After posting a blog entry on our site titled "How big brands screw up search," I got to thinking... let me pick out one such company and give a live example. Today, I am picking on Nike (sorry, guys).
I did a search on Nike as a keyword, and just that word alone came back with over 2.5 million searches performed last month according to the SEObook.com tool, which uses Overture's keyword suggestion tool. This does not include the long-tail terms like Nike football cleats, Nike air force one, Nike sports bra, Nike golf balls and the millions of other searches done with the word Nike in it somehow. I wouldn't be surprised if the branded Nike search volume were in the 15 million range.
Then think about all the unbranded search terms where Nike could get people to consider its brand... terms like golf shoes, golf gifts, golf clubs, footballs, football cleats, off-road running shoes, running shoes. You can just imagine that the number of searches done for these terms could dwarf the search volume for Nike's branded terms. (Not to mention that an iProspect study found that roughly 36% of people associate ranking higher with being a better brand.)
OK, so now we know the potential, let's uncover how Nike is missing the boat and how it could right the ship with a slightly more focused effort on SEO and by improving the customer experience of customers coming from search engines.
Overall, big brands typically screw up search in two big ways, and Nike is no different:
- Missing out on long-tail terms: If you are not familiar with the term "Long Tail" as it relates to search, you can get the basic idea from a blog post by the search Granddaddy himself, Danny Sullivan.
Typically, big brands want to target the big unbranded terms like "tennis rackets," "golf clubs," or "running shoes." I do recommend that they target such terms as a way to position their brand in the minds of people who are searching. But they often miss terms like "golf club reviews" or "women's trail running shoes." Typically, these long-tail terms are the ones that convert best.
Even worse, in Nike's case, it doesn't show up in the top 10 for the term "Nike trail shoes." That is a term that includes its brand name. This happens a lot with Nike branded search terms... If I were Nike, I would start on the branded terms, because they are the easiest to rank well for given its existing Web assets; they are most definitely the low-hanging fruit, just waiting to be plucked. People searching for products using the word Nike in their search are already familiar with the brand and are probably calling out for you to show up—but there's Nike, hiding from them on page 80!
- All-Flash sites with no alternative version: Does it make sense to spend significant amounts of money on heavily Flashed branded sites—but not on driving people who know the brand to the branded site using organic (natural) search engine optimization... AKA free clicks?
So maybe you are saying... "Hey Wil, maybe Nike doesn't want to use search at all in their marketing." I thought about that.
When I did a search on Google for "Air Max," I got this page:
Nike is paying to be in a top position on PPC, which means that search matters as a way of gaining exposure, brand awareness, and possibly, just maybe, sales. But when I clicked on the PPC link for "Air Max," I was taken to the Nike store homepage.
Mistake No. 1—Nothing from my search query is reinforced on the landing page
I typed in "Air Max." How about taking me to a page with Nike Air Max shoes, for men and women? (Since I didn't type women's Air Max or men's Air Max, Nike doesn't know which I want.) Why is Nike making me have to navigate the site when my search query specifically indicated that I was seeking Air Max shoes?
Take a look at the homepage. Can you tell me where the Air Maxes are?
While it may be important show me what Nike wanted to show me on its homepage, it should first help me find what I was seeking, then start showing me other info.
Let's give a real world example of the offline equivalent of what Nike just did: You go to a store to purchase an iPod, and the salesperson ignores your request and starts showing you car stereos, leaving you to fend for yourself, looking around the entire electronics department.
Mistake No. 2—Not developing a descriptive meta description tag
Notice on the above search that Nike's site was in the organic listings for Air Max. That is a victory in and of itself. But notice the description of the site in the SERPS: "JavaScript and Flash 8 are required to view this site!"
That is not a very helpful description. How about someone over at Nike trying a description like "Check out the newest in Nike Air Max technology for Men's & Women's running, basketball, and tennis shoes—Official Nike.com site!"?
Anything would be more helpful than "JavaScript and Flash 8 are required to view this site," don't you agree? And it might help a little bit with search.
Mistake No. 3—Putting "Cool" over helping me find stuff on the site
When I search for something, I am on a mission, and either your Web site helps me to complete that mission or it doesn't. Nike, more often than, doesn't.
I was searching for Air Max's, remember? If I did click on the "JavaScript and Flash 8 are required to view this site" description, I would get a flashy sleek site that lets me control how fast a character runs with my keyboard. I guess that is a cool idea developed by the brand guys. You didn't realize that I don't care much about making some girl run faster on my screen when I am looking for Air Max shoes—and you failed to ask me whether I care.
Nike, how about before you showing me how cool you are after asking me what I want first? What am I here for? Take some time to find out!
Do I want to know the history of Air Max shoes? Am I looking to buy? Have I come looking to play with your slick site? At this point, you don't know and you don't seem to care what I just told you I was interested in. I was looking for Air Maxes, and instead got something that isn't helping me find them very easily.