The Internet Advertising Bureau case study
How Weboptimiser helped the IAB clean up cookie contracts
The background
The IAB is the trade association and think tank behind the commercial Internet. Formed in 1997 it's at the heart of the online advertising, electronic commerce and Internet marketing community.
The challenge
By early 2003 the data protection issues surrounding cookies were already the focus of major political debate. At that time there was widespread confusion about the data protection online. Few web site owners had a cookie policy, and web site users were similarly ill-informed of their rights. The IAB recognised that there was a need for a central, easily accessible resource where everyone could find accurate, up-to-date information about cookies.
The brief
The IAB's brief to Weboptimiser was to design, build, optimise and manage an IAB-branded, web site, www.AllAboutCookies.org. The site had to be accessible and visitor-friendly as well as content and functionality-rich. Most importantly, it had to be search engine friendly.
The strategy
Weboptimiser's strategy to optimise AllAboutCookies.org was based on a long term approach that would not only recruit qualified traffic but retain visitors on the site for longer, build rapport with them, to encourage repeat business and ultimately bring a return on investment.
The solution
The first task was to design the site, using the IAB's own web site as the template to ensure a consistent look and feel - and an authentic brand experience for existing and potential IAB Members. Next, the site needed to be made both search engine and visitor friendly, from page tags to body text. Weboptimiser also added content to the site which included a ready-to-use cookie policy, a jargon-buster guide, news and Frequently Asked Questions. The third step was to position and promote the site on the search engines, to bring the visitors. With no budget for instant results through pay-per-click marketing or online advertising, Weboptimiser focused on the natural listing. Finally, the site was submitted to the leading directories and search engines. Tracking was implemented to provide data on visitor behaviour, and progress and activity were also monitored.
The result
The site enjoys first page positions on the search engines for competitive search terms including, 'manage cookies' and 'enable cookies'. It has a Google PageRank of 8, a total of 550 links to it from all over the Internet and attracts over 300 web site owners, marketers and users every day. Through this visibility it is able to provide a vital and easily accessible service to the online community. Thanks to AllAboutCookies.org, thousands of people have gained the tools to enable their sites and businesses to become legally compliant with new data protection laws and maximise their Internet marketing strategies. The legislation, which the creation of the web site helped to soften, could have cost the industry £187 million on online marketing spend alone, according to independent estimates.
For more information about Weboptimiser's search engine marketing services, either email or call Joshua on +44 (0) 20 7953 7199.
