My top 5 realities of search
I wonder if you watched my recent interview with Jonathan Ashton from Agency.com. It's a short, yet thought-provoking piece. The subject matter really merits a longer discussion on the importance of being found online. It's not just about search. More importantly, its about being found!
Here are 5 realities of organic search marketing:
First page or bust. #1 or you're not a contender
If I'm looking for a product or service that your company sells. Your home page is no longer the main page on your website. Its whatever comes up on the first page of Google, Yahoo or MSN, and even YouTube. Are you represented? That's what people will read. My new friend Jon from Infinamic argues that if you're not #1 on the SERPs, you're not really a contender. Wow, not even first page but #1.
Create multiple interaction points on your website
The main page may not even be the most important page. Especially if you're serving several markets with several products or services. A landing page approach with more content and functionality is a growing trend. The urgent need is to get people to the right "interaction point" – whether its to download a white paper, watch a video, read some important research and so on. That way you can measure it. Plus then you can market these different points instead of just one main page.
It is measurable
Even the most basic analytics packages can tell you which search engines are performing, and specifically which keywords are producing for you. So if you're trying to keep the boss of your back, here's an easy way. Especially if you've got a budget to protect – whether its search, social or email. Analytics can help you. Plus you can really breakdown keyword-based behaviors.
Conversion matters more when it leads to ongoing engagement
Regardless of whether you are selling products, services, or ideas – people need to come to your site or social media outposts. If you have a killer site that no one visits – its useless. Traffic leads to conversion. But, traffic is focused on a single engagement. Getting people to join your community is the beginning of a potentially life long relationship. So one time conversion isn't enough. The goal should be ongoing engagement.
Content is king
Regardless of who says what. Content rules baby. Whether its duplicate content across multiple sub-domains or unique content in different places across the web. Fresh, unique and relevant content is still preference #1. So compelling copy, vibrant imagery, and captivating video is a great investment. If this list was organized by importance, this point would be the most important. Different people absorb and scan content differently. So look at your users and think through their cognitive patterns. Then plan the site accordingly. That’s the good part. The best part is that the content will also help your company be found!
At the end of the day, search is about being found. If you're not being found, go back to the drawing board. Or call a professional!
Social media optimization is about how to make your brand relevant
Talked recently to Jonathan Ashton, Vice President of SEO & Analytics at Agency.com. Now I should say up front that I've admired this company since the mid nineties. They're the digital marketing agency in my mind. Uncompromisingly dedicated to strategy, creative and technology, they've worked with some of the best clients in the business and have been rated as one of top 10 digital marketing players numerous times. Check out the interview with Jonathan. It's also amazing to experience Jonathan's quiet, accessible confidence. Definitely enjoyed doing this one!
In case you want a synopsis before you commit to watching the video – conversations are happening. Big brands have the option to get involved. Brand identity is being forged by the people that experience these brands. The challenge that the brand faces is how to bring relevance to these conversations
A conversation with Rob Key from Converseon
We've discussed social media optimization or making the most out of social media. Here's the future and it's here now. Recently I talked to Rob Key, CEO of Converseon. This is a guy that is brilliant and is out there ahead of most of his peers. His company is focused on analyzing the massive amounts of data being generated by people online about brands. The sheer volumes of data have become impractical for manual analysis. Enter sentiment and text analysis aka conversation mining technology. This is Babel on exponential steroids. Blogs, micro-blogs, forums, p-to-p sites, social networks, YouTube, and more. Capturing the conversations is the first part. Next you've got to understand what's being said. Converseon, Rob's company, actually utilizes sentiment and text analysis (which is algorithm-based) to understand what simple conversations mean. Humans add the finishing touches with more sophisticated conversations, which might have slang and more complex nuances. At the end of the day, the power of social media continues to snowball. The question isn't whether conversations are happening and if you're a part of them. It’s about what's really being said and whether you can process this mass and understand it. Because, before you can talk, you've got to know what's being said.
Check out the interview.
