tourism university (nocvb) - online marketing in nola: turning visitors into customers
TRANSCRIPT
ONLINE MARKETING IN NOLA:
TURNING VISITORS INTO CUSTOMERS
• Director of Account Management, Search Influence
• 5+ Years at SI• LSU Marketing graduate• From New Orleans, LA
PAULA KELLERABOUT ME
ABOUT SEARCH INFLUENCE!
Helping customers successfully market online since 2006. We work with 700+ clients, directly and through our partners, major national media companies.
Search Influence • 85 full-time employees• 100 contract writers• 25 “white-label” partners• 700+ businesses
Reputation• 2014 Best Places to Work• 2012 & 2013 Inc. 5000 honoree• 2011 Inc. 500 honoree• Recognized leader in search and
social for local business
@searchinfluence
1. Importance of search engine visibility2. Consumer search behavior3. Keys to search success
a. Website contentb. Listings & profiles
4. A little lagniappe
@searchinfluence
WHAT WE’LL DISCUSS TODAY:
image source: proffittmarketing.com
SEO & THE LONG TAILMETA DESCRIPTIONSO MANY OPTIONS!
HOW PEOPLE FIND LOCAL BUSINESSES
• 75% of Americans use search engines on a regular basis
• 56% of Americans use search engines every day
• 40% of all searches are for local businesses and services
@searchinfluence
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION: ALSO KNOWN AS SEO
@searchinfluence
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of influencing the visibility of a website in a search engine’s search results.
@searchinfluence
WHAT IS “SEO?”
GOOGLESEARCH RESULTS:
NEW ORLEANS HOTELS
ORGANIC Search Results
@searchinfluence
PAIDSearch Results
LOCAL Search Results
GOOGLESEARCH RESULTS:
RESTAURANTSNEW ORLEANS ORGANIC
Search Results
@searchinfluence
PAIDSearch Results
LOCAL Search Results
ORGANIC Search Results
@searchinfluence
CAROUSEL
Search Results
GOOGLESEARCH RESULTS:
THINGS TO DO NEW ORLEANS
IS SEO WORTH THE EFFORT?
37% of clicks go to the #1
position
60% of clicks go to the top 3
90% of clicks go to sites on page
1
1. Keywords2. Content3. Connections (links / brand mentions / “citations”)
Lather, Rinse, Repeat!
@searchinfluence
SEO 101
1. KEYWORD & TOPIC RESEARCH
Don’t Guess! Use FREE Tools.
• Google https://adwords.google.com/KeywordPlanner
• Google Trends http://www.google.com/trends/
• Bing http://www.bing.com/toolbox/keywords
@searchinfluence
Keyword Avg. Monthly Searches Competition Suggested bid
things to do in new orleans 40500 0.23 2.41
new orleans events 5400 0.04 1.61
new orleans things to do 4400 0.22 2.35
concerts in new orleans 2900 0.21 1.46
new orleans concerts 2400 0.12 2.19
events in new orleans 2400 0.05 1.8
things to do new orleans 1900 0.1 2.08
new orleans opera 1000 0
live music new orleans 880 0.08 0.63
new orleans theater 720 0.11 1.52
concerts new orleans 480 0.12 2.17
new orleans entertainment 480 0.24 1.19
new orleans live music 480 0.08 0.5
new orleans music venues 390 0.1 0.39
events new orleans 390 0.05 2.33
things to do in new orleans la 390 0.26 2.5
shows in new orleans 320 0.32 1.39
new orleans shows 320 0.24 1.65
theaters in new orleans 320 0.12 2.12
new orleans ballet 320 0.02 2.76
2. CONTENT
@searchinfluence
PLAN YOUR CONTENT:
TOPICS
@searchinfluenceOpera
Concerts
Ballet
Live Music
Music Venues
Event Venue
Theatre HOMEPAGE
Event Rental
Things to Do
PLAN YOUR CONTENT:
SPECIFICS
@searchinfluence
• What makes your business unique?• Everyone can say they have
“Great customer service” – why is it great?
• Purchase / reservation process• Cost• Expectations• Examples• Dress code
CRAFT YOUR CONTENT
@searchinfluence
Google looks to certain
elements on the page for clues
on what the page is about.
Google will reward you if all on-site content is unique and high quality.
Include the specific topic in all available elements of the page including:
• TITLE TAGS• META DESCRIPTIONS• ON-PAGE HEADINGS• ON-SITE CONTENT
• ~500 words• IMAGE ALT TAGS
Shows at the top of a browser window, and is the blue / bold title in Search Results
TITLE TAG
META DESCRIPTION
Built into the HTML of a webpage and acts as a summary or description of that page’s content.
The Meta Description is also displayed in the 2 lines of black text on a SERP.
PAGE HEADINGS (H1)Heading tags used on a page to create structure and provide visual cues to the reader.
ON-PAGE CONTENTThe on-page content that a visitor reads on a webpage can also be optimized so Search Engines can easily scan and know what your page is all about.
PROPER KEYWORD & TOPIC PLACEMENT
• If you are writing specific, informative content, this will happen naturally
• Place near top of page, beginning of paragraphs
• Don’t force it
• Use variations
• Review for opportunities to make more rich:
• Change “our rooms” to “our hotel rooms”
• Change “our store” to “our women’s boutique”@searchinfluence
ONGOING CONTENT CREATION / BLOGGING
• Further reinforces the focus of your site
• More content about the topics & keywords that are impt for your business
• Earn trust from your potential customers
• Engage existing customers
• Publish fresh content to keep search engine spiders coming back to your site
• Create online visibility for long tail (more specific) keyword phrases
@searchinfluence
BEST PRACTICES
• Batch your topic creation & plan in advance
• Post 1+ / week
• Link out to credible sources
• Use image(s) in each post
• Distribute via all your social channels
• Write timely posts
@searchinfluence
WHAT TO WRITE ABOUT?
• What questions do you customers ask you?
• Dig deeper on topics
• New products & services
• Local events
• Promotions & sales
• Commentary on hot news topics
• DIY
• Recipes
• Testimonials
• Customer Stories
• Employee Spotlights@searchinfluence
KEYWORD COMPETITION
Keyword Avg. Monthly Searches Competition Suggested bid
things to do in new orleans 40500 0.23 2.41
what to do in new orleans 9900 0.18 1.34
new orleans tours 5400 0.86 2.59
new orleans attractions 6600 0.18 2.63
fun things to do in new orleans 1900 0.2 2.91
things to see in new orleans 1300 0.12 1.36
things for kids to do in new orleans 390 0.25 2.31
things for children to do in new orleans 20 0.19 1.4
3. CONNECTIONS
@searchinfluence
• Show Google that others think you are great too!• Build an online network to reinforce • Get “votes” from other websites
“VOTES” =
@searchinfluence
LINKS +BRAND
MENTIONS
HOW DO YOU GET LINKS?
@searchinfluence
• Vendors, suppliers
• Fellow business owners, if relevant
• Outreach to sites that already mention your business
• Better Business Bureau
• Industry directories and websites
• Local websites
• Traditional PR
• Social shares of your website
TO GET YOU STARTED…
@searchinfluence
BusinessFinder.NOLA.com
NewOrleansCVB.com
NewOrleansOnline.com
NewOrleansChamber.org/page/directory
Thrillist.com
Zomato.com
Hotels.com
TripAdvisor.com
NewOrleans.com OpenTable.com
If you are a local business…
@searchinfluence
… with a physical location
GOOGLESEARCH RESULTS:
RESTAURANTSNEW ORLEANS ORGANIC
Search Results
@searchinfluence
PAIDSearch Results
LOCAL Search Results
ORGANIC Search Results
@searchinfluence
CAROUSEL
Search Results
GOOGLESEARCH RESULTS:
THINGS TO DO NEW ORLEANS
ESSENTIAL:CONSISTENTNAP
@searchinfluence
THE ANATOMY OF NAPWhat is a local citation?
N A P + W
Name
Address
Phone#
Website
@searchinfluence
@searchinfluence
• Your NAP should be in each of these places:• Website• Social media pages• Business directories – “citations”
• Number of citations is important, but consistency is MORE important
• Your NAP is your local search fingerprint
WHY IS CONSISTENT NAP ESSENTIAL?
Don’t confuse Google!
The Local Search Ecosystem
INCONSISTENCY &DUPLICATION OF CITATIONS
@searchinfluence
• Confirm Name• Multiple variations?
• Confirm Address• usps.com/zip4
• Confirm Phone• One per location• Shoule be local• Avoid call tracking numbers
Solidify your NAP first!
AUDIT BUSINESS INFORMATION
@searchinfluenceStep 1
Start at Google.com/business
CLAIM YOUR GOOGLE LISTING
@paulalmkeller Step 2
Inconsistent and duplicate listing profiles cause confusion for Google.
FIX INCONSISTENCIES: MOZ LOCAL
Step 3
@searchinfluence
Inconsistent and duplicate listing profiles cause confusion for Google.
FIX INCONSISTENCIES: MOZ LOCAL
Step 3
@searchinfluence
Inconsistent and duplicate listing profiles cause confusion for Google.
FIX INCONSISTENCIES: MOZ LOCAL
Step 3
@searchinfluence
LISTING MANAGEMENT TIPS
• Keep track of login information
• Use one email account for verification & communication with directories
• Be absolutely sure your business isn’t already listed before creating a new listing
• Periodically review & update
@searchinfluence
A LITTLE LAGNIAPPE
@searchinfluence
MOBILE IMPORTANCE
@searchinfluence
• 93% of small business sites are not mobile compatible, yet…
• 4 out of 5 consumers use their smartphone to shop
• Average time spent on phone: 3.6 hours / day
• Just this year, mobile searches on Google surpassed desktop searches for the first time.
WHAT IF I CAN’T TOUCH MY SITE?
@searchinfluence
• Treat your social profiles like your site – build them out as much as possible.
• Prioritize based on what’s already on page 1 of Google for your business name
• Create a separate website or blog if possible (wordpress.com)
PAID ADVERTISING
@searchinfluence
PAID ADVERTISING
@searchinfluence
PAID ADVERTISING
@searchinfluence
PAID ADVERTISING
@searchinfluence
PAID ADVERTISING
@searchinfluence
QUESTIONS?
