Marketing Content Through SEO and Social Media Presentation Agenda • Uncovering SEO Opportunities Through Content Marketing • The Landscape: SEO & Social Media • Social Media Communities & Link Building Strategy 2 Uncovering SEO Opportunities Through Content White Paper/Case Study Landing Pages Improving White Paper Visibility Tizor Systems Site Objective: Generate interest from peers in the educational resources of this technology startup Strategy 1: Create more content available to be indexed by search engines Tactic: Creation of individual white paper landing pages to unlock long-tail keyword phrases We added hyperlinks that connected users (and search engines) to each applicable White Paper Executive Summary Page Improving White Paper Visibility Strategy 2: Enhance landing pages so there is both PPC and SEO value Simplified the conversion process by adding a request form to each landing page. RESULTS • Organic search engine traffic increased by 225% from Q1 to Q4 of that year • Cost per lead went was cut by 50% in that same time period 6 Improving White Paper Visibility Guidon Performance Systems We’ve implemented a similar strategy for a new client, Guidon Performance Solutions Approximately 100 case studies broken down into individual landing pages To aid lead generation efforts, we added an additional call-to-action and cross-links at the bottom of the page 33% growth in unique keywords sending traffic during the second month of the program We cut the cost/lead by 50% in the first 60 days 7 Landing Page Considerations Remember that every page is an opportunity to be found in search, particularly for long-tail keywords • Keep landing pages simple, particularly when referencing a more in-depth piece. • Illustrate key points and the value to the reader • Consider blending SEO and PPC strategies together by incorporating form registrations to capture key visitor data as well 8 Blended Search Search Engine Optimization Blended Search Results The integration of blended search (Google’s Universal Search) means that more vertical search elements are being integrated into traditional Google.com search Reference: http://searchengineland.com/070 516-143312.php The Key to knowing if you should be investing in blended search is in keyword research and evaluating search results News Feed Optimization 180+ links acquired through content optimized for news 12 News Feed Optimization • News Requirements & Best Practices • Fresh Content: Priority is given to articles that are recent, substantial, original and focused on the topic. • Date Requirement: Dates should be placed between the title and body • Author Requirement: Multiple authors are required – either credit authors in individual news articles or create an author “bio page” • Use of Sitemap: XML news sitemaps are preferred • URL Requirement: Articles must be on unique, permanent URLs with at least 3 digits (waived if using a XML news sitemap) • Image Best Practice: Use large image sizes with good aspect ratios • From the Google Webmaster Central Blog: http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2009/09/tips-for-newssearch.html 13 Press Release Optimization • Press release optimization for competitive keywords • The objective is to achieve immediate visibility for a term that people are searching for in high volume Approximately 40,000 searches/month Approximately 18,000 searches/month • Press release optimization for long-tail keywords The objective is to sustain visibility for niche keywords which may not have a large volume of search activity but will allow a company to maintain rankings for a longer duration 14 Press Release Optimization • Make sure that your keywords are visible within the press release • Places to target keyword visibility: • Browser Title • Press Release Headline • First paragraph of the press release • As appropriate within the body of the press release Make sure to add the http:// to the beginning of all web addresses Websites may pick this up and automatically generate links to your website Video Search Engine Optimization Strategies for Video SEO Create comprehensive keyword-centric video details (Titles, Descriptions, Tags, etc) Embed & Link to YouTube/Third Party Video destinations on your site (and vice versa) If video is on the site, submit both video files and web pages via XML sitemap (use the same title structure for page & video) Google Guidelines http://www.google.com/supp ort/webmasters/bin/answer.p y?hl=en&answer=80472 SEO & Social Media SEO Landscape: The Core Components Historically, an effective SEO strategy involved: • Keyword Research & Application in Content (HTML Titles, Page Headings, META Descriptions, etc) • Creating an “SEO Friendly” website (IE, making certain search engines are able to understand the site once they get to it) • Building Inbound Links (Partners, Directories, Blogs, etc) 18 SEO Landscape: The Next Level Social Media has become a critical component of SEO Strategy - Reasons: Social media users are more savvy online consumers, who tend to link back to sites/content they find of value; necessary for targeting link building strategies Social media provides an opportunity to evaluate & research what types of content will resonate with an audience Social communities have become important tools for developing relationships with site owners, marketers, and publishers of content; necessary for targeting link building strategies 19 Link Building Observations w/Social Media • Be on the lookout for easy-to-find places that links can be created (profiles, submissions, updates, etc) • Even if a link is not “SEO Friendly”, there still can be value • Just because you can submit a link; does not mean it will be appropriate (watch and observe first) • Keep a record of the communities, social sites, and blogs that matter to you/your business objectives • Even though the network is important, your content has to speak for itself Link Building & Social Media Communities YouTube YouTube YouTube 550 Visits over 30 day period + 3 search engine friendly links to blog posts Twitter 25 Twitter Messaging Hashtags: Utilize hashtags that label updates in a manner that people/companies might search Twitter with as well as to brand company initiatives • Use Twitter Search (http://search.twitter.com/) to determine how “popular” a particular hashtag is (based on number and frequency of updates • Tie company & business related status updates to broad-based hashtag topics when appropriate • Promotion of Network/Community: Bring visibility to peers, colleagues, and possibly competitors by citing sources & using @reply to acknowledge network 26 Twitter Search.Twitter.com allows users to search for profiles and conversations related to strategic keywords Evaluate popularity by observing the number, frequency and rate to which new updates appear Subscribe to RSS feeds of the most important queries to keep an up-todate record of information 27 Twitter Twitter’s own list functionality can be a powerful way to organize a network and potential markets Public Lists – Create lists of people/companies in your network using keywords and themes that help support their initiatives and describe their business expertise Private Lists – Create private lists to help segment specific target audiences based on industry, sales opportunities, or people you want to make certain to pay attention to 28 Twitter 29 LinkedIn 30 LinkedIn LinkedIn Add Applications – applications enhance the interactivity of your profile and also bring visibility to content and information from your other social media websites • Recommended Applications • Twitter – Twitter can now be integrated directly in profile administration • SlideShare Presentations or Google Presentations – For presenting Guidon presentations and favorite presentations from third parties • WordPress or BlogLink For presenting personal/professional/company blog posts in your profile • Additional Applications based in preference: Events, Company Buzz, and Polls 32 LinkedIn Key Initiatives in LinkedIn Groups • Participate in or Start Discussions (pay attention to how active discussions are actually maintained in the groups • Submit News Articles and Links to sites members of the community might find of interest • Try to “Thank” people for interesting or valuable comments • Use LinkedIn Status Updates to showcase valuable information found in groups 33 Blog Post Development & Blog Outreach Blog Outreach & Strategy Blog Outreach & Strategy http://www.postrank.com/topic/automotive Blog Outreach & Strategy 30+ Different sites linked to the post based on our outreach and information generating 3,200+ page views Social News & Bookmarking Sites • A great opportunity for increasing brand awareness and acquiring inbound links for SEO • Challenge: Different types of content resonate across each community • Challenge: Having a network (within each community) is important (critical) Fortunately, many influential members of these social media communities are also accessible via Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social networking websites Social News & Bookmarking Sites “MrBabyMan” (IE, Andrew Sorcini) Most successful user in the Digg community (with respect to stories making the Digg Front Page) Also can be reached on Twitter, IM, and through his blog/weekly podcast http://twitter.com/scaryinternet/digg-s-top-100-users Social News & Bookmarking Sites Example of Successful Blog Content Social Media Influences • StumbleUpon Research • Links from similar posts referenced in online forums • Feedback from Community based on previous posts This Post: “30 Examples of Tractor Art & Art from Tractors” drew the following results: • 2,300+ Page Views • 1,100+ Referrals from social bookmarking sites • Approximately 600+ referrals from RSS, social networking sites & Twitter • 49 Links http://blog.machinefinder.com/1104/tractor-art 41 Example of Successful Blog Content Social Media Influences • Successful Blog Posts in similar industries • Rapid adoption of Twitter This Post: “80+ Storage Professionals to Follow on Twitter” drew the following results: • 2,000 Page Views • 1,000+ Referrals from social media sites • 30+ Comments to post • 10+ Links http://wikibon.org/blog/data-storage-professionals-on-twitter/ 42 Final Wrap Up • Every content asset can be an opportunity to be found in search • Social media provides tremendous opportunities on its own but also as a way to improve your overall SEO strategy • Social media provides an opportunity to evaluate & research what types of content will resonate with an audience • Social communities have become important tools for developing relationships with site owners, marketers, and publishers of content; necessary for targeting link building strategies • Even though the network is important, your content has to speak for itself Questions? Thank You! KoMarketing Associates, LLC 240 Bear Hill Road, Suite 103 Waltham, MA 02451 office: (781)209-1989 www.komarketingassociates.com Derek Edmond, Managing Partner Twitter - http://twitter.com/DerekEdmond LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/in/dedmond29 FriendFeed – http://friendfeed.com/dedmond29 E-Mail – derek@komarketingassociates.com 45