OneSearch “Test & Learn”

Brands should leverage analytics to develop strategies to achieve holistic search performance

OneSearch testing can answer questions like:– What’s the optimal mix of paid & organic? How do we properly diversify traffic

sources to avoid overexposure to organic search volatility?– Can we boost paid search position to maintain lead/sales volume if organic position

falls? Can we drop paid search position for keywords that rank highly in organic search & still achieve our goals?

– Does dominating the SERP in both paid & organic boost traffic, sales/leads & brand awareness at an efficient cost?

“Test & Learn” Approach

Case Study

A Performics EMEA car manufacturer client wanted to discover the right balance between paid & organic search to maximize visibility, traffic & leads while minimizing costs

Performics conducted a three-month OneSearch test on generic keywords, using 3 different scenarios:

1. One-Channel Test: We didn’t bid on any keywords that had top (1–3 ranking) organic coverage

2. Pull-Back Test: When SEO position was 1–3, we ensured that paid search position was 4–6

3. Dominate Test: When SEO position was 1–3, we ensured that paid search position was also 1–3

How Do We Balance Paid & SEO?

The first two scenarios focused on decreasing paid search position when the client had high visibility in organic search

Results: “One-Channel” & “Pull-Back” We sought to determine whether SEO could

generate the traffic & conversions that would normally be driven through paid search

SEO traffic did increase; however, it didn’t pick up the slack from paid search:

86%decrease in Paid traffic

10%increase in SEO traffic

82%decrease in conversions

The third scenario focused on determining the gains achieved by dominating the SERP in both paid & organic search

This “dominate test” amplified performance for the generic keywords & drove both incremental traffic & conversions

Results: “Dominate” Initially, the dominate strategy was

expensive as cost-per-acquisition (CPAs) rose. But over time, CPAs decreased due to higher quality scores.

KEY FINDING: Both channels together = much high potency

542%increase in Paid traffic

241%increase in SEO traffic

380%increase in conversions

Case Study

A Performics U.S. lead-gen client sought to maximize holistic lead volume while protecting from organic search volatility

Performics measured lead volume for a group of generic, mission-critical keywords as paid & organic positions changed

We utilized a test/control methodology:1. Create test & control keyword pairs based on performance correlation2. Use control performance during the test period as a reflection of seasonality3. Apply the variance of control keyword performance to test performance, and measure

incremental lifts in test performance

How Do We Protect Against Organic Volatility?

A drop in organic position for the keywords caused a significant decrease in overall (joint paid & organic) leads

However, when organic position dropped, boosting paid search position made up for the loss in organic

The chart illustrates the steep drop in organic position. This drop was followed by an increase in paid position, which protected the brand from losing leads as a result of the organic volatility:

Findings