Search Engine Marketing A 40-minute primer on using search engines to grow your business Get Your MBO / December 7, 2007

What is SEM? SEM = SEO + PPC What isn’t SEM? Why you need SEM Tactics and strategies Most important part of SEM PPC SEO Putting it all together Case studies Balancing SEO vs. PPC Action items Three main sections Slide 2

What is SEM?

SEM = SEO + PPC

What isn’t SEM?

Why you need SEM

Tactics and strategies

Most important part of SEM

PPC

SEO

Putting it all together

Case studies

Balancing SEO vs. PPC

Action items

Stands for Search Engine Marketing Combination of SEO and PPC SEM = SEO + PPC Section 1: What is SEM? Slide 3

Stands for Search Engine Marketing

Combination of SEO and PPC

SEM = SEO + PPC

Search Engine Optimization AKA, natural search AKA, organic search What is SEO? Market share as of October Google at 65% Yahoo at 21% MSN at 7% Ask at 5% Slide 4

Search Engine Optimization

AKA, natural search

AKA, organic search

Market share as of October

Google at 65%

Yahoo at 21%

MSN at 7%

Ask at 5%

Where the SEO results appear Slide 5

Pay Per Click AKA, paid search AKA, sponsored links What is PPC? Market share as of October Google AdWords at 75% Yahoo Search Marketing at 19% Microsoft adCenter at 5% Slide 6

Pay Per Click

AKA, paid search

AKA, sponsored links

Market share as of October

Google AdWords at 75%

Yahoo Search Marketing at 19%

Microsoft adCenter at 5%

Where the PPC results appear Slide 7

Any tactics that don’t follow “Webmaster Guidelines” AKA, black hat tactics AKA, search engine spam Example: What is cloaking? Company: Germany BMW What isn’t search engine marketing? Slide 8

Any tactics that don’t follow “Webmaster Guidelines”

AKA, black hat tactics

AKA, search engine spam

Example: What is cloaking?

Company: Germany BMW

What search engines would see Slide 9

What users would see Slide 10

Google is a verb! 6.7 billion monthly searches Search is #1 online activity (tied with email) 91% of all users use search and email 210+ million users in US It makes sense! Be where customers are looking! Why you need SEM Slide 11

Google is a verb!

6.7 billion monthly searches

Search is #1 online activity (tied with email)

91% of all users use search and email

210+ million users in US

It makes sense! Be where customers are looking!

By far, the most important part of SEM is KEYWORDS!!! Section 2: Tactics and strategies Slide 12

By far, the most important part of SEM is

KEYWORDS!!!

Toddlers aren’t interested in physics Slide 13

Keywords can be single words or phrases ‘marketing’ and ‘online marketing’ and ‘online marketing firm’ – each of the three are keywords Keywords 101 Slide 14

Keywords can be single words or phrases

‘marketing’ and ‘online marketing’ and ‘online marketing firm’ – each of the three are keywords

Phase 1: Get ideas What do you call your services? Look at competitors’ sites Read industry magazines Ask customers Interview employees Ask your spouse Where to start Slide 15

Phase 1: Get ideas

What do you call your services?

Look at competitors’ sites

Read industry magazines

Ask customers

Interview employees

Ask your spouse

Use free tools http://tools.seobook.com/general/keyword/ http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/ Google AdWords, Yahoo! Search Marketing Use paid tools http://www.keyworddiscovery.com/ http:// www.wordtracker.com / Phase 2: Conduct research Slide 16

Use free tools

http://tools.seobook.com/general/keyword/

http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/

Google AdWords, Yahoo! Search Marketing

Use paid tools

http://www.keyworddiscovery.com/

http:// www.wordtracker.com /

Look at search counts Go after the “low hanging fruit” Which ones have fewer competitors? Which ones are less popular but more targeted? Phase 3: Keyword selection Slide 17

Look at search counts

Go after the “low hanging fruit”

Which ones have fewer competitors?

Which ones are less popular but more targeted?

Buying cycle Three main parts Interest – 1-2 word keywords Research – 2-3 word keywords May use “review” or “compare” Purchase – 3-5 word keywords May use “buy” or “purchase” or “order” Keyword selection – cont’d Slide 18

Buying cycle

Three main parts

Interest – 1-2 word keywords

Research – 2-3 word keywords

May use “review” or “compare”

Purchase – 3-5 word keywords

May use “buy” or “purchase” or “order”

NOT just meta tags NOT just being search engine friendly It’s not just about higher rankings, it’s about more traffic Two main aspects of SEO Content Links SEO Slide 19

NOT just meta tags

NOT just being search engine friendly

It’s not just about higher rankings, it’s about more traffic

Two main aspects of SEO

Content

Links

How do you balance writing for the search engines with writing for your visitors? Visitors are #1, search engines are #2 Keyword research should be in alignment with what your users want to read SEO: Content Slide 20

How do you balance writing for the search engines with writing for your visitors?

Visitors are #1, search engines are #2

Keyword research should be in alignment with what your users want to read

Since 1997, AuthorHouse, the leading self-publishing company in the world, has helped more than 30,000 authors reach their book publishing goals and self publish more than 40,000 books. Publishing your book with AuthorHouse means you’ll have all the services and support you need to publish, promote and sell your book. Good example Slide 21

Since 1997, AuthorHouse, the leading self-publishing company in the world, has helped more than 30,000 authors reach their book publishing goals and self publish more than 40,000 books. Publishing your book with AuthorHouse means you’ll have all the services and support you need to publish, promote and sell your book.

Since 1997, AuthorHouse, an Indiana book publisher and the leading self-publishing book publisher in the world, has helped more than 30,000 authors reach their book publishing goals and self publish more than 40,000 self published books. Publishing your book with AuthorHouse, an Indiana book publisher and the leading self-publishing book publisher, means you’ll have all the book publishing services and book publishing support you need to publish, promote and sell your self published book. Bad example Slide 22

Since 1997, AuthorHouse, an Indiana book publisher and the leading self-publishing book publisher in the world, has helped more than 30,000 authors reach their book publishing goals and self publish more than 40,000 self published books. Publishing your book with AuthorHouse, an Indiana book publisher and the leading self-publishing book publisher, means you’ll have all the book publishing services and book publishing support you need to publish, promote and sell your self published book.

The three things you need to know about links Incoming links count as votes Quality over quantity Internal links tell the search engines which pages are most important SEO: Links Slide 23

The three things you need to know about links

Incoming links count as votes

Quality over quantity

Internal links tell the search engines which pages are most important

Internal links Slide 24

Do they all “belong” together? Are poetry publisher keywords separate from romance publisher keywords? Smaller groups are better Easier to match ads Grouping keywords Slide 25

Do they all “belong” together?

Are poetry publisher keywords separate from romance publisher keywords?

Smaller groups are better

Easier to match ads

Only have 95 characters on Google Only have 110 characters on Yahoo Make a list of the benefits and features Feature is the what; benefit is the how 25,000 bookstores vs. more potential books sales Prioritize the list Write multiple ads, each with a theme TEST!! Writing ads Slide 26

Only have 95 characters on Google

Only have 110 characters on Yahoo

Make a list of the benefits and features

Feature is the what; benefit is the how

25,000 bookstores vs. more potential books sales

Prioritize the list

Write multiple ads, each with a theme

TEST!!

Should match the wording of the ad Should “fulfill” the promise of the ad Should expand on the ad Checklist Benefits oriented headline Supporting copy that explains features Why choose you (optional) What do you want the visitor to do? Writing landing pages Slide 27

Should match the wording of the ad

Should “fulfill” the promise of the ad

Should expand on the ad

Checklist

Benefits oriented headline

Supporting copy that explains features

Why choose you (optional)

What do you want the visitor to do?

Good example Slide 28

Case studies Balancing SEO vs. PPC Action items Section 3: Putting it all together Slide 29

Case studies

Balancing SEO vs. PPC

Action items

Self-publishing firm Built business completely on direct mail Started PPC in 2001 Chose a single keyword – ‘publisher’ Generated 5x as many leads in first month More leads for less cost = more revenue and more profit Lesson learned: Work with what you have! Case study - AuthorHouse Slide 30

Self-publishing firm

Built business completely on direct mail

Started PPC in 2001

Chose a single keyword – ‘publisher’

Generated 5x as many leads in first month

More leads for less cost = more revenue and more profit

Lesson learned: Work with what you have!

Case study – Nova Hydraulics Repairs and remanufactures hydraulic pumps Spent $100 on PPC in first month Generated enough revenue to pay for website and 1 year of pay per click Spends $4K/month now Will generate $1.5M+ from PPC/SEO 7 employees Lesson learned: Just try it and get started! Slide 31

Repairs and remanufactures hydraulic pumps

Spent $100 on PPC in first month

Generated enough revenue to pay for website and 1 year of pay per click

Spends $4K/month now

Will generate $1.5M+ from PPC/SEO

7 employees

Lesson learned: Just try it and get started!

Balancing SEO and PPC SEO More sweat equity but less $$ Longer to see results Less control PPC Quicker results More control More expensive Which should you do first? Slide 32

SEO

More sweat equity but less $$

Longer to see results

Less control

PPC

Quicker results

More control

More expensive

Which should you do first?

Action Items Keyword research Talk to one employee Use online tool (slide 16) SEO Incorporate keywords onto home page Does it read smoothly? Not sound stilted. PPC Open Google AdWords account Search for ‘google adwords promotional code’ Slide 33

Keyword research

Talk to one employee

Use online tool (slide 16)

SEO

Incorporate keywords onto home page

Does it read smoothly? Not sound stilted.

PPC

Open Google AdWords account

Search for ‘google adwords promotional code’

Thank you! Pat East [email_address] 812.330.3134 x106