SEO and Social Media Optimization (SMO)

Academic   Network   was   selected   to   develop   a       site   optimization   strategy   and   to   implement     a       social  media    outreach  and  blogging  campaign  for  a    major  food  industry  trade  association.

  Challenge:     

As   the   world’s   foremost     source   of   authoritative   information   about     a       product     with   many   diverse   uses   and   applications,   the   client     wanted   to   increase   traffic   to   their   website,   especially   for   consumers.     In  addition,   the     client   wanted   to   find   out     where   online   conversations   were   taking   place   in   regard   to  dietary  concerns  and    weigh    in  on  these  conversations  with  unbiased  nutrition  and  science-­‐based    points  of    view.  

Solution: 

Academic Network provided the following key deliverables:  Optimization for Client Website  

•   Web Analytics Audit    and Report  

Academic  Network  conducted  a    comprehensive  web  analytics  audit    to  get    complete  insight    into  page    views,  visitors,  keyword  referrals,  search  engine  traffic,  third  party  referral  URLs,  and  path  analysis.  This  audit    helped  determine  which  keywords  drive  the  most    qualified  traffic  to  the  site.     

•   Keyword Audit    and Plan  

During   the   keyword   audit,   we   looked   at      all   related   industry   keywords   for   use   in   the   SEO strategy,   identifying   popular   and   effective   keywords   used   by   the   target     audience   as   well   as analyzing   keywords   used   by   competitors,   partners   and   other   industry   sites.   We   provided   a      Keyword  Research  Report    and    Keyword  Placement    Report    with  recommendations  for  URLs,  title  tags,  and  meta    description  tags  for  the    top  pages  of  the  site.  

•   Site Optimization Audit, Plan, and Implementation  

Based   on   an   assessment     of   both   the   website   and   CMS   tool   used   for   publishing, Academic Network   provided   a       comprehensive     report     with   recommendations   and   guidelines   for   all   areas of site optimization.  

•   Web Analytics Reporting  

Academic   Network   provided   week-­‐to-­‐week     comparison   reports   for   the   first     four   weeks   after    implementation   of   SEO   recommendations   and a month-­‐to-­‐month     comparison   after   the   first    month to    track improvement    of site traffic and goal conversion.  

    

Social Media  

•   Monitoring      

Academic   Network   set     up a monitoring   system   using   the   Nielsen   Online   monitoring   tool   to  determine    who  was  talking  about    health  aspects  of  the  product  and  where  these  conversations  were  taking  place.  We    monitored  for  opportunities  to  comment    on  stories  as  well  as  to  identify    key  influencers  on  this  topic.      We    provided  an  updated  report  with  the  results  of  our  monitoring  on  a    weekly  basis  to  the  client.     

•   Key Influencer Identification and Outreach  

In   addition   to   our   regular   monitoring,   Academic   Network   conducted   additional   research   to identify   key   influencers   who   have   blogged   or   written   in   traditional   media     venues   on   the selected   topic   and   reached   out     to   each   through   e-­‐mail     messages,   referencing   the   client’s   web site.  

•   Blogging Activity  

Academic   Network   engaged   an   online   blogger   to   reach   out     to   key   influencers   and   write   a      nutrition   and   science-­‐based     blog   during   this   initial   four   week   campaign.       We   used   a       nutritional  writer  to  provide    timely  commentary  on  topics  uncovered  through  our  monitoring  system.  

Result :

In   the   three   month   period   following   implementation   of   SEO   recommendations,   site   traffic   increased significantly by all standard measures:  

•   Site visits increased 26%  

•   Page views increased 27%  

•   New visits increased 11%  

•   Search engine traffic increased 19%  

In   addition,   analytics   showed   key   word   searches   for   our   recommended   targeted   key   words   increasing by as much as 1200%. Of  the  top  25  non-­‐branded    searches,  16  were  for  keywords  we  targeted.  

Through   Academic   Network   social   media     monitoring   efforts,   we   identified   numerous   opportunities   to respond   to   relevant     blog   posts   and   stories   in   traditional   media.     We   posted   science–based   comments that     provided   a       balanced     view   on   specific   health   topics   related   to   the   client’s   product.   We      provided consultation   on   establishing   Twitter   and   Facebook   presence   to   assure   comprehensive   integration   and amplification of messages in these common    social media    settings.  

Sources: A Case Study Report: ACADEMIC NETWORK www.academicnetwork.com Sales: Natalie Alderete 503.432.4640