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)
The Fallacy of Round the Clock Social Media
Posted on 30. Jun, 2011 by Jay Baer in Blog, Chris Hall, Guest Posts, off madison ave, real-time, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, social crm, social media customer service, social media operations, social media staffing, Social Media Staffing and Operations
Guest post by Chris Hall an interactive content specialist at Off Madison Ave who specializes in writing for humans, not robots.
It’s 11PM and the world around you is getting ready for bed. As a mobile obsessive, you instinctually check your Facebook, Twitter and all the rest of your social media accounts while you brush your teeth, only to find that someone has interacted with your brand. The world stops – you must answer.
That’s the way my world has become at least, because in my mind brands don’t sleep. How could they? On Facebook for example, there are people awake at all hours of the night that may have a great questions, and the only way to provide the “human” experience that brands crave oh-so-much is to respond to them as if
they are talking to you directly – no matter when they happen to be communicating.
But how does this look to the other guy – the guy that is talking to your brand in the middle of the night? What your nighttime response does show is that your brand is willing to respond at all hours of the night, but is it really worth it?
Does Faster Matter?
Let’s say that this guy, who I’ll call Mr. X, is an average Facebook user. On a normal weekday he hops onto his page periodically and probably writes a couple pieces of content, probably in the form of posts or comments on other’s walls. Each of his posts probably gets 2-5 comments/likes, with 50% percent of those coming from his friend Joe who is inexplicably online 14 of the 17 hours that he is awake. Each time Mr. X receives a comment, there’s a little rush – a feeling of acceptance. And this feeling will be the same whether the comment is made that day or that week.
So let’s say that your “toothbrush response” gave Mr. X a slight feeling of brand satisfaction. He goes to bed thinking that your brand cares, but by morning life continues on like normal. He’ll go to work, eat some lunch and watch the seven YouTube videos that his friend Joe sends him on a daily basis. Looking back on the situation, do you think that Mr. X’s feeling about your brand would be any different if your response had come at 9AM rather than 11PM? Isn’t it likely that Joe’s feeling of brand satisfaction would be practically identical?
Give the Brand a Break
Brands are allowed to sleep. Obviously there are some brands that are exceptions to the rule, but the majority of brands out there should try to keep consistent hours… you know… to sleep and stuff. Keep alert in case of emergency, but when Mr. X asks a simple question, just let it go.
While social media is fast, consumers really can’t, and don’t, expect social media to answer any faster than an email or phone call would. What they want is real human interaction – and the only way to seem like a human is to act like one.
(Flickr image by Joi)
(Off Madison Ave is a Convince & Convert client)
Connect With Us Here:
