The online market for numismatics and coin collecting supplies had been saturated by a handful of niche sites and manufacturers that were surviving on brand recognition or low-price models. In order for Wizard to succeed in this market, the site had to be attractive to both highly skilled numismatists as well as those that were exploring coin collecting for the first time. WizardCoinSupply.com needed to capture niche traffic with organic and paid campaigns, while maintaining its credibility as both an information resource and a customer-first product distributor.
Organic SEO
Vector worked with Ryan Design Studio, the site’s designer and developer, on customizing X-Cart to make it as search engine friendly as possible. We performed keyword research to identify keyword phrases that would drive qualified natural search traffic on all ends of the decision cycle and appeal to both numismatists and amateur collectors. We created an Information Architecture and wireframe that places keywords being used by potential customers at the top level, facilitating both conversion and search engine indexing and ranking.
Our link building strategy to drive qualified traffic and establish authority in the search engines focused on submitting to both niche and top level directories, creating press releases, informative articles, and targeted blog commenting. Google Analytics was implemented to track search referrals, visitor behavior, and conversion rates – not just for macro conversions (sales), but for micro-conversions and other onsite actions, including contact form submissions. Highly targeted and search engine friendly copy was written on main category and subcategory pages with a clear, crisp CTA that articulates Wizard’s value proposition.
Paid Search
We leveraged the relationship between having a top paid listing and a top organic listing by integrating keyword phrases from our organic campaigns with our paid search initiatives. We expanded the paid campaigns to include Google, Yahoo and MSN in order to broaden our demographic base. We also structured campaigns to reflect high margin, niche products that can be used as an entry point for acquiring new customers.
We tracked site performance with A/B split testing of text ads and continuously refined the messaging using different CTAs and value statements. We brought down average CPC by implementing negative keywords to filter out irrelevant impressions to boost CTR and Quality Score. And we designed a bid management strategy to find positions that not only generate substantial traffic, but that maximize profit and ROI.