how to use seo to boost your personal brand online

Search Engine Marketing for Personal Branding

Leveraging the power of the web to gain a competitive edge

Jeffrey WhiteJ White Research

April 17, 2011PO Box 7000 715, ‐

Redondo Beach, CA 90277JWhiteResearch@gmail.com

Search Engine Market Share

65%5%

16%

14%

Google Others SE's Yahoo Bing

Source: Experian Hitwise (April 2011)

Sponsored links/pay per click (PPC)

Usually sponsored links are here too but not for this keyword

Vertical search filter choices

Universal/Blended Search

Standard results

News results

Google local/places results

The Importance of Search Engine Position

Search Engine Result Position

How do search engines work?

• Proprietary Algorithms unique to each engine• Text reading robots/spiders• Placement and density of keywords/phrases• Analyze links both• Within your site and • To your site from others• More links=higher page rank

Your siteInternal Links: Links to pages within

your site

External Links: Links to your site from other sites

Image source: SEOmoz.org

Illustration of link types

6 Steps to Enhance your Personal Brand Online

• It starts with research• Clean up your digital dirt• Establish/optimize social profiles• Post a personal brand blog or website• Enhance your website using on-page

and off-page Search Engine Optimization

• Maintain, nurture and protect your personal brand online

[1] It starts with RESEARCH• Little or no presence at all• Unique names• Establish and position online brand

• A crowded field• Common names and surnames• More aggressive SEO is needed here

• Negative/inaccurate presence• Brand Problem• Most aggressive SEO, Detective work

Little to no presence

Crowded Field

• Little or no presence at all• Unique names• Establish and position online brand

• A lot of duplicate content• Common names and surnames• More aggressive SEO is needed here

• Negative/inaccurate presence• Brand Problem• Most aggressive SEO, Detective work

Negative/inaccurate presence

Advanced/Refined Search• Use name variations, alternate spelling

• Jeff, Jeffrey• Jon, John

• Use exact search term• “Jeffrey White”

• Add additional keywords• + research• + LAUSD• + Los Angeles

• Repeat in Vertical search, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pipl...

[2] Clean up your digital dirt• 45% of employers disregarded candidate

applications due to social media findings • Provocative/inappropriate photos or info• Drinking/using drugs• Bad-mouthed employer• Discriminatory comments• Lied about qualifications• Shared confidential info about employer

Additional Considerations

• More dirt• Repair bad domain, @handle, email

addresses• Remove disreputable “friends”• Unsubscribe to questionable social

games• Un-like questionable Facebook pages• Remove postings about extreme

political beliefs

[3] Set-up brand profile pages• Why bother? • Strong online brand…

• sets you apart from typical candidate• makes it easier for client or employer to

choose you • "The majority of kids coming out of college are

essentially generic" Time Magazine, It’s a brand you world.

• “18% of employers reported they have found content on social networking sites that caused them to hire the candidate.” Career Builder employer survey

[3] Set-up brand profile pages

• Facebook• LinkedIn• Twitter• Google Places, Google Profile• Other niche sites• Flickr, Quora• Others in your area of expertise

[3] Set-up brand profile pages

Google Profile

Google SERP 1

Google Profile results at the bottom

[4] Build a website or blog

• Register a domain name for your brand• Search “WhoIs” database for available domains• More common names taken first• TLD hierarchy - .com, .net, .org …

• Select hosting provider• Cost: $100-$300 per year • You can find hosting service review on the web

• Design and post website• Consistent with your brand• Predesigned themes with CMS (Wordpress, Drupal,

Joomla…) are available and make it pretty simple

[5] Optimize for Search: On page

• GREAT web page content• Design for target audience, conversion• Each page should only target 1-2

keywords/phrases• Keyword included multiple times, natural flow,

at the beginning and throughout the page

• Clean design and usability• Learn from sites you like• Don’t Make Me Think – Steve Krug• A common sense approach to web usability

[5] Optimize for Search: On page• Brand keyword in URL address

• Page content should be apparent from URL

• Worst to bestcdn6.fly.adioso.com/?cat=61&ID=174&custID=5afsd21 www.adioso.com/f?cat=61&ID=174www.adioso.com/f?ID=174 www.adioso.com/cat61/174www.adioso.com/cat61/british www.adioso.com/seattle/british-airways-flights

[5] Optimize for Search: On page

• Brand keyword in URL address• Brand keyword in page titles• Page description includes keyword and

accurately describes your brand• Should read like like ad copy

West Los Angeles Personal Trainer | BioMechanix Perfect your inner machine! Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) Personal Trainers offer private training in a state-of-the-art Los Angeles gymwww.biomechanix.net/

[5] Optimize for Search: On page

• Brand keyword in URL address• Brand keyword in page titles• Page description includes keyword and

accurately describes your brand• Videos, pictures and internal links include

keywords in alt attributes and anchor text

[5] SEO: Off page

• Submit domain and XML site map to major search engines and on all profiles

• Submit web pages on local and niche directories for your brand area

• Generate links to your site from others• Engaging content to attract links• Direct requests for links• Manual social media link creation• Use keywords in link text, rather than your

URL/Domain Name

[5] SEO: Off page

• HTML link format• SEOmoz's Website is a good resource for those seeking

to learn more about search engine optimization

[5] SEO: Off page

• Higher link value• More links, more value• Relevant content• Peer reviewed• More important, popular, trusted sites • Uses descriptive text• Points to the right page• Does not include rel=“nofollow code”

[5] SEO: Pay-per-click

• Pay Per Click Campaign• Set up AdWords account and find free

voucher on the web• Pay for search engine placement in

sponsored link areas• Great if you need immediate ranking• Only pay when someone clicks• Amount of traffic and competition

determines cost of campaign and placement

[6] Maintain, Nurture, Protect Brand

• Position yourself as an expert in your field • LinkedIn Answers, Twitter, Quora and

blog posting, e-zine articles• Join and participate in groups in your

content area and in your clients areas • Keep profiles fresh and up to date• Always be listening and always be testing• Set up a Google Alert for brand• Insert Google Analytics on your website

[6] Maintain, Nurture, Protect Brand

SEO Roadmap

• 6 techniques to build your brand online • Proprietary algorithms common to search

engines• SEO Roadmap

Conclusion

For Annotated Bibliography, Helpful Links and Advanced Search Operators Document

Contact Me

Contact Me:

Jeffrey White310-503-7435

JWhiteResearch@gmail.com

www.JeffreyWhite.org www.JWhiteResearch.com