Content & Customer Optimization Presentation from Search Congress Barcelona
Posted on 01. Mar, 2012 by Lee Odden in Blog, content optimization, search congress, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing
View from our "boat" in Barcelona during Search Congress
I’m about to go on stage at the Search Congress conference in Barcelona and I thought I’d share the presentation that I’ll be giving. Don’t worry, only the title page is in Spanish but all the photos are from my last trip to Barcelona.
As a complement to the growing amount of Content and Social Media focused advice being given by traditional SEOs, this presentation is in line with our approach at TopRank to customer-centric content optimization.
Instead of focusing solely on keywords as inspiration for optimization, this presentation provides a framework and example of how a customer centric approach would segment customer data into personas and then map keywords, topics and content types according to each persona’s journey through the buying cycle.
The notion of SEO and optimization is so much more than keywords and links (as pointed out in yesterday’s well-received SEO post) I hope you find it useful.
Thanks to Ouali and the Search Congress team as well as to the attendees of Search Congress for attending.
Gain a competitive advantage by subscribing to the
TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.
© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. |
Content & Customer Optimization Presentation from Search Congress Barcelona | http://www.toprankblog.com
Content & Customer Optimization Presentation from Search Congress Barcelona
Posted on 01. Mar, 2012 by Lee Odden in Blog, content optimization, search congress, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing
View from our "boat" in Barcelona during Search Congress
I’m about to go on stage at the Search Congress conference in Barcelona and I thought I’d share the presentation that I’ll be giving. Don’t worry, only the title page is in Spanish but all the photos are from my last trip to Barcelona.
As a complement to the growing amount of Content and Social Media focused advice being given by traditional SEOs, this presentation is in line with our approach at TopRank to customer-centric content optimization.
Instead of focusing solely on keywords as inspiration for optimization, this presentation provides a framework and example of how a customer centric approach would segment customer data into personas and then map keywords, topics and content types according to each persona’s journey through the buying cycle.
The notion of SEO and optimization is so much more than keywords and links (as pointed out in yesterday’s well-received SEO post) I hope you find it useful.
Thanks to Ouali and the Search Congress team as well as to the attendees of Search Congress for attending.
Gain a competitive advantage by subscribing to the
TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.
© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. |
Content & Customer Optimization Presentation from Search Congress Barcelona | http://www.toprankblog.com
Key SEO Questions For Better Content Marketing
Posted on 04. Nov, 2011 by Lee Odden in Blog, content marketing, content marketing strategy, content optimization, SEO strategy, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing
Amazing sunset outside of the TopRank office.
The agency (TopRank Online Marketing) that I started with Susan Misukanis celebrated it’s 10th Birthday this year and in all my time as an Internet Marketer, no other combination of marketing tactics has yielded results like Search Engine Optimization and Content. Over the past 5 years Social Media has entered the mix as an even more powerful amplifier to the effect of optimized content.
But there’s a key problem with how content marketing is implemented by many SEO-focused agencies and practitioners. Creation of “content” has escalated to amazing levels but there is a lot of that content fails to achieve the desired objective. In the midst of keywords, links, rankings and search algorithms there are several important pieces missing.
SEO tends to be viewed as very tactical when it’s actually not only an important piece of a business internet marketing strategy, but it’s a compelling way to view online marketing overall. I’m talking about an “Optimized” state of mind that focuses on customers more than keywords and outcomes more than the trendiest online platforms.
Part of solving this problem is for those who employ SEO and Content Creation, Optimization and Promotion to think of optimization as a strategy. What can be searched can be optimized for better performance. That’s a holistic approach beyond keywords in title tags, Page Rank and inbound links. Not only is there benefit to view any electronic file that an be published online as a potential marketing asset, but understanding how they can work together is something that can elevate and scale a company’s content marketing effectiveness.
So, what does this mean at the individual content tactic creation and optimization level? I recommend Internet Marketers ask a few key questions for every content object they create. Whether it’s an email, blog post, press release or article for a publication, it’s essential to think about the answers to these questions:
- What is this article’s key message and how does it relate to the brand?
- Where does this content fit within the mix of brand content created on the same/similar topic?
- What target search keywords is this content focused on?
- What are the compelling social sharing motivations for this content?
- What media can support this content (video, audio, images, interactive)?
- What is the first level, second level audience?
- What need or pain point does this content solve?
- What’s the hook? (creative angle, metaphor,
- What’s the punchline (revelation and call to action)?
- How will this content inspire the reader to the next step, to action?
- How can this content be repurposed and/or reposted in the future?
- What promotion channels will be used to automate distribution?
- How will the content be promoted, pitched, shared at large and with relevant influencers?
- What are the target key performance indicators for this individual content object and for it’s category?
Answer those questions and think about the flow of the content. Does it identify a need or opportunity? Does it empathize with an audience or a problem? Does it suggest a solution or conclusion? Is there a compelling call to action? Does it inspire the reader to do what you want them to do? (act, share, feel, experience). Does it have a purpose relevant to customers and the brand that stands alone outside of SEO and Social Media?
Regardless of the type, format or length of content, these are important questions to answer in order to produce relevant and compelling content that drives business as key components of a Search Engine and Social Media Optimization strategy. In the context of content marketing, an “optimized” approach is holistic and adaptable at making content easy to discover by the right audience, meaningful to consume and motivating to engage and act on.
Gain a competitive advantage by subscribing to the
TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.
© Online Marketing Blog, 2011. |
Key SEO Questions For Better Content Marketing | http://www.toprankblog.com
The Science and Results of Real-Time Content Optimization
Posted on 10. Oct, 2011 by Jay Baer in Blog, content marketing, content optimization, real-time, Search Marketing Advice, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing
I’ve been writing Convince & Convert for more than three years, and I continue to be grateful and delighted that you choose to spend time here, when faced with a tsunami of blog options.
I continue to find it fascinating, however, that even though this blog is probably considered successful within its very small niche, approximately 70% of the visitors here are first-timers (according to Google Analytics). And approximately 35% of you came from a search engine.
You know what drives magazine subscriptions? Newsstand sales. Readers don’t start loyal. They sample the product first, and decide they want consistent consumption. Blogs work the exact same way, except Search is our newsstand.
I’ve read several posts from other bloggers eschewing the need to pay attention to the principles of search optimization, arguing that the “community” and “engagement” and “sharing” will supersede the impact of search.
They are wrong, and a new research project I just finished proves it.
Real-Time Content Optimization
For a seven week period, I worked with InboundWriter – an easy-to-use tool that helps optimize your writing. During that period, I created seven new posts here using InboundWriter, and rewrote five classic posts to make them more search friendly.
The results were significant and immediate.
- Traffic from search for the posts I rewrote using InboundWriter increased by an average of 33%
- Four of the five rewritten posts achieved top 10 Google rankings for key phrases I targeted
- Six of the seven newly written posts achieved top 10 Google rankings for key phrases within 48 hours of publication
And these results weren’t unique to Convince & Convert. Our research also included content from toy e-tailer ebeanstalk.com and blog network linkorbit.com. In each instance, we found increases in search traffic – and in some cases significant bumps in time spent on site.
Specificity Creates Satisfaction
Whether they can precisely articulate it or not, the reality is that readers are looking for something when they come to your blog. If you can give them content that is focused and uses the words and phrases that they use, you have a better chance of attracting and keeping those visitors.
As conversion optimization guru Bryan Eisenberg (and co-author with me and Pelin Thorogood of the study) says:
“More and more marketers are realizing the benefits of content strategy and optimization as a way to drive online results. This study shows for the first time the value of leveraging real-time search intelligence during the content creation process, as opposed to in separate steps or not at all.”
There are several ways to make your content more search-friendly, but InboundWriter (in public beta) is perhaps the easiest to implement – especially for writers without SEO background. The InboundWriter website (or WordPress plug-in) recommends appropriate keywords based on your sample copy and an examination of other (even competitor) websites you select. Then, the system gives you a live, real-time SEO score (1-100 scale) that changes as you write and edit. It’s intuitive for all, and is completely free for the first batch of documents you create each month. The full-blown plan is $19.95/month.
To read the complete research paper, including methodology and metrics for each participating site, please visit http://www.inboundwriter.com/impact.
(Disclosure: I was paid to help draft this research, but began using InboundWriter – and seeing results – before beginning a consulting relationship with them)
The Science and Results of Real-Time Content Optimization
Posted on 10. Oct, 2011 by Jay Baer in Blog, content marketing, content optimization, real-time, Search Marketing Advice, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing
I’ve been writing Convince & Convert for more than three years, and I continue to be grateful and delighted that you choose to spend time here, when faced with a tsunami of blog options.
I continue to find it fascinating, however, that even though this blog is probably considered successful within its very small niche, approximately 70% of the visitors here are first-timers (according to Google Analytics). And approximately 35% of you came from a search engine.
You know what drives magazine subscriptions? Newsstand sales. Readers don’t start loyal. They sample the product first, and decide they want consistent consumption. Blogs work the exact same way, except Search is our newsstand.
I’ve read several posts from other bloggers eschewing the need to pay attention to the principles of search optimization, arguing that the “community” and “engagement” and “sharing” will supersede the impact of search.
They are wrong, and a new research project I just finished proves it.
Real-Time Content Optimization
For a seven week period, I worked with InboundWriter – an easy-to-use tool that helps optimize your writing. During that period, I created seven new posts here using InboundWriter, and rewrote five classic posts to make them more search friendly.
The results were significant and immediate.
- Traffic from search for the posts I rewrote using InboundWriter increased by an average of 33%
- Four of the five rewritten posts achieved top 10 Google rankings for key phrases I targeted
- Six of the seven newly written posts achieved top 10 Google rankings for key phrases within 48 hours of publication
And these results weren’t unique to Convince & Convert. Our research also included content from toy e-tailer ebeanstalk.com and blog network linkorbit.com. In each instance, we found increases in search traffic – and in some cases significant bumps in time spent on site.
Specificity Creates Satisfaction
Whether they can precisely articulate it or not, the reality is that readers are looking for something when they come to your blog. If you can give them content that is focused and uses the words and phrases that they use, you have a better chance of attracting and keeping those visitors.
As conversion optimization guru Bryan Eisenberg (and co-author with me and Pelin Thorogood of the study) says:
“More and more marketers are realizing the benefits of content strategy and optimization as a way to drive online results. This study shows for the first time the value of leveraging real-time search intelligence during the content creation process, as opposed to in separate steps or not at all.”
There are several ways to make your content more search-friendly, but InboundWriter (in public beta) is perhaps the easiest to implement – especially for writers without SEO background. The InboundWriter website (or WordPress plug-in) recommends appropriate keywords based on your sample copy and an examination of other (even competitor) websites you select. Then, the system gives you a live, real-time SEO score (1-100 scale) that changes as you write and edit. It’s intuitive for all, and is completely free for the first batch of documents you create each month. The full-blown plan is $19.95/month.
To read the complete research paper, including methodology and metrics for each participating site, please visit http://www.inboundwriter.com/impact.
(Disclosure: I was paid to help draft this research, but began using InboundWriter – and seeing results – before beginning a consulting relationship with them)
Don’t Be a Content Marketing Grinch
Posted on 04. Aug, 2011 by Jay Baer in Blog, content marketing, content optimization, content strategy, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing
This is the first of what I hope will be a regular series of Webinines: short Webinars of 9 minutes or fewer.
Because it’s seemingly 150 degrees throughout most of the country, I went with a cool weather holiday theme on this one.
Your Content Should Be Centralized and Decentralized
The default state for most content marketing initiatives is to focus on content that we OWN, that resides on web properties we control. Web pages, white papers, and PDFs that live on our own dot com address. This is a legacy mentality that is left over from the days when “website traffic” was the coin of the realm.
When you’re focused on getting eyeballs to your owned content, there are only a few primary ways to accomplish this:
- search
- links in social shown to your opt-in fans
- direct URL entry
In each of these circumstances, the people visiting your site are largely aware of you already. The chances of you winning a click in search go up dramatically if the searcher knows your brand. All those people you interact with in social media? They already know your brand. Your email subscribers? Same thing. And especially direct URL entry….nobody is just randomly guessing your website address.
So to prevent the artificial truncation of your audience, you need both centralized content (that you own), and decentralized content (that you don’t own).
Be A Digital Dandelion
The key is to get more bait in the water, because every place and every way that you tell your story online is another opportunity for people who don’t already know you to find you. And, it’s another opportunity for your most important customer (Google) to find you, too.
In addition to driving traffic to your own website via search and email, etc. you could take that content (or a variation of it) and:
- Create a Slideshare
- Make a podcast
- Build a photo gallery
- Shoot videos
- Write guest blog posts
- Comment on other blogs
- Make a Squidoo lens
- Author a Google Knol
And that’s just scratching the surface. Each and every time you decentralize your content, you make it findable by people who don’t know you yet, and that’s how you drive your business forward – not by preaching to the choir.
How are you decentralizing your content marketing?
And how do you like the Webinine concept?
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