metrics & analytics that matter - melissa walner, director of global seo, hilton
TRANSCRIPT
©2013 | BrightEdge Technologies
Transforming Challenges Into Opportunities Adapting SEO Metrics to SERP Changes
Melissa Walner | Director, Global SEO
§ Hilton Worldwide At-A-Glance § Importance of SEO to Hilton § Google SERP Changes – The Nature of the Beast § Choosing the Right Metrics § Key Takeaways
Agenda
Hilton Worldwide At-A-Glance
• Founded by Conrad Hilton in 1919 in Cisco, TX
• First hotel to carry the Hilton name was in 1925 in Dallas, TX
• Grown to over 4,000 hotels in 90 countries
• Ten brands to fit every lifestyle and occasion
• Debut of Hilton.com in August 1995 made Hilton Hotels an industry pioneer on the information superhighway
• In 2013, Hilton became the first hotel brand in the world to earn more than one million Facebook likes.
Hilton Worldwide At-A-Glance
As the most recognized name in the industry, Hilton remains synonymous with the word "hotel."
Of course, the Hilton name isn’t just known for hotels....#famousforbeingfamous
Importance of SEO to Hilton
Spotlight on SEO
Customer acquisition begins with the search box.
Understanding search behavior allows us to reach guests wherever they are
Integration of organic search into other marketing efforts.
In-depth competitive analysis data that helps us improve and stay ahead
The Mighty ROI
Google SERP Changes – The Nature of the Beast
The Ever Changing Landscape of SEO
The Nature of The Beast Each year, Google changes its search algorithm around 500–600 times, including updates to SERP layouts. SEO best practices and metrics must be adjusted accordingly. • Panda • Penguin • Domain Clustering • Authority Boost • Local Knowledge Carousel
§ Horizontal, image carousel layout located at the very top of the search result page.
§ First affected categories were restaurants and hotels. Entertainment businesses followed shortly thereafter.
§ Users can scroll sideways through the results and click on a business image to display more details about that specific local business.
§ Clicking on an image in the carousel will change your search results serving up related and more targeted results based on the business image you clicked on.
Google+ Local Knowledge Carousel
The introduction of the Carousel in SERP’s has presented a new challenge and a new opportunity.
Evolution of SERP’s
THEN
NOW
Choosing The Right Metrics
SERP Impact on Performance Metrics
Average Classic Rank increased immediately after the Carousel rollout.
Universal Results drastically decreased immediately after the rollout. This is because the large number of blended (universal) results we had were local listings.
A Holistic Approach to Performance Reporting
SEO Metrics
Impressions & Visits
Social Signals
Revenue
Conversion
SOV
Technical Errors
Universal Rank
Backlinks
Example: Holistic View of Page 1 Visibility
Keyword/Search Type Carousel Organic Listings Hotel Finder Ads
Chicago Hotels None 10 None None
Downtown Chicago Hotels None None None 7
Hotels in Downtown Chicago IL None 7 None None
Chicago IL Hotels None 9 None None
Chicago Hotels on Michigan Ave 1 4 N/A N/A
Hotel has representation on all keywords via at least one unit.
Disclaimer: The example above is for illustrative purposes only. Actual results may be influenced by personalization; also ad position can fluctuate each time depending on your competition at that moment. N/A – no listings are generated for a given query. None – a site does not produce any ranking in a given search type.
Key Takeaways
§ The SERP’s change constantly, so best practices and metrics must remain flexible.
§ Shift the focus away from strictly looking at
ranking reports.
§ Always be looking ahead for the next big thing and how you can incorporate that into your KPI’s in the future.
§ Take a holistic approach to analysis. All
KPI’s are interrelated in some fashion. Go broad and look at as many applicable metrics as possible.
Thank You! [email protected]
The information herein is for informational purposes only and is not to be distributed. It represents the current view of Hilton Worldwide as of the date of this presentation.