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Chapter 7 - Search Engine Optimisation
Case Study Chapter 7: Leroy Merlin PolandOne of the biggest home improvement e-commerce websites in Poland
OverviewLeroy Merlin is a major actor in the worldwide DIY and home improvement market. Established in 1923, Leroy Merlin’s coverage now extends to nearly 400 home improvement stores in 12 countries. Its core business model is founded upon a ‘do-it-yourself’ ethos, guided by expert home improvement solutions assistants. Four main departments make up the Leroy Merlin brand including: do it yourself, building, decoration and gardening. In order to maintain Leroy Merlin’s leading position within the DIY and home improvement market in Poland, the group opted for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) techniques and tactics, with the support of SEO agency, Bluerank. SEO was a preferred channel to drive online visibility and online sales revenue.
As well as high search engine ranking for relevant terms, Leroy Merlin’s other key objectives included:
1. Increasing the annual online non-brand SEO revenue by at least 7% Year On Year (YoY) [2014 to 2015]
2. Increasing the annual non-brand SEO traffic by at least 30% YoY [2014 to 2015]3. Making Leroy Merlin’s mobile app the most visible DIY brand app in organic search engine
listings
Implementation Having analysed their online competitors within search engines, Leroy Merlin’s core aim was to attain top keyword ranking positions within search engine results pages. This would mean competing with big brands within the online search market such as IKEA, Castorama and OBI within organic SERPs. To achieve Leroy Merlins objectives, a one year SEO strategy was created. The strategy was based upon a thorough buyer persona analysis and implementation of relevant SEO techniques, explored below.
Source: Heinze, A., Fletcher, G., Rashid, T., & Cruz, A. (Eds.). (2017). Digital and Social Media Marketing: A Results-Driven Approach. Routledge. Accessible online http://mastersindigitalmarketing.org/book/ #passion4digital This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Buyer PersonaBuyer personas were segmented based upon Leroy Merlins core service offerings: the professional contractor, a seasoned ‘DIYer’, or the novice new to house repairs. After identifying buyer personas, three main audience needs were identified:
1. Users in need of building and household products, tools and goods2. Users in need of home improvement information and inspiration as well as advice for renovation, construction and DIY activities3. Users searching for information about local household goods depots
To best target relevant buyer personas, Leroy Merlins SEO agency opted for an SEO campaign with a focus on the following SEO tactics:
● SEO on-site and off-site optimization● On-site and off-site content creation and distribution● Keyword analysis and development● White hat only link building and distribution● Monitoring competition search performance● HTML code corrections● Ongoing market trends analysis● Workshops and SEO knowledge sharing with Leroy Merlin● Ongoing SEO analysis● App optimization
On site and off-site optimization tactics were focused through three key strategies, grounded in the specific needs of the campaign, as explained below:
Strategy 1:“The brand and domain are strong. Let’s focus on vast on-site content development to drive users from as many offer-related keywords as we can.”Strategy 1 Implementation:
● A thorough keyword research analysing over 60,000 phrases in total, including advanced competition analysis based upon Searchmetrics.com tool.
● Content optimization and development, creating additional landing pages targeting niche key phrases as well as potential unexploited ones. Strategy 2:“Leroy Merlin publishes a lot of content every day in all media they own, buy and earn. They can do a lot of optimized SEO publications themselves. Let’s focus on top SEO consulting for writers and publishers!”
Source: Heinze, A., Fletcher, G., Rashid, T., & Cruz, A. (Eds.). (2017). Digital and Social Media Marketing: A Results-Driven Approach. Routledge. Accessible online http://mastersindigitalmarketing.org/book/ #passion4digital This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Strategy 2 Implementation:● SEO workshops for the editorial team, aimed at the improvement of SEO friendliness of the
website’s content.● SEO optimization of global public relations and marketing activities through training
sessions, SEO manuals and SEO checklists built by Bluerank.● Website’s redesign aimed at SEO friendliness and usability, with ongoing SEO consulting and
support. Strategy 3:“Users use mobile devices. Let’s focus on mobile app deep linking”Strategy 3 Implementation
● Promotion of mobile-friendly websites and Leroy Merlin’s app through enhanced deep linking for Android and iOS.
ResultsMaintaining Leroy Merlin’s position as a leader in the DIY organic search market relied heavily upon dominating relevant competitors in the market, such as IKEA, Castorama, Obi. This was achieved via thorough implementation of specific SEO strategies, which delivered the following success:
● Online non-brand SEO revenue increased by 12% year on year (YoY) [2014 to 2015].● Non-brand SEO traffic increased by 30% YoY [2014 to 2015].● As of April 2015, Leroy Merlin’s mobile app was the most visible DIY brand app in mobile
search results. The app generates mobile leads through 600 downloads per month from organic search listings.
● Optimisation of an interior design tool and related landing page (supported by press release promotion) drove traffic up from 2000 visits per month to 90,000 visits per month for non-brand SEO.
“We are very proud, it's a huge achievement. From the very beginning, the campaign has been run with the highest level of professionalism and dedication. It's been an outstanding success and that award proves it's been worth it" - says Przemek Porada, Internet Manager at Leroy Merlin.
Further InformationThis project is one of most recognized and advanced SEO campaigns on the Polish market, winning an award at the European Search Awards in 2016.
http://www.leroymerlin.pl .
http://www.bluerank.pl/
Source: Heinze, A., Fletcher, G., Rashid, T., & Cruz, A. (Eds.). (2017). Digital and Social Media Marketing: A Results-Driven Approach. Routledge. Accessible online http://mastersindigitalmarketing.org/book/ #passion4digital This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Discussion Questions1. Using free websites and tools (such as https://www.found.co.uk/seo-tool/ or
https://www.semrush.com/siteaudit/guest), conduct an on-page analysis of http://www.leroymerlin.pl .
What can you identify as potential on-page factors for optimisation?
2. Using link profile analysis tools, such as Moz Pro Open Site Explorer or similar, compare the link profile of http://www.leroymerlin.pl to its competitors such as those identified in the case study provided.
● If you were responsible for this campaign, what would be your target keyword phrases in your country when targeting DIY enthusiasts?
● Given the nature of the website, http://www.leroymerlin.pl , what are the types of
microformats/schema that could be used to improve the website’s technical SEO?
● Utilising the Google Trends tool, what is the seasonality of ‘DIY’ related keyword terms in your country?
Class Activitiesa) If you were a DIY ecommerce retailer in your country, what is the best long tail, non brand
search term based upon your analysis of the DIY market? Share your answer with others on Twitter and tag it with #passion4digital #Ch7
If you don’t have access to Google AdWords please use the following user name and password: Username: [email protected]
Password: p25510n4digital
Login to Google AdWord - https://adwords.google.com
Source: Heinze, A., Fletcher, G., Rashid, T., & Cruz, A. (Eds.). (2017). Digital and Social Media Marketing: A Results-Driven Approach. Routledge. Accessible online http://mastersindigitalmarketing.org/book/ #passion4digital This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
