Search engine marketing at OTTO: internal SEO, knowledge sharing and a blog
Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2025 9:10 am
I recently spoke with 3 OTTO employees who are responsible for search engine marketing in the Netherlands: Ans Vervoort (Senior Coordinator Online Marketing), Remco Appeljan and Caroline Nieuwendijk (Coordinators Online Marketing SEO).
The Search committee of the DDMA focuses on promoting the field of search engine marketing in the Netherlands, through knowledge sharing and education. In the series 'Search engine marketing at….' we discuss the activities in the field of search engine marketing at organizations. Nuon , Het Rode Kruis , UPC and Bol.com were previously discussed.
Search Engine Marketing at OTTO
All online marketing channels fall under “channel managers” at OTTO. Both search engine advertising (SEA) and search engine optimization (SEO) fall under the Senior Coordinator Online Marketing. For SEO there is a permanent team internally. For SEA there is a combination of permanent internal employees.
OTTO started with SEA more than 10 years ago. In the first few years, advertising in search engines was completely outsourced, but in the last few years more and more in-house. SEO austria telegram number list started more than 5 years ago; before that, nothing was done about SEO. In the early years, there was a lot of collaboration with an agency, but now OTTO has quite a few people for SEO in-house.
OTTO_site
Especially for SEO, it strongly affects your organization and the basis of your website, both the technology and the content. You also have direct contact with important departments such as shop management. "It affects the core of your business so much that we believe that SEO should be done internally," says Ans Vervoort.
It affects the core of your business so much that we believe SEO should be done in-house.” – Ans Vervoort
“For SEO, we work with online marketing agency OrangeValley, which advises, guides and trains us (disclaimer: I (the author) work for OrangeValley). For SEA, it is also increasingly the case that we need coordination with other departments, but the work is easier to outsource to an agency than SEO.”
Search engine marketing in total marketing mix
Search is very important to OTTO because it is a large part of the marketing mix. More than a third of the business comes from Search (SEA + SEO). The resources and costs that belong to search are in proportion to the share of turnover. With SEO, the costs are more in people and with SEA, the costs are more in the costs of the advertisements themselves.
This large share of search engines, combined with Google's monopoly, creates a dependency on the search engine. "It is not a concern that OTTO is dependent on Google, but there is certainly conscious attention for the use of other channels," says Ans Vervoort. "As long as we are relevant to the target group, have an offer that matches what people are searching for, then there is a place for us in search." The total objective of OTTO is focused on growth, and if that can be done with Google, then that is fine. "But if growth can be better facilitated with other channels, then we will do that."
Integrated strategy SEO & SEA
At OTTO, SEA and SEO have their own objectives and are basically carried out independently. But learnings and figures are certainly shared to maximise the alignment of SEA and SEO efforts where possible. “Of course, you are trying to reach the same questions and customers, but both disciplines are so different that they require separate knowledge and people.”
OTTO aims to be maximally visible on both SEA and SEO, also on the same search queries. “We learn from SEA where we are not shown on SEO, because with SEA you can see more quickly what works and what doesn't”. OTTO also looks at what SEO does not yet have results in the short term, so that SEA is used to seize that opportunity.
Search engine marketing agency collaboration
OTTO has built up a lot of experience in working with search engine marketing agencies. OTTO believes it is important to know and be able to do a lot itself, but will always continue to work with agencies. This is because agencies always have more market knowledge and are closer to developments. The goal for OTTO for collaborations with search agencies is to stay informed of developments and receive specialist guidance. In addition, OTTO also uses agencies to outsource part of the work, especially in the SEA area. “By sparring with agencies and the 'four-eyes principle' we increase the quality. An agency always has an open mind and is not hindered by knowledge of limitations in the organization”, says Ans Vervoort.
The Search committee of the DDMA focuses on promoting the field of search engine marketing in the Netherlands, through knowledge sharing and education. In the series 'Search engine marketing at….' we discuss the activities in the field of search engine marketing at organizations. Nuon , Het Rode Kruis , UPC and Bol.com were previously discussed.
Search Engine Marketing at OTTO
All online marketing channels fall under “channel managers” at OTTO. Both search engine advertising (SEA) and search engine optimization (SEO) fall under the Senior Coordinator Online Marketing. For SEO there is a permanent team internally. For SEA there is a combination of permanent internal employees.
OTTO started with SEA more than 10 years ago. In the first few years, advertising in search engines was completely outsourced, but in the last few years more and more in-house. SEO austria telegram number list started more than 5 years ago; before that, nothing was done about SEO. In the early years, there was a lot of collaboration with an agency, but now OTTO has quite a few people for SEO in-house.
OTTO_site
Especially for SEO, it strongly affects your organization and the basis of your website, both the technology and the content. You also have direct contact with important departments such as shop management. "It affects the core of your business so much that we believe that SEO should be done internally," says Ans Vervoort.
It affects the core of your business so much that we believe SEO should be done in-house.” – Ans Vervoort
“For SEO, we work with online marketing agency OrangeValley, which advises, guides and trains us (disclaimer: I (the author) work for OrangeValley). For SEA, it is also increasingly the case that we need coordination with other departments, but the work is easier to outsource to an agency than SEO.”
Search engine marketing in total marketing mix
Search is very important to OTTO because it is a large part of the marketing mix. More than a third of the business comes from Search (SEA + SEO). The resources and costs that belong to search are in proportion to the share of turnover. With SEO, the costs are more in people and with SEA, the costs are more in the costs of the advertisements themselves.
This large share of search engines, combined with Google's monopoly, creates a dependency on the search engine. "It is not a concern that OTTO is dependent on Google, but there is certainly conscious attention for the use of other channels," says Ans Vervoort. "As long as we are relevant to the target group, have an offer that matches what people are searching for, then there is a place for us in search." The total objective of OTTO is focused on growth, and if that can be done with Google, then that is fine. "But if growth can be better facilitated with other channels, then we will do that."
Integrated strategy SEO & SEA
At OTTO, SEA and SEO have their own objectives and are basically carried out independently. But learnings and figures are certainly shared to maximise the alignment of SEA and SEO efforts where possible. “Of course, you are trying to reach the same questions and customers, but both disciplines are so different that they require separate knowledge and people.”
OTTO aims to be maximally visible on both SEA and SEO, also on the same search queries. “We learn from SEA where we are not shown on SEO, because with SEA you can see more quickly what works and what doesn't”. OTTO also looks at what SEO does not yet have results in the short term, so that SEA is used to seize that opportunity.
Search engine marketing agency collaboration
OTTO has built up a lot of experience in working with search engine marketing agencies. OTTO believes it is important to know and be able to do a lot itself, but will always continue to work with agencies. This is because agencies always have more market knowledge and are closer to developments. The goal for OTTO for collaborations with search agencies is to stay informed of developments and receive specialist guidance. In addition, OTTO also uses agencies to outsource part of the work, especially in the SEA area. “By sparring with agencies and the 'four-eyes principle' we increase the quality. An agency always has an open mind and is not hindered by knowledge of limitations in the organization”, says Ans Vervoort.