This document provides an overview of search marketing and how small businesses can leverage search to drive customers. It discusses how search works, the importance of digital marketing and search, and how businesses can optimize their search presence through keyword research, on-page optimization, developing authoritative content, optimizing for the local search landscape, and paid search advertising. Specific tactics covered include title and meta tags, internal linking, URL best practices, developing high-quality original content, claiming and optimizing local business listings, building citations, and geo-targeting paid search ads.
No Cookies No Problem - Steve Krull, Be Found Online
How Small Businesses Can Leverage Search Marketing
1. 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
2. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
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 digital marketing field
> Worked with businesses of all sizes, from
startups to fortune 500 firms
3. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
DOWNLOAD
www.slideshare.net/elasticity
4. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
TODAY
WHY DIGITAL MATTERS
HOW SEARCH WORKS
HOW TO LEVERAGE SEARCH
TOOLS & RESOURCES
1
2
3
4
7. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
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
8. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
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
9. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
75%SEARCH MARKETING
PERCENTAGE OF MARKETERS THAT FEEL THAT A
MARKETING CHANNEL HAS A GOOD OR EXCELLENT ROI
41%SOCIAL MEDIA
10. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
Search is the
De Facto Way
People Navigate the Internet.
11. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
80%OF INTERNET TRAFFIC
BEGINS AT A SEARCH ENGINE
12. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
50% OF LOCAL
SEARCHES ARE ON
MOBILE DEVICES
14. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
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
15. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
ANATOMY OF A RESULTS PAGE
PEOPLES BANK UNIVERSITY | JULY 2014
Paid Search
Ads
Organic Search
Listings
17. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
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 S&OP APRIL 2015
18. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
HOW GOOGLE WORKS
Google navigates the web by
CRAWLING
Software called “spiders” follows
links from page to page.
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP APRIL 2015
19. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
HOW GOOGLE WORKS
Google then stores the crawled pages in an
INDEXCapturing a wide range of information about the page
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP APRIL 2015
It’s over 100
million gigabytes
20. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
HOW GOOGLE WORKS
When a search is entered, Google uses
ALGORITHMSTo rank the results and deliver users the most relevant results.
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP APRIL 2015
We use +200
factors to rank
the results
21. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
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
22. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
TO BE AN SEO SUPERHERO
GET MORE LINKS
23. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
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
26. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
Know the
Keywords
That Matter1
27. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
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.
28. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
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
29. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
KEYWORD RESEARCH TOOLS
30. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
Get the
Basics Right
2
31. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
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
32. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
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>
33. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
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…" />
34. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
Athletic
Shoes
Dress
Shoes
Boots
Those
Toe Shoe
Things
INTERNAL LINKING
35. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
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
36. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
Become an
Authority
3
37. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
MYTH:
You Can
Short-Cut
Your Way
To SEO
38. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
REALITY:
Start With
Your Audience’s Needs,
Not Simply With a List
of Keywords.
39. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
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.
40. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
MOBILE IS COMING!
SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR SMB| JULY 2014
41. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
SO, WHAT MAKES CONTENT “GREAT”
Original Simple
Valuable &
Useful
Entertains Emotional
42. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
ABOVE ALL, CONTENT MUST BE
RELEVANT
TO YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE
43. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
PROSPECTIVE
CUSTOMERS ARE
SEARCHING FOR
INFORMATION THAT
HELPS THEM MAKE AN
INFORMED DECISION
BUSINESSES THAT
PROVIDE THAT USEFUL
INFORMATION WILL WIN
44. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
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
46. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
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?
47. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
30%Or 7.6 billion per month
of searches have local intent
48. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
OPTIMIZING YOUR LOCAL PRESENCE
1. Claim and verify your business
2. Optimize your listing
3. Build citations
4. Get the basics right
49. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
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
50. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
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
51. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
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
52. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
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
53. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
Buy Your
Way to the
Top5
54. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
IMMEDIATE VISIBILITY
> Get immediate
visibility with
potential
customers
> Measure and
optimize
55. SCIENCE OF SEARCH MARKETING FOR S&OP April 2015
GEO-TARGETTING
> Adwords enables
advertisers to target
specific regions
> States, cities, zip codes,
DMAs, etc.