Shoebuy.com ties success to carefully fitted search terms
Choosing the right Internet search engines and paid-placement programs may only be as effective as the appropriateness of the keyword terms and promoted products tied to search programs, says Scott Savitz, CEO and co-founder of Shoebuy.com, which attributes its fast growth over the past two years in large part to an effective Internet search strategy.
Shoebuy.com, with 1 million unique monthly visitors, is on course to hit $16 million in sales this year, up from $10 million last year and $3.5 million in 2001, Savitz says.
Savitz says Shoebuy supports sales with a large inventory of more than 200 brands and 150,000 products, plus a site that offers ease of shopping with a foot-sizing chart and multiple ways to quickly find a particular type of product.
But he also ties his site`s success to an aggressive marketing program and alliances that keep Shoebuy at or near the top of many web search results. And within that search and placement strategy, he adds, Shoebuy is careful to stay focused on matching products and search terms with his customer base.
He says he`s careful to promote only products that customers are likely to find in stock, and he tries not to use terms with multiple meanings that could draw the wrong customers. "If you sell toys, be careful in buying a keyword like `cowboys,` even though you might sell some fun cowboy-related stuff for children, because many folks may be looking for sports products or information for the Dallas Cowboys," he says. Ditto for cowboy boots.
His overall Internet search strategy, he adds, is to maximize exposure in a way most likely to produce sales. "Simply put, this allows you to stay focused on those visitors who you are more likely to have success with," he says.
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