search engine marketing

It seems as if Google’s been talking about revising their search engine forever, but soon, in the next few weeks, Caffeine will be live. We’ll talk about the algorithm implecations in a moment, but first, let’s look at an example of what a search engine results page (SERP) will look like on the new Google:

What you can expect with Google Caffeine update:

1. Live search results. Notice the Twitter update in the middle of the page. Also, the user can click on “Latest” time-frame to see the most recent results. It’s going to be very important to make constant updates to your blog or website to keep relevant.
2. Universal Search features. We’ve been able to search for video and images (as well as other Universal Search items) since 2007, but now these features are easily located in a left sidebar.
3. The Updates tab. See who’s currently talking about your subject on Twitter. Your social media marketing campaign just got easier.
4. Page Previews. See a snippet of the page before you click on the result.

If you’re a website owner, webmaster, marketer or blogger, I’m sure you thinking… “ok Google’s revision is great for the searcher, but what about me? What do I need to do to make sure I rank well on the new Google?”

There are a few algorithm changes that have come to light that anyone involved with the running of a website should know.

1. Speed your website loads. Yup, if you have a slow loading site either due by old technology, too many large images, or a flash intro, then your ranking may suffer a bit.
2. Broken links. Google is all about offering the searcher relevant information. If broken links are found while your site is indexed, you may see lower rankings as a result.
3. Website design. On page factors such as meta titles, meta descriptions, alt tags, current content, still play a factor, but now the design of your site will have an effect as well.
4. Social Bookmarking. Yes, that’s what I said. Social bookmarking will be a major factor in page ranking for 2010.

If your site has been optimized for search engines, you may be in good shape. If you’re not sure if your site meets the latest standards, please feel free to ask us, we’ll give you an honest answer.

I just read a blog post by my friends at Beaupre, a high-tech PR firm in Portsmouth, NH, that got me thinking. Mike McGrail wrote a post about the recent announcement that the Pulitzer Committee is now accepting submissions from online-only publications. This announcement is great news for the Search Marketing industry.

As a search marketing specialist, I read LOTS of online publications, some of which are Pulitzer Prize worthy – in my opinion anyway. I read through the 14 possible Pulitzer Prizes for online journalists. In the SEM industry, two categories in particular sound promising:

9. For distinguished commentary, in print or online or both, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

10. For distinguished criticism, in print or online or both, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

I’m sure we all can think of a few online journalists that would qualify for these categories. My favorites include Loren Baker of Search Engine Journal and Maki of DoshDosh.

Who do you think is Pulitzer Prize worthy? Leave me a comment with your votes.

UPDATE: 7/16/08

We’re in! CreativeMind Search Marketing has been approved to beta test the tool. We will let you know what we find.

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This week Google announced their latest product, Ad Planner, a media buying and planning tool. This tool is designed to allow advertisers to pick and choose the websites their ads appear based on demographic data. Now advertisers can make informed advertising decisions with a few clicks of the mouse.

According to Google, with Google Ad Planner, you can:

• Define audiences by demographics and interests.
• Search for websites relevant to your audience.
• Access aggregated statistics on the number of unique visitors, page views, and other data for millions of websites from over 40 countries.
• Create lists of websites where you’d like to advertise and store them in a media plan.
• Generate aggregated website statistics for your media plan.

Currently this tool is only offered to agencies by invite only. CreativeMind Search Marketing has inquired about an invite. Hopefully, we will be one of the lucky advertisers to beta test this product.

For more information on Google Ad Planner, visit http://www.google.com/support/adplanner/

Small business owners approach me every day regarding their website performance. They have a website, which they feel is great, and are confused as to why the general the public aren’t swarming the site. There may be many reasons why websites doesn’t receive visitors. Small businesses can increase the amount of website traffic by avoiding these five most common website mistakes.

1. Search Engine “Unfriendly” Design

When a small business makes the decision to get a website, they must be aware of the different ways a website can be designed. There are web designs that are search engine friendly and a whole lot that are “unfriendly” to search engines. Flash websites may be pretty, but they have a very tough time getting indexed by search engines. Websites designed using Frames may be inexpensive, but your site will virtually be invisible.

2. No Website Plan

Every website must have a plan and goals. The largest mistake small businesses can make with their website is not defining their website goals. Ask yourself “what do we want the visitor to do when they land on our site?” If you’re not sure, then your website goals are not clear. Clear goals help convert visitors into customers.

3. Lack of Calls to Action

There is nothing worse than landing on a webpage and having to search for the information that you’re looking for. By placing clear calls to action on your website, your visitors will be more likely to make an action instead of hitting the back button.

4. Poorly Written Copy

Small business website owners typically work within a tight budget when launching their website. Hence, they tend to write the website copy themselves. If you do write your own website copy, make sure you have other business professionals proof your website before it goes live. Grammatical errors or typos will cause the website visitor to immediately leave your website.

5. Ignoring Search Engine Optimization

Websites do not attract visitors by themselves. Your website needs to be positioned high on search engines in order to reach your target visitor. Search engine optimization is the process of improving a website’s online visibility by researching keywords your target visitor uses to search, implementing these keywords in specific areas of the content and code, and building links to the website. This process takes time and energy. When in doubt, it’s best to consult with an SEO professional.

I’ve been a fan of Aaron Wall of SEOBook.com for a few years now. I’m an avid reader (and watcher) of his blogs. While I knew that video blogging (or vlogs) have grown in popularity over the years, I never really thought of using them myself until recently.

As most of my readers know, I’m in the process of making my SEO Consulting business official. That is, I’m working on developing a business plan and getting all my ducks in a row (an actual website is one of those ducks). In the process of doing so, I’ve obviously have been doing a ton of research relating to all the boring details of business plans (demographics, market research, competitor analysis, taxes, etc.).

In the midst of my research, I found myself landing upon vlog after vlog. Then it dawned on me, since video blogging is such a great vehicle for driving a ton of traffic to a site in a short period of time, why not integrate vlogs into the SEO mix for small businesses.

My initial thought was to use vlogs the same way we use press releases (or in conjunction with a press release). Say for example, you’re a small business and you’re opening a new location – one would normally send out a press release, right? Well, why not also make a video blog post about the new location, show it off in your video, highlight the benefits, and maybe give tips to others in your industry who are also considering an expansion. Post both the press release and the vlog on your site (fully SEO optimized, of course), and watch the traffic pour in. Add an immediate call to action on each landing page, and there ya go, SEO success!

Websites, like cars, need periodic maintenance. Maybe not after every 100,000 miles (or visitors), but definitely regular updates are required. Like your car, when cared for properly, your website will run smoothly and without a glitch. If neglected, the repairs needed may cost far more than it’s worth.

Unlike cars, there is no handbook to refer to that tells us what to do when. The type of maintenance needed and the time frame it should be completed within is all up to us. However, there are certain things to look for (and maintenance to perform) on your website to keep search engines indexing your site and to keep the “search engine” light from coming on.

How to tell if your site’s “search engine” light is on?

• Your Site Has Not Been Updated Since It Was Created
• Your Site Does Not Have a Search Engine Friendly Design
• The site is not easily navigated
• New Products/Services Are Not on the Website
• No Keyphrases in the Title & Description Tags
• Missing Keyword Phrases in Body Copy
• Lack of Calls to Action on the Website
• Website is not ranking on search engines
• Lack of Website traffic

How to turn the “search engine” light off.

• Redesign your website for visitors

o If your site has not been updated since it was created, the easiest way to solve this problem is to redesign the website. Yes, redesigns are time consuming and costly, however, with Web 2.0 technologies in place, you may not have any other choice.

• Add regular content to the website

o Whether you have new products or services or not, regular content additions are needed on your website to keep search engines coming back. Adding new pages with quality content or revising current pages are an easy fix. Also consider adding an FAQ section, press releases or news items, a blog, podcasts, .pdf files.

• Conduct keyword research and add relevant keyphrases to the Title and Description tag on each page. Also be sure that your body copy includes keyphrases as well.

• Add “Calls to Action” on your website

o First you must determine what you want visitors to do on your site, and then make it easy for them to do so. Whether you want your visitors to download a newsletter, fill out a form, buy a product, or contact the sales department – each call to action should be easy to find and prominent within the site design.

Still not sure if your website’s “search engine light” is on? Contact CreativeMind Search Marketing for a FREE website evaluation.

So you’ve decided to hire a professional SEOto optimize your website. Great! Now what? Well, before you sign on the dotted line be sure you asked the most important and fundamental questions.

Q: What type of techniques will you use to optimize my site?

A: If the answer is “we can not reveal our secrets”, run for the hills. A good SEO will walk you through the steps they take to optimize your website – they will also reveal their pricing. You want to hire a company or consultant that you can trust.

Q: How many pages will you optimize?

A: All of them! Beware of search marketing firms that optimize per page. Many inexperienced SEO’s will say they will optimize your home page and a few other pages of the site. A well-rounded search engine optimization campaign will include every page of your site.

Q: Will you guarantee results?

A: While a guarantee would be great, there are no such things as guarantees in this industry. The Search Engine Marketing industry is forever fluctuating. Major search engines change their algorithms so frequently that search engine results can not be promised.

If the potential SEO you are interviewing says that they will guarantee first page rankings on major search engines, DO NOT hire this person. No one can make such a promise, not even Google.

Q: How long will it take to see results?

A: A good SEO campaign is a long-term strategy. If an SEO firm says that your project will take 1-3 months, they are inexperienced and are not committed to your company. A reputable SEO firm will monitor and tweak the campaign regularly. Most SEO campaigns start at a minimum of 6 months and may last years.

Q: What are your best practices?

A: There are no “one size fits all” strategies in the SEO industry. The firm you hire should emphasize that the SEO strategy they set out for you fits your company and website goals.

The SEM firm or SEO consultant should not only follow Google’s Webmaster Guidelines, but should also present you with different options in achieving great results.The SEM campaign should include on-site optimization as well as link building, a PPC campaign, and social networking (if applicable to your business).

OK, I may not be Matt Cutts, Jill Whalen, or Danny Sullivan , but I do know a thing or two about SEO. One thing I know for sure is if you offer SEO services on your website, well than, maybe your website should be optimized for search engines.

I’ve been in the SEM industry for about 6 years now and have decided to start my own SEM business. While researching “competitors” in the area, I’m amazed by how many companies who offer SEO services haven’t even implemented the most basic of SEO tactics to their own websites. Really, they haven’t. These websites use the company name in the Title tag – on every page, have no Description tag (or a useless one), and poorly designed websites.

How these companies even sell SEO is beyond me. How do you even prove your worth as an SEO if you don’t practice what you preach? Well, considering that they aren’t showing up in searches for “SEO Services in [enter city here]”, it’s safe to say they probably aren’t selling SEO at all.

As organizations realize the true value of Search Engine Marketing they struggle with the idea of outsourcing SEM (paid search and organic) or bringing it in-house. The decision is a difficult one since every organization has different online goals. While there are pros and cons to each scenario, before making this vital decision, ask yourself these important questions.

Does your organization have the staff to cover search engine marketing?
Search Engine Marketing consists of many categories including paid search advertising, organic search, and link building. Each of these categories can (and sometimes are) full-time jobs in themselves depending on the size of your website(s) and your online goals. If you will rely on your Marketing and IT departments in fulfilling each SEM role, it is wise to first be sure they can handle the extra responsibilities.

A professional SEM firm has trained staff that is ready to tackle your projects. Also, by taking you on as a client, they are prepared to spend the time necessary on your campaigns.

Is your staff trained in Search Engine Marketing?
Let’s say your organization does have the staff to handle all aspects of SEM. The next step is to determine the depth of knowledge each individual has in SEM. Do you have an in-house marketer whom is versed in AdWords? Are they familiar with Search Engine Optimization and the correct way to optimize a website? Is your staff skilled in keyword research and copywriting? If not, is your company prepared to train these individuals? SEM, unfortunately, is not something you can just sit down and do. The learning curve may be extensive depending on the individual’s current knowledge of the industry.

While you have control over an SEM strategy with an in-house team, a professional agency has well-trained staff and resources at their fingertips. However, you will need to get the agency up to speed in your industry.

How will SEM success be tracked?
A whole other area to a successful search engine marketing campaign is ROI tracking and web analytics. After all, how will you know that your SEM campaigns are successful if you don’t track the results? First question to ask is what analytics package is right for you? Google Analytics is free, but may not be the best package if your company manages 40 websites. Omniture is a great web analytics package for larger websites, but is also costly. Before deciding which package to go with, you must first determine if you have the budget.

Once you determine which web analytics package will suite your needs, you must then determine which staff member will take on this responsibility. Web analytics and measuring ROI take a skill set that your current staff may not have. Again, will training be necessary? What costs are involved with training? Are you willing to wait the time necessary to get your staff up to speed?

Conclusion

Take your time to determine whether taking SEM in-house is the right decision for your organization. Consider your in-house resources and online goals and weigh the pros and cons. If your decision is to outsource, stay-tuned for a post which outlines the questions a potential Search Marketing agency should be asked.

Have you ever visited a website just to find yourself immediately going back to your search results? Maybe you couldn’t figure out what the company does. Or… maybe you were referred to this company and just wanted to get specs on a certain product, but instead you find yourself clicking around their website aimlessly and could not find the information you were looking for. If this has happened to you, you’ve been victim of poor usability.

There is blog post by Eric Enge on Search Engine Watch titled “Usability and SEO, Which comes First.” In his blog Eric stresses the usability and visitor experience are far more important than SEO. I whole heartedly agree with Mr. Enge. I’ve managed many website redesign projects where the company president wants their website to reflect their sales brochure. However, website visitors are looking for more robust information than what a sales brochure can offer. And many web developers (well, the inexperienced ones) are so eager to please the client that they produce flashy websites with lack luster content. The result is high bounce rates and dismal website conversions.

While SEO is very important, what is more important is to clearly define the purpose of your website. As with anything, if you do not have a clear plan, you can not achieve success. The same holds true with websites. Once you determine the purpose of your site, then you need to determine what it is you want visitors to do when they get to your site and then make it easy for the visitor to do so.

I encourage you to read Eric’s blog and pay special attention to the basic questions every website owner should ask before jumping head first into a website design project.