The Science of Search - How SMBs Can Leverage Search to Grow Their Business
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Transcript of The Science of Search - How SMBs Can Leverage Search to Grow Their Business
CEDAR CREEK PROPOSAL | JUL XX, 2012 1
T H E S C I E N C E O F SEARCH MARKETING
How Small Businesses Can Use Search Marketing to Drive Customers
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
Elasticity > Top 25 fastest growing companies in St. Louis > Focused on search marketing, social media,
public relations, and creative services
About Me > 10+ years of working in search and digital
marketing field > Worked with businesses of all sizes, from
startups to Microsoft, Visa and the Federal Reserve
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
TODAY
WHY DIGITAL MATTERS
HOW SEARCH WORKS
HOW TO LEVERAGE SEARCH
TOOLS & RESOURCES
1234
THE ROLE OF DIGITAL MARKETING
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
YOUR AUDIENCE
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
INTERRUPTION MARKETING
TV Radio Print Direct Mail Outdoor Display
86% Skip TV Ads
44% of direct mail is never opened
14% Of people trust advertisements
61% Lower CPL from
inbound marketing vs. outbound marketing
90% Of Radio ads are
not profitable
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
INBOUND MARKETING
Marketers align themselves with their audiences, earning attention and drawing customers into their sales funnel.
" Search Marketing " Content Marketing " Blogging " Email Marketing
" Social Media " Lead Nurturing
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
75% SEARCH MARKETING
PERCENTAGE OF MARKETERS THAT FEEL THAT A
MARKETING CHANNEL HAS A GOOD OR EXCELLENT ROI
41% SOCIAL MEDIA
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
Search is the De Facto Way People Navigate the Internet.
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
80% OF INTERNET TRAFFIC BEGINS AT A SEARCH ENGINE
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
50% OF LOCAL
SEARCHES ARE ON
MOBILE DEVICES
THE VALUE
I want what you sell, please!
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
ANATOMY OF A RESULTS PAGE
SEARCH STARTS WITH THE WEB. IT’S MADE UP OF OVER
PEOPLES BANK UNIVERSITY | JULY 2014
Carousel Local
Results
Organic Search
Listings
Local Results
Map
Paid Search
Ads
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
ANATOMY OF A RESULTS PAGE
PEOPLES BANK UNIVERSITY | JULY 2014
Paid Search
Ads
Organic Search
Listings
THE BASICS (IN FIVE MINUTES OR LESS)
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
HOW GOOGLE WORKS
SEARCH STARTS WITH THE WEB. IT’S MADE UP OF OVER
60 TRILLION INDIVIDUAL PAGES
AND IT’S CONSTANTLY GROWING
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
HOW GOOGLE WORKS
Google navigates the web by
CRAWLING Software called “spiders” follows
links from page to page.
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
HOW GOOGLE WORKS
Google then stores the crawled pages in an
INDEX Capturing a wide range of information about the page
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
It’s over 100
million gigabytes
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
HOW GOOGLE WORKS
When a search is entered, Google uses
ALGORITHMS To rank the results and deliver users the most relevant results.
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
We use +200 factors to rank
the results
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
THE ROLE OF SEO
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
40.0%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Enquiro (2007)
Chi9ka (2010)
Slingshot (2011)
CTR BY POSITION
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
TO BE AN SEO SUPERHERO
GET MORE LINKS
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
GOOGLE: NO LONGER FOOLED
> In 2011, Google launched major updates designed to stop spammers – specifically unearned links
> As more updates rolled out, tactics that had been effective became a liability
> As a result, SEO has become an earned media approach
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
So, what? Can this help my business?
FOUR KEYS TO SEO SUCCESS
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
Know the Keywords That Matter 1
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
WHAT ARE KEYWORDS?
Keywords are simply a word or phrase that searchers enter into a search engine. By using keywords in content, a site is deemed more “relevant” for those searches.
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
KEYWORD RESEARCH
Brainstorm Quan9ta9ve Sources Analysis Op9miza9on
" Think like your audience – how would they search for your offerings?
" Develop an initial list of search terms.
" Use online tools, analytics data to expand your keyword list.
" What keywords is your competition using?
" Use keyword popularity from Google
" Balance popularity with relevance
" Prioritize the list " Begin optimization of
content
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
KEYWORD RESEARCH TOOLS
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
Get the Basics Right 2
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
BUILD A STRONG FOUNDATION
1. Use a search-friendly CMS 2. Create unique title tags for every page 3. Draft unique description tags for every page 4. Use keywords for internal links within your site 5. Incorporate keywords into your copy 6. Use descriptive URLs
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
TITLE TAGS
> Title is the most important element of on-page optimization
> Integrate keywords into title tag as well as your brand
> Limit to 70 characters > Unique for each page
<title>Rally Saint Louis | Join Us Today And Help Build a Better Saint Louis</title>
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
DESCRIPTION TAGS
> Does not impact rankings, but can influence CTRs
> Limit to 160 characters > Unique for each page
<meta name="description" content="The Rally Saint Louis project is a first-of-its-kind crowdsourcing and crowdfunding platform that generates ideas and uses funding from the region’s residents…" />
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
Athletic Shoes
Dress Shoes
Boots Those
Toe Shoe Things
INTERNAL LINKING
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
URL BEST PRACTICES
> URLs are a critical part of both the end users decision to click and the search engines ability to access content
> Use descriptive words in URLs > Avoid dynamic URLs and session IDs > Use rewriting when necessary > Separate words with dashes
(underscores work, too) > Brevity is a virtue
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
Become an Authority 3
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
MYTH:
You Can Short-Cut Your Way To SEO
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
REALITY:
Start With Your Audience’s Needs, Not Simply With a List of Keywords.
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
PENGUIN & PANDA CAUSE CHAOS
" Google’s new algorithm rewards sites with loads of original, high-quality content.
" Sites such as Answers.com, eHow.com and many others saw dramatic drops in referrals from Google.
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
SO, WHAT MAKES CONTENT “GREAT”
Original Simple Valuable &
Useful Entertains Emotional
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
ABOVE ALL, CONTENT MUST BE
RELEVANT
TO YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
" Content must be built to be shared
" We live in an attention economy " Complex topics must be distilled
to reach the masses " Video, infographics and
interactive graphics are vehicles for mass understanding
PROSPECTIVE
CUSTOMERS ARE
SEARCHING FOR
INFORMATION THAT
HELPS THEM MAKE AN
INFORMED DECISION
BUSINESSES THAT
PROVIDE THAT USEFUL
INFORMATION WILL WIN
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
KEY CONSIDERATIONS
Who is the audience that you need to reach?
Why will they care about you?
What are you doing to earn their interest?
What incentive do they have to share?
Finding Topics
> Ask your sales team > Map the buying cycle > Q/A Sites – Quora,
Yahoo! Answers, etc. > Mine social media > Follow industry, peers
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
Think Local 4
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
7%
13%
16%
23%
42%
Mobile App
Internet Directory (Yelp)
Yellow Pages (Print)
Referral from Friend or Family
Search Engines
How do Consumers Find Local Merchants?
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
30% Or 7.6 billion per month of searches have local intent
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
OPTIMIZING YOUR LOCAL PRESENSE
1. Claim and verify your business 2. Optimize your listing 3. Build citations 4. Get the basics right
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
CLAIM AND VERIFY YOUR BUSINESS
> Google.com/business/ > Follow process to locate,
verify your listing
> Use GetListed.org or Yext.com to scan and submit your business to other directories
1
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
OPTIMIZE YOUR LISTING
> Use the same NAP – name, address, phone - across all listings
> Listings should be as complete as possible: » Description » Categories » Hours » Contact Details » Photos/Videos
2
» Status updates » Discounts or specials
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
BUILD CITATIONS
> Citations are listings in other directories that signal authority or credibility to Google
> Use the whitespark local citation tool to find potential citations
3
www.whitespark.ca/local-‐cita9on-‐finder
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
GET THE BASICS RIGHT
> Monitor reviews of your business. Respond when appropriate
> Do not submit fake reviews > Include separate pages on your
website for each of your locations > Clearly include your name,
address, and local phone number for each location
4
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
Buy Your Way to the Top 5
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
IMMEDIATE VISIBILITY
> Get immediate visibility with potential customers
> Measure and optimize
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
GEO-TARGETTING
> Adwords enables advertisers to target specific regions
> States, cities, zip codes, DMAs, etc.
TOOLS & RESOURCES
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
GOOGLE KEYWORD RESEARCH TOOL
www.google.com/AdWords/KeywordTool
GOOGLE KEYWORD RESEARCH TOOL
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
GOOGLE KEYWORD RESEARCH TOOL
Getlisted.org (MOZ Local)
LOCAL CITATIONS TOOL
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
GOOGLE KEYWORD RESEARCH TOOL
hXp://moz.com/beginners-‐guide-‐to-‐seo
SEO 101 RESOURCE
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
GOOGLE KEYWORD RESEARCH TOOL
SearchEngineLand.com
SEARCH NEWS & UPDATES
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
GOOGLE KEYWORD RESEARCH TOOL
hXp://www.google.com/business/
GET LOCAL LISTINGS ON GOOGLE
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
THANK YOU.
@andybarneX
www.goelas9c.com