9780131852921

Effective search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) is now crucial to the success of your business. But it's never been more challenging-especially if you're responsible for a large, complex site. Finally, there's a definitive source for reliable information for implementing an effective search engine optimization and marketing program for your business. In Search Engine Marketing, Inc., ibm.com's site architect and a world-leading enterprise SEO consultant present best practices, step-by-step techniques, and hard-won tips for driving maximum traffic at minimum cost.

Foreword

xix

Preface

xxi

Acknowledgments

xxv

PART 1: THE BASICS OF SEARCH MARKETING

1

(100)

Why Search Marketing Is Important ... and Difficult

3

(28)

Web Search Basics

4

(14)

Kinds of Search Results

5

(2)

Where Searchers Go

7

(11)

Search and Your Marketing Mix

18

(4)

Prospective Customers Use Search

20

(1)

Search Marketing Is Cost-Effective

20

(1)

Search Marketing Is Big Business

21

(1)

The Challenge of Search Success

22

(7)

Multiple Specialist Teams

23

(1)

Multiple Product Sites

23

(2)

Multiple Audiences

25

(1)

Multiple Countries

26

(2)

Multiple Technologies

28

(1)

Summary

29

(2)

How Search Engines Work

31

(26)

Matching the Search Query

33

(4)

Analyzing the Query

33

(2)

Choosing Matches to the Query

35

(2)

Ranking the Matches

37

(6)

Ranking Organic Search Matches

37

(5)

Ranking Paid Placement Matches

42

(1)

Displaying Search Results

43

(1)

Finding Web Pages for the Organic Index

43

(5)

Following Links

45

(1)

Remembering Links

46

(1)

Keeping Up with Changes

47

(1)

Feeding the Index Without Crawling

47

(1)

Analyzing the Content

48

(5)

Converting Different Types of Documents

48

(1)

Deciding Which Words Are Important

48

(1)

Spotting Words You Don't Normally See

48

(2)

Deducing Information from the Page

50

(1)

What Search Engines Don't See

50

(3)

Building the Organic Index

53

(1)

Search Relationships

53

(2)

Summary

55

(2)

How Search Marketing Works

57

(24)

Organic Search

58

(6)

What It Costs

58

(4)

The Benefits and Challenges

62

(2)

How to Get Started

64

(1)

Directory Listings

64

(6)

What It Costs

66

(1)

The Benefits and Challenges

67

(2)

How to Get Started

69

(1)

Paid Placement

70

(9)

What It Costs

72

(2)

The Benefits and Challenges

74

(5)

How to Get Started

79

(1)

Summary

79

(2)

How Searchers Work

81

(20)

Visitor Behavior

82

(2)

Buyer Behavior

82

(1)

Voter Behavior

83

(1)

The Searcher's Intent

84

(7)

Navigational Searchers

85

(4)

Informational Searchers

89

(1)

Transactional Searchers

90

(1)

The Searcher's Click

91

(4)

How Searchers Look at Results

92

(1)

Why Searchers Click Where They Do

93

(1)

When Searchers Don't Click Results

93

(2)

The Searcher's Follow-Through

95

(5)

The Web Conversion Cycle

95

(2)

How Visitor Behavior Affects Search Marketing

97

(3)

Summary

100

(1)

PART 2: DEVELOP YOUR SEARCH MARKETING PROGRAM

101

(128)

Identify Your Web Site's Goals

103

(18)

Web Sales

104

(6)

Online Commerce Versus Pure Online

104

(2)

Retailers Versus Manufacturers

106

(4)

Offline Sales

110

(1)

Leads

111

(2)

Market Awareness

113

(1)

Information and Entertainment

114

(1)

Persuasion

114

(4)

Influencing Public Opinion

115

(1)

Helping People

116

(2)

Summary

118

(3)

Measure Your Web Site's Success

121

(24)

Count Your Conversions

122

(17)

Web Sales

123

(3)

Offline Sales

126

(6)

Leads

132

(2)

Market Awareness

134

(1)

Information and Entertainment

135

(3)

Persuasion

138

(1)

Count Your Traffic

139

(3)

Page Views

139

(2)

Visits and Visitors

141

(1)

Count Your Money

142

(1)

Summary

143

(2)

Measure Your Search Marketing Success

145

(28)

Target Your First Search Marketing Campaign

146

(6)

Choose the Target Area of Your Site

146

(2)

Focus on the Keywords Searchers Use

148

(4)

Assess Your Current Situation

152

(10)

Identify Your Search Landing Pages

152

(3)

See If Your Existing Landing Pages Are Indexed

155

(1)

Check the Search Rankings for Your Landing Pages

156

(3)

Check Your Competitors' Search Rankings

159

(1)

See What Traffic You Are Getting

160

(2)

Calculate Your First Campaign's Opportunity

162

(9)

Check Your Keyword Demand

162

(1)

Discover Your Missed Opportunities

163

(1)

Project Your Future Traffic

164

(5)

Project Your Future Conversions

169

(2)

Summary

171

(2)

Define Your Search Marketing Strategy

173

(28)

Choose the Scope of Your Search Marketing Program

174

(6)

Size Matters

175

(1)

Analyze Your Organizational Structure

176

(3)

Finalize Your Search Marketing Program's Scope

179

(1)

Divide the Search Marketing Work

180

(6)

Search Marketing Tasks

182

(1)

Decide Which Search Marketing Tasks to Centralize

183

(3)

Different Organizations Centralize Different Tasks

186

(1)

Choose Your Search Marketing Approach

186

(9)

Select an External Search Marketing Vendor

188

(6)

Run a Completely In-House Search Marketing Program

194

(1)

Project Your Search Marketing Costs

195

(4)

Organic Optimization Costs

195

(1)

Paid Placement Costs

196

(2)

Personnel Costs

198

(1)

Summary

199

(2)

Sell Your Search Marketing Proposal

201

(28)

Assemble Your Search Marketing Proposal

202

(6)

The Business Case for Your Search Marketing Program

202

(3)

Your First Search Marketing Campaign's Business Case

205

(1)

The Plan for Your First Search Marketing Campaign

206

(2)

Sell Your Proposal to the Extended Search Team

208

(14)

Business People

210

(4)

Writers

214

(3)

Technologists

217

(3)

Site Operations

220

(2)

Sell Your Proposal to Executives

222

(5)

Ten Questions Your Executive Might Ask

222

(5)

Close the Deal

227

(1)

Summary

227

(2)

PART 3: EXECUTE YOUR SEARCH MARKETING PROGRAM

229

(268)

Get Your Site Indexed

231

(38)

What If Your Site Is Not Indexed?

232

(6)

Verify Your Site Is Not Banned or Penalized

233

(1)

Make Sure the Spider Is Visiting

234

(4)

Get Sites to Link to You

238

(1)

How Many Pages on Your Site Are Indexed?

238

(3)

Determine How Many Pages You Have

238

(1)

Check How Many Pages Are Indexed

239

(2)

Calculate Your Inclusion Ratio

241

(1)

How Can More Pages from Your Site Be Indexed?

241

(27)

Eliminate Spider Traps

242

(12)

Reduce Ignored Content

254

(3)

Create Spider Paths

257

(4)

Use Paid Inclusion

261

(7)

Summary

268

(1)

Choose Your Target Keywords

269

(26)

The Value of Keyword Planning

270

(3)

Building Brand Awareness

270

(2)

Increasing Web Conversions

272

(1)

Your Keyword Planning Philosophy

273

(5)

Don't Pick Keywords That Are ``Too Hot''

273

(3)

Don't Pick Keywords That Are ``Too Cold''

276

(1)

Pick Keywords That Are ``Just Right''

277

(1)

Step-by-Step Keyword Planning

278

(15)

Gather Your Keyword Candidate List

279

(4)

Research Each Keyword Candidate

283

(5)

Prioritize Your Keyword Candidate List

288

(5)

Summary

293

(2)

Optimize Your Content

295

(44)

What Search Engines Look For

296

(12)

Search Filters

296

(4)

Search Ranking Factors

300

(8)

The Philosophy of Writing for Search

308

(2)

Step-by-Step Optimization for Search Landing Pages

310

(27)

Choose a Search Landing Page for a Set of Keywords

312

(4)

Analyze the Metrics for Your Search Landing Page

316

(3)

Audit Your Search Landing Page

319

(6)

Improve Your Search Landing Page's Content

325

(12)

Summary

337

(2)

Attract Links to Your Site

339

(46)

Why Search Engines Value Links

340

(5)

How Web Sites Link

341

(2)

How Link Popularity Works

343

(2)

Your Linking Philosophy

345

(9)

How Not to Get Links to Your Site

346

(3)

Think About Visitors First

349

(1)

The Harder a Link Is to Get, the More Valuable It Might Be

350

(3)

Think About Links from Your Site

353

(1)

Step-by-Step Link Building for Your Site

354

(29)

Make Your Site a Link Magnet

354

(4)

Perform a Link Audit

358

(9)

Identify Sources of Links

367

(12)

Negotiate Your Links

379

(4)

Summary

383

(2)

Optimize Your Paid Search Program

385

(64)

Paid Search Opportunities

386

(12)

Paid Placement

388

(8)

Shopping Search

396

(2)

Your Paid Search Philosophy

398

(8)

Look for Value

399

(1)

Play the Market

400

(5)

Iterate, Iterate, and Then Iterate Some More

405

(1)

Step-by-Step Paid Search Optimization

406

(41)

Set Up Your Paid Search Program

407

(13)

Choose Your Targets

420

(15)

Attract Searchers' Clicks

435

(8)

Optimize Paid Search Landing Pages

443

(2)

Measure and Adjust Your Campaigns

445

(2)

Summary

447

(2)

Make Search Marketing Operational

449

(30)

Set Up Your Central Search Team

450

(2)

Staff the Central Team

450

(1)

Develop the Central Team's Skills

451

(1)

Establish Search Marketing Best Practices

452

(5)

Change the Standards and Enforce Them

453

(1)

Centralize Keyword Management

454

(3)

Track Search Marketing Success

457

(20)

Assess Your Site's Content

458

(5)

Check Your Search Rankings

463

(3)

Monitor Search Referrals

466

(4)

Calculate Web Conversions from Search

470

(4)

Review Your Measurements with Others

474

(3)

Summary

477

(2)

What's Next?

479

(18)

What's Next for Search Marketing?

479

(14)

More Content

480

(2)

More Technology

482

(5)

More Personalized

487

(3)

More Competition

490

(3)

What's Next for You?

493

(3)

Get Experience

493

(1)

Keep Learning

493

(3)

Summary

496

(1)

Glossary

497

(30)

Index

527

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

Preface Preface Search marketing demands a curious mix of business, writing, and technical skills. No matter what skills you have, you probably have some of the skills needed to succeed, but not all of them. This book will fill the gaps. If you possess marketing skills, or you have a sales or other business background, you will quickly see the ways that search marketing draws upon your previous experience, but you will also learn how it is different. Like any form of marketing, you will focus on the target markets you want to reach--in this case, searchers looking for certain words. You will segment those markets. You will realize that your Web pages are your marketing communications materials. You might see parallels to direct marketing as we relentlessly measure our success, or perhaps you will see the possibilities for search marketing to burnish your brand image. Regardless, like all marketing, you will learn to design your search marketing program to meet your company's larger goals. Unlike other forms of marketing, search marketing is not designed to interrupt people with an advertising message. Successful search marketing meets people at their point of need. When searchers want something, you must be ready to satisfy them with what they want, even if you would prefer to sell them something else. As critical as marketers are to success, search marketing is, at its core, a writer's medium. Like direct marketing, a well-crafted message is critical to enticing a searcher to click your page. Once at your site, the words on your page also influence whether the prospective customer buys your product or abandons your site. But search marketing relies on skilled writing to an even greater extent, because the search engines choose the pages they show based on words. You will learn how to write the words that your customers and the search engines are looking for. If you are a writer, you will find search marketing a challenge like none you have ever seen, but one that can reward your company richly. If you have technical skills, you are needed, too. Search marketing depends on your Web site's design and operation. Many commonly used Web technologies stop search marketing cold. You will find that search marketing is similar to other technical projects--you must understand the requirements so that you can develop the solution. You need to develop a business case to see the value so the work can be prioritized and funded for your busy IT team. You will need a project plan to execute on schedule. You will have standards and operational procedures that keep the system running smoothly. If you are a Webmaster, a Web developer, or any kind of technologist, your skills are vital to search marketing success. If you are looking for a book about the secrets of search marketing, this book does have a few. However, they might be secrets of a surprising kind. Some people think of search marketing as an arcane pursuit where you need to know the "tricks" to get search engines to show your site. But those tricks are not the secrets of search marketing--you do not need tricks to succeed. What you really need is a firm understanding of how search marketing works, a methodology to plan your search marketing program, and the information required to execute it. The biggest secret of search marketing is that knowledge, hard work, and flawless execution are all you need. This book shows you how to get all three. In Part 1, we cover the basics of search marketing. What is search marketing? Why is it so difficult? How do search engines and search marketing work? And what are searchers looking for anyway? Marketers and writers will learn more about search technology. Technologists will be exposed to the opportunity search marketing offers your company. You will all learn how to segment searc

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Search Engine Marketing, Inc.: Driving Search Traffic to Your Company's Web Site

Search Engine Marketing, Inc.: Driving Search Traffic to Your Company's Web Site

0131852922

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

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