LOCALIZING SEO PERFORMANCE To develop a winning SEO strategy
Rob Bucci Founder, CEO
@STATrob #BrightonSEO
LOCALIZATION & SEO
LOCALIZATION, WHAT? The move towards SERPs that are modified by the location where the query is performed.
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WE’RE CURIOUS. How does localization impact searcher behaviour?
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HOW DO PEOPLE MODIFY THEIR SEARCH QUERIES TO FIND LOCAL SERVICES?
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HOW DO PEOPLE SEARCH FOR LOCAL SERVICES THAT AREN’T BRICK-AND-MORTAR?
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HOW DOES SEARCHER BEHAVIOUR CHANGE STATE-TO-STATE?
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ULTIMATELY, THE QUESTION IS: How can localized analysis help us to build better SEO strategies?
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SO, WE DID A CASE STUDY. On one of the largest providers of auto insurance in America.
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REVENUE (2012): $16.74 BILLION
INSURANCE IS A BIG BUSINESS.
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VEHICLES INSURED BY GEICO IN THE UNITED STATES.
20 MILLION
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THE DATA SET
WE PICKED A BASIC SET OF 33 SHORT-TAIL QUERIES.
33 KEYWORDS
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SEARCH VOLUME > 100 • auto insurance
• cheap auto insurance
• auto insurance quotes
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WE USED 5 DIFFERENT TYPES OF GEO-MODIFICATION.
5 VARIANTS
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GEO-MODIFICATION? Modifying a query with a place-name. For example [auto insurance] becomes [california auto insurance].
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UNMODIFIED Example: [auto insurance]
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SUFFIX Example: [auto insurance california]
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PREFIX Example: [california auto insurance]
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FOR SUFFIX Example: [auto insurance for california]
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IN SUFFIX Example: [auto insurance in california]
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33 KEYWORDS MULTIPLIED BY 5 VARIANTS GAVE US 165 QUERIES TO TRACK.
165 QUERIES
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WE TRACKED EACH SET OF 165 QUERIES WITHIN EACH STATE. Example: [california auto insurance] tracked on a california localized SERP.
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33 SHORT-TAIL KEYWORDS MULTIPLIED BY 5 VARIANTS ACROSS 51 U.S LOCALES.
8,415 QUERIES
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WE COLLECTED THE FOLLOWING DATA• Geico’s organic ranking
• local search volume (localized to the state)
• advertiser competition
• cost-per-click
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WE CREATED A WEIGHTED RANKING SCORE. Based on organic ranking and search volume. The score indicates the relative value of a ranking.
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RANKING WEIGHTSRank Weight
1 1.0
2 0.9
3 0.8
4 0.7
5 0.6
… …
10 0.1
SIMPLE MULTIPLICATION Ranking weight x search volume = ranking score
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EXAMPLE: RANKING #2 WITH SEARCH VOLUME OF 6,600 Ranking of 2 = weight of 0.90.9 x 6,600 = ranking score of 5,940
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SO, WHAT DID WE LEARN?
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QUERY STRUCTURE
TOTAL SEARCH VOLUME
Unmodified
Suffix
Prefix
In Suffix
For Suffix
0 75,000 150,000 225,000 300,000
30
8,650
10,730
18,530
251,430
UNMODIFIED QUERIES WIN. Most searchers don’t geo-modify queries for local services without a brick-and-mortar location.
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AVERAGE COST-PER-CLICK
Unmodified
Suffix
Prefix
In Suffix
For Suffix
$0.00 $12.50 $25.00 $37.50 $50.00
$0.11
$5.08
$5.46
$7.15
$46.06
UNMODIFIED QUERIES ARE EXPENSIVE. The average CPC of a unmodified queries is commensurate with their total search volume
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GEICO’S TOTAL RANKING SCORE
Unmodified
Suffix
Prefix
In Suffix
For Suffix
0 75,000 150,000 225,000 300,000
30
8,650
10,730
18,530
251,430
18
2,522
4,575
8,889
104,705
UNMODIFIED QUERIES DRIVE GEICO’S ORGANIC TRAFFIC. It’s clear that the majority of Geico’s SEO traffic comes from unmodified searches.
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QUERY STRUCTURE MAKES A DIFFERENCE.
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WHAT DOES THIS TEACH US? Based on the previous data, one could use a PPC channel to drive a small wedge into Geico’s business.
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BUT, WE’RE ALL ABOUT SEO. When we break out the data into state-by-state markets, we can spot cracks in their armour.
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MARKETS MATTER
BUT NOT ALL MARKETS
0
200
400
600
800
Alaska North Dakota Vermont
201261
340
630590700
Total Search Volume Total Ranking Score
FOUR MARKETS MATTER. California, Florida, Texas & Michigan are Geico’s major source of organic traffic for auto insurance terms.
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TOTAL SEARCH VOLUME & RANKING SCORE
0
12,500
25,000
37,500
50,000
California Florida Texas Michigan
9,79813,62815,138
18,816 16,870
31,04029,070
40,580
Total Search Volume Total Ranking Score
TOTAL MARKET COVERAGE
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
California Florida Texas Michigan
58%44%
52%46%
DON’T TRY TO COMPETE IN THESE MARKETS. Granted, they don’t have anything close to 100% coverage, but why chase them?
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“I SKATE TO WHERE THE PUCK IS GOING TO BE, NOT WHERE IT HAS BEEN.” -Wayne Gretzky
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LOOK TO THE MARKETS THEY’RE MISSING.
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THREE OVERLOOKED MARKETS
0
3,500
7,000
10,500
14,000
New York Illinois Washington
7472,0411,445
6,180
10,72012,370
Total Search Volume Total Ranking Score
TOTAL MARKET COVERAGE
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
New York Illinois Washington
12%19%
12%
THE DEMAND IS THERE, BUT THEY LACK COVERAGE.
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HOW DO WE FORM A STRATEGY AROUND THIS INSIGHT? If we’re going to compete with Geico, we should first challenge them where they’re weak.
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SUMMING IT ALL UP
QUERY STRUCTURE MATTERS. Make sure you understand how people are searching for your products/services.
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EVERYTHING IS LOCAL. Even searches that aren’t geo-modified are impacted by localization.
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LOCALIZED ANALYSIS EXPOSES OPPORTUNITIES. By going deeper, you can find areas your competition is missing.
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EVEN THE BIG GUYS HAVE EXPLOITABLE WEAKNESSES.
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YOU CAN DO ALL THIS RESEARCH ON YOUR OWN. You just need partners who can provide the data.
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STAY TUNED FOR MORE!
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