This presentation on search engine marketing (SEM) testing scenarios looks at how you can structure a test across the search marketing funnel. In particular, it focuses on the interactions between paid search (PPC) and natural search (SEO) as well as multi-touch/cross-program attribution. Key takeaway: integrate your search engine marketing (SEM) programs in order to realize more efficiency in spending and greater insights into customer behavior and total marketing impact. Presented as part of Vanessa Fox's "Demystifying Online Attribution" panel at SMX Advanced 2010 in Seattle on June 8, 2010. You can learn more about Jonathon Colman at http://www.jonathoncolman.org/

1. Demystifying Online Attribution
TOTAL SEARCH
OPTIMIZATION
Jonathon D. Colman
Internet Marketing Program Manager
Natural Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
REI – Recreational Equipment, Inc.
www.REI.com

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8. Barriers to progress in search marketing
1. Marketing programs that operate in silos
 Doesn’t allow for sharing customer insights, tools, reporting
 Cannibalization of results, diminished impact of the whole
 Leads to duplicate, incomplete work and unproductive competition
2. Giving credit where credit is due
 Last-click analysis lessens cross-program collaboration, effectiveness
 Delays insights into customer behavior in the “media mix”
3. Advertising costs
 No budget can support CPCs that increase without limit
 Takes budget away from other strategic programs, new opportunities
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9. Solution: a Total Search Optimization strategy
By integrating your search marketing programs, you will:
 Drive sustainable traffic and sales
 Gain insight into customer behavior over multiple visits
 Save budget for other strategic efforts and new opportunities
But wait – there’s more!
 Test for efficiency in paid placements
 Test for priorities in non-paid optimization
 Increase competitive advantage
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10. Total Search Test #1 of 3:
Correlation between
paid and natural search
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11. Results of a controlled paid search “surge”
Traffic
Time
Paid Search
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12. Results of a controlled paid search “surge”
Traffic
Test:
Increase paid search
spending on top-of-funnel
Time keywords to drive more
Paid Search
awareness and traffic.
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13. Results of a controlled paid search “surge”
Traffic
Time
Paid Search Natural Search
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14. Results of a controlled paid search “surge”
Hypothesis:
No impact on
natural search.
Traffic
Time
Paid Search Natural Search
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15. Results of a controlled paid search “surge”
Traffic
Time
Paid Search Natural Search
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16. Results of a controlled paid search “surge”
Results:
Increase in natural
search traffic.
Traffic
Time
Paid Search Natural Search
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17. Correlation test methodology
Hypotheses
 Increased spend at top of the funnel will bring customers back for
direct response
 No impact on natural search
Results
 Significant lift in natural search traffic
 Sustained natural search increase after advertising spend returned to
nominal levels
Next steps, additional testing
 Analyze customer intent of natural search visits
 Conduct additional targeted spends at top-of-funnel
 Tip: Leverage internal political “pull” of paid search program to GTD
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18. Total Search Test #2 of 3:
Subtractive placement
in paid search
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21. Opportunity:
You own 50% of
center-column real
estate above the fold.
Test:
Reduce spending to
determine if non-paid
programs will see lift.
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22. Subtractive placement test methodology
Hypotheses
 Savings realized from reducing maximum CPC
 Increased traffic in non-paid programs
 Question: Enough sales to make up for lost revenue?
 Question: Lower qualification of visitors?
Results
 Not enough traffic or sales to make up for lost revenue
 Significant drop in conversion when using only non-paid programs
Next steps, additional testing
 Test greater variety of seasonal terms across the funnel
 Test additional levels of cost reduction/paid search ad positioning
 Tip: Optimize natural search snippets to drive greater conversion
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23. Total Search Test #3 of 3:
Additive placement
in natural search
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26. Opportunity:
You have the top paid
search ad and it’s high
ROI, but still spendy.
Test:
Increase natural search
visibility to realize cost
savings in paid search.
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27. Additive placement test methodology
Hypotheses
 Increased natural search traffic, decreased cost in paid search
Results
 iCrossing study shows +53% lift in total clicks when a brand appears in
both top paid and natural results
Next steps, additional testing
 Target seasonal terms across the funnel where ad costs are high and
non-paid listings are invisible
 Test messaging of high-conversion paid search experiences for use in
natural search page content
 Test ROAS of adding paid search ads for high-performing natural
search terms without paid search coverage
 Tip: Track lift in natural search impressions, CTR for test terms in
Google Webmaster Tools
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28. Key takeaways of Total Search testing strategy
 Integrate your search marketing programs
 Optimize spending for cross-program efficiency
 Measure results across paid and non-paid search programs
 Reapply saved budget to strategic initiatives, testing
 Impress your boss, take a long weekend, and go camping
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29. Many thanks!
Let’s continue learning together:
• E-mail: jcolman@REI.com
• Twitter: @jcolman
• Web site: www.jonathoncolman.org
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