seo analysis - using web analytics to support seo
Post on 22-Oct-2014
2.712 views
DESCRIPTION
This is my talk on getting to grips with how you can use web analytics to support SEO analysis & performance. It is aimed at people who want to understand the role of web analytics for SEO and learn some tips & techniques to help their analysis. Contents: * Setting goals, objectives & KPIs * Benchmarking performance * Evaluating keyphrase performance * Evaluating external links * Evaluating assisted conversions * Interpreting data * Key takeaways * Useful resources This is part of Dave Chaffey's Smart Insights Digital Marketing Summit 2013, recorded on Friday 11th January at 12.00 (UK time). Thanks James Owner, Digital JugglerTRANSCRIPT
Digital Marketing Priorities 2013 Summit11th January 2013. Brought to you by:
Tips for using analytics to support SEO
James GurdOwnerDigital Juggler
This talk will discuss key ways to use web analytics techniques & tools to help you evaluate and improve your SEO performance.
2
Agenda Setting goals, objectives & KPIs Benchmarking your data Evaluating keyphrase performance Evaluating impact of external links Evaluating assisted conversions Interpreting your data Key take-aways Useful resources
3
About me >14 years’ e-commerce experience B2B/B2C, Client-side, Agency, Consultant Owner of Digital Juggler since 2009 Work with brands like House of Fraser,
Argos, Sweaty Betty, Smythson, The Watch Gallery…
Guest blogger for Smart Insights & Econsultancy
Author of industry best practice guides on E-commerce RFP, B2B Content Marketing, SEO, Landing Page Optimisation etc
Co-host of #ecomchat on Twitter (Mondays)
4
Setting goals, objectives & KPIs Give yourself clear targets
Goal – broad target e.g. Increase brand awareness
Objective – concrete & measurable e.g. Increase number of visitors using social sharing buttons by 100% within 2 months
KPI – measurement target
Volume / Value / Quality
Image from trendhunter.com
Volume Value Quality
Total visits Average order value
Bounce rate
Total newsletter sign-ups
Per Visit Value Conversion rate (basket-to-order)
5
Benchmarking your data
Why do you need to do this?
No clear focus = Poor decision making
6
Quick Poll
1. Free web analytics package e.g. Google Analytics.
2. Paid web analytics package e.g. Webtrends / Omniture etc.
3. Proprietary analytics package inc log files.
4. SEO specialist software e.g. Majestic SEO / SEOMoz / Raven Tools.
5. Other / None of the above
Which tools do you use to benchmark SEO data?
7
10 Steps to benchmarking data Step 1 – agree your KPIs Step 2 – map which tools contain data for each KPI Step 3 – Identify gaps & plug them Step 4 – define reporting requirements Step 5 – export historical data (ideally last 12 months) Step 6 – create KPI dashboard Step 7 – create helpful visuals (charts/graphs) for trends Step 8 – sense check data: valid? Step 9 – define data update schedule Step 10 – start collating new data!
8
Example: using Excel
9
Example: using Excel
10
Example: using Excel
11
Example: using Excel
12
Evaluating keyphrase performance
The obvious
Ranking Impressions Visits Click through rate Transactions Revenue Average order value Per Visit Value New vs. Return customers
Further reading from Smart Insights:
http://bit.ly/UD1FYQ
http://bit.ly/Woi95f
The overlooked - context
Top landing pages Relevance to landing page Share of market (% of total
searches) Revenue potential based on
increased market share Seasonality Market trends
Use keyword research tools like Google Keyword & Google Trends
13
Keyword opportunity gap
Work out where the ‘big wins’ are
14
Example: Advanced Web Ranking1
Plot ranking against competitors
2Monitor multiple keyphrase targets
3Monitor multiple search engines
15
Example: Google Analytics
Report: Traffic Sources > Sources > Search > Organic
16
Example: Google Analytics
Report: Traffic Sources > Sources > Search > Organic
17
Example: Google Analytics
Report: Traffic Sources > Sources > Search > Organic
18
Evaluating external links You need a full picture – rank /
traffic / value / impact Links aren’t just about keyword
rank Links also:
Drive traffic. Support customer acquisition &
retention. Increase brand awareness. Generate revenue. Provide competitive positioning.
Further reading from Smart Insights:
http://bit.ly/13dTG8D
What type of link works best for your
website?
19
Quick Poll
1. Specialist SEO software e.g. Majestic SEO / SEOMoz.
2. Free web analytics package e.g. Google Analytics.
3. Paid web analytics package e.g. Webtrends / Omniture etc.
4. Proprietary analytics package.
5. Other / None of the above.
Which tools do you use for external link analysis?
20
Example: Open Site Explorer1
Compare link portfolio against competitors
2Profile links based on link source authority (impact)
3Identify linking pages and anchor text
21
Top tip for link analysisAdd campaign tracking codes to each link so you can use analytics reports to evaluate the impact.
Useful tool:
Google Analytics URL builder.http://bit.ly/RCa1kU
22
Quick Poll
1. Yes – all the time
2. Occasionally
3. No
4. I don’t know!Do you use campaign tracking codes to support SEO analysis?
23
Evaluating assisted conversionsWhich keywords/phrases are giving your conversions a helping hand?
A visit from a matched search query doesn’t guarantee a conversion.
Buying cycles can be multi-stage. There are often time lags between
first interaction and final sale. Last click analysis misses the
bigger picture.
How do you calculate the ‘real’ impact of an organic keyphrase?
24
Example: Google Analytics
Report: Conversions > Multi-Channel Funnels > Top Conversion Paths
25
Example: Google Analytics
Report: Conversions > Multi-Channel Funnels > Top Conversion Paths
26
Interpreting your data Is your data trend positive, negative or neutral? Think about visitor intent:
What keyphrase has driven them here? What would they be expecting? What are the logical next steps to take? Are these steps being taken?
A decline in performance can have multiple causes: Internal – website conversion issues / poor campaign targeting External – industry decline / search engine algorithm update
Combine multiple data source to validate assumptions: Web analytics data – the ‘what’ Voice-of-customer – the ‘why’ Industry / Aggregate data
27
Quick Poll
1. Yes
2. No
3. Maybe – it depends on the context
4. I don’t know!Is a high bounce rate for a keyphrase a bad sign?
28
Example: bounce rate
A high bounce rate can be positive or negative
PositiveLocal search goes to local store landing page
NegativeOrganic listing for product keyphrase goes direct to product details page
Please note HoF webpages used only to illustrate the point, not as case studies as data on these pages unknown
29
Example: keyword market trends
Is your data in line with market trends?
30
Example: search engine updates
Are changes the result of industry developments?
31
Key take-aways Planning puts you in control Understand what you want to measure & why
before you start doing anything Make sure you benchmark data to give you
something to compare future performance against
Get your analysis toolkit set-up Do analysis regularly – be proactive as well
as reactive Learn to interpret data using context Stay in touch with industry news &
developments – SEO is fast moving
Image from phys.org
32
Useful resources
Smart Insights
James Gurd’s SEO article series (12 parts):
http://www.smartinsights.com/author/james-gurd/
Guide - 7 Steps to Successful SEO:
http://www.smartinsights.com/guides/seo-7-steps-to-success-guide/
Other industry resources
SEOMoz blog
http://www.seomoz.org/blog
Search Engine Land:
http://searchengineland.com/library/seo
Google Webmaster Central blog:
http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.co.uk
History of algorithm updates:
http://www.seomoz.org/google-algorithm-change
33
Thank you for joining inYour questions please
Please ask questions and rate this webcast
For more Answers to your Digital Marketing Questions use our free community
Best wishes for 2013!
http://www.smartinsights.com/answers
34
THANK YOU!
For more information:
E: [email protected]: +44 (0) 7794 539 399
W: digitaljuggler.comT: @jamesgurd
Keep an eye out for #ecomchat – weekly industry ecommerce chat – new topic every week