As I become more and more familiar with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and search tactics, I have noticed the importance of combining organic and paid search efforts in order to increase rankings and website traffic. With the state of the economy in limbo, companies across all industries are seeing a major cut in profits. Due to high gas prices and rising unemployment, people are not buying cars as often, nor are they buying the same types of cars or spending as much on them as in previous years.

Nissan North America, although boasting a plethora of mpg-friendly vehicles in sporty packages, has seen a large drop in sales and has even cut production. Recently I read that Nissan is now using both paid and organic search to acquire customers and build brand awareness. What has hindered Nissan’s web visibility in the past is they do not own the domain Nissan.com—their website is NissanUSA.com. An overriding goal for search is to make it easy for the user to find the products, services or companies they are looking for, and already you have to work a little to locate their site. Visibility is huge for car companies right now, as many consumers conduct online research before buying a car and visit car manufacturer sites to compare.  According to Jupiter Research, 70 percent of new car buyers researched their prospective buys online in 2007. Researchers are predicting as least a 5 percent increase by 2009.

Nissan’s new approach to search marketing utilizes national, regional and local dealer spotlights using relevant keywords, especially ones pertaining to fuel efficiency. Their relevant search terms each have a corresponding landing page, to ensure users who search for anything related to their product will land on NissanUSA.com. These search efforts also match up with other Nissan messaging found in TV or print ads, reinforcing their brand as sporty and fun but still wallet-friendly. Their interactive marketing is no longer aligned solely with product launches, but seen as more of a day-to-day effort that will continue to change.