3 Fundamental Rules of Search Marketing

It seems like when it comes to search marketing, the only thing constant is change. However, no matter what surprises the search engines serve up, the fundamentals of search remain the same. Here are three rules to help you build a strong foundation for your search program:

1. Know your customer

Successful marketing always begins with knowing who your customers are: Who are your different customer groups/segments? What do their profiles tell you about their motivations and pain-points? Which customers are influencers vs. buyers vs. users? And so forth.

For search, understanding your customers’ vocabulary is key, so step away from your bad “internal-speak” habits. Don’t take short-cuts when it comes to keyword research, and where possible reference keyword performance data to help build your understanding. You should be able to answer:

• Who are your customers?
• What are they interested in?
• What are they looking for?
• What words do they use?
• What do they type in when they are learning vs. buying vs. using?

2. Let data guide you

Search yields a lot of good data quickly. The key is not to just sit on the data, but use it to make informed decisions about what keywords you focus your time and money on. Ultimately, let the data guide you to get the best return on investment. Use search data to determine:

• What keywords are driving the most traffic?
• What keywords are driving the most conversions?
• What keywords have the best conversion rate?
• What are your golden keywords? (words that drive quantity and quality)

3. One plus one equals three

Although it’s easy to get caught up in day-to-day search details really quickly, every now and then you need to take a step back and remember that search is not a silo; it’s just one component in the overall promotional mix. This is important to keep in mind as you try to better understand the uplift you get through combined PPC and SEO efforts, and how other media can contribute towards your goals.