ionSearch 2012 - Expert Panel Suite

Killer Keyword Research

Matt Roberts – VP of Product, Linkdex - Moderator

Jimmy McCann – Head of Search, Search Laboratory

Mal Darwen – Product Manager, Wordtracker

Roland Dunn – Refined Practice/Cloud Shapes

ionSearch 2012

Jimmy McCann

Search Laboratory

Killer Keyword Research

5 Tips and Tools

Jimmy McCann – Head of SEO @ Search Laboratory

#1 – Know the Market

• How does offering compare?

– Ask yourself.. will it convert?

• Range

• Pricing

• USP’s

Source - http://lukachtaengleman.blogspot.co.uk

#1 – Know the Market

• Use right terminology on your site

• B2B

– Avoid in house jargon

– Sector specific navigation

• Ecommerce

Reflect what users search for!

#1 – Know the Market

• Seasonality

• Adapt focus / strategy

– Ahead of peaks

Use your Loaf

• Be logical

• Assess keyword potential

– i) Search volume

– ii) Search intention

– iii) Relevance / ability to convert

img source flickr - betterbrandagency

#2 –

#2 – Use your Loaf

• Use wordtracker / Adwords KW tool

– Adwords not 100% accurate

• Especially on low volumes

• However

– Good barometer for prioritisation

i) Search Volume

#2 – Use your Loaf

• What does a user want to find from their query?

– Think about it

• Head terms

– Offer large amounts traffic

– Not all traffic is 100% relevant

ii) Search Intention

#2 – Use your Loaf

• Not specified, could be a host of things

eg

– How does solar energy produce

electricity?

– What is solar energy?

– I want to find out more about solar

energy because I’m thinking about

getting some solar panels for my house

ii) Search Intention

Search Intention

• Very specific to the service site offers

– Conversion rate higher

• Less difficult to rank for this term

– Than ‘solar energy’

ii) Search Intention

That’s what we do!!!

#2 – Use your Loaf

• Is keyword relevant to company’s products / services?

– Are they competitive in this area?

iii) Relevance

We are solar panel

installers!

I need a solar panel

installer!

search - ‘solar panel installers’

User Company

#3 -

• PPC data to test the water

– Especially in emerging / ultra niche

markets

• Conversion rate data key

• Exact match data only

img source – Leftcoastcowboys.com

#3 -

• Can be used to find actual search

volumes

• Setup campaign

– Handful exact match keywords only

– Put exact negatives on other campaigns

• Make sure 100% impression share

Accuracy!

#4 – SERP’s

• What does Google think is suitable?

• Helps assess intention

• Categorise competing listings

– Direct competitors

– Research

– Blended results

• ‘solar energy’ SERP

#4 – SERP’s

Research

Research

Research

#4 – SERP’s

Research

Competitor

News

Images

#4 – SERP’s

Research

Research

Research

Research

#5 –

• Organic traffic / conversions

– Not from page one

• Identifies easy keyword wins

– Traffic / conversions coming via page 2

Credit - http://www.distilled.net/blog/seo/tracking-referrals-from-second-page-of-google-in-google-analytics/

Key Tips – Show ROI

• Show return early in campaign

– Logical approach from ground up

Key Tips – Be Realistic

• Don’t aim above your station

– …(just yet)

Key Tips – Long Tail!

• Long tail keywords first

– Easier to optimise

– Will convert better

– Allows reinvestment into campaign / less

risk

• Build up to head terms

– Naturally over time

Summary

• #1 – Know the Market

• #2 – Use your Loaf

• #3 – Test using PPC

• #4 – Analyse SERP’s

• #5 – Refine using analytics

Any Questions?:

www.searchlaboratory.com

jimmy@searchlaboratory.com

@jimmymccann

/in/jimmymccann1982 JIMMY MCCANN

Head of SEO

ionSearch 2012

Mal Darwen

Wordtracker

Wordtracker Keyword Modifiers

Keyword Anatomy

Content and Intent

Let’s talk about tools for a moment…

Let’s talk about tools for a moment…

•Finding Keywords

•Site structuring with Keyword Research

•Site Auditing

•Rank Tracking

•Easy export of Keywords + data

We’ll talk about tools in the Tools Suite later on.

Your Brain. The best tool you have available. Ever.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/perpetualplum/

Understand your Market

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pigalleworld/

Understand your Market

Define your Strategy

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hikingartist/

Understand your Market

Define your Strategy

Target Effectively

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7994528@N03/

Keyword Modifiers….

They can help you attract better traffic

Keyword Modifier

Restaurant In Chicago

Restaurant In New York

Restaurant In Tuscon

Restaurant In Seattle

Monitor

Monitor

Test

Monitor

Test

Tweak

Modifiers make keywords

flexible…

Keyword Modifier Shirts Men’s

Women’s

Children’s

Large

Small

Modifier Keyword

Mountain Bike Tyres

BMX Tyres

Road Bike Tyres

Racing Bike tyres

Keyword Modifier Mountain Bike Tyres

BMX Bike Tyres

Road Bike Tyres

Racing Bike Tyres

Keyword Modifier

Product/Primary Buy

Get

Purchase

find

Keyword Modifier

Product/Primary Quality

Bargain

Cheap

Free

Your content needs to match your Keywords!

…no, really.

SEO can not live

on keywords alone…

Be clear

in your intent

Thank you!

www.wordtracker.com

mal@wordtracker.com

@wordtracker

ionSearch 2012

Roland Dunn

Refined Practice

Killer Keyword Research

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Keyword Research =

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Keyword Research = Relevance Analysis =

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Keyword Research = Relevance Analysis = Digital Market Research

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

2007: Google not seen 1 in 4 search queries

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

2011 (March): Google not seen 1 in 5 search queries

March 2011: Google has never seen 20% of queries before

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

March 2011: Google has never seen 20% of queries before

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

March 2011: Google has never seen 20% of queries before

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

(yes, really)

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

It’s very long

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

pearl wedding jewellery

wedding jewellery pearls

wedding pearls

wedding pearl jewellery

pearl jewellery wedding

wedding jewellery pearl

pearl wedding jewelry

pearl wedding jewelery

wedding jewelry pearls

wedding pearls jewellery

cheap laptops

cheap laptops uk

cheapest laptops

laptops cheap

cheap laptop computers

cheap laptops online

cheapest laptops uk

cheap good laptops

(and many, many more)

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Key Question:

How to cost-effectively attract as much relevant natural search traffic as possible?

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Key Question:

How to cost-effectively attract as much relevant natural search traffic as possible?

Answer:

1. Understand the concepts, objects, things behind the queries

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Key Question:

How to cost-effectively attract as much relevant natural search traffic as possible?

Answer:

1. Understand the concepts, objects, things behind the queries

2. Understand the relationships between these things

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Key Question:

How to cost-effectively attract as much relevant natural search traffic as possible?

Answer:

1. Understand the concepts, objects, things behind the queries

2. Understand the relationships between these things

3. Structure your digital presence around that demand

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Eight different search queries

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Eight different search queries

All for the same thing: “outdoor clothing”

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

ski jackets 41,195

ski jacket 9,999

skiing jackets 2,391

mens ski jackets 1,539

men ski jackets 1,012

ladies ski jackets 2,840

ladies ski jacket 1,445

women's ski jackets 1,409

Ski Jackets

Mens Ski Jackets

Ladies and Womens Ski Jackets

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Ski Jackets

Mens Ski Jackets

Ladies and Womens Ski Jackets

Outdoor Clothing

Four types of “demand” (clusters of demand)

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Ski Jackets

Mens Ski Jackets

Ladies and Womens Ski Jackets

Home Page

Outdoor Clothing

Demand-Driven Structure (IA)

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Ski Jackets

Mens Ski Jackets

Ladies and Womens Ski Jackets

Home Page

Outdoor Clothing

• Landing pages directly matches specific “demand”

Demand-Driven Structure (IA)

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Ski Jackets

Mens Ski Jackets

Ladies and Womens Ski Jackets

Home Page

Outdoor Clothing

• Landing pages directly matches specific “demand”

• Each page naturally targets multiple search queries

Demand-Driven Structure (IA)

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Ski Jackets

Mens Ski Jackets

Ladies and Womens Ski Jackets

Home Page

Outdoor Clothing

• Landing pages directly matches specific “demand”

• Each page naturally targets multiple search queries

• Structure itself matches demand

Demand-Driven Structure (IA)

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Relevance Analysis can go to the core of your organisation

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Relevance Analysis can require significant change ...

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Relevance Analysis can require significant change ...

And therefore need real commitment from senior management

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Sources of Search Data

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Experian Hitwise:

• More than 8 million UK internet users

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Experian Hitwise:

• More than 8 million UK internet users

• Terrific data: significant volumes of queries, qualified queries

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Experian Hitwise:

• More than 8 million UK internet users

• Terrific data: significant volumes of queries, qualified queries

• Expensive, but ...

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Google Adwords Keyword Tool:

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Google Adwords Keyword Tool:

• Free

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Google Adwords Keyword Tool:

• Free

• Adwords focused data

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Google Adwords Keyword Tool:

• Free

• Adwords focused data

• Time-consuming extracting significant volumes

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

What’s Coming?

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

What’s Coming?

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

What’s Coming?

Loss of understanding what we are relevant to?

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

What’s Coming?

Loss of understanding what we are relevant to?

Will impact Experian Hitwise

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

What’s Coming?

Loss of understanding what we are relevant to?

Will impact Experian Hitwise

Leave us with just Google Adwords Keyword Tool?

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Need to develop other approaches to analyse Relevance?

Keyword Research =

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Keyword Research = Relevance Analysis =

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Keyword Research = Relevance Analysis = Digital Market Research

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Online Branding:

http://www.refinedpractice.com/

T: @RefinedPractice

© 2007-2012 Roland Dunn

Natural Search:

http://www.cloudshapes.co.uk/

T: @roland_dunn

Slides Available At:

http://www.cloudshapes.co.uk/talks/