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Search Metrics

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic (by 2 people)   Your rating: 1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic

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Nothing is more important to search marketing success than tracking your progress. If you regularly track your key measurements, they will prompt you to do everything else required to succeed at search marketing.

Your measurements help you identify problems when they occur, causing you to take corrective action. But metrics have other value as well.

Strategic use of disappointing metrics can motivate your extended search team to do what you want them to, and motivate your executives to approve more campaigns to correct the problems. Sharing successful metrics can prove the value of search marketing to accomplish the same purposes.

So, whether the measurements are good news or bad news, you can use them to make your overall point--that we need to improve our search marketing.

Step #1: Assess Your Site's Content 

Is the content on your pages optimized for organic search?

Every page within the scope of your search marketing program must be checked regularly for compliance with your content standards (unique titles, keyword density, working links) and for inclusion in search indexes. Organic search landing pages for each keyword in your campaigns must be checked even more closely.

Step #2: Check Your Search Rankings 

Are you pages being shown high in the organic results list?

Each keyword in your search marketing campaigns must have its ranking within your targeted search engines verified on a regular basis to see if it is improving or degrading. Check your rankings and also check the rankings of your competitors.

Step #3: Monitor Search Referrals 

Are you getting the traffic you expected?

The number of visitors coming to your site from search engines must be routinely checked. All campaigns require even greater focus on search traffic referrals for their targeted keywords.

Step #4: Calculate Web Conversions 

Are you getting the conversions you need?

Ongoing reporting of successful Web conversions from search referrals proves the value of search marketing and sometimes identifies problems on your Web site outside of search marketing.

Get the Book That Shows you How to Track Your Search Marketing Success 

Search Engine Marketing, Inc. by Mike Moran and Bill Hunt

Search Engine Marketing, Inc.: Driving Search Traffic to Your Company's Web Site (Ibm Press)

Search Engine Marketing, Inc.: Driving Search Traffic to Your Company's Web Site (Ibm Press)

by Mike Moran, Bill Hunt

Amazon Price: $31.49 (as of 07/26/2008)

More about Web Metrics 

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mikemoran

About mikemoran

Co-author of Search Engine Marketing, Inc., Mike Moran is an IBM Distinguished Engineer with more than 20 years experience in search technology. He led the product team that developed the first commercial linguistic search engine in 1989, and has been granted four patents in search and retrieval technology. He led the original search marketing strategy for ibm.com, as well as the integration of ibm.com's site search technologies. Mike has worked on IBM's Web site for the past seven years and is currently the Manager of ibm.com Site Architecture. In addition to his search work, Mike has spearheaded ibm.com projects in Content Management, Personalization, and Web Metrics.

In addition to Mike&squo;s broad technical background, he holds an Advanced Certificate in Market Management Practice from the Royal UK Charter Institute of Marketing, helping him bridge the gap between technology and marketing concepts. He is a member of the Search Engine Marketing Council of the Direct Marketing Association and a frequent speaker at industry conferences, including Search Engine Strategies, AD:TECH, Consumer Reports WebWatch, OMMA East, and the Enterprise Search Summit. Mike can be reached through his Web site (mikemoran.com), which is also home to his Biznology newsletter and blog.

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