Rick BackusCPC Strategy Co-Founder & CEO

How To Depend Less on SEO

Joe Palko3dcart Chief Marketing Officer

WEBINAR HOUSEKEEPING

Webinar Recording & Questions

Stay tuned for recording emailQ&A following the presentationChat box to the right

Mary WeinsteinDirector of Content@MerryWhy

Founded in 2007 Manage over 35 Million in Ad Spend Top 50 Fastest Growing Company in San Diego We Create the Best eCommerce Content on the Planet

ABOUT CPC STRATEGY

Retail Search Resources: http://cpcstrategy.com/resources-retail-search/

WEBINAR HOUSEKEEPING

Rick Backus Co-Founder, CEO@CPC_Rick

Retail Search & Google Shopping Expert

Speaker at IRCE 2013 Speaker at SearchLove San Diego,

Boston Monthly Retail Contributor for

Search Engine Land Over 7 years working with

Ecommerce Merchants

WEBINAR HOUSEKEEPING

Joe PalkoChief Marketing Officer, 3dcartjoe.palko@3dcart.com

3dcart is one of the most popular shopping carts in ecommerce today with over 18000 stores

Ecommerce Expert since 2000 12 Years of Business Development

experience Over 3 years of Shopping Cart

experience

What We’ll Cover

Key Customer Acquisition Programs Increasing Conversions with the Retail

Funnel Customer Retention StrategiesGuest blogging & Google SEO

All Products

Google Product Listing Ads

Google Shopping Campaigns Guidehttp://bit.ly/1ftorAX

Google PLA Guide 2.0http://bit.ly/1kfuasp

ACQUISITION PROGRAMS

There are over 1 billion products on Google Shopping

Google PLA clicks increased 200% YOY since Sept (2012)

PLAs are available in 23 countries globally

Google Shopping Is Now Paid

Display ads have a 22% higher click-through rate than traditional text ads

Google Shopping accounted for 13.28% of Site Traffic (2013)

Google Shopping accounted for 12.21% of Site Revenue

#Tweetable Google PLA Facts

ACQUISITION PROGRAMS

2013 Google Ecommerce Research Studyhttp://bit.ly/1cRxftw

Bing Product Ads

CUSTOMER RETENTION STRATEGY

Product Ads, 22% of all retail paid clicks Utilize Bing’s search network with 510 million retail searches per month 100 Days to switch with GSC (Mary update)

Bing Product Ads Guide http://bit.ly/1iwFZc5

Bing Product Ads Webinar http://bit.ly/1lztuja

THE RETAIL FUNNEL

Convert

= Customer Retention

EDUCATE

CURATE

CONVERT

Mens Shoes

Nike Shoes

Nike Air Max +2013

Customer Retention Strategy

Build a product line or Build an experience

Building a Product Line:

Requires Unique Selling Proposition at the product level Requires high volume of product reviews You need a large network of distributers Profit growth is typically slower than building an experience As profit grows, pricing enforcement becomes a bigger challenge

CUSTOMER RETENTION STRATEGY

Building an Experience

Requires Unique Selling Proposition as a Seller Requires high volume of seller reviews Doesn’t work with commodity products (your customers won’t

care) Requires up-front capital and frequent innovation Experience must be consistent across the entire conversion funnel

CUSTOMER RETENTION STRATEGY

CPC STRATEGY

Retail Search Resources http://bit.ly/1g5PBXG

Questions for Rick?Rick@cpcstrategy.com@Rick_Backus

Is Guest Blogging Dead?Joe Palko - 3dcart CMOFollow us on Twitter @3dcart

What is Guest Blogging?

It’s basically submitting a blog post to be published on another blog, with the owner’s permission of course.

It’s a popular online marketing strategy... ● for search engine optimization

(SEO)● to establish credibility and

authority in your niche

How Does Guest Blogging Typically Work?

How Does Guest Blogging Typically Work?

Step 1- Look for authority blogs in your niche with good following. Step 2- Email the author to ask permission if you can post a guest blog. Give a proposed title and summary of your article. Step 3- Find out the terms regarding backlinks. Step 4- Write the article and incorporate one or two links that lead back to your own site. Sometimes you might have to place the link in your author bio. Step 5- Submit and say thank you in advance. Wait for the approval and publishing date.

Why Does Google Seem to Dislike Guest Blogging So Much These Days?

● Google wants to crack down on web spam

● so many crappy guest blog posts these days with low quality writing, unnatural and irrelevant links, and no-good websites

● plenty of spammy sites are utilizing guest blogging as a link-building strategy

What’s All the Rap on Guest Blogging’s Alleged Death?

● Google’s Matt Cutts recently announced that guest blogging is dead and it’s “hanging out with really bad company”

● caused link removal craze and plenty of varied reactions

● Matt Cutts followed up with another article saying there are still good reasons to do guest blogging

Can I Still Use Guest Blogging As A Way To Build Authority?YES, YOU CAN! Here are the reasons why:● Google can’t algorithmically tell the

difference between guest blogs and other posts.

● You’ll still gather new readers and followers if your content is good and relevant.

● It’s great for exposure, branding, and expanded reach.

● You can still build authority with just your name and business name even without any links

What Should I Look For When Guest Blogging?• Look for authority sites in your niche.

- Type blog URL into Open Site Explorer to double-check domain authority and link profile• Take note of your target audience and if that of the site matches

yours. • Check for engagement

- Are there many comments on recent articles?- Are there many followers on social media?- Are there regular posts and interaction with readers?

• Scrutinize the content and go for content-rich sites. • It’s okay to blog for a good website that doesn’t allow links.

How Should I Protect Myself?• If you’re the publisher, only

publish the good and relevant articles. No need to label as “guest posts” but simply include an author bio with the link. Check the link.

• If you’re the author, try to stay away from writing for guest blogging mills. Build a readership instead of mere links. Aim for brand awareness and building of relationships.

What If Something Goes Wrong?

● Have a Plan B, Plan C, Plan D, and so on…

- alternative SEO strategies- relationship-building techniques

● Continue to provide value for your own readers.

● Keep building authority and brand awareness, but minimize links.

● Make your followers, subscribers, and/or customers happy by providing great content, products, and/or services. Give freebies, interact, be friends with them, and have fun!

Thanks again!

CPC STRATEGY

Retail Search Resources http://cpcstrategy.com/resources-retail-search/

Questions? Suggestions? Contact@cpcstrategy.com@CPCStrategy