Cabela’s makes more sales because consumers make fewer clicks

Cabela’s Inc. says online sales of its fishing, hunting and outdoor gear have increased dramatically since it began using the GravityStream search engine optimization product from Netconcepts. The key reason: consumers go directly to a page where they can make a purchase.

Cabela’s previous SEO product directed a visitor to a proxy page maintained by the search company, not an actual page on the Cabela’s site, says Derek Fortna, marketing program manager for Cabela’s, No. 47 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide. With the earlier system, he says, “If I’m a user searching for boat trailer parts, I can’t buy from that page, I have to make another click to go into the web site to make a purchase. With the GravityStream proxy, if I find what I want I can place the order right there.”

Fortna says he also likes the ability to add text to the version of the web site maintained by Netconcepts without changing anything on the native web site. That means less work for his programmers. It also means that the extra text, which may seem unnecessary to some visitors, is only viewed by those coming through the search engines, and not by those who come to the Cabela’s site in other ways.

For instance, if archery enthusiasts search for the term “compound bow” they will be directed to a page that has additional text about compound bows on the site. “The content we’re adding provides more information, it shows what kind of compound bows are available, it’s not artificially inflating rankings,” says Brian Klais, vice president of search at Netconcepts. Cabela’s comes up in the top 10 on a Google search for compound bows, among nearly 1.3 million results.

Fortna would not provide details of how much sales have increased since he switched to the GravityStream product last June, but says the results are excellent.