How The Total Addressable Market Creates BIz Value

Summary

Voices of Search Podcast: How The Total Addressable Market Creates Biz Value

Episode Release Date: January 28, 2025
Host: Tyson Stockton
Guest: Kevin Koch, SEO Director at Terakeet

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Introduction to the Episode

In this insightful episode of the Voices of Search podcast, host Tyson Stockton engages in a deep conversation with Kevin Koch, the SEO Director at Terakeet. Building on their previous discussion about Terakeet's audience-first approach to SEO, this episode delves into the significance of the Total Addressable Market (TAM) in creating business value through search engine optimization.

Discussing the Total Addressable Market in SEO

Tyson begins by highlighting Kevin’s deliberate choice of terminology, noting, “total addressable market is a really common business term” compared to typical SEO jargon like “search volume” or “search demand” (03:00). Kevin confirms this strategic language choice, emphasizing the importance of aligning SEO discussions with broader marketing and business vernacular. He explains, “we know that even though these keywords and topics have that type of demand and total search volume, we really want to better understand of the search volume, what is that, that opportunity?” (03:02).

Tools and Methodology: Introducing Carina

Kevin introduces Terakeet's proprietary tool, Carina, describing it as “a Swiss army knife for all things SEO” (04:32). Carina automates the process of analyzing search data, allowing Terakeet to efficiently segment keywords into actionable target lists and clusters. Kevin praises the tool’s capability to handle complex data, stating, “we use a lot of automation and data science to pull all these insights in as opposed to doing manual work” (05:56).

Keyword Clustering vs. Individual Keywords

The conversation shifts to the importance of keyword clustering. Tyson remarks, “trying to move away from like the individual keyword… the full spectrum of it is the potential business value” (07:00). Kevin agrees, highlighting that clustering allows for targeting entire collections of search variations, thereby capturing a larger portion of the TAM. This approach not only broadens reach but also enhances the strategic allocation of SEO efforts.

Intent over Demand: Focusing on Intent in SEO Strategy

A pivotal moment in the discussion is Kevin’s emphasis on prioritizing intent over sheer search demand. He asserts, “we lead with intent first, not demand” (07:59). By focusing on transactional keywords that are more likely to convert, Terakeet can drive higher-quality traffic and achieve better conversion rates. Kevin explains that while informational keywords remain part of the strategy, the primary focus is on keywords with higher conversion potential.

Measuring Success: Ensuring Content Meets Intent

Kevin underscores the critical role of measurement in ensuring that SEO initiatives meet their intended goals. He states, “it's all about measurement” (16:00), emphasizing the need for collaborative efforts between technical SEO teams, content creators, and UX designers. This collaboration ensures that content not only attracts traffic but also satisfies user intent and drives conversions. Kevin highlights the importance of analyzing metrics such as conversion rates and engagement behavior to refine strategies continually.

The Dynamic Nature of SEO

Both Tyson and Kevin reflect on the ever-evolving landscape of SEO. Tyson notes, “Google’s understanding of language evolves” (12:36), leading to shifts in intent and search behavior over time. Kevin adds, “It's constantly changing” (14:09), emphasizing the necessity for SEO professionals to stay agile and adapt to changes in search algorithms and SERP features. This dynamic environment requires ongoing monitoring and adjustments to maintain and enhance SEO performance.

Recommendations and Takeaways

As the episode draws to a close, Kevin reiterates the importance of incorporating TAM into SEO strategy. He summarizes, “it's such a key part to understanding the full opportunity that you can go after for a website” (19:42). Additionally, Kevin recommends a typical timeframe of three months for measuring the impact of SEO initiatives, though he acknowledges that this can vary based on factors like industry competitiveness and domain authority.

Tyson adds a practical note, suggesting that while three months is a general benchmark, setting expectations with clients or stakeholders is crucial: “three months, maybe six weeks is one that also depending on the company or website will throw out” (18:37).

Final Thoughts

In this episode, listeners gain valuable insights into how understanding and leveraging the Total Addressable Market can significantly enhance SEO strategies and drive meaningful business value. Kevin Koch’s expertise illuminates the importance of aligning SEO efforts with broader business objectives, focusing on intent-driven keyword strategies, and maintaining a collaborative approach to content creation and user experience design.

For those looking to optimize their SEO strategies, this episode offers actionable advice on embracing TAM, utilizing advanced tools like Carina, and prioritizing intent to achieve higher conversion rates and sustainable organic growth.

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Key Quotes:

• “We lead with intent first, not demand.” – Kevin Koch (07:59)
• “It's all about measurement.” – Kevin Koch (16:00)
• “Total addressable market is a really common business term.” – Tyson Stockton (03:00)
• “Google’s understanding of language evolves.” – Tyson Stockton (12:36)
• “It's constantly changing.” – Kevin Koch (14:09)

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Connect with the Guest and Host:

• Kevin Koch: LinkedIn Profile | Terakeet Website
• Tyson Stockton: Twitter @TysonStockton | Voice of Search Website

Subscribe to the Voices of Search podcast for daily insights into SEO and content marketing, ensuring you stay ahead in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

Transcript

[Tyson Stockton]

The Voices of Search Podcast is a proud member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. Looking to launch or scale your podcast, I Hear Everything delivers podcast production, growth and monetization solutions that transform your words into profit. Ready to give your brand a voice? Then visit iheareverything.com welcome to the Voices of Search Podcast. A member of the I Hear Everything Podcast network, ready to expedite your company's organic growth efforts. Sit back, relax, and get ready for your daily dose of search engine optimization wisdom. Here's today's host of the Voices of Search Podcast, Tyson Stockton.

Hey, what's going on? My name is Tyson from Previsible IO. Joining me today is Kevin Koch, who.

[Kevin Koch]

Is the SEO Director at Terakeet. Terakeet is the preferred owned asset optimization partner for Fortune 500 brands seeking meaningful.

[Tyson Stockton]

Customer connections and online business growth.

[Kevin Koch]

Yesterday, Kevin and I talked about terakeet's audience first approach to SEO, and today we're continuing the conversation to discuss how.

[Tyson Stockton]

The total addressable market creates biz value.

[Sponsor]

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[Tyson Stockton]

Awt all right, here's my conversation with.

[Kevin Koch]

Kevin Koch, SEO director at Terakeet.

[Tyson Stockton]

Kevin, welcome back.

[Kevin Koch]

Thanks for having me back.

No, I feel like we touched on.

[Tyson Stockton]

This a little bit yesterday in kind of like the audience first approach. And we did kind of touch on creating impact Estimates for SEO initiatives and things. And I feel like this, this topic kind of plays on that or digs like a little bit deeper in it, like the total addressable market.

[Kevin Koch]

Like I guess the first question I.

[Tyson Stockton]

Have is I feel like you were very deliberate in the word choice of this. Where oftentimes SEOs we get caught in the, oh, the search volume is this.

[Kevin Koch]

Or the search domain.

[Tyson Stockton]

We, we tend to get into like our SEO jargon. But in your wording here, total addressable market is a really common business term and phrase. So one like is that deliberate? Like am I, am I over reading this? Or is are we kind of talking like similar things of like search demand, addressable market? Like is, are they the same thing.

[Kevin Koch]

Or what's different there?

It's a great question. And we are being very deliberate in using the term total addressable market to.

Assign or not assign.

Excuse me, to align with that different type of marketing business language that we.

Do commonly hear from our types of clients.

The reason we want to look at it there and not just dive straight into the monthly search volume or demand is because we know that even though these keywords and topics have that type of demand and total search volume, we really want to better understand of the search volume, what is that, that opportunity? Because we know not every single keyword gets a click. We know that the click curve is different so that we want to make sure that we're being very specific in that opportunity that we are sharing directly with our clients. So it's not inflated.

Absolutely.

[Tyson Stockton]

And how, how do you go about determining a total addressable market?

[Kevin Koch]

So this is a really fun topic.

And exercise that we're working through across.

The organization with a lot of different teams and disciplines.

But the big part that we use or the area that is helpful for.

Us at Tarakeet is that we use a tool called Carina that we built and develop ourselves.

Carina is kind of a Swiss army knife for all things SEO. It has so many different types of functions and capabilities included.

So what we do and stemming off.

From the conversation yesterday is when we start with that audience first thought to our strategic initiatives and planning from a program standpoint. We get all those topics, we get all the information and data, we then make sure we take those inputs and.

Strategically put them into Carina.

Karina then goes out and does its work and the data science and engineering.

Team is just wicked smart and I.

Just very appreciative to work with people like that where that they can identify more of this kind of search driven metrics that you Touched on here earlier and about monthly search volume and the.

Demand and other main metrics there.

Once they go out and they get all of this information from all this.

Stuff online, competitor sites, other different types.

Of sites and things like that, they run multiple different algorithms to segment those keywords essentially into actionable target lists and clusters.

Then we're able to take all of.

The segmentation and all the lists and be able to then to work with our clients on assumptions on what we think that value looks like from a topical level. So it's really exciting from our standpoint because we use a lot of automation and data science to pull all these insights in as opposed to doing manual work and relying on a team to do that.

[Tyson Stockton]

Sounds quite convenient because I know that this can be a very time consuming approach.

[Kevin Koch]

And I think another thing too that's.

[Tyson Stockton]

Just like, I guess worth, like doubling down on is you mentioned a piece of the way Karina is working is like you have this kind of clustering of like keywords into it. And we talked about it kind of yesterday, like trying to move away from like the individual keyword. But I think like that clustering is such a significant piece because with any one webpage or even like series or. Yeah, it could be an entire directory of web pages.

[Kevin Koch]

Like you're not just going after a few like search terms.

[Tyson Stockton]

Like you're going after the entire collection of variations of searches that people are making for it. And then obviously the more the broader that reach or whatever kind of the full spectrum of it is the potential business value that's out there on the table. And so it's like the way I've described it with like other SEOs is essentially like you have the entire pie there and that's like your total addressable market. And then what we're able to drive is kind of like what we're taking for kind of the piece. Like in this approach of having like the addressable market to create the business value, is it simply because of like, well, that's the consumer demand, like that's the population that we can go to to convert. Or are there other ways that you feel like the addressable market can create business value?

[Kevin Koch]

I would argue we lead with intent first, not demand. And the reason for that is we can drive a lot more or a lot of more conversions based off of the topics that we know or assume will have a higher intent to convert versus the ones that have more volume. So we really like to focus on transactional keywords across the board. Definitely informational keywords are still A part of the strategy, but having those topics.

Segmented in that type of view, with.

All those different types of inputs, we.

Can start to add in some different.

Variables or levers to help with that value estimate or the projection modeling. So definitely MSV is still a part of it, but that's not like the first thing that we look at, and I know that's a big conversation that.

We typically do have with clients is.

That yes, this keyword might have a ton more search volume, but there's also a lot more competitiveness towards it. You're going to probably have to put.

A lot more effort and energy towards.

It or based off of how the site's built, like is that even possible.

To try to scale and go after.

All the different types of keywords and intent? So it helps craft the strategy and.

Also helps level set expectations with the.

Client sooner if we are focused more on the intent versus just straight up monthly search volume.

And to identify the intent like you.

[Tyson Stockton]

Kind of called out like transactional or informational keywords.

[Kevin Koch]

Are there other input factors that you're.

[Tyson Stockton]

Using to drive intent?

[Kevin Koch]

Yes. Within Carina, we have our own modeling and algorithms that pull out this type.

Of intent based off of different inputs.

That again, I'm a little bit unaware.

Of just because the data science team.

Is just way too smart for me. And then they start talking, my eyes gloss over and I'm like, cool. I don't know what's going on, but.

I believe you all.

But all in all, they were able to pull this all out and provide more of our own assumed intent based.

Off of multiple different inputs and what.

The serps are looking like from Google's perspective. So we know there's sometimes mixed intent.

On SERPs, so it's not ever going.

To be a one to one and it might change over time and things like that. So that's another benefit of the Carina tool is it's always on. So we're able to check this pretty frequently, basically monthly on where these keywords.

Are changing in demand, or that intent, or what's the SERP look like so.

That we can make better guesses and projections on where we should be focusing our time on.

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[Tyson Stockton]

I just hit on a few key, key kind of points that I want to highlight there. One that I like is you're calling out like, not just looking at like the output of a tool in the, in the sense of like say like someone's using SEMrush or any other kind of rank tracking tool where oftentimes they'll attribute like, okay, this keyword is transactional, informational, navigational, whatever it may be.

[Kevin Koch]

But calling out to actually look at.

[Tyson Stockton]

The serps, I think that's like a great clue that sometimes is overlooked. And yeah in your situation having that ability to kind of do that at.

[Kevin Koch]

Scale with the tool.

[Tyson Stockton]

But I mean really like if, even if you're you know, working on SEO small budget, it's like you can still be pulling up the SERPs and actually see because I think like Google gives a lot of clues into like how they interpret intent on it. Whether it's like the type of integrations that are on the SERPs, like whether or not like what the ad presence is like on it. So there's a ton of like I think high value information beyond just like the rank position of this that like you can see how Google's doing this. But the other I think really key point that you made is like this is not something that's stagnant and as Google's understanding of language evolves it's also going to shift. And we've seen this in the last probably like 10 years like really dramatically is as they're also understanding language better. The intent is Shifting and I remember working in E Commerce, you know, 10 years ago and a lot of the top funnel terms like running shoes or tennis racket, things like that were very transactional intent keywords as far as that's what was showing. And now we have a lot more blended serps. You have a lot more informational content for those top head terms. And so, you know, it isn't something that's necessarily like set in stone. So I think that's like a really important kind of takeaway for the listeners as well is like knowing that like, hey, this, what you implement today may not be always in the exact same position.

[Kevin Koch]

Yeah, I totally agree.

And I think that's part of the.

Fun in this job is that it's constantly changing.

Like you said 10 years ago, in the grand scheme of things isn't that long ago. But when you do look at it from the search perspective, it's changed drastically. So keeping us on our toes and keeping us aware of all the different changes that Google's making and also like.

The SERP features and all the stuff.

That they're testing and trying to incorporate is a really good way to identify like how they want that information to be served to the user and to.

Answer that question that they're searching on.

Google to do so again, it's an always on thing. We always have to be reviewing that. We have to make sure that we're.

Aware of those changes because it is.

Changing every single day.

And like with this. So we've kind of, we've talked through the important, I mean like several things.

[Tyson Stockton]

In this, in this conversation, but it's like we started out doubling down on the language that we're using and like leading with the total addressable market and also in the sense of leading with the intent of those audiences that we're.

[Kevin Koch]

Looking at rather than just what the.

[Tyson Stockton]

What the demand is from it and then getting into areas that we feel like can have the greatest business impact.

[Kevin Koch]

Anything else that you feel like is.

[Tyson Stockton]

Really like a key piece to like zero in on.

[Kevin Koch]

Like how do, how are we ensuring.

[Tyson Stockton]

If it's new content being created, that that content is satisfying the intent that we just kind of talk through and like the significance of we know we want to use intent to identify and basically help us in prioritization, but how do we ensure that we're meeting that intent with the content or whatever our change is?

[Kevin Koch]

From my perspective, it's all about measurement.

Then, which I know is hard to do still in the SEO world of making sure that we're finding exactly what we've implemented drives immediate impact. But if we are implementing a piece.

Of content, for example, and it doesn't.

Convert, even though it's a transactional term, we got to take a better look at that page and look at the experience and have our UX team come in and also content team to make.

Sure that they're looking at it correctly.

To align on what's the goal of.

The page, which tends to take time.

But that is why I think it.

Often gets overlooked in the SEO industry.

Is that everyone's just focused to move on, to drive more traffic and get more hooks in the water to try to get that prospect. However, it's really about are we creating.

The right piece of experience and content.

That'S going to do what we, we set it out to do and measuring that to see the overall intent and.

The conversion rates and different engagement behavior.

Metrics along the way.

So it's a collaborative effort across multiple.

Disciplines of like the technical SEO team.

To still set up that page to.

Be correct, the content team to be.

Creative and write the type of content.

That resonates with the user, but also having the right user experience there at the end of the day to convert the user to. And if not, and the goal is to still do something more from like a traffic visibility standpoint, great. We can have a different approach to that, but at the end of the day, in my mind, we gotta drive revenue, we gotta make money, and that's the kind of the approach that we like to take.

Totally makes sense. And is there, is there like a recommended time frame for that, like measurement.

[Tyson Stockton]

Or to revisit, you know, pieces of content that have been created, like, what's the, what's the frequency that you're coming back to things?

[Kevin Koch]

You know, the best answer I'm going to give you and you're going to hate it is it depends the classic SEO answer. Right. But the reason I say that is because it is dependent on the industry, the domain authority and everything around the site, the competitiveness, all that. However, luckily I work with large enterprises that have a lot of visibility already, so we do tend to see a lot of performance increases within the first month or two once a piece of content's been published or implementation has been put into play. So that's been helpful. But I think that's where, when you start working on a program or start working with a client or a site where you can test out how quickly.

Things are getting crawled and rendered and.

Seeing those adjustments within ranking perspectives, you'll have a better understanding of how quickly that those changes need to take the really be set and go off of that as your more benchmark. But it really just does depend on.

A lot of different factors. But from my experience to give you some sort of answer instead of just.

Leaving it very vague, I would say three months typically is the right time frame.

[Tyson Stockton]

Yeah, no it is a good call out though too that it's like hey, like anything else in our industry, these aren't hard set in stone factors. And you know I'd assume a big piece too is depending on that initial performance, like it's going to flag or kind of, you know, help guide you into where to come back around to it. But I would agree like in the three month because you know sometimes it is helpful to set those expectations with clients or even if you're on the in house team to set those expectations with your, you know, fellow partners or stakeholders to SEO. And yeah like three months, maybe six weeks is one that also depending on the company or website will throw out. But would totally agree with that. Any other final thoughts that you'd like to leave with the listeners on this topic of like the total addressable market as it relates to SEO?

[Kevin Koch]

I am very, very big on having the total addressable market as part of the strategy, just for multiple reasons that I've touched on already. But just to kind of summarize it all up is just it's such a key part to understanding the full opportunity that you can go after for a website, but then still to be very intentional on identifying where the most value is going to be driven from that bigger list. And then when you start to add.

In other metrics and points to it about the intent and all the other.

You know, SEO metrics of demand and competitiveness and things like that, you can get a very strong understanding of how long this might take. Then you can break that down into.

A projection model so that you can.

Forecast out how much that should be driving and then you can start to execute against that to see how close you are and have those types of conversations with the team so that you can continue to drive value that's going to be relevant for the business.

[Sponsor]

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[Kevin Koch]

And with that, that wraps up this episode of the Voice of Search podcast. Thanks again to Kevin Koch, SEO Director at tarakekeet, for joining us. If you'd like to connect with Kevin, you can find a link to his LinkedIn profile in the show notes and go ahead and head over to check out his company's [e-mail] also, if you didn't get a chance to take notes while listening to the episode, head over to the voiceofsearch.com where we have summaries of all of our episodes, contact information for our guests. You can also send your topic suggestions, SEO question, and even apply to be a guest speaker on the Voice of Search podcast. You can reach us on social media, where our show handle is voicesofsearch, or you can find me at TysonStockton. And if you haven't subscribed yet and want a daily stream of SEO and content marketing insights in your podcast feed, we're going to publish a new episode every workday. So hit the subscribe button in your podcast app and we'll be back in your feed in the next business day.

[Tyson Stockton]

And with that, that wraps up this.

[Kevin Koch]

Episode of the Voice of Search podcast.

[Tyson Stockton]

We'll see you tomorrow.