Here is a list of problems we identified:

• Keyword Strategy: Zero keyword rankings for short (head terms) tail and long tail (products) keywords associated with their business.
• Architecture: Site taxonomy was poorly configured resulting in only 10% of the site being indexed.
• Content: Content was void across a major sections (homepage, category, sub-category) of the site with the team posting 1 – 2 blogs a month.

• Link Building: No active outreach to the electronics community providing for additional brand exposure and backlinks.
• Social Media: Beyond a Facebook business page, they were non-existent.

Solutions we proposed and implemented:

First, we developed a comprehensive keyword list using data from Omniture, their competitors, and a plethora of additional keyword research tools. The keyword list was comprised of highly competitive electronics and appliance phrases. Based on the existing strength of their domain we were highly confident we could get positive results on those competitive terms. Here are the major metrics we looked at to determine the relevancy of the list:

• Google Predicted Exact Match Traffic
• Historical Organic Search Traffic

• Historical Organic Search Conversion Rate
• Historical PPC Search Traffic
• Historical PPC Conversion Rate
• Competitor Rankings / Competitor Predicted Traffic
• Keyword Difficulty

Second, we performed an architecture audit of the entire site to ensure for maximum search engine saturation. Below is a list major issues we addressed in the audit:

• Duplicate Content
• Accessibility – Robot.txt, 404/503/Redirect Errors, 302 Redirects, 301 Redirects, Custom 404, XML/HTML Sitemaps, Query String Parameters.

• Site Taxonomy – Pagination Issues, Faceted Navigation, URL Taxonomy.
• Internal Linking

Third, using the above keyword list we developed a THOROUGH content audit that outlined a process for content creation and syndication. Major items addressed were:

• Onsite content – Mapping the keywords to the site we had content either revised or created.

• Ongoing content – Sitting with the creative, copywriting, social, and merchandising team we developed a monthly calendar that drove the creation of new content (audio/video/text/imagery) and syndication around new product releases and major industry news.

Fourth, we ran a competitive backlink analysis of the top competitors showing up for Vann’s most competitive keywords. We then mapped that competitive analysis against Vanns.com backlink profile to understand which types of link building strategies they were being beaten with. We found that majority of their competitors rankings stemmed from links placed on authoritative electronic publications and tech blogger domains. Using our content creation strategy we set out a link building strategy that focused on:

• Outreach to tech bloggers and authoritative electronic outlets.

• Once identified we created content using the below process for maximum impact on rankings, traffic, and thus revenue. The below process ensured their blog was continually being updated with fresh and INFORMATIVE content, while at the same time giving the bloggers and electronics outlets tangible information that they wanted to link back to and share with their network.

• Ongoing content – Sitting with the creative, copywriting, social, and merchandising team we developed a monthly calendar that drove the creation of new content (audio/video/text/imagery) and syndication around new product releases and major industry news.

Finally, we stepped in and helped them create a solid foundation in social media. This provided them not only with an additional avenue for new customer acquisition and increased user engagement with their brand, but it provided us with the ability to create social signals that have become extremely important in a website’s ability to rank in organic search. Key items we helped them address were:

• Account Creation – Creation and customization of all profiles.

• Measuring Social Media KPI’s – Both traditional metrics ( time spent on site, bounce rate, pages per visits, traffic, revenue) and social media engagement metrics (tweets, shares, likes, plus, views, comments)
• Content Creation – As outlined above, we provided them with insight on what types of content should be created, how often, and on what social

• Ongoing content – Sitting with the creative, copywriting, social, and merchandising team we developed a monthly calendar that drove the creation of new content (audio/video/text/imagery) and syndication around new product releases and major industry news.

The Results

Over a 12-month period Vanns.com saw outstanding improvements in their organic search rankings, traffic, and most importantly revenue. Below is a complete picture of the results.

Electronics Keyword Improvements:

• # Of Electronic keywords driving traffic increased 52% YoY
• # Of Electronic keyword visits increased 236% YoY
• Revenue increased 1,249% YoY

Appliance Keyword Improvements:

• # Of Appliance keywords driving traffic increased 60% YoY
• # Of Appliance keyword visits increased 182% YoY
• Revenue increase 1795% YoY