Glossary - Understanding Sponsored Search - page 263

improving traffic to a given Web site by increasing the site's visibility in search engine
results. Web sites improve search engine optimization by improving content, making
sure that the pages can be indexed correctly, and ensuring that the content is unique.
Going through the search engine optimization process typically leads to more traffic for
the site because the site will appear higher in search results for information that pertains
to the site's offerings (Source: modified from WebTrends and BusinessDictionary) (see
Chapter 2 model).
Search engine positioning (SEP ): synonymous with SEO, search engine position-
ing is the act of altering a Web site to perform well in organic or natural search results
(Source: WebTrends) (see Chapter 2 model).
Search engine results page (SERP ): the page searchers see after they have entered
their query into the search box. This page lists several Web pages related to the search-
er's query, sorted by relevance. Increasingly, search engines are returning blended search
results, which include images, videos, and results from specialty databases on their
SERPs (Source: Search Engine Watch) (see Chapter 2 model).
Search engine spam : excessive manipulation to influence search engine rankings,
often for pages that contain little or no relevant content (Source: Marketing Terms.
com) (see Chapter 2 model).
Search engine submission : the act of supplying a URL to a search engine in an
attempt to make a search engine aware of a site or page (Source: Marketing Terms.
com) (see Chapter 2 model).
Search funnel : movement of searchers, who tend to do several searches before
reaching a buy decision, which works from broad, general keyword search terms to
narrower, specific keywords. Advertisers use the search funnel to anticipate customer
intent and develop keywords targeted to different stages. Also refers to potential for
switches at stages in the funnel when, for example, searchers start with keywords for
a desired brand but switch to other brands after gathering information on the category
(Source: SEMPO) (see Chapter 5 customers).
Search marketer : Whether in SEO, PPC, or both, a search marketer uses search
engines to sell products, channel traffic, and heighten brand awareness (Source:
Quirk) (see Chapter 6 BAM!).
Search marketing agency : an advertising agency that provides SEM services (see
Chapter 6 BAM!).
Search personalization : the ability to personalize SERPs based on personal profile
information, settings, or location (IP address) (Source: WebTrends) (see Chapter 10
future).
Search query : the word or phrase a searcher types into a search field, which initiates
search engine results page listings and PPC ad serves. In PPC advertising, the goal
is to bid on keywords that closely match the search queries of the advertiser's targets
(Source: SEMPO) (see Chapter 3 keywords).
Search results : the documents returned by a search engine in response to a query.
Also see SERP (Source: SearchEngineDictionary.com) (see Chapter 2 model).