Yo! Yo! SEO’s Dana Lookadoo on Re-branding and SEO+

Posted on 22. May, 2012 by in Blog, SEO Content marketing, seo content strategy, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, Tips and techniques

Today we’re honored to feature our interview with Dana Lookadoo, founder of Yo! Yo! SEO and one of the second wave of SEO women professionals who pioneered the SEO and search industry. Dana was well ahead of the SEO/Search industry curve when she decided to integrate social media and education into her brand. Here, Dana shares her story with us. Enjoy!

Laura: Would you share with us how you came to be a second-generation SEO (woman) professional?

Dana: First, thank you for listing me in your Women who rock SEO: the second wave post! I give credit to the women who were part of the first generation for my inspiration.

Having been in the tech and Web development industry years before focusing on SEO, I was used to male-dominated conferences and meet-ups. My first Search Engine Strategies conference in San Jose in 2005 sealed the deal for me: I was inspired by how many women were leaders in search marketing at SES!

I learned a lot from those 1st generation women, i.e., Shari Thurow, Jill Whalen, and Heather Lloyd-Martin, during this time. They openly shared best practices about information architecture, SEO, and copywriting.

I became even more excited that women were such successful technologists, marketers, and communicators! You could say I followed in their footsteps.

I also want to credit a couple of “first generation” men – Andy Beal and Lee Odden. From them I learned a well-rounded perspective about integrated marketing strategies (and less SEO-only approaches).

My initial focus on SEO was birthed out of a fork in the road in 2003.

I had previously co-owned a successful Web development agency in Monterey, CA. Maybe we grew too fast, but my business partner attempted suicide. Pandora’s Box opened up. The result was dissolution of the business.

I regrouped and refocused. Web 2.0 was in its infancy. The shift to a more consumer-centric Web was underway. This fit perfectly with my passions – people, writing, and website usability.

I had no idea the choice to focus on SEO would be so pivotal.

I started Pixel Position, a firm to help people “position” their sites and marketing messages. That was in 2003, and I devoured as much information as I could to help clients develop and design search-friendly websites and content that people wanted to link to and talk about.

The road to a fairly good track record of success was paved with a lot of hard work, study, and doing what’s right for other people. Paying it forward and donating time to help non-profits has been part of that journey. “Give back, and it will be given back to you” has proven true.

Laura: So what is the story behind Yo! Yo! SEO:  What does it mean? (“Word-of-Mouth SEO”)?

Dana: It was time for a change. The importance of social media was growing, and I decided to rebrand, again.Listening and engaging people (online & offline) were pivotal aspects of marketing online. I called it “Conversational SEO.” I wanted to rebrand to express how Social Media and SEO fit hand-in-glove. I was also teaching clients how to optimize their digital content and their online conversations. I wanted an agency name that reflected such.

I played around with names and spent a lot of time researching available domains. I wanted something that expressed the combination of search and social, while also expressing my educational approach.

“You’re NOT On Your Own in SEO” was my initial tagline. Remove the “NOT,” and the resulting acronym is YOYOSEO. The domain was available. The rebranding began.

BUT, I didn’t want people thinking of a yoyo. To reflect the urgency of the growing importance of word-of-mouth and shouting out in social media, exclamation points were added : Yo! Yo!

Yo! Listen up … Yo! Shout it out …

Then there was the logo, which took a few months to perfect. The lips, conversation bubble, and information architecture outline summarized it all.

The Yo! Yo! SEO process is “Word-of-Mouth SEO.” We help companies optimize their online conversations, which means their websites and how they engage in social media.

The rebranding was a lot of fun, and it has paid off 3+ years later.

Laura: Describe for us a classic “day in the life of Dana Lookadoo” in or outside of Yo! Yo! SEO.

Dana: Oh, the days vary dramatically. I’d like to draw a picture of my ideal work day when I feel totally in control, but during the past couple years, days are more “reactive” than I’d like to admit.

Interestingly, working with corporate clients often means you’re part of their team rather than acting as an outside agency calling the shots. Helping to optimize and manage their social media presence often means I spend more time interacting with and getting to know a client’s audience and less time socializing and sharing with my own. I’m closely involved in the content optimization and creation process as well.

Lyena Solomon and I take an advisory and training approach, which means close collaboration is key. We analyze stats and campaign performance while researching to ensure clients are staying ahead of the competition. A lot of time is spent writing and critiquing content while documenting processes and helping clients prioritize their many tasks and needs.

Daily work hats include content developer, community engager, designer, business advisor, marketing strategist, conversion optimizer, analyst, and circus juggler! ;-)

Daily non-work hats? I admit it’s hard to turn off the optimization flow outside of work, but I do shut down from social and the computer. I spend time with non-search friends and family and log mile-after-mile cycling. My physical and spiritual parts of my life get a lot of attention as well. Then there’s gardening and organic foods.

I guess you could say I’m addicted to more than SEO.

Laura: You have an impressive list of clients as a business trainer. You also develop classes for corporate in-house training: What is it that you do as a business trainer? (i.e., is it strictly SEO copywriting, or a broader range of subjects?)

Dana: You’ve touched my passion point. Sharing, downloading, showing, teaching, and empowering others with the skills to make a difference fulfill me beyond end. I could sit on the phone or in-person for hours just explaining the hows and whys of various aspects of online marketing, or how to use software.

I used to teach and write a lot of technology courses, including train-the-trainer sessions, Web development, how to use the Internet, software, and Web tools.

Currently, training involves showing marketing and non-marketing departments the importance of SEO, copywriting, and social engagement and how they are a pivotal aspect of reaching out to clients and prospects.

The focus of most training revolves around helping companies in their paradigm shift from “me” messages to “you” terminology, focusing more on personas and their audience. Not-so-glamorous training involves showing best practices for using Photoshop, optimizing meta and Open Graph tags for search and social, tagging URLs with campaign variables, etc.

Laura: If you had to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, what would they be?

Dana: Hmmm… You had to ask the tough stuff. I’ll focus on Yo! Yo! SEO’s strengths and weaknesses rather than my own. (Isn’t that a nice way to skirt a tough question?)

STRENGTHS: We specialize in helping companies understand their audience (personas) to guide them with their online marketing.

That ranges from terms they use (keywords for SEO & PPC) to what attracts them and keeps them engaged (quality content) to what keeps the relationship going (social media interactions). The ultimate goal is to help them close more sales and/or generate leads.

Our key offerings include this approach with SEO at the core:

  • Website design/redesign and CMS migration
  • Content development and social engagement
  • Online visibility audits (SEO, Social, PPC, Usability)
  • Training

WEAKNESSES: Limited bandwidth. ;-)

Laura: As an SEO professional of some 9 years, what are your thoughts/perspective on the state of the SEO industry?

Dana: It’s an exciting time to be part of SEO and search. Google’s latest algorithms, especially Panda and Penguin, coupled with focus on Author Rank, mean companies who create quality content can finally win without link wheels and article spinning.

We’re not totally there with “clean” spam-free SERPs, but Google & Bing’s increased focus on social signals is helping weed the garden. In other words, companies who focus on the needs of their audience can reap the fruits of their labors.

It’s also a fast-moving time, and “integrative marketing” is key. Pure SEO is a thing of the past.

  • Marketers have to take a holistic approach and work closely with clients to help them understand that stuffing keywords and link schemes is not going to produce ROI and may hurt them.
  • Companies must be willing to listen by putting the customer first, taking time to build relationships online.
  • Quality content is essential, and companies need to stand out from the crowd.
  • In other words, they should not be afraid to shout out a Yo!, and show some leg!

Laura: Any words of advice for those just beginning their career in SEO?

Dana: Good question.

  • First, realize you can’t specialize in it all. Work your strengths.
  • Be realistic to know that this is a career and not an 8-5 job. You have to dedicate to constant study.
  • As a minimum, learn how to code HTML.
  • Learn how to write for the Web and an audience who has ADD.
  • Build relationships with peers in the industry. Don’t go into SEO if you don’t like people.

One more thing, don’t put “Guru” as part of your bio anywhere on the Web!

Laura: Thanks Dana!  :)

Dana: And thanks to you, too!

 

About Dana Lookadoo - Founder of Yo! Yo! SEO, Dana calls herself a “search geek who prefers people over search engines but optimizes for both.” Her specialty is in coupling audience engagement and social media with SEO. Dana began a career in computing/PC training in 1984, then moved into website development and online marketing. As a business trainer, Dana has developed and conducted technology classes for Sun Microsystems Open Gateway Programs, Monterey Institute of International Studies, U.C. Santa Cruz Extension, and Walmart’s MEM Technology Conference Series. She believes, “Successful engagements require creative tactical planning, implementation, perseverance and presence!” Follow Dana @lookadoo.

 

Of Panda’s and Penguin’s: learn how to write for Google and avoid a bamboo spanking! Just sign up for the free SEO Copywriting Buzz newsletter for lean, no-fluff industry news, either daily or weekly, and get Heather Lloyd’s “25-Point Checklist on How to Write for Google” free!

photo/image thanks to Top Rank blog

 

 

 

 

 

SEO content marketing roundup, week ending May 16th

Posted on 16. May, 2012 by in Blog, SEO Content marketing, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, Tips and techniques

This week’s latest and greatest Web-writing news is lean but not terribly mean, with great content shared from the golden triad of content, SEO/search and social media marketing. Here’s the high-protein-zero-carbs web gem picks…enjoy with your tall skinny latte!

Content Marketing

So are your landing pages realizing a positive ROI or are they “more like bouncing betties?” A great landing page ROI 101 post by Level 343.

And does your copywriting convert? Heather Lloyd-Martin discusses informercial-inspired direct response copywriting techniques at  SEO Copywriting.

Tom Demers shares 42 content writing and SEO ranking tips for small business owners at Measured SEM.

“Finally: 2012 Superbowl Ad Neuro-Rankings” are in: Roger Dooley discusses them at Neuromarketing.

Events:

SEO & Search

Avinash Kaushik discusses “Measuring Digital ‘Brand Strength’” at Occam’s Razor

Making the New York Times is “Bing Search Engine to be Revamped as War Against Google Intensifies.”

Bill Ross posts “SEO ROI Measurement: The Only 3 Primary KPIs You Should Care About” at LinchPinSEO

SEOptimise shares “advanced tips and take aways” from SMX London.

When is your first conversion opportunity? The search engine results page: learn how to make your search listings sizzle at SEO Copwriting.

Events:

Social Media Marketing

Voicing his dissent with the recommended timing for social sharing, Matt McGee posts “There’s No Best Time to Publish Blog Posts & Social Updates” at Small Business Search Marketing.

Brian Solis pens a most eloquent manifesto, “The Fallacy of Information Overload.”

So what is a “social executive”? Cheryl Burgess posts “7 personalities of a social executive” at Blue Focus Marketing.

Courtney Ramirez weighs the pro’s and con’s of Pinterest vs. Google+ as social media platforms at SEO Copywriting.

Events:

 

Would you like to learn how to write for Google? Just sign up for the free SEO Copywriting Buzz newsletter for lean, no-fluff industry news, either daily or weekly, and get Heather Lloyd’s “25-Point Checklist on How to Write for Google” free!

photo thanks to kaigakyoshite (Roland)

 

Which should it be: Pinterest or Google+?

Posted on 15. May, 2012 by in Blog, Freelance SEO copywriting, In-house Content Marketing, SEO Content marketing, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, Tips and techniques, web writing

Pinterest or Google+?

Both of these social networks have broken up the Twitter/Facebook monopoly. In the last year, Google+ has gained 100 million active followers and Pinterest has expanded rapidly to become the 3rd most popular social network.

Not surprisingly, marketers have taken notice. Making Google+ and/or Pinterest part of your social media strategy is a smart move. Based on their early performances, these social networks will be an integral part of an effective social strategy from here on out.

Choosing one or the other isn’t necessary – but it’s a smart move if you want more targeted social media marketing. Each social network has distinct user groups, specific benefits and a few drawbacks.

Taking a Look at the Stats

Understanding the difference between Google+ and Pinterest is as simple as looking at the stats for each social network:

What to know about Google+:

  • As of April 2012, Google reports that Google+ now has 170 million active users. (Google)
  • As of January 2012, American users spent an average of 3.3 minutes on Google+. (eMarketer)
  • Websites using the +1 button generate 3.5x the Google+ visits than sites without the button. (HubSpot)
  • Two of the biggest user groups on Google+ are college students and software developers. (Remcolandia)
  • 63% of Google+ users are male. (Remcolandia)
  • Over 40% of marketers report that Google+ is “useful to critical” for their business. (HubSpot 2012 State of Inbound Marketing Report)
  • Google+ is expected to attract 400 million users by the end of 2012. (Remcolandia)

What to know about Pinterest:

  • As of February 2012, Pinterest had accumulated 10.4 million users. (AppData)
  • As of January 2012, American users spent an average of 97.8 minutes on Pinterest. (eMarketer)
  • As of January 2012, Pinterest accounted for 3.6% of referral traffic. (Shareaholic)
  • The top interests on Pinterest in the U.S. include crafts, gifts, hobbies/leisure, interior design, and fashion designers/collections. (Ragan.com)
  • 80% of Pinterest’s users are female. (comScore)
  • Pinterest referrals spend 70% more than visitors referred from non-social channels, including search, according to industry reports. (Wayfair)
  • With over 11 million unique monthly visitors (and counting), Pinterest became the fastest standalone website to eclipse the 10 million per month mark ever. (PR Daily)

The growth of both social networks has been impressive – but they clearly have different audiences and different benefits. In order to use one or the other effectively, you need to evaluate your goals.

Know What You Want from Social Media

Knowing your organization’s needs and capabilities for social media marketing will help you select between Pinterest and Google+.

Is your business targeted specifically toward a particular industry, job or gender?

Use the social network that your ideal clients are using. For example, if your target market is developers and other marketers, Google+ is a natural fit. For crafts based businesses, food related companies and products for a female audience; Pinterest would be a much better choice. Speak to the crowd by picking the right platform.

What Type of Traffic are You Seeking? 

Google+ has some unique search engine optimization benefits. Sharing your own links and resources can improve your quality score for your entire site. Having Google+ can enhance your chances for a higher search engine ranking.

Alternatively, Pinterest is a terrific referral traffic generator. If you have some interesting visual elements, product pictures or infographics that you want to spread across the social web, Pinterest is the way to go. Sharing visuals and images can bring more targeted visitors directly to your website.

Can You be Involved Enough to Make an Impact?

Before diving in, do you have the resources to manage another platform effectively? Although Google+ users spend less time on the site than Pinterest users do on their social media platform choice, both require investment and community involvement.

You can’t expect to start a profile, update it infrequently and reap any benefits. It’s better to be involved on a few platforms effectively than spread your resources too thin.

Pinterest vs. Google+ isn’t an issue that will go away anytime soon. With their meteoric rise in users and traffic potential, one or the other is worth your businesses’ time. It just depends on your target market, your traffic goals and your resources.

Do you use Google+ or Pinterest? Or both? Why?

 

About the Author – Courtney Ramirez

Courtney Ramirez is a proud graduate of the SuccessWorks’ SEO Copywriting Certification training program, and CEO of Six Degrees Content. She is passionate about helping small businesses compete with the big boys with skilled SEO copywriting and content marketing. You can connect with Courtney at her brand’s Google Plus page, Facebook, LinkedIn, and on Twitter @CourtneyRamirez.

Today is it: the SEO Copywriting Certification training program – the only online training independently endorsed by the SEO Copywriting watchdog, SEOpros.org – is raising its price! Grab some huge savings and sign up now! Tomorrow will be too late.

photo thanks to TheBusyBrain

 

SEO content marketing roundup, week ending May 9th

Posted on 09. May, 2012 by in Blog, SEO Content marketing, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, Tips and techniques, web writing

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes: This week’s latest and greatest Web writing news is about adaptation, whether it’s to changes in content, SEO/search or social media marketing. Google’s string of 52+ updates keep SEO & search pro’s dancing, content marketers take a hard look at their websites, and social media marketers respond to all the new developments in their field with a plethora of how-to’s.

So let’s turn and face the strange ch-ch-changes, shall we? Enjoy this week’s picks!

Content Marketing

In part two of her series on the “annual website cleanup,” Lyena Solomon details 2nd quarter analytics and usability audits at Net Sprinter.

Jason Amunwa pens “Help Your Website Sell More: 11 Overlooked Page Elements That Drive Online Sales” at KISSmetrics.

Beth Fox discusses how to make your content pop with five bullet point basics at Content Marketing Institute.

Pamela Vaughan posts “20 Simple Ways to Boost Blog Subscribers” at HubSpot.

Are you insane? It may help: Neil Patel discusses “How to Become a Blogging Superstar” at SEOmoz.

Dewane Muntunga shares “20 Content Marketing Ideas That Really Work!” at Conversion Cues.

Marketing Sherpa’s weekly Marketing Research Chart shows the results of its survey  of 1500+ marketers that answered: “What are the most valuable inbound lead sources?”

Events:

SEO & Search

Danny Goodwin summarizes the more notable updates (of 52+) that Google launched in April, besides the Penguin update and Panda “refreshes”, at Search Engine Watch.

Heather Lloyd-Martin’s weekly SEO copywriting YouTube post focuses on “SEO content strategies for Google’s Penguin Update,” at SEO Copywriting.

Eric Ward debates the definition of “unnatural” links and lists 15 of the most obvious examples with (his self-described link-bait title) “Can There Really Be 85 Types Of Unnatural Links?” at Search Engine Land

Aaron Wall presents a reality check on negative SEO with “Ha! Bullets Can’t Hurt ME” at SEOBook.

One of the original SEO copywriters, Susan O’Neil, discusses how she keeps her clients a step ahead of their competition with “disruptive innovation,” at SEO Copywriting.

Wasim Ismail interviews Heather Lloyd-Martin on SEO, the Penguin update, and more at his blog site.

Jenny Halasz continues her “Keyword Seed Method” series of how-to’s for beginners with “Time To Reap What You’ve Sown From Keyword Seeds” at Search Engine Land.

The source of the SEO industry’s “reputation problem” – “Google Perhaps” – is brilliantly explored by Aaron Wall at SEOBook.

Events:

Social Media Marketing

Cindy King’s weekly wrap of social media marketing news at Social Media Examiner features Google’s new set of social reports designed to “help you measure the impact of your social marketing initiatives and evaluate the effect social media has on your goals and commerce activities.”

Jason Falls posts “Why Forums May Be the Most Powerful Social Media Channel for Brands” at Entrepreneur.

Google v. Facebook, the mobile version: Greg Sterling cites comScore data in discussing the relative time spent on mobile channels with “Most Mobile Time Spent In Apps: Google Has Top Reach, Facebook Has Highest Engagement,” at Marketing Land.

Noting that highly visible box on the upper right hand corner of Google’s search results page, Newt Barrett posts “Why You May Be Screwed if You Don’t Take Google+ Seriously,” at Content Marketing Today.

Lee Odden discusses search and social optimization with “Is Your Optimization Meaningful or Mechanical?” at Top Rank.

Citing Bitly data, Danny Sullivan discusses optimum times for social sharing with “For Social Success, Post to Twitter & Facebook In Early Afternoons, Tumblr in Evenings” at Marketing Land.

Michael King (“iPullRank”) pens a detailed how-to on maintaining your social shares after a site migration, at Search Engine Watch

Events:

 

photo thanks to Thuany Gabriela

 

 

So is it SEO copywriting or disruptive innovation?

Posted on 08. May, 2012 by in Blog, SEO Content marketing, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, Tips and techniques

We are delighted to feature this guest post by Susan O’Neil of Website Publicity, who you may recognize as one of “The women who made SEO great.” Here, Susan briefly  summarizes what she and her Website Publicity business does to help her clients stay one step ahead of the competition, with “disruptive innovation.”

Since a company loses its edge if it doesn’t keep innovating, my team and I are always pondering and preparing for the “next big thing” coming our clients’ way in terms of digital marketing opportunities and challenges. To that end, I recently attended Disruptivate, a conference on Disruptive Innovation.

Listening to stories by diverse “disruptors” like Doug Clark of NEF Manufacturing who is reinventing how shoes are made, and Jeff Carlisle of Our Health Connector who is putting our health records under our own control rather than that of healthcare providers, I considered how Search Engine Optimization (SEO) was disruptive back in 1998.

All of a sudden, consumers were able to quickly find whatever they wanted simply by forming a query in their mind and typing it into the blank box at AltaVista or one of the 9 other major search engines.

No one told them how to think about their problem, need or desire. In the privacy of their homes or offices, people searched however they wanted and soon learned how to get the new librarians of the Internet to help them find what they were looking for.

Enter Website Publicity & SEO Put tot host zogere.

That’s when I closed my PR firm and opened @Website Publicity.

By helping to develop and refine SEO, our company was assisting in the disruption of standard advertising for brands pushing their messages out to consumers.

Marketers had to learn how to alter their websites in order to pull in search engine driven traffic by using the new strategies of SEO.  Marketers were forced to think and operate differently, and new businesses offering SEO services were formed and an industry was built.

No, it’s the norm. It’s a basic that should be built into everything we put up online.

Pay-per-Click (PPC) isn’t disruptive, either, at least at first glance.  But when you add in innovators like Pinterest, you can see how Search, Social and Mobile marketing are intersecting in new ways that can and will impact our clients’ success in the marketplace.

Marketing tools may change, strategies may change, and certainly the standard bearers in our industry may change, but one thing won’t:

It is our job as marketers to observe and anticipate disruptors in order to help keep our clients ahead of their competition, and to be disruptive ourselves when it serves a purpose.

 

About the Author – Susan O’Neil

As CEO and Founder of Website Publicity, Susan established a digital marketing agency in 1998, long before the internet marketing explosion. She also co-authored Maximize Website Traffic, one of the first books on SEO ever published. Follow Susan at @suejon.

 

SEO content strategies for Google’s Penguin update

Posted on 07. May, 2012 by in Blog, SEO Content marketing, seo content strategy, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing

Welcome back! In today’s SEO copywriting video how-to, Heather addresses the latest topic that has the industry abuzz: Google’s Penguin update. Specifically, she discusses SEO content strategies for dealing with the Penguin.

While Google’s Penguin update is targeted towards outright webspam (and suspect linking profiles), like it’s cute animal predecessor the Panda, it still has many site owners frozen in their tracks.

Take a deep breath and join Heather as she explains why you’ve nothing to fear from the big bad Penguin, and how you can move forward with specific SEO content strategies…

Yes, Google is at it again!

Here we had just recovered from Google’s Panda – another black-and-white animal – and now we are faced with its Penguin update:

  • The Penguin update targeted “web spam”.
  • Impacted about 3-percent of Web queries – especially those with “unnatural” links.
  • Site owners are scared. Again.

About those “unnatural” links: in Google’s eyes, unnatural links might have been those that a company purchased, or those resulting from a link exchange where the company may have been getting a large number of incoming links that were not targeted to its market.

Regardless, the net result of the Penguin update is that site owners are scared, yet again. They are afraid that whatever they do is going to be “wrong,” that Google’s not going to like it, and that they’ll be popped by yet another animal in algorithmic update form in the future.

So here Heather gets into what the industry is saying about how to deal with the Penguin update, and how to move forward without fear.

Here’s what the industry is saying…

Pulling quotes from three different industry sources, Heather notes (and you can see) that the quotes are very similar in that they all discuss content:

“Blog more and blog regularly: Writing content that is useful for end users will not just increase your reader base but force search engines to crawl, index, and rank your site. After all, engines need good content just as badly (to be relevant to their searchers) as you need their “free” traffic.”

- Bob Tripathi, founder and chief marketer at Instant E-Training, as reported in Search Engine Watch.

  • This first quote makes the direct correlation between “[w]riting content that is useful for end users” and your site rankings.

“The thing about great content is that it will generate links. But more importantly, great content will add more value to your site’s visitors. Just be sure to promote your new content. Encourage your visitors and customers to share your content and products.”

- Kerry Dean, Search Engine Land

  • “…add more value to your site’s visitors.” : That’s an important point. It’s not just adding content for the SEO benefit of it – that has never been the point of adding content – it’s about adding value to your readers. And yes, people will link to it because it’s an exceptionally good article or blog post.

“Always remember that content is (and will always be) king. That is the rule of thumb in white hat SEO. Do you think websites like SEOmoz and Search Engine Journal need to do any link building in order to rank high in search engines? Probably not, they simply focus on delivering high quality content that people constantly link to from their websites and from their social profiles.”

- Amine Rahal, YOUmoz/SEOmoz

So there is your Penguin, right there in these three quotes: now, you have an opportunity to evaluate your site, asking yourself, “All right, how good is my content?” and “Is this something that is good for readers?”

And this is a great opportunity for all sites – occasionally it’s wise for all of us to go back into our site, look at our content, and see what we can do to make our site even better for the visitors who are coming to us!

So what does this mean?

What we know is that: 

  • Well-written content is still a safe SEO (and social) bet.

The operative words here are “well written”: this isn’t content driven by a magical keyword density formula or content that’s been written just for search engine purposes or to attract links. This is content that we know is good for our readers.

So what you can do is:

  • Review your site, look for content opportunities, and remove any content mullets.

An example of content opportunities is the humble yet powerful FAQ page.  If you are receiving a lot of customer questions about a product or service that you offer, and you don’t have a FAQ page on your site that answers these questions, then that could be an amazing content opportunity! Develop that FAQ page, and maybe create some blog posts that discuss the FAQ answers in more detail.

As for content mullets – they’ve been addressed here before. You definitely want to remove, change or tweak any kind of out-dated content – you know, that old content that makes it look like your site hasn’t been touched in the last couple of years!

  • Ask how you can make your content even better.

Again, this is a great opportunity to go back and look through your site, paying attention to elements like your benefit statements: are they still valid?

How about your site’s tone and feel – how your copy “sounds” to the reader: is there anything that you could tweak to help increase your conversion rate? Or the amount of time folks are spending on your site?

And the final tip is to let your editorial calendar work for you:

  • Use your editorial calendar to track content changes/creation.

As with the content mullet, editorial calendars have been discussed here before.  And although it may sound like a complicated process, it’s really as simple as looking at what you want to accomplish and then setting it up on a calendar.

Simply write in what you want to have accomplished on your calendar, so you can keep track of your content and understand where those milestones and deadlines are. Then it’s a matter of creating the content and making it happen!

A few closing thoughts

So don’t fear the Penguin – use it as an opportunity to do all we’ve discussed above.

And while it’s understandable why site owners may be a little spooked by yet another Google update, remember that throughout all of the updates visited upon the SEO content industry, well-written content has proven itself to be a very, very safe bet.

Well-written content is good for Google, but more importantly it’s good for your site and for your readers…and don’t forget: well-written content will help your site make more money!

Thanks for joining us for this week’s SEO Copywriting how-to! If you have any questions or topic ideas for Heather, let her know: you are encouraged to email her [at] heather@seocopywriting.com or tweet her @heatherlloyd. See you next Monday!

Would you like to know more about writing for Google?  Simply visit the SEO Copywriting Buzz page, and sign up to receive either the daily or weekly newsletter (or both), and receive Heather’s “How to write for Google” whitepaper, free!

photo thanks to *christopher* (Christopher Michel)

 

SEO content marketing roundup, week ending May 2nd

Posted on 02. May, 2012 by in Blog, SEO Content marketing, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, Tips and techniques, web writing

Of penguins and pandas…In this week’s latest & greatest Web-writing news, Google is yet again shaking up the SEO and search community with its latest Panda (3.5) update and webspam “Penguin” update. Meanwhile, content marketers run the gamut from the reality of mobile marketing to linking to email, and social media marketers get thoughtful (yet real) about the industry and that social ROI. Cuddle up with your favorite domestic animal and enjoy this week’s web gems!

Content Marketing

The data is in and the web is dead: Great read by Gini Dietrich on the (current reality and) inevitability of the dominance of mobile marketing platforms over the desktop PC with “The Web is Dead! Long Live Smartphones!” at Spin Sucks.

Angie Nikoleychuk discusses smart content marketing with “How to Boost the Success of Your Link Bait Before You Hit Publish” at Level 343.

Lee Odden shares “12 Timeless Link Building Tips for Business Blogs” at Top Rank.

Mitt Ray discusses how to write white papers and how to use them as part of your content marketing strategy at SEO Copywriting.

Roger C. Parker shares “3 Tips for Increasing your Content Productivity” at Content Marketing Institute.

Tim Ash discusses clarity in landing page design and content conversions with “Do Your Site Visitors Push Your Buttons?” at ClickZ.

So “Is Your Message Missing the Mark?” Jessica Collier discusses honing your landing page message for the best possible visitor experience at Ion Interactive.

Ian Lurie posts “10 ways to get into big trouble in marketing” (with skimping on content being #6) at Portent.

Need to feed the beast? Heidi Cohen discusses feeding the content development and marketing beasts with “7 Places to Find Cheap Content” at her blog.

Citing a study by Return Path, Pamela Parker discusses the incredibly promising new world of mobile email marketing with “Email Marketers Better Prepare For Mobile Opens, New Study Finds” at Marketing Land.

Illustrating with great examples, Corey Eridon posts “The 9 Must-Have Components of Compelling Email Copy” at HubSpot.

Running an email marketing campaign? Ashley Zeckman posts “Convert More Customers: Tips & Tricks For Running A/B Tests On Your Email Campaigns” at Top Rank.

Jeanne Jennings discusses a case study in which revising the email welcome message with a marketing message dramatically improved open and click-through rates, at ClickZ.

Smart all-around insights into content sharing and optimization are shared at TopRank Internet Marketing News with “Ask an Expert: How Can I Optimize My Online Content to Increase Shares and Exposure?”

Marketing Sherpa’s weekly research chart is on the imperative of content creation in improving SEO effectiveness.

The value of consistency (in showing up on your target market radar) is discussed by Seth Godin at his blog.

Did you miss BlueGlass LA? No worries – two different posts cover it in different ways:

The first, by Kevin Gibbons, “50 Tips & Takeaways from BlueGlass LA,” summarizes his tweets sharing on SEO and search to content marketing and much more, at SEOptimise.

The second, by Jason Miller, shares part one of two of “Ten Takeaways from Blueglass LA” (B2B perspective) at Marketo.

Events:

  • CMS Expo Learning & Business Conference begins next Tuesday, May 8th and runs thru the 10th, in Evanston, IL. The conference theme is “ Content Management Meets Content Strategy & Content Marketing.” A whole lotta content going down!
  • MarketingProfs University is offering a live, online “Marketing Writing Bootcamp” from May 10th thru the 23rd (with on-demand access to the recordings thru April of 2013). Use coupon code SUCCESS to save $200!
  • The Content Strategy Conference, ConFab 2012, scheduled for May 14th thru the 16th, is completely sold out, but you can catch live coverage via blogs, updates, and the @confab2012 Twitter stream.
  • Usability Week 2012 Conferences, hosted by the Neilsen Norman Group, are scheduled for May 14th thru the 18th in Washington, D.C., and for June 25th thru the 29th in Chicago.
  • Marketing Sherpa’s Optimization Summit 2012 will be held in Denver from June 11th thru the 14 th.
  • Marketing Sherpa’s B2B Summit 2012 will be held in Orlando, August 27th thru the 30th.
  • Content Marketing Institute’s Content Marketing World 2012 is scheduled for September 4th thru the 6th in Columbus, OH.

SEO & Search

A plethora of posts greets the SEO & search pro with the double-smackdown of Google’s Panda 3.5 (low quality) and Penguin (webspam) updates:

Danny Sullivan distinguishes between the Panda 3.5 (low-quality content) update and the Penguin (outright webspam) update -  including the winners and losers of Panda 3.5, and his correspondence with Matt Cutts – with a clarifying post at Search Engine Land.  (See source, Search Metrics, for the list of SEO visibility winners & losers).

Sullivan’s original post on Google’s Penguin update has some great background information: “Google Launches ‘Penguin Update’ Targeting Webspam In Search Results,” also at Search Engine Land.

Other enlightening posts on Google’s Panda 3.5 and Penguin updates include:

Aaron Wall’s decidedly no-bullshit take, “The Google Penguin Update: Over-Optimization, Webspam, & High Quality Empty Content Pages,” at SEOBook.

Bill Slawski’s “Google Praises SEO, Condemns Webspam, and Rolls Out Algorithm Change,” at SEO by the Sea.

Chris Crum’s “Google Panda Update: 12 Tips Directly from Google,” at WebProNews.

And of course, there’s Google’s own post by Matt Cutts, Distinguished Engineer, on the Penguin (and Panda) update: “Another step to reward high-quality sites,” at its Inside Search blog.

And for those who believe they’ve been wronged by the Penguin Update, there’s:

Danny Goodwin’s “Google Penguin Web Spam Algorithm Update Feedback Form Now Live,” where Matt Cutts is quoted announcing that you can plea your case or report a site that you think is spammy (“negative SEO”), at Search Engine Watch.

Pamela Vaughan’s “What to Do if Your Search Rankings Were Hurt by Google’s Penguin Update” at HubSpot.

And for those who believe they have been hacked by web spammers:

Citing Matt Cutts, Chris Crum reports that included in Google’s Webspam/Penguin update are sites that have been hacked by spammers (“The other kind of spam Google is dealing with”). An explanation and resources for help are at WebProNews.

Crum also reports on Google’s unprecedented move of sharing about the “human raters” in determining its algorithms, at WebProNews.

Asking what we all may be wondering, Bas van den Beld posts “Can We Still Trust Google?” at State of Search.

So how does the Google search engine actually work? Brad Kuenn explains at Vertical Measures.

Another great SEO 101 tutorial, on how to use HTML meta tags, is posted by Kristine Schachinger at Search Engine Watch.

For the more advanced, Ian Lurie shares “4 tips for technical SEO” (“for starters”) that every technical site audit should include, at Portent.

Lyena Solomon posts smart considerations for 1st quarter website spring cleaning, from SEO and PPC audits to cost-effective social media strategies, at NetSprinter.

Lars Lofgren discusses the four types of Google Analytics goal types that are essential to businesses, at KISSmetrics.

Beyond SEO lies WPO? Krista LaRiviere discusses the all-inclusive “WPO” with “The Hierarchy of Web Presence Optimization” at gShift Labs.

Tim Schmoyer posts the ReelSEO summary for the week with YouTube Changes, Google Indexing Embeds & Adwords for Video – with a video about Google addressing “discovery problems” on YouTube.

Vanessa Fox discusses the expansion of search query data to 90 days using Google’s Webmaster Tools, and kindly offers a refresher, at Search Engine Land.

Josh McCoy discusses SEO competitive analysis with “3 Pillars of SEO Competitive Analysis” at Search Engine Watch.

Julie Joyce posts “Why Link Builders Need To Do More Than Just Build Links” at Search Engine Land.

Sujan Patel posts “Social Shares: The New Link Building” at Search Engine Journal.

Garrett French posts “How Limiting Your Google Queries Makes You a Better Link Prospector” at Search Engine Watch.

Ian Lurie discusses enterprise SEO with “Easy SEO Wins For Big Sites” at Search Engine Land.

Events:

Social Media Marketing

Mark Lazen pens an insightful read, “Right-sizing your Social Media Management Process,” at Social Media Today.

Level 343’s Gabriella Sannino discusses community building and “friends” with “Stop Everything You’re Doing In Social. You’re Fired.”

Sam Ford posts “6 New Maxims For Social Marketing” at Fast Company.

Josh Peters posts “60 Minutes to a More Efficient Social Business Strategy” at Mashable.

Kate Rose posts “5 Reasons Social Media Isn’t Working For You – And How To Fix Them” at business2community.

Bas van den Beld asks if social media activity can really boost rankings, sharing a fun infographic, at State of Search.

eMarketer posts “For Brands, Social Media Shows Returns but Measurement Hurdles Remain.”

Brian Solis discusses Frank Eliason’s book, @Your Service, with “Do Customers Really Matter to Your Business? Prove it.”

Rachelle Ayala posts the “Seven Sins of Social Networking” at Rachelle’s Window.

Mike Lewis posts “Evolving Social Media Analytics: Insights from Marshall Sponder” at Social Media Today.

If you can’t beat ‘em? In an interesting twist, “Flickr Teams With Pinterest For Easy Sharing & Proper Attribution,” reports Greg Finn at Marketing Land.

So Facebook is about to raise $5 billion from investors. It gets even more interesting with Jeff Bullas’ “20 Interesting Facts, Figures and Statistics Revealed by Facebook.”

Brittany Darwell reports that “Facebook says it sent more than 160 million visitors to Facebook-integrated mobile apps last month,” at Inside Facebook.

Hide and go Facebook tab seek? Nancy McCord posts “Facebook Business Pages – The Hidden Tabs – Can You Find Them?” at SiteProNews.

Ann Smarty discusses how to analyze your tweeting style from the readers’ perspective with 3 “addictive” tools at Internet Marketing Ninjas.

Dan Zarrella discusses the free Twitter tool, TweetCharts, which allows you to analyze Twitter data for any search term (and more), at HubSpot.

Nisha Kaushal posts “Why Twitter Needs to Change to Keep Up with Social Media Marketing” at Webbiquity.

Harry Gold posts “27 LinkedIn Social Media Marketing Tactics” at ClickZ.

Stephanie Sammons shares “5 Tips to Build and Grow Your LinkedIn Network”  at Social Media Examiner.

Events:

Would you like to know more about writing for Google?  (This is especially important since their latest algo update, Penguin, just rolled out.) Simply visit the SEO Copywriting Buzz page, and sign up to receive either the daily or weekly newsletter (or both), and receive Heather’s “How to write for Google: 25-point checklist” whitepaper, free!

photo thanks to cnystrom (Chris Nystrom)

 

 

How to write & use white papers in your content marketing strategy

Posted on 01. May, 2012 by in Blog, SEO Content marketing, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, Tips and techniques

So what is a white paper? A white paper is a cross between a magazine article and a corporate brochure. As white papers possess both the educative qualities of a magazine article and the persuasive qualities of a corporate brochure, they are considered to be one of the most powerful tools for content marketing, lead generation, branding, and more!

How Can You Use White Papers In Your Content Marketing Strategy?

Below is a list of the different ways in which you can use your white paper as part of your content marketing strategy:

1. Generate leads

White papers can help you generate leads. They are normally used earlier in the sales cycle when the customer is still looking for the perfect solution.

Through its informative nature, a white paper helps to educate the client about the problem they are facing and what they need to do to solve the problem. After the solution to the problem is provided, an option to use a readymade solution is offered.

As all the informative content provided earlier in the white paper shows the reader that the company that produced the white paper knows what they are talking about.

By displaying their expertise, the company’s hope is that the reader will want to work with them – trusting their solution to them rather than trying to accomplish it on his/her own.

2. Improve your brand image

White papers don’t have to be just used for generating leads. They can also help you build a brand image by educating your readers. By exemplifying problems and their solutions, you can explain how your company is run or how you are managing a certain project.

A great example of this is a white paper by Carol Tice, which she wrote for a big software company. The white paper didn’t pitch a product or service to the reader. It simply educated the reader about how the company makes an effort to recycle computers.

This type of white paper not only helps build a good brand image – as in the above example, it showed that the company cares about the environment – but it also helps them generate new clients, as people who are passionate about protecting the environment will likely prefer to work with them.

3. Make your products or services stand out

Using a white paper you can show your clients that your product is better than your competitors. In the white paper you can analyse different types of services and their flaws and let your readers know how these problems could affect them.

After you have made the problems clear you could let your readers know what the best solution would be and write this solution in relation to your product or service. This will show your readers that your product or service is much better than your competitors and it will convince them to hire you.

An example is a white paper I wrote for an electrical services firm that offers its services to offices and homes. The white paper demonstrates to the reader why it’s better to use a proper firm that offers all services than to hire tiny firms or electricians who work on their own. This helps my client show potential customers that their service is the best option.

4. Build a mailing list

Having a mailing list is one of the most important requirements of a blog or a website as it can help increase traffic, build relationships and generate leads. Normally just trying to convince people to sign up to your mailing list can be an extremely hard task, but if you give them a free gift like a helpful white paper in exchange for signing up to your newsletter, you can considerably increase the number of subscribers you get.

How To Get Started With Writing White Papers

Writing white papers can seem like a daunting task, but by following the right tips and techniques, the process can be simplified.

A few tips to help you get started:

1. Read

Before you start writing white papers, you need to read all the information you can find about white papers. This includes books, blogs, and free guides you can find on the internet. This will help you learn a lot about white papers.

Another thing you could do is study well written white papers. This will help you learn more about what white papers are, how they are structured, how they are written, etc. Once you get to know how good white papers are written, you will find it easier to produce a quality one of your own.

2. Write

Once you know what white papers are and how they are written, you can start writing them. You can start writing your first white paper on an imaginary company or on your own company. This will give you some practice and experience to help you write better white papers in the future.

Writing can be divided into three parts:

a) Research

Before you do any actual writing you need to perform some research. Research can be in the form of reading and/or interviews. Read anything you can get hold of: website copy, other white papers, brochures, annual reports, articles, blogs, etc. Also interview the experts who work in your company. These experts can educate you about the product or service.

During this research process, find out more about the target audience and the best subject for your white paper.

During these interview and reading sessions make sure to take down notes of all the important points you come across that you think you could use in the white paper.

b) Structure

After you have gathered enough information for your white paper, you can outline its structure. A basic white paper structure starts with a headline, followed by an introduction. After the introduction the problems faced by the reader are discussed in detail and after that the solutions to the problems are discussed clearly. Finally, after the problems and the solutions comes the “persuasive brochure” section of the paper, which consists of the company information and product/service information.

c) Writing

Once you outline the structure and you know where all the information needs to be placed, you can start writing the white paper. Choosing the structure makes the writing part extremely easy. The writing part just consists of writing the content in the right places in the white paper. These are the places you’ve already decided while developing the structure.

After you finish writing the white paper, placing the appropriate content in the right places, you may find that you need to do some rearranging and rewriting so that all the elements flow logically. This final reworking and editing process will help ensure that your white paper is professional, educational and persuasive. You can then use your white in your content marketing, lead generation, and branding!

 

About the Author – Mitt Ray

Mitt Ray is the Director of imittcopy. He provides more white paper writing tips on his White Paper Blog, where you can download his free white paper on How to Write a White Paper.  Mitt is also the Founder of Social Marketing Writing where you can download his free guide, “How to Promote Yourself With Pinterest.” He is also the author of the book White Paper Marketing. You can follow him on Twitter @MittRay.

 

 

 

Don’t miss out! The SEO Copywriting Certification training price is increasing to $769 on May 15th. Register now for the best price!

photo thanks to katerha (Kate Ter Haar)

 

 

 

SEO content marketing roundup, week ending April 25th

Posted on 25. Apr, 2012 by in Blog, SEO Content marketing, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, Tips and techniques

Are you a big brand? Good news! Possibly over-optimized? Dubious linking profile? Negative SEO? Not so good news. This week’s Web-writing news is dominated by Google’s favors, penalties and apparent chinks in its armor within the SEO and search industry, while social media marketers weigh the relative strengths of vying platforms and content marketers talk lead generation and conversions. All of these web gems await you in this latest and greatest edition of the SEO content marketing roundup! Enjoy…

Content Marketing

Citing impressive mobile user stats, Newt Barrett discusses why you need to “rethink your content marketing” with “Why the Massive Move to Mobile Computing Changes Content Marketing Rules” at Content Marketing Today.

In part 2 of her Wednesday video Q & A series, Kaila Strong continues her lead generation theme by answering “How Can You Use Content Marketing to Generate Leads?” at Vertical Measures.

Angie Nikoleychuk discusses how to create conversions-driving, link-baiting content using the AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) formula with “How to seduce your readers and woo – bait – links” at SEO Copywriting.

Jeff Slipko posts “Top 10 Affiliate Tips for Using Content to Increase Revenue Streams” at Search Engine Watch.

Ky Harlin posts an interesting read on “How time of day affects content performance” at iMedia Connection.

Boring products to promote? Lee Odden speaks to this with “Marketing Boring Products is not a ‘Boring’ Problem, It’s a ‘Knowing Your Customers’ Problem’,” at Top Rank.

With his usual acuity, Seth Godin discusses “Selling to people who haven’t bought yet” at his blog.

Content Marketing Institute and Brandpoint conducted a (relatively small) survey on “Digital Content Marketing,” posting a video plus key take-aways at the CMI blog site.

So “How to Fuel the Content Marketing Engine”?  Mike Lieberman addresses this subject smartly at Talent Zoo.

And how do you keep all of that content creation and marketing organized? Heather Lloyd-Martin shows viewers “How to create an editorial calendar” in her weekly video post at SEO Copywriting.

In part 2 of her series on the (B2B) marketing downturn, Liz Smyth talks “…content, content, content” at Marketo.

Eric Wittlake discusses going beyond the usual measurement and tactical optimization with “An analytics roadmap for marketers” at iMedia Connection.

Marketing Sherpa’s weekly research chart illustrates the “key attributes that organizations seek in marketers.”

Shelly Kramer discusses “brand storytelling” with the example of how Crop Ventures gained her attention, at V3 Integrated Marketing.

Wayne Barker discusses “7 Characteristics of Compelling Calls to Action” at Search Engine People.

Jess Walker illustrates good website designs with examples that incorporate functionality with content and good looks with a “Good Design Roundup” at Portent.

Joe Pulizzi interviews Lee Odden about his new book, Optimize, at Junta42.

Events:

SEO & Search

If you’re a big brand, good news! Google is loving you by “Making the Web Work for Major Brands” with its “Brand Activate” initiative, as it croons, ah, posts at its blog penned by its VP of Display Advertising, Neal Mohan.

Pamela Parker delves into the details of Google’s “Brand Activate” initiative with “Google To Back Branding Measurement Standards With ‘Brand Activate’” at Marketing Land.

Pamela Vaughan also details Google’s “Brand Activate” by breaking it down and explaining the exact constituents of the initiative at HubSpot.

So why do big brands get all the breaks? Dr. Pete explores Google’s obvious favoritism of big brands at SEOmoz.

By the way, Matt Cutts presents an 8-minute video on how Google search works, embedded on HubSpot via a post by Pamela Vaughan (and also embedded with the YouTube transcription via a post by Barry Schwartz at Search Engine Land). Cute!

David Harry posts “Negative SEO: Looking for Answers from Google” at Search Engine Watch, in which he summarizes the conundrum of regular site owners who may be (obliviously) harmed by malicious linking, then penalized by Google for it.

In a similar thread, with “Google’s Unnatural Links Message: The Shot Heard round the SEO World?” Eric Enge reports on Google’s linking inquisition, sending its dreaded “unnatural links” message to site-owners around the world (1 million thus far) as it shuts them out of search. Also at Search Engine Watch.

WebPro News weighs in on the subject with “Can Your Site Lose Its Rankings Because Of Competitors’ Negative SEO?” featuring SEOmoz’s Rand Fishkin’s challenge to “take SEOmoz rankings down” to expose Google’s apparent Achilles heel on the matter.

So what else should you be wary of? Oh yes, Google’s “over-optimization” penalty. SEOmoz’s “Whiteboard Friday” presentation is on “6 Changes Every SEO Should Make Before the Over Optimization Penalty Hits.”

But wait! There’s more! Distinguished Engineer and Google Spam Combatant Matt Cutts has announced that “web spam” will not be tolerated, either in the form of funky linking or keyword stuffing, with “Another step to reward high-quality sites” at Google’s Webmaster Central blog.

And speculating on the fallout of Google’s “webspam” initiative is Shaun Anderson, with “Google Just Dropped The Nuke On A Lot Of Webspam”  at Hobo.

“Bing’s Search Plus Your World?” Bill Slawski reports that Bing promises its users Facebook-based social results provided they’re signed into Facebook, at SEO by the Sea.

Debra Mastaler finishes what she and Optify’s Scott Fasser started with a Search Marketing Now (on-demand) webinar Q&A on SEO-savvy B2B link building with “Six Degrees of SEO Bacon & B2B Link Building Q & A” at Search Engine Land.

Who knew? At Search Engine Watch: Conductor’s Nathan Safran reports on a Searchlight study which indicates that SEO pro’s still rank anchor text as the most important of all ranking factors, and that internal anchor text “can significantly impact search visibility.”

Avinash Kaushik again blows the mind with his latest post, “You Are What You Measure, So Choose Your KPIs (Incentives) Wisely!” at Occam’s Razor.

Events:

Social Media Marketing

Facebook Timeline [for business] Image Changes headlines Social Media Examiner’s weekly news.

According to WebMarketing War, there are “7 Intense Social Media Wars To Watch Out For!” that may dramatically change the social media cyberscape by this time next year.

Speaking of wars, Social Media Delivered shares an infographic on Klout vs. Kred with a side-by-side comparison of what each does for brands.

Meanwhile, Lee Odden addresses “The Fallacy of Influence” at Top Rank.

Jeff Bullas posts “10 Top Trends in Social Media” via slideshare, sharing the top two in writing, at his blog.

Nicholas Carlson reports that Pinterest’s “bubble has burst” and that the upstart social media platform is now “actually losing users” at Business Insider.

Neil Patel shares “The Secret to Getting Highly Targeted Traffic from StumbleUpon” at Quick Sprout.

Magdalena Georgieva posts a simple guide for marketers on how to use hashtags on Twitter, at HubSpot.

Greg Finn explains the new shades of the Google+ share button at Marketing Land.

So “Why Bother With Google+?” Robin Neifield explains at ClickZ.

Ann-Marie Jancovich discusses “Public Relations in the Digital Age” at Vertical Measures.

Citing data from the 2012 Social Media Marketing Industry Report, Phil Mershon discusses findings on how B2B marketers use social media at Social Media Examiner.

Events:

 

Don’t miss this! Sign up for either the daily or weekly SEO Copywriting Buzz newsletter and receive a free download of Heather Lloyd-Martin’s white paper, How to write for Google!

And head’s up! If you’ve been promising yourself that you’ll get real about your SEO copywriting career, the time is now! The only online SEO Copywriting Certification training independently endorsed by the esteemed industry non-profit watchdog, SEOpros.org, Heather Lloyd-Martin’s SEO Copywriting Certification program is scheduled for a price increase come May 15th. Register now to save $170!

 

 

photo thanks to Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

 

 

SEO content marketing roundup, week ending April 18th

Posted on 18. Apr, 2012 by in Blog, SEO Content marketing, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, Tips and techniques

So where is that crystal ball when you need it? This week’s latest and greatest Web-writing news is ripe with speculation and projections. Perhaps inspired by comScore’s recent release of 1st quarter industry data, internet marketers of all persuasions seem focused on trends and the future. Content marketers discuss where they’re heading, SEO & search pro’s assess their state and forecast trends of their calling, while social media marketers digest big numbers and speculate away…Enjoy this especially thoughtful, forward-looking collection of links to the best of the marketing web!

Content Marketing

Rebecca Lieb discusses “Publishing in Today’s Digital, Social Reading Environment” with thoughts on the future of e-reading, at Marketing Land.

And speaking of publishing, Lee Odden talks about his newly-released book, “Optimize…” at Top Rank.

Ian Lurie and Geoff Livington discuss “how to save marketing from itself” with Matthew Grant via MarketingProfs’ Marketing Smarts (podcast).

Gabriella Sannino discusses developing a web presence with strategic content development, branding, and more with “What’s Your Branding Power?” at Level 343.

So where is the internet going in the next three years? Douglas Idugboe considers the question at Smedio.

Lyena Solomon summarizes Matt McGee’s thoughts on content creation strategies and more from the weekly Twitter #SEOchat, at Search Marketing Weekly.

In his third of a series on content development, George Aspland posts “9 More Content Development Ideas For Increased Visibility” via user-generated content, at Search Engine Land.

Gilad de Vries posts “7 Lessons From Content Marketing’s Greatest Hits” at Mashable.

Shelly Bowen posts “5 Great Starting Points for a Content Recycling Program” at Content Marketing Institute.

Sharon Hurley Hall discusses content curation with “How to do Content Marketing ‘Without’ Content – Be a Curator!” at unbounce.

Rand Fishkin discusses overcoming content creation fatigue with the latest SEOmoz Whiteboard Friday presentation, “Overcoming Your Winter of Dis-Content.”

Ian Lurie discusses the three elements comprising a core marketing formula with “Three principles of internet marketing,” at Portent.

Sean McGinnis posts marketing mistakes to avoid (and how to fix them) at his blog.

Mack Collier discusses building trust with “5 Reasons Why You Need to Stop Marketing and Start Teaching.”

Robert Rose posts “How Asking ‘Why’ Helps Us Get to Our Larger Story” at Content Marketing Institute.

Marketing Sherpa’s weekly research chart depicts the top-rated B2B tactics for “developing value propositions that resonate and convert.”

One for the bookmarks: Lee Odden lists 2012’s top UK internet marketing blogs at Top Rank.

Gini Dietrich generously shares her own blogging process at Spin Sucks.

Per Schmitz shares “6 Tools That Help Bloggers Manage and Monitor Their Online Reputation” at Kikolani.

MarketingProfs’ considers whether you should host your blog on-site or off in its “short articles.”

So “Does Website Design Impact The Bottom Line?” Zach Bulygo explores the question in detail at KISSmetrics.

Tim Ash shares an interesting case study in landing page conversions with “It’s Not Over Till the Stragglers Convert” at ClickZ.

Seth Godin talks perception with “Money scales but emotions around money don’t.”

Events:

  • MarketingProfs University is offering a live, online “Marketing Writing Bootcamp” from May 10th thru the 23rd (with on-demand access to the recordings thru April of 2013). Use coupon code SUCCESS to save $200!
  • The Content Strategy Conference, ConFab 2012, scheduled for May 14th thru the 16th, is completely sold out, but you catch live coverage via blogs, updates, and the @confab2012 Twitter stream.
  • Usability Week 2012 Conferences, hosted by the Neilsen Norman Group, are scheduled for May 14th thru the 18th in Washington, D.C., and for June 25th thru the 29th in Chicago.
  • Marketing Sherpa’s Optimization Summit 2012 will be held in Denver from June 11th thru the 14 th. Register by April 30th for early bird savings of $300!
  • Content Marketing Institute’s Content Marketing World 2012 is scheduled for September 4th thru the 6th in Columbus, OH.

SEO & Search

From Search Engine Watch: Miranda Miller reports on Google’s record-setting $10.65 billion first quarter revenue and its proposal for a “new class of stock” to allow the behemoth “…to remain focused on the long term.”

Meanwhile, Matt McGee reports that Blekko’s traffic shot up nearly 400-percent in the first quarter – and Blekko CEO’s five reasons as to why – at Search Engine Land.

Citing comScore data, Greg Sterling reports that Yahoo’s first quarter revenue actually exceeded expectations and its traffic increased by 8-percent – also at Search Engine Land.

State of Search posts its 88th podcast in which Bas van den Beld and Roy Huiskes discuss the state of (re-structuring) Yahoo, Google’s performance under Larry Page, and the potential for Google Analytics for Google+.

First-generation SEO expert Jill Whalen shares her 15+ years’ perspective of the SEO/search industry, including her take on Google’s latest round of updates, via her interview with SEO Copywriting.

Following up on SES New York, Eric Enge posts his interview with Adobe’s Warren Lee on “How To Structure Your Organization For SEO Success” on the enterprise level at Search Engine Land.

Hugo Guzman also discusses enterprise SEO strategy with the astute “When it comes to SEO, diplomacy often trumps technical ability.”

Google vs. Facebook: Jeroen van Eck compares numbers with the (admittedly speculative and) provocative post, “Facebook Might Be Going After Google, And They Could Just Win,” at State of Search.

The next step in the “ever-evolving” SEO industry – semantic search – and Google’s “rich snippets” update(s) are the subject of WebPro Tech’s Bharati Ahuja’s post: “Is Your Website Markup Enriched To Support The Rich Snippets Updated By Google?”

Semantic search and Google’s rich snippet updates are also the subject of Bob Meinke’s post, “Why Is Google Allowing Rich Snippet Spam?” at Bruce Clay’s blog.

Neil Patel posts a how-to on improving your rankings with semantic keyword research at SEOmoz.

Peter van der Graaf discusses the seasonal trending, hype spikes, and search volume life-cycles of keywords with “Timing Your SEO Efforts to Rank During Traffic Peaks & Spikes” at Search Engine Watch.

Trond Lyngbo discusses social search spam and the future of social signals with “Social Search: Dead On Arrival? Or On Life Support?” at Search Engine Land.

So is personalized search getting too personal? At Search Engine Journal, Melissa Fach posts “User Thoughts on Personalized Search” which features an (MDG Advertising) infographic suggesting users think so.

At Search Marketing Standard, Rebecca Appleton posts the second of a two-part series, “Six Top SEO Tips Straight From the Horse’s (Google’s) Mouth” (and here’s the link for part one).

Heather Lloyd-Martin offers perspective and tips for panicked site owners on Google’s latest Panda slap, the “over-optimization” penalty, via her weekly video post at SEO Copywriting.

Anthony Verre posts a helpful guide to DIY site audits, sharing his favorite tools, with “Down and Dirty Audits for Quick Wins” at Search News Central.

With “Real SEO Specialists: Finding the Needle in the Hay Stack,” Level 343 shares the questions their clients most often ask and the answers a legitimate optimizer should give.

Andy Crestodina posts how to get your picture in search results via Google’s Authorship Markup at KISSmetrics.

Tom Anthony posts “How Authorship (and Google+) Will Change Linkbuilding” at SEOmoz.

SEO Hacker’s Sean Si features a Matt Cutts’ video on white-hat link building with “Yes we Can! Says the White Hat SEO Hacker.”

Sujan Patel posts a how-to on tracking off-site clicks as goals using Google Analytic’s Event Tracking feature, at Search Engine Journal.

For beginners, Glenn Gabe posts a detailed guide to conversion goals in Google Analytics, also at Search Engine Journal.

Erez Barak discusses “7 Ways to Use Visitor Intelligence in SEO & Marketing” at Search Engine Watch.

In the global market? Tom Schmitz posts “11 Considerations For International SEO” at Search Engine Land.

Ending on a light note, Jack Martin posts “The 101 Best Google Tricks, Easter Eggs, April Fool’s Day Jokes and Pranks” at Portent.

Events:

Social Media Marketing

Citing data from a variety of sources, Christian Arno notes some astounding numbers as well as geographical diversity in platform preferences with “Worldwide Social Media Usage Trends in 2012” at Search Engine Watch.

Among the sources cited (above), is the eMarketer post, “Facebook Helps Get One in Five People Worldwide Socializing on Online Networks,” and its prediction that 1.43 billion people will use a social networking site this year (up 19.2-percent from 2011).

Heidi Cohen also cites a number of sources in her post, “Where is the Future of Social Media Marketing?” noting that 70-percent of marketers are looking to expand their mix of social media platforms, at ClickZ.

Brian Solis discusses “Disruptive Technology and How to Compete for the Future” at his blog.

Gabriella Sannino offers an industry veteran’s viewpoint on social sharing, conversions and optimization with a thought-provoking post at Search News Central.

John Lewis speculates on “The Next Phase of Social Media” at Sexy Social Media.

At Marketing Land, Greg Finn discusses Google+’s new format with “Google+ Gets A New Look With Interactive Navigation & ‘Timeline-esque’ Profiles.”

Citing Google’s slick PR spin in announcing Google+’s new look, Danny Sullivan weighs in with “If Google’s Really Proud of Google+, It Should Share Some Real User Figures,” also at Marketing Land.

Noting the anemic business and news community support of Google+, as well as Google’s lack of G+ branding on offline media, Debra Mastaler asks “Where’s the G+ Beef?” at LinkSpeil.

Pamela Vaughan discusses the importance of social proof in consumers’ purchasing decisions with “10 Ways to Instantly Amplify the Social Proof of Your Marketing” at HubSpot.

Chris Brogan speaks to the value of working for your content’s social sharing with “Earning Attention” at his blog.

Bas van den Beld issues a warning to Groupon with “Facebook Slowly Rolling Out Facebook Offers, Watch Out Groupon,” featuring an embed of Facebook’s video on its Offers, at State of Search.

Following up on her recent webinar on Facebook’s Timeline, Sarah Schager posts “15 Facebook Timeline Tips to Bring You Up To Speed” at Vertical Measures.

Andrea Vahl illustrates “5 Ways Businesses Are Using Facebook Timelines” at Social Media Examiner.

Pamela Vaughan posts “35 Statistics That Fuel the Battle Between Pinterest and Google+” (along with a free download comparing the two platforms) at HubSpot.

Jason Miller video-interviews B2B “thought leaders” about “their interest in Pinterest” at Marketo.

Anna Maria Virzi contemplates whether Pinterest will push into e-commerce at ClickZ.

Ashley Zeckman shares “3 Pinterest Tools That Will Have You ‘Pinning’ In No Time” at Top Rank.

Rich Brooks posts a how-to on “4 Ways to Grow a Twitter Following That Matters” at Social Media Examiner.

And finally – remember Foursquare? Rick MacManus posts “Just Checking…How Many of Foursquare’s Reported 20 Million Users Are Active?” at ReadWriteWeb.

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photo thanks to Outdated Productions (Courtney)

 

 

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