The L2 Watches & Jewelry: Search Insights report analysed the various online practices of 66 jewellery and watch brands, including Tiffany & Co, De Beers, Alex and Ani, Pandora, Cartier and Citizen.
Specifically, the study looked at how companies were employing search engine optimisation (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) – an online marketing approach involving components like paid searches and advertisements – to improve rankings in search results.
The report found that 60 per cent of the brands’ website traffic was driven by search engines, emphasising the importance of increasing visibility in this area. Direct website visits accounted for 20 per cent of traffic and 17 per cent was due to referrals from other websites, while only 3 per cent of traffic came from social media platforms.
“Brands need to continue to invest in their SEO/SEM strategies to stay ahead and make sure they remain visible to the consumer,” L2 research associate Elizabeth Elder told Luxury Daily.
Key findings
The research indicated that jewellery and watch companies were demonstrating distinct SEO and SEM efforts, with many relying on paid search leads to drive website traffic.
Purchasing keywords, both unbranded such as ‘engagement ring’ and branded such as ‘Cartier’, was listed as one of the main ways brands were attempting to increase traffic. This practice often involves bidding on a specified figure each time someone clicks on a company's ad as a result of that purchased search term.
The report noted competition was particularly apparent in the engagement ring sector.
“Google’s recent restructuring of search results amplified competition for watch and jewellery brands on both the SEO and SEM fronts,” an L2 statement explained. “Relevant keywords, such as ‘diamond’ and ‘engagement ring’, are considerably pricier than other keywords in the category such as ‘gold, even though they generate roughly the same amount of traffic.”
Despite the trend for paid keywords, the study suggested jewellers could generate more long-term return on investment by optimising their organic visibility instead of “bidding up” these kinds of expensive SEM keywords – potentially positive news for jewellery retailers with limited budgets.
Other takeaways
For watch brands, the report found that 90 per cent of both paid and organic website traffic was a result of brand-specific searches.
“Watch brands are almost exclusively focused on customers in the latter stages of the purchase funnel,” the report explained.
Branded search terms for jewellers were said to account for 85 per cent of organic search traffic and 65 per cent of paid search traffic.
The report found a number of high-profile brands like Fabergé, Graff and Omega relied 100 per cent on organic traffic.
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