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10 Steps to Optimize Your Content Marketing Strategy

Posted by under Pay-Per-Click

SES New York kicked off with an excellent keynote presentation by David Meerman Scott (interview) followed by a panel on Digital Asset Optimization including Mark Knowles, Chris Boggs and myself. Richard Zwicky moderated. The rising importance of optimizing one’s digital assets came out of Google and other search engines’ decision to start including information and file types from other sources that their main search index. Some queries trigger search results that go beyond web pages, MS Office docs and PDF files to include images, blog posts, news, video thumbnails, books and others. While many SEOs were responding to the changed landscape of the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) and optimizing for other file types, many others were already optimizing holistically under the premise of, “ What can be searched on can be optimized “. Most companies are not wired to create the variety of content that can achieve top visibility on search engines. In most cases, search engine optimization efforts are focused on content and digital assets that are currently in place.  Being able to get more marketing impact out of existing content is as much a driver of digital asset optimization as it is a part of a holistic strategy that matches up with the opportunities presented by an ever changing search results page. In the DAO session I presented a historical perspective on DAO based on when we started writing about it in 2007 and the changed search landscape we face with personal, real-time, social and mobile search. I also discussed TopRank’s 10 Steps DAO Content Strategy: Search & Social Media Keyword Research Anticipating demand via search is traditionally handled by keyword research tools such Google’s tools, Bing or services like Wordtracker and Keyword Discovery. As advertising and media placements can drive search, so can social conversations. Social media monitoring tools can help marketers conduct social keyword research as a compliment to search based keyword research. Find out what key language and key topics are being discussed on the social web and you’ll have invaluable insight into content idea that provide value for social media marketing and search engine optimization. Analyze Search Results Landscape The output of Universal and real-time search results are not persistent. For example, a search for a particular phrase one day might yield news and image results and on another day display only web pages. It’s useful to monitor the search results landscape for keyword phrases that you’re after. Understanding the mix of data sources besides the main search engine index can help with the allocation of optimization resources. If News and real-time results are most common, it may make more sense to focus on content promotion there vs images or video. Define Buyer Personas & Buying Cycle Understanding the needs of your customer is marketing 101. Search marketers are becoming more sophisticated in their understanding of customer profiles and developing personas to represent who you’re trying to attract via search is an important step in a content strategy. Knowing what kind of content and what type of digital asset your customers will best respond to can improve effectivness at driving traffic from the search visibilyt you’ve achieved through SEO. The buying cycle is another dimension that warrants attention to make sure you’re creating, promoting and optimizing content that is relevant to where your customers are in their search/research process. Broad concepts usually represent early stages of research versus more specific phrases which often indicate a buyer is closer to purchase. Inventory Existing Content & Assets With a more holistic SEO effort, especially one that will incorporate digital assets, it’s important to have a baseline understanding of what you have to work with. Taking inventory of your content and digital assets is something we’ve been recommending for over 3 years and it’s an essential first step. Having an understanding of current content and digital assets can also uncover content that is ripe for re-purposing. A common example is video that can be deconstructed into multiple, short form videos, single images, transcribed into text or splitting the audio off into a podcast. Develop editorial plan for new content Understanding your search and social media keywords, buyer personas and the assets you have to work with will help identify what new content you’ll need to create. Adopting the perspective of a publisher, not just a marketer, will help resource allocation, planning and goals/measurement for content creation. For example, rather than just sending out a press release and publishing a blog post with a new product announcement, a company might, based on search/social keyword research and an understanding of their buyer personas, decide to create a resource page for journalists that includes links to relevant resources, standard press release, images, PowerPoint, video, past media coverage, executive interviews, audio snippets, demo and appropriate media relations contact info. It would be made easy to bookmark or share this resource page as well. The assets being linked to from the resource page would be hosted either on the corporate site, optimized of course, or hosted on 3rd party media sharing sites such as Flicrk, YouTube, SlideShare, DocStoc, PRWeb and others. This provides a richer experience as well as numerous options for interaction. It also offers multiple, potential entry points into the resource page via search, since the optimized digital assets can rank in search results on their own and link to the destination content on the corporate web site. Map Keywords to Content & Digital Assets The functional process of implementing search/social keyword research is to map those concepts to the content and assets you have. This helps manage the initial keyword optimization process. Mapping keywords to the editorial plan is also a useful guide for the future creation and optimization of content. Not only are web pages, images, video and other assets optimized for search, but optimized for customers. Operationalize Content & Digital Media Creation with SEO SEO and digital asset optimization are not one-time events. Keyword demand will change and of course, new content and media will be published. To ensure keyword optimization of new content, it’s important to incorporate SEO with established content creation and promotion processes. That might be updating the corporate styleguide with SEO and keyword usage rules or it might mean making programming changes to the web site’s content management system to prompt content creators with keyword cues when adding text or other media. Develop Off Page DAO Assets The beauty of social content is of course, that it’s social! Sharing should be easy and encouraged. Hosting some digital assets on social media sharing sites such as those mentioned above (Flickr, YouTube, Slideshare, DocStoc) can introduce your optimized content to new audiences and attract both traffic and links. More relevant links mean better search engine visibility and web site visitors. Promote/Syndicate via Distribution Channels How will anyone know you have excellent content and digital assets if you don’t promote? Dedicate a fixed and persistent effort to developing social networks where your customers and influentials spend their time on the social web. Do the same with social media sharing web sites so that when you post a new video on YouTube for example, your network there can be notified. Developing distribution channels for content will significantly improve reach and the likelihood of your content being passed on, shared and made socially popular. Email newsletters, RSS, Ping.fm and TwitterFeed services are good examples of content distribution services that help promote content efficiently. Ongoing Measurement with Web, Social and Search Analytics Search marketing professionals are well aware of the value from web and search analytics that measure search visibility performance as well as web site interactions and conversions. The importance of social media monitoring and analytics is also essential for a DAO Content strategy. On the front end, social media monitoring tools can help you identify conversations and influentials that are meaningful to the topics and customers your marketing efforts are trying to reach. Social keyword research can in part, be accomplished by some social media monitoring tools. Those same tools are essential for measuring the social impact of your digital asset and social media optimization efforts. A simple cycle would be one where you’ve identified new keyword topics beginning to buzz on the social web and taking that cue to create content. Promote that content through your social networks and use social media monitoring to track the effects of your content contributions to the larger conversation on the topic. Use web analytics to measure any increase in search based traffic based on the growing popularity and awareness of the topic based in part, on your contributions and social interactions. With an Optimized Content Strategy, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that by following these 10 steps, a significant impact can be achieved in overall authority for the topics and keyword concepts focused on as well as the ability to attract new business, media coverage and employees. The bad news is that it’s not easy. Making the commitment to serving customers with content and media on an ongoing basis, indefinitely without the initial ability to forecast ROI will make many companies say, “Great idea and it makes sense, but not for us.” However, those companies that make the effort to really understand and implement these fundamental concepts are making an investment with a payoff that is very long term and with momentum, very signifcant. Some companies will be able to “come out of nowhere” and dominate their category by following these 10 guidelines for an optimized content marketing strategy. Live blogging coverage of the Digital Asset Optimization session at SES New York was provided by: SEM Geek Outspoken Media Search Engine Roundtable AimClear And this article on Holistic SEO with Digital Asset Optimization was recently posted on ClickZ

Understand The Working Of The Pay Per Click Module Using Perry Marshall’s Adword Guide

Posted by BlogPostman under Pay-Per-Click

Pay per click is an advertising strategy which permits you to target and advertise for customers who are relevant to your kind of business. So how does one go about findingthese customers? Once you are sure about your line of business you should then start working on all the relevant keywords that suit your line of work. These key words would be the ones which your customers will most probably use in order to get information towards your line of business. Therefore your target now should be to be one of the sites that your prospective customers can come to. To do that you need to feature higher in your search engine rankings. If you make use of the pay per click program provided by the search engines then you can be hugely benefitted as that very search engine will now rank you higher on their search engine pages . Pay-per-click (PPC) search engines are those that offer the marketing option called “pay-per-click” to users. PPC advertising is the placement of a small advertisement on the search results page for a targeted keyword or keywords in return for a specified payment when a visitor actually clicks on the advertisement. Effectively advertisers pay nothing to come on the results page; they only pay the amount they have agreed to when someone actually clicks on their ad and is taken to the landing page on their website. The term “pay per click” means just what it says: the advertiser pays each time a visitor clicks on the ad. This makes good business sense too as the advertiser now has to handle only those customers who are relevant to his line of business and not the others. The most popular PPC search engine is Google; their PPC advertising campaign is called AdWords. Similarly Yahoo and other search engines too have their own PPC campaigns and packages for online advertisers to use and benefit from. There are several material on PPC which can you understand the basics of these. Very helpful on the same is Perry Marshall adwords guide which would help you get to know PPC much better.

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Understand The Working Of The Pay Per Click Module Using Perry Marshall’s Adword Guide

10 Reasons SES New York is a Must-Attend Marketing Conference

Posted by BlogPostman under Internet Marketing, Online Advertising, Pay-Per-Click

Let’s get it out of the way that Online Marketing Blog is a media sponsor for Search Engine Strategies conferences and also that I serve on the advisory board . In fact, the blog you’re reading right now was the very first blog to be recognized as a media sponsor by a major marketing industry conference. Specifically, Search Engine Strategies thanks to Matt McGowan . As a long time speaker at SES New York in combination with our other involvement, you could say I have a pretty strong opinion of this event. Here are 10 reasons why I think SES New York is a “must attend” marketing conference: 1. Keynotes! Starting the day with big picture content is a great way to get the synapse firing in your brain. Well, that and a few cups of coffee from the Starbucks inside the Hilton.  With David Meerman Scott – Author of the New Rules of Marketing & PR, Avinash Kaushik – Analytics Guru & Author from Google and Yusuf Mehdi SVP from Bing, you are sure to get riveting insight about the future of internet marketing and where companies should be focusing their efforts in the long term. David Meerman Scott is an excellent speaker and the release of the second edition of his groundbreaking book is very timely as the intersection of Search, Social Media and PR converge.  The best internet marketing campaigns start and scale based on good insight from analytics and what better person to share the wisdom that Avinash Kaushik .  Bing has experienced the best growth it’s ever had in the past few months and the search marketing industry is starting to take it more seriously. Yusuf Mehdi is the man to tell the story of how Microsoft plans to continue that growth. 2.  Connect with the Industry I’ve heard that over 5,000 online marketing professionals will be attending SES New York this year. That’s 5,000 people you have the potential to network with including industry peers, rock stars, potential candidates to hire, potential employers to be hired by, possible partners, investors, news media and of course, the coopetition. Take a look at the conference agenda and you’ll see an excellent mix of smart marketers from agencies and from major brands like New York Times, Autodesk, IBM and Facebook. Plus you might get to meet people like Mike Grehan , VP and Global Content Director for for Search Engine Watch, ClickZ and Search Engine Strategies. 3.  All the Knowledge You Can Absorb There are over 70+ sessions over 3 days covering the gamut of internet marketing topics from the expected SEO and Social Media to Analytics, Conversion Optimization, Geeky technical sessions, Advertising, Real Time search and one of my favorites, the Business Track. The conference is also sandwiched with a day of hands on training before and after the conference for those that want more than just 12 minute snippets from each speaker. Whether you’re new to the field of internet marketing or whether you’re looking for more advanced tactics, there’s a session for just about everyone. And that’s not easy to do. Just ask Stewart Quealy , Marilyn Crafts or Jackie Ortez . 4. It’s New York! As the CEO of an agency that pays for employees to attend conferences, you might think it a bit frivolous to suggest attending an event because it’s in New York, but the attraction of one of the world’s greatest cities brings a variety of people and a unique conference experience.  Why not get smarter in a city that can offer you an experience unmatched anywhere?  Whether you’re a fan of the Falafel stand outside the Hilton (be sure to go to the one with a long line) seeing shows on Broadway ( Wicked was Excellent. Equus was ah, different) or the lights of Times Square , that’s a never ending supply of new things to see and do in the big apple. That attraction brings together a group of international conference attendees that is unlike events in other cities and well worth taking advantage of. 5. Conference Box Lunches Maybe not! Whether you decide to go with the lunch offered by the conference or you decide to arrange meetings during lunch at one of the many, many restaurants in the area around the Hilton New York, networking over food is something I’ve found to be incredibly productive. Find a table near full of people, sit down and introduce yourself. Ask lots of questions, be a great listener and people will remember you more than if you try and “sell” everyone you meet. Sure, you may network at bars and clubs during after-conference parties, but the music is often so loud you can’t hear what people are saying and let’s face it: When SEO’s get near a bar, distractions are plentiful. The focus isn’t going to be on business. Connect with people during the day and suggest coffee, lunch or dinner before going out. Then have fun (in moderation of course) with them in the evening.  It will likely be the best networking decision you make during the conference. 6. Create Content Attending conferences can be one of the most productive content opportunities because there are so many ways to do it.  If a session is interesting, take notes – aka live blogging . If you meet someone smart and interesting, take notes. If you see something sensational at a networking party, no need to take notes on that. Logging what you learn as you hear it can help retention but it also becomes a source of content that you can use for blog posts, sharing with the team back in the office or with your clients. Content doesn’t need to be limited to text either. If you meet a smart industry expert, ask if they mind doing a short video interview. You’re in New York after all, take advantage of the city backdrop (sans the car horn and siren noise) to shoot a series of videos with people you respect in the industry.  Those videos can be de-constructed into a variety of content types for digital asset optimization and other SEO tactics. Photos are also useful not only for company blog posts but for use as stock photos long after SESNY has ended. In fact, the photo of Grand Central Station above was taken while I was in New York for a SES conference last year. 7. Live Consulting On day 3 of SES NY there is a track called “Clinics”, which could also be called, “Free Consulting for My Business”.  There are clinics covering Paid Search, Ecommerce, Conversions and Big Sites/Big Brand Sites. These sessions are a great opportunity for companies to have their web sites or advertising reviewed by industry experts and get recommendations. Keep in mind, that advice is often direct and to the point – yet polite.  Panelists have been solving web site and online advertising problems for years and they’ll be able to see issues immediately and share possible solutions just as quickly. The advice a company might get in one of the clinics can be worth several times the cost of attending the conference. 8. Find New Resources to Grow Your Business At SES New York, the exhibit hall will have over 100 companies presenting their products and services.  Cruising the booths and talking to reps (early in the conference, not late) is a great way to learn about companies that might have just the service you need to make your marketing more effective. Heck, if you’re really good, you might be able to reverse roles and pick up a few exhibitors as clients, depending on what it is that your company does. Finding consultants and services isn’t limited to the exhibit hall. You can find great resources by attending sessions where representatives from some of the top companies in the industry will be sharing their insights and expertise. Hearing an employee speak gives you some insight into their processes and how they approach working with clients.   You can also find potential employees by networking with speakers, either directly or through referral. 9. Digital Asset Optimization DAO is the name of the panel I’m presenting on, day 1 of the conference at 10:45 am right after the keynote from David Meerman Scott. Optimizing for the new Google takes a unique and creative approach to content strategy and SEO.  Optimizing and promoting Digital Assets present a tremendous opportunity to grow business through organic search. My presentation will focus on successful DAO implementations for a small business, a publisher/ecommerce site and a very large company.  Plus I’ll be offering a new TopRank Guide for download.  You won’t want to miss this session! 10.  I’ve saved the best for last What are YOUR favorite reasons for attending SES New York? Whatever it is that you’re considering getting out of SES New York, be sure to get more information on the session agenda here.

Being Aware Of The Cost of SEO Services

Posted by BlogPostman under Pay-Per-Click

The term S.E.O is one thatis imperative to all online businesses. Sure there are some companies online that can do well without being worried about ranking high in the search sites, but for the most part this isnt the case. The higher that a site ranks in these lists the more traffic will be drawn to it and the more business the company will have as a result. So for example in Google you will want your business to show up primarily based on keywords that a person has typed into the PC. Of course there are a few things that will need to be sorted if you need to make the best of SEO . For one you’ll need to work out what the search engine optimisation cost is going to be. The search engine optimization cost is mostly not too costly, but bear in mind that it’ll all depend on how big a business you have and what the competition is like. If you just run a little unique store you aren’t going to be forced to pay as much as if you had a enormous shoe store for example, where you would have a large amount of competition. employing a search engine optimization| SEO search engine optimisation} cost calculator is probably the swiftest and most straightforward technique to get a general estimate. Donot bet on this being the final cost that you end up paying, but it does help to offer an average so you can plan and budget a bit better. With quality back links a business is able to rank better in the search sites. Youwill still wish to get a mean of what the search engine optimisation cost is going to be in your case. Most people spend about one thousand greenbacks a month for the search engine optimisation cost. This may appear a bit pricey but these are businesses that are striving and doing well for the most part, and the higher up they’re on that list, the better off they are doing. Promoting is crucial to a business for it to strive and so it shouldnot be far too much of a concern to pay this out as a business cost. Keep in mind that if you have a smaller, more unique business you can only have to pay a few hundred each month. Most businesses will end up spending 1 to 2 thousand greenbacks a month for the SEO optimization cost. You will have to get a financial model first to get a better idea of what you will be paying. For smaller firms there are some SEO services which will charge less than that, perhaps a couple of hundred. Step one is to talk to an advisor who can help you get going and making your business more moneymaking. To find cutting edge SEO services at a small part of the cost visit www.linxhurricane.com.

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Being Aware Of The Cost of SEO Services

SEO Explained In straightforward Terms.

Posted by under Pay-Per-Click

SEO – or S.E.O as it is frequently termed – is, in its most basic form, the art of building your website in such a manner that when people use search engines to search for information related to what your website contains, they’ll find you at the apex of the result. search engines could be the most effective way to find information on the internet, but because they’re so good in what they do they often cause a headache for users. Which will sound odd, but when you think about a search for a favored subject or product can throw up ahundreds of thousands of results, youmay understand – who’s going to hunt through all that material for find what’s wanted? The answer’s that people donot – they customarily look only at the initial few results which is the reason why it’s critical to optimize your internetsite to come up among the top results. A search is done when people enter a keyword or phrase for the search engine to search for ; the product of this search is pages of links to applicable sites. The ranking of your website in these results will relyon how important the search engine thinks your site is to the search terms. In simple terms, that means that the more often the search phrase appears in your website, the more topical the search engine will think your site is to the search. This is an oversimplification due to all the complexities concerned, but this is SEO explained in the best way. What the search engines basically care about – particularly Google – is a good experience for their users ( the searchers ) However , you must be careful not to over use the keywords because not only will the text in your site appear awkward and even incomprehensible, search engines are now very classy and will remove any site that appear to be stuffed with keywords justfor the sake of good search rankings. As an example, if your site is dealing with bed sheets and in the 600 words of text on a page you use the phrase bed sheets eighty times, the search website will know that something is wrong and reject the page. Naturally, many ;black hat or shady techniques of enhancing a webpage have come up over time, but with the revolutionary technology that the search websites use, things like link farms and concealed keywords are soon discovered and the websites indulging in this are generally banned. With the great quantity of competition in cyber space, having a good web site is not enough to guarantee your web success you have to make efforts to push traffic to your website. The only way to do this is to optimize the site for search engines, an optimized website is increasingly crucial these days. There is much more to search engine optimization, but this is basic Search Optimization explained in a nutshell. To find cutting edge SEO Services at a little fraction of the cost check out SEO company linxhurricane at www.linxhurricane.com.

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SEO Explained In straightforward Terms.