Developing a search engine marketing strategy. A presentation provided to the Transportation Marketing & Sales Association on October 20th, 2011.

1. Presented By: Jake Bohall
Transportation Marketing & Sales Association

2. Meet the Presenter
Jake Bohall is the Director of Strategy and
Business Development for Virante, where he has
worked since 2008. He has co-founded several
start-ups, sits on the board of an educational non-
profit, and assists entrepreneurs in implementing
their start-up ideas.
Jake's expertise lies in identifying opportunities for
business growth and determining appropriate
search engine marketing strategies to fit a
company’s objectives.
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3. Virante: Our Story
History
• Founded by Ryan Allis, CEO and Co-Founder of iContact Corporation
• Incorporated in 2001 in North Carolina
• Started in Nutraceuticals… Zero to One Million by Ryan Allis
• Provided everything needed to move online and market your business
Now
• Focus on Search Engine Marketing
• Industry R&D
• Ethical SEO services
Clients
• Brand Conscious Companies
• Universities, Major Foundations, Entrepreneurs, Hotels & Resorts,
SMB’s, other SEM Companies… You?
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4. Why Search Marketing
• Search engines account for approximately 93% of all internet traffic.
• Google is the largest search engine with 65% of total search traffic.
• 65% of online revenue is generated from websites in the top three
positions on search engine results pages (SERPs)
• 93% of global consumers use search engines to find websites
• 76.7% of Google users use the natural search links (organic,
unpaid listings)
• Approximately 75% of all clicks occur from the top 5 results.
Source: Forrester Research
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5. AOL Click-Through Data
Variations in organic CTR resulting from organic rankings positions
• 1996, AOL clickthrough data gets leaked
• This dataset contained over 36 million search queries and tracked
19 million clickthroughs.
• Demonstrates importance of ranking in top 5 (73.55% of clicks)

6. AOL Click-Through Data
Variations in organic CTR resulting from organic rankings positions
• 450% increase moving from position 11 to 10
• Inspires ideas such as second-page poaching

7. How Do I Get On The First Page?
Great Question!
or…
If you didn’t ask this, you should have!
Strategies we use
1. Cost-Per-Click Advertising – Renting Traffic, Quick ROI, Short-Term
2. Organically – Owning Traffic, Long-Term Strategy, More Traffic
Available
3. Other – Maps, Shopping, News, etc. – Constantly evolving
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8. Typical Work Flow
1. Analytics Implementation
2. Competitive Analysis
3. Keyword Discovery
4. Paid Search
5. Organic SEO
6. Social Media Marketing
7. Monitor, Adjust, Profit
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9. Analytics – The Method of Logical Analysis
Measure and track key performance indicators (KPI’s)
• # of visitors • Revenue
• Time on page • Cost of Conversion
• Referral sources • Bounce Rate
• Conversions • Trending
Rule of Analytics:
To effectively influence user behavior, you must understand user behavior
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10. Analytics – The Method of Logical Analysis
Example Dashboard from Google Analytics

11. Competitive Intelligence
• Google Insights
• Google Ad Planner
• Quantcast
• Alexa
• Spyfu
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13. Transportation Marketing & Sales Association

14. Transportation Marketing & Sales Association

15. Keyword Strategy
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16. Paid Search Advertising
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17. Paid Search Advertising
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18. Transportation Marketing & Sales Association

20. How to Build Your
Adwords Campaigns
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21. Writing The Perfect Ad
Headline: 25 character limit Grab the searcher’s attention
Body A: 35 character limit Benefit of your product / service
Body B: 35 character limit Give a clear call to action (Get Started Today!)
Display URL: 35 character limit Must be your domain…but you can be creative
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22. GEO - Targeting
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23. Display Network Advertising
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24. Transportation Marketing & Sales Association

25. Facebook Advertising

26. Facebook
Advertising
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28. Facebook Advertising
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29. Where to Focus Your Efforts
Google Adwords Facebook
• The 800 pound search gorilla • Huge growth potential
• Works well for B2C & B2B • Currently not as well suited forB2B
• Typically the most expensive click costs • Click costs are still relatively low
• User-friendly interface • Best fit for retail & specialty items
• Offers the most flexibility • Targeting abilities are unmatched
Microsoft Adcenter Business.com
• Less reach but still major search engine • Tends to have higher conversion rates
• Works well for B2C & B2B • Focused on B2B advertising
• Typically less expensive than Adwords • Lower traffic but also lower click costs
• Wide-reaching content network • Text and banner advertising
• Now includes Yahoo properties • Account manager depending on spend
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30. Organic SEO – Search Engine Optimization

31. Factors Affecting SEO
Onsite SEO
• Site structure
• Content
• Page Titles and meta information
Offsite SEO
• Link Development
Negatively Affecting Factors
• Duplicate Content
• Site Speed
• Manipulating Results
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32. Onsite SEO
Page Hierarchy
• Home -> Parent -> Child
• Everything links back to all parent pages
URL Structure
www.easy.com/to/understand
vs
www.lets.com/make.aspx?q=this+more&item
=difficult+understand&id=22292239
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33. Onsite SEO
Unique content - All elements affected!
• Navigation elements
• Page titles
• Meta Descriptions
• Content of the page
Page titles and meta information
Answering the question: How are you different?
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34. Offsite SEO
Disclaimer: Google has a problem with being manipulated!
• Links intended to manipulate PageRank
• Links to web spammers or bad neighborhoods on the web
• Excessive reciprocal links or excessive link exchanging ("Link to me
and I'll link to you.")
• Buying or selling links that pass PageRank
So what is legitimate?
A strategy you would gladly share with competitors
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35. Link Development Strategies
White Hat
• Writing great content that encourages people to link to you!
• Finding sites with related content/topics and sharing your resource of
knowledge through outreach and traditional PR
• Guest posting
Grey Hat
• Advertising with banners that link to your site
• Participation in some recommendation engines
• Directories, paid recommendations
Black Hat
• Leveraging XSS holes to insert links
• Parasitic hosting
• Spam
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36. Recent Trends and Changes
• Panda Update
•Importance of unique content
• Real-time search results
• Google caffeine
• Twitter incorporation
• Geolocation
• Google places
• Social indicators
• How engaged is your brand in social media?
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37. Social Media’s Explosive Growth
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38. Social Media’s Marketing Potential
• SM usage by small business
up from 12% to 24% in 2010
• 1 out of 5 now use SM in
marketing strategy
• By 2012 over 12% of all
marketing spend will be in SM
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39. Social Media’s Marketing Potential
Consumers exposed
to a brand on social
media are 2.8 times
more likely to search
for that brand’s
products.
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40. Social Media Myth #1
MYTH: Social Media
marketing is free.
TRUTH: Free to use, but
takes significant investment
of time and thought to do
right.
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41. Social Media Myth #2
MYTH: Social Media
marketing is the same as any
other marketing.
TRUTH: Effective Social
Media marketing is
interactive. Not just
broadcasting, but listening &
responding.
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42. Social Media Marketing
How do we get started?
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43. Social Media Marketing: Getting Started
STEP 1: Secure your
brand.
Use knowem.com to
claim your brand
name on all the major
Social Media sites.
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44. Social Media Marketing: Getting Started
STEP 2: Plan strategy &
resources
• What do you want
from SM?
• How will you get
there?
• Who will do it?
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45. Social Media Marketing: Getting Started
STEP 3: Blog!
Blogging is your home
base of fresh content
to share via your SM
outlets.
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46. Social Media Marketing: Getting Started
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47. Social Media Marketing: Getting Started
STEP 4: Select most
strategic outlets & get
started.
Start by just posting
content until you build
a following.
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48. Social Media Marketing: Getting Started
STEP 5: Build a
following.
Many ways, including:
• Interact on other
topically-related SM
• Invite clients, people you
know
• Encourage followers to
share your stuff
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49. Social Media Marketing: Getting Started
STEP 6: Integrate social sharing on your site and email
Sharethis.com is a free, easy-to-use
tool for building sharing buttons
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50. Social Media Marketing: Getting Started
ALWAYS:
Listen & Interact
Two-way Communication
• Reputation management
• Customer service
• Message more effective
when followers know
someone “real” is there
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51. Social Media Marketing: Getting Started
Rinse and Repeat!
• New, fresh content
• Post on multiple
channels
• Encourage sharing
• Listen and interact
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52. What To Expect From An SEM Company
Always Expect Communication!
Paid Search – Renting / Quick ROI
• Lots of questions (lifetime value, acquisition costs, conversion points, etc.)
• Account created in YOUR name and under YOUR control
• Verifiable adspend
• Logical organization of campaigns and ad groups into relevant segments
• Constant testing of new keywords, ad copy, and landing pages
• Monthly reporting with strategy for improvement
• Ongoing recommendations to improve account performance
• Regular changes/updates to the account
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53. What To Expect From An SEM Company
Always Expect Communication!
Organic Search Engine Optimization – Owning / Slower ROI
• Lots of questions
• Review of past and current initiatives
• Review of your website
• Prioritized list of obtainable, relevant, traffic-generating keywords
• Prioritized list of onsite recommendations
• Recommendations for new content
• Recommendations for link development
• Monthly reporting and calls
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54. What Does It Cost?
Paid Search
• Set-up – Free (Firm: $500 - $5k)
• Adspend – You name it!
• Maintenance / Consulting – Free (Firm: 12% - 18% of Adspend)
• Typical to spend: $1,500 upfront and budget on ROI
Organic Search
• Analysis & Strategy - $2k - $10k
• Onsite Changes - $1k - $5k
• Link Development - $1k Local; $2k National; $5k- $100k Competitive
• Typical to spend: $4k upfront and $2,500 per month
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55. What Does It Cost?
Analytics
• Software – Free - $10k
• Set-up – Free (Firm: $500 - $5k)
• KPI Reporting - $0 - $1k
• Typical to spend: $500 for Consulting and $300 for monthly reporting
Social Media
• Software – Free - $10k
• Set-up – Free (Firm: $500 - $5k)
• KPI Reporting - $0 - $1k
• Typical to spend: $500 for Consulting and $300 for monthly reporting
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56. TIPS For Hiring
Things to do
• Check references
• Withhold information until asked
• Check BBB Rating, Certifications, etc.
Signs of a Good Company Signs of a Bad Company
• SEOmoz.org recommended • Cites websites stating they are
• Colleague referral ranked #1 SEO company
• Speaks at known conferences • Makes promises that you will have
• Knowledge of sales staff rankings or profit
• Have innovative ideas and strategies • No R&D
• Sets realistic expectations • Have set packages
• Name is Virante! • Shares information about clients
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57. Tools / Resources
Analytics CPC
• Google Analytics • Adwords Keyword Tool
• Crazy Egg • Google Ad Planner
• Get Clicky • Quantcast
• Website Optimizer • Spyfu
• Omniture • Google Insights
• Marchex • SiteTuners
SEO Social
• Virante’s Free Tools • Knowem
• Google Webmaster Tools • Social Mention
• Majestic SEO • Wildfire App
• SEOMoz • Twylah
• Yahoo Site Explorer • HyperAlerts
• Google Trends • Trackur
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58. Contact Information
Virante, Inc.
http://www.virante.com
1-800-650-0820
@virante
Jake Bohall
jbohall@virante.com
919-459-2834
@jakebohall
www.linkedin.com/in/jakebohall
http://www.thegooglecache.com
http://www.virante.com/blog/
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