Attain SEM Success Through Authority

Build authority and improve ROI for your brand by combining SEO, PPC, and Social Media

Contributed by Ben Lloyd

A lot of the thinking we do about search these days revolves around this concept of authority. As the SEM industry has matured, we are beginning to understand that the interplay of PPC and SEO and Social Media enhances the perception of your brand as an authority and improves results.

The driving principles of SEO have always been content and authority (in the form of links). Since Google came around – this principle has never changed even as the tactics have. As the search results page has gotten more competitive, and social media has started shedding light on a brand’s strengths and flaws - it has become more important and difficult to cut through the noise and capture attention. Improving the perception of your brand as an authority can help you do this.

THE SYNERGY OF ORGANIC (SEO) and PAID SEARCH (PPC)
To command more authority – combine a well-executed paid search campaign with your organic presence and experience the pay off with better results from both. When your site shows up for your targeted terms in both the organic and paid portions of the results page – you’ll experience increased click through rates and conversion rates from the search results page. Not only do you own more of the search results page real estate, which gives you a better shot at capturing a click, but one could argue that there’s a gain in brand perception and credibility as well. When your brand appears in both organic and paid listings, users are more confident in your brand and therefore more willing to click through and buy from you.

Both of the following charts reflect data uncovered in a 2009 NYU Stern School of Business study on the effects of having an Organic (SEO) and Paid (PPC) presence in search engines

Figure 1: Click Through Rates increase for terms where you have both an organic (SEO) and paid (PPC) presence.

 Figure 2: Conversion Rates increase for terms where you have both an organic and paid result. Perhaps having a presence in both improves your credibility?

THE SYNERGY OF PAID SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Building on this idea of authority, a 2009 eMarketer study “The Synergy of Search and Social Media” demonstrated two key points.

1. Consumers exposed to a brand in social media and paid search were much more likely to search on the brand.
2. That consumers exposed to paid search along with influenced social media had a 50% increase in click through rate on paid search ads. 

Demonstrating your command of and authority in the space enhances the perception of your brand and encourages click through.

Figure 3: Searchers exposed to your brand on social media and paid search (like Google PPC) are MUCH more likely to keep your brand in mind and search on it again.

Figure 4: The effect is even more pronounced when it comes to product terms rather than brand terms.

SEO and SOCIAL MEDIA
When it comes to SEO – authority is the name of the game and links = authority. Social media has been a godsend for SEOs. Any SEO will tell you that link acquisition is the hardest part of the job… A solid Social Media strategy can make the job easier. Not only have search engines started to incorporate social media signals into their ranking algorithms, but social media also makes it easier to put your content in front of people who can and will link to it. The publicity that social media can give your content can help your site acquire links AND influence those social media signals that search engine algorithms are looking for. As a result, your SEO should be a key stakeholder in your social media strategy.

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER
Let’s take a look at the relationships here:

• SEO and PPC both benefit when your listing shows up in both
• Users exposed to PPC and Social Media are more likely to keep your brand in mind and search for it again
• SEO and Social Media can work hand in hand to drive links and create the signals that search engines are looking for

To sum it all up – when you properly execute and leverage SEO, PPC and Social Media, you can enhance your brand’s perception as an authority and help it stand out above the crowd.

About Ben Lloyd
Amplify Interactive is a boutique firm focused on search engine and social media marketing with clients ranging from the high-tech B2B sector to lifestyle and consumer goods companies. Ben is also a co-founder and the current President of SEMpdx.

The Value of Adwords Local Paid Search

I have consulted with many small businesses about their local search needs.  These are businesses who live off the local market--attorneys, tradesmen and other service providers that cannot sell their services nationally.  They want to use the internet to help them.  They are building or upgrading their websites.  They are interested in some local advertising and they are thinking about local paid search.  We talk.  I find out about their business, where they want to go, how they want to use search, and then I get back to them with some estimates and some hard realities.


The truth is that I have not found a local, small business that would get any real value out of Adwords local.  Depending on their industry other services might work--CitySearch, Angie's List, etc.  But because Google is synonymous with search, Adwords is invariably what they are looking for.  After using the Google tools, we may set up a test account with a reasonable budget for a reasonable time.   At the end we review the results.  90% of the time the answer is the same:  "You can use Adwords Local if you want.  It won't cost you much.  But it won't deliver the volume of business you are looking for either."  In the end, it becomes a question of do they want to put the time into managing it when they may only get a handful of leads every month.  It almost never makes financial sense for me to manage it for them, and I tell them that right up front.  The low volume keeps click costs down, but management time and energy are costs that need to be considered too.


We also have a conversation about bridging the online-offline gap for lead tracking.  Local businesses almost always do better when someone calls them, rather than fill out a form on their website.  How do you measure this?  They may have anecdotal information about the number of calls they get that come from their website, but that is not really good enough for ROI calculations.  When we get into topics like unique phone numbers and call tracking (most of which a small business does not have in place already), then the burden becomes greater.


There is a lot of promise in local search and many people forecasting it to be the future of search.  This also means it may be the future of search marketing dollars.  However, I can't in good conscious sit down with a 2 person law office and sell them the benefits of local paid search without also being realistic about the insignificant impact it will most likely have on their business.


Like I said, other services like CitySearch or SuperPages may be a better fit for them.  Unfortunately, half the time these businesses have already tried this and been turned off by the costs and poor results.


So, when is paid local search a good value?


1.  Get the tracking in place to measure it correctly.
2.  Have almost no expectations around the volume of business it will produce.
3.  Be willing to try some short term testing campaigns with a reasonable budget.
4.  Be willing to learn to manage it for yourself.


If this sounds okay, then Adwords Local may be just right for you!