thinkLA Search 101: RPA

SEARCH MARKETING 101

People Search – A Lot

Why is SearchSignificant?It sIt’s How PeopleResearch Products& Brands

…So It’s One of So It sthe BestMethods ofCustomerAcquisitionBest marketers are usingsearch to “close the loop”started via other media

How Search Engines WorkSearch engines run automated programs(aka “bots”, “spiders”) that crawl throughbillions of web pages, following links pagesbetween those pagesAs pages are crawled, data is collectedabout what content each containsBots return to search engine and addmassive amounts of data to the indexSearch engines analyze on‐page data (toassociate keywords) and quality of “backlinks” pointing to each page (to gauge pagepopularity and authority)Searchers use keywords to look forinformation – search engines match up thekeywords with indexed data and deliver themost relevant results

Sponsored ListingsNatural/Organic Listings

Two Major Types of Search Engine Marketing(SEM) Description It’s Great …But It Has Its Because… ChallengesSearch Design, build and code a website Site referrals Competitive, hard to so search engines easily find (clicks) from natural predictEngine content search results areOptimization Requires understanding free of charge Generate popularity of the site by of special techniques(SEO) increasing quality inbound links Good long-term Can require significant strategy – effects Listing displayed in the natural Web site coding, often last for years search results area copywriting and design commitmentPaid Search Bid on placement in sponsored Allows for best Some keywords can be areas of search engine listings control of listing competitive; bidding(Pay-per- p placement & copy py wars can result in high gClickCli k Select keyword phrases and set costs maximum bid amounts Control what youSearch) pay (and budget) Expertise and bid Listing displayed in the sponsored management tools are results area Requires little Web critical site modification

Both Paid Search and SEO Matter

KEY SEARCH TRENDS

Key Trend: Searchers Get Impatient

Key Trend: More Complex Keyword Combinations

Key Trend: Several Popular Search Engines

Key Trend: Search Marketing GrowthContin esContinues

Key Trend: Search Marketing MakesUp Nearly ½ of Online Ad Spending

Key Trend: Mobile Search VolumeWill Overtake Desktop Search

Key Trend: Mobile Search SpendingBecoming BIG!

Key Trend:Search &Social

Key Trend: Search & Social(But Many Think Personalized Search is Kinda Creepy)

PAID SEARCH/PPC /

Sponsored Listings = Commercial Intent

Major Search NetworksNearly 100% of searches covered! y

Paid Search Marketplaces are Similar Advertisers “bid” a maximum cost‐per‐click for each keyword to show up in sponsored search results Search engines consider each advertiser’s bid for each keyword plus the likelihood of searchers to click each ad to determine where to rank them ◦ Other factors considered incl ding landing page “q alit ” considered, including “quality” Ads are mostly text characters and are displayed above and alongside natural results Additional links available for most popular ads Advertisers can d id which geographic locations th i ads Ad ti decide hi h hi l ti their d are served

Google Ad Ranking Formula

SEARCH MARKETINGOPPORTUNITIES

Mobile SearchMarketing

Match Strategies to Objectives Create awareness that a camera manufacturer has a new compact digital SLR Convince shoppers of a competing camera C i h f ti company that ours is better Drive sales of 1000 units on the manufacturer’s website

#1: Create Awareness Target category searches, get product info views ◦ “compact dslr”, “best compact camera”

#2: Conquest competitorsTarget competitor searches, say why ours is #1◦ “(competitor) cameras”, “(model name) review” (competitor) cameras , (model review

#3: Generate Sales of 1000 Units Target brand, competitor & category searches ◦ Focus on keyword which drive best CPA y

Determine Targeting Via Keyword Tools

Develop Search Listing CreativeWrite page titles & descriptions to search engine specs◦ Focus on selling the unique benefits of your brand/site; not just the product/service that people are searching for Leverage your site’s unique value proposition; “Official Site”, “$10 off this weekend”, etc. http://www.clickz.com/3632847/ Consider your competition and what their listings communicate: why should people choose your listing over the other options?◦ Tailor creative by keyword or keyword group Include keyword in title and description when possible◦ Use Google, Yahoo & Bing’s unique ad extensions Geo‐location, site links, click to call, product images, etc.

Optimize Bids, Keywords, Ad Copy p y pyEvaluate effectiveness by KPI (key performanceindicator) – P di di ) Product video views? S l ? id i ? Sales?Keywords with good $/KPI are most important◦ Bid for high ad position◦ Discover similar keywordsTest multiple ad variations for each group of ykeywords◦ Different product benefits or offers◦ Ad extensions

Keyword Expansion Chasing the “long tail” of keywords is important g g y p – lower volume keywords may be most valuable!

QUESTIONS?

APPENDIX: SEO(SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION)

What Users See vs. Search Engine Bots What a site visitor sees at a typical Flash‐heavy site: ◦ Visitors can click the “Experience”, “Details” or “Build” links and get a lot of content about the Ford Flex What a bot sees: ◦ Just image names (.jpg) for items in the Ford Vehicles Web site footer and links to those pages ◦ No links into the actual Ford Flex content

On‐On‐Page SEO: Keywords in Content Understand which keyword searches are most important t your b i i t t to business Leverage Web tracking/analytics software, learnings from paid search campaigns, competitor information Use various tools to learn which keywords are closely related to your top keywords Google or Yahoo Keyword Tool, Keyword Discovery Build a target keyword list and segment into g categories Determine which pages apply to each group of keywords Each page should be optimized to no more than 3‐4 34 related keyword phrases

On‐On‐Page SEO: Code OptimizationEliminate Flash Web site intros that redirect into site◦ Or only serve these to visitors identified as having Flash capabilitiesFlash Web content should sit on distinct HTML pages◦ Make your Flash content visible to search engines as HTMLRestrict the use of frames◦ Should only be used for content that doesn’t need to be seen by search engines doesn tLimit heavy reliance on Javascript for key site content(especially links)◦ And have your coder move heavy Javascript code to bottom of each page, if possibleAvoid pages with duplicate content; search engines often usethe wrong signals to determine which is the best page◦ Can result in significant dilution of inbound link value◦ Use permanent redirects to point content across multiple domains to a single location (e.g. www.Website.com and Website.com)

Off‐Off‐Page SEO: Link‐Building Link‐ Popularity and trustworthiness of Web pages that link to your Web site has a major impact on your Web pages’ ability to rank for related searches ◦ PageRank is Google’s scoring of your site’s general value/popularity ◦ TrustRank is Google’s secret rating of a site’s trustworthiness in linking Submit site to the major directories: Yahoo, Best of the Web, Business.com & DMOZ ◦ Aside from these, avoid paying for links; may get your site these penalized by Google Request links from sites within your industry ◦ Business partners and sister companies ◦ Association and industry Web sites ◦ Research who links to your competitor sites and request the same (Yahoo Site Explorer ‐ siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com) Social media optimization (e g links from blogs Twitter) (e.g., blogs, Publish keyword‐rich press releases linking to your site ◦ Submit your press releases to services such as PR Leap Links within your own site are critical (e.g. cross‐linking) cross linking) ◦ Leverage keyword‐focused linking text where possible

Off‐Off‐Page SEO: Folders and Links A straightforward URL structure helps searchers know your content is relevant to their search ◦ Good URL: www.WebSite.com/Product/ ◦ Bad URL: www.WebSite.com/Folder1/Folder2/Content=Product Code&Color=1&Size=A ◦ Leverage keywords in URLs where possible/appropriate Consistent user‐focused site structure and navigation i C i f d i d i i is also valued by search engines ◦ Global navigation menu leveraging keyword‐rich text links ◦ Bread crumb navigation e.g., “Category > Product > Color” ◦ Site map with keyword‐rich text links to key pages

Off‐Off‐Page SEO: S.E.R.P. Creative Create unique page titles and meta descriptions for each page on your W b sites Web i ◦ For less‐important pages, use page copy to automate process Recognize character limits ◦ Titles: 65 character max ◦ Descriptions: ~150 characters will be displayed (200‐250 indexed) Leverage keywords relevant to each Web page ◦ But don’t stuff them into titles and descriptions unnaturally Write titles and descriptions to convince users to choose your listings ◦ Leverage your site’s key benefits; “Official Site”, “outstanding selection”, etc. ◦ Consider your competition and what their listings communicate ◦ Why should people choose your listing over the other options?

thinkLA Search 101: RPA

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