optimisation Neil Stickells, Head of Search & Media

Agenda Why you need Search Engine Optimisation How to use SEO to drive more business Tools to help Tips to get started

Why you need Search Engine Optimisation

How to use SEO to drive more business

Tools to help

Tips to get started

Introduction Neil Stickells Ten years experience in search and online Head of Search & Media Developing and running search campaigns around the world Steak Full service digital agency Offices in London, New York and Melbourne

Neil Stickells

Ten years experience in search and online

Head of Search & Media

Developing and running search campaigns around the world

Steak

Full service digital agency

Offices in London, New York and Melbourne

1. THE IMPORTANCE OF SEO

It's tough to cut through the marketing clutter

Search is the primary path to online content Source: Forrester Research

… and a valuable part of your marketing strategy “ From which tactics do you see the best ROI?” Source: MarketingSherpa, “Ad:Tech Year-End Survey”, December 2006 49% 47% 45% 13% 11% 52% 47% 33% 16% 10% Paid search ads E-mail: house lists SEO Sponsored e-mail E-mail: rented lists 2006 2005

How valuable? UK search market was worth an estimated £2.22billion in 2007 up from £1.41bn in 2006* Value of SEO market was £250m, up 68% from 2006 SEO spending grew faster than paid search last year SEO services represent around 11% of the overall search market 36% of searchers believe that the companies whose websites are at the top of the search results are the top brands in their field** *Source: eConsultancy **Source: JupiterResearch/iProspect, Search Engine User Behavior Study

UK search market was worth an estimated £2.22billion in 2007 up from £1.41bn in 2006*

Value of SEO market was £250m, up 68% from 2006

SEO spending grew faster than paid search last year

SEO services represent around 11% of the overall search market

36% of searchers believe that the companies whose websites are at the top of the search results are the top brands in their field**

*Source: eConsultancy

**Source: JupiterResearch/iProspect, Search Engine User Behavior Study

Some more numbers… 256m people visited a search engine in December 2006 – this represents 81% of global internet users. [Source: Nielsen/NetRatings via Search Engine Watch, March 2007] The global search audience has grown by 10% over the last year, while the total Internet audience grew 8%. Search is most popular in the UK (85%), France (83%) and Spain (83%) .

256m people visited a search engine in December 2006 – this represents 81% of global internet users. [Source: Nielsen/NetRatings via Search Engine Watch, March 2007]

The global search audience has grown by 10% over the last year, while the total Internet audience grew 8%.

Search is most popular in the UK (85%), France (83%) and Spain (83%) .

Mastering search results is getting harder Buy Buy Submit Optimise and Earn

Especially as we go from search as we've known it…

To "blended" results from multiple sources…

Including video assets, news and functionality

WHY SEO?

PAID NATURAL 30% 70%

Click through by position Page 1 accounts for 89.6% of all clicks 42.3 % 11.9% 8.4% 6.0% 4.9% 4.0% 3.4% 3.0% 2.8% 2.9%

2. HOW TO USE SEO TO DRIVE MORE BUSINESS

SEO can be used to…

Keyword research – get it right

Create keyword buckets Select keywords through the research cycle Map the keywords to the site Identify content gaps Benchmark performance EXAMPLE KEYWORD BUCKETS Company brand Product brand Competitor brands Top level generic Product specific Content specific Miss-spellings

Select keywords through the research cycle

Map the keywords to the site

Identify content gaps

Benchmark performance

Drive high volumes of traffic Target the generics It takes time

Target the generics

It takes time

Pre-qualified sales leads Longer tail keywords More targeted Easier to rank Don’t forget local searches

Longer tail keywords

More targeted

Easier to rank

Don’t forget local searches

Increase brand-awareness Search marketing is crucial in building brand awareness and driving offline sales for Consumer Packaged Goods Companies. Source: comScore/SEMPO, October 2007 71% of users expect leading brands to be on top of the search results page Source: comScore, US, CPG study, October 2007Jupiter Research

Search marketing is crucial in building brand awareness and driving offline sales for Consumer Packaged Goods Companies.

Source: comScore/SEMPO, October 2007

71% of users expect leading brands to be on top of the search results page

Source: comScore, US, CPG study, October 2007Jupiter Research

Natural & Paid Search Together Source: Enquirio/Ipos Interactive Services Brand traffic is usually the largest traffic driving keyword in search Co-ordinate the natural and paid brand campaigns

Ensure brand protection "Google is not a search engine. Google is a reputation-management system." Use web properties to dominate the 1 st page Structured correctly and the first page will be controlled Use SEO to reduce visibility of any negative material ranking on your brand terms

"Google is not a search engine.

Google is a reputation-management system."

Use web properties to dominate the 1 st page

Structured correctly and the first page will be controlled

Use SEO to reduce visibility of any negative material ranking on your brand terms

Improve public relations Understand the search results Monitor the buzz around your brand, products, services Use online PR to lessen the impact

Understand the search results

Monitor the buzz around your brand, products, services

Use online PR to lessen the impact

Increase website-usability Usability and crawlability go together Make it easy for spiders to: crawl the site access the content find all the pages

Usability and crawlability go together

Make it easy for spiders to:

crawl the site

access the content

find all the pages

Increase website-usability By considering: Site structure Code base Technology The benefits can be: Spider crawlability Improved accessibility Stronger user experience All of which can contribute to the conversion rate

By considering:

Site structure

Code base

Technology

The benefits can be:

Spider crawlability

Improved accessibility

Stronger user experience

All of which can contribute to the conversion rate

3. TOOLS

Tools

Recommended Tools

4. TIPS TO GET STARTED

> Conduct keyword research > Include HTML and XML sitemaps > Add a robots.txt file > Optimise your title tags > Insert meta-tags for high level pages > Write high quality, unique content

> Conduct keyword research

> Include HTML and XML sitemaps

> Add a robots.txt file

> Optimise your title tags

> Insert meta-tags for high level pages

> Write high quality, unique content

> Don’t ignore the internal link structure > Get more from analytics > Prioritise which pages you want to rank > Submit to the main directories > Emphasise internal education

> Don’t ignore the internal link structure

> Get more from analytics

> Prioritise which pages you want to rank

> Submit to the main directories

> Emphasise internal education

AND FINALLY…

SEO is a long term project There are no guarantees or miracle fixes It is also an ongoing project – there is no end date

SEO is a long term project

There are no guarantees or miracle fixes

It is also an ongoing project – there is no end date

Thank you! Any questions? www.steakdigital.co.uk Your global search partner