5 Ways SEOs Can Work with Social Media Managers

As social media gets widely adopted across organizations of all sizes we’re starting to see social media and search marketing teams operating in silos. That is already the case in many organizations. It isn’t unusual to have a 5:1 ratio where there are five community managers for every search marketer.
Due to nature of daily social media management, it’s natural that social media teams will outnumber small search teams (including one man teams!). This puts the onus on SEOs to reach out to their social media counterparts and ensure SEO is part of social media process as well.
An in-house SEO invests a lot of their time into creating an enterprise-wide process to work with developers, IT, and other important stakeholders. SEOs should also create a process for social media teams since they create a huge amount of content on a daily basis.
One of the first steps to get SEO integrated into any existing process is SEO training. But there are additional ways SEOs can work with social media team on an ongoing basis to ensure that even social media team members integrate SEO and leverage their daily community management efforts. Let’s jump in into what I think are the top 5 ways SEO’s can work with their social media counterparts:

1. Train Social Media Managers on SEO Essentials

SEO, especially in-house SEO, is a lot about demystifying the SEO myths across the organization and to me that starts with a ground level SEO training. I like to call this “Essential SEO Training” as the goal here is not to make SEO experts out of your social media managers but just enough to ensure that SEO is built into the social media process (most importantly not missed out on).
Many community managers come from a non-technical background so if you start with technical jargons like server response codes, faceted navigation, etc. then you will lose them. Instead, focus more on meta tags, H1 tags, alt text, page titles, and so on.
It is also assumed that you as an SEO would be working with IT or developers on the technical side of SEO so better to keep it simple for social media team members. Reaching out and offering to train them can be a good icebreaker of sorts and is also a great way to make an impression with the social media group.
Remember, most of the times blogging responsibilities also fall under social media team. Training them on how to write optimized blog posts can benefit your SEO performance a great deal.

2. Show Them the “Whys” and “Hows” of Keyword Research

Search marketers understand that keywords are the cornerstone of SEO. But not everyone understands that, so driving that point across to social media team members should be your goal.
Besides the obvious importance of keywords, you can show them how to use the various keyword tools.
One common mistake people make is picking keywords with highest number of searches. Instead, you want to train them on why that may not be the right approach.
It’s important that they learn how various keyword tools employ different data collection methodology. The other advantage of empowering them with tools is they are self-sufficient thus allowing you to focus on more strategic initiatives.

3. Optimizing Tweets For Visibility

As engines start integrating more tweets in their SERPs, we’ll see an increasing number of tweets show up for normal keyword queries. Twitter too is constantly updating their internal search engine, so getting found inside Twitter searches becomes critical as well.
Inserting one good keyword in each tweet is a good tip to share with social media managers. Think about the search impact social media managers can create if they target the same keyword while writing a blog post, creating few tweets, posting on Facebook fan page all the while using the same keyword.
I’m always amazed at the amount of content a social media team ends up creating on a daily basis. It is not just the original tweets but the retweets, mentions, etc. that makes up the lifecycle of a tweet.
Think of the SEO opportunity if you can take that content and house it in your domain – something to the effect that Zappos has done at twitter.zappos.com. I talked about this last year during SES Chicago in one of my in-house SEO panel. Again, SEOs are well suited for this kind of initiatives.

4. Optimizing Facebook Fan Page

A tremendous amount of time and resources are poured into building a company’s Facebook community that it makes sense if we start optimizing that content on fan pages for SEO.
Jeff Widman and team at PageLever recently did an interesting study on the referral traffic that search engines send to Facebook fan pages. They looked at almost 1,000 Facebook fan pages and found that almost one-third of external traffic is sent by search engines.

The key takeaway here: optimize your Facebook page just like you would any web property. It would be a hard battle convincing social media managers to allow you to make changes on Fan pages (it’s their baby!) but looking at back end analytics (Facebook insights for starters) and then making an “SEO case” can help you win this battle.
You can customize your training session to tackle Facebook posts while keeping your SEO process transparent. This way social media team can integrate SEO on an ongoing basis without you being involved.
This is another social media property where so much content (and engagement) is created that it makes perfect sense to leverage it for SEO. This can also be another source by which SEO can attribute the gains to their performance.

5. Teach Them the Importance of Conversion Metrics

The science of measuring conversion metrics like a search marketer doesn’t come naturally to “many” social media managers. Most of the time, search marketers create campaigns with end conversions in mind. They launch campaigns only if the ROI makes sense.
Not so with social media as collectively we are still in the “figuring out mode.” On top of that, the social media customer conversion funnel is slightly longer with more emphasis on fan engagement.
It’s easy to get carried away with the “coolness factor” of social media like number of fans, followers, design, apps, and so on that folks forget the purpose of a business is to create customers, as Peter Drucker said.
True, direct marketers can get little disappointed with social media as there is no straightforward “input X amount of dollars to get Y number of customers” ratio on social media. This is where SEO’s can help social media team understand common performance metrics the “search world” follows.
Search marketers should realize the engagement factor of social media so search marketers can also do with some unlearning of their own. Collaborating and coming up with common set of metrics is the way forward.

Summary

Increasingly, more collaboration is needed between search and social teams if an organization’s digital marketing strategy is to succeed. The nature of search marketing makes it easy to measure performance in terms of dollar amount and this is also where SEO can take a lead and support social media activities.
By:  Bob Tripathi,

Google Plus – A Great Place to Hang Out and Potentially a Powerful SEO Tool

If you haven’t heard about Google Plus yet then you have been missing out on one of the most exciting new social networks around.  Everyone is now used to Facebook and Twitter being part of everyday life, but what about Google Plus.  On a business level and in SEO circles, everybody is talking about it.  When it comes to my friends and acquaintances, there are hardly any talks or discussions going on, so why is this?

When Google Plus launched they did son on an Invitation only basis.  While people in SEO and the business sectors rushed around trying to get invites, casual users of social networks seemed not to care.

So What Does Google Plus Have?
The interface of Google Plus looks a lot cleaner and minimalistic.  In fact the minimalism goes far beyond the appearance, the whole operation seems to be very user friendly and is quick to grasp.

The adding of friends and organising into groups is simple and a lot easier when compared to Twitter and Facebook.  This could be one of the reasons why businesses are a lot more interested in this social network, although as word spreads casual users are likely to come and will appreciate this feature too.

A Circle of Friends
All of your friends can be placed into circles.  There are some generic ones created and it is quick and painless to create your own.  There are no friend requests, all you need to do is click follow on any profile and then it is up to you to simply drag that person into a chosen circle, but only if you want.

Group chats and hang outs are one of the most distinguishable features found in any social network.  You are able to open a hang out with anyone using your circles if you wish or making it public.  The group chat interface works well and is a feature that wins hands down over Facebook’s single video chat and the lacking live chat system that still needs some attention.

Instead of showing numerous web cams at once the system shows who is talking at the time.   You can welcome anyone you want into the live video hangouts and enjoy group face to face discussions through your social network for the first time.

The Stream of Information
The stream is much like Facebook’s news feed.  Here you are able to post updates, links, and pictures, anything you want.  This is where organising your circles can come in handy.  Once you have written your post on the stream wall you are then able to select which of your circles are allowed to view it.  If you are moaning about work simply hide it from work mates and associates.

On a business level this could be a very handy feature.  If you are promoting your services to other businesses then you can hide the post from customers for example.  For SEO purposes this is where you can post links to your latest products, articles and blog posts.  If you are able to attract +1’s from your followers then all the better.

Your Profile Page
Creating your profile is much like creating any other profile.  You have the ability to add links to your other sites including Facebook and Twitter.  You can also add your business and personal sites and pop in a link to your LinkedIn profile too.

Show Off Your +1’s to Help Your SEO Strategies
There are tabs that allow you to show off your +1 likes all across the Internet.  Google have made it clear that +1 will be used in their ranking algorithms for search, so don’t waste time, get yourself a +1 profile and start using it. The +1 tab is automatically hidden on your Google Plus profile so you need to go into the privacy settings and allow other people to see what you have +1’d.  If you are looking to promote your sites or share other sites that have impressed you then adding your +1 tab is highly recommended.

The Future of Google Plus
Business pages have not been introduced as yet.  Google have invited users to submit their interest in obtaining a business profile and if you haven’t yet then add that to your to do list. Google plus has become the fastest growing social network to date.  If you haven’t created your profile yet then you may as well get started.  Users are able to invite 150 people with an easy link so ask around and join the impressive network that could become one of the most important SEO tools in the future.
By:  SR

10 Concepts Critical for Aligning SEO to B2B Marketing Strategy

Search engine optimization is a critical part of the B2B marketing mix. SEO ranked as the fourth most effective B2B marketing tactic overall on MarketingSherpa’s 2011 B2B Marketing Advanced Practices Handbook. Despite this, SEO may remain outside of the planning of an organizations’ marketing initiatives.

One reason may be because many SEO professionals come from outside of the traditional marketing background. Ironically, we don’t speak the language. We understand the objective, but may not realize how to specifically tie SEO tactics to B2B marketing concepts.
In an effort to help bridge the gap, I’ve asked some B2B marketing colleagues how SEOs can better align with strategic marketing. Check out their answers, feedback, and helpful resources below.

B2B Marketing Communications from Dianna Huff

The idea that makes me cringe every time I hear it is “writing content for search engines.” Done right, B2B marketing communications helps move prospects along the sales cycle. Spammy keyword-laden blog posts don’t do the trick, especially when the buying cycle can be months long and include people from across the organization.
SEOers can help their clients by understanding the marketing process, suggesting collateral and other content that helps people make purchasing decisions, and then optimizing this content. The days of SEO and marketing communications being two distinct silos are long gone. It pays for marketers to understand SEO and for SEOers to understand marketing and to work together toward a common goal: more sales.
A B2B web marketing expert, Dianna Huff helps B2B companies grow through SEO, marketing writing, and social media. A frequent speaker, Dianna has been quoted in numerous blogs, books, and articles. Follow her on Twitter @diannahuff. To receive her e-course on creating great B2B marketing content, subscribe to her newsletter, The MarCom Strategist.

B2B Marketing Communications From Kate Headen Waddell

B2B customers are more than just eyeballs. Good SEO techniques will get them to your site, but once they arrive you have to engage their hearts and minds, too. How do you do that?
The following posts contain important concepts for B2B marketers to understand and use.

• People Aren’t Reading Your Web Copy? It’s Not Them, It’s YOU  
• Who the Heck Do You Think You ARE? Standing Out from the B2B Crowd 

Kate Headen Waddell is a strategic copywriter specializing in web copy, white papers, case studies, blogging and other B2B marketing tools. You can visit her website at www.smartb2bmarcom.com.

Content Curation from Pawan Deshpande

Content curation, the process of finding, organizing, and sharing online content, is rapidly becoming a preferred marketing tactic. Many SEOs have yet to effectively make use of it because they are laser-focused on creating original content that supports search marketing efforts.
Curation provides a far more effective way to support SEO by allowing marketers to take the most relevant and timely content from around the web, organize it in a logical manner, and then easily share it via microsites, email newsletters, and social media. Content curation builds inbound links and drives visitors back to their web properties by becoming the go-to source for a specific topic, and also provides offline benefits by also establishing thought leadership, building brand awareness and nurturing leads.
To better understand how content curation serves as a building block for SEO, check out the recap of my webinar with TopRank’s Lee Odden about the common myths about content curation as it relates to SEO.
Pawan Deshpande is the CEO and visionary behind HiveFire. HiveFire’s product, Curata, is an easy-to-use marketing solution for content curation and content marketing. Pawan has spoken at leading events including SXSW, Content Marketing World, the Online Media Summit, and multiple AMA webinars.

Content Marketing from Stephanie Tilton

To connect with today’s B2B buyers, you need to produce and make easily accessible a range of content that guides prospects through the buying cycle. Doing so means embedding keywords into every content asset and related web page on your site and others where you maintain a presence. For more guidance, check out B2B Search and Content Marketing: Getting Found by Prospects.
Stephanie Tilton is a content-marketing consultant who helps B2B companies craft content that nurtures leads and advances the buying cycle. Drawing upon nearly 20 years in the world of B2B marketing, she helps technology companies devise winning content strategies.

Creating the B2B Story from Elizabeth Sosnow

SEOs have an opportunity to become better storytellers, instead of appearing to be simply “link-builders” in the eyes of some of their clients. While every SEO understands that targeted and compelling original content is a requirement, I still see an opportunity to learn and explore the power of marketing stories.
You could call storytelling “PR,” but that’s not really what I mean. Candidly, keyword intelligence is good, but compelling ideas and narratives offer more value for the client. Here is a worksheet that might be a helpful starting point.
Elizabeth Sosnow (@elizabethsosnow) is a Managing Director at BlissPR and has 20 years experience in content strategy and marketing. She leads the firm’s Digital activities, including blogger outreach, influencer engagement, SEO benchmarking and social network analytics.

Inbound Marketing from Kipp Bodnar

SEO doesn’t stand alone. SEO is a key component of a well-rounded inbound marketing strategy. Search engine marketers need to understand how the content and relationships they build fit in with other aspects of inbound marketing.
Think about how SEO content fits into marketing automation and lead generation efforts. Do infographics, custom content pages, or blog posts fit into a lead nurturing campaign? Content created to drive search traffic has the power to move leads through the buying cycle.
While it is great to see increases in traffic, that is only part of the picture. Take a step back and determine how your existing SEO efforts can be leveraged for other key inbound marketing strategies like blogging, ebooks, webinars, lead nurturing emails, etc.
Kipp Bodnar is Inbound Marketing Strategist at HubSpot, the inbound marketing software leader that provides integrated tools for marketers to generate and manage leads online and co-author of The B2B Social Media Book.

Lead Management from Ed Hadley

Lead management refers to the set of processes and technologies that help B2B marketers optimize demand generation and move potential customers down the funnel. It’s essentially everything that happens between when SEOs work their magic and when sales work theirs.
There are four main steps in a lead management process:

• Capture – example: when someone arrives at a landing page via search and completes a form to download a whitepaper. 
• Scoring – Lead scoring is a method of assigning points to prospects, so sales focuses only on highly qualified prospects who are ready to buy. 
• Routing – Once leads reach a certain score, they are considered sales-ready and routed to the CRM/SFA system. The goal is to ensure that the sales team is pursuing only winnable opportunities. 
• Nurturing – Leads that aren’t sales ready are funneled into nurture programs, a series of automated communications that help educate prospects and move them down the funnel.

With a well-defined lead management process and tight integration between marketing automation and CRM systems, it’s much easier to tie revenues back to the source.
Ed Hadley has more than eight years of marketing and communications experience with high tech B-to-B companies. He is currently Senior Marketing Manager at Neolane, where his primary responsibility is creating content that drives demand at the top of the funnel.

Lead Nurturing from Joe Chernov

If there’s a “blind spot” in the SEO professional’s mirror, it’s lead nurturing.
I know what you are thinking: “Lead nurturing! What the hell is lead nurturing? Whatever it is, it sounds about as far removed from SEO as any buzzword I’ve ever heard.” But hear me out. Lead nurturing is the yin to the SEO’s yang.
SEO is ultimately about getting more of the right people to visit a website. Lead nurturing is about moving each of these visitors down the path to purchase. It’s a process designed to supply prospects with relevant, timely content based on each individual’s unique profile and interests.
Simply put, lead nurturing is the perfect complement to SEO because while search fills the “big end” of the purchase funnel, nurturing helps move prospects down to the “small end.” For more information on this subject, download Eloqua’s free guide to lead nurturing.
Joe Chernov is VP of content marketing for Eloqua. He is best known for developing, in collaboration with JESS3, The Content Grid, The Blog Tree and The History of SXSW infographics, The Future of Revenue animated video, and The Social Media Playbook.

Public Relations from Larry Kim

The most important B2B Marketing skill an SEO should master is by far Public Relations. For example, this summer we created a study about the most expensive keywords on Google AdWords – it was our biggest SEO initiative ever, and the success of the effort relied on good old-fashioned media outreach to outlets like Wired Magazine, CBS and The Guardian (etc.) in order for it to get picked up.
And of course both PR agencies and SEO copywriters are always trying to place contributed articles. I truly believe that SEO and PR go hand-in-hand and that an SEO can’t really be successful without help or buy-in from the PR team to help operationalize big SEO projects.
Larry Kim is the Founder and CTO of WordStream, provider of the AdWords Grader .

Strategic B2B Marketing Planning from Anna Barcelos

SEO is one of several marketing channels that B2B organizations utilize. According to the 2011 B2B Outlook, a survey conducted by Ipsos OTX for Google, B2B marketers allocated 5 percent each of their budgets to SEO and search engine marketing last year. A large portion of B2B marketing budgets are still allocated to traditional media channels, while investment in online marketing channels is expected to increase in upcoming years.
As B2B marketers look to both offline and online channels for lead generation and customer retention, SEO firms need to take a more holistic approach and find ways to leverage SEO efforts across all channels.
By:   Derek Edmond,

5 Examples of Highly Optimized Landing Pages

"Landing pages are the new direct marketing, and everyone with a website is a direct marketer.” ~Seth Godin

Landing pages are meant to convert traffic based on an intended action. This action could be subscribing to an email list or a free trial, purchasing a product, or requesting information.

In a nutshell, landing pages are designed for a specific purpose, that is to convert a visitor to complete an action.

The optimization of landing pages is a widely discussed topic in internet marketing. Marketers continue to tweak their pages in hopes of increased conversions.

What are the best practices for designing an effective landing page? I will cover some of them here and then we will look at specific examples in further detail.

Keep it simple

A landing page is designed for visitors to complete a single action. If you clutter the page with too many calls to action, you will confuse the visitor.

Avoid excess content

Users will not read through copy. They will simply skim headlines.

Avoid excess clutter. Oft times, less is more with landing pages. Clear, concise calls to action and a good amount of white-space can be very effective at drawing the eye to the intended action. Clean and simple is the name of the game.

Color Usage

The use of appropriate colors can greatly enhance your conversion rates. Colors create an emotional response while drawing the eye to a specific location. Use a pop of color for your "call to action" buttons. They should jump off the page.

For an in-depth look at color in web design, check out this informative article: Color Theory for Designers

Testimonials

Testimonials will convey to the visitor that your product is worth buying.

Be careful not to overdo the testimonials. One or two should suffice. If possible, brands and logos work best, either alone or accompanied by a review. People are skeptical. If you post a testimonial by a “Beth Smith”, they might think it was your trusted aunt helping you out. Establish authenticity with your testimonials in any way you can. Videos will work as well.

Consistency

From start to finish, your sales funnel should be relevant and consistent. If you are sending people to a landing page via an advertisement, the landing page should speak the same message as your ad and include similar colors and fonts. If you are advertising a free 7 day trial, this information should be listed on your landing page. If the messaging is even the slightest bit inconsistent, you will lose potential leads.

Testing

A landing page should undergo A/B testing. With this type of testing, you measure response rates based on different versions of a control. For example, your first landing page will act as your control. You would then test one variable at a time (e.g. a different banner, button, image, etc.) by changing an element and seeing how your audience responds. Successful testing will give you the optimal landing page for your target audience.

Above the fold

“Above the fold” of a web page simply refers to the area a visitor views without scrolling down. Your landing page should include the most important information as well as the “call to action” button above the fold. People should never have to scroll down to view the "meat" of the landing page.

Below are 5 examples of great landing page designs:

1. GMAC Mortgage

In this example, GMAC Mortgage is using the color "blue" well, which is normally associated with trust and financial institutions. There is a lot of white-space and the "call to action" buttons are in a color that draws the eye to them since the orange is a good contrast to the blue and white. The "call to action" buttons are strategically placed on the top and bottom of the page and the benefits are highlighted as well.

2. Strawberry Jam

I wanted to highlight the simple design of this landing page. The arrow points to the email entry field and the top of the page highlights the logos of clients who use the service. Though most of the information is above the fold, if you scroll down, the page explains what it is about. The page is very creative and extremely well-thought out.

3. Bondsy

This landing page is simplistic and highly effective. The headline captures your attention and appeals to the audience. The word "used goods" is highlighted for a reason, while "Craigslist" and "Ebay" are underlined for a purpose as well. It sets a precedent and leaves you hanging until you enter your email address. As an avid Craigslist seller, I was compelled to enter my email address after seeing this page.

4. Debt Free 123

This landing page is a great example of what a strong image can convey. People who are looking for debt solutions are most likely frustrated and depressed and have children to parent. This landing page is appealing to a specific demographic and portraying the emotions of a happy family to lead visitors to its intended action. The logo is also very effective and the headline grabs interest. The green arrow on top of the entries section draws the eye to the right place. The eye is immediately drawn to the green and red colors due to the strategic muted background colors.

Tip: Know your demographic and who you are targeting. Use this information to aid you in choosing the right images, colors, etc.

5. Hooked on Phonics

This landing page is my favorite of the five. The colors are very strategic and there are many effective elements. It includes a guarantee which makes visitors feel safe as well as a customer satisfaction seal (seals emit a feeling of trust). It also targets the audience with the image and includes a video which is another effective tool to keep people on the page. Videos can explain the benefits of a product or service in a more visual, interactive format.  There is also a visual representation of what you will expect to receive when you fill out the form. Every element on this page has a purpose.
By:  Jenna Scaglione

Social Media Tech IPO’s in Uncertain Markets

Volatile markets and listing issues are now delaying tech IPO’s as cash flush start-ups well funded from private investors defer their public listing. This despite the LinkedIn success at garnering a tremendous response from the market, its stock price touching an all time high of $94 which was more than double issue price.
Following this stupendous success of LinkedIn at the IPO, which raised its market valuation to over $8 billion it was expected that Twitter, Groupon, Zynga and Facebook who had filed intent of going for a IPO with the SEC would soon get into the act. With the market suddenly turning volatile with the Europe and US debt issues surfacing, the tech IPO’s now seem to be faced with uncertainty.
Twitter CEO Dick Costolo surprised analysts and reporters at a press conference at its San Francisco headquarters last Thursday saying “We want to be able to remain independent and grow business the way we want to, and not be beholden to public markets until we feel like we want to be there.” The micro-blogging major which had just raised $400 million in venture financing is now stepping up to generate more advertisement revenue. In 2010 the company gingerly started introducing advertisement by Twitter users, without permitting spam that could annoy other twitter users. Such interaction has exceeded expectations creating a revenue model that Twitter lacked but sorely needed in order to survive on its own steam.

Following Twitter Group on also announced the postponement of its IPO albeit for different reasons. Investors had raised concerns over its method of calculation of profits that excluded marketing costs. Questions from SEC remain to be answered by the company just like Zynga both of who will be taking time to solve the issues before going for the IPO.
While Groupon has to redraw its metrics that excludes marketing and other expenses from its profit calculations in case of Zynga the issue lies with metrics for the measurement of its daily and monthly, as well as its bookings that have come under scrutiny. Adding to the SEC woes, the volatility in the markets and the uncertain financial climate has prompted tech the start-ups to postpone their IPO’s for now.
By: Sandip Sen

Starting Your Own Company: My Advice After 6 Years

've been lucky enough to work at entrepreneurial companies, including forming an agency 6 years ago and selling it earlier this year. Occasionally I'm asked my advice for anybody starting their own business, so here are a few pearls of (what I hope is) wisdom.

Find a Mentor

If there's one thing I could go back in time and tell myself in 2005, it's that I should find a business mentor. You'll have plenty of people around you who can give you advice as your business grows, but you'll need someone outside of your colleagues and board for advice and to sound off to about your frustrations and concerns. Someone who has plenty of business experience and has seen it all before – half wise aunt or uncle, half teacher.

Manage Change

Digital is one of the fastest-changing industries in the world. We all know this, but having a deliberate strategy in place to cope with that fact is something I suspect many of us lack. Knowing how you’re going to detect the latest industry developments, understand their impact, and act accordingly is vital. You need to dedicate talented people, with time to think.

Be Flexible

You need to be flexible to adapt with the change that will be your constant companion – and not to fall into the trap of becoming an obstacle. It’s easy to get stuck in your ways when you’re constantly busy, under pressure, and stressed – but you’ll always have a competitor who is flexible.

Be Prepared to Fail

We all fail. We might not like to admit it and certainly don’t shout about it, but we all fail. Be prepared to – it’s part of learning. The trick is being able to fail fast, stand-up, dust yourself off, and try again. Most successful business leaders have failed before they succeeded.

Learn About Stress

Stress is the hidden enemy. The fast moving nature of digital means we’re often rushing from one meeting or project to the other, being interrupted by text messages, emails, social media, and people wandering over to our desks to ask a question.
All of these things add to our stress levels – and reduce our attention spans and ability to do our best work. So learning to spot when you’re becoming stressed and when to take a step back is important to maximize your own efficiency. Whether it’s listening to classical music, taking a walk around the block, or reading a magazine, learn how to clam yourself down and keep your focus when the pressure is biting.

Take Care of Yourself

Another deadline. Another late night. Another takeaway when you get home late.
It’s easy to fall into bad habits when you’re working every hour you can. But if you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll burn out or lose your passion – and make bad decisions on the way. Make sure you have downtime and exercise time.

Optimize You

Like a campaign, you can be improved – through a mentor, training, or a business coach. There are always things we can improve on – take time to understand what you can be better at, and addresses those weaknesses. The ROI might not be immediately obvious, but you’ll look back one day and be glad you invested in yourself.
By: Duncan Parry,

How to Market With Articles

Article marketing has a lot of power to attract web traffic, turn that traffic into costumers, and make several sales a day. You can use article marketing to sell any product on earth, from a house, to a car, to a computer to a software package, to a pen or paper, as long as you can earn a commission, article marketing is the perfect way to make sales.

First you need to become an expert in the profitable niche. Insurance products require you to have deep knowledge about insurance, your article is the sales man and a poor article will not make a reader stay long and much less purchase anything from you. Start by perfecting your knowledge about those profitable niches and turn article marketing into a power house of money.

Second, you need to write a long article. Small articles do not present the reader with much expertise, do not show you are a true expert, just another writer trying to sell them something. Longer articles possess more keyword count and keyword diversity. The ideal article is always at least four hundred keywords long and the perfect article at least one thousand keywords long. Those writers with free time should aim to keep the article as long as possible specially for expensive products. Trying to sell a computer and earning 20% of the revenue? You definitely need to write at least three thousand words, like a sales letter.




Third keep the reader interested in reading more about your expertise. If the directory allows, place several related reading links and focus on the product, send the reader to an article that is similar to the article the reader just read. For example you can write about computer search and in another article internet search or computer desktop search. All topics must be either exact or very similar.

Fourth, aim to keep your article views high all the time, this salesman is very important but only if the salesman is getting costumers. Send your article to all directories, Facebook if you have interested friends, Twitter if your followers love article marketing and StumbleUpon and Digg and all other networks that allow articles to be added and indexed. The more the better, this is a key component to success!

One article has enough power to deliver endless traffic, as long as the article is cared about. To care about an article means to constantly increase its size, adding new information, make it fresh. There is no sense in writing a ton of low quality articles that no one reads or clicks.

Finally, your article marketing techniques must be developed by learning new keywords. Google is blind to anything but keywords and so are readers. Research deeply the right keywords, keep them fresh and use them all each one in a new article. Do not combine keywords to confuse search engines and readers.
By Darwin Moore

China Blocks G mail But Denies Charges

The Google China war has started again. After Google reluctantly adhered to China’s restrictive censorship policy in July 2010 while renewing its annual operating license in mainland China, it was hoped that there would be no more fireworks on that account. However not even a year has passed before Google has complained that thousands of G mail accounts have made dysfunctional by the Chinese authorities. A charge that China’s foreign ministry spokesman has rejected as per a recent Reuters report.
As per Google spokeswoman on Monday millions of China’s G mail account holders were prevented from sending out mails or accessing their address books, despite logging on to their accounts. This was not due to a G mail malfunction that has become pretty common nowadays, but due to blocking of signals by Chinese authorities, as per Google. However Google did not talk of taking any retaliatory action like last year, but simply informed its users of the reason of the malfunction.
“There is no issue from our end, we have checked extensively” the Google spokeswoman declared in a mail to its China based G mail users early this week.     “ This is a Government blockage, carefully designed to look like the problem is with G mail.” Though China promptly refuted the charges the stock values of the Chinese mail site Sina Corp rose by 5.5%  and search engine giant Baidu rose by 2.9% as investors sensed another round of user migration from Google.
China’s recent blockage of Google has been probably due to the discussion amongst Chinese users and foreigners on pro-democracy activities across the Arab world following Tunisia’s ‘Jasmine Revolution.’ As the protests against autocratic regimes have been snowballing in neighboring nations like Egypt, Yemen, Libya, Bahrain and Syria the threat to the movement spreading across the globe and reaching China seemed a matter of time unless nipped in the bud.
The Chinese authorities had a year ago blocked search words remotely connected to free speech last year from Google’s search engine. They also reportedly promoted expert software coders who hacked the Google accounts of activists communicating on G mail leading to Google’s threat to pull out of China last year. After Google called truce and agreed to Chinese censorship norms they have been working on advanced forms of monitoring and censorship. China can today track and block any message within mainland China sent either through the internet or the  hand held device and Google seems to be fighting a war it cannot win.
By: Sandip Sen

5 Filters Everybody Should Use In Their AdWords

It's the dream. To be able to log into AdWords and instantly find the changes you need to make. Well that's the trick that long-time paid search managers have been using to allow them to keep an eye on so much material so easily.
If you save the filters below in your own accounts (at keyword level) I guarantee you'll save time and always know what needs attention in your PPC campaigns.

Filter 1: Great But Expensive

How to set it up:
Spend > $X
CPA > $Y
Avg Position better than Z
Sorting: Conversions from high to low
What it's for: This filter will identify the keywords in your account that contribute most to your total conversions, but are costing you more than you can really afford per conversion. The keywords caught by this filter are high enough up the page that you have scope to reduce the CPA by lowering your positions/bids.
Tips: Set the CPA limit to a tolerance just a little higher than your target. You want this filter to identify keywords whose cost is above what is profitable for you. Set the average position to a slot above your average, where there is plenty of scope for keywords in those positions to be moved down and still attract reasonable traffic.
Actions: Reduce bids. Any keywords showing up in this filter are important to your account, but too expensive at the moment. They are high enough up the page that you can reduce the bids without demolishing traffic volumes.

Filter 2: Good, But Not Much Scope

How to set it up:
Spend > $X
CPA > $Y
Avg Position worse than Z
Sorting: Spend from high to low
What it's for: This filter will find the keywords in your account that are too expensive but don't have much scope to be reduced further. Decreases in bids here will likely move these keywords off the first page more and more often, reducing impression share down very low. These keywords will be expensive no matter what position they are in.
Tips: You can set up this filter with a position tolerance at the edge of the banner (usually top three positions) or down at the edge of the first page (usually nine or 10). In our experience the positions on a side are fairly similar in terms of performance. CTR won't vary significantly, but impression share will drop off as you move lower.
Actions: Reduce bids, but don't be afraid to pause. Sometimes the keywords in this filter simply won't work. If any keyword shows up in this filter for period after period you'll probably find that even when it shows mostly off the first page it still won't start converting well for you.

Filter 3: Doomed

How to set it up:
Spend > $X
Conversions = 0
Sorting: Spend from high to low
What it's for: Finding keywords that simply don't work.
Tips: Check your timelines. Just because a keyword didn't work in this period doesn't mean it never did. It could have been through a blip. Always check keywords in this bracket across multiple timelines.
Actions: Bearing in mind the disclaimer above about timelines, you can usually safely pause these keywords. These are spending your money and showing you nothing in return. If your business takes a large proportion of leads over the phone then don't necessarily be so hasty. Consider phone-tracking methods if you're in this situation.

Filter 4: Gold

How to set it up:
Spend > $X
CPA < $Y
Avg Position worse than Z
Sorting: Conversions from high to low
What it's for: These keywords are make or break for your campaign. These are the keywords that have good traffic volumes, convert at below target CPA, and have scope to move up the page and get more daily impressions.
Tips: Set your average position pretty high on this one. The idea is to find keywords that can get more impressions if they're moved up the page. Almost anything not right at the top could potentially improve so be bold here.
Actions: Increase the bids. For as long as the keywords keep their low CPA, keep pushing those bids up. You want as much traffic as you can get from these keywords.

Filter 5: Quality Score Duds

How to set it up:
Impressions > X
Quality Score < Y
CPA > $Z
Sorting: Impressions from high to low
What it's for: Identifying keywords that are having a negative impact on your overall campaign and account level quality scores. These keywords hurt the performance of all the other keywords in the campaign. But monetary performance has to come first.
Tips: Set your CPA limit such that only keywords that are not profitable for you are included. Any keywords with low quality scores but good CPAs should be kept, and you need to look at your ads to try to improve the quality score.
Actions: Pause these keywords. Run down the list, dealing with the highest impression volume keywords first. These are the terms that are having the biggest impact on your campaign. The more impressions you get with low quality scores, the more you're going to have to pay for everything else in the long run. If a particular keyword looks nicely relevant and targeted and looks like it should work, then give it a stay of execution for now. Work on your ad text and your landing pages to improve your CTR and relevancy.

Honorable Mentions

There are two pieces of information we'd love to be able to act on but currently can't.

1. Google-only CTR. When Google revamped the reporting interface they removed the ability to segment keyword data by network, so you cannot see the effect that the search partners are having on your stats. You would definitely want to be able to see your keywords that have low CTRs but search partner activity can mask the true nature. There are two main ways around this:
    
• Segment by Top vs Side. This new segment will let you see that data separately, but it's not ideal for our purposes (screenshot above).
   
• Use the API. The data is still available (for now) in the API for those of you who really want to see it. This isn't the most straightforward thing to set up for most campaign managers though. If you have API access then I suggest you take a look at this data. If you don't, then just use the method above.
   
2. Impression share per keyword. Google give us impression share data at campaign level, but not at keyword level. The ability to see how much additional traffic each individual keyword missed out on due to its rank on the page would be of great benefit. The filters above use average position as an analogue to impression share, to get an idea how much more traffic would have been available if we'd been more aggressive. If we really knew how much we'd missed we'd be able to make a better estimate of the scope still available to us.

Using Filters

The filters in this article are the types of filters used by experienced campaign managers to quickly get to the source of potential problems in your account and make rapid improvements to your performance. There are many others you can use to identify items of key importance to your own specific account.
One example of this would be a filter to show all keywords that contain a specific word or phrase that is particularly important to you, and where average position is below X. This type of filter would help you to see keywords of particular relevance that should be getting as much traffic as possible but aren't.
By: Alistair Dent,

Google search quality is hiring

I wanted to mention that Google’s search quality team is hiring. We work on everything from synonyms and spell correction to core ranking, UI changes, evaluation, and yes–even webspam. The sorts of people that do really well in Google tend to be smart, personable, can work well in teams or independently, get things done, and take initiative. It helps to have a healthy balance of theory as well as the pragmatic ability to build/launch real systems.
If you’re a smart engineer who wants to work on interesting problems across the scale of the entire web, why not reach out?
drop us an email? Contact joinsearch at google.com to reach the recruiters in search quality directly.
The best way to apply is to through our search engineering page. If you’re a great engineer who would like to work at Google in search, I hope you’ll apply! (The majority of people in the search quality group are based in Mountain View, California, by the way.)
By: Matt Cutts

Best SEO Software in Planet

I've heard some rumors about this new SEO tool that I 
had to check out...and I'm super impressed! And I don't
get impressed by SEO software often...I've seen it all.

Over 6 years ago I created the very first SEO tool to 
query sites for PageRank and one of the very first SEO 
tools ever. I helped develop the "seo software"
category for crying out loud! And this new tool blows
me away!

This tool goes sooo much further than what my
software ever did...it's THAT good! Yes, I'm actually
saying it's better than the software I created (and am
still selling today)!

If you want links from article directories, this software
will get you that.

If you want links from WEB 2.0 sites, this software will
get you that.

If you want links from the homepage of google.com, this
software will (ok, not really)

But what I'm trying to say is this software is the single
most powerful desktop SEO Software on the planet for
getting you links and LOTS of them. The kinds of links
Google likes!

And what's even better is, you can set this software on a
scheduler and just let it run all day long... by itself!

You do nothing once it's set up and running!

download link

=> http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=CQ4fl&m=1cCzTEmEEM3lwr&b=cfZxBPBjsAPsrEMWhldXVA

By:  Shawn Pringle

Top 10 Web Analytics Myths… Dispelled

Having worked in online marketing and web analytics for nearly a decade, I’ve heard it all when it comes to myths passed around small and large companies alike. Here is a top 10 list of my favorite web analytics myths and practical advice on how to dispel them.

1. Free Analytics Software is Just as Good as Enterprise Analytics

There are several reasons why free software is never the best solution. Some of my favorite retorts to “why do we use Omniture rather than Google Analytics” often involve witty comebacks like “because I have to pay the bills” or “because my boss said so.” If that doesn’t work (and it never does), the primary reasons to go with enterprise analytics are:

• Service Level Agreements: What happens if your software fails? If you pay for analytics, you have a neck to choke; if not, you have to wait it out and pray nothing is lost.
• Data ownership: Free doesn’t mean consequence-free. Someone is paying the bill. Free software is often offered “at no cost to you.” Enterprise solutions enable you to take your data with you, should you so desire. 
• Privacy: Enterprise solutions offer security and privacy through non-disclosure agreements protecting both sides of the contract. 
• Customization: Hacking free solutions like Google Analytics is possible, but only to a certain degree. Enterprise solutions are built for customization with business objectives in mind.

2. Bounce Rate (or “Insert Metric Here”) is the Best Metric

Avinash Kaushik calls it the sexiest metric, but it’s not the best because there is no “best” metric. I know of several companies that employ teams of analysts whose sole responsibility it is to monitor a “God metric,” but rarely do these stand the test of time. It’s best to focus on a handful of metrics that actually drive profitable insights.

3. Everything Avinash Kaushik, Jim Sterne, or Eric Peterson Says is Gold

Don’t get me wrong, Avinash is brilliant, but none of the experts in analytics know your business well enough to provide a plug-and-play measurement strategy. On a high level, their best practices are indeed gold, but nothing beats digging into your data and creating an analytics playbook of your own.

4. Dashboards or Reports Should Have 4 Quadrants and Only a Handful of Data

Although it’s a lofty goal to aim for when producing any content (resumes, menus, etc.), it’s extremely difficult to integrate the data, insights and visuals on a single page that caters to everyone on a distribution list. A good strategy is to start bigger than necessary to showcase your capabilities, get the attention of several stakeholders in your organization, consult with unique business units, and fine tune custom reports for each audience.

5. Insights are More Important Than Data

Sometimes key data is all your executives need to make a decision. Should your company officially support IE6 for our next redesign? If only 2 percent of visits to your site for the last six months came from IE6 and incorporating development and testing for an application would cost several million dollars, the answer is easy!

6. Unique Visitors are Real People

Unique visitors is perhaps the single most abused metric in history. If you really think about it, the metric known as unique visitors is no more than: count of persistent cookies dropped in a browser. Unique visitors do not equal browsers, individual people, or computers.

7. Analytics Code Degrades Site Performance

All code degrades site performance. If you had a single webpage with nothing on it, adding any code to it would increase load and execution time. That being said, there are customizations that add considerable bloat to your JavaScript files supporting web analytics data collection. As with any code added to a page, try to measure the benefit of adding additional code versus the cost of not having it on a page.

8. Web Analytics is the Responsibility of Marketing/Research/Communications/Operations/IT/etc.

Web analytics is the responsibility of a data-driven organization. If your website influences your business in any way, it’s everyone’s responsibility within your organization to take a portion of the responsibility for coming up with actionable business insights that increases revenue, decreases cost, takes advantage of opportunity, or mitigates risk.

9. Metrics From Different Web Analytics Vendors, Web Logs, and Databases Should Match

Web analytics is inherently inaccurate and practitioners are rarely adequately versed in statistical theory, so to argue that any one data collection source should match another is futile. There are several factors that contribute to inaccuracies in web analytics data including:

• Browser compatibility with JavaScript code employed by any given vendor. 
• Cookie acceptance.
• Data corruption: receiving, executing, and transmitting.
• Server-side caching, scripting or configuration issues.
• Filters and processing rules: reverse DNS inaccuracies, data sampling, data encoding.

Look past the numbers and analyze trends, ensure your findings are statistically significant before coming to a conclusion, and always be transparent about web analytics limitations.

10. Insights From Web Analytics is Free

Nothing is free. Adding JavaScript code to a site requires time and effort, analyzing reports and deep-diving may entail hard costs and additional access to tools, and the practice of web analytics itself comes at an opportunity cost to the organization that must be considered just like any other capability.
By: Garry Przyklenk,

How to Boost Email Conversions

Emails have become one of the most preferred methods of communication. Research reveals that 92% of all Americans use email to stay in touch with friends and colleagues, using it for business and personal communication. It is in light of these that email marketing has become of the most effective marketing tools extensively used by ecommerce businesses.

However, email marketing can be successful only if a big mailing list of a targeted clientele can be put together. This will facilitate the conversion rate and all the marketing initiatives will bear fruit. The mailing list is still easier to compile, but what is more crucial is to use emails to have the maximum impact. The impact sought is to get higher conversion rates and increased sales. Some of the initiatives that will help to achieve this include the following:

Staying relevant, precise and to the point

Emails lose their appeal if they are unnecessarily long. When a consumer agrees to get emails and signs out a form, it is somewhat like signing an agreement that he will receive relevant information that can be helpful to him. The content he expects to receive has to be relevant and significantly rich, in the forms of tips, discounts, some new finds or insider information that will help him make better decisions. In short it must help him improve some area of his activities.

Email marketers have realized that if they fail to provide such content they will lose their subscribers who may opt out if they see irrelevant material. Therefore marketers are always on the lookout for ways to stay relevant, find good content and how to keep their subscribers happily engaged with their emails. This is the only way to boost conversion rates. One solution is to divide subscribers according to interests, location, vocations, class, gender and other parameters and provide content focused on their requirements. Instead of individual mails, they can have different content for different groups.

Surveys and questionnaires are a great way to gauge consumer preferences and needs for content. Feel good news articles, discount vouchers and the latest innovations in the industry are some of the topics that stay relevant in terms of appeal. A recent survey indicated such content had the potential to increase conversion from click rates by as much as 14%.

Specify action for conversion by asking categorically

Emails carrying a definite call to action like asking for a click with buttons like “click here’, ‘buy now’ etc have a positive impact, since it catches the reader when he is considering the offer being made. Asking directly is better and that too after making an offer. This can be placed in the form of buttons at regular intervals throughout the email. Tempting offers make asking easier, and also increase the probability of a positive response in the form of a click.

One method of achieving this click conversion is to start with an outline or summary of a story or a gripping article in an email, and placing the rest of it on the site. Those who start reading will not hesitate to click to the site in order to read the whole article.

Be flexible and open to change

Change brings flexibility and displays dynamism. Change is never good just for the sake of providing something different, it has to have an impact with good ideas, refreshing thoughts and providing things that consumers want. Emails can be dynamic if they solicit reader feedback and incorporate their suggestions to include what they would like to read in an email. The essence is to be a good listener, and open to suggestions, since that holds the key to be dynamic.

Finally, a bit of risk never hurts. While free offers etc were considered risky from the spam point of view, experts have revealed that spammed mails are more due to the reputation of a sender rather than the words in an email. So it may be worthwhile to take a risk, make free offers and tempt readers towards the site and increase conversions.
By: Site Reference 

Hiring a Search Engine Optimization Company? Ask About a Pay-Per-Click Campaign as Proof of Concept

There are generally two types of clients who seek out search engine marketing services – those who are new to the discipline and are researching various companies, and those who were unhappy with a previous SEO company and are now looking to engage with the right vendor. Whatever your background or familiarity with SEO, it’s important to understand that while most good firms do require a contract for services, the firms that have the most confidence in their own abilities will offer the chance to prove themselves to you by first providing a no-contract, introductory pay-per-click campaign.
Understandably, clients are sometimes wary of handing over the reins to their website – most often their most powerful marketing tool – to a random search engine marketing firm. In order to test an SEO company’s mettle, why not give them the chance to prove how effective they can be at managing and improving your PPC campaign instead? This way, you are engaging in a low-risk, high-yield endeavor that will truly serve as a litmus test for your working relationship. First, if you are already running your own pay-per-click campaign, give the SEO company control over all or even a small portion of your account to prove that they’re worthy of your business by not only maintaining the account, but measurably improving your results. If you don’t have a current PPC campaign, you can take the money that you’d spend on SEO and request that the search engine marketing firm build and run a pay-per-click campaign to serve as a proof of concept. While SEO and PPC are certainly different disciplines, they share a number of similarities including keyphrase selection, creation of targeted copy, tracking of metrics, and overall ROI. If the SEO company excels in generating results for your company’s PPC campaign, there is a likely correlation to the success that they will deliver a return on a longer-term SEO campaign.
Another benefit to this trial relationship is that you can find out if you enjoy working with your search engine marketing firm. For whatever reason, sometimes business relationships just do not work out. Expectations, styles, and workflows differ, and these cultural and philosophical variations can render the relationship a poor fit. During your initial pay-per-click campaign, when your potential SEO company promises a deliverable, are they on time? Do they deliver results without asking for too much work on your end? Can and will this search engine marketing company accommodate your needs? And do they take the time to explain concepts that you don’t understand?
These same principles and considerations apply if you are looking for a search engine marketing firm to take control of your existing and ongoing campaign. A good SEO company with years of experience should be able to identify new search terms for cultivation, and improve the metrics of even your very well run in-house pay-per-click campaign. In addition to standard SEO knowledge, the firm should act in your best interest and should have access to a variety of cutting-edge tools to measure what works and what doesn’t for your campaign. Even if you allocate only a small portion of your budget to this trial-run, a good SEO firm should be able to deliver swift and impressive results.
Since the SEO company is supposed to be proving themselves to you during this time, a pay-per-click campaign with a new search engine marketing firm, especially serving as a proof of concept, should not have a contract term. This is meant to provide you with peace of mind and eliminate anxiety on your behalf for multiple reasons. For example, if you don’t think the company is a good fit and isn’t delivering results, you should be able to immediately leave without having any long-term damage done to your campaign. Even if the company is delivering improved results from the pay-per-click campaign, but you’ve experienced a negative or cantankerous relationship with the firm, you should be able to take your business elsewhere to another firm that will work with you to meet your goals, and match your business culture and communication style. Essentially, during a proof of concept period, you should have expended little capital, have experienced a symbiotic business relationship, and have developed a firm sense of trust with your future SEO company.
Another reason why a pay-per-click campaign is the ideal medium for acting as proof of concept is because unlike long-term search engine optimization, which can require weeks and months to deliver full results, you should see an almost instantaneous uptick in results from a PPC campaign with a skilled search engine marketing firm. Although SEO is almost always the better long-term investment for your money, a pay-per-click campaign as proof of concept should give you the confidence you’re looking for in your relationship with a SEO company. With PPC, you should see measurable results within 30-60 days. Not only should you see your cost-per-click go down and your conversion rates rise, but both of these variables should lead to an increase in revenue. And just think – if you spent this same 30-60 day period searching for a SEO company without engaging in a proof of concept pay-per-click campaign, this is a lost opportunity cost that could have brought you not only a financial return, but also the confidence to engage in a worry-free campaign with a reputable search engine marketing firm.
Every SEO company says that their reputation is solid and that they deliver results. But unless they’re willing to accommodate your needs and adjust their workflow to suit your business, they’re probably not the firm you’re looking for in the long run. So, whether your business is just exploring the world of search engine marketing firms, or if you are looking for a reputable vendor who can confidently stand behind their work, don’t be afraid to ask for no-contract pay-per-click campaign to see if they can really deliver.
BY:  Scott Buresh

Basics of On-Page Search Engine Optimization

The purpose why website owners engage in search engine optimization or SEO is to have their websites on the top positions of Search Engine Results Pages, or SERPs. This can be done for specific keywords and is grouped into two categories: on-page and off-page optimization. The latter can be achieved by creating back links to the website. The link will help you increase your site reputation and is very crucial for landing in the first page in search results. But the basic element of optimization is the page itself. The on-page optimization is an integral part of search engine optimization because it is the one that describes the content of the website and emphasizes the main keyword you are targeting.

It starts with the identification of keywords

When it comes to SEO, the very first thing you need to do is to pick your keyword. You need to look for targeted words or phrases that are connected to your website or your business. By doing this, you will achieve high search volume. As a rule, you need to optimize each page for only one keyword since the main goal of SEO is to highlight a specific keyword in order to relay a message to your visitors and to the search engine what your site is offering. Aside from this, SEO will guide you in reaching the top position in search results for your keyword. On-page optimization is actually a no-brainer and website owner can achieve the search results position they desire given the right moves.

Rights ways in using keywords

To be successful in on-page search engine optimization, you need to put the main keyword at relevant visible and invisible (Meta) page elements. The best thing to do is to include informative, entertaining and readable content so your visitors can know what your website is all about and can easily find the information they need. Your quality content should also mention your keyword at least 2 to 4 times. Once you have written your website's content with your targeted keyword, you also need to think of a page title that will also contain the keyword. Then, add a few header tags (h1, h2, h3, and so on) in order to label paragraphs. And lastly, it is crucial to be careful when using your keyword. Check the word frequency in order to avoid the excessive usage of the word. As mentioned, 2 or 4 mentions would be sufficient.

Doing all these will not automatically put you on the first page of search engines. Google in particular like clear pages that are informative and easy to navigate. The latter can be achieved with the simple menu from which you can reach any page on the website in just one or two clicks.

The purpose of search engine optimization is to tell everyone what your website is really about. For websites engaged in business, search engine optimization will help them get as many traffic as possible. The number of visitors of the website will equate to the success of their business. Optimization is a cost effective way of introducing your products and services online. If you are really interested in performing SEO on your business or personal website, then it is advised that you follow the right techniques and practices in search engine optimization.
 By Seomul Evans

Review: In The Plex, by Steven Levy

Steven Levy just wrote a new book about Google called In the Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives. It succeeds the most on the “how Google thinks” part–if you want to understand how Google thinks, get an overview of Google, or understand its impact on the world, this is the book for you.
I think anyone interested in Google would enjoy this book. People who don’t know much about Google will get a good overview. People who are really interested in Google or the search industry will get a better understanding of how Google thinks. And even if you’re an expert, you’ll probably learn a few new tidbits. For example, Levy reveals the identity of GoogleGuy, the Google representative who answered questions from webmasters as early as 2001. You’ll also hear about inside-Google allusions like Audrey Fino or Emerald Sea.
Given that Levy isn’t a computer scientist or a Googler, I wasn’t sure how deftly he would internalize or explain how Google looks at the world, but for the most part he nails it. The book, like many accounts of Google, emphasizes the company’s focus on making decisions based on data and logic. At some points I felt that Levy pushed this point too hard. On the other hand, I recently had a conversation with a Google colleague about Lady Gaga, and the word “scalability” cropped up a lot more than you would expect for a conversation about a pop star. I don’t think Google is full of purely left-brained eggheads, but I’m willing to concede that compared to the average population, we probably skew further in that direction than most places.
Reading the book, I realized how much you could write about the different facets of Google. Even in 400+ pages, some topics get short shrift; it felt like Levy covered Google News in a single, condensed paragraph. But Levy gives complete and clear explanations for the parts of Google that receive his focus.

Search Engineering at Google

I’m always a fan of Googlers doing more communication and more videos, so when some fellow search quality folks made a video about working at Google, I said I’d be happy to post it:

You can find out more info and apply to be a search engineer at Google if you’re interested.
By: Matt Cutts

Google I/O 2011!!1!

This week brings the Google I/O conference. That page has a QR code that lets you install the official Google I/O Android app for the conference.
The conference has a ton of great talks scheduled. You can learn everything from “Building Aggressively Compatible Android Games” to “Cloud Robotics” to “Designing and Implementing Android UIs for Phones and Tablets” to a Google Checkout talk to “Honeycomb Highlights” to “How to NFC,” plus a ton more. Want to hear about Python from Guido van Rossum? He’ll be there. Want to hear how the Google Pac-Man logo happened? Those folks will be there. Web Fonts? Uh huh. You can even meet the Google Ventures team for some VC speed dating.
I’ll be doing an Ignite talk at 5pm on Tuesday about “Trying Something New for 30 Days.” If you see me at Google I/O, come up and say hello!
You can also follow @googleio on Twitter, and the hash tag is #io2011.
Even if you can’t make it to Google I/O in person, a lot of the talks will be livestreamed. They just announced that the keynotes will be about Android and Chrome. I think the videos of the talks should be up fairly quickly as well: the official blog post claims “Recorded videos from all sessions across eight product tracks will be available within 24 hours after the conference.” Here’s the session videos from 2010, for example. Hope to see you at I/O!
By: Matt Cutts

A rel=canonical corner case

I answered an interesting rel=canonical question over email today and thought I’d blog about it. If you’re not familiar with rel=canonical read these pages first. Then watch this video about rel=canonical vs. 301s, especially the second half:

Okay, I sometimes get a question about whether Google will always use the url from rel=canonical as the preferred url. The answer is that we take rel=canonical urls as a strong hint, but in some cases we won’t use them:

- For example, if we think you’re shooting yourself in the foot by accident (pointing a rel=canonical toward a non-existent/404 page), we’d reserve the right not to use the destination url you specify with rel=canonical.
- Another example where we might not go with your rel=canonical preference: if we think your website has been hacked and the hacker added a malicious rel=canonical. I recently tweeted about that case. On the “bright” side, if a hacker can control your website enough to insert a rel=canonical tag, they usually do far more malicious things like insert malware, hidden or malicious links/text, etc.
I wanted to talk today about another case in which we won’t use rel=canonical. First off, here’s a thought exercise: should Google trust rel=canonical if we see it in the body of the HTML? The answer is no, because some websites let people edit content or HTML on pages of the site. If Google trusted rel=canonical in the HTML body, we’d see far more attacks where people would drop a rel=canonical on part of a web page to try to hijack it.
Okay, so now we come to another corner case where we probably won’t trust a rel=canonical: if we see weird stuff in your HEAD section. For example, if you start to insert regular text or other tags that we normally only see in the BODY of HTML into the HEAD of a document, we may assume that someone just forgot to close the HEAD section. We don’t allow rel=canonical in the BODY (because as I mentioned, people would spam that), so we might not trust rel=canonical in those cases, especially if it comes after the regular text or tags that we normally only see in the BODY of a page.
But in general, as long as your HEAD looks fairly normal, things should be fine. If you really want to be safe, you can make sure that the rel=canonical is the first or one of the first things in the HEAD section. Again, things should be fine either way, but if you want an easy rule of thumb: put the rel=canonical toward the top of the HEAD.
By: Matt Cutts

Goal: getting email under control

Each year I try to settle on a small set of big goals for the year. Last year my big goal was to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. This year, I settled on 2-3 goals I wanted to achieve:
1. Go skydiving. I was with a group of ~15 people in January and we realized that no one in the room had gone skydiving or run a marathon. Both sounded fun, so I made them goals for this year. I met some great folks at Foo Camp a couple weeks ago who had been skydiving, and this past weekend we went skydiving together:

It was a lot of fun; I’d recommend skydiving to anyone. You’re up high enough that a fear of heights doesn’t come into play… much. (If you live in the Bay Area, I went to Bay Area Skydiving in Byron, California and had a great experience.)
2. Run a marathon. This goal came from the same group in January where no one had run a marathon. I’ve been training for a couple months now and I’m up to nine miles on my long runs. Unless I’m injured, I think I’ll run a marathon this year. (By the way, USA FIT is a great organization in a bunch of U.S. cities where people get together to train for running a marathon.)
3. Get my email under control. This is a recent goal, but it might be the most important. Email is flawed in a lot of ways. Some wise people have referred to it as a “to-do list that anyone can add to.” It’s typically a poor use of time: you’re often talking to someone 1:1 when those cycles would be better spent working on something that will help a broader range of people or to realize a broader goal. Emails can take a long time to craft compared to other ways to communicate. Email is near-universal, but it lacks good ways for better processing or prioritizing (e.g. “show me the five least useful mailing lists” I get). Lots of email is sent to too many people or is just trying to find the right person to ask a question. Email also encourages us to pay attention to things that are urgent at the expense of things that are important.
Like most people in the tech industry, email has grown into monster for me in a lot of ways. I recently had a day without meetings, and I ended up spending the entire day replying to email, and still only took care of the email that I’d received that day. That’s just not sustainable–even a little more email would mean that I could never catch up–and that’s time that I’m not talking with my team, or thinking about new ways to improve search quality, or making videos or blog posts that can benefit a lot of people.
I’ve tried various email challenges before, e.g. not replying to outside emails for 30 days or not replying to emails after 10 p.m. I don’t know what my final solution to email will be, but this is a heads-up notice that I’m going to try a bunch of things until I find a better balance. I suspect that the final answer may be fairly radical, so if you’re hoping for an email reply from me, you should probably lower your expectations to zero. I’m going to try not replying to outside-Google emails for a while and then adjust things more over time.
Email is a big part of the problem, but I’ll probably have to say “no” more often as well. Please be patient with me while I try to recalibrate. I want to make sure that I spend my work time in the best way I can.
By:  Matt Cutts

Social SEO – Facebook & Twitter Best Practices

Optimizing your social presence for search is important, right? That is certainly what we've all been told for some time, but determining why it's important and deciding where to focus can be challenging. Exponential growth of a medium is great and all, but your problems figuring out how to tame the wild beast tend to grow exponentially as well.
Let's discuss a couple of simple ideas regarding conversational media (i.e., social networking sites and blogs) and its relation to search:

1. How to help your social pages rank better
2. How to help your website rank better with social influences

A Little Perspective About the Market as a Whole

The growth in activity at conversational media sites is undeniable. The number of unique has increased more than 80 percent since 2007 to 213 million in May 2011, while total visits to the category grew 136 percent to 6.2 billion.
Since a search click to a website represents one type of site visit, this is where we can begin to connect the dots on influence between navigation events. The number of search clicks to the category reached 845 million in May, accounting for 13.5 percent of the total visits to the category. That number has grown 145 percent since 2007, outpacing gains in both unique visitors and total category visits.

Branded social media searches (e.g., Facebook, Twitter) and people searches (e.g., friends, celebrities) appear to be the two primary growth drivers of search clicks.
Although these types of terms still make up the vast majority of the terms driving traffic to conversational media sites, the fastest growing search traffic segment is actually big name brands. Well-known consumer brands have finally begun to embrace their conversational media assets and are driving a considerable amount of traffic directly to Facebook and Twitter in addition to their own websites.
When combining the top 20 brand names in retail, finance, and travel, their branded searches delivered over 1.6 million clicks directly to Facebook, a 1,300 percent increase since mid-2009.

How to Help Your Social Pages Rank Better

Links on SERPs are like shelves in a store: Owning more shelf space, and the more varieties you have to offer, invariably will drive more sales (clicks). Because you will already own the premium position for your website for your branded searches, further promotion of your social media assets can only improve your end game.
In collaboration with SEO software vendor BrightEdge Technologies, we've identified three simple steps you can take to improve the rankings of your social pages.

Link From Your Homepage

It can’t be as simple as linking from your homepage, can it? Actually, it can because search engine algorithms absolutely value these links when scoring sites (more on this later).
Despite this reality, 6 of the top 20 most searched for Retail brands did not have any sort of social media integration on their homepages. Talk about a missed opportunity! Linking from your home page and using your brand name in the link will have immediate impact.

Use Brand Names in Posts

URLs that match search terms have a built in advantage for high SEO rankings on that search. This same principle will apply to the words you use in your social media posts, so be sure to use the brand names of your company and your products when posting for maximum effect.

Get Likes

Search engine algorithms value crowd science quite heavily in their rankings (link building relationships). This same type of value is given to likes, follows, +1's, etc. This is an inherent trust metric and will impact rankings as well.
Getting likes can be easier said than done. It may require some creative marketing tactics that engage your customers and make them smile.

Helping Your Website Rank Better With Social Influences

The first part of this column discussed how to drive better rankings for your social media pages. Clearly this has become more of a priority than it was a couple of years ago – particularly for branded terms – but will never be of the same volume and SEO coverage as your own websites. The more important goal is figuring out how to use social media influence to impact your owned media assets.
Social signals drive SEO performance, but how important is it? According to data from BrightEdge, between 75 and 90 percent of the top 10 search results on any given SERP have at least one Facebook like or Twitter tweet. These numbers and the related influence will spike sharply, especially for industries such as retail and finance.

Start With the Basics

Visitors to your website are usually interested in your company and your products, so don't miss the opportunity to invite them into your treasured social media circle. Invite them to connect, like, follow, and/or share your company and your product pages.

Target Head Terms With Social Media Friendly Pages

For most companies, head terms make up a large percentage of their referral traffic. Although these terms drive high volume in both searches and clicks, they are often very competitive for page/position rank.
Ensuring that your head term landing pages are social media friendly with further impact your overall SEO ranking for these coveted terms. The more likes and follows your landing pages have, the higher they will rank.  Therefore, encouraging visitors to take social media action with a “bookmark & share” drop down menu will further your landing page SEO efforts.

Create Tools That Are Easy to Share

An easy to share tool is something that is visually appealing and simple to use. Too many times you arrive at a website that has expert only tools available for analysis, searching, sorting, and the like.  Or you find a tool that is easy to use for all of these things, you would love to tell someone about it, and there is no sharing drop down.
Either of these scenarios is negatively impacting your use of social media SEO influence. Think about the types of assets you have on your site that begat social involvement and make it simple to do.

Drive Social Engagement to Your Website

Facebook offers a variety of social plugins you can utilize on your site. Different plugins encourage different types of engagement, so choose wisely on which ones work best for each part of your site.

Conclusion

Social media and search share a two way street of influence. Social media assets have reached enough critical mass to rank on the first page of search results, as well as directly contribute to the SEO ranking of your website pages.
Although many companies are taking advantage of this established medium, many others have not and are missing a sizeable opportunity. By implementing some of the best practices mentioned here, you can ensure that your social media and search teams are working together and that your organization isn’t being left behind.
By: Eli Goodman,