Lately I have been doing a lot of training on social media, and I find it interesting that while so many people are aware of the increasing adoption of social media – not everyone is sold on whether or not it is of value to them. Now I know we live in Southern Louisiana which is not exactly a technological hotbed, but the shift towards social communication seems like a major deal to me that has transformed our personal lives so why wouldn’t it have a big impact on business?

So what does social media have to do real business anyway?

The short answer is EVERYTHING. There is a fundamental shift that is going on in our world in the way we “consume” information. And if you own a business or are in sales, that means a fundamental shift in just about every facet of your business world.

Think about how technology has changed the 3 primary aspects of any business:

• Customer acquisition - customers often find us first from a website. In fact, in a Nielson Online study, 82% of consumers cited a search engine as the most commonly used search tool. And even when they hear of us in some other method, they often go to our website first to check us out.
• Sales – Unless you live under a rock, chances are you’ve bought something or at least researched it first via the internet. Today, just about everyone has the ability to sign up or pay for something online, allowing us to transact business sometimes without ever meeting our customers.
• Customer retention – Email is the first choice of many businesses, but there are many great digital tools available to us today to keep customers engaged.

Without a doubt, if you’re in sales then the digital revolution is changing your world. For some it may come faster than others, but there is no denying that social technology is changing the sales cycle.

The real question is what are you going to do about it?

3 reasons “content farms” came to be and what you can learn

This month a story has been all over the internet about a new update to Google’s search ranking algorithm that will try to knock back the rankings on what people are calling “content farms.”  And while no one has officially defined what a content farm is or can point directly to a specific example, they are generally understood to be sites like article directory sites or content gathering sites where the goal is to submit lots of articles on various topics that people may be searching on.

If this topic is relatively new to you, read this article by Danny Sullivan which does a great job explaining the entire content farm debate and showing lots of specific examples of what Google is trying to do.  But the purpose of this article is to take a closer look at how we arrived here in the first plan and what this change means for businesses.

What’s wrong with farmers, anyway?

Before we get too far into this article, I have to wonder what the online world has against farmers?  It seems like every time there is a crackdown on the internet, the questionable activities somehow turn into “farms”.  First there were “link farms” which are sites that do nothing but provide hundreds or even thousands of outbound links to other sites – and now we have the “content farm” debate.

How did content farms get so popular ?

Whenever there is a backlash by search engines like Google against any online practice, I find it interesting to look at how it happened in the first place because that usually holds some keys to understanding  what’s going on behind the scenes.  And in this case, it’s my opinion that content farms have sprung up because of 3 major trends:

1. All the attention on “long tail keywords”
2. The unwritten rule about a “good page” being 400 words long.
3. The race to become a “resource site”

Trend #1:  Long tail keywords:

It’s no secret that users are evolving in the way they use search engines and this means typing in more and more specific phrases to find what they need.  So what started as searches for things like “used cars” has evolved into “used 2003 Toyota Camrys for sale in New Orleans, LA”.  Users understand that the more specific they are with their searches, the better chance they have of finding what they need.

Enter the marketers.  Armed with data showing that the longer phrases produce more qualified traffic, the race begun to create as much content geared around these specific phrases in hopes of ranking well.  And generally speaking the search engines rewarded this practice by showing pages like these highly in their results.  The end result: more and more long tail content being created.

Trend #2: The 400 word page

This idea of “light fluffy content” which is being cracked down on by Google is actually something that search industry insiders have been promoting for years.  The other “unwritten rule” floating around was that Google would not index more than about 400 words on a page so there was no point in writing content that was much more in-depth.

The other argument in favor of shorter pages was that internet users don’t really like to read as much as they prefer to scan.  So the shorter pages with bullet lists and lots of headings would be more digestible to users which is ultimately what search engines want – to give you the content you want to read.

I am certain that whoever first noticed this trend must have had convincing screenshots to back up what they were saying because the entire web industry seemed to embrace these ideas wholeheartedly.   No matter where you look for content – the goal was a 350 word page with a max of 600 words (just look at the article submission guidelines for most article sharing sites).  This would seem to fly in the face of being considered “relevant content” because it was so shallow but the facts are these pages were consistently ranking in search results so why buck the trend?

Trend #3:  The race to become a “resource site”

Another generally accepted principle in the internet marketing world has been that more content equals higher credibility and “resource” status with search engines.  For instance, if you are a personal injury attorney and you have lots of law-related articles on your site than it must be a good site worthy of being shown highly in search results, right?  Again this trends seems to have been rewarded in search results.

So marketers took this concept of long tail keyword interest and applied the “light and fluffy” 350 word page game plan to creating resource sites.

Fast forward to today.  Like with “link farms” several years ago, these concepts have been manipulated to flood the internet with a lot of shallow content thus making it harder (in theory) to find the “good” content.  Whether or not this latest change in Google’s search recipe accomplishes that is yet to be seen, but there are some important lessons to be learned.

What should we learn from this and what you can do going forward

The internet is fueled by content and that trend is not going to change anytime soon.  What is changing though is the type of content that Google and other search engines is rewarding with high placement in search results.  As such, our suggestions going forward are:

• Specialize – become an industry expert:

o   Produce more in-depth content

o   More focus on narrower topics

o   Perhaps post with less frequency

• Make a better effort for more social sharing

Becoming an industry expert

The underlying trend here is that the online world is evolving into smaller, niche worlds where people are being recognized for their genuine expertise.  After all, if you’re going to read an article on why Green Bay won the Super Bowl do you want to read my take or the guys from ESPN first?

So while there isn’t necessarily a need to have a lot of long pages just for the sake of being long, there is some truth to the notion that it’s hard to really cover a topic in 350 words or less.  And with the examples being shown during the debate it’s getting easy to understand why Google is changing the rules again (check the Search Engine land post referenced above).

The logical reaction is to produce more focused and in-depth content which probably means you do it a little less frequently.  I recently attended a presentation from Avinash.  He is one of the most read bloggers on the internet, but he only posts once per month.  But when he does – it’s a 3,000 word post that people can’t wait to read.

The real question with more in-depth content is whether or not people will actually want or take the time to read it.  But these concerns are somewhat secondary since the first step is to actually get your content found by searchers, and if Google says it wants more in-depth pages than longer pages it will get.  I’m sure it will take time to figure out what the best practices are going forward, but it’s obvious that the trend is headed in this direction.

More social sharing of content

The other strategy going forward is to make sure this in-depth content is not just posted to an article site somewhere – but rather shared on as many social channels as possible.  There is no doubt that the social sharing of content is fast becoming the indicator of the value of content.  And with that in mind the more people that are commenting on and sharing your content the better.

OK so it’s February and most of the typical New Year’s resolutions have already fallen by the wayside.  America has not stopped eating junk food and is still not going to the gym.  But should this prevent those of us in the SEO world from having a set of New Year’s resolutions that we can actually keep?  I say no!

So why not set my goal to become an “SEO Ninja”?  Ninjas are not just good at combat, they are great.  They masters of their craft and almost never get killed in the movies.  And though I’ve never actually taken any martial arts, I have to believe that becoming a ninja is definitely something to strive for, is it not?

SEO Ninja at work

Why we need to become SEO Ninjas

Tony Robbins says that people will only experience meaningful change once their pain level becomes high enough.  Maybe this helps explain why most people don’t start eating better or get in shape – it’s just too easy to buy bigger clothes.

But in the SEO world, the pain levels in 2011 aren’t solved by buying new pants.  Generally speaking, the internet is quickly maturing, and there have never been more “Johnny-come-lately” types than there have in the last few years.  Heck even the local “yellow” books are claiming to offer SEO services.

The reality is that the online world is becoming more and more competitive, and that’s a trend that is not going to change anytime soon.  And for those in the internet marketing world, that means working smarter and harder and not being afraid to try new things all in the name of seeking the best results for our clients.

With this in mind, here is my plan for becoming an SEO Ninja in 2011:

Don’t accept the same old results

The first part of becoming an SEO Ninja is accepting that as good as you might be now, you can get better.  Setting the bar higher can be really uncomfortable when things seem to be humming along and your tendency is to stand pat.  But Ninjas want to get bigger, stronger and faster so we should set our goals higher and higher for each project.

Beware the “secret sauce”

The SEO world is full of people who claim to have Google figured out and don’t want to share or explain how they did it because they have created some sort of “secret sauce.”  There is a great cartoon about this where the guys in black hats are chanting to Google for better rankings.

Remember, Google alone makes hundreds of changes each year to their ranking algorithm.  And with this in mind, how can you expect to have the secret to success when the basic ingredients are constantly changing.  Ninja discipline requires us to stop chasing “get rich quick” fads and focus on things that build value over the long run.

Try something new

I take a lot of pride in always trying to think like a “rut-buster.”  By this I mean always keeping the perspective that just because something worked before doesn’t mean it will always work again.  Let’s face it, the online world is changing fast and anyone who thinks they have it figured out for good is an idiot.  And that means not being afraid to try new things in your practice (of course assuming you watch out for “get rich quick” as mentioned above).

Dedicate sufficient time to training

So as part of being a Ninja, you should expect to work on your craft on a regular basis. And for us SEO types, that means reading articles, attending webinars and taking every chance we get to learn something new and figure out how to implement it into our practices.  And while this doesn’t mean abandoning “tried and true” techniques that work, it does mean being willing to adopt and change quickly.

We each have to spend time on a weekly basis sharpening our skills if we want to become and stay Ninjas!

Don’t let these big trends pass you by

2010 marked a big year in the world of marketing, and the trends show a drastic shift in the allocation of marketing dollars from traditional outlets to the digital marketing world.  Among the notable milestones were:

• Spending on social media advertising is up around 30% from last year and is expected to top the $2 billion mark in 2011! Source: Mashable
• Spending for online advertising passed newspaper advertising.  Source: WSI
• Online advertising spending rose 13.9% for 2010 and is projected to pass the $25 billion mark in 2011. Source: EMarketer
• Mobile subscribers are estimated to surpass 5 billion in 2010 (that’s over 70 percent of the world population) and growing rapidly, led by China and India.  Source: MobiThinking

What does this mean for you?

In a nutshell, it means that if you’re concentrating your marketing efforts solely on things that worked in the past it’s probably time to re-consider that practice.  And while we would never suggest abandoning “tried and true” marketing practices that provide ROI for your business, I would strongly recommend beginning to allocate some resources toward digital marketing so that you can begin to gain a foothold.

Every business is different, so it’s hard to make blanket statements.  However, as we walk the streets and see just about everyone spending time on their web ready mobile devices, it doesn’t take a big thinker to realize that this trend towards the digitization of marketing is not slowing down anytime soon.

5 components of digital marketing strategy

The whole idea of “digital marketing” is evolving, but if you want to get a holistic view of the concept, there are 5 core components:

1. Web properties – such as your company website
2. Building traffic – helping people find your website
3. Social media – joining in the conversation with online users
4. Mobile marketing – text and location based marketing
5. Measuring / Analyzing – evaluating results to determine ROI

Creating a marketing plan for 2011

So back to our original headline and the desire to find a marketing plan that capitalizes on the opportunities available in 2011.  Generally speaking, if you haven’t embraced the digital marketing components mentioned above, than it’s time to do so.  How much you do depends on your resources and goals, but continuing to avoid them will eventually put you behind your competitors.

Specific actions you can take include:

• Take a hard look at the ROI from your past marketing efforts. If your marketing practices from the last couple of years aren’t producing satisfactory ROI, it’s time to re-tool.  Many people are expressing frustration with increasing costs and decreasing results from traditional marketing activities.
• Look at how you could use digital marketing in your business. Every business is unique, and not all of these digital marketing opportunities make sense to invest in.  However, if you look carefully, chances are you could find 2-3 of these opportunities in your business that would bring new opportunities in 2011.
• Be realistic. In this economy, businesses have to be smart with their budgets and showing ROI has never been more important.  So if your company has an outdated website and low monthly traffic, than trying to tackle social media may have to wait.  Our recommendation is to find the opportunities that would have the highest impact and focus on those in 2011 without trying to do them all just for the sake of doing them.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help

Chances are you’re plate is already full depending on what your role is in your company.  Implementing major changes to marketing plans takes time and sometimes a little advice from someone who is not too close to the situation.  Don’t be afraid to bring in someone to help you understand the digital marketing opportunities and make sense of them in terms of how they apply to your business.

More proof that kids always speak the truth

As a parent, each year that goes by brings lots of “wow” moments like those that happen when your kids say something that truly surprises you.  And this week, my 10 year old gave me one of those moments that really hit home with me in terms of the spread of technology into our lives.

You see my son is a huge Star Wars fan, and this Christmas he received several books about Star Wars.  The problem is that some of the books contained information about characters he had not yet seen in the movies.  My suggestion (made jokingly) that these characters would appear in the upcoming Star Wars movies Episode 7 caught him by surprise as he had never heard of new Star Wars movies coming up.

Now, my son is a big Star Wars fan, but he’s no fool.  And since he didn’t believe me that I had direct knowledge of new movies coming up, his response to me was:

“Prove it Dad – show it to me on Google!”

If a tree falls in the forest does Google hear it?

In a single brilliant sentence, my son summarized how the adoption of technology has led to changes in our thought processes.  I think many people would agree with the general statement that if something important can’t be found or validated on Google, than it doesn’t exist.  And while this is certainly not true in all cases, for the most part it’s a good indication of the change in how we reference things in our lives today.

As we start the New Year, I encourage you to compare my 10 year olds statement and compare it to how you perceive the internet and what it means to your business.  Of course, kids have different belief systems than adults who naturally become more suspicious with age.  But if the younger generation inherently believes that what Google gives them is the best they can find, what does that mean for how you position yourself in the coming years?

Will you be left behind?

I contend that as of right now, the internet will NEVER be less important than it was in 2010 – meaning that as time goes on, it will become more and more ingrained as part of our lives.  And by the time my 10 year old has buying power (he already knows how to use EBay), I can’t imagine what the process will be like.  And that’s just a mere 8 or so years away.

Digital communication milestone reached

Its official, the internet has now passed traditional newspapers in terms of advertising dollars!  While this may not come as much of a surprise to some, it serves as something of a validation of the shift from the traditional consumption of media to the desire for digital media.

The new study was just released by eMarketer shows that for the first time ever, businesses will spend slightly more on online ads than with newspapers.  The trend is projected to continue into 2011 and begin to widen as the desire for digital media continues.

Is online marketing recession proof?

One of the most interesting facts revealed by the study is that in spite of the tough economic times, businesses are continuing to INCREASE their budgets for online marketing.  The report also shows that among those businesses who advertised with newspapers, a greater portion of their budgets were allocated toward the online ads as opposed to the traditional print versions.

What is fueling this trend?

With all disclaimers in force (as we sell internet marketing), I believe there are certain factors which are pushing businesses toward online marketing even in a tough economy:

1.      Online marketing can be tracked.  When you run ads on Google or invest money on search engine optimization, today’s tools allow for clear tracking of results to develop a tangible ROI.  Oftentimes with print advertising, it can be difficult to track direct results.

2.      Growth of mobile. Just about everyone has a web friendly mobile device these days, and they aren’t using them to read the paper.  Advertisers know that as mobile usage increases, it is becoming more important to reach digital consumers.

Need help in 2011?

If you would like to learn more about how you can use internet advertising in your business, contact us today for a free initial consultation.

How to evaluate how “good” is your website?

When we talk to new clients, most of them fall into one of 2 categories. First are the people who know they have a lousy website and need a new one. We applaud these people for being reasonable and open to suggestions.

However, the 2^nd crowd thinks their websites are great. And we have to be careful with this because websites are sometimes like children, in that only a parent can call them ugly without fear of a fist fight.

The brutal truth

At the end of the day, the goal is to get people to your website and get them to become customers. And the truth is that if your website isn’t good enough, your online marketing efforts may be largely wasted. And in today’s economy, that’s a luxury most of us can’t afford.

Questions to consider if your website passes the “smell test”

• Does it engage visitors quickly? You have about seven seconds to convince someone who comes to your website that they want to stay, and this time includes load time.
• Does it load quickly? Not only does load time count towards engaging visitors, it also affects the way that search engines rank a website. Slower sites are ranked lower, so ensuring that yours loads quickly is a necessity.
• Does it have great content? When the visitor feels engaged with the site, they want to read more and take part in conversations on the website. They are more likely to turn into customers when they find your site interesting, and more likely to return regularly.
• Does it set you apart from competitors? This is more than great graphics or pleasing colors. Smart design involves placing the information in a way that will lead to conversions, such as clearly telling visitors how your are different than everyone else that offers the same service.

Don’t Ignore Your 2010 Business Card

Remember, your primary digital asset is not your Facebook page or your Twitter account or a really great email ad; it is your website. Take the time to make sure that your website is representing your business well and serving as an effective business tool.

The importance of ongoing learning

People who are good at something make it look easy.  For instance, when Tiger Woods was at his peak, it sure looked like no big deal to shoot a 65 at the Masters.  But fast forward to 2010 and we see the same person but struggling with his game – clearly suffering from not putting in the time to be the best.

What we don’t see with people who make things look easy is the extraordinary time they put into their trade when no one is looking.  The extra time spent reading, studying, practicing and generally becoming better prepared for whatever they are doing.

WSI 2010 Annual Conference – Lessons Learned

This year, our WSI Annual Conference centered on the theme of “social media.”  Most speakers focused on some aspect of how all the digital and social technology is changing our lives and fostering new behavior both on an economic and personal level.

But to me, the real lesson was that the people who are committed to ongoing learning will never have a bigger advantage than they will in coming years.

Think about it – over the last few years the pace of technological change in our daily lives has been dizzying (to say the least).  7 year olds are now walking around with mobile phones and texting their friends while surfing the internet!

But for business people, this means that their customers are shopping, buying and doing business in a whole new process that involves digital media and social technology.  And the successful businesses will be the ones who learn, adapt and change the fastest.

What should you be doing?

At the conference, one of the speakers suggested spending at least 30 minutes daily taking in a “river of knowledge” using all of the digital and social technology available to us today.  As such, the only way to keep up is by taking part in changes as they happen, and spending the time daily to “work on our games.”

And that’s the power of WSI as an organization – constantly feeding that information out to our 1,200 consultants worldwide sharing best practices and success stories.  And in turn, sharing that information with our clients.  Working daily on “our games” is our plan to stay ahead of the curve!