New search toolkit will help online publishers maximise revenue and build their brands.
The Internet Advertising Bureau – the trade body for digital marketing – has launched a Search Toolkit for Online Publishers to help them use search more effectively to drive further revenues and build their brands online.
The resource is the result of 3 months in-depth research conducted by the IAB through interviews with some of the UK’s most significant publishers – including The Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph, magazine publisher Bauer and numerous bloggers - to investigate how search is currently being used and what knowledge gaps exist. The research found that whilst online publishers are successfully employing search activity to generate traffic they currently lack sufficient guidance in using the medium to boost subscriptions and secure their online presence.
The resource – the first in a series produced by the IAB Search Council - is the only one of its kind, designed specifically for online publishers. With a view to increasing UK search expertise and facilitating a greater understanding of the format, it is aimed at publishers of all sizes to supplement internal resource within each organisation.
The IAB Search Council is the biggest group dedicated to search advertising in the UK, and membership comprises the search engines Google, Microsoft and Yahoo!, advertisers Honda, Orange, Sky and COI, plus a 15-strong panel of the UK’s largest search agencies.
With 70% of online publishers looking to supplement their advertising revenue with paid-for content (AOP census 2009) the Council has created the Search Toolkit for Online Publishers to help the launch of new services, with examples of how to use paid search to generate a working paid for content business model. The resource also includes new case studies and advice that demonstrate how to run a successful paid-for subscription model alongside an existing advertising funded property and how to use paid search to generate display advertising revenue.
Covering both search engine optimisiation (SEO) and pay per click (PPC) they have indentified the 6 key opportunities for online publishers using search:
1. Communication between teams: this is a constant challenge for any organisation, but a coordinated approach to search marketing for publishers could see a huge uplift in results, particularly PPC.
2. Natural search (SEO): publishers generally have a number of people internally with a strong understanding of SEO. However, there is opportunity to improve understanding of SEO across the organisation.
3. Paid search (PPC): paid search can deliver significant results for publishers, yet many don’t use it to its full potential, leaving the field open to implement strategies we’ve highlighted in this document.
4. Subscriptions: generating subscriptions requires a very different environment to content funded by advertising. As more publishers move to a paid or subscription based model, many new opportunities in search marketing emerge discussed in this document.
5. Tools: understanding what tools are available and how to use them for planning and measuring success needs to improve.
6. Keep up-to-date: search is changing rapidly, staying up-to-date is becoming harder, but it is possible.
Jack Wallington, senior programmes manager at the IAB said: “At such a significant time when online publishers are reviewing their business models, the IAB Search Toolkit can help them adapt effectively to the changing media landscape. Our research found that there is nothing like this available and many online publishers are missing huge opportunities for tactical PPC to boost ad revenue, generate subscriptions and to secure a web presence for new brands”
Click here to access a PDF version of the IAB's Search Toolkit for Online Publishers.
For more information, journalists should contact Amy Kean, senior PR and marketing manager, IAB, 07739372042 amy@iabuk.net.
