Combining Paid Search & SEOIn Your Agency Marketing StrategyMasters of Marketing WebinarNovember 19, 2015#MastersMktgDylan BrooksSEO Coordinator

This Webinar Will Cover• What Paid Search can do for your insurance agency• What SEO can do for your insurance agency• How the two compliment each other to:• Grow the traffic on your insurance agency website• Better qualify the traffic on your insurance agency

website

A Quick Note• This webinar will not cover how to set up/manage a

Paid Search campaign or the fundamentals of SEO• I will include some resources on paid search and

SEO at the end of today’s presentation• These resources will also be included in the webinar

recap blog article on www.getitc.com

First Things First•What Is Paid Search?•What Is SEO?

Let’s Look at a Search Result Page…This search was for: “Dallas Special Event Insurance”Paid Search Ads

Organic Search Results

Paid Search• Ads placed in certain areas of search results• Advertisers only pay when someone clicks on their ad

• Paid search ads managed by search engines:• Google (Google AdWords)• Microsoft/Bing (Bing Ads)• Yahoo (Yahoo Gemini)

Paid Search Process1. Advertisers target relevant keywords• These are terms consumers are using in searches

2. Advertisers create search ads for keywords• These look like search result snippets

3. Advertisers tie ads to a page on their website• This landing page should match ad content

4. Modified auction determines ad placement• Auction takes place when a search features a keyword

the advertiser is bidding on

Paid Search Auction• Auction factors• Keyword bids• Ad relevance• Landing page quality

• Advertisers who can master this process tend to• See higher ad placements• Pay less for clicks on their target keyword• Get more conversions per click

Back to that Search Result Page…This search was for: “Dallas Special Event Insurance”

Paid Search Ads

Organic Search Results

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)• Optimize website to appear in search results• There is no charge for clicks on your search listing

• Search result placement is organic• This is determined by search engines based on relevance

• The goal is to build a website that:• Is visible to search engine crawler programs• Focuses on relevant topics• Best answers what a searcher is looking for

SEO Tactics• Naturally add keywords to website that match• Searcher intent• Agency objectives

• Create valuable content that• Focuses on relevant topics & answers questions• Earns links from other authoritative websites

• Ensure website is accessible to• Web visitors• Search engines

Paid Search vs. SEO

Paid Search

Benefits• Your ad can appear in

search results quickly.• By targeting the right

keywords, you can attract qualified consumers.• It doesn’t require excessive

maintenance.• It’s great for

seasonal/event-based campaigns.

Issues• It requires a large

budget.• Changing auction

conditions affect costs & performance.• Visitors to your website

don’t always convert.• Traffic to your website

dips when a campaign ends.

SEO

Benefits• You don’t have to pay for

clicks to your website.• Your agency can establish a

consistent presence in search results.• This presence can help

grow consumer trust.• You can align agency

branding with search terms valuable to consumers.

Issues• It takes a lot of time, effort

& strategy to succeed.• It can take a long time to

see consistent search engine visibility.• Low quality tactics or a

lack of a consistent effort can destroy both search engine & consumer trust.

So, Should I Choose Paid Search or SEO?

The Solution: Do Both

Have You Seen These Stats?• 34% of all U.S. website visits in Q3 of 2015 came

from organic searches (RKG Merkle)• 50.2% of all Internet ad revenue came from paid search ads in the first half of 2015 (Interactive Advertising Bureau)• Paid Search ad clicks 12% higher Y/Y, as of Q3 of

2015 (RKG Merkle)

Going Mobile• More than 50% of Google

searches worldwide come from mobile devices• Google now shows 3 ads at

top of mobile search results• Clicks on Google’s mobile

paid search ads up 106% Y/Y, as of Q3 of 2015 (RKG Merkle)

The Bottom Line• You can exponentially increase your agency’s search

visibility by combining Paid Search & SEO efforts.• With more consumers searching on mobile devices,

it’s important to combine Paid Search & SEO.• You will likely be able to attract a greater number of

qualified prospects by combining Paid Search & SEO.

How To Combine Paid Search & SEO

Combining Paid Search & SEO1. Determine website marketing strategy2. Set search visibility strategy3. Optimize website for search4. Add targeted paid search campaigns to

supplement search visibility efforts during growth period

Determine Website Marketing Strategy• Ask these questions:

1. Who (which consumers) am I looking to target?2. Which lines of insurance am I focusing on?3. What are my goals for website traffic growth?4. When do I hope to achieve this growth?5. How am I going to reach these goals?

• This is where SEO & Paid Search come into play

Set Search Visibility Strategy1. Determine questions your target consumers ask

about the specific lines of insurance you’re targeting.

2. Create valuable content that answers these questions.• This content can be:

• Blog articles• Product pages• Videos, graphics or tools

Optimize Website For Search1. Add relevant keywords for the lines of business

you’re targeting to your website content & page titles.

2. Include clear Calls to Action & tie them to relevant lead generation or quote forms.

3. Ensure the entire website is technically sound & visible to search engines.• You might need professional SEO help for some of this.

Add Targeted Paid Search Campaigns1. Determine campaign targets.2. Determine specific campaign goals.3. Create landing page to match targets & goals.4. Customize ads, keywords, schedule, geography &

more to match targets & goals.5. After a month, evaluate whether the campaign is

contributing to your website marketing goals.

Combining Paid Search & SEO1. Determine website marketing strategy2. Set search visibility strategy3. Optimize website for search4. Add targeted paid search campaigns to

supplement search visibility efforts during growth period

Why This Plan Works• You must determine an insurance agency website

marketing strategy first.• You set the foundation for long-term organic search

visibility growth early on.• Paid search acts as a short-term supplement.• If campaigns are effective, they’ll bring in extra traffic

while your site is gaining organic search traction.• If they’re ineffective, you can scrap them & double down

on your commitment to growing your website’s organic visibility.

Why This Plan Works• You must properly target your audience from the

get-go.• SEO & paid search then combine to:• Answer their questions• Serve their needs

• You can attract qualified prospects to your website — increasing the likelihood of conversions & improving ROI.

One More Thing…• Supplementing SEO initiatives with Paid Search

campaigns can help your website rank in organic results more quickly.• Although Google, Bing & Yahoo don’t give paid

search advertisers an organic search ranking boost…• They do tend to rank websites that get high visitor

engagement• If paid search campaigns bring converting traffic to your

agency website, this will boost visitor engagement on your site.• This scenario could indirectly improve your website’s

performance in the general search results.

Additional Resources• Google AdWords Help Center• https://support.google.com/adwords/?hl=en#topic=31190

71• Getting Started With Bing Ads• http://help.bingads.microsoft.com/apex/index/3/en-us/510

93/• The Beginners Guide To SEO• https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo

• These will all be included in the webinar recap blog article on http://www.getitc.com

Next Masters of Marketing• Techniques to Make Your Website More Effective• Presented by Amanda Oldham, Website Coordinator at ITC• Thursday, December 17th at 12:00 PM CST