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Transform Marketing Through Audience-Based Search Tactics

5 Ways to Optimise Your Search Strategy

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Large portions of digital marketing budgets are dedicated to search optimisation. But it can be difficult to think about search data in a fresh, innovative way that your competitiors are not.

Most brands already track their keyword rankings, conduct keyword research, and optimise their organic and paid search performance accordingly.

However, more forward-thinking marketers use search data to identify fast-rising keywords, improve their internal search performance within affiliates (not only search engines like Google), and identify untapped audience segments.

This report breaks down how to do just that, with examples from Amazon, Adidas, TripAdvisor and more.

Introduction

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Audience-based Search for PPCIdentify high reach and high organic terms for quick wins.

Audience-based Search for Content & SEO Identify the long tail for onsite and social content.

Search by DeviceUsing a mobile-first approach and understanding how search differs by device.

Search by Product CategorySpot fast-moving product searches and keywords to inform your offering.

Internal Search on AffiliatesSearch analytics on third-party sites to improve brand-retailer partnerships

Table ofContents

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1 Audience Based Search for PPCIdentify high reach and high organic terms for quick wins.

5

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

Mar - 17 Apr - 17 May - 17 Jun - 17 Jul - 17 Aug - 17

Search data needs to holistically inform both your organic and paid strategies. Question is: how do you decide what to focus on organically and what to bid on?

In this chapter, we focus on paid search. We look at a real-life example where a market entrant has taken over a product category, and analyse how an incumbent can respond through audience-based data.

Harry’s - The Disruptor Brand Taking on the Male Grooming Category

Harry’s, a New York-based brand, has seen explosive growth since its establishment, offering high-quality shavers with innovative subscription plans. The brand entered the UK market in July 2017, using search as their top traffic source to their site. Display was also heavily utilised on Print and Social Media sites, like Daily Mail and Facebook, to attract new users.

Combining the hipster brand appeal and multi-channel entry tactics, Harry’s visit share in the male grooming category grew by 555% MoM. This was at the expense of market leader, Shavers UK, which saw a drop of 33% MoM.

Generating Quick Wins In Online Retail

In July, Shavers UK’s visit share dropped by 33% MoM, as Harry’s and Shave Kit grew by 280%+.

In August, Shavers UK regained share but Harry’s

maintained its position.

Online Market ShareMale Grooming Category

* Source: Hitwise Intelligence. Visit Share based on top 13 retailers and brands dedicated to male grooming.

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Additionally, Shavers UK can look at the wider skincare needs of their “lost” audience. Searches like “men exfoliator”, “blackhead remover” and “post balm shave” were also conducted, all at 100% organic click rates.

Armed with these insights, Shavers UK are then able to build a precise list of search terms that are relevant to their target audience, both shaving and skincare-related. By filtering terms with almost 100% organic rates, Shavers UK are able to bid on cost-effective terms with the highest possible reach.

Shavers UK, the Incumbent, Responds with Audience-based PPC

So, how can Shavers UK respond to this loss in market share? The incumbent can firstly identify who is their “lost” audience, i.e. people going to Harry’s site and NOT Shavers UK’s site. The below chart shows how this particular audience searched for shaving-related terms, which included “razors” and “razor stand” drawing high audience reach and high organic rates.

Paid Rate

Organic Rate

Harry’s (and not Shavers UK) Audience

Shaving Searches with High Reach Paid vs. Organic Rate

11 : 89“razors”

44 : 56“razors

online uk”

35 : 65“razor stand

ink well”

Skincare Searches with High Reach Paid vs. Organic Rate

0 : 100“men

exfoliator”

0 : 100“best mens blackhead remover”

0 : 100“nivea post balm shave”

Shavers UK could select

high reach and high organic terms in their

PPC

As these terms had 100% organic rates, Shavers UK could then target

in PPC

* Source: Hitwise Intelligence. Audience: Visits to Harrys.com and NOT Shavers.co.uk. Period: July and August 2017.

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2 Audience Based Search for Content & SEO Identify the long tail for onsite and social content.

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An audience-based approach also strengthens content reach (to the right customer!). But, how can a brand avoid the bidding race on ultra-competitive terms, and identify the long-tail that is relevant, high-value and high-reach?

How can TripAdvisor attract the Adventure Traveller?

Let’s say, TripAdvisor was assessing ways to grow their online market share. Over the peak month of January, 17.5% of the online population visited their site, which was significantly higher than other aggregators, Booking.com and Skyscanner.

But when we zoom into a key segment, the Adventure Traveller*, a different story emerges. Whilst TripAdvisor attracted a similar proportion of this group (at 17.8%), the Adventure Traveller was 5% more likely to visit Booking.com and 11% more likely to visit Skyscanner, compared to the general online population.

In addition, the Adventure Traveller was highly active on travel content sites, visiting Lonely Planet (15% more likely) and CN Traveller (13% more likely).

Identifying the Long Tail In the Travel Industry

The Adventure Traveller Visit Share to Travel Aggregators & Publisher Sites

Source: Hitwise and Kantar Media TGI, The Adventure Traveller is defined using Kantar Media TGI attitudinal variables, with household income of 70K+.

Find out more about our

Kantar Media TGI Partnership

here!

How is the Adventure Traveller defined?

The term “adventure” can mean different things to different people, from holidays off the beaten track to bungee jumping. To capture this mindset, we combined the following Kantar Media TGI variables and qualified the audience with household incomes of £70K+.

• “I am passionate about travelling” • “I would never think of taking a package holiday” • “I prefer to take holidays off the beaten track” • “I try to go somewhere different on holiday every time”

Site Online Population

Adventure Traveller

Trip Advisor UK 17.5% 17.8%

Booking.com 11.8% 12.4%

Skyscanner 6.7% 7.4%

Lonely Planet 1.5% 1.7%

CN Traveller 0.2% 0.2%

5% more likely to visit Booking.com and 11% more likely to visit Skyscanner.

15% more likely to read Lonely Planet and 13% more likely to read CN Traveller.

The Adventure Traveller is…

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Armed with this data, TripAdvisor could feed these search strings directly into their content, such as blogs on “Top Destinations Off The Beaten Track” featuring Orkney Islands.

TripAdvisor could also feature a video on social media on top things to do, accommodation and travel tips on these destinations.

CALL OUT

Identify the unique searches of the Adventure Traveller

How can TripAdvisor develop content that reaches the Adventure Traveller? Firstly, through an analysis of search terms. The beside chart looks at the top searches made by this segment, before clicking on a Travel site.

Top searches include “cheap holidays” and “holidays 2018”, but these terms also draw 40%+ paid rates.

To differentiate, TripAdvisor could instead identify the long tail of searches. Although lower in search share, the beside terms over-index by over 100 times than the general online population, including destinations like Orkney Islands, Bulgaria, Thailand and Cambodia.

Who is receiving the Adventure Traveller’s search traffic? Zooming into one of these destinations, “Orkney Islands” (and variations of this term), we can see that another aggregator, Trivago, gains over 6 times the search share than Trip Advisor.

Search Term Paid Rate

1 cheap flights 53%

2 cheap holidays 50%

3 holidays 2018 46%

4 last minute holidays 46%

5 sunshine holidays 63%

Search Term

1 Accommodation in the Orkney Islands

2 Weather La Clusaz

3 Holidays Bulgaria 2018

4 Thailand and Cambodia Tours

5 Elite Blu Apartment Warsaw

Top 5 Generic Searches

Top 100% Organic Searches

Top Travel Sites Visited After Searches for “Orkney Islands”

Trivago receives over 6X search traffic from “Orkney Islands” than TripAdvisor.

Source: Hitwise and Kantar Media TGI, The Adventure Traveller is defined using Kantar Media TGI attitudinal variables, with household income of 70K+.

By the Adventure Traveller

Site Search Share

1 Visit Orkney 21.5%

2 Holiday Lettings 19.0%

3 Cottage Guide 12.6%

4 Trivago 12.1%

…

8 TripAdvisor 2.1%

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3 Search by Device Using a mobile-first approach and understanding how search differs by device.

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Getting the mobile experience right has never been more apparent than before. Whilst content needs to be aligned from mobile to desktop, search marketing also needs to take into account the differing needs, i.e. search behaviours, by device. The below example illustrates these differences in retail banking.

Different Searches, Different Needs by Device

January is to a key period for retail banking, as consumers start to re-evaluate their finances after the Christmas shopping frenzy. Search activity around bank account comparisons and account switching begins to grow. In the previous January, action words like “switch banks” or “switch current accounts” were conducted more on desktop than on mobile.

Taking a Mobile First ApproachIn Retail Banking

Data Collection: Hitwise Custom Intelligence. Based on a portfolio of 374 bank account search terms, from 4 weeks to 21-Jan-2017.

Searches with “Switch”

Searches with “Open”

But when we delve into searches around opening a new account, mobile and desktop were almost on par. A search query like “open bank account online” was conducted more on a mobile device.

Search Terms

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switch banks

switch bank accounts

switch current account

switching banks

switch bank account

current account switch service

switch bank

switch accounts

current account switch guarantee

switching current accounts

Desktop Clicks

1.5%

1.0%

1.0%

1.0%

0.9%

0.5%

0.2%

0.2%

0.2%

0.1%

Mobile Clicks

0.7%

1.3%

0.5%

1.0%

0.4%

0.2%

0.3%

0.2%

0.0%

0.0%

Total 6.7% 4.7%

Search Terms

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open bank account online

open a bank account online

open bank account online uk

opening a bank account online

open a bank account

opening a bank account

open a basic bank account online

what do i need to open a bank account

open bank account

opening a current account

Desktop Clicks

1.8%

0.7%

0.5%

0.4%

0.3%

0.2%

0.2%

0.2%

0.2%

0.2%

Mobile Clicks

2.7%

0.4%

0.3%

0.3%

0.2%

0.2%

0.5%

0.2%

0.4%

0.2%

Total 5.4% 5.3%

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opening a uk bank account

opening bank account

open account online

open current account

online bank account opening

open basic bank account online

0.2%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

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88%

60%

55%

54%

53%

44%

23%

12%

40%

45%

46%

47%

56%

77%

76%

79%

83%

87%

100%

24%

21%

17%

13%

cash account

children's account

general

current account

joint account

basic account

debit card

Desktop Organic rateDesktop Paid rate Mobile Organic rate Mobile Paid rate

Data Collection: Hitwise. Based on a portfolio of 374 bank account search terms, from 4 weeks to 21-Jan-2017.

Paid Search Opportunity on Mobile

For key bank account types, particularly debit cards and joint accounts, searches on mobile devices were also mostly organic. Only when we get to more niche searches, such as children’s account, do we find a higher organic rate on desktop.

Searches by Account TypeOrganic vs. Paid Clicks by Device

The paid search opportunity is still ripe on mobile devices, particularly for searches by specific bank account types. Retail banks need to ensure their content and search strategy is aligned to the customer’s journey on either device.

Basic searches on mobile are mostly organic.

Whereas, niche searches (e.g. children) have a high organic rate on desktop.

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4 Search By Product Category Spot fast-moving product searches and keywords to inform your offering.

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0.00%

0.01%

0.02%

0.03%

0.04%

Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct

% Se

arch

Clic

ks

Searches for Alcohol TypesTrend over the Past Year

Search is a key source of insight to inform a retailer’s product offering. By tracking fast-moving and high growth terms, retailers can gain an edge over the competition.

The below example shows how searches for “gin” (and different types of gin) have surged over 2017’s festive period, and looks at which supermarkets capitalised on this trend.

Category-level SearchIn the Supermarket Industry

Source: Hitwise Intelligence. 12 weeks ending 4-Nov-2017, YoY.

Searches for Alcohol Types

A year-on-year comparison on keywords around “gin” shows why this is the case.

New products, such as “ gin advent calendars” and “gin baubles”, and flavours like “pink gin” have taken hold, just prior to the Christmas silly season.

Top Rising Keywords Around “Gin”

Gin Vodka Rum Whisky Mulled Wine

Aldi launched the first Scottish Gin Festival and Lidl released their award-

winning pink gins in-store.

Flavours

Seasonal

Brands

Super-markets

Rhubarb

Pink

Ginger

3.82%

2.28%

1.37%

173%

175%

127%

Type Keyword Search Share YoY%

Calendar

Baubles

Advent

1.95%

0.99%

2.00%

106%

14185%

96%

Whitley

Manchester

Gordon

0.72%

0.59%

0.83%

177%

66%

25%

Aldi

Lidl

Tesco

1.52%

0.85%

1.72%

323%

164%

28%

Source: Hitwise. The above chart includes search variations of each alcohol type.

Gin Baubles went viral last year, with brands like Pickering’s releasing their new

batch, in time for the festive season.

The Seasonality of Alcohol

Searches for wine and spirits peaked over the festive season, then remained flat for the remainder of the year. All but gin. Searches for “gin” have rapidly increased over 2017, and was 93% higher in November than the previous year.

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Which Supermarkets Capitalised on the Gin Trend?

Lidl released their award-winning Christmas gins on 31-Oct. Aldi also launched the first Scottish Gin Festival on 2-Nov. As a result, searches for “Lidl gin” and “Aldi gin” grew by 732% and 133%, respectively, in the week of 04-Nov. Promotions were predominantly instore, but other supermarkets and retailers have benefited online. Although much lower in volume, “Amazon Gin” saw a 32% WoW rise the following week.

Source: Hitwise Intelligence. Searches made within Amazon, as a proportion of all searches over the specified week.

Additionally, only 38% of “lidl gin” searches went to their site directly, and 59% for “aldi gin”. The remaining traffic led predominantly to news and media sites. Amazon, on the other hand, had 100% of traffic from “amazon gin” searches go to their site.

“Gin” Searches on Amazon’s Site

How Amazon Informed their Product Offering

When we look at searches within Amazon’s site, a number of gin-related products significantly increased week-on-week. These included: gin glasses, miniatures, calendars and baubles.

The opportunity to benefit from a halo effect can be direct or indirect.

Amazon saw significant rises in searches for gin-related products, and not necessarily for gin brands.

Supermarket Gin Searches

0.0000%

0.0004%

0.0008%

0.0012%

14-Oct 21-Oct 28-Oct 04-Nov 11-Nov

Supermarket Gin SearchesWeekly Trend

“Lidl Gin” “Aldi Gin” “Amazon Gin”

Searches for “Lidl gin” and “Aldi gin” had grown 732% and 133%,

respectively, WoW.

The following week, although lower in volume, searches for “Amazon Gin”

grew by 32% WoW

Selected Gin Terms WoW %

gin

gin glasses

gin miniature

gin advent calendar 2017

gin gift

gin baubles

18%

51%

111%

59%

35%

68%

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5 Internal Searchon AffiliatesSearch analytics on third-party sites to improve brand-retailer partnerships

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Very few brands only sell direct and must rely on third parties, such as multi-brand retailers and affiliates. As a result, brands are left with little insight on their true performance, such as: how their brand performs vs. competitors, or how their products are converting on partner sites.

Internal search can shed light to some of these challenges by providing a keyhole view into a brand’s indirect customers. The following example shows how Amazon internal search could be used by Nike, particularly against key competitor, Adidas.

Benchmarking Searches by Brand on Amazon

Nike and Amazon announced a historic partnership in July 2017 to sell direct on the latter’s site, in efforts to curb resellers and counterfeit sales, just weeks before Amazon’s own Prime Day (10-11 July).

In the week of Prime Day, Nike saw a 27% WoW surge in searches going to their home page or product pages. This was at the expense of competitor brand, New Balance, which dropped by 57% . In contrast, direct competitor, Adidas’ search share still eclipsed at 38%, seeing an 11% rise WoW.

Internal Search to Inform Affiliates and Partnerships

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Onsite Search Share on Amazon

+11%

+27%

+2%-57% +25%

In the week of Prime Day, Nike grew 27% in searches on Amazon, vs. the competition.

* Shows week-on-week % change. Source: Hitwise 2017

Week ending 09/07/2017 Week ending 16/07/2017

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Digging into search queries on Amazon

To understand why, Nike could zoom one level deeper and understand the search queries that led to Adidas’ product or home pages.

Top searches to Adidas pages were branded, such as “Adidas performance ladies shows” and “women’s Adidas tops”. Adidas also won traffic from generic search, “running shoes”.

How can Nike respond? Nike could benchmark their top products on Amazon to identify product gaps. Nike could also push on Amazon their own running shoes, to win that generic search share.

0% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6% 7% 8% 9%

adidas towel

xxxl jacket adidas

adidas socks

adidas backpack

adidas trainers gazelle mens

adidas ultra boost

running shoes

adidas trainers

womens adidas tops

adidas performance ladies shoes

The 4th search term for Adidas on Amazon was unbranded.

* Week ending 09/07/2017. Source: Hitwise 2017

Top Searches for Adidas on Amazon

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