If you ever get a chance to attend a search conference, you will not be disappointed. The big shows dotted around the globe are run by the teams from Search Marketing Expo and Search Engine Strategies. Generally they are 3 or 4 days with multiple tracks on various subjects like keyword research, analytics, social media or search engine optimization.
But if you find a huge conference a bit daunting, or can’t afford 4 days out of the office, there are plenty of opportunities to attend smaller, more bijoux, local gatherings.
Last week I was at the 2nd Search Marketing World conference in Dublin. A short, sharp infusion of the latest news, views, tips, tricks and best practices. Speakers from all over Europe and the US came to impart their knowledge and fire up the local industry.
I always come away from these events with a gem - a little nugget of advice that I’d never heard or thought of before. My “ah-ha” moment from SMW in Ireland was about KW research and site search.
On the analytics panel, the speakers were looking for “Conversion Glory” and one of the main themes was around the kind of keywords users type into your own sites search facility.
If your site does allow users to search within it, it’s a good idea to get your hands on those search logs as you’ll be surprised the depth or conversions you may be missing. One example one the speaker gave was from a mobile phone site.
Let’s say the actual model he was looking for was “FunkyFone 123D” – When you type that EXACT model name and number into the site’s search box we saw a link to that model – great!
But then he created the scenario of a user talking to a friend about the phone and how cool it was in the pub or at a dinner party, what if your couldn’t quite remember the exact name? What happened if the user typed in “Funky Phone” or “FunkyFone 123” or just “123d”?
No search results – no conversions.
Another example would be where your products are called what YOU think they should be called, not necessarily what people are searching for.
Creating a new name for a clothing product like “Beach Bodice” might be fabulous for your brand but most women will be searching for “swimsuits” or “swimwear” – you must make sure the search facility on your site can cope with different words for different products or services.
Misspellings are a big factor too – check out the Microsoft adLab Misspellings Tool to see how many different ways people missspell “bikinie”.....sorry I meant “bikkini”....or did I mean “bikini!?”
Of course you can use this intelligence to help people get to your site in the first place too. Use the alternative words in your landing page copy for SEO, and make sure you bid on the misspellings and alternative keywords in your PPC campaigns.
Analytics packages like adCenter Analytics can help you figure out what these KWs are, or have a word with your site’s webmaster who should be able to get hold of the search logs for you.
If your customers seek and they can’t find what’s probably on your site in the first place, your limiting your exposure to potential conversions.
Cheers
Mel - adCenter Community Team