When Search Engines Do……Search Marketing

Joseph Morin

PresidentBoost Search Marketing

My Background

• SEO Consultant for past 5 years• Former in-house Director of Search for

Autobytel for 2 years• Former Private Investigator focusing on

competitive intelligence, intellectual property and trademark infringement

• Moderator – In-House and SEO Events Forums at forums.searchenginewatch.com

• Official Party Coordinator for SES

Session Background

• Lunch w/Yahoo

• I have a few search engines as clients

• Wouldn’t it be funny if…?

• Late night email to Danny (by Dave)

• Fortunately Business.com and Local.com agreed to the session.

• Todd mentioned the Why, here is the How• With 65,000 categories – laborious process• Every category ended with “…Information at

Business.com”• New focus on core directory• Streamline directory to channel strength of the

page• Correct canonical issues

• In addition to renaming the main directory categories, keyword research was conducted using multiple methods:

• Our own directory’s conversion rate and ROI• Wordtracker• Keyword Discovery• Yahoo and Google Keyword suggestion tools• End user paid directory listings – leverage the

SEO’s out there ;)

• With new keyword research in place, now the slow process of roll out changes begins

• Core content is moving closer to root domain

• Less clicks to contents increases conversion and adds to page strength

• More ‘bang for the buck’ for our paid listings – higher conversion

• Canonical issues corrections• Internal link popularity is channeled to the

home page• Redirect strategies include 301’s where

needed• Highest page strength is directed to the

business directory

• Background – new local search engine launched approximately 1 year ago

• Search Engine and Directory

• Challenging directory structure - every imaginable local business

• Even search engines need to understand SEO

• Robots.txt issue were preventing crawls

• Redirects made were 302’s instead of 301’s

• Major canonical issues

• Internal link popularity was being sent to multiple places:• Local.com• Local.com/• www.local.com• www.local.com/index.html• When sent to the right location (www.local.com)

sometimes done with a 302

• Renewed focus on core directory

• Leveraging internal link popularity

• Adding more local content for more relevance

• Better job at geotargeting - robots

Coopetition

• Search engines are learning how to play on each other

• Sometimes they play with each other– “SES Party Rule #1” in 2003

Sometimes the Search Engines……Even work together

Sometimes the Search Engines……Even work together

Party TonightSEARCHBASH 3

Sponsored by:

Bruce Clay, Inc. Looksmart Moniker Position Tech True Local Webmaster Radio

Location: Studio 8

8 South First StreetSan Jose, CA 95113

Thank You

Contact info:

Joseph Morin

Boost Search Marketing

Irvine, CA• www.boostranking.com• Joe@boostranking.com• http://equitymind.blogspot.com