Atomic Media

Case study: August 2024 Google core update and a recovery plan

Thursday, October 3rd, 2024

In August, Google rolled out one of its most significant updates of the year. Many SEOs believed it was a partial rollback of the controversial Helpful Content Update – a potential mea culpa from Google. 

While some sites have benefited from the changes, others have experienced sharp declines in traffic.

This case study dives into how the update impacted our client’s site, the key metrics affected and the strategies we’re implementing to recover lost visibility and boost SEO performance.

Diagnosing the drop

I recently attended the SEO Office Hours podcast, where a participant asked:

• “We haven’t been affected by the August update, but the indexing bug that happened around the same time has decreased our traffic. How do we solve this?”

My first thought was, what confidence! How sure are you that it was the indexing error if you are looking just at traffic? 

The error was resolved in a few days so how come there was no recovery of the traffic and rankings? 

Yes, we should ignore drops that happened in those two days during the bug, but if they continue after this, might it impact the core update? 

Diagnosing what actually happened is not always easy. We see it all the time. 

Sometimes, clients don’t know where to start. Other times, they simply don’t have time to investigate closely enough. The latter was true for our new client. 

Their excellent SEO team needed help auditing the website and a sounding board for solving any issues. 

After a Google core update rollout is completed, you could examine multiple metrics.

Like everything in SEO, these depend on several factors, such as your key performance indicators (KPIs), the type of website you manage and the countries you target. 

To diagnose the impact of the Google core update for our client, we used a simple, three-step approach:

• Understand what has happened sitewide.
• Use the sitewide indicators to segment the data for deeper analysis.
• Deep dive into the most affected pages and sections of the website.

Understand what happened sitewide

Our client has a large site. Digging into each page would take too much time. We needed to understand what happened overall to segment and prioritize. 

For this, we looked at: 

• Traffic and conversion trends.
• Overall content health.
• Link profile. 
• Technical SEO. 
• Wild card: persona-based sitewide signals.

Traffic and conversion trends

Two of the main KPIs for our client were traffic and conversions, which made it clear that our analysis needed to begin in these areas. 

We examined their Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and Google Search Console (GSC) data to assess organic trends and overall traffic patterns. 

This holistic approach is crucial because it establishes a baseline for our analysis. For instance, if we observe a significant drop in overall traffic, we can infer that the decline is likely not solely attributed to organic search issues.

We noticed a slight decrease in sessions overall and no impact on conversions. This was particularly noticeable in August (the timing of the Google core update), suggesting the update may have played a role and the culprit was likely organic.

The hypothesis was soon confirmed by digging into organic data in both GA4 and GSC.

Traffic was down significantly, both looking at GSC and GA4.

 Interestingly, just like overall traffic, the organic conversions were much more stable.

It was clear that the issue wasn’t the website’s relevance to its audience; those who visited it were converting. However, the overall number of users hitting the site had significantly decreased.

Before reviewing the rankings, we segmented the data by country to identify where the impact was most pronounced.

This prompted us to ask an essential question: do we care?

In our case, one of the countries most affected was India. While it would have been easy to dive into auditing this market for rankings, we recognized that the devil is in the details.

iOS is not the dominant operating system in India. In 2023, Android had a 95.17% market share, while iOS only had 3.98%.

Since our client’s solution only works with iOS, India is not the right market to focus on. Instead, we should concentrate on the U.S., which is their most relevant and larger market.

Overall content health

The second sitewide signal we explored initially is overall content health.

This gave us an initial understanding of possible issues with content at scale. We used Screaming Frog content analysis for this. 

To use any tool effectively, it’s crucial to identify what truly matters in the vast amount of data you’re presented with.

In this case, it would be easy to focus on the wrong metric, like readability.

While some pages may have readability challenges, this aligns with our technical audience’s expectations.

The more pressing issue wasn’t readability but the significant number of near duplicates. Most of the affected pages were in the template directory. This was a key insight for segmenting the data based on website structure.

Note: This analysis differs from evaluating what Google defines as helpful content. There are ways to evaluate content at scale for helpfulness, mainly using Google’s NLP API to pick out entities and analyze sentiment. Something we currently have in the pipeline.

Link profile 

The client had already said they wanted to enhance their internal linking at Stage 2 of the project.

For now, our focus was on understanding the situation, which we accomplished by using Screaming Frog.

Overall, the links looked healthy. We found valuable insights for improving our SEO strategies.

For example, when we examined the issue of internal outlinks with no anchor text, we discovered it originated from a specific template. While it’s not a top priority, it’s an easy fix at the template level.

Technical SEO 

Not every technical fix will affect rankings, no matter how interesting they may be. 

By this point in the analysis, I suspected the real issue was in the content and changes in the SERPs. 

I’ve seen many websites struggle after the latest Google updates, and we suspected that Reddit and AI Overviews were taking over the search results.

From what we’ve observed, AIO functions similarly to a featured snippet. Therefore, one area we should focus on is structured data markup.

This Screaming Frog analysis helped us identify missing structured data at the template level and reveal any obvious gaps.

Wild card: Persona-based sitewide signals

Creating well-defined personas can be beneficial for SEO and overall marketing.

The client expressed concern that their recent expansion of personas, as they shifted focus to a different market segment, may have diluted their website’s authority.

While I don’t believe proprietary metrics such as DA or AS are a ranking factor, the recent Google API leak did indicate that Google has its own understanding of domain authority. 

I can see why a company might think that expanding into a new market could make Google question its target audience. 

From a technical perspective, this concern aligns with how semantic SEO works – websites must focus on delivering closely related content.

To determine if our client faced challenges with this new vertical, we used a combination of tools: 

• Ahrefs to export the keywords and pages ranking in the U.S.
• A Python script that employed NLP to analyze the pages and assign a persona.

The findings were intriguing: most pages were assigned to both personas, indicating the content was closely aligned. 

This suggested that the website didn’t have the problem of straying too far from its core topic.

Use the sitewide indicators to segment the data for deeper analysis 

So far, everything suggests that the website remains valuable and that the traffic drop is not due to sitewide issues. 

• We already identified some challenges linked to specific page sections, such as the template directory.
• We know that most traffic comes from the blog section. 

However, with thousands of pages involved, it raises the question: where do you even start?

Using exports from various sources (GA4, GSC and the Ahrefs Top Pages report), we mapped the data to analyze the impact at the keyword level. 

This was the labor-intensive part of the process. It involved extensive data wrangling with index-match functions and pivot tables.

Although it was tricky, this approach enabled us to identify priority areas for deeper analysis, including:

• Creating a label based on % drop following the core update
  • For pages with a drop in session >= 20% or conversions >=20% – High
  • For pages with a drop in session >= 20% or conversions >=20% – Medium
  • For pages with a drop in session >= 20% or conversions >=20% – Low/None
• Key event + keyword volume 
  • Priority based on conversions >10 + volume

While not foolproof, this analysis provided us with an initial list of 42 pages to examine more closely.

It’s important to note that all the metrics involved depend on various factors, one of which is the publication date of the posts.

Newer blogs may not have built up enough authority, and they could have been initially boosted after publishing but later declined due to a lack of user signals, such as click behavior – something we suspect is related to NavBoost.

Conversely, knowing which pages were older helped us identify those that needed refreshing.

By default, Screaming Frog does not extract blog publish dates, so we needed to set up a custom extraction. This involved copying the selector from the date element using a tool like Google Chrome’s Inspect feature.

Once we had the publication dates alongside our list of pages, we could conduct a more in-depth analysis.

Deep dive into the most affected pages and sections of the website

This is where the process becomes manual. We examined the affected pages to identify any patterns, and it quickly became apparent that one existed.

Unfortunately, our suspicions were confirmed: the primary cause of the traffic drop was the change in the SERPs in the U.S. and U.K., driven by the rise of Reddit and the inclusion of AI Overviews.

Reddit emerged as a clear winner from the recent core update, significantly impacting many of the client’s keywords. 

Additionally, the expansion of AIO to cover even more queries – particularly in the client’s sector, where research indicates over 20% coverage – has worsened the situation.

AIO tends to impact informational queries more than commercial ones, which explains the loss of visibility in the blog sections.

Like many others, our client is losing valuable traffic due to Reddit and AIO, not because their website is any less helpful. Unfortunately, this is not an easy fix. 

Another area we examined closely was the templates directory. Although this section wasn’t driving much traffic or conversions, it was worth investigating for two reasons: 

• The client had invested significant time in deploying it.
• The initial analysis indicated issues with its implementation.

Similar to the priority blog pages, we noticed a pattern after reviewing a few template pages. 

These pages conflicted with search intent, and their content could be improved. 

While search intent is typically categorized into four main groups, I believe in taking a broader and more nuanced approach to understanding it.

Someone searching for a template typically wants to see several options to choose from. They intend to find a few templates, pick one they like and use it.

Google recognizes this. For instance, if I search for “Instagram template” or “Instagram templates,” the top results come from companies offering a collection of options.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t taken into full consideration before the pages were launched. 

Rather than optimizing collection pages that speak to the intent, the client optimized the individual template pages.

Additionally, the individual pages had very sparse information for users. Not that tweaking this would make a difference in situations where the intent is not aligned.

---

Fixing the ‘unfixable’

It was clear that our initial recommendations to the client needed a holistic approach, as there was no quick fix for the issues we identified.

To address these challenges, we recommended:

• A few quick wins and tests.
• Developing an improved strategy that considers these shifts.
• Closely measuring AIO and rethinking SEO KPIs.

Quick wins and tests 

Everyone seeks the ideal “low effort, high impact” solution. So, before tackling the complex issues, let’s focus on the quick wins. 

The analysis revealed some interesting tests we could try, specific areas for improvement and several technical recommendations. 

We suggested that the client optimize an initial content piece by reviewing and adjusting it to better align with E-E-A-T guidelines. 

I’ve also become increasingly interested in the concept of information gain as a factor in Google’s ranking system.

This makes sense, especially in the age of AI, where new data for training models is highly valuable. We will consider all of these elements when running the test.

The audit clearly showed that the template directory needed a rethink. With a few adjustments, it could become a valuable source of traffic and conversions. 

We first suggested revisiting the keyword strategy to better align with user intent, which would set the stage for optimizing those pages.

The audit also identified a few quick wins on the technical side, particularly in Schema markup. 

Rather than marking up everything on the site, being strategic about which Schema to implement is key. 

For instance, if you’re a SaaS product with excellent reviews, using Review Schema is essential. Our client had several opportunities to use this Schema to enhance their content.

Developing an improved strategy that considers these shifts 

The client needs to rethink their strategy, though the details aren’t fully clear yet, despite some initial ideas.

One option is focusing on user-generated content (UGC). Reddit thrives on UGC and Google seems to favor it. 

However, UGC is not enough for the client to compete with Reddit. It should be part of the strategy, but not the main tactic.

Another option is diversifying the keyword strategy. While expanding into less competitive search terms where Reddit and AI-generated content don’t dominate might help, it’s a short-term fix. 

Even though I’m skeptical about AI hype, it’s clear AIO isn’t going away and may actually become more prominent.

The real question is whether this shift is good or bad for users and companies. Ultimately, any strategy must account for how search is evolving. 

As AI plays a bigger role in the early stages of the user journey, our client – and others – will need to rethink the kind of content they produce.

Whether AIO guides searchers or they directly use chatbots like ChatGPT, many will only reach your website during the decision stage. This changes how we approach strategy and SEO overall. 

While targeting commercial keywords remains important, the focus will shift more toward building a brand and creating diverse content, like video, to rank in video SERPs and on YouTube. 

Some of the content that’s lost rankings for our client could perform well in video format.

I don’t see these changes as negative. Relying solely on Google was never a good strategy. 

Now, strategies must go beyond SEO and integrate with broader digital marketing efforts. As someone who values full-stack marketers, I believe this shift opens up exciting opportunities.

Dig deeper: Search everywhere optimization: 7 platforms SEOs need to optimize for beyond Google

Closely measuring AIO and rethinking SEO KPIs

Our client already ranks in AIO for some terms, but we can’t measure the impact on CTR since it’s not trackable in GSC or GA4 – and likely never will be.

According to Liz Reid, the Head of Google Search:

• “And we see that the links included in AI Overviews get more clicks than if the page had appeared as a traditional web listing for that query.”

This may or may not be true overall. We know our client was losing clicks and that AIO clicks are, in any case, a different user experience. 

Measuring AIO clicks has been a gray area, but it’s crucial to address. 

We recommended expanding the client’s SEO tech stack to include platforms that help with tracking. 

While they currently use Ahrefs, which doesn’t yet support AIO tracking (though it likely will soon), switching to a tool like Semrush would be a logistical challenge for such a large site. Instead, we suggested supplementing with ZipTie.

However, measurement goes beyond tools – it’s about rethinking KPIs. 

While traffic, conversions and revenue remain important, brand KPIs and micro conversions are needed now more than ever.  

With search and data privacy changes, tracking every click isn’t feasible. 

Building brand resilience and focusing on smaller touchpoints, like newsletter signups and engagement rates, can help fill the gap. As the market evolves, so must our KPIs.

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

19 keyword mining tools and strategies for PPC campaign growth

Thursday, October 3rd, 2024

Are you having trouble finding relevant keywords for your paid search campaigns? It’s time to move beyond only using the Google Keyword Planner and uncover fresh, relevant keywords.

Traditional keyword research tools frequently lack depth, offering only limited insights into the complexities of user search behavior. As a result, PPC managers often struggle to uncover new keyword opportunities.

This article explores 19 tools and strategies for keyword mining to help you discover new search terms and enhance your campaigns. 

By the end, you’ll have an arsenal of techniques to optimize your campaigns and gain a competitive edge in your growth strategy.

Finding new opportunities beyond Google’s Keyword Planner 

Although the Google Keyword Planner is valuable, exploring alternative research methods is crucial for discovering a wider array of relevant searches. 

Increasing the volume of relevant searches is an effective strategy to expand your campaigns and business. A higher volume of qualified and converting traffic can lead to more sales or leads.

Here are some effective tools and strategies you can use when looking to expand your campaigns.

1. Dynamic search ads (DSAs)

These ads leverage website content to automatically generate ads and the associated keywords.

By analyzing the search terms that trigger your DSAs, you can identify valuable keywords to incorporate into your standard search campaigns.

Fellow PPC expert Nils Rooijmans shared on LinkedIn that he likes using DSA campaigns, moving successful terms to revenue-generating campaigns. He also uses ChatGPT for new keyword ideas.

2. Google Search Console

GSC lets you see the search queries that led to clicks on your website. You can use these insights to identify new keywords and optimize your ads accordingly.

Dig deeper: Using search query reports to optimize PPC campaigns

3. Related searches on Google (People also search for)

When you enter a search term into Google, scroll down to the bottom of the page for a list of related searches. These can give you ideas for new keywords or variations of existing ones.

In the example above, I was searching for dance costumes for my daughter and came across some excellent search term suggestions. 

If I were managing a paid search account focused on costumes in these categories, these terms would be a fantastic addition to enhance the account’s effectiveness.

4. Competitor websites

Take inspiration from your competitors’ websites by analyzing their content and identifying relevant keywords they may be using in their paid search campaigns.

5. Google Autocomplete

Pay attention to the suggestions that appear as you type in search queries. These autocomplete options often reveal popular search terms and long-tail variations.

6. Microsoft Advertising

While Google Ads may be the dominant platform, Microsoft Ads search term reports can provide new keyword ideas.

Analyze the search terms that trigger your ads on this platform to discover additional keyword opportunities that can be added to your campaigns in Google Ads.

You can also add terms found in the Google Search Query Report and add them into your Microsoft campaigns.

PPC specialist Petya Yildizgoren validated this tactic on LinkedIn and introduced Amazon Ads as another source for new keywords.

7. Social monitoring tools

Monitor social media platforms to identify industry-specific trends, popular topics and commonly used phrases. 

These insights can help you uncover relevant keywords that align with your target audience’s interests. 

For example, while managing an account, I noticed in the comments that customers favored products made in the U.S.

I added related keywords to key terms, which helped drive additional non-brand traffic for the advertiser.

8. Customer conversations

Listen closely to the conversations your customers have with your support team or sales representatives.

Capture the keywords and phrases they use to describe your products or services.

For example, while working with a client offering a call center service, I discovered that leads used “answering service” instead of “call center” when monitoring their calls.

9. Website survey

Conduct surveys on your website to collect direct feedback from your customers. Focus on the open-ended responses to identify the terms used to describe respondents’ needs and goals.

Many survey tools allow users to analyze and generate reports based on the words in surveys at scale.

10. Social comments

Analyze the comments on your social media posts, as the language used by your audience can provide valuable insights into their search intent.

---

11. Broad match type

Develop campaigns using broad match type terms without negative keywords to find new keywords from search term reports. 

A valuable tip is to separate these campaigns to ensure your entire budget isn’t consumed by irrelevant keywords.

Dig deeper: Broad match keywords: When to test and when to avoid

12. Keyword research tools

Don’t limit yourself to one keyword research tool. 

Consider using a combination of tools, such as Semrush, Ahrefs or Moz Keyword Explorer, to uncover different perspectives and insights on potential keywords for your campaigns.

13. Google Trends

Use Google Trends to identify popular search terms and their search volume over time. 

This tool can also show related queries and geographic data, giving you a more comprehensive understanding of user behavior.

14. Analytics data

Dive into your website analytics data to see which organic keywords are driving traffic to your site. This can give you a good starting point for identifying relevant keywords for your paid search campaigns.

Don’t rely solely on Google Analytics. Explore other tools like Adobe Analytics, too.

15. Customer persona research

Create customer personas based on demographic, psychographic and behavioral factors.

Use these personas to guide your search for new keywords that align with their interests and behaviors.

16. Customer demographics analysis

Many customers will search in their native language and still make purchases from a website in the local language. In the U.S., for example, you’ll notice many searches in Spanish. 

Bilingual customers are often tolerant of conducting business across languages. Don’t let the absence of a fully translated website prevent you from bidding on keywords in your native language. 

I worked with a healthcare client who added Cantonese and Punjabi keywords and ads, which performed quite well despite the website being in English.

17. Customer reviews

Pay attention to the language used in customer reviews to identify commonly used keywords and phrases related to your products or services. 

This can provide additional insights into your customers’ search behavior and help you uncover new keyword opportunities.

18. Collaborate with your team

Don’t overlook the valuable input from your team members, whether it’s colleagues in different departments or external agencies. They may have unique perspectives and ideas for relevant keywords that you may not have considered.

Dig deeper: How to maximize PPC and SEO data with co-optimization audits

19. Stay up-to-date

Regularly review industry news, updates and  trends to stay current on any emerging topics or terms that could potentially be relevant for your campaigns. 

This can help you stay ahead of the competition and continue to refine your keyword strategy.

Dig deeper: Top 5 ways to stay up to date on paid search trends

Leveling up your PPC query mining strategy

There are many techniques and tools available to conduct keyword research and discover new opportunities for paid search campaigns. 

Additional strategies include:

• Semantic keyword research, which explores related terms and synonyms to expand your keyword list.
• Topic modeling, which uses advanced tools to identify underlying themes in your website content or customer feedback. 
• Seasonal keyword research, which allows you to adjust your strategy for trends like “Black Friday” or “Cyber Monday” and capture additional traffic during peak times.

Suggestions from the paid search community include using Performance Max search categories (as noted by Guillermo Pareja) and tools like Answer the Public for question-based queries (recommended by Neelam Shahzadi).

Many experts also suggest leveraging AI tools like ChatGPT to generate new keyword ideas by seeding prompts with well-performing terms.

Traditional keyword research methods are valuable, but they only scratch the surface of potential opportunities.

By combining these techniques with AI tools, you can uncover hidden gems and optimize your campaigns for maximum ROI.

Whether you’re looking to expand or refine your campaigns, these strategies will help you create a comprehensive keyword approach that goes beyond the limitations of traditional planners and drives business growth.

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

Amazon Advertising guide: How to reach customers and sell more

Thursday, October 3rd, 2024

Amazon Ads has become a powerful platform for businesses of all sizes, both on and off the Amazon marketplace.

This article explores the various types of Amazon Ads, their features and how they can benefit different businesses.

Whether you’re a small local business or a large brand, understanding Amazon’s advertising options can help you reach new customers and grow your business.

Understanding Amazon advertising today

When most people think of Amazon advertising, they typically envision promoting products sold on Amazon through Seller Central or Vendor Central. 

However, Amazon’s advertising ecosystem has expanded significantly, now offering options for service and local businesses that don’t sell physical products on the Amazon marketplace.

The scope and capabilities of Amazon ads have been growing at an exponential rate. 

Amazon has been actively developing the functionality and products in its advertising suite, enhancing targeting options, expanding eligibility criteria and introducing new features like audience targeting and customer retargeting.

Amazon advertising can be broadly divided into two main categories:

• Sponsored ads
  • This includes:
    • Sponsored Products.
    • Sponsored Brands. 
    • Sponsored Display. 
  • These ad types are specifically designed for products sold through Vendor Central, Seller Central and Kindle Direct Publishing.
• Display ads
  • This category comprises two main products:
    • Amazon DSP (demand-side platform).
    • Sponsored Display for All Business (formerly called Non-Endemic Sponsored Display).
  • Both of these display ad types are available for businesses not selling goods on the marketplace. 
  • These ads appear not only on Amazon-owned sites like Amazon.com, Twitch and IMDb but also on other sites with which Amazon has direct partnerships.

As we delve deeper into each ad type, we’ll explore their unique features, targeting options and best practices to help you navigate the diverse landscape of Amazon advertising.

Sponsored ads

Amazon has been aggressively expanding the targeting options and products available within its Sponsored Ads suite. Advertisers on Amazon’s marketplace have more options than ever.

Let’s walk through the primary ad types used within Amazon’s self-managed ad service for its marketplaces worldwide. 

Sponsored Products

Available platforms:

• Vendor Central. 
• Seller Central. 
• Kindle Direct Publishing.

Eligibility requirements:

• Products must be in one or more eligible categories, have inventory available and be eligible for the Featured Offer to advertise. 

Targeting available:

• Keyword. 
• Category. 
• Product.

Placement locations:

• Amazon Marketplace search results. 
• Product detail pages.

Creative required:

• All creative is derived from the product listing on Amazon’s marketplace. 

Sponsored Products should be the starting point for almost every Amazon ad strategy for products sold through the Amazon marketplace. It is not uncommon for this ad type to make up as much as 80% of an advertiser’s budget.

One of the primary placements for this ad type is the search engine results page, which can provide the most significant lift in sales and organic ranking.

Using keyword targeting for Sponsored Products is generally one of the primary ways advertisers increase conversions for a keyword phrase to improve the organic ranking of their products.

Advertising on Amazon directly impacts organic results, especially for keyword-driven searches.

Sponsored Products have minimal availability for creativity, so it’s essential to optimize your product’s title, structured data and primary image for both organic search and ad conversion.

Sponsored Products campaigns have no monthly or upfront fees and are always on a cost-per-click basis.

Your ads may be displayed at the top of, alongside, or within shopping results and on product pages, on desktop and mobile. Ads are shown to shoppers based on relevant keywords or products.

At this time, adult products, political items, used products, refurbished products and products in closed categories are not eligible for advertising.

Sponsored Brand Ads

Available platforms:

• Vendor Central.
• Seller Central.
• Kindle Direct Publishing (only when you have at least three unique titles under a single pen name).

Eligibility requirements:

• Brand Registry is required to run this ad type. However, you do not need the Buy Box for it to run. 

Targeting available:

• Keyword.
• Category. 
• Product.

Placement locations:

• Amazon Marketplace search results. 
• Product detail pages.

Creative required:

• Creative must consist of:
  • 50-character headline.
  • Brand logo.
  • Custom image.
  • Product detail page components.
• Creative will show custom image on left with products on right that images and titles pull from detail page. 

Sponsored Brands can direct customers to either product detail pages or store pages. 

One advantage of these ads is that you don’t need to be the merchant holding the Buy Box for them to run, making them especially beneficial for brands that lack exclusivity on featured offers.

Typically, Sponsored Brand Ads account for 10-20% of a brand’s marketplace advertising budget and operate on a cost-per-click basis.

Originally, you could only run Sponsored Brand Ads if you had at least three products. Now, this requirement has been removed, allowing brands with just one product to use these ads.

Sponsored Brand videos are an effective way to capture visibility in search results and are among the most popular methods for utilizing Sponsored Brands. These videos yield a high return, particularly for products that fold, transform or are new to the category.

Sponsored Brands are available for vendors, book vendors, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) authors, agencies and professional sellers enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry.

Dig deeper: Amazon Ads: Maximizing Sponsored Brands campaigns

Sponsored Display (Marketplace)

Available platforms:

• Vendor Central. 
• Seller Central.

Eligibility requirements:

• Brand Registry is required to run this ad type. However, you do not need the Buy Box for it to run. 

Targeting available:

• Category. 
• Product. 
• Audiences.

Placement locations:

• Detail page. 
• Non-native placement in search results.

Creative required:

• Creative must consist of:
  • 50-character headline.
  • Brand logo. 
  • Lifestyle image.
  • Product detail page components.

Sponsored Display is the newest type of sponsored product ad. 

Over the last two years, the ability to target and retarget with sponsored display has drastically increased. This makes it a powerful tool to use Amazon audiences and retarget views and purchases of specific ASINs for your products and competitors.

This ad type usually accounts for 5-15% of the overall ad budget. However, there can be a greater variance for this ad type, with some brands using it heavily and others not. 

Sponsored Display supports cost-per-click (CPC) and cost-per-thousand viewable impression (vCPM) pricing options without minimum campaign spend requirements. 

Ad placement can be found across the Amazon store and thousands of apps and websites.

Sponsored Display allows you to target Amazon’s first-party audiences and customers who have viewed or purchased specific products or product categories. This capability makes it particularly effective for retargeting customers.

Keep an eye on ‘Rufus’

Amazon has also rolled out an AI shopping assistant called Rufus, but there is much debate on its usefulness and customer adoption. 

At the time of this writing, Amazon specifically states that there is no reporting to show Rufus’s efficacy or even control placement.

Sponsored product ads: Best practices

• Maximize performance and budget: Maximize performance and budget with Sponsored Ad products before moving to the display and programmatic ads below.
• ROI and performance: Sponsored Ads tend to be much better for ROI and performance-based campaigns. An exception would be if you’re looking to create demand for new-to-category products.
• Funnel positioning: Sponsored Ads are generally at the bottom of the funnel and are designed to capture existing demand rather than create it. However, there are use cases for Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Display to help drive new customer awareness and acquisition.
• Full funnel approach: Amazon has increased its focus on pushing advertisers to a fuller-funnel approach. They are also working to expand Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) to include Sponsored Ads, giving advertisers more insight into the overall customer journey.

Dig deeper: Amazon Ads: How to boost efficiency and reduce wasted spend

---

Display and programmatic advertising

Until recently, the only option for display ads on Amazon was Amazon DSP. 

While this has been a widely used tool for both companies with and without physical products, the high minimum spend was a deterrent for most small brands. 

Amazon recently brought Sponsored Display for All Businesses (formerly called Non-Endemic Sponsored Display) out of beta as an option for brands with smaller budgets. 

Amazon DSP

Amazon DSP has been a key player in programmatic advertising for many years. It offers an extensive suite of tools for analyzing customer conversion and targeting first-party audiences.

While it can effectively grow brand awareness, it tends to be less ROI-focused than Sponsored Ads.

One major drawback is the minimum ad spend requirement, which ranges from $10,000 to $35,000 per month, making it prohibitive for many small businesses.

Additionally, managed DSP services with Amazon require a minimum spend of $50,000 per month. 

To assist advertisers in navigating customer journeys, Amazon provides tools like Amazon Marketing Cloud to enhance understanding and optimize strategies.

Sponsored Display for all businesses (SDFAB)

Sponsored Display for all businesses is a new product designed for small and local service-based businesses.

It allows them to leverage Amazon’s audience targeting capabilities and the views and purchases of specific products for their display ads.

Advertisers can target Amazon’s first-party audiences or focus on customers based on product views and purchases.

SDFAB does not allow targeting at the ASIN or product level; instead, targeting is available at the sub-category level.

In some sub-categories, you can further refine your targeting by factors such as age ranges, brand, reviews or pricing.

Additionally, you can target by location and optimize for specific goals, including page views, page visits or the newly launched lead form.

This service does not require a minimum spend, allowing businesses of all sizes to use the power of Amazon’s customer data to reach highly targeted potential audiences.

It is important to note that as this is Amazon’s newest ad product, it still has some growing pains. This is something to watch as the abilities and features of this ad product continues to grow.

Dig deeper: Amazon Ads for lead generation: What advertisers need to know

Mastering Amazon Ads: Strategies for sellers and non-sellers

Amazon advertising is continually evolving, enhancing its capacity to convert and expanding the channels through which businesses can reach customers.

With its in-depth understanding of customer behavior, Amazon provides advertisers with valuable data insights that facilitate a comprehensive approach to their advertising strategies.

This evolution allows businesses to effectively engage with their target audience and optimize their marketing efforts for greater success.

Dig deeper: 5 reasons Amazon Ads is better than Google Ads for ecommerce

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

First-party data checklist for marketers by Digital Marketing Depot

Wednesday, October 2nd, 2024

With third-party cookies on their way out, organizations need to start mapping out what a first-party data strategy looks like for their business. Use this checklist from OneTrust as your roadmap to cultivate trust, ensure compliance, and build stronger, data-driven relationships with your customers.

The Marketers First-Party Data Checklist covers seven essential steps: conducting a website audit, managing trackers, setting data goals, incorporating zero-party data, streamlining data collection, creating personalized experiences, and optimizing through data analysis. By following these steps, you’ll not only ensure compliance but also enhance your ability to deliver value to your customers through personalized experiences.

Visit Digital Marketing Depot to get your copy.

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

Is Google using Chrome for mobile-first indexing and user signals?

Wednesday, October 2nd, 2024

Phase two of Google’s mobile-first indexing – rendering – is Chrome and has been since 2018, according to SEO expert Cindy Krum. In a newly released video presentation, Krum said:

• “What I believe is happening here is that Google failed to tell us at this time in 2018, when it launched, that what they were using for the second phase of indexing was not a bot, per se. It was our own computers in our homes. Your Chrome being used as a rendering resource became available. That means you. As someone requested the site and executed the JavaScript, they would go and fetch that from their computer. They wouldn’t use their bot to render it. They would wait until a user rendered the page for them and then they would just go capture that full-page render so that they could process it.
• “… Google [is] using our own computers to pre-process information for indexing and our own browsers to capture information and rendering. We haven’t necessarily opted into this and we’re not knowingly getting anything back.
• “…Google is also using our rendering data and our behavior – in terms of making models like cohort models and topic models, history and engagement models – and they’re using this all taking it from our local computers without permission and passing it up to their processors. Now it’s pre-processed locally so that it can be batched and sent up and then sending it to their algorithms to be further processed and evaluated. That’s how they’re able to get the rankings that they do, but also that’s how they’re able to understand things like demographic cohorts, Journeys, where you shop, and make decisions and understanding and modeling that so that they can use that data in their advertising models in PMax, in PPC campaigns. They’re using our own behavior to market to us and to train AI that serves ads to do a better job.”

Put simply in two slides:

Connecting dots. There are a lot of claims made about other huge implications of Google’s switch to mobile-first indexing in Krum’s presentation, as well as how Chrome essentially fuels Google’s illegal search monopoly:

• User computers as resources: Google uses users’ devices to render and process JavaScript, which they then index – essentially outsourcing computational work to users. Essentially, Google is using Chrome in the same way your computer could be used for Bitcoin mining.
• Core Web Vitals: Google captures real user data to assess page load performance and interaction and feeds this data into its ranking algorithms.
• Browser updates and data collection: Frequent Chrome updates ensure data collection aligns with Google’s search and ad models, contributing to targeted advertising and AI training.
• Privacy violations: Google has been found indexing private data (e.g., private WhatsApp groups), likely due to its aggressive caching and data collection practices.
• Chrome’s role in AI: AI is very expensive, so Google could use Chrome’s processing model to help with AI development, giving them an edge in the AI arms race.
• Ad tracking and targeting: Google’s data collection extends into advertising models like cohort targeting and user behavior modeling for ad optimization.
• Cookies and privacy: Despite promising to end third-party cookies, Google continues to use them for extensive tracking and data collection.

Possible SEO implications. I reached out to Krum and asked her what the possible SEO implications are here if all of this is correct. She told me:

• If a page has links that never get clicked, Google is less likely to crawl it. We knew this, in theory, but now we have a better idea of how it works.
• Real user engagement is likely factoring in more than previously thought – we have known this since the Google Search leak.
• Manipulation of SERP and click information is a significant vulnerability, if it happens in Chrome.
• Actual user rendering is critical, so selective serving for GoogleBot might not be a great strategy.

Why we care. We know that Google collects extensive Chrome and end-user data from its other various services (Search, YouTube, Ads, etc.). That said, and to be clear, much of what she discusses is for now an unconfirmed theory (Krum does use the word “tinfoil” during her presentation and there are multiple “X-Files” themed slides).

When I first watched the video, I found it equal parts fantastical, inconceivable and entirely believable. It’s a lot to process. However, in light of all the revelations from the DOJ trial and the leak, nothing Krum discusses in the video seems like too wild of speculation. I’ll be curious to see whether Google responds.

Additional reading. Krum also referenced research by Malte Ubl, a former Googler, who said that “Google uses an up-to-date version of Chrome for rendering” and whose research found that “100% of HTML pages resulted in full-page renders, including pages with complex JS interactions.”

The presentation. Watch the video and decide for yourself (I suggest starting around 6:37): Phase II of Google’s Mobile-First Indexing is just Chrome.

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

Retailers: Google is becoming your new category page

Wednesday, October 2nd, 2024

We all know there have been many changes in the search results during the last year. 

• AI Overviews. 
• Reddit increases in visibility. 
• Google’s site reputation abuse policy. 
• And the list goes on and on. 

However, one key topic has been overlooked: Google’s major updates to ecommerce search results, which deserve more attention.

• March 2022: They launched product grids that show products directly. 
• June 2022: They started testing search filters on the left sidebar.
• June 2022: They integrated local elements by including local “In-Store Nearby” results. 
• January 2024: Now, they show five product grid results instead of four. 
• September 2024: They began to integrate product results in AI Overviews. 

While these changes may seem small on their own, combined, they have a significant impact over time.

The new ecommerce search experience 

After all these changes, where does it leave us? Let’s examine a couple of search results, using the query “espresso machines” as an example. 

Going down to the organic results, users see an immediate list of product grids before any of the other organic results.  

Now, that’s only half the picture. As mentioned, the Refine results section is on the left sidebar. 

This section basically gives the user faceted navigation-like capabilities directly in the results themselves. 

Assume users don’t scroll past the initial results. If these products aren’t what they want, they refine the search by selecting specific features. 

For example, choosing an “Automatic” machine “With Grinder” prompts Google to run a new search with those terms added to the original query.

What do we see when we look at these results? 

Once again, here’s another result where the product grids appear before everything else in the organic result. 

Clicking one of these results opens an expandable right-side sidebar filled with detailed information about the product.

Included directly in the SERP experience are:

• Scrollable product images.
• Pricing.
• Third-party retailers.
• Product descriptions.
• Dimensions.
• And more. 

We haven’t even clicked on a website link yet. 

Now, let’s look at the first ranking result for the query “espresso machine.” Notice how it feels eerily similar to what we just experienced. 

---

The death of the category page

What do all these changes add up to? 

It seems Google is trying to replicate the experience of a traditional category page directly within the search results. 

By displaying products, filters, reviews, pricing and more, Google is creating an Amazon-like experience without the need to visit a third-party site.

While category pages still matter, Google’s focus is clearly shifting toward product pages rather than traditional category pages.

Why is Google doing this? 

In 2021, Faisal Masud wrote a thought-provoking article, “The Last E-Commerce Duel Between Amazon and Google,” a must-read for anyone in ecommerce. He highlights:

• The long-standing competition between Google and Amazon for ecommerce market share.
• Google’s missteps and the decline in its product search market share from 54% to 46% by 2018. 
• That 74% of product searches now start on Amazon. 

Many of us likely still bypass Google entirely when shopping online, which represents a huge missed opportunity for Google. 

This makes Amazon perhaps its biggest competitor – even more so than other search engines.

A renewed focus on product pages

In ecommerce SEO, category pages have long been the cornerstone of strategy, mapped to high-value queries and receiving the most attention.

However, with Google’s product grids, rich features and faceted search taking over, category pages are losing visibility.

To align with Google’s direction, we need to shift our SEO strategies and give equal priority to product pages, which are now featured in search results.

Previously, product pages were often overlooked.

Now, we must optimize them, updating title tags, H1s and product data and ensuring that key features users search for are clearly highlighted in the listings. 

Dig deeper: Product page SEO: A complete guide

The rise of product data and SEO

Like structured data, product data is a feed that allows search engines to quickly and efficiently understand key information about a given SKU. Traditionally, SEOs have left this to the paid media team.  

What many don’t realize is that Google has its own ecommerce SEO guide, which emphasizes the importance of product data. 

Google dedicates an entire page to it and highlights its significance in multiple sections throughout the guide.  

Brodie Clark has conducted extensive tests on the new product grid features, often highlighting the influence of Merchant Center listings (product data feeds) on these results.  

It’s evident that product feeds play a crucial role in product grids, making them something that can no longer be overlooked. 

Ensuring that these feeds are submitted to Google, accurate, reflect long-tail keywords and are as complete as possible is now essential.

Dig deeper: Shopping graph optimization: The future of ecommerce SEO

An opportunity to appear for high-volume queries 

Historically, we’ve prioritized category pages, especially those targeting high-volume queries. 

For instance, we’d prefer to rank for a broad “jeans” category page rather than a more specific “men’s ripped jeans” page.  

However, with Google now acting as a de facto category page, we need to shift our focus to long-tail queries. 

This shift offers a significant opportunity, particularly for brands that aren’t dominant players.  

For example, searching for the highly competitive query “jeans” typically returns major brands like American Eagle, Levi’s and H&M.

Unless you’re one of these national retailers, most SEOs will tell you to ignore this query completely. It’s way too competitive to be relevant for. 

However, what happens when I start filtering using the options on the side?

Google is now my category page, so I want to see options that suit me better. I’m looking for “size 36 flare jeans.” 

I applied the filtering options, and Google adjusted my query. 

Now, looking at the search results, we see that we still have some big players.

However, notice how smaller brands are eligible:

• Rockstar Original.
• boohooMAN.
• True Religion.

They’ve optimized for the long tail and are now included.

The beauty of this is that they’ve latched on the primary query, “jeans.”

By optimizing for the long tail, they now get visibility for a query that was never possible before.

A tough time for affiliate sites

Google’s change also has large implications for a completely different type of site: affiliates. 

With all the products, rich features and comparisons, there is simply no room for affiliates.

Informational content doesn’t serve an Amazon-like experience, so it’s deprioritized. 

Take Wirecutter as an example – the affiliate site everyone wants to be like.

Unsurprisingly, they have a “Best Coffee Makers” article. 

It used to perform really well for the query “coffee machines” – generally between Positions 2 to 4. Checking today, it’s pushed down to Page 2.

The entire Wirecutter site has experienced significant traffic declines over the past year, with a drop of ~6.7 million in total monthly organic sessions.

This isn’t even factoring in Google-owned features like the product grids. 

However, because Google wants to be the new category page, affiliate sites don’t figure into the mix. 

Sure, we can argue that other factors are at play. Reddit’s increase in organic might be one. 

However, it still showcases the downward spiral of affiliate sites in today’s product-driven SERP. 

Moving forward

From a business perspective, Google’s direction becomes clear when we consider all its recent changes.

Google will continue refining the search results to mirror a category page experience.

Don’t expect Google to roll back these changes. We need to anticipate more of them.

Google hasn’t started showing these aggressively in AI Overviews yet, but I guess it will.

To compete with Amazon, Google will continue to do what it needs to make its platform more friendly for ecommerce searches.

Retailers must understand this behavior and adjust their strategies accordingly.

Dig deeper: How to make your ecommerce content more helpful

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

Bing expands generative search experience and Deep Search

Wednesday, October 2nd, 2024

Microsoft announced a number of updates to Copilot today, specific to Bing Search, its generative search experience and Deep Search features are expanding more with this news.

Generative search. Bing said it is now expanding its Bing generative search experience for “informational queries”, such as how-to queries. Some examples include  “how to effectively run a one on one” and “how can I remove background noise from my podcast recordings.”

“Whether you’re looking for a detailed explanation, solving a complex problem, or doing deep research, generative AI helps deliver a more profound level of answers that goes beyond surface-level results,” Microsoft wrote.

How to try it. Microsoft said, go to Bing in the United States and type “Bing generative search” into the search bar. “You’ll be met with a carousel of queries to select and demo, allowing you to experience how generative search can deliver more relevant and comprehensive answers for a wide range of topics,” Microsoft added.

What it looks like. Here is a screenshot:

What is Bing generative search. Microsoft explained that this search “experience combines the foundation of Bing’s search results with the power of large and small language models (LLMs and SLMs).” “It understands the search query, reviews millions of sources of information, dynamically matches content, and generates search results in a new AI-generated layout to fulfill the intent of the user’s query more effectively,” Microsoft added.

Deep Search expands. While Microsoft announced Deep Search last December, it had a rocky start, but it is live to US users as of last March. Microsoft today said, “While we’re excited to give you this opportunity to explore generative search firsthand, this experience is still being rolled out in beta. You may notice a bit of loading time as we work to ensure generative search results are shown when we’re confident in their accuracy and relevancy, and when it makes sense for the given query. You will generally see generative search results for informational and complex queries, and it will be indicated under the search box with the sentence “Results enhanced with Bing generative search.”

More. Microsoft reiterated its stance on publishers, saying:

Bing generative search is just the first step in upcoming improvements to define the future of search. We’re continuing to roll this experience out slowly to ensure we deliver a quality experience before making this broadly available. We also continue to ensure there are additional citations and links that enable users to explore further and check accuracy, which in turn will send more traffic to publishers to maintain a healthy web ecosystem.

Why we care. This is another step of the evolution of AI in search and we are looking forward to future changes.

Publishers will need to keep an eye on these changes and adapt to these changes going forward.

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

Will Google’s defense hold up against DOJ antitrust claims?

Monday, September 30th, 2024

Google concluded its defense in the Department of Justice’s lawsuit over its advertising technology, making its case for why the DOJ’s claims miss the mark.

Even though Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Milgrom provided supportive testimonies, it’s still easy to see that Google’s testimony could have gaps.

Here are my favorite ones: 

1. “Duty to deal” argument

• Google’s stance: Google argues that it should not be required to share its ad tech tools or platforms with competitors, as there is no legal obligation for a company to do so under U.S. antitrust laws.
• Potential gap: The DOJ might argue that while there is no explicit “duty to deal” under current law, Google’s dominance in the digital ad space as a whole effectively forces advertisers and publishers to rely on its tools. This could open the door to claims that Google’s practices limit competition by creating barriers for smaller players, even if there is no formal requirement to share resources.

2. Narrow market definition

• Google’s stance: Google claims the DOJ’s market definition is too narrow, focusing on “open web display advertising” rather than a broader range of ad formats and markets.
• Potential gap: While Google highlights competition from other digital ad platforms (like Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft), the DOJ could argue that Google holds overwhelming power in the specific subset of open web display ads. If the DOJ can successfully define the market more narrowly and demonstrate Google’s dominance, it could strengthen its antitrust argument. Whether Judge Brinkemma will allow this change in definition would be critical to this potential advantage.

3. Defunct practices

• Google’s stance: Google asserts that many of the challenged practices – except for Uniform Pricing Rules (UPR) – are no longer in use, weakening the DOJ’s claims.
• Potential gap: The DOJ may counter that even if these practices are defunct, they could have had long-lasting effects on market structure and competition. Practices like Dynamic revenue, reserve prize optimisation and more would have a long-term effect. These past practices might have entrenched Google’s dominance and limited competitors’ abilities to grow, resulting in reduced competition today.

4. Self-serving justifications for integration

• Google’s stance: Google argues that its integrated tools benefit both advertisers and publishers by providing a safer, cheaper and more effective platform.
• Potential gap: The DOJ may argue that this integration, while convenient, could also be seen as self-serving and exclusionary. The integration of Google’s ad tech stack may prevent third-party companies from offering competitive services and lock users into Google’s ecosystem, making it harder for other companies to compete.

5. Control over the ad ecosystem

• Google’s stance: Google insists that publishers and advertisers have control over how ads are bought and sold, with multiple options to mix and match ad tech tools.
• Potential gap: The DOJ could argue that despite this theoretical control, Google’s overwhelming market presence effectively limits meaningful alternatives. Publishers and advertisers may be forced to use Google’s tools to stay competitive, creating a de facto monopoly in certain aspects of the ad tech market.

6. Competitive landscape

• Google’s stance: Google cites competition from other tech giants like Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft as evidence that the ad tech space is fiercely competitive.
• Potential gap: The DOJ may argue that the competition Google points to exists in adjacent markets, such as social media advertising or ecommerce ads. Within the specific market for open web display ads, Google may still hold a monopolistic position, and competition in other areas doesn’t fully mitigate its control over this segment.

7. Impact on consumers

• Google’s stance: Google frames its practices as consumer-friendly, emphasizing lower fees and improved ad performance.
• Potential gap: The DOJ could focus on the broader implications of reduced competition, such as the potential for higher prices for advertisers in the long term, fewer choices for publishers and an overall reduction in innovation. The DOJ may argue that even if short-term costs are lower, the market dominance could harm consumers and businesses in the future.

Google’s unknown fate

While Google is fixed on these defenses and seems fully convinced that it isn’t a monopoly, the DOJ may still successfully argue that Google’s practices – especially in narrow markets like open web display ads – have anti-competitive effects.

The case hinges on how well the DOJ can demonstrate that Google’s past and current actions create barriers to entry, limit competition and ultimately harm consumers or the market.

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

Unlock actionable training, live Q&A, and more for free at SMX

Monday, September 30th, 2024

Like it or not, 2025 is just around the corner. And with the New Year will come a slew of resolutions search marketers like you will strive to keep:

• Hitting the ground running with generative engine optimization.
• Staying top-of-mind with your increasingly distracted audience.
• Figuring out how to get indexed in an AI world.

The list goes on. Carving out a few hours to train now will set you up for a successful 2025 and beyond: Grab your free SMX Next pass today and join us online November 13-14, for free.

This is the only conference programmed by the experts at Search Engine Land, the industry publication of record – and this is your final chance in 2024 to attend. Check out what’s in store:

Your free pass unlocks the complete program:

• Actionable tactics. Walk away with reliable, actionable, brand-safe insights you can immediately apply to your campaigns to drive measurable results.
• In-depth live Q&A. Tap directly into some of the brightest minds in search, ask them your questions, and get real-time answers during Overtime!
• Engaging discussions. Connect with and learn from like-minded search marketers and industry experts during live Coffee Talk meetups.
• Instant on-demand access. Can’t attend live? On-demand replay is included with your free pass so you can train at your own pace.
• 100% online. Log on from your cubicle, coffee shop, couch – wherever! – and skip the plane ride, hotel room, and time out of the office.
• 100% free. Continued training doesn’t have to break the bank. Leave the expense reports (and expensive in-person training experiences) behind!
• Certificate of attendance. Showcase your knowledge of the latest industry trends with a personalized certificate and digital badge, perfect for posting on LinkedIn.

Since 2006, SMX has helped more than 200,000 search marketers from around the world achieve their professional goals. Now, it’s your turn. Grab your free pass now!

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

Keyword research for SEO: The ultimate guide

Monday, September 30th, 2024

Keyword research is a cornerstone of SEO success, but many SEOs do it incorrectly. Instead of focusing on keywords that drive revenue, they only chase traffic volume.

This guide tackles a new approach to keyword research that boosts your online presence and directly contributes to your bottom line. 

By the end, you’ll understand how to transform keywords into valuable assets that drive business growth and profitability.

Why most keyword research is wrong

Before writing this article, I searched for and read several keyword research guides.

They all suffered from the same problem. They only talked about how to acquire traffic from Google and not about why.

And the “why” is the most crucial part of keyword research.

As such, this article is split into two parts.

• First, we’ll examine why we use keywords and how they lead to business success.
• Then, we’ll examine the process for identifying business-relevant keywords.

Let’s start with the “why” behind keyword research.

Why are you doing keyword research?

The problem with keyword research is that people talk about how to do it but never talk about why you are doing it.

Most people, if asked this question, will talk about traffic.

But unless you are a publisher earning revenue from display advertising, this metric is too basic to be valuable for SEOs working for businesses that need leads, sales, profits and growth.

Others might use phrases like building brand awareness or talk about concepts like the ‘funnel’ and how they want to create top-of-mind awareness through content.

However, these are all essentially flawed and over-simplistic approaches that generally do not work or deliver value for clients.

To make life easier, I’ll explain why you are doing keyword research.

Revenue generation.

The goal of keyword research is to find keywords for which a brand can rank, leading to increased revenue.

So, for keyword research to be successful, we need to learn how revenue is earned online.

Dig deeper: Keyword research for SEO: 6 questions you must ask yourself

How brands make money from SEO: The fundamental rule of keyword research

Brands make money from SEO through leads and sales.

And here’s where SEO starts to unravel.

Traditionally, SEOs view their work as optimizing a website for all funnel stages. This is a strategic error. Here’s why.

The traditional marketing funnel looks like this:

This approach leads to using SEO to rank web pages, targeted at all stages of the funnel.

• TOFU: Top-of-funnel content to build brand awareness.
• MOFU: Middle-of-funnel content to reach those considering their purchase options.
• BOFU: Bottom-of-funnel content where people buy products or services.

SEOs have sliced the funnel up in many ways, such as by renaming metrics as informational, commercial, etc.

However, the core goal has remained: to use SEO as an all-in-one marketing channel. 

This has resulted in websites with huge traffic numbers and brands creating content for every keyword they can think of, believing it’s all advertising.

But most web traffic is useless.

Because it targets people at the wrong time.

SEO is product placement, not advertising: A tale of how marketing works

The argument by SEOs around keyword research is that “all traffic is good traffic.”

This makes the delivery of SEO more aligned with the “publisher model.” 

SEOs will create content at scale to generate traffic and justify SEO.

This means that most SEO content is called “top of funnel.”

The argument used by SEOs is that they use SEO to create brand awareness. And through ebooks or other lead gen activities, you acquire marketing qualified leads (MQLs).

I’ve seen this justified using first-touch attribution data, where an email sign-up later becomes a customer, justifying the content.

Firstly, marketing metrics are rarely this granular. Yes, it will undoubtedly have first-touch attribution as “organic,” but so will all your organic traffic. 

This includes your service and product pages.

However, significant studies show that we do not purchase or recall brands this way.

Dig deeper: 6 vital lenses for effective keyword research

We serve busy people with busy minds

When I think about keyword research strategy, I think about this line from Byron Sharp’s book “Marketing Theory, Evidence and Practice.”

“Our marketing and brand is ignored and forgotten by most people most days.”

The reason for this is the forgetting curve.

The forgetting curve is a well-established principle in memory function.

In short, we quickly lose what we don’t use regarding new information.

To demonstrate this, I often ask clients to name the last five articles they read and videos they watched online.

Followed quickly by asking them the brand or person behind them.

The answer is almost always met with difficulty.

I then ask the clients to name ten toothpaste brands. The struggle is intense, even for something as simple as toothpaste.

We have too much going on in our heads to recall the name of every brand we encounter online. We often forget things such as PINs and loved ones’ birthdays. 

And yet, there is a romantic idea among SEOs and content marketers that the 3,000-word ultimate guide the prospects read 10 months ago. 

They somehow embedded the brand in their memory architecture to such an extent that they can recall it and themselves easily.

This logic looks like this:

“We need to get some food for our new puppy. We’ll buy it from Pooch Love online. I read their 400 names for Daschunds article six months ago. They look great; I’ll search for them.”

OK, so that’s a little tongue-in-cheek. But this is the logic behind the vast majority of SEO strategies.

The idea is that all traffic leads to brand recall.

But it doesn’t. This is why advertising exists. To build and refresh memory structures around brands.

We need to ditch the idea of using SEO to build brand awareness through top-of-funnel logic.

The articles you’re writing that are growing your traffic are forgotten minutes after being read. 

Your brand isn’t remembered and your traffic graph is meaningless.

So, what matters?

Tom Roach, VP of brand strategy at Jellyfish, wrote a compelling article about why the marketing funnel needs to change.

In his modified funnel, SEO sits as a connecting function. Connecting immediate prospects with brands.

And a bit of nudging as well.

We connect brands with buyers and show up on their purchase journey.

With this as our goal, keyword research will be more focused and revenue-driven.

Now that we’ve thoroughly covered the why of keyword research, we need to dive into the how.

Your new keyword process

The standard of keyword research will always depend on the amount of time you have to conduct it. 

If you have a small retainer, the time you have to conduct keyword research will be limited.

But a good keyword research process looks like this:

• Building your keyword strategy.
• Customer and competitor keyword research.
• Mapping your buyers’ keyword journey.
• Keyword ideation – identify what your customers need.
• Selecting your keyword assets.
• Asset viability (manual keyword research).

Let’s break each section down.

Building your keyword strategy

When addressing keyword research, we must start with the premise that our brands are easily and quickly forgotten.

That’s the starting point for SEO.

And so, we come to the customer or buyer journey.

The buyer’s journey is a series of touchpoints from product awareness to purchase.

Many brands are discovered online with buyer intent keywords, which is no different from how many products are discovered in stores. We walk along physical aisles, where many brands are first discovered.

Search is the digital version of this. 

Our first search terms are often broad and straightforward.

Often referred to as head terms. These keywords are broad and are usually expensive for paid search.

These keywords are also often competitive to rank for.

You need to start your keyword strategy with the client and their budget in mind.

There is no point in building a huge keyword strategy if the client lacks the resources to rank for the terms.

Before you take another step forward, it is useful to run through a SMART analysis at the beginning of the process to build your strategy.

• Specific: What specific results are we trying to obtain here? Are we looking to grow revenue for a particular service or all services/ products?
• Measurable: Where is the client now? What are their rankings?
• Actionable and achievable: Can we achieve the desired result with the current budget? Do we have the resources and stakeholder buy-in?
• Realistic and relevant: Are the desired results realistically achievable? Are they relevant to the business goals?
• Time: How much time do we have? When are results likely to happen?

Much of the above can be gathered with a simple client call and a gut feeling by quickly checking some data and competitors.

The above is not designed to be perfect. It’s more of a guide as you move through the process.

We can now move to the next step.

Customer and competitor keyword research

To conduct your research into customer needs, you need data.

Some sources can include:

• Customer data/ business data.
• Search console data.
• Paid search data.
• Keyword research tools.
• Google Analytics 4.

In-house teams will generally have access to more data and more time for the above, while agencies and freelancers will have less.

However, the aim of this initial stage is to gather as much data as possible about your buyer’s search journey.

What are they typing into search engines? What do they think when they are looking into buying what you sell?

Many keyword tools can assist with this. ChatGPT is, however, surprisingly good at giving you starting points for this information:

Throw in a simple prompt and you will gain some logical searches to consider.

If we look at what a simple prompt gave me if I was looking for “in the market” keywords for people buying fish tanks.

• General fish tank searches.
• Size-specific searches.
• Type-specific searches.
• Brand-specific searches.
• Material-specific searches.

This isn’t exhaustive, but it is designed to get you thinking about a consumer.

The good thing about ChatGPT is that you can analyze markets for ideas, keyword formulas and more.

I have deliberately not used a specific search tool in this article because there are so many with their own guides.

What matters is that you gain the data from various sources. Our aim is not to study all the keywords but to make an SEO plan.  

We are gathering as much data as possible about how our consumers might search for a brand like ours when they enter the market to buy.

Using this data, you can now map the buyer’s keyword journey.

---

Mapping your buyers’ keyword journey

To build your strategy, you need to identify the customers you want to target and the search terms they use. Then, we can map our keywords against the buyer’s journey.

For example, let’s say you are in the market for car insurance. Your 17-year-old daughter has just passed her driving test and wants a car.

You might start your car insurance journey with a term such as “cheap car insurance” or “new driver’s car insurance.”

You scroll and click the results, read the websites and leave because you must take your daughter to her fitness class.

A few weeks pass, and your daughter reminds you of the car insurance she needs for the car she has convinced you to buy.

You repeat the same search, but perhaps this time, you click a few results but see Google’s PAA (people also ask) section.

You click some more and new questions such as “How to reduce car insurance for new drivers” appear.

You are now in what Google calls the “messy middle of search.”

The messy middle is a world of exploration and evaluation, where brands can choose to show up and increase their chances of being selected and recalled by buyers.

We receive internal or external triggers to search.

We then explore subjects and vendors.

In the end, searchers will have a number of brands that enter their ‘consideration’ set of vendors or products they want to purchase from.

Every buyer search journey depends on the sector. Some take place in minutes, and others take over 12 months.

And this is the search journey we want to map out as best as possible.

We are trying to paint a possible picture of our consumer’s online activity in relation to purchasing.

In the car insurance example earlier, we saw how a prospect makes many searches over a period of time before building a consideration set of brands.

To map the keyword journey, it’s useful to split keywords into three categories:

• Head terms
  • Used for initial exploration.
  • Used to evaluate brands.
  • Used for buying.

• Body or medium tail keywords
  • Used for broad subject exploration. Often informational, when a prospect seeks more information on a subject to help them make an informed purchase decision. 

• Long-tail search
  • Used for deeper subject exploration and unmet needs.
  • A user is trying to find a precise solution and previous searches have yet to satisfy them. 
  • A user has complicated product, service or informational needs.

Once you gather your data in the next step, your keyword strategy will start to take shape.

Lower budgets might mean you can’t rank for competitive keywords, but you can reach people as they explore the subject with buyer intent.

Or you may focus on a more targeted and specific group of consumers.

Now, look at your data and add this to the three areas of heady, body and tail.

You can do this via a spreadsheet with three columns.

Dig deeper: How to find high-potential keywords for SEO

Keyword ideation: Identifying what your customers need

Once you have your data, you need to address what keywords match the customer’s needs.

These are keywords that a prospect will use to help them to choose a product, service or brand.

From your research, you’ll have a lot of data, but we need to consider how humans use the web and align our keyword research with that.

Kantar conducted research with Google to identify six needs that searchers have when they use Google.

These needs were identified as follows.

• Educate me.
• Thrill me.
• Surprise me.
• Impress me.
• Help me.
• Reassure me.

Let’s break down each one.

Thrill me

When people come to search engines with this need, they are often at the earliest part of their search journey. 

“Search is a quick adventure to find new things. It is brief, with just a few words and minimal back-button use.”

Customers might be looking for ideas, inspiration, examples, entertainment, visualization success stories, case studies and more.

This is often where brands can use other media, such as social media, to grab the attention of consumers.

Surprise me 

Searchers using Google with “surprise me” needs are looking for inspiration. 

“Search is fun and entertaining. It is extensive with many unique iterations.”

It’s likely that these keywords are early on in a consumer search journey. This is similar to the “thrill me” search terms but usually more broad. 

A lot of TikTok content will be consumed this way. With a consumer searching for trending products and information. 

Educate me

People who are looking for education search for items such as reviews and comparisons.

“Search is about competence and control. It is thorough: reviews, ratings, comparisons, etc.”

They can seek out ratings and look for vendor experience, expertise, knowledge and authority. Which can come in the form of information and credentials.

It’s here that a brand should focus on displaying their E-E-A-T on their site and it’s likely that these keywords are used for customers who are placing brands in their consideration set.

Impress me

Here, consumers look for status, knowledge and experience.

“Search is about influencing and winning. It is laser-focused, using specific phrases.”

Many searches here are where a consumer knows exactly what they want. Luxury items will live in this sector, but consumers are also seeking out higher-end goods or services. 

Help me

If a searcher needs help, they often seek advice, tools, templates and answers. 

“Search is about connecting and practicality. It is to-the-point and more likely to mention family or location.”

The searchers have a definite problem and possibly an urgent need. SaaS platforms often win in this range of needs. So do local ‘emergency’ vendors such as plumbers and electricians. 

But content can live here too. If you’re a SaaS platform that connects plumbers to locals in need, you could create content that teaches people how to solve their own problems.

By seeing what it entails and thinking, “This looks too much like hard work,” you have framed them for the next step: using your services.

Reassure me

Finally, “reassure me” keywords are related to support, answers and aftercare.

“Search is about simplicity, comfort and trust. It is uncomplicated and more likely to include questions.”

A huge number of medical and legal searches exist for this search need. 

For many, it’s easy to dismiss this part of the buyer’s journey, as you might find in your research that these types of keywords are post-purchase.

However, these keywords can have a huge business impact if you can reduce support calls and even complaints.

At this stage of the journey, we are analyzing our search data and identifying our consumers’ search needs. You will probably see a pattern emerge.

For example, if you sell garden furniture, you’ll probably see consumers looking for inspiration and ideas more.

In the beauty industry, people might focus more on cost and finding treatment locations near them. 

Regardless of your niche, you have now taken your consumer and search data and placed it in the context of search needs. My advice would be to build this out on a spreadsheet or other board tool.

Run through your head, medium and tail keywords earlier and assign them to each search needs.

Once you’ve done this, it’s time to look at the assets you can create to satisfy these search needs.

Dig deeper: Rethinking your keyword strategy: Why optimizing for search intent matters

Selecting your keyword assets

To identify and select your keyword assets, you will build two keyword lists:

• Exploration keywords
  • These are the keywords that a buyer will use at the beginning of their search journey.
• Evaluation Keywords
  • These are the keywords used to decided if your products or services and brand are for them.

We’ve established that:

• The messy middle consists of two key stages where we can engage.
• At each stage, users have distinct needs, which can be categorized into six main types. 

Using the data we’ve gathered, we can begin developing solutions tailored to these consumer needs.

To start, we can organize these search needs into two groups: exploration and evaluation. 

Keep in mind that there may be overlap between the two, and the categorization will vary depending on the specifics of each business.

Here’s an example of how this might look:

• Exploration keywords
  • “Educate me” keywords (list them under)
  • “Thrill me” keywords
  • “Surprise” me keywords
  • “Help me” keywords
• Evaluation keywords
  • “Impress me” keywords
  • “Educate me” keywords
  • “Thrill me” keywords
  • “Reassure me” keywords

Based on your data, you can start populating your buckets as you meet the search needs of your consumers.

For example, your data might show that your customers need education and you will create guides to match this search intent.

Or perhaps a dedicated review section of your website needs to be created to gather customer testimonials.

The aim here is consider the assets you could create to meet your consumer’s search needs based on your data. 

Here are some ideas:

• How to guides.
• Knowledge centers.
• Landing pages.
• Tools.
• Calculators.
• Templates.

Each keyword should have a asset aligned with it.

Once you’ve done this, we move into the final stage.

The manual keyword research process

This is the part where most keyword research guides begin, and ours will end.

The reason is simple: as an SEO, you’ll use many different tools throughout your career. 

It’s important to develop a keyword research process that works independently of any specific tool but can be applied to all of them.

What matters is the process and not the search tool.

Filter through your data to establish commercial viability for keywords and assets. Here’s how.

Establishing keyword viability 

At this point, you should have two lists for Exploration and Evaluation.

Under each section, you will see a list of assets you have decided to create.

And for each asset, you’ll have a list of keywords that each asset targets.

Let’s say your research showed that people were searching for how much something costs.

You’ve identified that an online calculation tool would meet consumer search needs.

The purpose of your manual keyword research is to review the keyword to look from a business viability basis.

You’ll need to consider the search volume available, your internal resources and the time/ cost of ranking for that keyword. You should also consider the potential rewards for the business.

This will depend from business to business, but at the end of the process, you’ll have identified assets you can create for consumers that meet their search needs. And you’ll be better placed to gain buy in from stakeholders.

Conclusion

If you made it to the end of this article, you deserve a medal.

Establishing a revenue-focused keyword research process that aligns with consumer needs greatly stacks the odds in your favor.

Here’s a final recap of the process:

• Build your keyword strategy: This involves setting SMART goals, considering the client’s budget and resources and understanding the competitive landscape.
• Customer and competitor keyword research: Gather data from various sources, such as customer data, search console data, paid search data and keyword research tools, to understand customer search behavior and intent. Tools like ChatGPT can also be leveraged to generate keyword ideas and analyze market trends.
• Map your buyers’ keyword journey: Understand the customer’s search journey from initial exploration to final purchase, categorizing keywords into head terms, body or medium-tail keywords and long-tail search terms.
• Keyword ideation: Identify keywords that match customer needs, aligning them with the six needs identified by Kantar’s research.
• Select your keyword assets: Create two keyword lists – exploration keywords and evaluation keywords – and identify the type of content or assets that best address these needs (e.g., guides, reviews, landing pages, tools, etc.).
• Asset viability (manual keyword research): Evaluate the commercial viability of keywords and assets, considering factors like search volume, internal resources, time/cost of ranking and potential business rewards.

Do this, and you’ll have a great keyword research approach to help you generate ranking and traffic that drives revenue.

Dig deeper: B2B keyword research: A comprehensive guide

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing