This is a training presentation deck I developed for educating our internal marketers and external agencies on Search Engine Marketing (SEO and SEA etc).

1. Digital Marketing: From Monologue to Dialogue – Search Engine Marketing Martin Walsh Digital Marketing Director

2. What we want to achieve Microsoft web pages to appear in the natural search results Why? To promote our products / services and drive cost efficiencies

5. Where does Search fit into the marketing mix?

6. Search and the Purchase Funnel Awareness Consideration Intent to Interact Conversion TVC / Print / Radio / Outdoor Digital – Display / eDM / Partnerships Search Marketing Website

7. SEO Decision Funnel As a visitor refines their search criteria, there are certain patterns that emerge in their queries.

8. SEM Strategy MIX With so many tactical options available to today's search marketer, it can sometimes be difficult to determine which approaches are best for achieving specific goals. Should press releases be optimized for increased brand awareness? Or, will a PPC (Pay per click) campaign achieve better results?

9. Search Marketing Overview

10. The World of Search Search engine results aren't realized simply from optimizing your website anymore. Gaining an understanding of the multi-channel nature of the Internet is key to successful online marketing campaigns.

11. People Streams A common misperception about search marketing is that it consists only of on-page optimization. In reality, SEM touches countless online channels with the ultimate goal of bringing targeted traffic to a web site. This infographic illustrates the number of channels that search marketing taps into - in addition to search engines - to deliver the right people to your content.

12. Web Search Strategies in Plain Englishby Common Craft http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=CWHPf00Jkqg

13. The Value of SEM Many cases can be made for different types of effective advertising. But what makes search engine marketing stand out from the rest? This infographic demonstrates the mindset of the buyer and their ability to easily convert while in the medium.

14. Search Engine Click-thru Behaviour Most people still prefer listings found on the first page of results, but as users become more savvy, they realize that sometimes better results can be found by looking further into the search result pages.

15. Traffic Bumps Collectively, segmented marketing initiatives will help increase your baseline traffic over time. The traffic bump infographic demonstrates the potential of gaining loyal readers with every marketing initiative.

16. Search Benefits of the Blogosphere There are many aspects of the blogosphere that make it attractive to search marketers: the sharing and distribution of content, the potential for viral marketing and link bait, and the associated linking opportunities. But, so much more goes into the relationship we have with blog communities. This infographic describes both the tangible and intangible benefits of engaging with the blogosphere.

17. The Impact of Social Media on Search Results A search engine marketing campaign isn't complete without including some elements of social media. While engaging in social media alone can provide impressive results, this week's infographic illustrates how properly planned tactics can have a positive impact on your search results.

18. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Search Engine Advertising (SEA) Search Marketing Defined Improving the visibilityof your website and increasing website trafficby placing your brand in front of consumers when searching for relevant products and services in Search Engines

19. Search Engine Advertising SEA Advertisers pay on a cost per visitor basis for traffic delivered to their site through Search Engine listings

20. Search Engine Advertising The Anatomy of Successful PPC Ads Although occasionally used on its own, paid search can be a great complement to an organic optimization strategy. Research has shown that having a presence in both natural and paid results increases the overall likelihood of receiving a click. This infographic breaks down some of the main ways in which PPC advertisers can positively affect campaign click-through rates.

21. SEA: How it works? Keyword List Creation Develop list of search terms based on campaign goals. Don’t overlap with other campaigns 1 Targeted Messaging Write tailored, relevant and compelling ad copy 2 microsoft office suite office software microsoft office word microsoft office student standard edition ms office Landing Page Optimisation Identify, create and optimise the ideal landing page for each ad 3

22. SEA: How it works? Keyword List Creation Develop list of search terms based on campaign goals. Don’t overlap with other campaigns 1 Microsoft Office Low prices on Microsoft Office Fast Delivery. Buy Now & Save! www.ht.com.au Targeted Messaging Write tailored, relevant and compelling ad copy 2 Landing Page Optimisation Identify, create and optimise the ideal landing page for each ad 3

23. SEA: How it works? Keyword List Creation Develop list of search terms based on campaign goals. Don’t overlap with other campaigns 1 Targeted Messaging Write tailored, relevant and compelling ad copy 2 Landing Page Optimisation Identify, create and optimise the ideal landing page for each ad 3

24. Contextual Targeting Contextual Targeting Paid Search ads appear alongside contextually relevant content Search Engines will determine when ads are relevant and automatically serve ads

25. SEO: Search Engine Optimisation SEO Websites are ranked by relevancy according to search engine algorithms (i.e. a compliance checklist) Affected by website design.

26. The ROI of SEO Organic optimization brings more than just results in the search engines. This infographic illustrates the additional benefits and return on investment that comes along with properly optimizing a site and pursuing targeted keywords.

27. SEO: What does it involve? Ensure the site design enables search engines to find & crawl the site Create a compelling page summary including a call to action – this will appear in the search listings Write interesting and informative page content Use page headings and sub headings to identify key topics and themes Build up the number of relevant links pointing to the site (partners, social media, online press releases etc) Monitor performance and keep optimising Popular search terms can change over time Search engines will change the way they determine relevance Competitors can become more aggressive

28. Create Compelling Title & Meta Description tags High rankings aren’t everything – consumers need to be compelled enough to click on the listing Title tag will appear as the clickable link in search results Meta description tags are often used as the page summary in search results Best Practices for Title & Meta Data Title tags should be 65 characters or less Description tags should be 155 characters or less The description should read as a complete sentence and include a call to action

29. Compelling Meta Data in Action Key Features Short call to action (“try it free for 30 days”) Title stands on its own Description starts with a verb Description reads as a complete sentence Results 11% increase in leads from search phrases that were optimised Dynamics saw a 3% uplift in search engine traffic

30. Content – What to avoid 1 Title tag has not been optimised 2 Page content is minimal Content hidden behind forms 3 4 Text used within an image Internal site linking is poor 5 Page heading is not optimised 6

31. Content – What to avoid 1 Title tag has not been optimised 2 Page content is minimal Content hidden behind forms 3 4 Text used within an image Internal site linking is poor 5 Page heading is not optimised 6

32. Content – What to avoid 1 Title tag has not been optimised 2 Page content is minimal Content hidden behind forms 3 4 Text used within an image Internal site linking is poor 5 Page heading is not optimised 6

33. Content – What to avoid 1 Title tag has not been optimised 2 Page content is minimal Content hidden behind forms 3 4 Text used within an image Internal site linking is poor 5 Page heading is not optimised 6

34. Content – What to avoid 1 Title tag has not been optimised 2 Page content is minimal Content hidden behind forms 3 4 Text used within an image Internal site linking is poor 5 Page heading is not optimised 6

35. Content – What to avoid 1 Title tag has not been optimised 2 Page content is minimal Content hidden behind forms 3 4 Text used within an image Internal site linking is poor 5 Page heading is not optimised 6

36. Content – What works 1 Appropriate use of heading tags 2 Links through to relevant articles Use of relevant anchor text 3 4 Text link navigation

37. Content – What works 1 Appropriate use of heading tags 2 Links through to relevant articles Use of relevant anchor text 3 4 Text link navigation

38. Content – What works 1 Appropriate use of heading tags 2 Links through to relevant articles Use of relevant anchor text 3 4 Text link navigation

39. Content – What works 1 Appropriate use of heading tags 2 Links through to relevant articles Use of relevant anchor text 3 4 Text link navigation

40. Keyword Research When you begin the process of keyword research, the first step is to think like your target audience and how they would enter the phrases for what they are searching for.

41. Keyword Research This infographic details an essential element of keyword research: exploring conversations that are happening on the web. By combing through competitive and industry websites, relevant blog postings, and popular tag sites, new phrases are discovered and search frequencies can be determined.

42. Keyword Research Keyword research involves so much more than just looking up search frequencies. Critical factors such as budget restrictions, competition levels, and business strategy must be considered in order to develop a results-driven search marketing plan..

43. Getting Ranked: The Long Tail Keyword Equation Once an SEO gets to a certain level of expertise, he or she can typically select a list of key phrases and map out exactly what steps are necessary to get those phrases ranked. This infographic demonstrates what that equation for ranking success may look like for a long-tail phrase.

44. Long Tail SEO The strongest search marketing campaigns pursue rankings for a combination of high-traffic phrases that are likely to bring many visitors to the site as well as highly-specific, 3- or 4-word phrases that are more likely to convert a targeted buyer.

45. B2B Long Tail SEO It's hard to dispute that the Long Tail is an important concept in Search. A lot of times, though, we tend to think of the long tail as being a B2C concept by relating it to specific product names in ecommerce situations. But, it's just as relevant in the B2B world. One-word phrases bring businesses up against a lot of competition, but the benefit of increased traffic may outweigh the expense of ranking. On the flip side, credibility-building site assets like case studies can be optimized with longer-tail phrases in order to boost the probability of conversion. Where does your SEM campaign fit into the curve?

46. Link Juice Not all links are created equal. Most search marketers already know the answer. But, how do you differentiate between links to figure out which ones are better than others? This infographic visualizes the various site and link components that combine to form link juice.

47. Building Trust Through Search Marketing Additional Considerations 1 Site age 2 Site depth Social Media Optimisation 3 4 Brand Management

48. Brand & Reputation Management

49. Interactive Session

50. Your Team Task Use the SEO Analyzer tool to check your assigned page See what the pages will look like as a Search Result Listing Come up with an improved Page Title and Page Description Tags

51. SEO Analyzer Tool http://seoanalyzer.redmond.corp.microsoft.com/ Enter the URL you want to analyse here... This is what the page will look like as a Search Engine Result.

52. SEO Analyzer Tools - external http://www.seoworkers.com/tools/analyzer.html http://www.seocentro.com/tools/search-engines/metatag-analyzer.html

54. Title tags should be 65 characters or less

55. Description tags should be 155 characters or less

57. Answers – Tech Ed Ask yourself - what is this page all about? TitleMicrosoft Tech.Ed Australia 2008 – Developer Conference & Event (63chrs)DescriptionLearn more about Microsoft Technologies at Tech.Ed 2008. Connect with Developers, IT Professionals in Sydney Australia. For technical education, training register for this conference today. (153chrs)

59. Business Software

60. ERP Software

61. Sale Force Automation

63. Answers – Dynamics Ask yourself - what is this page all about? TitleDynamics - CRM & Supply Chain Software | Microsoft Australia (60chrs)DescriptionMicrosoft Dynamics is a Business Software Solution - CRM, Supply Chain Management, Finance & Accounting software. Compare us or demo a free trial today.(152chrs)

64. SEM Integration

65. Organic & Paid Search Synergy Objective Determine whether layering paid search activity with organic search listings will improve search performance Implementation Identified high ranking organic keywords; purchasing those same keywords via paid search to create dual listings within the search results, increasing the share of voice Result 35% increase in combined traffic Organic search traffic increased by 19% through layering of search activity +34.8% 19%

66. Impact of Natural Search Rank on Paid Quote Volumes Actual Quotes Quotes lost to natural search from improvement in natural search rank Natural Search Rank

67. Search & Display Synergy Consumers exposed to both Search and Display had higher conversion rates than just Search or Display alone Source: Figure 1: Atlas Institute, Overlap’s impact on Reach, Frequency and Conversions, June 2007; Figure 2: Atlas Institute, Impact of User Frequency on Conversion Rates

68. Brand Display Activity drove significant uplift in Brand searches 8.9% uplift in search volumes 90,000 80,000 70,000 Brand Online Doordrops 60,000 Inserts Press 50,000 TV Search Volume Rate 40,000 Base 30,000 20,000 10,000 0 09-Jul 23-Jul 02-Oct 16-Oct 30-Oct 02-Apr 16-Apr 30-Apr 08-Jan 22-Jan 11-Jun 25-Jun 05-Feb 19-Feb 05-Mar 19-Mar 07-Aug 21-Aug 04-Sep 18-Sep 06-Aug 20-Aug 13-Nov 27-Nov 11-Dec 25-Dec 14-May 28-May

69. Online Ads Boost Search Engagement Paid Search Clicks Online Ad Impressions Spikes in online ads are concurrent with spikes in paid search clicks indicating a direct link between online advertising and searches Online Ad Impressions Paid Search Clicks

70. TV’s Influence on Brand Search Sales 0 02-Jul 16-Jul 30-Jul 23-Apr 09-Apr 04-Jun 18-Jun 01-Jan 15-Jan 29-Jan 08-Jan 22-Jan 12-Mar 26-Mar 13-Aug 27-Aug 10-Sep 12-Feb 26-Feb 24-Sep 07-May 21-May Search sales increase with significant investment into TV Branded Search Sales Outdoor (small formats) Outdoor (large formats) TV Generic Search Base

71. TV’s Influence on Generic Search Sales Search sales increase with significant investment into TV Outdoor (small formats) Generic Search Sales TV Generic Search 0 16-Jul 02-Jul 30-Jul 23-Apr 04-Jun 18-Jun 08-Oct 22-Oct 09-Apr 01-Jan 15-Jan 29-Jan 12 Mar 13-Aug 10-Sep 12-Feb 27-Aug 26-Mar 26-Feb 24-Sep 07-May 21-May

72. TV Drives Conversion through Search Paid Search Conversion Rate National TV GRP’s Correlation=82.74% Conversion Rate TV GRP’s

73. Conversion Attribution Last click conversion attribution models do not accurately demonstrate impact of other channels earlier in the purchase pathway This chart illustrates a step-by-step ‘weighted conversion analysis’. Conversion influencers are factored into the analysis sequence – from the ‘last ad’ to frequency, multiple media channels, recency of ads, ad size and engagement with rich media ad formats. Source: Atlas

74. The Cadburys Gorilla: Engaging Users A 2007 UK TVC designed with the aim of going viral across the internet … http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=TnzFRV1LwIo … which it did

76. Over 2.5 million views on You Tube

77. Facebook groups with thousands of members

78. http://www.aglassandahalffullproductions.com Cadbury’s created a specific dynamic website, users could register to receive more information from the Cadbury Group

79. highest search volumes around ad launch Spike in search volume for related keywords

80. SEA used to drive users to the latest ad Google Universal search provides Cadbury’s with great branding Official Cadbury’s site developed for the campaign

81. Interactive Session

82. Case Study Microsoft Security

83. MS Security Portal Refresh Issues / Challenges: Security is not sexy!  Generally, customers only want help with security when they already have a problem like a virus, spyware, adware (reactive, negative perception) So they use a search engine to find answers to their security issue(s) MS Aus Security site not found in top 10 pages of search engines Not search optimised Unfriendly design Content not updated on a monthly basis

84. Previous Security Site … Too much going on, not a clean design Security alerts too technical so irrelevant to most visitors Old style LH nav Too much Ad-ware

85. Security Portal refresh objective Promote MS’s free tools & resources that help customers improve their security How? Increase search discoverability, hence increase monthly UU’s & visits Improve site design to be more user friendly Take a phased approach to the development & SEO activities Phase 1: content & crawlability Phase 2: linking & connections Phase 3: tweaking to maximise exposure

86. New security site – V1

87. The Process So far … Engaged Martin Walsh immediately for guidance on design elements & the brief before we briefed the agency Worked with Martin’s Online Analytics Lead and Producers on the key SEO elements and best practices Thoroughly researched key words using tools such as Google trends, competitor sites, media sites & most recent press articles (hot security topics) Worked with Martin Walsh and his team to finalise the design to create the best customer experience

88. Google Trends & Keywords www.google.com.au/trends

89. Key Search Learnings Invest the time, the returns will come… How customers, not you, will use the site (Martin Walsh and his team are brilliant at this!!) Determine keywords that customers will use Have relevant & interesting content, not the standard Corp crap. Republishing Corp content leads to keyword competition & we’ll lose to them Keep the content updated!!!!!! Design the site to take advantage of how the search engines work (Martin Walsh and his team are brilliant at this!!) It’s an ongoing process– not a set & forget activity. My site’s only been up for a month, but we’ve only just begun

90. Next Steps Flush old, out-of-date pages Link Building (link juice) Build links into Email Newsletters Work with DPE evangelists to include links to the Security on their blogs Continue to develop authorative links on 3rd party sites point to our Security pages Monitor Search traffic to the site Monitor and analyse which keywords are driving success events and end actions Monitor Security News site to pick up on the ‘buzz’ words, & update content on a regular basis Ongoing monthly optimisation for targeted keywords

91. Case Study Microsoft TechEd

92. The Tech.Ed 2008 website

93. Duplicate Content Issues This occurs when 2 (or more) URLs display the same content, like in our case:a) www.microsoft.com.au/teched/b) www.microsoft.com.au/teched/default.aspxc) microsoft.com.au/teched/ The SEO Issue a) This dilutes backlinksb) One of the pages will be dropped from the Search Index The Fix Use Permanent Redirection on all other URLs to single destination

94. Spider View of the Homepage Great for SEO Have Page Headings that are descriptive and that contain good keywords Bad for SEO This is set as a Heading 2 (<H2>) tag and this is poor practice and the word “Main Navigation” is not a popular search term. The Fix – Remove it, or demote it to normal paragraph text.

95. Don’t use “More” in links SEO Issue: Using “More” and “Click here” as link text does not pass on any keyword value to the destination pages. > See what you can Learn > Connect with other Developers > Explore Exhibitor’s Showcase The Fix: Use description text in links, this helps with SEO.

96. Spiders can only follow Text Links SEO Issues: Search Robots can only follow text links. Invisible to Search Robots These are all image links, hence the robot cannot crawl to any of this content.

97. Sources: Infographics – ELLIANCE

98. Any Questions? Martin Walsh Digital Marketing Director www.twitter.com/martinwalsh

100. 3 months to assist us in operationalising the centralised program