Search Engine News :: Optimise Web Sites for Organic Search: Integrated Search Planning - How Organic, Sponsored and Paid Search Optimize All Media Spends

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Integrated Search Planning - How Organic, Sponsored and Paid Search Optimize All Media Spends

MediaPost Publications - The Extreme Makeover of Integrated Search Planning - 09/28/2005 by Gord Hotchkiss: "Makeover of Integrated Search Planning

Hotchkiss reckons that "the line between our real world and our online world will have disappeared. The world's largest depository of information will be ours to have, whenever the mood strikes us. ...

Now comes search. There are billions of dots out there on the online landscape. Search is the quickest way to connect them...

So, if you're looking for the online intersection where you're most likely to intercept a prospective customer, it's search. I know you've heard that before, but really spend a couple of minutes thinking about it.

No matter what activity, what interest, what intention your target customers have, chances are very good that they're going to use a search engine today. It's like owning a billboard on the busiest intersection in the world.

So, let's get back to the riveting topic of integrated search planning. The rest of your marketing has one purpose: generate engaged interest. If it's successful, where does your prospect turn? Odds are very good that it will be a search engine. While they're there, you have about six-and-a-half seconds to catch their interest. If you're successful, you can then direct them to your site, where you have the opportunity to turn them into a lifetime customer."

He gives an example from the early days of sponsored search the company was a major sponsor of NASCAR racing spending millions ov their sponsored team. Online a separate site section was devoted to the team, with up-to-date standings, race stats and other information. But, for various reasons, the site had no search engine visibility. At the time the company could have owned the entire NASCAR bucket of keywords for a few thousand dollars a month. With a little site optimization, they could have also dominated the top organic search listings on the main search engines. They could have owned all online search traffic interested in NASCAR for less than 0.4% of their sponsorship budget, driving prospects to a heavily branded site, building loyalty and putting their prospective customers one click away from product information. Unfortunately, the company didn't get it; the executives passed on our proposal. My only hope is that somewhere, someone is still kicking himself for this decision."