Web data-driven SEO: 8 key data points for business success

Companies are now able to attract increased consumer interest, and spending by collecting information from search engine marketplaces.

As well as reverse-engineering search queries and keywords while identifying where the competition is investing in paid promotion. 

In this article we will discuss:

●    Monitoring Search Engine Results Page Rankings (SERPS) for brand positioning

●    Discover real-time consumer search trends for lead generation

●    Enrich, and cross-reference customer datasets

Monitoring Search Engine Results Page Rankings (SERP) for brand positioning

Companies are using SEO ranking tools for collecting web data on SERP in order to identify:

One: Organic content trends in their niche – Many industries have swaths of information that is interesting to target audiences, yet is not branded or leading to retailers of any sort. Typically this type of content is created by digital magazines, and bloggers. Once identified, they shed light on opportunities for brands to create content on subjects that have already been proven to be interesting to audiences, but have yet to be capitalized on.

Two: How relevant competitor content is ranking – Competitors may be creating vlogs, blogs, and building satellite sites with troves of content that is ranking highly in search results. By identifying which content ranks, and for which keywords, companies can pivot marketing strategies by incorporating tried, and true techniques.

Three: What target audiences are clicking on, and engaging with – Items that have high Click-Through Rates (CTRs) are a great indication that people are not only viewing a search result but actually willing to dedicate time to reading the item in question. But the analysis doesn’t end there, companies can go a step further and collect blog comments, number of likes, and shares. This helps them determine the pieces with the highest engagement, and best outlook for replication and/or future pieces that will draw inspiration.

Discover real-time consumer search trends for lead generation

Businesses are collecting web data from search engines in order to generate more business in the following ways:

Four: Reverse-engineering search queries and keywords – Companies are mining peoples’ searches to see what they are looking for, and then tailoring offers to attract those segments. For example, novice investors may be searching for ‘fully automated stock portfolio management tools’. This may be a feature that already exists in a tool’s suite but has yet to be highlighted in articles or marketing campaigns. However, once a potential consumer need has been identified, targeted branding, and marketing efforts can commence.

Five: Collecting information from search engine marketplaces – Many search engines have Points of Sale (PoS) such as ‘Google Shopping. Collecting open-source data regarding which items are being searched for, which products have high sales volume as well consumer star ratings/reviews can help identify retail patterns. These data points can then be cross-referenced to highlight where consumer interest, and dollars are being channeled enabling corporations to focus on more lucrative sectors/items/niches.

Six: Identifying where competition is investing in paid promotion – Tools like ‘Google Ads’ enable companies to invest in having the right people see the right messaging, when they are in a specific headspace (preferably ‘spending). By tracking where competition is pouring in advertising dollars, businesses can make more strategic decisions – either by investing where competitors are targeting or specifically steering clear, and going after unique keyword groups, and consumer segments.

Enrich, and cross-reference customer datasets 

Enterprises sometimes need to add an additional layer of customer information in databases.

They are doing this using web data in the following ways:

Seven: Adding missing customer details to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools – So for example if a company has an old customer profile, they may want to collect data that appears in search results that shows the individual in question has changed job descriptions. If for example this person has moved to a managerial role this may be pivotal to the sales process, as he or she can now be targeted as a decision-maker.

Eight: Corroborating the accuracy of business information – A company’s representative may reach out to a private equity investment fund looking to get funding to develop a new product. Said individual may state that his or her company has 100+ employees, with annual revenue upwards of $50 million –

But is this information accurate?

Scanning search engines can turn up a lot of information to help confirm or negate such claims. For example, search results from Crunchbase will likely contain company financials, while a company LinkedIn search result may very well contain the number of employees.

The bottom line

Web data is enabling companies to analyze search engine movement from both a consumer, and competitor perspective. This provides businesses with an added layer of information so that they can better position their brands, and products for success. Collecting web data independently however, can be a timely, and tedious endeavor, which is why so many businesses are opting for a fully automated search engine data solution.