New York | March 19–23

Paid Search Competitive AnalysisTake your competitive intelligence to the next level.

New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny

Traditional competitive analysis is flawed.

What can traditional competitive analysis tools provide?

• Keyword lists• Average cost per click• Average positions• Ad copy• Overall investment

None of this data is essential to your success. Why?

1. Consumers respond uniquely to your brand.

2. Your business goals are different.

Understanding a competitor’s keyword strategy is not essential to success.

New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny

Your brand is unique. So is your competitor’s.

Your logo here

Executing the same strategy will not achieve the same results.

Keyword list Consumer response

Even with the same keyword lists, the consumer response to your ads, landing pages, and overall brand will be unique.

Traffic Volume Click Through Rate Conversion Rate Total

Conversions

You 100k 2% 4% 80

Competitor 100k 1.5% 10% 150

How do consumers respond to the same keyword list?

New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny

Your business is unique. So is your competitor’s.Executing the same strategy will not achieve the same results.

What metrics determine success?Margin New Customers Total

Conversions

You 7% 60 150

Competitor 15% 20 150

Consumer response

Paid search success

Even the same consumer response will not lead to success. Your business goals are unique, therefore your metrics for success are unique.

New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny

Be a leader, not a follower.

Your logo here

Find out what your competitor isn’t doing, or how you can do it better.

Discover new market demand trends.

• Search queries• On-site search• Overall search trends• Organic queries• Product sales

Analyze your competitor’s brand experience.

• Ad copy relevancy• Landing page relevancy• Product offering• Site design• Promotions

New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny

Make your data work for you.The research tools you need are already in your hands.

Analyze your competitor’s brand experience.

• Search engines• Competitor’s site

Discover new market demand trends.

• Search engine reporting

• Internal analytics: SEO, on-site search, and products

• Web demand trend tools (i.e. Google Insights)

New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny

Case study: Uncovering a million dollar query.

Your logo here

Monitor and mine queries to stay ahead of your competitors.

• Noticed queries for a new product increase dramatically in late 2010.

• Verified the search trend by analyzing Google Insights data.

• Suggested to the client that they start to carry the product.

New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny

Case study: Uncovering a million dollar query.

Your logo here

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• Paid search sales from the new product alone contributed over $900k in the first six months.

• Much later, large retailers noticed the trend and began bidding on the same keywords.

Competitors begin carrying and marketing the product.

Monitor and mine queries to stay ahead of your competitors.

New York | March 19–23, 2012 | #sesny

Remember this.

Your logo here

3 things to take with you.

1. Executing the same strategy will not achieve the same results.

2. Find out what your competitor isn’t doing, or how you can do it better.

3. The research tools you need are already in your hands.