How can you best leverage user generated content? In this entertaining talk, Richard Falconer draws on his experience working with leading user generated solution providers BazaarVoice, as well as household names such as Boots, Tesco, Play.com and Skype, to provide the inside track on how to use user generated content effectively for SEO and conversions.
The session will include little known facts about how user generated content affects search results, as well as previously unpublished data and recommendations about how it impacts the way users interact with a site. Case studies from major brands will also back up the presentation.
2. Do you want to increase conversion
rates, improve customer loyalty and build
visibility in search while your customers
do the hard work...and enjoy it?
3. Use UGC to provide a layer of emotion to
the online retail experience.
4. The UK’s Top Sites
The top 18 non-search engine sites
in the UK according to Alexa.com
5.
6. Allowing users to create
or curate content as well
as respond to and share
their own content and
that of others.
12. 90% of users trust 70% of users trust 32% of users trust
recommendations opinions posted online banner ads.
from people they online.
know.
Source: Nielsenwire
14. Worried?
Some common reasons for hesitancy:
• Negative reviews
• Worry about removing control from the marketing
team
• Cost of managing and monitoring the content
15. Don’t worry, embrace it...
• Marketing should be involved more than ever, UGC is
just another tool
• 88% of product ratings are 4 or 5 stars out of 5
• Products with lower scores still sell better
• ROI on reviews (and UGC in general) is high
16. • 83% of all holiday shoppers are influenced by
customer reviews
ChannelAdvisor "Consumer Shopping Habits Survey", August 2010
• Availability of user-generated or consumer product
reviews was a factor for 57% of UK shoppers
eConsultancy Survey, July 2010
• Bazaarvoice - 26% increase in conversion rates
• Reevoo - Sales uplift average 18%
21. Traffic increase as a result of
review Rich Snippets
Best Buy – 30%
Bazaarvoice – 15%
bigmouthmedia – 12%
22. Reviews SEO Investigation
Does having reviews on a site increase unpaid
referrals from search engines?
This question is more difficult to answer than you
might think.
• Reviews sit on microsites which are not linked
from the main sites
• No deliberate link development had taken place
23. Case Study 1
• > 4.5 million visits
• 82% non-paid search traffic
• 15% conversion rate increase
• No link development used
24. Case Study 2
• > 700,000 visits
• 82% non-paid search traffic
• 12% higher conversion rate
• No link development used
25. Case Study 3
• > 1 million visits
• 81% non-paid search traffic
• 18% higher conversion rate
• No link development used
27. Google’s Panda Updates
Shopzilla.co.uk: 77%
Dooyoo.co.uk: 80%
Based on a dataset of one million keywords before and after
Panda was introduced internationally.
Stats: http://www.sistrix.com/blog/990-google-panda-on-its-way-to-europe.html
Photo: http://marksecology.blogspot.com/2011/01/angry-panda.html
28. Reviews SEO Tips
• Get unique reviews
• Display directly on your pages
• Link it correctly
• Use structured markup
• Encourage users to share externally
31. Tip #2
Request reviews from customers. Send requests
on Tuesday or Wednesday between 10am and 4pm.
Tip #2A
If you run an office, the best time to catch your staff
skiving is Tuesday or Wednesday between 10am and
4pm
33. The reviews are from the same product.
Active Passive
% of reviews
Number of stars
34. TIP #3
Don’t host a Microsoft Party
Understand what motivates your users
35. • enjoyment of creating content
• social status
• rewards for achieving status
• self promotion
• social gratification
36. Look after your power users
Make life easy for your casual users
Love all your users
Jakob Neilsen http://www.useit.com/alertbox/participation_inequality.html
37. Wikipedia vs Knol
• Wikipedia allows you to add information
easily then editors tidy it up
• Wikipedia appeals to two
complementary types (geeks and edit
freaks)
• Knol expected you to do everything
42. Encouragement to participate
should be integral to a site
• 3 Types of users
• Design the site for all three
• Incentives for power users
• Product features that make contribution easy
• One-time contribution without registration or other hassles
for “casual contributors”
• Non-contributors are great too, they make you money