Step Wise SEO

Optimization
In case of search components and their management don’t go exactly, it is important to plan and optimization is necessary.

An awareness and branding campaign really isn’t one that requires as much optimization as, for example, ROI strategy as the components for success aren’t as defined with an exact value.

There are, however, a number of situations that need to be watched for and where optimization needs to be taken into account.

The optimization characteristics are relevant to the objective of using search to drive increased awareness and brand recognition.

Organic (natural search) engines
One of the most effective ways of increasing branding and awareness online is to adopt organic search engines, such as Google, Yahoo! and MSN.

In many instances these mechanisms have low recurring costs, which are in fact based upon the commitment of an organization to constant improvement, and can be very strong in driving top placements under a company’s brand name in particular.

This is therefore one of the most important aspects of a search strategy designed to achieve branding and awareness; however, the calculation and accountability of organic search are a great deal more complicated than those of paid search. For this reason the following should be utilized:

• Research: when either employing an outside firm to optimize a website or placing a request for web designers or technical departments to implement website changes, it is important to ensure that keywords that will represent the brand and company are used within the optimization process.

 Above all else it is important to be listed organically against these terms alone as many searchers still to this day utilize search engines even to find company websites rather than typing in a website address.

Table 1.
Campaign performance optimization

Problem Optimization Technique
CPC rises above estimated levels MANUAL MANAGEMENT: Revisit the keyword list and find substitute keywords that when combined together will drive similar traffic.

If the keyword list is exhausted revisit the research process and find additional keywords

BID MANAGEMENT: If a simpler bid management tool is being used, follow the technique mentioned above.

For more advanced systems this should not be an issue

Low Traffic EXPECTED IMPRESSIONS: This indicates that the creative being used is not compelling enough to entice a click.

Similarly, if impressions are the performance metric, this is a good result

LOWER THAN EXPECTED IMPRESSIONS: There could be two reasons here.

The first is that the keywords aren’t as popular as expected and more terms possibly need to be added.

The second is that the terms aren’t appearing in as high rankings as needed for maximum presence and syndication (see low rankings)

Low Rankings (SOV) MANUAL MANAGEMENT: The terms are not being maintained in the highest ranking positions.

Check the average rankings score for each term and attempt to up the management schedule on the most important words

BID MANAGEMENT: If a basic bid management tool is being used, it is probable that the position range is not achievable from the maximum bid.

Revisit the research phase to determine if an increase in CPC prices is necessary or new keywords need to be used.

With the more advanced tools this problem should not be an issue
Low Impressions See Low Traffic

• Measurement: for a branding and awareness strategy it is recommended to use rankings as the control and measurement variable.

As organic listings aren’t as dynamic as paid listings, optimization and control isn’t as fluid.

For this reason when optimizing organically it is important to construct a history or presence within the engines and build upon this.

The constant optimization necessary for organic search is performed via attention to detail on the keywords and phrases that are most important to a business and increasing the relevancy, via code changes and link architecture, to ensure long-term presence.

Paid for inclusion engines (optional for this objective)
Paid For Inclusion optimization and management lies in the determination of whether this is an appropriate medium to use and a cost-effective one.

If the company using the search engines for awareness and branding has a large catalogue or larger amounts of web content (retailers and publishers are some of the most prolific users of paid for inclusion), paid for inclusion could be a strong solution.

For others, especially those with limited content, it really isn’t a good option.
The following should be utilized:

• Viability: when researching a PFI campaign it is critical to determine some of the variables involved in setting up a campaign.

The first is to ensure that a feed can actually be produced. In many instances PFI can only be correctly optimized by a Certified Partner of Overture Site Match xChangeTM, however, Overture will accept a feed prepared by a company’s technical department and in many instances provide the assistance needed for doing the preparation.

Each one of these variables has a cost associated with it and does require the assistance of a technical department so scheduling issues may exist.

• Determine pricing: Overture Site Match xChangeTM or a Certified Partner will have a rate card of the CPC for a particular company’s industry.

 If the CPC is close to the research performed for the PFP engines, this might be a viable option; if not, the cost of this traffic will be higher at the time of campaign launch.

 As a caveat to this the PFP pricing might escalate (as the market controls the price) so a fixed CPC may be of benefit over a longer time period.

• Determine budget: Overture Site Match xChangeTM requires a minimum budget of $5000 a month. This is allocated per click and not controlled over the month.

• Measurement: for a branding and awareness strategy the use of traffic is recommended as the control and measurement variable, since it will prove to be the most qualified variable for a cost vs benefit analysis.

Keywords: Optimization, bid management, keyword, Traffic, impressions, rankings, manual management, PFI campaign,