Category Archives: Natural Search

Mobile SEO – What Is It, Really? – Part II

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Clay Cazier

On-Page Optimization

As we move forward, Google’s Fast, Relevant, Comprehensive and Fresh mantra hangs in my mind as does an October 2011 post by Ryan Jones named Mobile SEO is a Myth. Although Jones goes to the extreme of arguing that a mobile site should be one and the same as your normal retail site, there are a few good points worth considering, including how mobile devices are just a mechanism for delivering a good web experience. Would you rate a TV show differently depending on the size of the TV used to display that show? I don’t think it’s true that the “…best Mobile SEO strategy is to not have a mobile SEO strategy…” but the thought ties in perfectly with Huffman’s point about how they judge the quality of Google’s own Mobile Search and “normal” Web Search sites using the same criteria: Fast, Relevant, Comprehensive and Fresh.

Fast is a technical point previously addressed. When we consider the Relevant, Comprehensive and Fresh requirements, fundamentals like content development and on-page optimization (TITLE, META tags, etc.) necessarily join the checklist of things that must be included in “Mobile SEO”, proper.

A second thought stemming from Huffman’s presentation is that they hope Google Search for Mobile delivers a “complete” experience for users. He gives examples of “complete” as i) inclusive of as much information as possible; and ii) information being presented in ways that are sensitive to the capabilities of access devices. Simplistically interpreted, this means mobile site owners should generally avoid things like Flash while leaning toward features created by HTML5 or jQuery – both of which provide more functionality within a device like an iPhone or Blackberry. Continue reading →

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Mobile SEO – What Is It, Really? – Part I

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Clay Cazier

In listening to current and prospective PM Digital clients, the importance of mobile website development to the future of their businesses is a given but “mobile SEO” is sometimes mentioned with some hesitation. What is it, really? Meaning, when you’re challenged with increasing traffic and other KPIs delivered by your mobile site, what tactics are included in the solution set? What Is Mobile SEO?

First, let’s establish the near-term goal – improvement of your site’s page rankings for top keyphrases searched through Google. Specifically, we’re interested in improving page rankings for top keywords entered by mobile device users and returned via Google Search for Mobile. (Also consider YouTube and other major social sites to be worthy of individual, mobile keyword research and optimization.) Looking forward to farther-reaching goals and KPIs, let’s agree that we’ll save the advanced discussion of mobile conversion optimization for another day and set rankings, traffic and revenue as a good, default three KPIs.

With the appropriate keywords and target site(s) defined, let’s look to Google for advice on what should comprise “Mobile SEO”.

Technical Optimization

Starting in late 2009, Google’s Webmaster Central Blog began offering the basics of what they like to see in mobile websites, what we’ll call technical optimization:

  • Help Google index your mobile site, November 13, 2009 – i) “…create a Mobile Sitemap and submit it to Google to inform us to the site’s existence…”; ii) “…If you’d like your site crawled, please allow any User-agent including ‘Googlebot-Mobile’ to access your site…”; iii) “…Check that your mobile-friendly URLs’ DTD declaration is in an appropriate mobile format such as XHTML Mobile or Compact HTML…”

    • Continue reading →

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2012 – Time to Join the PM Digital Blog

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Clay Cazier

It’s mid-January and, by this time, we’ve all gotten back to work and are focused on the good things we’d like to accomplish in the new year. As Senior Director, Search Strategy, I joined PM Digital in 2011 and got to work on client strategy, best practices and revenue goals but hope to make participation on the PM Digital blog a habit in 2012. Consider this a friendly “Hello!” and my resolution to contribute posts on marketing best practices, breaking news and revenue development as the year progresses.

We’re compiling aggregate KPI data across many verticals right now, so it’s time to make a wish list of tactics and theories analytically prove or disprove. Are there any SEO, PPC, social media or general marketing issues you’d like to see addressed in future posts?

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Multiple Category Merchandising and SEO (SMX East)

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Richard Chavez

Tips to Avoid Product URL Duplicate Content

Last week I had the good fortune to speak on Pagination and SEO at SMX East in New York. The panel speakers consisted of Vanessa Fox from Nine By Blue, Maile Onye from Google and myself. The core focus of the panel was Pagination and SEO. Individual topics ranged from managing duplicate content from pagination, new rel=”next”/rel=”prev” meta tags and paginated categorical merchandising.

The title of my presentation was “Paginated Categorical Merchandising & SEO.” The primary focus was tips to avoid product URL duplicate content when merchandising products in multiple categories.  To download a complete copy of the presentation, click here.

The answer to the question of “should I merchandise my products in multiple categories” is “yes.” When looking at the Consumer Decision Process or sales funnel (slide 6), the opportunity to increase a retailer’s customer reach (e.g. search demand) by creating more categories in lower tiers of the funnel can be very high. The ability to promote products by season, sales, new arrivals, and the like enable a retailer to create new entry points and better align their brand with the consumer decision process in each stage. The example in the presentation illustrates this opportunity by an increase of 4x based on monthly search volume (click on the image to enlarge).

Continue reading →

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Retailers & SEO: Exceeding Expectations

Posted on March 4, 2011 by Tim Kilroy

The following article was featured on Adotas on February 21, 2011.

There are obvious and powerful reasons for retailers of all scale to focus on search engine optimization, including increased traffic and demand. But more important, search optimization gives the retailer the opportunity to meet and create customer expectations.

As PM Digital analyzes the reams of data that we have regarding natural search optimization generating increased sales and visits from branded and non-branded keywords, it has become clear that the role of search in retail is to create a natural point of connection between searchers and the retailer’s offerings.

This goes beyond simple product listings, and extends the presentation of the retailer into category presentation, editorial presentation and more. Search helps guide the visitor from their expression of intent, their search query, to the right part of your website where your brand promise and conversion funnel of your site can come into full effect.

A major retailer kept the following as a retail sales floor mandate: “We must meet customer expectations, but also create and exceed new expectations every day.” Search can fill this mandate, as well. Search optimization gives the retailer the power to be present where the customer expects them to be, but further, search can create an intersection between your brand and searcher intent where the searcher has no expectation of your participation.

Imagine that as a retailer, you have core products where your customers expect to find you. That meets their expectation. However, search gives you an unparalleled opportunity to insert yourself into searches around categories, products and values that are outside of your core.

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SEO in the Limelight

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Tim Kilroy

From Forbes’ Lewis Dvorkin’s exclamation in the NY Times that “Search is, in my mind, yesterday’s story…” to Michael Arrington of TechCrunch opining on why search is still challenged, that would be a lot of press about SEO in one week.

But with the Demand Media IPO, the HuffPo acquisition and the embarrassment of black hat SEO at JCPenney combined with Google webspam master Matt Cutts’ assertion that Google is, in fact, better that it was in 2000 and SEOmoz uncovering a massive gaming of Google’s algorithm, SEO has had a lot of coverage. And, in many ways, SEO has been a pretty secret world, and this kind of press sunshine is proving to be a major disinfectant.

So, what is our take on what has been happening? Well, believe it or not, stay the course.

Let’s break down the issues:

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5 Things Wrong With Natural Search – And What It Means For Marketers

Posted on October 15, 2010 by Tim Kilroy

Search engines have given us amazing opportunities that are unparalleled in the course of human experience. If I want to find baseball statistics from the 1912 Red Sox, or the dimensions of the Coliseum, or the impact of too much calcium on cat liver health, this information is truly at my fingertips. It is a golden age of information. But for all its promise, search falls short in five major ways. Let’s examine the failures and their impact on marketers and consumers, and offer ways to create opportunity.

#1 - Search Relies on Structure

The Issue:  At its very core, search works on structure. Search engines are wonderful at examining known databases and providing answers to queries. For example, search engines are amazing at returning results for queries like “flights from BOS to SFO” or “sushi in 02474”. These are queries that have a discrete set of answers, and search engines are terrific at giving searchers results. Why is this a problem for marketers? First, it means that your data needs to have structure in order to be most effectively found.  And secondly, structure makes the playing field completely flat. Structured search turns products into commodities.

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Measuring Organic Sitelink Activity

Posted on March 18, 2010 by Anthony Avolio

Sitelinks are the extra internal links that appear with some natural search results.  In addition to drawing more attention to a search result, these links are helpful to visitors that want to jump directly to a particular section of your site.  Organic SitelinksDespite the recognized value of having sitelinks, few organizations measure their popularity or effectiveness.  This post walks through how to use your web analytics solution to measure organic sitelink performance.

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10 for 2010: What Matters Most for Natural Search Success in the New Year

Posted on January 5, 2010 by Tim Kilroy

As the New Year turns, it’s normal to look ahead. So here is my list of what’s coming up in the world of natural search for 2010.  In lieu of predictions, however, I’d like to offer up something a bit more actionable: a rundown of key areas that will require online marketers’ focus and attention to maximize natural search success in the coming year.

1.  Mobile Matters – I have actually been beating the mobile drum since I worked on mobile search in 1997, but this year, mobile really matters. (Google and Apple have spent almost $1 billion in the last quarter to buy mobile ad networks…that should tell you something!) The growth of mobile is torrid and with the rise of the smartphone and ubiquitous 3G, mobile search is working. In 2010, you will see an appreciable amount of traffic from mobile browsers. Are you thinking of how you can present yourself to the mobile user? If you aren’t now, you should be.

2. Images Matter – Visual search is hot. There have been dozens and dozens of early stage visual search engines that have been no better than demo-ware. But Google Image search has exploded, and we see that our clients are driving traffic through images searches. (If you are looking for a red dress, doesn’t it make sense to look for the red dress in pictures?) And with the advent of Google Goggles, image search will continue to explode. Are you optimizing your images to be relevant and available for image search?

3. Not Being a Dog Matters – Do you remember this incredible cartoon which touted the invisibility of who you are online? Well, the world has changed dramatically since then, and your reputation as a marketer is now well known on the internet. In 2009, I suggested that reputation was about to become an important part of the online world, and 2010 that will become even more valuable. How you behave as a marketer, how you share information with customers, and how you engage with customers will have an impact on your search visibility in 2010.

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A Marketer’s Quick Guide to Universal Search and Vertical Search

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Suzy Sandberg

Universal search and vertical search appeal to different types of searchers and searches.  But does either appeal to marketers?

We continue to receive a good number of questions about universal search (how can we retain our ranking?) and vertical search engines (should we be using them?)  For guidance, below is some topline marketing perspective on the relative strengths and opportunities for each.

Vertical Search

With search having become a mainstream necessity for consumers and a lucrative media channel for the search engines, vertical search engines will proliferate over the next few years.  Examples include TheFind (consumer goods), Kayak (travel) and MyRide.com (automotive).  As far as marketers’ acceptance and use of these as a media channel goes, it will depend on several factors.

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