Finding a new pair of shoes via SEO

Today, our assignment is to compare keyword searches for two different companies and determine why one company appears at the top of the first page, and the other appears on the top of the fourth page (or #40 if you're counting) of a Google search. Then, we'll do a comparative search on other search engine sites such

as Yahoo and Bing. The goal is to determine why one company ranks higher in the search and the other does not based on the use of search engine techniques. What are they doing that is so different? And, let me throw out the warning message that I find this topic to be very over my head and very hard to determine, so I could be way off base.

The keyword I selected is one that is near and dear to my heart: shoes. Upon Googling shoes, the first company to appear at the top of the page is shoes.com. Right off the bat you can decipher that one of the reasons this particular company shoots to the top of the charts is because of the mention of the word "shoes" on its main page of its Web site. The word is mentioned more than 30 times on the site, including a "Top Searches" section which includes 19 mentions of the word (women's shoes, men's shoes, kids' shoes, etc.).


The company that appears on the fourth page is Dillard's. Compared to shoes.com, the word shoes is only mentioned once on the main page of Dillard's. Additionally, as you dig deeper into the site by clicking on the "shoes" link, the word still only appears twice. Because Dillard's is a department store offering a wide range of products for consumers, it isn't surprising that it appears farther down on the search list.

When searching "http://www.shoes.com", more than 12 million sites mention/link site on the Web, and more importantly, these links, in addition to mentioning the site, often mention our keyword "shoes." The site is mentioned in blogs, on other shopping sites, such as pricegrabber.com, and business.com -- all of which help to build the power of this particular site. Dillard's on the other hand is mentioned about half as many times. As noted in Rand Fishkin's Beginner's Guide to SEO, search engine optimization includes what he terms "stage four" where major search engines such as Bing and Google take into account the number of links a company has to other external sites (Fishkin, 2005). Because shoes.com is mentioned so often, the web spiders or "crawlers" scour the external sites and find that the company's site is linked to many other Web sites, so that in turn pushes it further up the list. Anchored text would be included as well since many blogs may refer specifically to shoes.com. In the case of this blog, my reference to Fishkin's guide would be an example. Mark Glaser agrees, noting that providing inbound and outbound links "enhances site visibility" (Glaser, 2008).

Tying into the previous paragraphy, Fishkin also discusses the idea of community when building or enhancing SEO. As social media continues to grow, so does the opportunity to for companies to help move their site higher in SEO rankings. For example, as consumers use Facebook and other blogs to discuss products, search engines pick up on the mentions made via these social networks. Both Dillard's and shoes.com promote the same social networking pages -- Facebook and Twitter. Dillards has less than 400 fans and shoes.com boasts more than 2,000 fans, so one could assume that because there are more fans on shoes.com's page, the company gets more mentions via sites such as Facebook.

When searching for the same keyword on Bing and Yahoo, shoes.com still appears at the top of both lists. However, Steve Madden now shows up on the fourth page of the search on Bing, while Macy's now appears on the fourth page of the Yahoo search. When using Ask.com for my search, I got completely different results for both pages. Appearing first on the page of Ask.com is Zappos.com, while an article on walking shoes comes up on the fourth page. I guess this is where my confusion really sets in -- why do different search engines turn up totally different results? I understand that companies play a major role in determining where they fall in the rankings, but if they are doing all of the "right" things, then why is it that they appear in different spots in the rankings?


References:

Fishkin, R. (2005, Dec. 5). Beginners guide to SEO. Retrieved January 18, 2010, from http://www.seomoz.org/article/bg1

Glaser, M. (2008, April 30). Nine tips to improve search engine optimization (SEO). Retrieved January 21, 2010, from http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2008/04/9-tips-to-improve-search-engine-optimization-seo121.html

Understanding the nuts and bolts of search engines

Web analytics is a challenging topic -- one that seems to change daily. With new software/resources and "black hat" tricks constantly taking shape, it's no wonder companies have trouble keeping up. Americans tap search engines more than 12 billion times a month to find everything from song lyrics and shoes to recipes and weight loss tips (Steiner, 2010). And data indicates that most visitors don't look past the first 10 or so search results. It’s easy to see why SEO is a hot topic.

Understanding how the various search engines work and what they look for when scouring the Web is a critical piece of the overall marketing strategy for today's business. Are consumers reading what you are sending? Do they click on links in your newsletter (or, better yet, do they even open it)? Web metrics is the key to understanding what your consumers want and need. Yet even companies who have this information may not always know what to do with it or, on some levels, they may not have the right people who can tell them what the information means. As Rand Fishkin notes in his beginner’s guide to SEO, search engines do have their limitations, so incorporating the “right moves” will help increase traffic to your site (Fishkin, 2005).

This week in class we were asked to do some searches of keywords to see where certain things fell in the Google search ranking. Because I spent a lot of time looking at Hasbro for class last semester, I decided to do a search for "toy companies." While Hasbro did show up as one of the top 10 listings, I found it very interesting that when looking at its Web site, the use of the word "toy" only shows up once on its main page. Wouldn't you think a toy company would use that word on its main Web page more than once?

Search engines pick up on the number of times a keyword is listed on a page or on the links found on other sites. It would probably be beneficial for Hasbro to incorporate the use of the word "toy" on its site so that when Web crawlers or "spiders" search through the hundreds of thousands of Web sites, Hasbro will move further up the search chain.

Another  interesting piece of information I picked up this week was the use of site maps in helping to move  a company's ranking higher on search engines. I had actually thought site maps had become passe. However, by mapping out a site layout for your Web page, you can identify key areas/key words that you want search engines to pick up and include those specific links on the site map. By adding the map to your main page, you have added more opportunities for a search engine to recognize those keywords, further enhancing your presence in searches via the Web.

There are numerous equations that decide where a company falls on the list of search engines. Paid advertising (search engine marketing), social media, and keywords are just a few pieces of that equation. As companies continue to struggle to make their organization the first stop on the search engines, strategic planning using the various tactics for search engine optimization must be in place (and constantly updated) in order to make that happen.

References:
Fishkin, R. (2005, Dec. 5). Beginners guide to SEO. Retrieved January 18, 2010, from http://www.seomoz.org/article/bg1

Steiner, C. (2010, Jan. 10). The latest tricks for getting found online. Forbes. Retrieved Jan. 12, 2010, from http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/12/search-engine-optimization-tactics-entrepreneurs-technology-seo.html

Driving down the winding roads of the digital highway

Greetings social media gurus, guests and wannabes (that would be me).  Well, here I am. Two classes down, three to go in the digital marketing communications program at West Virginia University. The fifteen-hour program is aimed at helping students navigate the "new" world of social and digital media in our ever-changing world. The courses are all taught online via a virtual classroom. It has been interesting, yet very challenging during the past six months to get a grasp on the many aspects of our digital world and how that relates to our day-to-day business.

During the past six months we've covered the basics of social media, as well as the latest marketing tips and strategies for social media marketing campaigns (I wonder if Hasbro was listening?). Social media is certainly an interesting topic. It has become a staple in our society, opening the windows of the world to people from all walks of life.

Now, we're hitting the "Ess" curve of Web analytics and metrics. Can't say that I am looking forward to it. I already have to get a dictionary out to decipher the information and filter through the various articles and information. I guess I'll just have to put on the driving gloves and try to maneuver the tricky curves, although I'm convinced I might need a more experienced driver to help me.

So, a little about me and my background...

When I'm not logged on having discussions with my classmates, I work in alumni relations where I oversee communications for our largest constituency. In this role, I help develop key messaging, write/edit content for the Web and other communications (press releases, e-newsletters, feature stories, video, etc.), monitor social media sites (Facebook, LinkedIn), assist with event planning, collaborate with other units within the university, and serve as the primary spokesperson for the organization. We are a very small group compared to other institutions, so you learn to wear many hats and juggle many things.

Before joining the university, I previously worked in corporate communications for a large energy company where much of my focus was on internal and crisis communications. Corporate America certainly has its benefits, most notably resources, so I was able to serve in a number of roles that provided me with great knowledge and experience, but I must say working for a non-proft has its advantages, and I certinaly don't miss those "middle of the night" calls or the lack of vacation (or the ability to take it). :)

Hope you will continue the journey with me down the winding roads of the digital highway.