Search Marketingfor
HoteliersOctober 26, 2011
Let’s Get Acquainted
• Ed Tankersley• Principal of Eight
Trails• Smarter websites and
online marketing• 20+ years advertising and marketing• Interactive director• Creative director• Writer
Let’s Get Acquainted
• Ed Tankersley• Google AdWords Qualified
Individual
What is SEM?
Connect with potentialcustomers while they’re
actively searching foryour service!
Natural search (SEO)vs paid search (PPC)
SEO vs PPC
• SEO helps you with your organic search rankings
• PPC is a way to pay for position on the search results pages (and other websites, too)
• PPC is not affected by what you do with SEO
• SEO is not affected by what you do with PPC
What is SEO?
• AKA Search Engine Optimization, Search Optimization
• Improvements to your website – and related to your website – that improve your site’s ranking in search engines
Why Does SEO Matter?
When someone does a search, they have communicated that they are interested, motivated,
and engaged
Why Does SEO Matter?
60%of consumers use the Internet as their first-line tool to search
for local businesses
Source: comScore 2007 Search Report
Why Does SEO Matter?
60%of those searchers
go on to make a purchase
Source: comScore 2007 Search Report
Top 10 Rank is Critical
Source: http://www.seoresearcher.com/distribution-of-clicks-on-googles-serps-and-eye-tracking-analysis.htm
SEO:Optimizing Your Site
What is Google’s Purpose?
To deliver useful, relevant results to their searchers
What determines your rank?
• It’s all about relevant results for searchers
• On-site factors, such as• Visible page content• Site structure• Page load time
• Off-site factors, especially• In-bound links
Optimizing is a 5-Step Process
1. Keyword research2. Site updates3. Submit to search engines and
directories4. Build links5. Measure and adjust
Step 1: Keyword Research
Keyword – A word or series of words that a searcher types into the search box
Step 1: Keyword Research
• Generate a seed list• Ask your customers• Ask your front-line employees• Look at analytics or server logs
• Use tools to expand your list• Evaluate and rank your keywords by• High search volume• High relevance• Low competition
Sample Seed List
1. Hotel2. Inn3. Family Hotel4. Luxury Hotel5. Pet Friendly Hotel6. Hotel Deals7. Flagstaff Hotel8. Northern Arizona Hotel9. Hotel Reviews10.Hotel Ratings
Evaluate Search Volume
• Get search volume estimates• Google Keyword Tool• adwords.google.com/select/
KeywordToolExternal
• Wordtracker• freekeywords.wordtracker.com
• Keyword Discovery• www.keyworddiscovery.com/
search.html
Evaluate Relevance
Are the people who search for that keyword likely to be
buyers?
Evaluate Relevance
• The more precise the search, the closer they are to buying:• Hotels• Flagstaff hotels• Flagstaff hotel reviews• Pet friendly flagstaff hotel• Pet friendly flagstaff hotel
downtown
Evaluate Competition
• You can’t be number 1 for everything
• Use long tail keywords
Select Your Keywords
• Start with a manageable number – 10-20 – these are your Target Keywords
• Match the Target Keywords to relevant pages of your site
• One keyword per page
Step 2: Optimize Your Site
• Focus on content• Fix the major problems• Get help with the tougher things
Content – Visible
• Text• Domain name• Page title• URL• Headings – H1, H2, H3• Internal links
Content – Hidden
• Description• Image alt tags• Keywords
Structure
• Separation of content and presentation
• Important stuff first• Text-based navigation
Don’t build your site in Flash!
Other On-Site Factors
• Content is kept current• Site map• Custom error page• Robots.txt
Off-Site Factors
• Inbound links• Domain authority• Quality of anchor text
Bad
Better
Step 3: Submit Your Site
• Search Engines• Google• Bing
• Directories• Yahoo• Open Directory (dmoz.org)• JoeAnt• Business.com
Step 4: Link Building
• Blogs• Forums• Press Releases• Don’t buy links• Don’t bother with link
exchanges• Most social media sites use
“nofollow” tags so they don’t help your site get better ranking
Step 5: Measure
• Google Analytics• Referrers• Search terms
• Authority Labs• Position monitoring
Adjust
• Getting to the top takes time• SEO never stops• Give it a few months to see
results • Adjust and refine regularly
based on what you measure
Is SEO Free?
• keyword research• content generation• site updates• tracking• link-building• also consider visitor intent –
typically higher with a well-executed PPC ad
Resources
• EightTrails.com• SEOmoz.com• SEObook.com• SearchEngineLand.com
What is AdWords?
• AdWords is Google’s paid search advertising program
• Paid search is also known as pay-per-click or PPC
• PPC is one component of SEM
AdWords Essentials
• Benefits of AdWords• Reach• Targeting• Flexibility• Measurability
AdWords Essentials
• AdWords is an auction• The higher you bid, the higher
your ads appear (generally)
AdWords Essentials
• You pay only when someone clicks on your ad
• Hence, pay-per-click• There is no minimum budget
requirement• Spend as much or as little as
works for you
AdWords Essentials
• Your bid price for a given position is determined by competition AND your Quality Score
• With a good Quality Score, you could rank higher than a competitor for a lower bid price
AdWords Essentials
• Your Quality Score is determined by• The relevance of your ad• The relevance of your landing
page• Your clickthrough rate• Other mysterious factors
AdWords Essentials
• AdWords comprises:• Search Network• Google search• Search partners (AOL, Earthlink)
• Display Network• Hundreds of thousands of websites
The Lowdown on Keywords
Keyword Research
• Generate a seed list• Ask your customers• Ask your front-line employees• Look at analytics or server logs
• Use tools to expand your list• Evaluate and rank your keywords by• High search volume• High relevance• Low competition
Select Your Keywords
• Arrange keywords into closely related groups• Location• Room amenities• Promotions• Nearby attractions
Hands-OnCreate a Keyword List
• Write a seed list across the top• Write similar keywords below
each seed word to create groups
The Lowdown on Keywords
• Use negative keywords to tell AdWords what searches are not relevant to your business
The Lowdown on Keywords
• Put your most popular keywords in their own group
• Put lots of keywords in your campaign
• Add new keywords regularly
Your Secret Advantage –
Irresistible Ads
Your Secret Advantage – Irresistible Ads
The purpose of your ad is to get people to click on your ad!
Your Secret Advantage – Irresistible Ads
People don’t need a drill… …they need a hole.
Sell your benefits!
Your Secret Advantage – Irresistible Ads
< Benefits
< Features
Explore Your Benefits
• Create a list of features• Extend those to benefits• Add emotional promise if you
can
Your Secret Advantage – Irresistible Ads
• Include a call to action and make it specific
• Bad: Click here.• Better: Learn about our hotel.• Best: Book online. Buy now.
Reserve your spot. Get yours today.
Your Secret Advantage – Irresistible Ads
• Include a call to action and make it specific
Your Secret Advantage – Irresistible Ads
• Put your price in your ad
Your Secret Advantage – Irresistible Ads
Spy on your competitors, then
differentiate
Your Secret Advantage – Irresistible Ads
• Write two ads and let them battle
What Can You Test?
• Headlines• Offers• Features• Benefits• Appeal/Promise• URLs• Capitalization
Your Secret Advantage – Irresistible Ads
• Use your top keyword in your ad headline
Optimize Your Ad Groups for
Success
Organize Your Ad Groups for Success
• Create tightly focused ad groups• One feature or promotion per ad
group, for example
Bonus Tipsfor Insiders Only
Ad Extensions Supercharge Your PPC Ads
Create a separate campaign for your branded keywords
• Company name• Website• Variations
• Keeps these top performers from skewing your other metrics
Ad Scheduling
• Test Ad Scheduling to run your ads during those hours when you want to answer the phone
Be Patient
• Don’t make changes too frequently
• Allow enough time to observe relevant trends
Be a Hoarder
• Don’t delete ads• Pause and replace• Review old underperforming
ads for new ideas
Bookmark These
• EightTrails.com• adwords.google.com• google.com/adwords/
learningcenter – advanced tutorials
• adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal – keyword tool
Questions? Effusive Praise?
• Ed Tankersley • EightTrails.com• [email protected]• 602-361-2001