Objectives

Foxwoods casino is the 3rd largest casino in the world, located in Ledyard, Connecticut. The Foxwoods and newly constructed MGM Grand at Foxwoods total over 2,200 rooms and over 7 million sq. ft. MMG Worldwide was hired to increase online revenue contribution via paid search in an extremely competitive casino market while maintaining a profitable cost/conversion.



SEM Strategy

1. Keyphrase Research


• Research historical results.
• Research historical results of PPC campaign to ensure correct terms are targeted.
• Analyze site link popularity against competition to determine keyphrases to target.
• All aspects of the resort are promoted, including spa, group meeting, F & B, weddings, banquets & events, special promotions/packages.


2. Launch Paid Search Campaigns


• PPC campaigns were initiated with Google Adwords and Yahoo Search Marketing.
• Over 1,600 terms were submitted with appropriate ad copy, destination URLs and tracking codes.
• Geo-targeted campaigns (by user I.P address) were setup with regional targeting of broad keywords and national targeting of geo-modified keywords.
• Content sites were selected for additional exposure via Google’s AdSense Network.
• Campaigns were tracked using Google Analytics.


3. Campaign Management


• Bids were actively managed based on individual keyphrase conversion rates of 1,600+ terms to minimize cost/conversion.
• Ad copy was constantly split-tested for most efficient cost/conversion.
• Display URLs were optimized to further enhance click-thru rate.
• Poor performing content sites were disabled.
• Analytics data was reconciled against booking engine data to ensure accuracy.



Foxwoods Paid Search Campaign Results

MGMatFoxwoods.com


• Visitor cost/click was under $.30 vs. $.90 industry average.
• 48% of traffic was the result of a geo-targeted campaign.
• Search Campaign click-thru rate over 4%.
• Campaign bounce rate under 20%.
• Average cost/booking under $11.
• Average cost/booking for non-branded keyphrases at $25.
• ROI for overall campaign at 14:1.

Foxwoods.com


• Visitor cost/click was under $.25 vs. $.90 industry average.
• 50% of traffic was the result of a geo-targeted campaign.
• Search Campaign click-thru rate over 3%.
• Campaign bounce rate under 15%.
• Average cost/booking under $15.
• Average cost/booking for non-branded keyphrases at $70.
• ROI for overall campaign at 7:1.

Download Foxwoods Case Study (PDF, 1MB)