beginner search marketing
DESCRIPTION
This presentation was also presented to Time Inc. outlining the factors that go into executing a successful search marketing campaign. This presentation was given in consideration of specific client needs and geared towards an audience of traditional marketers that was relatively unfamiliar with search.TRANSCRIPT
© The JAR Group 2006 Proprietary & Confidential
SEO 102 – Beginner Search Marketing
Presented by The JAR Group, 04.29.08
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An effective search marketing campaign is a cyclical, multi-layered effort that addresses many levels of need and mindsets.
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OverviewWhat is search?
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Its more than the search engine
Social Networks: MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Del.icio.us
Blogs: Huffington Post, Publishing 2.0, TechCrunch
Information Portals: Yahoo, MSN, AOL
Aggregators: Digg, Reddit, Mixx
…each of these factors adds to a robust, blended search presence.
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Source: Radar Networks
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ResearchUnderstand how your audience finds information.
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Keyword Research – Understand your audienceWhat does your article discuss? Analyze what you article is about and gather the words and phrases that best describe what you are describing
Watch your competition: Look at the terms your competition is targeting by analyzing their titles, meta tags, and body copy
Find Related Terms: Tools such as Google Suggest will help find keywords relevant to your topic
Find Derivatives: Find terms that are based on your main keyword. Use The JAR Group’s keyword research tool to help determine the right keyword to target
Determine Search Volume: You should determine if a keyword is worth targeting based on the amount of search volume a term gets in relation to another term.
Example: “Lose Weight” vs. “Weight Loss”“Lose Weight” is searched about 24,000 times each month.
“Weight Loss” is searched over 135,000 times each month.
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Social and Competitive Landscape
Where does your audience play?
• Forums• Social Networks• Blogs• Information Portals• Websites
…where do your competitors play?Where are they strong?Where are they weak?Where don’t they have a presence?
Piggyback on Current Events
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The WebsiteOn-page SEO Factors.
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The Title TagThe Title Tag is one of the most important things, after the actual inclusion of your keywords in your article to actually have impact on how well your article ranks on Google and the other search engines.
Length: Search engine spiders will index the first 80 characters, but only the first 63 will show up in the search engines
Keep it Relevant: Use the relevant keywords you found in your research, at the beginning, when possible as it is the most heavily weighted portion of the title
Branding: Branding should be kept to the end of the title, after the main keyword or article title
Our suggested format:
<title>Main Article Concept: Article Section: TICS: Time Inc</title>or…
<title>Custom Publishing Solutions: Publishing: TICS: Time Inc</title>
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The Meta Tags
Meta Keywords: Include 3 to 4 of keywords (including derivatives), from your research, on each page, being careful not to use the same keyword too many times. These should be the same as the keywords you’ve chosen for your tags
Meta Description: Write a clear concise 2 to 3 sentence paragraph of about 250 characters that summarizes the content on the page
Example: The Meta Description shows up directly in the search engines. The copy that is written for the Meta Description should be optimized with the targeted keyword as well as captivating for users.
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Other Page ElementsImages: the image Alt Text should incorporate the keyword into the picture that is most pertinent to the content. Alt Text is intended for those who are unable to actually view the picture. Alt text should be a clear, concise phrase. Also, the image file name should use the main keyword describing the image.
Heading Tags (H1): For your main heading, you want to generally incorporate your main keyword. Readers want to know what the page is about before going any further. This is the second most important on-page element (title is first) to the search engines.
Sub-Headings (H2/H3): Multiple, specific sub-headers let the reader know what is coming next. The use of heading tags will draw more search engine attention and make the headline more apparent.
Search Engine Friendly URLs: As often as possible, use static URLs and the title of the article within the URL
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Paying attention to details!
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How Popular are YouOff-page SEO Factors.
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Off-page SEO FactorsIts about Inbound Links!
• Anchor Text
• Text Surrounding the Link
• Topical Relationship of Linking Page
• Topical Relationship of Linking Site
• Global Link Popularity of Linking Site
• Link Popularity of Site in Topical Community
• Rate of New Inbound Links to Site
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The Dark Side of Search
Artificial Rankings
Monitor Algorithm Changes
Research and Learn
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Paid SearchComplementing SEO Efforts.
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Paid Search
• Instant Visibility
• Test Editorial
• Test On-page messaging
• Instant Results
• Creates a Well-rounded Search Strategy
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AnalyticsLearning.
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Tracking and Optimization
Anchor Text
Text Surrounding the Link
Top Content
Traffic Sources
Conversion Paths
Optimize: Landing Pages, Media Buys, Content
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Search RecapComing Full Circle.
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Search is a Competition
Creative Competition:
• Compelling Articles• Insightful Information• Unique Services• Cool Tools• Viral Content
Strategic Competition:
• Research• Tactically Smart• Be active in topical community
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The Importance of Search
Allows you to reach your existing audience
Allows you to reach an unfamiliar audience
Allows you to extend the reach of your brand
Allows you to keep your job (increase your bottom line)
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The Bottom Line
Compelling Content + Attention to Detail = Traffic x Conversion Rate x $ = ROI
