SEO & Social Media Tips for Better Business Jeff Quipp CEO

ca.linkedin.com/in/jeffquipp @jquipp (on Twitter)

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Who is

Search Engine People? 9

First Company in Canada to become a Google AdWords Certified Company

9

2009, 2010, 2011 PROFIT 100 ranking of Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies

9

Over 400 clients worldwide

February 11, 2011

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SEO DEMYSTIFYING GOOGLE

February 11, 2011

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Today’s Agenda? A. What is SEO B. Key facts C. How it works? D. Social Media E. Social Media for SEO

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What Is SEO?

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Key Facts • Google, Yahoo, and Bing control 97+% of Searches • Search engines organize the Web • Two types of Search results: o Organic o Paid (PPC)

Source: Hitwise, an Experian company

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Industry Facts Organic Results vs Paid Results

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SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Definition: the process of getting the desired results from organic search! • ranked according to relevancy • Google considers over 200 variables

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Keywords are the Foundation Select keywords based on: -

search volumes relevancy competitiveness phase of buying cycle

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Keywords are the Foundation Positioning is Key!

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1. Search Volumes Google Keyword Selection Tool: (merely Google ‘Google keyword tool’)

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1. Search Volumes

Local Search Volumes Keywords

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Competition

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2. Competitiveness

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3. & 4. Relevancy & Stage of Buying Cycle Stage of Buying Cycle

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SEO Overview What Are the Variables?: There are 200+ variables 1. On-Page Factors - 30% of score 2. Off-page factors - 70% of score 3. User Behaviour Factors - still new

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In-Page Factors Overview What are On-Page factors? o The elements that exist within one’s own website o Thought to constitute on average 30% of algorithm value o In-Page factors have a maximum finite score, whereas off-page factors DO NOT!

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In-Page Factors Overview o In-Page factors are more an impediment to ranking, than a means of securing rankings o They are still important though, and can prevent a site from ranking entirely!!!!

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In-Page Factors Key Notes: The more content … the more opportunities to rank Content needs to be unique & valuable Videos, images, widgets, are all now considered content

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In-Page Factors Overview Most Important Elements in Order: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

keyword use in Title tag keyword use in domain name keyword use in internal anchor text keyword use in h(#) headings keyword use in first 50-100 words on page keyword use in subdomain/folder/page name Keyword use in Alt tags (text describers for images)

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In-Page Factors Overview Most Important Elements in Order (cont’d): 8. keyword density 9. keywords in image names 10. keywords in or tags 11. Keywords in or tags

* All other In-Page elements are mere fractions of a % … time better spent on off-page factors

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In-Page Factors – Specific Variables 1. Keywords in Title Tag:

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Specific Variables 1. Keywords in Title Tag:

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Specific Variables 2. Keywords in Domain Name:

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Specific Variables 3. Keywords in Internal Anchor Text:

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Specific Variables 4. Keywords in h(#) Headings:

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Specific Variables 5. Keywords in the first 50-100 words:

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Specific Variables 6. Keywords in the subdomain/folder/page name:

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Specific Variables 7. Keywords in ALT tags of image links

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Specific Variables 8. Keyword Density: - The % of text in a page that contains the keyword or keyphrase being targeted Great tool: KeywordDensity.com

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Specific Variables 9. Keywords in Image Names: Ensure that the keywords you’re targeting with a page, are included in the file names of images that appear on that page

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Specific Variables 10. Keywords or tags: Words in bold are consider more important than keywords without any special treatment

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Specific Variables 11. Keywords or tags: Words not bolded though given special consideration (italics), are considered, more important that those receiving no special treatment

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Other Factors to Keep in Mind... 1. Meta Descriptions – while they do not aid rankings, these are often the description that accompany the title tag in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages)

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Off-Page Factors Overview What are Off-Page factors? o Links from other sites to your site o Thought to constitute on average 70% of algorithm value o Off-Page factors have no maximum finite score, whereas in-page factors DO!

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Off-Page Factors What Are Off-Page Factors: Defined as: links pointing from one site to another

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Off-Page Factors

In general, Webmasters can improve the rank of their sites by increasing the number of high quality sites that link to their pages © 2011 Search Engine People, Inc. All Rights Reserved

How Important Are Links?

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Off-Page Factors Key Considerations: In order of priority: -

Anchor Text Quantity of Links Quality of Links Quantity of Sites Link Relevancy

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Off-Page Factors How To Evaluate Off-Page Performance:

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Off-Page Factors How To Evaluate Off-Page Performance:

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Off-Page Factors Where Are Links Coming From?

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Off-Page Factors How Can You See Anchor Text?

http://seogadget.co.uk/anchor-text-tool/index.php

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Off-Page Factors How To Get Great Links: 1. Build great content a. Blog b. Images c. Videos d. Widgets 2. Buy Links - RISKY!!! 3. Build links

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Building Links? Link Building Techniques: 1. Suppliers/Clients/Complementary businesses 2. Article syndication 3. Reciprocal linking 4. Directory submissions 5. Press releases 6. Blog commenting 7. Guest posting 8. Widgets 9. Awards/Badges 10. Research competitor links

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Link Building Pros & Cons Link Building Pros: • • • •

More ability to affect link text Ability to direct links to target pages Less risky Great for un/moderately comp. terms

Link Building Cons: • •

More likely to be discounted in future Not for REAL competitive terms

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Content Development Pros & Cons Content Dev’t Pros: • • •

Builds authority More natural for Google Increases conversion rates

Content Dev’t Cons: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Takes time and energy More expensive Less ability to affect link text Less ability to drive links to target pages

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Conclusions 1. Both link building and content dev have their pros and cons 2. Use both in combination with each other 3. But DO Produce great content … and it will pay long term dividends!!!!!!! (give away information freely)

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SOCIAL MEDIA HOW TO MAKE IT WORK!

February 11, 2011

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Word of Mouth A very wise man was once quoted as saying

“Advertising is a tax for being unremarkable!”

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So What is Social Media … Really? Social media is an accelerant - it is to word of mouth, what gasoline is to fire. the fire = something remarkable SM won’t start something aflame, it must already exist SM can be remarkably good or bad

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Examples of Social Media Successes? Examples:

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Defining Social Media? Technologies/platforms that permit the sharing of information.

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Defining Social Media Marketing? Word of Mouth enabled by these technologies/platforms!

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How Does SM Work? People see good content or have a good/bad experience

They share the experience/content online

Others see and join the conversation, or base decisions on it

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How Does SM Work? Eg. From Days Gone By You told another person or 2 about “the best pad thai” you’ve ever had. They may or may not tell someone else The message died quickly

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o

No momentum

o

No critical mass

o

No permanence

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How Does SMM Work? Eg. Today (with advent of social media): You Tweet/Facebook about the “best pad thai” to your 1000 friends/fans 1% (10 people) can identify, and send to their networks o

quickly gains momentum

o

achievement of critical mass

o

messages are online permanently

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Social Media Mathematics If each Facebook/Tweet reaches 1000 people If 1% retweet: Round

# People Exposed

RTs

1

1000

10

2

11,000

110

3

111,000

1210

4

1,331,000

13,310

* As critical mass is achieved, retweet rates will decline significantly Get Found!

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What Sites Are People Using?

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Conceptual Overview of Goals of Social Media

Key Goals: 1. avoid reputation management issues 2. create awareness / recruit fans 3. motivate fans to take action * Where fans eventually purchase! Get Found!

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GOAL #1 – AVOID REPUTATION MANAGEMENT ISSUES! TODAY … CLIENTS AND POTENTIAL CLIENTS CONTROL THE MESSAGE ABOUT YOUR BRAND!

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1. Avoid Reputation Management Issues

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1. Avoid Reputation Management Issues People are increasingly taking their issues with companies online

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1. Avoid Reputation Management Issues

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1. Avoid Reputation Management Issues

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1. Avoid Reputation Management Issues Process: 1. Establish Listening Strategy: Radian6 Google Alerts Twitter Advanced Search 2.

Solve Issues Identified

3. Engrain quick resolution in company culture! Companies must build processes to support this philosophy!

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THE BIGGEST THREAT … IS NOT PARTICIPATING!

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GOAL #2 – CREATE AWARENESS / RECRUIT MORE FANS

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2. Recruit More Fans Tips:  1.    Provide Remarkable Experiences! 2.    Provide Great Content (Blog) 3.    Social Media Optimization 4.    Review Sites (Experiences) 5.    Answers Type Sites 6.    Tweeting/LinkedIn Updates 7. Influencer Outreach 8. Listen to Conversations About Competitors 9. Advertise! Get Found!

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Example of a Remarkable Experience Examples:

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2. Recruit More Fans? Tip 2 ‐ Blog: “Attract with content … win on experience”

Source: HubSpot Inbound Marketing Best Practices Report Get Found!

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2. Recruit More Fans? Tip 2 – Content Creation: 4 types of content: a. educational/resource* b. news* c. entertaining d. editorial

Source: HubSpot Inbound Marketing Best Practices Report Get Found!

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2. Recruit More Fans? Tip 2 – Content Creation Tips: a. keep it concise! b. the title should describe content to follow c. support text with images/videos and visa versa d. point form and numbered lists e. headings to describe most paragraphs

Source: HubSpot Inbound Marketing Best Practices Report Get Found!

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2. Recruit More Fans Tip 3 ‐ Social Media Optimization: Entice readers to: a. subscribe to an email newsletter, RSS feed, Twitter  Profile, LinkedIn profile

b. queue readers to share the content they’ve read with  their networks

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2. Recruit More Fans Tip 4 ‐ Get Reviews on Review Sites: Ask fans to share their ‘experience’ with the company on Review  Sites. There are many types of review sites ‐ general and industry. Google Places etc,

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2. Recruit More Fans Tip #4 – Get Reviews on Review Sites:  Some review sites in your industries: 1. Google Places 2. Yelp 3. YellowPages / CanPages 4. HomeStars 5. GoPro Network of sites 6. Hundreds more Reviews help to reduce the amount of risk associated with your brand!

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2. Recruit More Fans Tip #5 – Get Active on Social Networks (eg. Twitter, LinkedIn,  Facebook, YouTube): o

set up profiles

o

attract fans by sharing content, and establishing yourself as an authority on your industry ‐ promote content found elsewhere too ‐ google alerts ‐ igoogle ‐ key influencers and friends

o

interact with people. Ask questions. Provide Answers. 

o

reach out to others

o

Don’t be too self‐promotional (7:1 ratio)

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What Should You Tweet About? Current Customer (I’m a Fan!)24%

My friend’s a fan 6%

Interesting & Entertaining Content 23% Service, Product News 4%

Exclusive Deal 44% Source: Razorfish, 1,000 connected consumers, mirroring 63% of U.S. pop.

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2. Recruit More Fans Tip #6 – Get Active on Answers Type Sites: Most popular are LinkedIn Answers, Yahoo Answers, and     Answers.com. 

Be there to answer when people have questions.

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2. Recruit More Fans Tip #7 ‐ Identifying Influencers: o

people follow others they respect 

o

some are more influential than others

o

by identifying the real ‘influencers’ and providing them with  either a remarkable experience or content … they will often  broadcast it to their networks

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2. Recruit More Fans Tip #7 ‐ Identifying Influencers ‐ Tools:

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o

Radian6

o

Google Blog Search, PostRank.com

o

Klout.com

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2. Recruit More Fans Tip #7 – Techniques for Connecting with Influencers:

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o

Vanity Baiting

o

Create content specifically for them

o

Offer them an opportunity to trial your product/service at no  cost

o

Find contacts in common, and use them to connect you

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2. Recruit More Fans Tip #8 – Listen to Conversations About Competitors:

Get Found!

o

Use Twitter, Google Alerts, Radian6

o

Monitor the competitors name, brands, and people

o

Discover their weaknesses, and clients ready to ‘move’

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2. Recruit More Fans Tip #9 – ADVERTISE!

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o

GREAT way to create awareness!

o

Great way to build fans (Facebook especially)

o

Buy ads on Facebook, Linkedin, Stumbleupon

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GOAL #3 – MOTIVATE FANS TO TAKE ACTION

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3. Motivate Fans to Take Action Type of Actions Desired 1.Provide a ‘good’ review of company 2.Recommend your company 3.Share company content 4.To purchase Motivations for Taking Action 1.They’re incented to (discounts, cash, etc.) 2.To help others 3.To build their status

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What Do People Share? People typically share 2 things: 1. Experiences 2. Content Currently, most share content online, but experiences offline … but this is changing! People don’t buy on content … they buy on experience!

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3. Why Would Potential Purchasers Use Social Media? For 2 primary reasons: 1. to find information/solutions faster

2. to reduce risk

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3. How Good is Social Media? Google’s biggest weakness is solved by social media. Thus …

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4. Continue the Cycle

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Summary 1. Social Media is NOT the Holy Grail! 2. However … you do NEED to participate! 3. Tweeting/Facebooking alone will not work well! 4. Must listen for problems clients are having!!! 5. Businesses MUST provide either a REMARKABLE experience, and/or REMARKABLE content if they hope social media will work for them! 6. Social media is just a part of the marketing mix … it still needs mainstream media! 7. Often, other marketing is “LOWER HANGING FRUIT” © 2011 Search Engine People, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Summary Must DO: - Set-up Listening Tools - Establish processes for quickly addressing issues found! - Get “Positive” Reviews Should DO: - Blog - Offer a REMARKABLE product/service, otherwise content! Trial (Compare ROIs amongst Media): - Participate in Answers type sites - Facebook, Twitter, YouTube - Participate in industry communities - Establish a community © 2011 Search Engine People, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Examples of Companies Providing Remarkable Content Objective: Increase awareness of, and visits to, the region

Company: Queensland Tourism, Australia

Tactics: A contest, packaged as a job While traditional advertising and public relations o supported the campaign, this was one that was won in social media.

Results: 34,680 job applications $390 Million AUD of publicity Australia tourism down, but Queensland tourism up 20% 2007 - 2009 50% of Australia trips now include a Queensland component

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Examples of Companies Providing Remarkable Content Objective:

Increase brand awareness of the company and its blenders, and drive home the ‘toughness’ of its products.

Company:

Blendtec Inc.

Tactics:

Viral videos on YouTube Some Google Adwords to support

Results:

700% increase in sales in < 3 years 200k subscribers on YouTube 2007 - 2009 Appearances on every t.v. network in U.S.

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“You can’t just say it. You have to get the people to say it to each other.” James Farley, CMO Ford Ford achieved 38% awareness of its Ford Fiesta amongst Gen Y prior to its launch solely via social media.

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Search & Social Combined 1. Google is now integrating Twitter into search results (Real Time Search):

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Search & Social Combined 2. Google now integrating images and video into search results:

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Search & Social Combined 3. Google is now integrating mentions from social networks into results (beta):

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Thank You!!! Questions? Jeff Quipp [email protected]

SearchEnginePeople.com On Twitter: @senginepeople

1-877-486-7875 ext.310 @searchenginepeople.com

February 11, 2011

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