Ken Jurina explained to us how their key word research application works. It allows them to sort through hundreds of thousands of key phrases at an overwhelming rate of speed. Epiar’s ability to accomplish this has given them, as well as their clients, a competitive advantage. With all these applications and developments, Epiar is able to provide organic optimization of websites.

Up to this point, Epiar’s work has been organic, but very successful. Many people wonder why they do not deal with paid searches since they spend their money on managing key words, tracking conversions, and things such as that. According to Damian Finlay, Epiar is looking into paid searches since other companies are planning on outsourcing to them. With all the thousands of key phrases plus the collection of costs-per-click, the budgets are too appealing not to consider paid searches.

Marketing for the year 2007 requires both online and offline aspects including strategy building, maintaining inventories, and all sorts other day-to-day business affairs. According to Curtis Dueck, search needs to be incorporated into a marketing mix. Marketing includes having effective research and having knowledge of what the market is looking for, but these factors are also important when adding search to the mix.

In other developments, Epiar has involved posting their market research results onto blogs. They have also added a variety of journalists who embed market research into their stories. As a result, Epiar has a lot more exposure. Epiar’s success is based on hard work, and they endeavor to continue their hard work and build on their success.

According to Dueck, “We have the ability to put our finger on the pulse of history in the year 2006: What people want… just by the way that they’re entering stuff into search engines.” Closely following the ebb and flow of search trends equips us with a window on political opinion, popular culture and the current view on any other topic we wish. “It’s mind boggling.”

With this power, market research has been turned on its head. Jurina adds, “[This is the] largest sample size you could ever want.. the biggest focus group… and the information is unbiased as no one even knows they’re really being watched… Instead of having to look through a small sample of phrases, we’re usually looking at eighty thousand, a hundred thousand or multiple hundred thousands of phrases. So as a result you are collecting some good information that can provde some great business direction and trending information.”

Many traditionalists are having trouble coming to grips with this new capacity for knowledge. Yet, previously where few pursued such marketing angles, many are now beginning to realize its potential.

Dueck mused, “The evolution within the mainstream industry has been really interesting. We’re showing just the tip of the iceburg… and people’s jaws are dropping.”

It’s certainly exciting for marketers to dwell on the notion of such a vast pool of information, yet the best is yet to come. As search data collection continues, this set gets larger and the data gets richer. Jurina commented, “[Marketers need] to identify the long tail phrases versus the short one or two word phrases which are much more difficult to determine the intention of what the person is looking for. Is there a likelyhood that they are going to be converting? …This is where the real opportunity to conversion is.”