Sharp improves online visibility more than 300% with search optimization

Search optimization has increased the online visibility of Sharp Electronics’ web site by 310% by improving rankings within major search engines following a site redesign, according to search services provider iProspect. A web site redesign that used a new content management system had altered the site’s architecture, making it more difficult for search engines to find and grab page content for search results. The shift resulted in lower search rankings, less traffic and less visibility for Sharp online. In addition to the site redesign, Sharp Electronics was facing another hurdle in placing higher in search engine results: Another company had registered and was using the Sharp.com URL, forcing Sharp Electronics to purchase a less-obvious URL, Sharp-usa.com.

“Companies that do not own the domain for their brand name are at a disadvantage since web users often begin the search for a web site by typing in the brand name as the URL. So brand protection could only be achieved by increasing the visibility of Sharp-usa.com in the major engines and directories,” says Fredrick Marckini, iProspect CEO.

A new search engine positioning strategy started by investigating the electronics and appliance industries on the web, as well as how users search for such goods. The research led to the development of a more relevant and targeted keyword list.

“Keyword selection is a cornerstone of search engine optimization,” says Marckini. “And the keywords you might come up with off the top of your head are often off." As an example, Marckini cites another client, a maker of a compound that removes swirlmarks from auto body paint, who was initially pursing keywords such as "rubbing compound." But research showed that these terms missed the mark as they weren`t the words that shoppers looking for the product typed in when searching for it online – their most-searched words were "swirlmark" and "swirlmark removal." “It’s critically important that you understand the language of search that your audience uses,” Marckini says.

IProspect’s search optimization program for Sharp also included web page optimization-–adjusting variables on content and product pages to gain easier recognition by spider-driven search engines and higher rankings in search results-–and handling submissions to directories indexed by human editors at portals like Yahoo.

The campaign protected the Sharp brand name on the web, he adds, while driving a significant volume of traffic to the site from search, surpassing traffic levels prior to the site redesign.