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The Most Effective Internet Marketing Strategy – Ever!

Grandiose title or gold nugget?

In the few years I’ve been an agency-level inbound marketer I’ve seen dozens of clients both succeed and fail in digital marketing. You might wonder why some fail miserably and others flourish. Of course there are many reasons, but I’ve heard a lot of businesses blame the moving target of an ever-changing algorithm. While it’s true that search engines will always be evolving in attempt to improve our online experience, there is one key element that will never change.

Think long-term and ignore fads

Each year Google updates its algorithm more than 500 times. Equally, most SEO’s and webmasters put themselves into some level of panic every one of those times. That or they’ll use the latest update as a sales gimmick to take advantage of you. Don’t fall for it. In fact, there are 1000′s of internet marketing and search engine optimization techniques you should probably avoid.

Try and refrain from hitting the panic button over each new algorithm change, penalty or hot new SEO tool. But, don’t stick your head in the sand either, always be aware of what’s happening.

Be Cautious of "too good to be true" SEO Tools

*Courtesy Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy; DreamWorks/Apatow Productions (2004)

Finding the common thread

Search engines like Google are designed to provide the world with relevant information and answer our questions – any question.

Truth is, kids today have access to more information than ever before. They’re carrying every dictionary, encyclopedia, and how-to video in their pocket. The catch is, good information is often mingled with misinformation and plain junk. A good search engine helps users cipher through the junk and find relevant answers to our questions. This is Google’s goal. Take a look at this year’s algorithm updates; see a pattern?

2012 Google updates (and its only March):

Jan 30-pack (30 search quality updates including image search and landing page quality detection)
Search+ Your World (radical shifts in personalized search)
Panda 3.2 (additional penalizing for poor content)
Ads Above the Fold (devalues sites with ad-space above the fold)
Feb 17-pack (17 search quality updates, related to speed, freshness, spell-checking, content quality in search index)
Venice (local search update)
Feb 40-pack (40 search quality updates including image, freshness and content quality)
Panda 3.3 (upgrade to Panda, putting even more emphasis on quality content)

The common thread here? An emphasis on relevant and quality content.

Understanding the secret to search

I stopped worrying about Google’s algorithm changes or latest rounds of penalties because I understand where Google wants to be. Therefore, I understand what I need to do to remain in their highest graces. Write quality content that answers real questions.

Search engines have been cracking down on poorly written, irrelevant content this past year – with a vengeance. They’re making a strong push to clean up the web, and are rewarding those who are already providing good information.

Matt Cutts, head of Google spam team says, they’re “leveling the playing field.” Websites that have been over-optimized or contain poorly written copy will be penalized in order to reward those who have consistently offered well-written, timely and unique content.

The message is very clear: spend the majority of your digital business development efforts writing good content that answers your audience’s questions. To take this a step further, you can provide even more content by engaging your customers via social media channels.

If you can answer yes to these five simple questions, your business has great potential to succeed online:

Do you have an attractive website?
Is your website easy to navigate?
Is each page on your site specific to only one or two topics?
Is your copy grammatically correct, completely original and at least 250 words per page?
Do you have a blog hosted on your domain that you update at least twice a month?

If you answered “Yes!” to all of the above, you are well ahead of the competition.

Content is now God

You’ve heard the cliché content is king? Well, in today’s world of search, content is God!

The most effective SEO strategy you can implement for online success comes down to writing. This can be extremely daunting for most businesses. I suggest working with an agency or finding an employee who just loves to write about your business in their spare time. The future of your online success is counting on it.

I’ll leave you with some of my favorite resources for producing content that search engines will love:

QuickSprout, The Marketer’s Guide to Blogging
Mashable, Content Creation
SEOmoz, Content Strategies
Kaiser the Sage, Tips for Guest Blogging (and other great resources)
YoungPrePro, Ultimate Guide to Guest Blogging

Good luck and thanks for reading. Please share your thoughts in the comments box below, I’d love to hear from you.

See ya next time – don’t forget to write. (Poor attempt at writer’s humor)

By: Matt Malone

Leap Blog: The “Doomsday Rule”

Happy Doomsday, everyone! Did you know that the last day in February is called “Doomsday”? not in a “the world is ending” way, but it’s a mathematical equation called the “doomsday rule”, figured out by mathematician John Conway. You can read all about it on places like Wikipedia, but the jist is this: Doomsday is just a name, he could have called it “Conway Day”, but Doomsday has more punch! Doomsday is the last day of February each year. (a.k.a. March 0, or ZEROth of March).

What day does Christmas fall on in 3 years?

Where this rule is helpful is finding out what day of the week a certain date, holiday, birthday, etc. falls on. You might be thinking: I can always just Google it, or search for it on my calendar. Yes…IF you are at a computer. But what if you are not at a computer? What day is Christmas in 2015? Well, its on a Friday, of course! Isn’t that a great day for Christmas, because you probably get the Eve off, and then Boxing day is a Saturday – Sunday is an extra day. Boxing day always falls on Doomsday. So does Halloween, and the 4th of July, and that’s just for starters. Read on!

How to remember the rule { impress your friends }

These dates also fall on Doomsday (remember even numbers after 2): 4/4, 6/6, 8/8, 10/10, and 12/12. For the odd months these dates are also on Doomsday: 5/9, 9/5, 7/11 and 11/7 (remember “Seven Eleven is open from Nine to Five”). There you have all the months except January. For January, in regular years it is 1/10. Think of the tenth as 1 year, 0 extra days. On leap year it is 1/11 – 1 year, 1 extra day.

In normal years (the next three) Doomsday advances by one day (365 is 52 weeks + 1 day), and leap years it advances by two. This may seem like a lot to remember, but once you know the Doomsday for one year, you get used to figuring ahead. This year, 2012, doomsday is on Wednesday, so the next three years are Thursday, Friday, Saturday. So, in 2014, July 4th is on a Friday – a good day for that holiday.

But wait, there’s more.

*Warning – for the extra-math-geeky only! Yes, there is a whole algorithm for figuring out any year in any century, but for most people, knowing a few years ahead (and the current year, of course) can be helpful. If you really want to know what day will be New Year’s in 2099, you can do the math.

It takes a lot of work to look this easy

There are some things in life you just take for granted: oxygen, sunshine, toilet paper. Add to that list web usability and you’ll realize that in a lot of ways usability is like toilet paper. (I promise, this gets better.) You take it for granted and don’t take much notice of it when it’s around, but boy oh boy do you ever realize when it’s absent.

usability = error prevention

Many of us presume that good usability is about helping people accomplish something. The fact is, good usability is the polar opposite: to prevent users from committing errors. Errors create confusion, frustration, abandoned shopping carts and worst of all, users leaving your site. We understand that conversion is about getting users to do what you want them to do, but this is a lost cause if you can’t prevent them from doing what you don’t want them to do, getting lost and frustrated. Think about how users can make mistakes first, and you’re on your way to a more usable site.

for pete’s sake, give it a test

Remember that bit earlier about taking usability for granted? Designers and developers are also notorious for assuming that if it makes sense to them, it must make sense to the whole world. Even the most innocuous of decisions can prove to be mind-boggling to the average Joe. The only way to combat this is through simple user testing. In the absence of traditional modes of testing (eye tracking, user narration, performance tests, A/B testing), make sure that you validate your design against a group that is unfamiliar with the details of your project.

users don’t appreciate your creativity

Those that are too cool for school usually have the most to learn. Being overly original when it comes to user experience can hurt you unless you are truly building a better mousetrap. People are comfortable with familiar paradigms for navigation and interaction. There’s plenty of room to be creative in your design and messaging…don’t mess with foundational best practices for navigation and browsing.

Remember: web users are not stupid, but they are impatient and expect a lot. As much as we think we understand what is intuitive and logical, trying to get into someone else’s mind just isn’t that easy. Usability is not intuitive, it doesn’t just happen, and it’s not common sense. Keeping those points in mind will go a long way in keeping your users on your site, keeping them happy, and making your website work harder for you.

Kill Your Pages

We never start a website project without a finalized sitemap, a list of all of the pages and subpages to be included in the site architecture.

When you created the sitemap for your website (if you created one at all), how did you decide what pages should be included? Here’s how to do it.

BE RUTHLESS!

For every page you intend to include on your site, if you cannot answer the following question in a positive manner, get rid of the page: What purpose does this page serve to support movement towards conversion?

Converting customers on the web

Whether you are a for-profit or non-profit, the purpose of your website is to convert web traffic into leads, sales, or donations. Not every page on your site should be a final step in the conversion process, but it should be part of the funnel that helps get the web user get there.

If this sounds like a manipulative strategy, think again. The best websites are not trying to manipulate behavior—they help users find what they’re looking for. By constructing your page architecture and content (including images and video) to move web visitors from the research stage down the funnel to the interest stage and finally to the purchase/donation stage, you are helping them achieve the goal that brought them to search in the first place.

Writing for the web

I conduct webinars on writing for the web. One thing I always tell participants from the beginning (and several times during the webinar) is “Think about your own behavior on the web.”

If you want an idea of how best to develop a sitemap and afterwards the content for your site, spend time watching yourself search for something that is important to you. It can be hobby supplies, stuff for your kids, a new car, travel arrangements, or anything else that illuminates a problem that you want to solve using a search on the web.

When you type a search term in the search window, scan down the search results and when you see a link you want to click, ask yourself what is making you want to click it.

Chances are there is something in the wording of the link (Title tag) or the descriptive text below it (Description tag) that makes you think that the page on the other side of that link is going to satisfy your needs and desires of the moment.

A merciful death

Also notice when you land on a website page that DOES NOT solve your problem. Ask yourself, “What is this page about?” If it isn’t related to what you’re searching for, it’s either poorly optimized or does not belong on the website.

To get any user to take the final step of converting into a customer or supporter, you need to build trust. There are many ways to do this on the web but the main point to take away today is that conversion is a process. If any page on your proposed sitemap does not serve the overall goal of the site and help move traffic down the conversion funnel, call Dr. Kevorkian.

Google Begs for Blogs in 2012

How to Win with Google

First off, this is not a post about how to ‘beat’ Google or trick them at their own game. Love’em or hate’em, Google controls around 80% of the search engine market. So instead, this post is about playing nice, and giving Google what IT wants…to get what YOU want.

There’s an old saying, “to understand where you’re going, you have to know where you’ve been.” So, let’s look at some big changes Google made this year.

2011 marked another busy year for the search giant with $33 billion in Adwords earning alone. They introduced new looks and functionalities on nearly all of their products including Gmail and YouTube. They entered the “daily deal” scene with Google Offers and Google Chrome owns 25% of the web browser market share.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: that’s dandy for their business, but what about mine? What matters is SEARCH. Google knows this and made a lot of algorithm changes this year in hopes of improving our search experience. Arguable at times, I admit.

The guys at Higher Visibility and SEOmoz created a great infograph that recaps all the major algorithm updates of 2011.

After studying and adjusting for these updates throughout the year, I have discovered three specific changes that will impact a company’s online visibility in 2012.

Three major updates from 2011:

1. Panda Update (AKA, the Farmer Update)
The Panda Update has been continuously updated through the year. Its purpose is to demote websites with poor, irrelevant content that’s been re-purposed on multiple other sites – usually for “spammy” black-hat link building reasons. These include content farms, article directories and websites that are riddled with duplicate content and cumbersome ads.

2. The +1 Button
Similar to a Facebook ‘like’ or re-tweeting someone’s comment, the +1 button filters search results to show websites that people in your social network have indicated they like. The assumption; since you’re connected to a person who likes XYZ, then you’ll probably like XYZ too.

3. The Freshness Update
Google has always given slightly better rankings to websites that update content regularly. They took it to another level late this year with the Freshness Update. Now, websites with dated and time-stamped content will have a noticeable advantage in rankings. While this might not apply to ALL websites, it does apply to MOST.

Takeaway:

When it comes down to the brass tacks of “How will this effect my business?” I believe almost all of Google’s 2011 updates can translate to one statement:

Favorable rankings are awarded to websites that have the most up-to-date content with relevant and useful information – that is not found anywhere else on the web – AND, that people within your social networks have vouched for (+1’d, re-tweeted, liked, etc.)

Why blogging is the best solution for online search in 2012

We’ve heard about blogs for years, you might even have a blog, but are you using it… correctly? A blog can give Google exactly what it’s looking for – and be rewarded greatly. It’s also the easiest solution for meeting most of Google’s Algorithmic Ranking Factors.

Final thought: It all comes down to relationships.

Social media and blogs provide a medium for customers and businesses to move from merely transactional to relational. We are entering a revolution where ‘service’ and the ‘customer experience’ will determine the success of business. You have an opportunity to grow your brand recognition, brand loyalty, and even brand evangelism through online experiences.

It only makes sense that search engines would follow these trends and reward businesses making a proactive effort to connect with their public, by building relationships through these social channels.

So, if you want to live in Bel Air, incorporate blog writing and social media for a successful 2012.

Until next time…”Yo holmes, smell ya later!”

By: Matt Malone

Bad fonts = social death

This week I attended Portland State University’s Digital Marketing Conference (#psudmc). While listening to the last keynote speaker, I noticed that he had his digital identity tag on each of the slides of his presentation. I was very glad to see that, as I had tweeted that very idea for other speakers that didn’t think to do it. (Doing so just makes it easier for your audience to do cyber shout-outs on the go.)

Well, I’m literally tweeting quotes as they happen, getting a strong RT (retweets) for silly stuff like classic quotes like “Raise your geek flag”. I’m reading the slides and happy to add to all tweets the keynote speaker’s digital id.

Then I get to the last slide. Wow.

See the last slide had a different font. Despite sitting in the front row, the slide was borderline incomprehensible.

Note to self: If you promote, use a readable font…that reads well from the back of the room, the deep back of the room where it’s dark and people sit by the door so they can leave first type of seats…you know, where people whisper too loud and have to take it out to the hallway. There, and only there, will you find a connection via social networks with your live audience. Without this one valuable maneuver, all life to social networks will simply be digital noise with no purpose, no SEO juice and less of a social fun fulfilled life.

How to Get Smarter & Richer

When you create content for your website, you’re trying to capture the most goal-oriented, impatient audience in the history of the planet. You have to work very hard to get them to stop and pay attention.

Think about your own behavior on the web. When you search for something that is important to you—”why is my baby coughing,” “best hotels in Cancun,” “insomnia,” etc.—you want the answer NOW.

When you land on the search-results page (SERP), you have ten links to choose from. Do you carefully peruse each one? No! You scan down the page as quickly as you can consume the information and click the first link that appears as if it might solve your problem or question.

You give that page only seconds to load and once it loads you once again scan down the page as fast as you can consume it. If it doesn’t scream, “Here is the answer,” you go back to the SERP and try again. Because you know there are billions of other web pages. If it seems to have answers, you stay and read.

Indy 500 drivers

Sometimes it feels like using content to capture eyeballs on the web is about as effective as handing out business cards on the racetrack in Indianapolis. But content is all you really have. How do you capture this audience’s attention?

Building better forms

One of the most dreaded parts of the online experience is the web form. Not only does it represent work, it also raises the concern that your information will be sent to spam lists all over the globe. Establishing trust on your site goes a long way to convincing users to share their personal information. But there are other things you can consider when creating your form that make it far more likely to convert users:

1) Keep it short. Ask youself whether you truly need to collect a particular piece of information. Gender? Title? Studies show that with each additional field, your likelihood of having someone complete your form goes down significantly.
2) Keep your labels short and intuitive. For that matter, make your fields only as long as they need to be. Anything that reduces visual clutter while still being easy to understand is key.
3) Make your validation smart. If your form won’t submit and it’s not clear to the the user why because of poorly marked validation, users will get frustrated and just bail.
4) Consider using mad-libs style labelling. Conversion studies are showing that this fill-in-the-blanks approach to collecting information is seeing positive results.
5) Make it worth people’s while. People don’t want to fork over their info without getting something in return. Enticing them with a freebie or giveaway in order to create a quid pro quo.

Best Web Practices for Non-profits

Your website has the potential to reach millions with your message. But how do you get your users’ undivided attention and get them to open their wallets? Follow these simple guidelines and you’ll be well on your way to turning your non-profit’s website into a money-making machine.

Clearly communicate who you are. Don’t assume that your visitors already know about who you are and what you do. Include an abbreviated mission statement on your homepage and put a prominent link to your About Us page.

Make donating easy. Place a “donate now” or similar call to action prominently on each page and link your donation page to your homepage. Make the ‘check out’ a single step process where only one page is used for gathering information. Don’t require visitors to set up an account to donate.

Include a news section or a blog. This will help you keep your site fresh, engaging, and increase your visibility to search engines. If you are going to include these features, be committed to updating them on a regular basis. No news is definitely bad news in this case.

Stay consistent. The more consistency a user sees from you on and offline, the more they will trust you. Your site should be consistent with the rest of your promotional material such as brochures, newsletters, and direct mail.