Jul 29, 2009
Adapt Your Search Marketing Campaign to Today’s Economic Climate
In today’s economic climate, it’s understandable that many people have adjusted their spending habits. When they go online, they are more apt to search for the best bargains and they tend to spend less overall. It is essential to adapt your SEO and search marketing campaign to these changes in order to continue to be successful through the thick and thin of the economy.
As consumers try to spend less money and save money when they do spend, the keywords they use on search engines to search for products and services also change. For example, you will find a lot more keyword variations that include the word, “cheap.” For example, in the travel sector, people are using a lot more keyword phrases like “cheap car rental” and “cheap flights.”
In the financial sector, keywords that have a lot more search volume during this economic crunch include, “mortgage,” “credit,” and “lending.” Such keywords are monetizing much better while keyword phrases that include the word, “loan,” are not performing as well, oddly enough.
Traffic patterns and online behavior are closely related to fluctuations in the economy. More people are searching online for financial information but that doesn’t mean that conversion rates are good. People are looking for financial information but are not interested in actually buying financial products, simply because lending criteria is so strict these days.
In the travel sector, keyword phrases that include the words, “cheap” and “discount” are performing well. However, keyword phrases that include the words, “hotel” and “cruise” are not performing as well as last year. And hotel keyword phrase combinations more commonly include location names rather than hotel brand names. In the past, more consumers searched for specific hotel brand names and were more brand-focused whereas now people are more focused on saving money on their hotel stays.
Strategies to Consider
In order to increase conversions in this economic climate and give frugal searchers what they are looking for, apply strategies that will help you fine tune your SEO and search marketing approach. When it comes to writing ad copy, make sure you stress that the prospect will get more value for their money rather than focusing on the brand. Copywriting that contains thrift-related messaging tends to be more successful.
If you work in the travel sector, aggressively target keyword phrases that stress discounts, bargains, and deals rather than keyword combinations related only to locations and brand names. If you have websites in the financial sector, keep up with all federal policies related to loan and credit because they will affect your traffic and conversions directly. The impact these policies have on the quality and quantity of your traffic will be immediate.
It’s no surprise that online consumer behavior directly reflects the state of our economy. Search marketers don’t necessarily have to tighten their belts along with the rest if they learn how to analyze this behavior and optimize performance. If you want to increase conversions, drive valuable traffic to your website at discounted prices, and increase your market share in important categories during unstable economic times, focus on ROI in your campaign and re-vamp your keyword strategy to ensure that it is targeted to frugal consumers.
As consumers try to spend less money and save money when they do spend, the keywords they use on search engines to search for products and services also change. For example, you will find a lot more keyword variations that include the word, “cheap.” For example, in the travel sector, people are using a lot more keyword phrases like “cheap car rental” and “cheap flights.”
In the financial sector, keywords that have a lot more search volume during this economic crunch include, “mortgage,” “credit,” and “lending.” Such keywords are monetizing much better while keyword phrases that include the word, “loan,” are not performing as well, oddly enough.
Traffic patterns and online behavior are closely related to fluctuations in the economy. More people are searching online for financial information but that doesn’t mean that conversion rates are good. People are looking for financial information but are not interested in actually buying financial products, simply because lending criteria is so strict these days.
In the travel sector, keyword phrases that include the words, “cheap” and “discount” are performing well. However, keyword phrases that include the words, “hotel” and “cruise” are not performing as well as last year. And hotel keyword phrase combinations more commonly include location names rather than hotel brand names. In the past, more consumers searched for specific hotel brand names and were more brand-focused whereas now people are more focused on saving money on their hotel stays.
Strategies to Consider
In order to increase conversions in this economic climate and give frugal searchers what they are looking for, apply strategies that will help you fine tune your SEO and search marketing approach. When it comes to writing ad copy, make sure you stress that the prospect will get more value for their money rather than focusing on the brand. Copywriting that contains thrift-related messaging tends to be more successful.
If you work in the travel sector, aggressively target keyword phrases that stress discounts, bargains, and deals rather than keyword combinations related only to locations and brand names. If you have websites in the financial sector, keep up with all federal policies related to loan and credit because they will affect your traffic and conversions directly. The impact these policies have on the quality and quantity of your traffic will be immediate.
It’s no surprise that online consumer behavior directly reflects the state of our economy. Search marketers don’t necessarily have to tighten their belts along with the rest if they learn how to analyze this behavior and optimize performance. If you want to increase conversions, drive valuable traffic to your website at discounted prices, and increase your market share in important categories during unstable economic times, focus on ROI in your campaign and re-vamp your keyword strategy to ensure that it is targeted to frugal consumers.
