How Friendly Is Your SEM?
Take the test: SEO and PPC best practices revealed
July 2008 By Kate DeBevois & Hallie Mummert
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Search engine marketing, both paid and natural varieties, is an ever-changing landscape. Not in the least, because as more people go online to search out solutions for their challenges, marketers are shifting ad dollars to better their products' and services' chances of being found and purchased.
According to the 2007 State of the Market survey developed by the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO), spending on SEM in North America is projected to reach $25.2 billion by 2011; this follows a banner year in 2007, during which the North American SEM industry grew more than 20 percent to hit $12.2 billion in spending.
Because results are dependent on the number of participants and their behaviors-regardless of whether the behaviors are smart or wasteful-practitioners must be on their toes to guard against overspending and to derive the most profit from their activities. And the future, at least for paid search, indicates that prices are expected to go up.
According to a statement that Gordon Hotchkiss, SEMPO chairman and president of Enquiro Search Solutions, released with the survey data, "While [cost-per-click] inflation has slowed, marketers are finally beginning to recognize the value of search, and we expect search prices will hold and may even continue to move upward based on survey data."
As costs increase, firms will do well to break their bad search marketing habits. For example, says Mark Simon, vice president of industry relations for Rockville, N.Y.-based search marketing firm Didit, a tactic to drop is going after pay-per-click competitors to try to push them out of the top rankings for specific terms. "Marketers wind up fighting the wrong battle," he states. Instead, they should be fine-tuning their targeting efforts to optimize conversion.
On the search engine optimization front, half the battle is knowing where to focus your content-generation efforts, and the other half is making sure that information has been prepared properly for both people and search engines.
To help marketers develop more effective search marketing campaigns, Target Marketing delved into several areas of SEO and PPC search to identify best practices that can make the difference between throwing money out the window and sending more of it to your bottom line. Take the quiz, and see if you and our SEM experts are on the same results page when it comes to running successful search campaigns.
The Questions
1. Title tags should always?
a) be 35 to 45 characters, including spaces
b) include keywords in both the page title and page description
c) be unique for each page, including key phrases and branding information
d) be the same on every page
2. When using Flash, Java or AJAX, optimize search by?
a) creating your navigation and content within Flash or AJAX
b) providing text descriptions for all rich media
c) embedding links in Flash, JavaScript or AJAX
d) putting as much rich media on each page as possible
3. The key to optimizing images for search is?
a) lead with the tertiary keyword whenever possible
b) use GIF images for content you wanted included in image search
c) use JPEG images for content you wanted included in image search
d) use the same title tags for each image
4. How often should marketers review the performance of their PPC campaigns?
a) once a month
b) two or three times a week
c) once a day
d) once an hour
5. The biggest mistake in managing keywords is?
a) bidding on too many terms
b) bidding on too few terms
c) focusing too heavily on long-tail terms
d) not breaking keywords into smaller groups
6. When looking for time-related patterns in search traffic, focus on?
a) time of the day
b) day of the week
c) both a and b
d) week of the month
7. At the very least, marketers should track which metric?
a) clickthrough rates
b) traffic volume increases
c) return on ad spend or ROI
d) margin per click
The Answers
1. Title tags should always?
Answer: c) be unique for each page, including key phrases and branding information
According to Rand Fishkin, chief executive of Seattle-based search consultancy SEOmoz, targeting relevant, longer phrases is one key to effective title tags. He prefers using "as many as are completely relevant to the page at hand, while remaining accurate and descriptive." For example, he says a title tag such as "SkiDudes | Downhill Skiing Equipment and Accessories" is more effective than a tag such as "SkiDudes | Skiing Equipment." The additional terms, as long as they are relevant to the page and receive significant search traffic, can bolster your page's value. However, keep your Web site design in mind when creating title tags. Fishkin explains, "If you have a separate landing page for ‘Skiing accessories' than for ‘equipment,' then you shouldn't include one term in the other's title." This would essentially "cannibalize your rankings by forcing the engines to choose which page on your site is more relevant," he says.
Heather Lloyd-Martin, president and CEO of copywriting and optimization solutions company SuccessWorks, in Portland, Ore., says title tags should include no more than 60 to 75 characters with spaces because Google truncates at about 60 characters. In addition, title tags should be specific and relate the most important ideas first. When creating title tags, two things you should always avoid are throwing together a "laundry list of key phrases separated by commas" or using title tags that are the same on every page. Lloyd-Martin also suggests including compelling and unique content for title tags on each page to avoid repetition and improve search results.
2. When using Flash, Java or AJAX, optimize search by?
Answer: b) providing text descriptions for all rich media
Lee Odden, CEO of Spring Park, Minn.-based SEO firm TopRank Online Marketing, says when used incorrectly, Flash, Java and AJAX can present an obstacle for search engines. To avoid SEO glitches when using these programs, never create the entire Web site, including navigation and content, entirely within Flash or AJAX. These tools can work to boost your brand image, he notes, it's just a matter of formatting them correctly when building the Web site so they don't damage your natural search efforts. For example, Odden says, "Navigation should be external to any Flash movies. If navigation is handled with Flash, JavaScript or AJAX, then alternative text links to important pages should be published so search engines can find and follow those links."
To effectively design pages that use interactive and rich media elements, always include text content that search engine spiders can find and understand. Odden says, "None of these types of code are bad for SEO per se; it is the absence of text and crawlable links that makes it difficult for search engines to find content and understand what it means for ranking."
3. The key to optimizing images for search is?
Answer: c) use JPEG images for content you want included in image search
When tagging and optimizing image content such as photos, logos, charts and graphs, Eric Papczun, director of natural search optimization for search and affiliate marketing agency DoubleClick Performics, in Chicago, says using the JPEG format for any images you want included in image search is an essential best practice. The JPEG format is more effective because the search engines have an expectation that GIF images will be used for vector and/or line art, such as graphs and company logos. "JPEG images, on the other hand, are ordinarily used for photographs" and are more effectively picked up by the search engines, he says.
Whether tagging content or images, Papczun says, "Always be focused and pithy with your title tags; never have keyword greed." Remember to lead with the primary keyword whenever possible. He also says it is essential to provide alternate attributes, using text that fulfills the same function of the image, for each image, "so that ‘everyone' can ‘see' your content, including the search engines." In addition, it's important to remember the algorithmic weight of your title tags; they are just as important as the images and text on your site because they allow the search engines to find those images and boost traffic.
Along with images, Papczun adds that when optimizing video files, marketers should encode them with meta data and surround them with keyword- rich HTML to help ensure they are picked up by the search engines.
Marketers working with images within Flash files, Papczun says, should encode Flash files with meta data using Macromedia's SDK. This type of program generates HTML pages that correspond with the Flash files and can be identified and indexed by search engines.
4. At a minimum, how often should marketers review the performance of their PPC campaigns?
Answer: b) two or three times a week
The reality of the bidding environment is that all of these answers are right, depending on how much you're spending and what resources you have for managing your program. Most marketers should be looking at key performance metrics related to conversions and cost per acquisition once every couple days, and taking action to ensure their "budgets don't fly out of hand" and that sales or revenue don't slip, says Ethan Hagerty, director of business development, Midwest for Pittsburgh-based search marketing agency IMPAQT.
Companies with smaller search budgets and fewer resources need to review and fine-tune their programs at least once a month, advises Joe Soltis, director of paid search and e-marketing at Fathom SEO, a search marketing firm in Valley View, Ohio. "Search is a very competitive, dynamic environment. Automated bidding can change the marketplace in seconds. Competitors are coming in and out of the market. Then there's geotargeting and even changes in your own business. If you're not keeping an eye on performance, your program can fall apart quickly," he explains.
And on the high end of the scale-say, firms spending $500,000 to $1 million a month on PPC search-monitoring should occur a couple times per day. That includes weekends, stresses Hagerty. "Traffic on the weekends will be lower, but you're still spending money and [something] could go wrong. Especially during the holidays for retailers, treat the weekends just like it's a Monday," he explains.
Didit's Mark Simon reminds marketers that, "Since this marketplace is a real-time auction-based system, the savvy advertiser must work with a robust bid management technology platform that handles the bidding landscape 24/7 on all terms that drive traffic to its site. Since that part of the equation should be an automated solution and not a manual one, that will allow the advertiser to utilize its time analyzing the other half of the equation-the strategic side that will enhance and ultimately drive up the conversion rate and deliver a true return on investment."
5. The biggest mistake in managing keywords is?
Answer: d) not breaking keywords into smaller groups
The worst habit marketers fall into with PPC search is stuffing huge amounts of keywords into one keyword group, says Hagerty, who adds, "what that really leads to is keywords getting lost in the shuffle, which can have a negative effect on performance."
The reason why smaller, more targeted keyword groups are better, says Lisa Wehr, president and CEO of Oneupweb, a search marketing firm in Traverse City, Mich., is because you can serve up more targeted ad creative that more closely fits each group. "For example," she explains, "if you want to offer free shipping on a certain set of items or group or product and you've got keywords for items or products that aren't going to qualify for the free shipping, then you're going to have to separate them out eventually. And moving stuff around now in paid search campaigns can affect quality score."
Wehr recommends laying a good foundation for keyword groups. "Even if it means creating a spreadsheet or drawing it out on a piece of paper, you should develop a hierarchy of product-almost like a site map you would draw to design a Web site's navigational scheme. How do these products fall under categories? And those categories then guide the groups that are pretty specific ... making small groups so that an adjustment to ad creative will be applicable to all those keywords in that group."
Soltis agrees, noting that he often sees marketers starting off their PPC campaigns without trying to target their audiences. Not only do you want to define your target audience, he says, but you also want to explore the question, "If someone is searching for this keyword, what is the likelihood that she will buy this from me and has the ability to do so?"
Another important way to refine your keywords, says Hagerty, is to isolate the branded keywords, putting them in a separate bucket with a separate budget allocated to it. "That's one of the cardinal things you should do in search marketing. If a customer's searching for you and you're not available because your budget went out, that's a problem."
One caveat from Simon is to be careful chasing the long tail of search, which he sees disappearing. Companies should be savvy about going after any long-tail terms that produce ROI, but they can't build a business on this activity since so little search volume comes from it. "Marketers should worry more about the center of the chess board and less about the tail. In today's hyper-competitive marketplace, the game is won or lost in the power terms, and making those work are what drives online results. Granted, there are times when tail terms are important to the balance of the campaign, but when you look at the bottom line, it's always the 80/20 rule-and in search, it's probably 90/10."
6. When looking for time-related patterns in search traffic, focus on?
Answer: c) both a and b
In a presentation George Michie, co-founder and principal of search marketing at the Rimm-Kaufman Group, gave at this year's ACCM trade show, he told marketers that it's best to tie online sales to the time and day of the click. Pinpointing to the day alone is a bad metric, he explains, because you want to identify shopping and buying patterns; for instance, people who do research on the weekend or evenings but make their purchases during the work day because their companies' servers run faster.
"My recommendation is to make sure ... that you're taking advantage of ad scheduling and dayparting," says Wehr. "That's kind of a first layer that you've got to pay attention to. Don't leave ads running 24/7 if you're customers aren't online 24/7."
7. At the very least, marketers should track which metric?
Answer: b) return on ad spend or ROI
Search returns a deep well of performance data-so deep, in fact, that marketers can get overwhelmed with all the possible permutations and correlating insights. For companies with the means, analyzing data at the most granular levels across various performance elements will provide significant leverage in maximizing search traffic. But marketers without the time, budget or manpower can still measure the most important activity to ensure their overall performance is profitable and stays that way.
First off, companies should always track results from individual keyword groups, looking at more than clickthrough rates and increases in traffic volume, which tell you very little. "The key metrics for evaluating performance of a paid search program are cost per sale, cost per lead and return on advertising spend," says Soltis.
Because every business model is a little different, Simon advises that "marketers should always measure their campaigns against their conversion metrics. Many businesses operate around a target allowable for the conversion or action to take place or an ROI metric that will allow the business to grow. Sometimes that metric must be tested to determine if incremental orders can be garnered at a lower ROI without reducing the success of the campaign."
If you're already covering the basic performance measurements, consider refining your bid management to aim for margin-per-click targets rather than sales-per-click goals. Michie reminded ACCM attendees that products with higher margin allow you to spend a little more to obtain the sale.
Wehr sums it up: "If marketers are using good analytics tools, they can keep an eye on ROI. It's absolutely amazing how many direct marketers don't know what their goal is with PPC search: Is it a 300 percent ROI, or is it a 1,000 percent ROI? They don't know. So my first recommendation is to know that going in. What do you have to shoot for? And then have good analytics to be able to measure it."
According to the 2007 State of the Market survey developed by the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO), spending on SEM in North America is projected to reach $25.2 billion by 2011; this follows a banner year in 2007, during which the North American SEM industry grew more than 20 percent to hit $12.2 billion in spending.
Because results are dependent on the number of participants and their behaviors-regardless of whether the behaviors are smart or wasteful-practitioners must be on their toes to guard against overspending and to derive the most profit from their activities. And the future, at least for paid search, indicates that prices are expected to go up.
According to a statement that Gordon Hotchkiss, SEMPO chairman and president of Enquiro Search Solutions, released with the survey data, "While [cost-per-click] inflation has slowed, marketers are finally beginning to recognize the value of search, and we expect search prices will hold and may even continue to move upward based on survey data."
As costs increase, firms will do well to break their bad search marketing habits. For example, says Mark Simon, vice president of industry relations for Rockville, N.Y.-based search marketing firm Didit, a tactic to drop is going after pay-per-click competitors to try to push them out of the top rankings for specific terms. "Marketers wind up fighting the wrong battle," he states. Instead, they should be fine-tuning their targeting efforts to optimize conversion.
On the search engine optimization front, half the battle is knowing where to focus your content-generation efforts, and the other half is making sure that information has been prepared properly for both people and search engines.
To help marketers develop more effective search marketing campaigns, Target Marketing delved into several areas of SEO and PPC search to identify best practices that can make the difference between throwing money out the window and sending more of it to your bottom line. Take the quiz, and see if you and our SEM experts are on the same results page when it comes to running successful search campaigns.
The Questions
1. Title tags should always?
a) be 35 to 45 characters, including spaces
b) include keywords in both the page title and page description
c) be unique for each page, including key phrases and branding information
d) be the same on every page
2. When using Flash, Java or AJAX, optimize search by?
a) creating your navigation and content within Flash or AJAX
b) providing text descriptions for all rich media
c) embedding links in Flash, JavaScript or AJAX
d) putting as much rich media on each page as possible
3. The key to optimizing images for search is?
a) lead with the tertiary keyword whenever possible
b) use GIF images for content you wanted included in image search
c) use JPEG images for content you wanted included in image search
d) use the same title tags for each image
4. How often should marketers review the performance of their PPC campaigns?
a) once a month
b) two or three times a week
c) once a day
d) once an hour
5. The biggest mistake in managing keywords is?
a) bidding on too many terms
b) bidding on too few terms
c) focusing too heavily on long-tail terms
d) not breaking keywords into smaller groups
6. When looking for time-related patterns in search traffic, focus on?
a) time of the day
b) day of the week
c) both a and b
d) week of the month
7. At the very least, marketers should track which metric?
a) clickthrough rates
b) traffic volume increases
c) return on ad spend or ROI
d) margin per click
The Answers
1. Title tags should always?
Answer: c) be unique for each page, including key phrases and branding information
According to Rand Fishkin, chief executive of Seattle-based search consultancy SEOmoz, targeting relevant, longer phrases is one key to effective title tags. He prefers using "as many as are completely relevant to the page at hand, while remaining accurate and descriptive." For example, he says a title tag such as "SkiDudes | Downhill Skiing Equipment and Accessories" is more effective than a tag such as "SkiDudes | Skiing Equipment." The additional terms, as long as they are relevant to the page and receive significant search traffic, can bolster your page's value. However, keep your Web site design in mind when creating title tags. Fishkin explains, "If you have a separate landing page for ‘Skiing accessories' than for ‘equipment,' then you shouldn't include one term in the other's title." This would essentially "cannibalize your rankings by forcing the engines to choose which page on your site is more relevant," he says.
Heather Lloyd-Martin, president and CEO of copywriting and optimization solutions company SuccessWorks, in Portland, Ore., says title tags should include no more than 60 to 75 characters with spaces because Google truncates at about 60 characters. In addition, title tags should be specific and relate the most important ideas first. When creating title tags, two things you should always avoid are throwing together a "laundry list of key phrases separated by commas" or using title tags that are the same on every page. Lloyd-Martin also suggests including compelling and unique content for title tags on each page to avoid repetition and improve search results.
2. When using Flash, Java or AJAX, optimize search by?
Answer: b) providing text descriptions for all rich media
Lee Odden, CEO of Spring Park, Minn.-based SEO firm TopRank Online Marketing, says when used incorrectly, Flash, Java and AJAX can present an obstacle for search engines. To avoid SEO glitches when using these programs, never create the entire Web site, including navigation and content, entirely within Flash or AJAX. These tools can work to boost your brand image, he notes, it's just a matter of formatting them correctly when building the Web site so they don't damage your natural search efforts. For example, Odden says, "Navigation should be external to any Flash movies. If navigation is handled with Flash, JavaScript or AJAX, then alternative text links to important pages should be published so search engines can find and follow those links."
To effectively design pages that use interactive and rich media elements, always include text content that search engine spiders can find and understand. Odden says, "None of these types of code are bad for SEO per se; it is the absence of text and crawlable links that makes it difficult for search engines to find content and understand what it means for ranking."
3. The key to optimizing images for search is?
Answer: c) use JPEG images for content you want included in image search
When tagging and optimizing image content such as photos, logos, charts and graphs, Eric Papczun, director of natural search optimization for search and affiliate marketing agency DoubleClick Performics, in Chicago, says using the JPEG format for any images you want included in image search is an essential best practice. The JPEG format is more effective because the search engines have an expectation that GIF images will be used for vector and/or line art, such as graphs and company logos. "JPEG images, on the other hand, are ordinarily used for photographs" and are more effectively picked up by the search engines, he says.
Whether tagging content or images, Papczun says, "Always be focused and pithy with your title tags; never have keyword greed." Remember to lead with the primary keyword whenever possible. He also says it is essential to provide alternate attributes, using text that fulfills the same function of the image, for each image, "so that ‘everyone' can ‘see' your content, including the search engines." In addition, it's important to remember the algorithmic weight of your title tags; they are just as important as the images and text on your site because they allow the search engines to find those images and boost traffic.
Along with images, Papczun adds that when optimizing video files, marketers should encode them with meta data and surround them with keyword- rich HTML to help ensure they are picked up by the search engines.
Marketers working with images within Flash files, Papczun says, should encode Flash files with meta data using Macromedia's SDK. This type of program generates HTML pages that correspond with the Flash files and can be identified and indexed by search engines.
4. At a minimum, how often should marketers review the performance of their PPC campaigns?
Answer: b) two or three times a week
The reality of the bidding environment is that all of these answers are right, depending on how much you're spending and what resources you have for managing your program. Most marketers should be looking at key performance metrics related to conversions and cost per acquisition once every couple days, and taking action to ensure their "budgets don't fly out of hand" and that sales or revenue don't slip, says Ethan Hagerty, director of business development, Midwest for Pittsburgh-based search marketing agency IMPAQT.
Companies with smaller search budgets and fewer resources need to review and fine-tune their programs at least once a month, advises Joe Soltis, director of paid search and e-marketing at Fathom SEO, a search marketing firm in Valley View, Ohio. "Search is a very competitive, dynamic environment. Automated bidding can change the marketplace in seconds. Competitors are coming in and out of the market. Then there's geotargeting and even changes in your own business. If you're not keeping an eye on performance, your program can fall apart quickly," he explains.
And on the high end of the scale-say, firms spending $500,000 to $1 million a month on PPC search-monitoring should occur a couple times per day. That includes weekends, stresses Hagerty. "Traffic on the weekends will be lower, but you're still spending money and [something] could go wrong. Especially during the holidays for retailers, treat the weekends just like it's a Monday," he explains.
Didit's Mark Simon reminds marketers that, "Since this marketplace is a real-time auction-based system, the savvy advertiser must work with a robust bid management technology platform that handles the bidding landscape 24/7 on all terms that drive traffic to its site. Since that part of the equation should be an automated solution and not a manual one, that will allow the advertiser to utilize its time analyzing the other half of the equation-the strategic side that will enhance and ultimately drive up the conversion rate and deliver a true return on investment."
5. The biggest mistake in managing keywords is?
Answer: d) not breaking keywords into smaller groups
The worst habit marketers fall into with PPC search is stuffing huge amounts of keywords into one keyword group, says Hagerty, who adds, "what that really leads to is keywords getting lost in the shuffle, which can have a negative effect on performance."
The reason why smaller, more targeted keyword groups are better, says Lisa Wehr, president and CEO of Oneupweb, a search marketing firm in Traverse City, Mich., is because you can serve up more targeted ad creative that more closely fits each group. "For example," she explains, "if you want to offer free shipping on a certain set of items or group or product and you've got keywords for items or products that aren't going to qualify for the free shipping, then you're going to have to separate them out eventually. And moving stuff around now in paid search campaigns can affect quality score."
Wehr recommends laying a good foundation for keyword groups. "Even if it means creating a spreadsheet or drawing it out on a piece of paper, you should develop a hierarchy of product-almost like a site map you would draw to design a Web site's navigational scheme. How do these products fall under categories? And those categories then guide the groups that are pretty specific ... making small groups so that an adjustment to ad creative will be applicable to all those keywords in that group."
Soltis agrees, noting that he often sees marketers starting off their PPC campaigns without trying to target their audiences. Not only do you want to define your target audience, he says, but you also want to explore the question, "If someone is searching for this keyword, what is the likelihood that she will buy this from me and has the ability to do so?"
Another important way to refine your keywords, says Hagerty, is to isolate the branded keywords, putting them in a separate bucket with a separate budget allocated to it. "That's one of the cardinal things you should do in search marketing. If a customer's searching for you and you're not available because your budget went out, that's a problem."
One caveat from Simon is to be careful chasing the long tail of search, which he sees disappearing. Companies should be savvy about going after any long-tail terms that produce ROI, but they can't build a business on this activity since so little search volume comes from it. "Marketers should worry more about the center of the chess board and less about the tail. In today's hyper-competitive marketplace, the game is won or lost in the power terms, and making those work are what drives online results. Granted, there are times when tail terms are important to the balance of the campaign, but when you look at the bottom line, it's always the 80/20 rule-and in search, it's probably 90/10."
6. When looking for time-related patterns in search traffic, focus on?
Answer: c) both a and b
In a presentation George Michie, co-founder and principal of search marketing at the Rimm-Kaufman Group, gave at this year's ACCM trade show, he told marketers that it's best to tie online sales to the time and day of the click. Pinpointing to the day alone is a bad metric, he explains, because you want to identify shopping and buying patterns; for instance, people who do research on the weekend or evenings but make their purchases during the work day because their companies' servers run faster.
"My recommendation is to make sure ... that you're taking advantage of ad scheduling and dayparting," says Wehr. "That's kind of a first layer that you've got to pay attention to. Don't leave ads running 24/7 if you're customers aren't online 24/7."
7. At the very least, marketers should track which metric?
Answer: b) return on ad spend or ROI
Search returns a deep well of performance data-so deep, in fact, that marketers can get overwhelmed with all the possible permutations and correlating insights. For companies with the means, analyzing data at the most granular levels across various performance elements will provide significant leverage in maximizing search traffic. But marketers without the time, budget or manpower can still measure the most important activity to ensure their overall performance is profitable and stays that way.
First off, companies should always track results from individual keyword groups, looking at more than clickthrough rates and increases in traffic volume, which tell you very little. "The key metrics for evaluating performance of a paid search program are cost per sale, cost per lead and return on advertising spend," says Soltis.
Because every business model is a little different, Simon advises that "marketers should always measure their campaigns against their conversion metrics. Many businesses operate around a target allowable for the conversion or action to take place or an ROI metric that will allow the business to grow. Sometimes that metric must be tested to determine if incremental orders can be garnered at a lower ROI without reducing the success of the campaign."
If you're already covering the basic performance measurements, consider refining your bid management to aim for margin-per-click targets rather than sales-per-click goals. Michie reminded ACCM attendees that products with higher margin allow you to spend a little more to obtain the sale.
Wehr sums it up: "If marketers are using good analytics tools, they can keep an eye on ROI. It's absolutely amazing how many direct marketers don't know what their goal is with PPC search: Is it a 300 percent ROI, or is it a 1,000 percent ROI? They don't know. So my first recommendation is to know that going in. What do you have to shoot for? And then have good analytics to be able to measure it."
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