RPM Blog » SEO

Intersection of Search Marketing and Social Media

RedLine — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:15:23 +0000

This video from WebProNews interviews Lee Odden, CEO of TopRank Online Marketing. Lee discusses combining Search and Social for a better ROI. At RPM, we would completely agree with this strategy.

More WebProNews Videos

SEO or SEM?

RedLine — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:15:11 +0000

SEO or SEM? When considering a search engine campaign to accomplish a business objective, it is common to wonder should we embark on an SEO or SEM campaign – or a combination of both? Naturally, consideration comes up about the advantages and disadvantages of being listed in the Organic Results (SEO) or the Sponsor Search Results (SEM). Karl Hauser, Right Place Media’s Director of Interactive, likes to reference SEM as a faucet, “You can crank it up when it’s working and turn it off when it’s not.” He also likes SEM for seasonal products and services. He acknowledges that SEO takes a completely different approach and can take some time to see desired results (for some). SEO also offers a number of different factors than simply optimizing your site for keyword density.

A new study by Engine Ready helps enlighten businesses that are contemplating that same question. Assuming that maximizing sales is their primary business objective, the results are rather intriguing.

The study concluded June 30 of this year and is based on traffic to 26 e-retail sites during a 12-month period. The study identified and used four primary traffic source categories:

Organic Results
Sponsored or Paid Results
Direct or Bookmarks
Other Referrer (possibly social media)

Some of the top findings from the Study:

Visitors who arrive from Paid Search Ads are 50% more likely to purchase than those clicking on Organic Results.
Conversion Rate was 2.03% for Paid Search versus 1.26% for Organic Search.
Direct access produced the most visitors at 40% other referring sites and email were at 28% while paid search had 20% and organic search 12%.
Paid Search visitors spent the most. Average order amount for a paid search visitor was $117.06 versus $109.27 for those coming from other sites, $106.64 per order on average from Organic visitors and $95.29 for direct visitors.

What can we take from this study? Paid Search performed well. Paid Search (SEM) ranking best for average order value and conversion rate is a big deal. Reasoning? SEM’s strong call to action in the description section could play a factor. So could the ability to enhance and optimize individual ads for individual products. As we mentioned last week, it is important to optimize your meta descriptions for SEO and a strong call to action should be a part of that.

What’s your take on the study?

New York Times Take on the Study

Optimizing your Meta Description – SEO

RedLine — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:04:59 +0000

One interesting concept that is not discussed as much as it should be in SEO circles is your pages Search Listing Description or meta description. This is the snippet of information under your Search Listing Title on the Search Engine Results Page. Search Engine Journal wrote and interesting post about optimizing your meta description to enhance your search engine listing description. Starting with your page’s meta description is the easiest and most effective way to do this.

Search Engine Journal recommends that your Meta Description

It should be informative, descriptive, concise and encouraging a click

It should be keyword optimized (words in bold will also make it more visible and scannable)

Both great tips and RPM will add a few of our own

It should be dynamic for each page. Most content management systems will allow this.

Make it humanized. Try to write for the person first and optimize for the Robot second if possible.

Google Makes Local Search a little more Simple

RedLine — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 22:10:16 +0000

Google’s official blog indicated yesterday that local search has now been enhanced so that Google Maps will appear in your local search results page even if you do not include your location in the search query. For example, if your search query was [restaurants lexington ky] then Google Maps would return several local Lexington, KY area restaurants with their addresses pinpointed on the map. Now, you can simply search [restaurants] and Google will return the same results in the SERPs (define) with a “guess” at your location.

Google’s “guess” will be made by IP address that will match the user to a geographic location. You can change your location manually with the “change location” link.

This move is somewhat surprising since longer search queries had been emphasized to return the best search results. This move seems to go against longer search queries and push for shorter, more generic queries.

Search Engine Marketing and Your Brand- Right Place Media

RedLine — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:13:53 +0000

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) offer a common goal. Gain the highest visibility on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). We’ve all heard the saying: “The three most important things to consider when buying real estate are location, location and location.” The same sentiment applies to Internet marketing as well. If someone is looking for your product or service, it only makes sense to be located where they are looking. SEM, also known as paid placement or sponsored search, will be the focus of this post.

SEM allows advertisers to gain exposure by paying on a Pay-Per-Click (PPC) basis for placement on the SERPs for their most relevant keywords and keyword phrases. SEM, done properly, is a complicated process with many facets to consider. From keyword research, campaign organization, to creative and landing page, each brand has its own unique search needs that can be addressed through proper research and implementation. With over 12 years of SEM experience and a certified staff, RPM can answer your SEM questions.

Ask your questions in comment to this posting or email us at info@rightplacemedia.com.