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: : : SEMLogic™ Research Series
Background and Primer
One of the key benefits of SEMLogic™
is the granularity with which you can focus the efforts of a marketing
campaign. This is possible due to the intelligence it provides from analyzing
the competitive landscape. Such granularity and specificity is important
because the factors that win the day in competing for visibility in
natural search can differ not only across search engines, but across industries,
and even vary from keyphrase to keyphrase.
This research series is designed to
highlight some key findings from SEMLogic™ and showcase its ability
to help clients rise to the top of their competitive landscape.
In assessing the accuracy of the competitive intelligence generated
by SEMLogic™, several statistical analyses were conducted to
determine how well our models fit the actual data.
We calculated the coefficient of determination,
R2, for each model and saw a value of greater than
0.8 in each case. R2 is a number between
0 and 1 that indicates how good the model fits the data. An R-squared
of 1 is a perfect fit.
For our purposes here, R2
explains how much of the variability in ranking order can be
explained by the fact that they are related to the metrics evaluated (various on-page and off-page factors).
Simply put, if our models and the intelligence
from them are accurate, our analysis of the competitors should be able
to explain their success. A score for R2
of greater than 0.8 indicates a high degree of accuracy.
(The aim here is studying the competitive landscape not reverse engineering algorithms. The latter is not only impossible but it is not necessary for the task at hand, nor would it be sufficient.)
Important
Findings
Varying Degrees of
Importance for On-page and Off-page Factors:
One of the important things
we can determine from our competitive intelligence is how influential
certain on-page and off-page factors are for determining who rises to
the top of a competitive landscape. We have seen that this varies
across search engines and keyphrases. Not only does the range
of optimal values for a factor vary across search engines, but the importance
of a factor will vary even down to the keyphrase level.
Imagine a class full of students
who take the same test, but you have three different instructors grade
all the same tests, measuring all the same things, but using different
grading systems. One uses a 10 point scale, another uses a 6 point
scale, and the third grades on a curve.
This is much the way search
engines work. They could all be looking at many of the same factors
but evaluating them in different ways. This difference is also
extended to different keyphrases within the same search engine.
From keyphrase to keyphrase, the same factor can have a different influence
in determining the success of a web page.
This study is designed to demonstrate the major algorithmic differences between Google, Yahoo and MSN. Using our SEMLogic technology, we are able to demonstrate the differences between the search engines and highlight the importance of analyzing factors to the keyword level.
Part 1 - SEMLogic analysis of the keyphrase "laptop".
Part 2 - SEMLogic analysis of the keyphrase "auto insurance".
Part 3 - SEMLogic analysis of the keyphrase "vacation rentals".