The Washington Post uses search data from Experian Hitwise to analyze branded and unbranded search queries and overcome volatility from seasonal or news-related events. By focusing on producing content for "timeless" unbranded search terms related to topics like the Obama's, health, and global warming, The Washington Post is able to attract organic search traffic year-round without relying solely on branded searches. This strategy allows them to maintain market share against competitors and generate consistent traffic.

1. The Washington Post leverages un-branded searches
to overcome seasonal and news volatility
The Washington Post uses Experian Hitwise to analyze different ways to leverage branded
and un-branded search queries.
The Challenge
As with most news sources, a signi cant share of search traf c to The
Washington Post website (www.washingtonpost.com) tends to be event-driven
such as searches around U.S. elections or the Olympics. In order to stay ahead
Hitwise at work:
of the competition while maintaining market share, The Washington Post wanted
to attract a greater percentage of search traf c through un-branded terms.
The Solution
To maintain market share in the highly competitive News and Media industry, The Competitive Insights for
Washington Post produces content to capture traf c from “timeless” terms that understanding search
are not seasonal or event driven. With the help of Hitwise Search Intelligence™ analysis
and Hitwise Charting, the team at The Washington Post discovered how to Industry
leverage un-branded search to bene t their business. News and Media
“Our traf c and search teams identify areas of content opportunities that are also
a strong t with our brand and journalistic missions,” said Rochelle Sanchirico,
Senior Director of Acquisition Marketing. “This is a key technique in our overall
site analysis.”
“Our traf c and search
Using Hitwise Search Intelligence™, The Washington Post looked for groups of teams identify areas of
terms that were aligned with their journalism and drove similar amounts of traf c content opportunities that
over different time periods. Further optimizing content around these terms
provided long term organic traf c without seasonal volatility. are also a strong t with
our brand and
For example, after using Hitwise Search Intelligence™ and Hitwise Charting to
journalistic missions.
track the popularity of terms that revolve around continuously searched news
items, The Washington Post determined that “timeless” search terms include This is a key technique in
those related to Barack & Michelle Obama, health articles and global warming. our overall site analysis.”
As a news organization, they also move quickly to provide content on
fast-changing, topical terms, such as those that are political related or weather Rochelle Sanchirico
related (examples: “snow storm” and “David Letterman”). By acting on this Senior Director of Acquisition
information, The Washington Post reaf rmed they do not want competitors to
“own” popular topics and used these techniques to generate traf c. Marketing
The Washington Post
The Bene ts
Since using Hitwise, The Washington Post has been able to use search analysis
to attract internet users to its website year-round without solely relying on
branded search.
About Experian Hitwise
Experian Hitwise is the leading online competitive intelligence service. Experian Hitwise gives marketers a
competitive advantage by providing daily insights on how 25 million Internet users around the world interact
with more than 1 million websites. This external view helps companies grow and protect their businesses by
identifying threats and opportunities as they develop. Experian Hitwise has more than 1,500 clients across
numerous sectors, including nancial services, media, travel and retail.
Experian Hitwise (FTS:EXPN), www.experianplc.com, operates in the United States, the United Kingdom,
Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada and Brazil. More information about Experian
Hitwise is available at www.hitwise.com.
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