Praveen: SEO, SEM, Online Marketing

Conversion rate metric is most commonly used by advertisers, publishers for measuring performance of advertising campaigns.

In measurement and benchmarking of conversion rate never make comparison of conversions rates or other metrics between different websites. You often find users quoting statistics like 5% conversion rate in retail industry, 10% conversion rate in services Industry etc..

There are publicly available tools like Fireclickhttp://index.fireclick.com/: or shop.org which contain benchmarks on conversion rate statistics w.r.t to industry.

How accurate is it to fix a conversion rate number for an industry? The comparison of conversion rates is irrelevant & inaccurate, Web site A might have 8% conversion rate and Website B may have 5% conversion Rate for variety of reasons

Difference in Conversion Rates between sites may be dependent on:

1) Branding & Overall Popularity of the site: Web site A may be industry leader; Web site B may be a startup.

2) Products Service Offered.

3) Landing Page Structure

4) Sources of Traffic

5) Seasonal Offers, discounts offered by few sites.

Measuring Conversion Rates (Issues): There are issues in measuring conversion rates.

Latency issue:

a. Users may convert at later point of time; Users may bounce but return after a certain time period to sign up or complete the form.

b. Users may call you on the number displayed on your landing page

c. Users may visit your site and buy offline.

Tracking Issue:

d. Google uses a 30 day cookie

e. Analytics Software may use track differently, (Log file analysis tracks conversions differently using IP based tracking)

f. Deleted Cookies

Incomplete conversions:

g. Users who buy a product but abandon the cart at checkout page.

h. Users who fill incomplete details in form

A user visits your website many times and may be through different channels before making a purchase or converting. Is your business capable of measuring such users?

Reasons for users not converting on the site:

1. The User did not want to visit your site in First place
2. Miscommunication between Ad text and Landing Page
3. The Landing Page did not load
4. The Advertising Traffic was not directed to the Right landing page
5. >Sponsored advertising & external links on landing page may be driving away users

There are various methods to increase conversion rates.

http://www.sherpastore.com/RevisedLandingPageHB.html?8913

http://analytics.blogspot.com/2008/02/learn-about-landing-page-optimization.html

http://www.google.com/support/conversionuniversity/

Other Users

Majority of Users who have landed from advertising channel do not convert. Should we care about them? Yes, because they tell a different story. We can know a lot about our website if we just know the activity of these users online.

How do you measure the activity done by users who did not convert? However advertisers have paid the channel to bring them on their website. Since we are paying to get users on the site, can we identify these users and their actions?

What actions did these users perform?

• Did they click sponsored links, links to external site
• Did they view/navigate to other pages of the site?
• Perform a search on the site.
• Did they view the FAQ, Contact Us, About Us pages?
• Subscribe to Feeds
• Downloaded any content, files.
• Tagging, Bookmarked, Rated any content
• Submitted a Comment

Attributes of these Users that should be measured:

A) The Time Spent by these users on our Site

B) Depth of their Visits

C) Frequency of each Visit (Did they return again to our view the site)

D) How many Unique Visits (Detect unique IPs)

What were these users looking for? The Ad text, keywords and even the channel of advertising can give us a better Idea.

If you are an ecommerce site, find out how many times a user visits your site before making a purchase. And how many users are repeat customers, and through what sources do they visit your site.

Marketing is not about acquiring One Time conversion, it about building relationship. Therefore it is necessary to identify different users online and understand their activity, behavior to value them differently.

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Every Company into Online Marketing and advertising are concerned about their return of investment..

In Search Engine optimization the cost incurred are mainly is on effort, time, agency cost/employee cost. While as in Search Engine Marketing, the costs are Advertising cost(which is CPC, CPA, CPM etc) and the cost of time/effort.

It is necessary to track the value derived from Visitor Engagement on the site and revenue generated,

Visitor Engagement Tracking

Visitor engagement depends on objective and size of the business,

1) Defining Visitor Engagement depends completely on the content present on your web site.

a. On a Shopping site: Engagement has to be product sale, product search etc..

b. On a Blog: It is the number of comments posted, subscribing RSS feeds, Average time spent on the site, No of page views per visit can be engagement metric.

c. On a Corporate Business Site: People might just visit to pick up telephone number, address of the business. Therefore none of the metrics work.

d. On a News Site: It is number of subscription RSS,Email. It is again time spent on article, number of comments posted, no of page views per visit.

e. On a Forum site: Registrations are a value.

f. Software Downloads Site: Number of downloads are a value.

2) Getting Users to Subscribe your RSS feed is a value. These users will read your content more than repeat visitors. It shows the measure of content popularity.

3) Users favourite the page, site in social bookmarking sites, social network & media sites like Digg.com, Reddit.com, Del.icio.us, stumbleupon.com is also a value provided by SEM traffic.

4) If Links to your blog post increases from SEM traffic, due to people positing your link elsewhere in answers etc, then it is a big value..

5) Users might land on specific detail page pick up the phone and dial the number given on page. Measuring telephone call rate is necessary.

6) For smaller business getting targeted traffic to their website is a value, since it adds to brand building etc.. if not sales..

7) For larger websites, brand is already in place, hence traffic which has a direct effect on revenue is more of a value than mere traffic from.

If the mode of revenue generation is advertising then attracting just traffic, might be worth

For small shopping sites setting up ecommerce tracking is very useful and necessary

This can be done by using the option present in Analytics Settings à Profile Settings àEdit. Give details of Currency, decimal places etc.

Tracking Ecommerce Transaction through Google Analytics

Once you opted Ecommerce tracking, you must edit the receipt page, which is the page after transaction, install a script into this page passing the order value into the Analytics system. Google has provided a comprehensive material on setting up ecommerce transaction.

For other business they need to monitor, track the objective of SEM campaigns. If not the engagement of the visitor on the site.

Optimizing SEO, SEM Campaigns

1) Generally Specific Keywords have higher conversion rate but are lower in volume

2) It is important to add as many new specific long tail keywords as possible…it need effort in research on new keywords on regular intervals.

3) The Head of the keyword list is pretty much fixed with little variations but more effort has to be made in making the tail longer…..that is where maximum effort and time as it can change the ROI of the campaigns.

4) Competitive keywords are always costly and extra effort can change CPC minimally…

a. However the efforts has to be done on Landing page creation..

b. Small changes in conversion rate by new landing page optimizations can dramatically increase ROI

5) Constant Generation of long tail keywords and new keywords are always the key…

6) Using different landing pages for each set of keywords is very good

a. Domain name keywords can be landed on home page

b. Category Specific Headings can be landed on respective section on the site

c. Product keywords or Specific keywords must be landed on inner most pages of the site or respective product pages.

7) Make sure your website ranks for all brand terms including the misspellings of your domain name etc..

a. This can be done by creating a page with list of all misspelled keywords

Using Misspellings can be a great way of generating low cost traffic…but remember there can be 2 types of users typing misspellings

a. Users who accidently typed a misspelling, will most likely click on “Did you mean - Correct Spelling”

b. Users who are uneducated or illiterate,

So you need to decide on keeping such keywords based on the quality of traffic you generate

9) For Large Websites tracking of every keyword to last metric of calculating business ROI is essential…For example:

a. Banking website could track the number of savings accounts, number of loans applied per every keyword along other details such as location, amount of loan, income of user and other other quality measurements which will help determine the quality of keyword.

b. This will help them to make a decision of increase bid rates, adding more same kind of keywords etc..

10) Track phone Calls, If you are running a Click to Call Campaign then provide the keyword which generated the call to call center executive. After the call process collect the feedback of the user and measure the business quality of the keyword, which is again fed back into the Adwords campaigns.

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Local SEO is term is given to SEO process of optimizing websites for geographical locations.Local SEO is very important for business whose customer segments are geographically targeted and they form a important factor in their success. For such businesses where geo targeting is very crucial to their success, targeted website content & marketing message is very crucial. Performing SEO for such websites needs extra attention .

Some of the below SEO Tips for optimizing for locally was found to be extremely useful.

1) Websites must be Optimized for Mobile Users, it is very very essential to have your website optimized for geographies. This is because the localized search results will have extra value add for mobile users. Search engines have developed technology which would identify location (if not, it will soon to be) of mobile phone users and serve results based on their location. Therefore highlighting location names in your WAP enabled website is very essential.

2) Use Google Trends: Google Trends shows you which cities generate the highest amount of searches for the term. Target those Cities for publishing your Press Release Online.
Create Separate Pages for those Cities and include more content on those pages, rank them higher in search engines

3) Create a Directory structure of listings of Locations: Countries, cities, areas, pincodes where your product and service is located and link to corresponding profile page from each link.

4) Title Tags, Headings: In product details page include area, city, country in the same order in Title Tags, Headings

A) In your Product Details page include links to your external sites of related industries in same geographies.

5) Sub Domains, Folders: Create location names as sub domains or folders. the content present in these sub domains or folders should only be related to that particular location.
Having a sub domain has an advantage of hosting each domain in respective geographies. for example:

1. india.example.com can be hosted in India
2. us.example.com can be hosted in US
3. uk.example.com can be hosted in UK
4. australia.example.com can be hosted in Australia
5. This way each subdomain will have higher probability to rank for searches in respective countries.

6) Common Words: Include keywords which are specific to that locality people in each product page along with Geo location. Such as common nicknames apart from main keywords

A) For Example: Include Green City Bangalore, Pink City Jaipur, and not just Bangalore, Jaipur

7) IP Redirect: Do not redirect users to websites based on IP location in the same country. This is can have negative effect as search engines reach your site from different IPs.

Backlinks from Geo Specifc Sites: Generate Backlinks from other sites which are oriented to same geography, use location names in the anchor text of back-links.

9) Local Business Listings: Observe the backlinks and content on sites which rank higher in Local search engines including http://local.google.com, Yahoo Local, MSN Local. Optimize your site accordingly..

A) Some Local Search Engines rank sites alphabetically

B) Some Local Engines rank site based on presence on web site link in other properties of same portals. For example: Yahoo might rank your site higher if your site is listed in Yahoo directory, Yahoo Small Business, Yahoo Yellowpages, Flickr, Del.icio.us.

C) Good idea is to get listed in every geolocation your business operates. For example: In US category, UK category.

D) Include City Name, Country Name in every keyword.

E) Signup for Google Local Business Listings, similarly for Yahoo & MSN

F) Give Full Address in every product on your page.

G) Get your Local Listings reviewed regularly .. this will ensure to keep it on top…

10) Yellow Pages Listings: Getting your website listed in Yellow Pages directory, Local Business Directories is very essential.

A) http://yp.yahoo.com/

B) http://yellowpages.msn.com

C) http://www.yellowpages.com

D) http://www.yellowpages.com.au

E) http://www.yell.com

F) http://www.yellowpages.ca

G) Similar Yellowpages directory for your location

11) Maps: Link to Wikipmapia (containing Lat Long Data) or Google Maps from your product details page. You can even embed a map.

12) Images & Videos: Photographs, Videos present in your website must be uploaded in respective vertical search engines such as Flickr.com, Youtube.com and importantly to Optimize & tag them will all geographical location names along with Lat, Long data if options as given. You must also provide a link to your website from these image, video content

13) Blogs & Reviews: Generate Backlinks from Blogs which are specific to these location, Blog links have higher weightage in local industry. Get Reviews from Experts who claimed to be professionals in that location. For example: Real Estate Expert in London recommending your site from his blog.

Related Articles on Local SEO

1) Natural Search Blog

2) Local SEO Guide

By the way I am located in New Delhi, India (National Capital Region) & my interest includes SEO, SEM, Web / Business Analytics. Please find the Google Map address locator below. View Wikimapia

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Advertisers and agencies in Search Engine Marketing Industry all over the world practice various methods of optimization on their Accounts. Few people share their knowledge for the benefit of others and community. The Inside Adwords Blog continously updates useful information for Advertisers to help achieve their ROI. Below are some of my favourite resources which share tips and knowledge on Adwords Account Management.

Optimization Tips from Adwords Team

Adwords 101 : Part 1

Adwords Optimization Part 1

Adwords Optimization - Assesing your Website

Adwords Optimization - Account Structure

Adwords Optimization - Keyword Basics

Adwords Optimization - Beyond Keyword Basics

Adwords Optimization - Ad Text Optimization

Generating New Keywords

Managing and Optimizing Bids

Landing Page quality Update

Website Optimizer Strategy

ROI Matters - Part 1 of 3

ROI Matters - Part 2 of 3

ROI Matters - Part 3 of 3

Google’s Help on Dynamic Keyword Insertion , is a must read for large advertisers

Other Adwords optimization resources shared by various advertisers around the world..

A) 32 Very Good Useful Tips on Adwords : This is list of Top tips put in one document. 13 calls to action verbiage ideas: Browse our store, Submit Your RFP (RFI), See our client list, Free Shipping, Order today, ship tonight. Download our brochure, Free Consultation, Free demo, Free quote, Free Report, Start now, Call 24/7.

B) Google’s Expanded Broad Match : Find out What is Google’s Expanded Broad Match, why google displays ads after remembering previous searches, how to test it?

C) Protecting from Expanded Broad Match : How to prevent from showing in expanded broad match.

D) Reaching Local Auidence : If you are a local business looking to reach local audience, then this can be helpful.

E) Using Video Ads in Adwords : Explaining the usage of Video Ads in Adwords Account.

F) Know about Placement Performance Report : The new feature Placement Performance Report greatly helps in getting insights into the account and performance in content network. Find out how to use it.

G) Search Query Performance Report : Search query reports generates keywords which have actually been searched on google to reach your website. This would help in generating negative keywords, additional potential traffic/profit keywords .

H) Adwords for Auto Sites/Forums : Find out how to manage adwords accounts in Auto Sites and Forums.

I) Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid in Adwords Account : What not to do & How not to manage your Adwords Accounts.

J) Tips to pay less and get more : Simple tips to optimize your account to spend less on adwords. You can also read the 5 Tips for Spending less on Adwords.

K) Adwords Expert Tips & Techniques: How new developments affect the adwords account management

L) Optimizing PPC Campaigns for B2B Businesses

M) Landing Page Optimization : 10 Tips you should never forget on optimizing landing pages.

N) Best way to generate PPC TRaffic and perform PPC Marketing

Small Changes to Ads which can boost your CTR

There are various small changes that can be made to adword Ad Text which can boost your CTR way above the competitors. You can find the exhaustive list on various blogs, Some of them are given below:

• Adding … in description Increases CTR: A test points out that adding 3 dots … at the end of the description line 2 will increase the CTR of the Ad.

• Plural & Singular : Small changes from singular to plural can boost your CTR

• Speaking to User as 1st Party : Using phrases like You Will Get can sometimes lead to higher CTR. Addressing the user directly as 1st person will help you boost CTR.

Few Adwords Tips for Beginners starting out on Advertising Online:

1. How to Get Started with Adwords
2. 8 Tips for Advertising Online :
3. Broad, Extact, Phrase Match :
4. Adwords Tip for Beginners :
5. Good Tips for PPC Starters:

You must watch the 2 hour Video on Perry Marshall Talking About Adwords.

Read a comprehensive description on how to test A/B testing of Text Ads, Landing Pages with Adwords.

These resources & knowledge on Adwords may not be present in the Google Adwords Learning Center

For Appearing for Google Advertising Professional Exam you could visit the Adwords learning center http://www.google.com/adwords/learningcenter/

This is my personal list of bookmarks on Adwords. However do keep a looking for more postings on Adwords Tips.

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If you are looking for some authentic information on SEO, Link Building, this is the right article. The information & advice written here is 100% accurate and can be implemented without second thoughts. This is a SEO, Link Building Advice given by Google, Yahoo themselves.

Google, Yahoo has come a long way from the days it used ignore webmasters when Google started out to helping webmasters/site owners with optimizing websites. Google has created a special channel of communication with webmasters/site owners for helping them design search engine friendly websites to make information available to users easily.

Link Building

Google clarifies Link exchange is fine as long as it does not look excessive and spam. This means the link exchange schemes & programs deliberately increasing links in attempt to achieve ranking is bad. Buying and selling links is bad. Any marketing done excessively is bad for websites. The discussion on this on webmasterworld can be found over here. Google in its Webmaster guidelines had stated that any link exchanges schemes, buying, selling links are not good for website rankings. As per Google the links are editorial votes to webpages and have to given naturally to add value to visitor.

A) Google introduces Paid Link Reporting service, find mattcutts story over here and here. Link selling sites loose the ability to transfer PageRank.

B) Google Introduces No-Follow attribute

C) Link Building with Google Bookmarks

D) Link Baiting Advice by Google & by MattCutts

Search Engine Optimization

Search Engines are interested in providing rich, useful & relevant content to end users. This can happen only when site owners publish rich content & design a search engine friendly site.

Search engines would want to index all the content provided by site owners. It is therefore in their Business Interest to help webmasters provide more content to search engines. Search Engines therefore encourage webmasters to publish more content online both quality & quantity.

Website owners are looking to drive traffic from Search Engines by optimizing websites. Search Engines are looking to provide relevant, quality results to end users. Therefore it is a Win-Win solution for both. The only glitch is Spam.. Spam is defined as any activity where this equation is disturbed.

Search Engine spam is defined as any activity by website owner which is in the business interest of webmaster but not in business interest of Search Engine. However there is no such thing as “Webmaster Spam” when the site owner’s business interest is not protected by search engines.

SEO Tips by Google

• SEO Basics
• Google Sitemaps
• Using Robots Meta Tag
• All about Robots.txt
• Quality Guidelines for Webmasters
• Duplicate Content Caused by Url
• Understand Duplicate Content
• SEO for Flash Files
• Server Location and SEO
• Using Google Webmaster Central Tools
• New Robots Meta Tag check: X-Robots Tag and Unavailable_after Meta tag
• Canonical Urls
• Google Webmaster Help Center

Some of the active channels the information & Tools online are:

A) Google Webmaster Central

B) Google Webmaster Discussion Group

C) Google Sitemaps

SEO Tips by Yahoo

Yahoo.com also offers extensive help and awareness program for webmasters for optimizing websites for higher ranking on search engines. In some areas like Dynamic Url rewriting they offer more advanced help than Google.com

• Basic SEO on Yahoo
• Ranking Factors on Yahoo
• Yahoo Webmaster Guildelines
• Yahoo Site Explorer & Sitemaps
• How Yahoo Handles Redirection
• Reporting Duplicate content through Urls & Faqs on Dynamic Urls. WMW Discussions on dynamic urls in yahoo is very useful
• Removing Urls from Search Index
• Yahoo Store Help

Web Master Tools offered by Yahoo

1) Yahoo Site EXplorer

2) Yahoo Search Blog

This is an article which is worth bookmarking for all SEO, SEM Managers, as the resources listed has to be referred by everyone in this field.

The golden fact is everyone (Search Marketing world) is aware of it but very very few people have the patience to constantly observe & learn for maintaining their website rankings on Top of Search Engines.

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