SEO Technology Overview

1. SEO Technology Overview Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Technology Overview © 2014 Demand Metric Research Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Technology Overview By: Clare Price, VP Research With: Kristen Maida, Senior Research Analyst November 2014

2. 3 5 7 9 Executive Summary SEO Market Overview SEO Vendor Landscape Evolution of the Landscape Table of Contents 13 About Our Technology Overview Methodology 11 12 Analyst Bottom Line About the Research Analysts 14 About Demand Metric 3 5 7 9 Executive Summary SEO Market Overview SEO Vendor Landscape Evolution of the Landscape Table of Contents 13 About Our Technology Overview Methodology 11 12 Analyst Bottom Line About the Research Analysts 14 About Demand Metric

3. SEO is no longer just about search. In fact, SEO which in its early days focused primarily on keywords (finding, optimizing, ranking) is now a baseline factor of a broader Internet Marketing strategy across the Enterprise. This new SEO- driven market segment that has been called Web Presence Management (WPM) is based on the reality that keywords no longer drive search results, optimized content does. As the SEO market matures, quality measures, such as reputation, trust, content relevance and author authority, are replacing the old quantity metrics, such as keyword rankings and link volume. Advanced SEO solutions now weigh campaign performance metrics (based on brand building, site traffic and conversion) more heavily than keyword rankings. This reality is based on changes in the way customers search, the increasingly integrated omni-channel marketing environment and, most notably, changes to Google’s Search Engine Results Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3 Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Technology Overview (SERP) algorithms that favor page content freshness, density and content rich media over standard keyword search. All of this means that Modern Marketing Organizations (MMOs) must re-evaluate their SEO strategies, processes and campaigns. In this report we will examine the state of the market, share results from the SEO Benchmark Study, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of 15 top SEO solutions in our vendor landscape to help organizations choose the best solution for them, highlight the current trends in SEO that will have an impact on Enterprise SEO initiatives and provide some recommendations for the way forward as SEO is redefined right before our eyes. Demand Metric defines Search Engine Optimization Platforms as those frameworks, tools and technologies that use search-related functionally to secure high visibility and web presence for brands, products, services and companies through the use and management of elements, such as keywords, links, content relevance and social signals tracking. © 2014 Demand Metric Research Corporation. All Rights Reserved. SEO is no longer just about search. In fact, SEO which in its early days focused primarily on keywords (finding, optimizing, ranking) is now a baseline factor of a broader Internet Marketing strategy across the Enterprise. This new SEO- driven market segment that has been called Web Presence Management (WPM) is based on the reality that keywords no longer drive search results, optimized content does. As the SEO market matures, quality measures, such as reputation, trust, content relevance and author authority, are replacing the old quantity metrics, such as keyword rankings and link volume. Advanced SEO solutions now weigh campaign performance metrics (based on brand building, site traffic and conversion) more heavily than keyword rankings. This reality is based on changes in the way customers search, the increasingly integrated omni-channel marketing environment and, most notably, changes to Google’s Search Engine Results Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3 Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Technology Overview (SERP) algorithms that favor page content freshness, density and content rich media over standard keyword search. All of this means that Modern Marketing Organizations (MMOs) must re-evaluate their SEO strategies, processes and campaigns. In this report we will examine the state of the market, share results from the SEO Benchmark Study, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of 15 top SEO solutions in our vendor landscape to help organizations choose the best solution for them, highlight the current trends in SEO that will have an impact on Enterprise SEO initiatives and provide some recommendations for the way forward as SEO is redefined right before our eyes. Demand Metric defines Search Engine Optimization Platforms as those frameworks, tools and technologies that use search-related functionally to secure high visibility and web presence for brands, products, services and companies through the use and management of elements, such as keywords, links, content relevance and social signals tracking. © 2014 Demand Metric Research Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

4. Benefits of Enterprise SEO Be seen – Everywhere! That is the fundamental mantra that drives SEO and has since the web began 20-plus years ago. Today, as noted previously, our omni-channel, revenue-driven modern marketing environment demands that SEO investments provide so much more than placement on the first page of Google, Bing, Yahoo!, Yandex, Baidu, etc. searches. That makes the choice of an SEO platform that much more important. For those who don't know the inner workings of the latest Google algorithm, an SEO platform can demystify the process of managing SEO. For advanced SEO professionals, modern SEO platforms can help showcase the value of SEO data to senior management, marketing, sales and operations. The benefits of Enterprise SEO, which encompasses search, content marketing, social tracking and third-party channel integration, enable organizations to: 1.Increase sales through visitor call-to-action conversions. 2.Acquire new customers and new markets through better web presence. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Technology Overview 3.Reduce advertising expenditures. 4.Increase brand reputation and trust. 5.Measure revenue increases from digital channels. 6.Expand global markets. 7.Increase competitive position. 8.Deepen local presence (online and offline). 9.Forecast and prove ROI from SEO and all Digital Marketing. 10.Increase value of content creation and management. 11.Maximize company/brand social presence on the web. 12.Market to customers earlier in the buyer’s journey. Increasingly, the quantifiable benefits to search are sales, revenue and profit driven, not visitor populations or eyeballs. 4 Benefits of Enterprise SEO Be seen – Everywhere! That is the fundamental mantra that drives SEO and has since the web began 20-plus years ago. Today, as noted previously, our omni-channel, revenue-driven modern marketing environment demands that SEO investments provide so much more than placement on the first page of Google, Bing, Yahoo!, Yandex, Baidu, etc. searches. That makes the choice of an SEO platform that much more important. For those who don't know the inner workings of the latest Google algorithm, an SEO platform can demystify the process of managing SEO. For advanced SEO professionals, modern SEO platforms can help showcase the value of SEO data to senior management, marketing, sales and operations. The benefits of Enterprise SEO, which encompasses search, content marketing, social tracking and third-party channel integration, enable organizations to: 1.Increase sales through visitor call-to-action conversions. 2.Acquire new customers and new markets through better web presence. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Technology Overview 3.Reduce advertising expenditures. 4.Increase brand reputation and trust. 5.Measure revenue increases from digital channels. 6.Expand global markets. 7.Increase competitive position. 8.Deepen local presence (online and offline). 9.Forecast and prove ROI from SEO and all Digital Marketing. 10.Increase value of content creation and management. 11.Maximize company/brand social presence on the web. 12.Market to customers earlier in the buyer’s journey. Increasingly, the quantifiable benefits to search are sales, revenue and profit driven, not visitor populations or eyeballs. 4

5. © 2014 Demand Metric Research Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Technology Overview ABOUT DEMAND METRIC Demand Metric is a global marketing research & advisory firm serving a membership community of over 40,000 marketing professionals, CEOs, and business owners with advisory services, custom research & benchmarking reports, vendor studies, consulting methodologies, training, and a library of 500+ tools and templates. Using Demand Metric resources, members complete projects faster and with greater confidence, boosting respect for the marketing team and making it easier to justify needed resources. Our 1,000+ clients range from start-ups to members of the Global 1000. To read the rest of this report, become a Demand Metric member today! © 2014 Demand Metric Research Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Technology Overview ABOUT DEMAND METRIC Demand Metric is a global marketing research & advisory firm serving a membership community of over 40,000 marketing professionals, CEOs, and business owners with advisory services, custom research & benchmarking reports, vendor studies, consulting methodologies, training, and a library of 500+ tools and templates. Using Demand Metric resources, members complete projects faster and with greater confidence, boosting respect for the marketing team and making it easier to justify needed resources. Our 1,000+ clients range from start-ups to members of the Global 1000. To read the rest of this report, become a Demand Metric member today!