Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is

How to Create Searchable Content

A workshop series by Beth Browning

Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is

• Any type of information that is put on the web– Text

– Media

– Images

– Podcasts

– Flash

• Some content is more search engine friendly than other types of content

• Search engines can only read text, they don’t “see” images, “listen to podcasts,” or “watch movies”

• The goal is to create search engine friendly content

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What is Content?

Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is

• First and foremost the goal is to provide visitors with valuable information that will help them understand how the product or service you offer can help them

• Optimize the content for the search engines, but don’t write for them (search engines don’t buy – people do)

• Give people and search engines a reason to come back time and time again

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Why Create Content?

Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is

Let’s start with the basics and talk about what a keyword is and why it’s important.

•Keyword(s) = the words or terms that a person enters into the search box when they are looking for something on the internet or on a website.

•Using the right keywords in your content helps Google understand what your website is about

•Strategically incorporating keywords increases the likelihood that your page will be gain a good position in search engine results

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What is a Keyword?

Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is

• Start with a few obvious “seed” words based on what the website and business is about

• Review website statistics to see what keyword phrases were used by people who found your site

• Get started with 5 to 6 keyword phrases – don’t obsess about looking for the “perfect” keyword

• Discover the search volume for your keywords using tools like Google Trends, AdWords, or WordTracker

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Tips for Finding Keywords

Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is

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Tips for Writing Content

• Focus on your potential buyers

• Have a call to action– Buy now

– Call 800-555-555 for a free quote

• Write easy to use text – Stay away from using internal or industry-speak

– Keep it simple – don’t use big words to try and impress someone

• Keep graphics to a minimum

Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is

• Work with bulleted or numbered lists (the list should be able to communicate an idea independent of the title or intro)

• Use short paragraphs

• Keep adding new pages (make sure your pages have enough content to be optimized around 300 words is the minimum)

• Keep adding new content on a regular basis (at least weekly)

• Read it out loud before you publish it

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Tips for Writing Content

Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is

• Next to customer focus, it’s important to connect with dialog that will elicit an emotional response

• Find a way to open with a way that relates the dilemma and the solution in a way that compels the visitor to keep reading– If (this is the dilemma) Then (here is an emotionally

compelling solution)

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Tips for Writing Content

Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is

• Talk to customers, key into the questions they are asking.  “How would you search for…..”

• Use keyword tools to evaluate the phrases and get additional ideas

• Look for trends related to your industry in LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter

• Research and use related topics – if you sell lawn mowers, those buyers also need gas, oil, and other lawn care products

• If your business is local, include zip codes, city names, etc.

• Use Google’s auto suggest as a source for additional ideas

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Think Behavior Not Keyword

Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is

• When someone goes to Google there is most likely something going on in their life that they need to find a solution for.  They are searching with intent.

• If someone types “soy candles” into the search box, do they mean:– Buy one?

– Learn how they are made?

– Learn how to make them?

– Benefits of Soy Candles?

• There are a couple of ways you can implement this into your SEO strategy:– Cleverly find a way to include the phrase “how to make soy candles” in your current content about

soy candles.

– Create a new page and provide valuable information including videos and step by step instructions (in a numbered list).

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Use Keywords in Context

Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is

• Keywords + Content

Here’s the formula:

• Good Keyword(s) + the WRONG context = the WRONG Theme (LOW RELEVANCE)

• Good Keyword(s) + the RIGHT context = the RIGHT Theme  (HIGH RELEVANCE)

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Relevancy Formula

Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is

Using our soy candle example:

•how to make a soy candle + a product landing page(buy me) = the WRONG Theme (LOW RELEVANCE)

•how to make a soy candle + a landing page all about how to make soy candles = the RIGHT Theme  (HIGH RELEVANCE)

•This is an important formula to keep in mind when optimizing your site for SEO; both real people and Google reward web pages that have high relevance.  You could almost replace the word relevance with trust.

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Relevancy Formula

Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is

When search engines crawl the pages of a website, they take into consideration various elements of the page which include:

•Title – the most important element of a page and is the text link displayed in search results

•Meta Data – descriptive information that tells the search engine what the page is about – it is not part of the content that displays on the page itself

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Where to Use Keywords

Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is

When search engines crawl the pages of a website, they take into consideration various elements of the page which include:

•Pictures and Videos – visual elements on a page – (be sure to wrap content around your images)

•Picture captions and labels – text that describes an image but isn’t part of the image

•Links  - clickable text or images that connect pages on the internet

•Body Content – the text within the body of the page

•URL – the address of the page

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Where to Use Keywords

Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is

Let’s Get Creative about Content for People & SEO

• Think about how people use your products or services – can they solve multiple problems?

• Think about the phases of a purchase cycle:– Problem identification

– Information research

– Comparing alternatives

– Purchase

– Post Purchase

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Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is

• Top 10 lists

• Interviews

• Product reviews

• Tutorials

• Tips or Strategies

• “How to” articles

• Articles that offer solutions

• Articles that educate

• Articles about industry changes

• Common misconceptions

(10 sources for Business Blog Content)

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Content Ideas

Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is

• Know your audience

• Find the right keywords

• Be relevant

• Be persuasive

• Be customer focused

• Incorporate your keywords strategically

• Promote and distribute your content

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How to Create Searchable Content

Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is

Discover Your CustomersTaking the mystery out of SEO - my services

Website Analysis and Competitive Intelligence- Provide insights regarding strengths, weaknesses, and areas of opportunity for improving and optimizing an online presence within the competitive landscape.

Teaching-Conduct hands-on search engine optimization workshops for beginners to advanced – Workshops, Onsite Training, and Virtual training

Search Engine Marketing-Develop marketing strategies and plans to promote both brand and business through search engine optimization

Mentoring- Relationship based training and knowledge transfer of skills to accelerate the growth of individuals and improve retention and performance.

Content Creation- Generate online content that is interesting and engaging for website visitors and is optimized for search engines.

Register for one of my workshops at: http://seotrainingpennsylvania.com/

For more locations, visit: http://www.searchengineacademy.com/

Subscribe to my blog for regular tips and insights (plus occasional musings): http://discover-your-customers.com/blog/

Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is

Thank You!

Questions?