SEO is a constant changing process. Search engine updates keep the SEO community on its toes, and have caused the industry to reshape itself a lot over the past few years, even months. While SEO is an evolving industry / practice, certain best practices have held true and will continue to do so for many years. This presentation will provide a summary of long-term value SEO tactics that can be shared / evangelized throughout the organization for long-term growth of SEO for your brand. http://www.pmdigital.com/our_services/search_engine_optimization/

1. SEO for eCommerce Best Practices
Presented by Richard Chavez, PM Digital

2. Overview
SEO is a constant changing process that has caused the industry to
reshape itself. While SEO is an evolving industry / practice, certain best
practices have held true and will continue to do so for many years.
 About PM Digital
 Why SEO is so important for eCommerce
 Best Practices
 Technical
 Keyword Strategy
 Local SEO
 Competitive Analysis
 Analytics
 Cross-Channel Integration
 Case Study
 Key Takeaways 2

3. About PM Digital
 Digital Agency servicing clients in retail,
financial services, non-profit, CPG and more
 Primary service offerings: SEO, SEM, Email
Marketing, Social Media and Creative
 Clients include The North Face, Ulla Popken,
dELiA’s, Steve Madden and many more
 20 clients in the Internet Retailer Top 500
 Based in New York with offices in
Minneapolis, Columbia, SC and Scottsdale,
AZ
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4. Why SEO is so important for eCommerce
 Natural Search is “most
commonly used resource to
navigate websites,” 61% of
website traffic – Forrester1 Paid Search
 In March 2012 search drove 26% (SEM)
of all traffic to retail sites2
 Natural search is an earned
media that can provide low-cost,
long-term returns over time Natural
 Natural search is a larger barrier Search (SEO)
to entry for competitors
4
1. How Consumers Find Websites in 2011, Forrester
2. March 2012 Hitwise Clickstream (upstream, sites driving traffic to Shopping Sites)

5. SEO Best Practices – Three-Step Continuum
Crawl Walk Run
• Create entry paths for • Conduct keyword • Create connection
search engines to research to points from other on-
access product and understand how topic relevant sites to
category content consumers search for yours
• Site analysis to identify your products/services • Monitor competition
and solve technical • Apply researched • Analyze performance
obstacles keywords to the major • Make refinements as
• This is the first critical page elements necessary
step for a successful (titles, page copy, etc.)
• Integrate with other
SEO program ensuring the site’s
marketing channels
content reflects the
consumer voice • Constant evolving
process
5

6. Technical
Crawl Walk Run
• Create entry • Conduct keyword • Create connection
paths for search research to points from other
engines to access understand how on-topic relevant
product and consumers sites to yours (link
category content search for your acquisition)
 First critical step of SEO success!
• Site analysis to products/services • Monitor
identify and solve • Apply researched competition
technical keywords to the • Analyze
obstacles major page performance
 Search engines cannot access
• This is the first elements • Make refinements
critical step for a (titles, page as necessary
successful SEO copy, etc.) • Integrate with
program ensuring the site’s
content reflects other marketing
sites/content/keywords if technical barriers the consumer
voice
channels
• Constant evolving
process
exist
 Search engine bots only read content and
follow links, they can’t click or enter content
 “Content cannot be viral unless it’s visible!”
6

7. Most Critical Technical Obstacles
 Duplicate Content: two or more web
pages containing the same content on
different URLs
 Primary Causes:
 Session IDs
 Mirrored Sites
 Repetitive Meta Data and Titles
 Mobile Sites
 Products merchandised in multiple
categories (main category, new
arrivals, sale, etc.)
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8. Most Critical Technical Obstacles
Products merchandised in multiple categories
(main category, new arrivals, sale, etc.)
Eye Care (Category)
http://www.h2oplus.com/categ
ory/skin+care/eye+care.do
Sensitive Skin (Sub
Anti-Aging (Sub Category) Dark Circles (Sub Category) Category)
http://www.h2oplus.com/categ http://www.h2oplus.com/categ http://www.h2oplus.com/categ
ory/skin+care/anti-aging.do ory/skin+care/dark+circles.do ory/skin+care/sensitive+skin.d
o
Sea Results Eye Defense
Fortifying Serum (Product)
http://www.h2oplus.com/prod
uct/sea+results+eye+defense
+fortifying+serum.do
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Source: PM Digital search ranking report (1-10 = page 1, 11-20 = page 2, 21-30 = page 3, beyond page 3 =0)

9. Most Critical Technical Obstacles
 Flash: search engines have difficulty capturing
content within the Flash movie
 Most smartphones and tablets do not
render Flash
 Site Migrations: search equity gained from legacy
site (rankings, links, traffic, revenue) can be lost
 Search Equity Migration Strategy:
 Redirect old URLs to new
 Develop for Visibility (incorporate Viewed as
Googlebot
technical SEO best practices into site
build
 Integrate keyword strategy into
taxonomy
 Start early!
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10. Keyword Strategy
Crawl Walk Run
• Create entry • Conduct • Create
paths for keyword connection
 Gain an understanding of the consumer vernacular
search engines research to points from
to access understand how other on-topic
product and consumers relevant sites to
category search for your yours (link
content products/servic acquisition)
around core products and the needs they support to • Site analysis to
identify and
solve technical
es
• Apply
researched
• Monitor
competition
• Analyze
understand the consumer’s journey and the search
obstacles keywords to the performance
• This is the first major page • Make
critical step for elements refinements as
a successful (titles, page necessary
General Interest
SEO program copy, etc.)
• Integrate with
terms they use when shopping online (brand speak ensuring the
site’s content
reflects the
consumer voice
other marketing
channels
• Constant
Investigation evolving
vs. consumer speak) al
process
 The outcome is a view of the consumer decision Narrowi
process / sales funnel. The data can be used to align ng
Conversi
the keyword data to taxonomy, URL structure, on
navigation and product naming (e.g. “denim” vs. Search Demand1
“jeans”)
60,000
40,000
 The end results goal is brand awareness at each
20,000
0
stage of the sales funnel (think Progressive Jeans Denim
Insurance) 1. Estimated monthly search demand, exact-match, local, Google 10

11. SEO % of
SEO Visibility SEO % Clicks SEO % of Rev.
Keyword Strategy Pg 1 (1-3) 91%
Orders
93% 93%
 Recommended Actions: Pg 1 (4-10)
Pg 2
7.83%
0.22%
6.50%
0.17%
6.59%
0.13%
 Apply researched keywords to titles, Beyond Pg 2 0.95% 0.33% 0.28%
meta data, body copy, links Source: PM Digital SEO Performance Study by Keyword Ranking
 Monitor and continue to improve Keyword Share of Voice1
150
rankings 100
50
0
 Rankings matter!
 Optimize for your brand
 Maintain ownership of your brand 2
over retail partners, eBay and more
 Create content based on search
demand (FAQs, education articles,
comparison tools, etc.)
 Modify SEO tactics/strategy as needed
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1. Keyword Share of Voice (highest amount of first-page rankings on Google, Yahoo and Bing)
2. Downstream Websites (organic clicks, 12-wks), Hitwise, sites receiving highest amount of SEO traffic

12. Linking Strategy
Crawl Walk Run
• Create entry • Conduct • Create
paths for keyword connection
 Search engines consider links from other
search engines research to points from
to access understand how other on-topic
product and consumers relevant sites to
category search for your yours (link
content products/servic acquisition)
relevant sites as votes of trust for the site in • Site analysis to
identify and
es
• Apply
• Monitor
competition
solve technical researched • Analyze
question obstacles
• This is the first
critical step for
keywords to the
major page
elements
performance
• Make
refinements as
 Creating new connection points from on-topic
a successful (titles, page necessary
SEO program copy, etc.)
• Integrate with
ensuring the
other marketing
site’s content
channels
reflects the
relevant sites to your site will not only create new consumer voice • Constant
evolving
process
relevant entry points for search engines but help
introduce the brand to new customers
 The most important element to consider when
obtaining links is Quality over Quantity
 Think about the placement of your brand in terms
of link partners. If the site supports/compliments
your brand then it may be a good placement (i.e.
a fashion blog for a women’s retailer)
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13. Linking Strategy
 Recommended Actions for Linking:
 Secure links from business partners (be
transparent as to why), avoid Home Depot’s
recent linking mistake
 Develop relationships with influential bloggers
in your industry (fashion, health, etc.) offer to
share content for them to publish (this takes
time)
 Optimize social profiles and videos and link to
your site (Facebook, Twitter, Google+,
YouTube, Flickr, Pinterest)
 Local sites (Yelp, Urbanspoon, IYPs,
Local.com, BBB)
 Top rated directories
 Never pay for links or offer discounts for links 13

14. Local Search
Crawl Walk Run
• Create entry • Conduct • Create
paths for keyword connection
search engines research to points from
to access understand how other on-topic
 “To succeed, marketers need to craft a product and
category
content
consumers
search for your
products/servic
relevant sites to
yours (link
acquisition)
• Site analysis to es • Monitor
comprehensive local search advertising identify and
solve technical
obstacles
• Apply
researched
keywords to the
competition
• Analyze
performance
strategy to reach consumers who hop, for • This is the first
critical step for
a successful
major page
elements
(titles, page
• Make
refinements as
necessary
SEO program copy, etc.)
• Integrate with
example, from MapQuest to Internet yellow ensuring the
site’s content
reflects the
other marketing
channels
• Constant
consumer voice
pages (IYP) and then to their favorite search evolving
process
engine.” ~Forrester Research
 While primary KPIs/goals may be for online
conversion, several consumers search online
and purchase offline (~63%)1
 Local store options do appear frequently in
broader searches
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1. Importance of Search in Influencing Offline Buying, comScore

15. Local Search
 Recommended Actions:
 Create pages for each physical store,
link internally and optimize for the
following:
 Local searches by state and city
(target geo-specific keywords [brand
and non-brand])
 Submit store listings to Google,
Yahoo and Bing Places with
individual store URLs
 Benefits:
 More real estate in search result pages
 More brand ownership/corp. content
 Directs users to store page vs. home 15

16. Competitive Analysis Page
Brand

Comp 1

MODERAT
Comp 2

Comp 3

VERY
Optimization STRONG WEAK
E STRONG

 The competitive landscape is always shifting. Visibility

MODERATE
VERY
STRONG

WEAK

MODERATE
Reviewing competitors’ strengths and Technical


MODERAT
 
MODERATE STRONG STRONG
weaknesses relative to our own will help create a E
 
 
roadmap to grow natural search share of voice Traffic
MODERATE
VERY
STRONG
VERY
WEAK
STRONG
 Primary metrics to measure: Link  

VERY

STRONG STRONG MODERATE
 Keyword Rankings (individual keywords and
Analysis
STRONG

Average   
share of voice) Score MODERATE STRONG
MODERAT
E
STRONG
 Natural Search Traffic 2
Top Keyword Rankings1
150
100
50
0
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1. Keyword Ranking Share of Voice (highest amount of first-page rankings on Google, Yahoo and Bing)
2. Downstream Websites (organic clicks, 12-wks), Hitwise, sites receiving highest amount of SEO traffic

17. 1
Competitive Analysis
 Recommended Actions
 Leverage third-party sources to identify linking
opportunities, keyword strategies, content
strategy, etc.
 Review competitor and dealer partner sites for
optimization tactics 2
 Page titles
 Meta data 3
 On-page copy
1. Website Search Share (Shopping, Health & Beauty), organic clicks, 12-wks, Hitwise, sites receiving highest amount of SEO traffic
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2. Search Terms driving natural search traffic to Sephora, organic clicks, 12-wks, Hitwise
3. Top Backlinks Report (sites linking to Sephora.com), Majestic SEO

18. Analytics
Crawl Walk Run
• Create entry • Conduct • Create
paths for keyword connection
 Like any digital marketing channel, SEO online performance search engines
to access
product and
research to
understand how
consumers
points from
other on-topic
relevant sites to
category search for your yours (link
is 100% measurable content
• Site analysis to
identify and
products/servic
es
• Apply
acquisition)
• Monitor
competition
 Demonstrating tangible success is critical to grow the solve technical
obstacles
• This is the first
researched
keywords to the
major page
• Analyze
performance
• Make
critical step for elements refinements as
channel, gain enterprise support and integrate with other a successful
SEO program
(titles, page
copy, etc.)
ensuring the
necessary
• Integrate with
other marketing
site’s content
marketing channels reflects the
consumer voice
channels
• Constant
evolving
 Most analytics software programs (Google Analytics,
process
Coremetrics, Omniture) track SEO performance very well
based on traffic, orders, conversion rates, revenue sitewide,
by URL and keyword
 Third-party SEO tools (SEO Clarity, SyCara, BrightEdge,
SEOMoz, Majestic SEO) also provide valuable insights for
more advanced SEO measurement (brand vs. non-brand, link
analysis, % of SEO contribution and more)
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19. Analytics
 Recommended Core KPIs for SEO Measurement:
 Sitewide
 Traffic, Orders/Conversions, Revenue
 Brand vs. Non-Brand
 % of SEO to total traffic
 % of SEO to total revenue
 % of SEO to total conversions
 Average Order Value
 Growth in inbound links
 By Keyword
 Rankings across Google, Yahoo, Bing
 Top driving keywords (brand/non-brand)
 Traffic and Revenue
 Keyword Share of Voice1
 Natural Search Traffic Share of Voice2
 Create monthly dashboard to share throughout the org. 19
1. Available via SEO Clarity, Sycara, BrightEdge, Conductor
2. Available via Hitwise, comScore, Compete and others

20. Cross-Channel Integration Crawl
• Create
Walk
• Conduct
Run
• Create
entry keyword connectio
paths for research n points
search to from other
engines to on-topic
relevant
 In March 2012 search drove 26% of all traffic to SEO % SEO % of SEO % of SEM % SEM % of SEM % of
SEO Visibility
Clicks Orders Rev. Clicks Orders Rev.
retail sites, Social media drove 6% of all traffic to
retail sites1 Page 1 (1-3) 91% 93% 93% 58% 73% 73%
 Several brand campaigns no matter the channel Page 1 (4-10) 7.83% 6.50% 6.59% 10.08% 9.91% 9.91%
can create significant buzz / search demand. Page 2 0.22% 0.17% 0.13% 3.56% 2.03% 2.03%
Digital Marketing (SEO, SEM, Social) are great Beyond Page 2 0.95% 0.33% 0.28% 28.68% 14.90% 14.90%
mechanisms to support that demand Source: PM Digital SEO / SEM Performance Study by Keyword Ranking
 While part of the same channel, paid and natural
search have unique strategies, tactics and KPI’s
Search Demand Growth: Easy Button2
 Social media, PR also have significant influences
on SEO
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1. Clickstream (sites visited before), Shopping, Hitwise, March 2012
2. Search demand growth trend, Google Insights, Jan 2010 – Jan 2012

21. Cross-Channel Integration
 Recommended Actions:
 SEO / SEM data sharing
 SEO / SEM Blended Reporting (Quarterly)
 Optimize press releases (links, release elements, images, etc.)
 Optimize social profiles for core brand message and top non-brand
keywords and link to site (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest)
 Upload and optimize videos (YouTube, Vimeo)
 Upload product images to Flickr and Pinterest
 Leverage customer reviews (on your site [Power Reviews, BazaarVoice])
 Encourage customer reviews on their experience with your brand
(Bizrate, Epinions, etc.) data is integrated in search results
 Leverage search / keyword data to inform marketing strategy for other
channels, product naming, etc.
 Optimize for core messaging of marketing campaigns (top-down
approach) 21

22. Case Study
CHALLENGE:
 A site platform migration and rebuild:
 SEO risks based on loss of search visibility from new URLs, content changes, links
SOLUTION:
 PM Digital partnered with client to develop a SEO-friendly site structure that would
improve upon previous SEO efforts
 Conducted extensive keyword research and optimization that was integrated into the site
build process
 Migrated all existing brand-site URLs to the new site via 301 redirects transitioning all
existing search equity (rankings, link value) to the new site
RESULTS:
 Greatly improved SEO technical infrastructure
 Natural search traffic increased 98% (Q3 2010 – 2011 YOY)
 Natural search revenue increased 147% % (Q3 2010 – 2011 YOY) 22

23. Key Takeaways
 Remove technical obstacles to ensure proper search engine access
 Develop new sites with SEO as the foundation
 Use keyword search behavior data to optimize site, develop taxonomy, create content
 Monitor keyword ranking and modify SEO tactics as needed to increase visibility and
competitive share of voice
 Develop quality links over time from relevant sites
 Create pages for store locations and ensure they are linked internally
 Submit store listings to Google, Yahoo and Bing local
 Monitor competitors regularly for the following: keyword rankings, share of voice, traffic
and links
 Measure traffic, revenue and all pertinent KPIs via standard analytics and other tools if
necessary and share throughout the organization
 Share data from other channels and integrate learnings into SEO strategy and inform
other channels from search data
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24. Thank You
Richard Chavez
Sr. Director, SEO
PM Digital
212-851-8681
rchavez@pmdigital.com
www.pmdigital.com
Blog: http://blog.pmdigital.com/
Twitter: @PMDigital, @richardachavez
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