February 04, 2010

Schumacher Homes Selects Intrapromote, LLC as Search and Social Media Agency of Record

posted by Jen Grant in category: SEO Industry News

Intrapromote In The News

Cleveland, OH (PRWEB) February 4, 2010 -- Interactive agency Intrapromote has been selected as Search and Social Media Agency of Record by Schumacher Homes, one of the country's leading home builders.

Intrapromote will create and implement organic and paid search campaigns for Schumacher Homes, and also launch comprehensive link development, social media, online press and article optimization programs to build Schumacher's online visibility and sales conversion rates. Intrapromote's ability to enhance brand awareness and drive web site traffic via best practice, customized Internet marketing services will assist Schumacher Homes in advancing its reputation as the best custom home builder in the country.

Mary Schumacher Becker, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Schumacher Homes, looks forward to the new campaigns Intrapromote will custom create for Schumacher Homes, "Intrapromote not only embodies depth of knowledge and experience but is in sync with the fast paced innovative culture of Schumacher Homes. We look forward to achieving great things together," Ms. Becker said.

Erik Dafforn, Executive Vice President for Intrapromote, echoes the sentiments of the entire Intrapromote team with his comments on the new relationship with Schumacher Homes: "We are thrilled to be working with Schumacher Homes as a partner in their online marketing efforts. While we're in totally different industries, our approaches are strikingly similar: Remain current on industry best practices, and do whatever it takes to please the customer. We're very excited about this relationship and look forward to big results for Schumacher Homes," Mr. Dafforn stated.

Intrapromote is one of the oldest and most respected search marketing agencies. The combination of industry leading experts, best practice execution and an emphasis on web site conversions has positioned Intrapromote as a leader in organic and paid search marketing, social media marketing, link development and optimized content production and syndication. Intrapromote looks forward to working with Schumacher Homes as its new campaigns are strategized and implemented in 2010.

About Schumacher Homes

Founded in 1992, Schumacher Homes is one of the country's leading on your lot custom home builders and has built over 6000 custom homes, from 1100 to over 8000 sq. ft., priced in the low 100,000 to over 750,000 dollar range. They have Design Centers serving Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. Additional information and interactive floor plans can be found at www.schumacherhomes.com.

Schumacher Homes Selects Intrapromote, LLC as Search and Social Media Agency of Record
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January 13, 2010

Can Linkedin Be Used As A Social Media Marketing Tool?

posted by Brett Lane in category: Social Media

I firmly believe it can be used as an effective social media marketing tool if the correct strategy is implemented. I have been an avid user of Linkedin for the last 4 plus years and know that great things can happen when connecting properly with other users of this platform. What I like most about Linkedin is that I can make great connections with people I already know from a business perspective, as well as potential clients looking to get connected via their platform.

The key to fully utilizing their system is the way in which you approach users; always maintain an extremely professional manner in communicating with potential contacts. But, first you need to ensure that your profile is professional looking so that when other business people look at you in their system they get the best depiction of "who you are" and "what you can do for them". Once this is complete, your next step is to identify "what you want to achieve" in Linkedin regarding business development and then look at "who you will need to go after". Conducting these activities is paramount to being successful in Linkedin and can make or break your entire strategy.

Now its time to conduct some research regarding reaching your target market and Linkedin's new search feature called "Faceted Search" will enable you to reach further into it's database to find just the right people. Linkedin has added some impressive features in their latest update from December 2009 and describes the benefits as:

"Faceted Search offers the following benefits to your search experience on LinkedIn:
* Enables True Guided Navigation: A list of filters are generated dynamically for every search in order to guide you through the optimal path to find the most relevant people
* Provides Intuitive Interface: Refining your search is easier than ever with an intuitive user interface that allows you to slice and dice search results by 8 facets
* Improves Precision: As LinkedIn continues to grow by the millions, increasing search space requires increased precision to help you find exactly the right people
* Increases Efficiency: Find talent, business partners, customers or a former colleague faster than ever before.
* Reduces Need for Complex Queries: It significantly reduces the need for complex Boolean queries. This was a particular need we heard from many of our power users."

Here's a video that Linkedin recommends to users to get a better feel for how the search functionality works:

After you have collected a wide variety of people to contact it is a good idea to save their profiles, which is also a new feature Linkedin rolled out recently. This will give you the ability to go back and grab any needed information about your potential connections when making contact with them.

Now is the time to start reaching out to people you found while conducting your research and once again you must remember to be professional in your communication efforts. I always make myself available as a resource first to my potential contacts because I would rather help out where possible than be a pushy salesman. I know that by giving my time to all of my contacts, whether current or potential, I can be viewed as a positive influence to their business. This kind of attitude will pay off greater dividends in the long run as it relates to gaining referrals from my network. Also, you need to be transparent to everyone all the time because people are very smart and can read between the lines, and will know if you are trying to pull one over on them.

Today's Lesson: Research, Respect, Reach, Reward!

If you follow these simple words when connecting with people in Linkedin I promise you will make more connections and create wonderful business relationships in the process!

Can Linkedin Be Used As A Social Media Marketing Tool?
Posted by Brett Lane at 06:27 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)
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January 12, 2010

eCommerce 2.0: Let Your Products Have a Voice Online Via Social Media Marketing

posted by Brett Lane in category: Social Media

If you have an eCommerce business and you want to gain extra traction for your products you need to be utilizing a platform that enables users to spread the word about your products online. I am not talking about social sharing services like AddThis, but a service that lets users send your product information to their friends and family via a customized widget (TAF4Commerce). A solution like this is currently being offered by Te!! A Friend, A Social Twist Service - http://bit.ly/6oec14. Businesses have the ability to create product-specific buzz with a context-enriched specialty word of mouth marketing solution by utilizing their customized widgets.

Their system allows users to send a referral email that includes product-specific content including images, descriptions, pricing, offers, reviews-even links to related products. I have seen many page sharing solutions but have yet to find a better product sharing widget than that offered by Te!! A Friend. Such functionality is particularly helpful for e-commerce sites that have product catalog pages dynamically constructed from database information. This means that large businesses can implement their product sharing widget with ease and give consumers the ability to share thousands of products with their friends in a few steps.

TAF4Commerce Email Example

How it works described by Te!! A Friend:

"Sign up for TAF4Commerce, then access SocialTwist’s Easy Set-up Wizard to quickly customize your button, widget and email templates. Next insert the Javascript code from the wizard on your product pages. The end result is a highly customized, word-of-mouth marketing tool that requires no additional oversight and that drives targeted, interested buyers back to your site."

Once again, if you are running a large eCommerce based Website I highly recommend utilizing a product sharing solution like Te!! A Friend to help give your products a voice!

eCommerce 2.0: Let Your Products Have a Voice Online Via Social Media Marketing
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January 11, 2010

Creative Ways to Utilize YouTube as a Marketing Channel

posted by Brett Lane in category: Social Media

There are a variety of ways to utilize YouTube as a marketing channel and I've seen some very creative videos take social media marketing to the next level. A great example is Blendtec, they have been promoting their products on YouTube for quite some time now. The most memorable instance I can recall was them placing an iPhone 3G into a blender and it taking about 8 seconds to be completely pulverized. The thing that got me most about this video was I was expecting to see them chop up some kind of food item and instead saw them annihilate a brand-new iPhone 3G. Talk about surprising. Another crazy thing about this video is that it has only taken a little over a year to generate over 4 million views. To put it in plain English, this brand has been able to give its company 4 million pairs of eyeballs looking at its products in a new market online. If they had decided to utilize some other form of marketing medium I can guarantee it would've cost them a tremendous amount of money to generate 4 million impressions to any of their products.

The trick in their case seemed to be their creative usage as it relates to their brand since no one is expecting to see the types of things they are blending with their product. It seems primarily with Websites like YouTube that to get a users attention off the wall or crazy videos must be submitted to go viral. Not all brands have the luxury of creating wild videos to be placed on YouTube, but every company has the opportunity to make creative videos that showcase their brands doing something in a unique manner. The key thing to remember here is that if you are trying to promote a video on YouTube you have to be able to showcase your products and/or services in a way that grabs the attention of users interacting within this space. Here's where marketers make a major mistake, they try to create bland videos and showcase them to users who are really not interested in seeing every day product and service promotions. As long as you keep this in mind when creating videos to be placed within YouTube you have a much better chance of having your videos go viral. Blendtec is a great example of a company that was willing to take a risk in the social media space and that risk totally paid off.

Creative Ways to Utilize YouTube as a Marketing Channel
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December 30, 2009

Facebook Privacy Settings

posted by Jen Grant in category: Social Media

When was the last time you checked your Facebook privacy settings? Do you know what your profile and activity look like to the rest of the world? Is Google indexing your personal information?

Follow along as Social Media Strategist Jen Grant walks us through the most recent and perplexing privacy changes.

Facebook Privacy Settings
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December 26, 2009

Why Good Link Builders Fail: Reason Three

posted by Angela Moore in category: Link Building

Table of Contents
Ten Reasons Why Good Link Builders Fail (Introduction)
Reason One: Self-Doubt
Reason Two: Not Learning Best Practices

We've covered two really basic reasons why good link builders don't become great. Obviously self-doubt and the lack of best practices in their approach are slightly "duh" reasons. Well, prepare yourself because we're about to cover a third topic like that.

Ready? The third reason why good link builders fail is that they fail to expand their link building education.

Before you completely write off this post as another "duh" reason, hear me out. Because I think EVERY link builder has fallen victim to this. We (as an industry) have a nasty habit of getting into a rut and then camping out for a while. Or perhaps an eternity.

So consider these questions:

Are you questioning the "experts?" If not, why? Do you (deep down) know a better way to do something? Just because someone blogs that you should or should not do something do you automatically rush out and do it or do you think it through? People get really good at what they do because they constantly question things and try and find a better way. They differentiate themselves from everyone else. It's a good thing. If you're not doing it, try it.

Assuming that you read some link development blogs, who are you reading? Has it changed at all since you started building links? If you've been doing this for more than six months and the answer is no, consider a red flag coming your way. Things change and new link builders who are really good at what they do are appearing every day. Have you met them yet? The best way to find them is to browse the blogrolls of other link builders. Who are they recommending?

But, I'm going to go back to the "question the experts" note. Just because I think link builders should read Wiep's blog (and yes, he does rock), that doesn't mean he'll help you specifically. Different strokes for different folks and all that.

And beyond that, are you reading blogs that cover social media and copy writing? I've found those types of sites to be awesome fodder for some amazing link building concepts. Don't limit your ability to learn by only focusing on link building blogs. You could be missing a whole lot of awesome stuff.

Have a hunch about something? Test it. The best link builders out there are always testing things to see what happens and what impacts can be made by isolating variables and making evaluations. Learn your analytical jargon and start tracking what happens when you apply something to a site.

So, here's what you need to do: make education a priority. Don't pass up on free webinars, read some white papers and update your Google Reader.

And all the education in the world is great, but it amounts to nothing if you don't apply it. So get busy.

Why Good Link Builders Fail: Reason Three
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December 20, 2009

Why Good Link Builders Fail: Reason Two

posted by Angela Moore in category: Link Building

Table of Contents
Ten Reasons Why Good Link Builders Fail (Introduction)
Reason One: Self-Doubt

So, we've covered the biggest reason why good link builders fail. The second reason? They don't learn best practices.

It seems counter-productive to want to do something and do it well and not learn the best way to do it. And "best practices" can mean different things to different people. There's so much talk about "black hat" vs. "white hat" and the ever elusive "gray hat" way to do link building. But let's face it: there's a good way to do it and a not so good way.

The first question you need to ask yourself is "Who Am I Learning From?" Are you learning from a "guru" who advocates SPAM methods? What about someone who just learned this a month ago? Or someone who writes all the time about link building but has never had a happy client? Take some time and do some research on that person before you trust everything that they say. Do they have any recommendations from clients on their site? LinkedIn? What about forum or blog posts? How do they handle disagreements that go public?

Check your sources. I repeat, check your sources. When it's your reputation on the line, wouldn't you rather be sure that you're doing the best possible job you can? One bad mark of publicity can derail your entire career. Treat your reputation wisely and be sure you're not repeating bad information.

The other thing I see a lot is a link builder who gets a link through a questionable (and sometimes deceptive) method then advocates this as THE way to build links. Just because something works once, don't count on it as a long-term strategy. Do the less than tactful approaches to link building work? Sure, sometimes they do. Personally, I'd rather do it the right way every time. But that's just me.

Link building teams are incredibly dynamic and I love the team I work with. (Translation: I have the best link builders working with me.) We're a group of really talented individuals that put the needs of our clients first and work our rear ends off to do the best job we can possibly do. We're also a group that argues from time to time. But it's a good thing.

My team is great at bringing up things that they've tested, read about or are curious to learn more about in our regular team meetings. Sometimes, as the leader of this Motley Crue style group, I need to put my foot down. But I enjoy the conversations and the debate that it sparks.

My answer most of the time? Show me. Don't test this stuff on clients, but set up a test and run it by me. Prove me wrong. I'm willing to admit it when I'm shown it. But you have to show me.

The moral of this little anecdote? Speak up. If you're working with a group that's testing some choppy waters, speak up. Afraid to do that? Maybe you should re-read the post about Self-doubt. Link building is a combination of art and science and a little bit of gut instinct. If the group shuts you down, ok. But at least you spoke up. That's worth its weight in gold at the end of the day.

Why Good Link Builders Fail: Reason Two
Posted by Angela Moore at 01:18 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)
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November 26, 2009

Why Good Link Builders Fail: Reason One

posted by Angela Moore in category: Link Building

Table of Contents
Ten Reasons Why Good Link Builders Fail (Introduction)

Last time, I talked about the fact that over the years, I've seen so many people that could have been amazing link builders fall way too short. And through those experiences, I've been able to pick up on some recurring trends and see why this happens.

The top thing I see happening over and over again that keep potentially great link builders fall short is Self-Doubt. I've put it as the top reason because I've been the victim of it more times than I can count.

Here's the thing. Self-doubt is rooted in fear and fear, by its very nature, is horridly corroding. It will not only take away any confidence you've built up, but it will keep the confidence from returning at all. And specifically, when it comes to link building, self-doubt can do any number of things to you including:

- Not let you make that potentially amazing link request
- Not point out a unique link building opportunity or partnership
- Not let you hit "publish" on that blog post because you think it isn't that great
- Not volunteer for speaking engagements because you're convinced you don't know your stuff that well
- Not refer or even think of yourself as an expert or that you are well-versed in the industry

Self-doubt limits you in your ability to continue to grow as a link builder and get your name into the industry. There are some link builders who throw their names everywhere, but when push comes to shove it's just a lot of show. I know of several link builders who have gotten attention and it's been well deserved. But I guarantee that nearly all of them had to overcome self-doubt.

For those of you who struggle with this, I recommend reading a ton of blogs and make a note of the ones that have taught you something new. If you've been doing this for a while and you've been diligent about your link building education, then the list shouldn't be too long. Take the new things you've learned to heart and apply them to your work. Go to conferences and get involved. Again, pay attention to how much you know and how much is new. When you really start paying attention, you'll find you know a lot more than you think.

Lastly, the best thing I can recommend to you is to take a chance. Put yourself out there. From there, you'll figure out that you either have a lot to learn still or that you're doing all right. But you won't know until you take the risk.

Why Good Link Builders Fail: Reason One
Posted by Angela Moore at 09:30 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)
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November 23, 2009

Google Indexes Its Own Toolbar Content(?)

posted by Erik Dafforn in category: Crawling and Indexing

I don't think this is a particularly big deal, but I am fascinated by crawler behavior and the wheres and whys of crawlers not honoring sites' specific robots directives.

And it makes it even more interesting when the robot and the site belong to the same company.

A few weeks ago, I was trying to find out exactly when Google overtook Yahoo in the race for search engine market share. (It's not important why, but it will help you understand why I was searching for such an odd phrase.)

I ended up searching for this query:

["google passes yahoo" "search market share" 2004]

And the results page looked like this:

If you click over, you can clearly see that we're in the /archivesearch portion of the toolbar.google.com site:

If you go to the Google Toolbar site's robots.txt file, however, you'll see that this portion is supposed to be off-limits to Googlebot:

(Note: This robots.txt file also has certain "allow" commands, but none that should pertain to this particular page.)

But wait. Couldn't this just be an "uncrawled reference" -- that rare-but-easily-recreated instance where Google indexes pages based on incoming links, but doesn't actually crawl the page, so therefore still honors the robots.txt exclusion protocol?

No, I don't think so, at least in this case. Uncrawled references are generally don't have snippets attached to them, and if you look at the SERP above, you'll see a snipped pulled from deep within the actual page:

I'm not claiming to know each subtle nuance of uncrawled references, but I study robots exclusion pretty closely, and this is the first instance I've seen of a section from within an excluded page being used as its snippet.

I'm certainly willing to concede that Google just happened to find this information somewhere else and attribute it to this page, but part of me making that concession is someone proving that it actually happened. I'm not tied to any particular outcome; I'd just like to learn more about why this happens.

Google Indexes Its Own Toolbar Content(?)
Posted by Erik Dafforn at 05:22 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)
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November 19, 2009

Ten Reasons Why Good Link Builders Fail

posted by Angela Moore in category: Link Building

Having worked in link building for nearly three years, I've seen a lot of people come and go. It's the nature of any business to be sure, but sometimes it's a little more heartbreaking than others. Without a doubt, I have met some brilliant link builders. I've had the privilege as a manager to train some incredibly talented people who have really taken link building as a concept and run with it. It makes me proud in what I do.

But then there are those who "get it" but don't "get it" at the same time. Those individuals are the ones that frustrate me. They have all the potential in the world to be incredibly successful at link building and they just... don't.

What I have learned in the past couple of years is to recognize patterns and there are definitely patterns of behavior that lead to a potentially great link builder either only becoming "good" or failing completely. I've identified the top 10 things I see happen time and again that contribute to this. Those 10 reasons are:

1. Self-Doubt
2. Not Learning Best Practices
3. Not Expanding your Link Education
4. Moving Too Fast
5. Poor Writing Skills
6. Lack of Creativity
7. Not Asking for Help
8. Missed Opportunities
9. No Personal Outlet for Frustration
10. No Support Team

While this isn't all the reasons, most of the situations I've witnessed fall into one of these categories. And because I see it all the time, I've decided to write about it. But the more I planned out this post, the more ridiculously lengthy it became.

So, this post is the kick off to a 10 part series on the most common reasons link builders that have amazing potential fall short of the mark or fall off the map completely. Some of these things can be changed immediately with some focused discipline. Some of the reasons are through no fault of their own, but can still be fixed. The point is, what good is potential if you can't tap it?

This series has been designed for the following groups of people:

- Link builders who feel like they are constantly struggling
- Managers of link building teams and interns who may want to do link building at some point
- People who are just cracking into the industry but are a bit intimidated
- Experienced link builders who feel like this is a good time for gut check of their progress to date

I'm sure that this list can be expanded exponentially. But I encourage you to watch for future posts on this topic and if you start to identify with things, keep reading. Over the next couple of months, this series will come to fruition and I hope that you will find at least one thing that you can take away and work on and become truly successful in what you do.

When it comes to link building, the worst thing you can do is give up prematurely. I'm just here to help.

Ten Reasons Why Good Link Builders Fail
Posted by Angela Moore at 08:33 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
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November 13, 2009

Promises Promises

posted by Brent Sharp in category: PPC

I recently was involved with a prospective client who really wanted me to promise them some type of results in their PPC campaign. At first I was a little surprised by the question but as the prospect persisted I realized that "Guaranteed or Your Money Back" has become a very popular tag line in the modern sales pitch.

As usual what I actually said versus what I wish had said (hindsight is good but cruel) were two different things. It went something like this, "No we do not guarantee results. There are too many variables involved in PPC to guarantee results. If anyone you are talking to does guarantee PPC results they are selling something they can't deliver on." Now this is all true but after reflection I would have loved to have said "I can guarantee you that we will work our hardest on your account, we will employ all the latest best practice recommendations, and we will work hard to communicate with you to define and meet your goals. As for guaranteed results, there are just too many variables at play in any PPC campaign to guarantee results."

As with any search related effort the only guarantee that should be garnered is one of a willingness to work hard with a good client centered focus. A good partnership between client and agency is stronger than any 'secret sauce' and will end up providing many years of solid returns for everyone involved. Anything other than that is an attempt to sell something that you don't own.

Promises Promises
Posted by Brent Sharp at 01:58 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
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November 11, 2009

Is Social Media a Fad?

posted by Brett Lane in category: Social Media

In an ever changing industry sometimes people wonder if what we are doing will make an impact on our clients businesses for the long run. After watching this video I think its safe to say that social media isn't going anywhere. The numbers used in it are staggering in that technology has taken our communication efforts and put them into hyper drive. Reaching critical mass via our marketing efforts is a reality because of technology and I feel things will only move faster in the near future!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8

Is Social Media a Fad?
Posted by Brett Lane at 10:04 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)
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November 06, 2009

Social Media URL Duplication and the Canonical Link Element

posted by Erik Dafforn in category: Crawling and Indexing

When most people discuss the canonical link element, they describe its usage in the context of duplicate content mitigation, such as www vs non-www content, print-friendly pages, and so on. This is entirely appropriate. But the ways that we're all creating duplicate content are constantly growing and changing, which means that even if you think you don't need to canonicalize your pages, you might be wrong.

This post discusses how using the canonical link element might help you even if you don't think you need it.

Quick question: Should you use the canonical tag on your pages even if you're not sending out multiple versions of them?
Absolutely.

Why?
Because someone else might be creating versions of your pages that you don't even know about.

Here's an example: When I share something in my Google Reader, here's what happens:

1. Twitterfeed grabs my Google Reader "public" RSS feed, which is how my shared items are dispersed.
   
2. Twitterfeed takes the URL I'm sharing and appends two UTM tags to it -- "source" and "campaign".
   
3. Via Twitterfeed, Bit.ly shortens the long URL (including UTM tags) that I'm sharing.
   
4. Twitterfeed shoots the title of the post and shortened URL out over the @intrapromote Twitter stream.
   

In other words, I might read this URL:

http://searchengineland.com/blocking-and-tackling-10-fundamentals-of-local-seo-29115

But when I share and tweet it, it ends up looking like this:

http://searchengineland.com/blocking-and-tackling-10-fundamentals-of-local-seo-29115?utm_campaign=ipshare&utm_source=reader

Basically, I've created a duplicate URL for Search Engine Land, which they didn't ask for and probably don't know about. But the crew over there has anticipated this, because when you look at the source code for the page I created, you see this code:

link rel="canonical" href="http://searchengineland.com/blocking-and-tackling-10-fundamentals-of-local-seo-29115" /

This tag tells engines that no matter what tags I (or anyone else, including SEL) puts on those pages, this one is the authority.

UTM tags, of course, are primarily for measuring the effectiveness of your own social media endeavors on your own content, but the idea of someone appending tags to your content isn't far-fetched. Don't rule out people wanting to measure everything -- including their effect on other sites' traffic. Agencies use it to measure their efforts to a variety of client sites, and ad-selling sites use it for case study purposes to illustrate their reach.

Search Engine Land likely uses the canonical tags to consolidate authority because of their own tracking tags. But in this case, I've shown how someone on the outside can splinter your authority. It's pretty easy to add this tag to your pages (despite the obvious fact that I haven't done it on this blog yet), and the more ways you distribute your content, the more sense it makes to find the time to do it.

Social Media URL Duplication and the Canonical Link Element
Posted by Erik Dafforn at 07:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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November 04, 2009

Utilize Micro-blog Technology to Find Talent or a Job

posted by Brett Lane in category: Social Media

This morning I had the opportunity to review a site that enables recruiters and job hunters to connect with one another with greater ease utilizing micro-blog technology. Tweet-A-Job, which is currently in Beta, describes its services as such, "We provide recruiters the fastest way to connect with qualified candidates - online or on-the-go." Recruiters have the ability to Tweet jobs posts via their network and job candidates can receive updates via the Tweet-A-Job platform or from directly within their existing Twitter account. The thought of receiving job information via the Twittersphere isn't new, but providing recruiters with a platform to better connect with passive job candidates is still a good idea. All you need to do is sign up for a free account, write a job tweet and pay five dollars to post the information via their system which will connect your message with a large number of recruiters. If you make multiple posts per week then you'll be eligible for a per post discount. It will be interesting to see how many recruiters interact with this new platform in the up coming months!

Utilize Micro-blog Technology to Find Talent or a Job
Posted by Brett Lane at 12:58 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)
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October 28, 2009

How to Build Brand Awareness with Optimized Press Releases

posted by Lisa Santora in category: Online Publicity

While many companies have their own PR departments, marketing pros are always on the lookout for ways to extend their PR reach. Search engine optimized press releases offer an effective way to tell stories and gain increased online visibility and link value. Intrapromote is working with several emerging brands to help them develop new avenues for reaching their target audiences through advanced online PR.

So what exactly does the working relationship look like between a search marketing agency and its client-side marketing counterparts? At Intrapromote we understand that our clients' PR people are intimately familiar with their company's messaging. Intrapromote coordinates with the client's marketers and writers to produce search enhanced press releases that retain all of the necessary components that the client requires; while engineering them to compete for online attention versus myriad similar news stories.

With an Intrapromote optimized press release of only 500 words brands can accomplish all of these objectives:

* Get their message included in Google and Yahoo News within hours of syndication.

* Track Mission Critical Keywords and improved positioning for these on a month over month basis through detailed reporting.

* Gain links pointing to their site within a relevant context that stay online in perpetuity.

* Receive a powerful boost to their ongoing Intrapromote SEO program.

Still not convinced? Take a look at this optimized press release syndicated on October 1, 2009 that helped Autograph Store's Charity Fundraising Division achieve significant gains in its online visibility for its Mission Critical Keywords.

This press release will remain online in perpetuity, providing lasting value via its anchor text links. PR Web syndication also embeds social media sharing capabilities, and adds relevant Technorati tags to the release to create a highly optimized news story that can complement any online marketing campaign. The advantages don't stop there: Intrapromote can enhance your release with YouTube videos, podcasts and PDF and image attachments to build a truly interactive content vehicle that places the spotlight on your brand.

Take your brand building to the next level. Contact Lisa Santora at Intrapromote for more details on our optimized press release writing and distribution service.

How to Build Brand Awareness with Optimized Press Releases
Posted by Lisa Santora at 08:48 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
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October 06, 2009

Why Social Media Marketing is Expected of Big Brands

posted by Dylan Price in category: Social Media

As we continue to move our resources to a “soft” platform, we realize that the flexibility of social media makes it a great culture to display the branded message. This very same identifying quality of pliability creates havoc in the minds of Big Brand marketers because of the difficulty in applying metrics and of defining the space. From a distance, social media seems volatile and unreliable. You can’t hold it, hand it out, or scan the barcode to provide “reliable” metrics. Unlike a billboard, you don’t even know if it’s still there most of the time!

Everyone understands the hesitation- but we also understand it as a gut reaction. Human nature often dictates that we fear what we do not understand. When it comes to my personal pocketbook, I feel the same hesitation until I understand the how and the why of the situation. These questions are valid, and I cannot fault the hesitant person when it comes to a marketing budget. However, most don’t fully understand the how and why of electrical power in our lives, but we constantly flip the switch.

What I intend to do is shed some light on the dark side of the marketing budget. The “new” line item (ten years ago) that has consistently grown in girth and weight: Internet Marketing. Careful marketing execs have been hesitant to pull the trigger on such a volatile strategy such as Internet Marketing, let alone Social Media Marketing. For those in the game 10+ years ago, this probably stems from the dot com crash. For others, it may be shear ignorance of the Web 2.0 platforms. I think it has more to do with measuring ROI.

The evolution of communication (discussed at length here) has sped up exponentially over the three decades since the basic packet-switching system was developed. As we observe the basic evolutionary principles play out with platforms that survive (Google, AOL Instant Messaging, etc.), we begin to realize that social media is gaining a very solid foothold as a by-product of the evolution.

We could debate the merits of the survivors all day, digging into the minutia of what has worked and what hasn’t. That debate would not express why Social Media Marketing is a necessity to big brands today. The point is that the history and evolution has created precedent. Big brands do not have to blaze the trail. There is now a decade of experience at your fingertips for Internet Marketing Strategy (namely through Intrapromote’s team of aficionados) and, yes, it has been 5 years since you set up your Gmail account.

So why do Big Brands need to pull the trigger?

• With the announcement of Google Public Sector, the adaptation of Google’s standard applications for use within the US Federal Government, it becomes clear to those behind the ball that Web 2.0 is a real thing, and mandatory. As a veteran, I know firsthand that this did not happen overnight…or even a fortnight.

• Facebook and Twitter have become the leading internal and external communications tools within the United Methodist Church. This move has aligned itself with the dawn of the 10thousanddoors advertising campaign, primarily being carried out by social networks and various media outlets.

• Best Buy has pioneered usefulness on Twitter by replying directly to customers and non-customers alike regarding technical and consumer support questions via Twelpforce. In fact, @Twelpforce has been cited in over 800 individual tweets in the last seven days. These are astonishing numbers when applied to the purposefulness of this service, namely to push consumers to your brand.

Even though big brands are not usually evangelists for new concepts in marketing strategy, they all jump on board once the numbers show value (as shown in this video). It would be very disappointing to search for Coca-Cola on Facebook and not find a presence there, or search YouTube for the funniest Bud Light commercials, only to be met with a 404 message.

In conclusion, I pose two questions. First, have you been able to directly influence 800 consumers in one week’s time with a branded message guiding them to your products? Secondly, would that amount of influence represent a positive ROI for your company?

Why Social Media Marketing is Expected of Big Brands
Posted by Dylan Price at 07:43 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)
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October 02, 2009

Sales & Recruiting Tool for Linkedin: People Toucher

posted by Brett Lane in category: Social Media

I had the chance to review a sales and recruiting tool with a funny name offered by People Toucher this morning. The layout and functionality for finding sales and recruiting opportunities is pretty professional and easy to utilize. You have the ability to use multiple search criteria when finding individuals via Linkedin's network; which makes finding the right person much easier. The only drawback to People Toucher's system is that it takes you away from their site instead of integrating the search results within its own site. This is probably something they will be integrating into their site in the distant future to keep users within their portal. This would be one of the few ways they can make money in the future. I am going to put this system to the test next week and let everyone know if it will become a part of my sales and recruiting arsenal!

Sales & Recruiting Tool for Linkedin: People Toucher
Posted by Brett Lane at 11:24 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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September 02, 2009

It's Time for Twitter to Take URL Structure Seriously

posted by Erik Dafforn in category: Social Media

About three months ago, I mentioned in a ClickZ article that Twitter should consider tightening up its structure to avoid some of the duplication it's creating in its URLs.

Back then, for example, Twitter had about 1.4 million URLs indexed on its secure (HTTPS) server. Today, that number has tripled to about 3.5 million. That latter number is just a shadow of the total number of URLs indexed that aren't on the HTTPS protocol, which is about 314 million.

Cap style -- the way URLs appear in your browser (upper or lowercase) -- is just as bad a problem. This link shows the tip of the duplication iceberg using @CNNbrk as an example. A smart server issues URLs in only one cap style and accepts only those same URLs, while redirecting any variations that get requested.

The following image, taken from that link, shows six different cap styles for the single account:

And don't forget the mobile site, m.twitter.com, which gets indexed right alongside the full-bodied version.

About the only canonicalization that Twitter is getting right is the www/non-www issue. Other than that, chaos rules.

The index size wars are over. Lean is the new fat. It's time for Twitter to make a few small tweaks and consolidate some of its splintered authority. All they need to do is agree on a case and protocol style, then either redirect non-conformers or issue canonical tags, and the problem will dry up relatively painlessly.

I also need to acknowledge the work of my industry colleague Edward Lewis, a vocal proponent of what he calls proper "Pascal casing." I make this acknowledgment despite the fact that he didn't appreciate my joke about the way he's "Blaising a trail" for proper Pascal case.

It's Time for Twitter to Take URL Structure Seriously
Posted by Erik Dafforn at 08:00 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)
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August 20, 2009

Five Approaches to Creating a Link Building Strategy

posted by Angela Moore in category: Link Building

If I have learned nothing else about link building in the years that I've been focusing on it, I've learned this: There is no end to the creativity that can go into a link building strategy.

Without a doubt, link building can be explosive when it comes to the creative and brainstorming approach of the strategy portion. And yes, you need a strategy. You cannot, I repeat, you cannot have a successful link building campaign with measurable results without a strategy. Sure, you can get lucky. But your competition is probably cooking up a strategy that will top you in no time. It's a fact of the online world.

So where do you start? In my experience, there are five basic approaches to crafting a link building strategy.

The Competition Approach

It makes sense to start with your competition. What are they doing? Who are they targeting? Are they even doing a link building campaign? How do you know? Tip: Look at their links. Are they in directories? Are their links full of keyword-rich anchor text? Where are their links coming from? Are they buying links. Using tools like SEO SpyGlass (one of my personal favorites) or other backlink analysis tools will give you a comprehensive sampling of your competition.

The Keyword Approach

What keywords do you want to rank for? Obviously, the main focus of link building is to improve your rankings for specific keywords, so this is another logical approach. Who is ranking for your top keyword? Who is linking to them? Who are they linking to? Take it a step further and use tools like Google Insights to see what variations of your primary keywords are on the rise. Go into popular forums in your industry and see what people are most interested in. Then, create some quality content around that topic and you can acquire links that way as well.

The Niche Approach

In every business, there is a niche that is basically waiting to be dominated in the Search Engine results pages (also called SERPs). List out as many niche areas of your business as well. How many do you serve? Do you have content on your site that tells your potential customers about it? Do you have content on your site that answers common questions in this niche areas of business? (Hint: If not, you should.) Submit your site to niche categories on directories, find the online resource hubs for that specific topic and ask for a link or explore different popular sites that people in your industry naturally gravitate to and see if there are opportunities to gain links that way.

The Regional Approach

Do you only serve certain areas of the country or world? You should list yourself in regional categories in directories online. If you have a physical address, you should have a Google Local Listing and you should be listed on other local-based sites that users are likely to access. Check and see if one is already listed and make sure that the information is listed correctly. This is vital as local is taking on a life of its own in the online space.

The Authority Approach

You know your business inside and out. You should be telling people about it. Invest some time creating content that is directly relevant to your primary audience and publish it on your own site or a blog. Beyond that, find the most popular resource sites in your industry and see if any of these sites have "guest writer" or "guest post" opportunities that you could potentially participate in. Be sure to include the links in your content if it's appropriate and in your bio as well.

What do all of these approaches have in common? Content and time. You won't get very far without either. And no one strategy is "the" answer for you. Most likely, it will be a combination of things that you work on.

Five Approaches to Creating a Link Building Strategy
Posted by Angela Moore at 07:47 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBacks (0)
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July 29, 2009

Yahoo! & MSN Finally Form Partnership?

posted by Sean Bolton in category: SEO Industry News

If you're at all keeping your fingers on the search engine industry pulse, then you will soon find out that Yahoo! & MSN have finally decided to tie the knot.

This press release has additional details on the deal in terms of what company will be managing what and when we may expect to see this married couple welcoming confetti & rice as they walk out to be received.

I just don't see this as a surprise at all for some reason and can't help but wonder why...Oh, I remember now!! I wrote about this in a previous life back in February of 2008.

Let's just hope the couple won't fizzle out prematurely like the previous attempt that ended in a break up prior to exchanging vows.

I can see it now - "Do You Ying?" J/K

Yahoo! & MSN Finally Form Partnership?
Posted by Sean Bolton at 07:25 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)
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July 14, 2009

Tweeting Without a Blog? You're Missing Link Opportunities

posted by Angela Moore in category: Link Building

In today's Twitterfied online world, more and more companies and individuals are jumping on Twitter and expecting immediate results. If you're engaging in Twitter without a well-planned strategy, then you're operating in a complete fallacy. Even worse, if your site is only pushing products and not information, you could be missing out some valuable links.

Links that are generated from your activity on Twitter are all indirectly built. Yes, you can build up some link equity to your Twitter profile, but links within Tweets and Twitter are nofollowed, so that link value is presumably being lost instead of harnessed. But let's say that a blogger sees your Tweet and is so impressed, they build a link back to your site. There's an indirect link as a direct result of your actions on Twitter. And those can be extremely value.

Many people and companies are engaging in Twitter to drive conversions and establish themselves as an expert in a particular industry. The first may be easier if your site is product-driven. But what about the second?

Twitter (and micro-blogging in general) is the new and most popular way to share information and network online. But if you don't have a blog that your Twitter stream complements, you're probably missing out on some links that will help build your industry expertise and here are a few reasons why.

140 characters can only say so much.

I have no doubt your Tweets are witty. And perhaps they've even gotten retweeted numerous times and you were a Twitter celebrity for half an hour. That's fantastic. But what did those Tweets really say about you and your expertise? Perhaps your witty Tweet also included a link to your latest blog post (which was equally witty and thought-provoking). This can have twice the impact and give people the ability to learn more about you, rather than just surfing through your Twitter stream and seeing what other random thoughts you're pumping out to your followers.

You can link to Tweets, but then what?

So let's say I find a Tweet to be phenomenal and I link to it in a blog post. One of my readers clicks on the link and goes right to the Tweet. Then what? They could click on your profile and then go to your blog (assuming that is the link on your Twitter profile). But we're talking about the people who don't have blogs. So then what does the user do? They are stuck in linkless limbo. And what if the link goes to your site that is product-driven and offers no information or no place for your visitors to join in a conversation with you and your brand, you're doing yourself (and your brand) a disservice.

Your blog will build your credibility, not your Twitter stream.

Think about this: can you really dive into your 5-Step process that you've patented in 140 characters? Or even 700 characters? (For you non-math people like myself, that's 5 Tweets with 140 characters each.) Probably not. You may hit your key points, but your blog can be your platform to divulge the details of your brainchild and also start a public conversation about it via your comments.

Since the rest of my reasons are going to sound a bit repetitive, keep the following things in mind when you're deciding if a blog is right for you:

Twitter is meant to be complementary, not a stand-alone.

Twitter lets you push out ideas, but not develop them.

Twitter is about conversation and community. Your blog is your expertise platform (and can then turn into a conversation-driven community).

And keep in mind, that a blog isn't the only answer (but it definitely is one of the best options out there). You can also use articles, guest posting on other sites, press releases and more. But your blog is the best place to push out relevant content on a regular basis. Plus it's your own voice and it gives you something to Tweet about.

Tweeting Without a Blog? You're Missing Link Opportunities
Posted by Angela Moore at 11:25 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)
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June 08, 2009

Google Doesn't Like Nofollows Anymore. Shocker.

posted by Angela Moore in category: Link Building

Recently, Google's Matt Cutts made some hints about nofollow links and their value going down. I have to be honest. I'm not surprised.

Once again, we're seeing something that Google did to try and make link popularity "fair" across the board become a nightmare for them to measure because of many people abusing the original intent of it. What? People trying to abuse a system instead of just doing good work? Unheard of.

This story has been developing for a while and there are some interesting elements at play. The biggest factor is that some sites have abused this link attribute in order to funnel the link value to a few of their internal target pages or for other purposes (of which there are many). The situation is not unlike the paid link debate: while some uses of the tactic are completely valid and ethical (assuming you follow the guidelines put in place), those that overuse and abuse the tactic ruin it for the rest of us. Let's face it, for every really good link builder (meaning ethical, transparent, creative, etc) there are 100 link builders that are only it for a short time and try to figure out a way to game the system instead of creating a long-lasting strategy.

Let's remember that the purpose of link building is not to trick the search engines. The purpose is to provide search engines and users with what they want: relevant results for their keyword queries by providing links to the content and having those links adequately describe what's on that page. Sadly, most people don't know how to do this very well and they begin schemes like link farms, blatantly irrelevant paid link campaigns and other less than savorty tactics to try and push their sites to the top.

Basically, from what I can see happening and what I’ve seen happen in the past few months is this: nofollow links coming from external sites are being followed by the search engines (many of them are showing up in my link reports) as well as affecting the ranking of certain keywords that I monitor. Now, I don’t think they are counting as much as a link without the nofollow attribute, but they are certainly adding some value. In regards to internal links, nofollow links are still valuable for PageRank sculpting and harnessing the values of the links coming in, but for sites that overuse this attribute, the value will not be as great as it once was.

Once again, Google will be trying to take things on a site-by-site basis, but I have not seen them fully succeed at that through the years. Even the algorithm, which was designed for a “site-by-site basis” style of analysis likes to make blanket assumptions on things and we’ve seen the SEO industry get worked up about it before. So what can we expect from this? It could be anything from an announcement from Google introducing a new alternative to nofollow, blanket rules and blanket statements that apply to all nofollow links (which was the original intent anyway: the search engine would not follow the link, but look what has happened), the ability to report “nofollow abuse” directly to Google (much like the paid link report form) and other various methods to try and control the issue.

The bottom line is that if you have an array of tactics and creative approaches to link building, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Nofollowing links (when appropriate) will still have some effect, and how great that effect is will be completely dependent on what the search engines do in the following months.

So, are you prepared for whatever comes your way? If you have a diverse portfolio of skills and tactics and don’t rely heavily on only one thing you should be fine. But if you've been banking on your nofollow strategy, you may be starting to panic.

Google Doesn't Like Nofollows Anymore. Shocker.
Posted by Angela Moore at 07:34 AM | Comments (12) | TrackBacks (0)
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May 27, 2009

Dafforn First to Discover Google Changes Profile Hop from 302 to 301

posted by John Lustina in category: Organic SEO

I am happy to report I am not the only one so oddly obsessed; money quote:

About three weeks ago, [John Lustina] noted that Google numerical-based URLs were redirecting to custom profiles, but they were using a 302 instead of a preferable 301. Today, however, I'm happy to note that's changed. As of this writing, the 302 has changed to 301.

Mark the time, SEO Friends; Google is listening to our Social World.

And with the step toward doing what they tell us to do, me Google Profile hops another steep up, to 5:

Is this why they wanted to 302 Hop[e], originally?

Dafforn First to Discover Google Changes Profile Hop from 302 to 301
Posted by John Lustina at 08:19 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)
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May 20, 2009

Optimized Press Releases - The Engine that Can Drive Qualified Traffic to Your Site

posted by Lisa Santora in category: Online Publicity

Our new optimized press release plans provide companies with a cost-effective and powerful way to stay top of mind with their customers. Recently we syndicated a press release for a client that contained helpful tips on how to prevent and deal with flood damage caused by spring rains. A unique aspect of this press release is the embedded YouTube video that illustrates many of the ideas discussed in the copy so readers can actually see how they can prevent basement flooding and other damage to their homes.

This video demonstrates only one of the many added benefits you can take advantage of with your optimized press release plan. You can think of optimized press releases as an engine to reach your customers. This engine is the driving force that can be built upon with image attachments, embedded videos, PDF attachments, podcasts and more. The increased search visibility, linking value and added benefits of attaching photos, videos and brochures about your products make optimized press releases a great way to keep your company's name in the news.

I'd like to talk to you about our optimized press release writing and distribution plans. It's important to keep your company's name in front of customers; especially now in this difficult economy. Contact me at lisa@intrapromote.com to find out more.

Optimized Press Releases - The Engine that Can Drive Qualified Traffic to Your Site
Posted by Lisa Santora at 12:51 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
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May 18, 2009

Google Profiles Now Above the Fold?

posted by John Lustina in category: Organic SEO

In spite of that odd numerical URL that persists and 302 hops, my Google Profile has proven to indeed be a climber, for the first time breaking above the fold for the vanity search I have been vainly keeping my own eye on from day one:

Now, as is normally the case with a non-temporary 302--THE problem with a non-temporary 302 you might conclude--I don't know whether to link to http://www.google.com/profiles/John.Lustina or http://www.google.com/profiles/116187582762783426547 when I am referring to it.

Google?

Google Profiles Now Above the Fold?
Posted by John Lustina at 10:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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May 06, 2009

Google Vanity Profiles Buggy on the iPhone

posted by Erik Dafforn in category: Google

I wouldn't categorize this under DEFCON 5, but there's a bug with Google Profiles in the iPhone version of Safari.

When you do a vanity search and you've filled out your Google Profile sufficiently, it might show up at the bottom of the first SERP. My profile, for example, does show up correctly on normal browsers.

In an iPhone vanity search, however, something weird happens. Where the profile link would be, there is instead a link to a page called "prose%200", as seen here:

%20 is the escape code for a space, so in reality, the page is called "prose 0". When you click the link in the iPhone, you land here:

I imagine the "pro" in "prose" stands for "profile." As for the "se," I'm not sure. "Search engine," perhaps, although that seems too easy, as well as redundant.

Conclusion: If you have thousands or millions of people searching their iPhones for your Google profile (like I don't), they're not finding you.

Google Vanity Profiles Buggy on the iPhone
Posted by Erik Dafforn at 08:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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May 04, 2009

Google Profiles Doing the 302 Hop?

posted by John Lustina in category: Organic SEO

Continuing in my vainglory of days past, I was surprised today while exploring below the fold to see my Google Profile suddenly appear as a tenth result along with the standard extra bottom result (with smiling picture) for a vanity search:

Even more surprising, if you look at the yellow highlighted rectangle, is that Google choose to show www.google.com/profiles/116187582762783426547 as the URL for the result, rather than the www.google.com/profiles/John.Lustina vanity URL that I selected as my preference, when offered, in the initial setup of my Profile.

Now, I was happy to see that it redirected to http://www.google.com/profiles/John.Lustina when clicked, yet wondered why the numerical URL would yet list if the redirect were a 301. My SEO senses tingling, I went to Rex The Answer Man to find this:

Why a 302 temporary redirect? Why not just keep them numerical rather than vain if they are not going to implement a proper 301?

Isn't that what they would have us counsel our clients in a similar scenario?

Google Profiles Doing the 302 Hop?
Posted by John Lustina at 09:10 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)
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May 02, 2009

Twitter Bookmarklets: Frame of Reference or Obloquy?

posted by John Lustina in category: Social Media

In my recent search for the perfect Twitter bookmarklet, one that would let me post from page without leaving nasty tracks in my Tweets, I noted a trend that all but BigTweet seemed to sow, in one shade or another; namely, the urge to take over and remake, to rendite, Cheney-like, beyond home:

The blue line above, spanning the horizon, demarcates the framing (or stealing) of the site URL Tweeted. True it is traded for providing the clicking Twit convenience, yet what does the site Tweeted get but a pageview in stats?

A RT, perhaps, but we know from usability that last in line isn't exactly the best place to be. Placement is illustrative in the above, as is color: anyone think the fading is an oversight?

Twitter Bookmarklets: Frame of Reference or Obloquy?
Posted by John Lustina at 02:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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April 28, 2009

Bonfire of the Vanity Search Revisited

posted by John Lustina in category: Google

Not three days later, the Google Profile influence now has ordered the top six:

Note to self: the right column space is pretty important:

Bonfire of the Vanity Search Revisited
Posted by John Lustina at 08:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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April 25, 2009

Bonfire of the Vanity Search

posted by John Lustina in category: Social Media

Although unveiled in the innocuous position last--always, mind you--of the first page for your name, it seems more likely ever-prescient Google has a larger share in mind than the 10th result on a page; namely, a cover page for Socially skitzophrenic above-the-fold situations like the following:

Are they actually after, rather, One Profile to rule them all?

Bonfire of the Vanity Search
Posted by John Lustina at 10:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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February 20, 2009

Optimized Press Releases Keep Your Company's Name in Front of Customers

posted by Lisa Santora in category: Online Publicity

There's plenty going on in Intrapromote's new Press Release Department. We've written and syndicated a new branding and site launch news story for one customer, produced an optimized press release announcing Tahiti honeymoon vacation bargains, and chronicled a customer's charitable partnership efforts.

Intrapromote's 2009 press release writing and distribution plans deliver more ROI than ever before. By developing compelling news stories that highlight our customers' unique selling points and leveraging the syndication capabilities of PR Web we've built a potent and cost-effective marketing tool that drives targeted traffic to your site.

I'd like to talk to you about our optimized press release writing and distribution plans. It's important to keep your company's name in front of customers; especially now in this difficult economy. Contact me at lisa@intrapromote.com to find out more.

Optimized Press Releases Keep Your Company's Name in Front of Customers
Posted by Lisa Santora at 02:46 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)
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February 11, 2009

Is Your Industry too Boring for Link Building?

posted by Angela Moore in category: Link Building

So often as I am discussing link building strategies or the concept of link bait, I am faced with the same question:

"Aren't we too boring for all this? Who is going to want to link to us? All we do is (fill in the blank)."

The short answer is no. You are not too boring. Why? Because in every industry, every niche, SOMEONE cares about what you're doing.

The long answer involves discussions around target markets and their demographics, the various services offered, and industry trends. Since it's a bit complicated, let's take a purely hypothetical example.

Let's say we are dealing with a client who sells pens. Not too sexy, right? I mean, they're pens. Everyone can get them and you can pretty much get them anywhere. Even gas stations. Well, let's take it a step further and say that these pens are around $150 each. Why would people want to buy a pen for $150 when they can get 12 pens for around $2? That becomes the source of our link bait and link building campaign.

Asking questions like this is the next step for designing a campaign for a seemingly boring industry. What makes your pen worth $150? Can you write under water with it? Is the quality of the actual shell of the pen magnificent? Does this pen never, ever, in a million years "skip" when you're writing unless it's completely out of ink? Does it have some sort of indicator to let you know when it is about to run out of ink? What about refills? Do customers get them when they initially purchase the pen? How expensive are they? What type of ink is it? Has it been safety tested around kids? Pets? Is it child-proof?

Of course, this is all hypothetical. But when you hit on that one thing that makes this pen stand above the rest, you have your link bait concept. Branching out from there, you need to find the people who would want this pen. Business executives, writers, celebrities who sign a lot of autographs, lawyers... there are people out there who will not only love your product but want to tell others how great it is too. How about people who just plain love pens? Don't think they exist? I beg to differ. So, where do you find them? Blogs, social networks, resource sites, and other authority hubs will be the go-to locations to find these people. Simple queries will tell you where you should start researching. From their, the web of links that you are sure to find will also give you more avenues to pursue.

Now, what do you tell these people when you find them? You can do a myriad of things on your site and show it to your target market. Showing a video of all the amazing things your pen can do would be one option - Blendtec perfected this with their "Will it Blend?" series. How about a contest? An interactive widget? User-generated lists of what people want in their perfect pen? Top 10 lists?

All of these are good options. By really working to match your efforts with your target market, you will see the benefit as people blog about your pen, post links on their sites back to yours and help you spread the word about your magnificent pen.

My point is that no matter what you're selling or trying to promote, someone out there wants to hear about it. Combining elements like quality and differentiators with your target market and a catchy way to grab their attention will generate links before you know it.

Is Your Industry too Boring for Link Building?
Posted by Angela Moore at 07:07 AM | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)
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February 10, 2009

Finally ... John Dvorak Exposes SEO Industry

posted by Erik Dafforn in category: SEO Industry News

PC Mag's John Dvorak has declared SEO to be snake oil. Guess it's time to close up the shop.

Sigh. Not exactly a new theme, but as weak arguments go, Dvorak's is particularly so. I'll sum it up for you in case you don't have the time:

• John gets bad advice about optimizing his blog.
• John's page views decline.
• John equates his bad advice with SEO practice.
• John picks another third-tier technique (tagging) and also equates it with SEO.
• John anecdotally proves that tagging is ineffective.
• John concludes that SEO "simply doesn't work."

But wait! He completes the formula. Don't forget about the final, disclaiming paragraph, designed to hedge himself against any criticism:

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying there's nothing you can do to get more attention. Much of what you can control is structural. If you have a blog full of fancy AJAX code, it's going to be difficult to index, for example. Making your Web site search-engine-friendly is one thing, in other words. But using stupid human tricks such as the long URL and tags to get more attention is folly -- and bad advice, from what I can tell. Beware!

In other words, real SEO isn't bad, but bad SEO is bad, but you don't get to know that until you wade through his lesson on why singular techniques, in a vacuum absent an overall strategy, are unhelpful. Come on, John. You're better than this.

Finally ... John Dvorak Exposes SEO Industry
Posted by Erik Dafforn at 07:58 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
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December 19, 2008

Spanish Site SEO Pays Off

posted by Doug Ausbury in category: Organic SEO

In 2007, one of our long term clients launched a Spanish version of their web site. Their site is very content rich and has approximately 1,000 pages. During the course of 2008, we've worked closely with them to optimize these new pages with the goal of significantly increasing search traffic.

Here's a look at the results to date...

Prior to optimization of the Spanish pages, of all search engines, Google Spain was ranked #33 in bringing visits to the site. After optimization, Google Spain is #3 behind just Google and Yahoo.

To make this kind of jump, Google Spain brought just 53 visits per month to the site prior to optimization. Now the site is receiving over 10,000 visits a month from Google Spain. Google Spain now brings more visits than MSN and AOL.

Here's a closer look at the visit numbers before and after optimization:

Search Engine		Monthy Visits Before SEO		Monthly Visits After SEO
Google Spain		53		10,310
Google Mexico		41		6,383
Google Columbia		15		3,207
Google Venezuela		8		3,001
Google Peru		8		2,926
Google Chile		16		2,442
Google Puerto Rico		23		689
Google Portugal		33		137
Total		197		29,095

We expect these monthly visit increases to bring a minimum of 350,000 additional new visits to the site in 2009.

Excelente!!!

Spanish Site SEO Pays Off
Posted by Doug Ausbury at 10:09 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)
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December 17, 2008

What the Economic Times Mean for Link Building

posted by Angela Moore in category: Link Building

So unless you've been living under a rock, you realize that the economy isn't as strong as it used to be. And yes, that is a rather large understatement. Many industries have been pushed into the limelight to discuss their dire situation and ask for help. Many search bloggers are also talking about the economy and what it means for the search industry at large. We're seeing stories about how to get the most out of your search campaigns right now, looking for SEO opportunities in tough economic situations, and big brand SEM strategies.

In the past few months, I have recognized several trends that could ultimately benefit link development.

1. The need for information. If your site is providing information on financial tips or if you have ideas on how your target market can save money within your industry, publish the content. Do some keyword research and find out what exactly people are looking for and create a title and a content piece that will rank in the search engines. Since most people are looking for ways to be more economical right now, you've basically just created some nice link bait.

2. Blog Explosions. Bloggers know that if they publish content that provides timely tips and advice, their traffic will increase exponentially. Reach out to those bloggers and ask how you can help them get the content they need. Every day, new blogs are created on every conceivable topic. Keep an eye out for both the established bloggers and the up-and-coming candidates.

3. Looking for experts. In tough times, many executives tend to hide out. Be up front. Grant some interviews with some bloggers who write about your industry. Be honest about what's going on. Talk about your plans when it's appropriate. Be the face of your company.

4. Now is the time for shake-ups. If you've been sitting #5 or #6 for a particular keyword, a little extra investment into your link development campaign will pay off. Many sites that are sitting #1 and have been there for a long time have relied on that fact without much thought. The companies that are investing in SEO and link development are making big moves and the momentum could keep them there as time goes on.

There are lots of ways to stay afloat in tough times. The biggest need right now is information and hope. When you give that to your consumers, they can often reciprocate with some unsolicited links and a window into your target market.

What the Economic Times Mean for Link Building
Posted by Angela Moore at 07:23 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
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December 16, 2008

Details, Details, Details

posted by Brent Sharp in category: Organic SEO

They say the devil is in the details but in this case it's just Frosty the Snowman. A recent search on behalf of my son returned this little detail that can be a good reminder to double check even the little things like Page Titles.

Remember, Google is making its list and checking it twice....

Details, Details, Details
Posted by Brent Sharp at 11:28 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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November 27, 2008

Don't Think Like a Student for .edu Links

posted by Angela Moore in category: Link Building

I've written posts before on some tips to fixing existing .edu links and why .edu link acquisition services are typically worthless. But what about when you're trying to get links the old-fashioned way? By providing valuable content to users and then telling Webmasters where to find it? What do you do? Where do you start? How do you go about it?

When you're doing research to gain some much-coveted .edu links, be sure to do your homework. You want to find sites that cater to your target market. But stop and think before you channel the zen of a college student to get your links.

Why not? It's simple. College students don't dictate links on University sites. Professors and staff do. How do I know this? Take a look at any college Web site and find a resources page of sorts for students. These days with so many college kids graduating with excessive debt (and I'm not just talking about student loans) many sites are now putting up a page packed full of resources on how to manage your credit from the start rather than how to fix it (although there are links for that too).

Let's take a look at this sample page from Baldwin-Wallace College on how to manage your finances. Lots of good stuff in here, right? Perfect opportunity to maybe place a link to a well-respected site that offers additional tips and financial information? Want to put a link to a big and flashy Web site that college kids just seem to love? Stop. Read the content again. The thing I heard most in college is "You're an adult now." Colleges are set up to groom promising professionals into upstanding citizens (not to mention that whole education thing). The content on this page is geared towards the students with a parental tone.

"But wait," you might say. "College kids love my big flashy Web site!" True, but they're not the ones who are managing a large university's Web site. Even if they are, a professor is mentoring them and watching their every move. Those links, even if they do get put up, won't last long. The biggest mistake I see in trying to get .edu links is that some link builders think that you are marketing to the students. You're not. You're marketing to their parents. And their professors.

"So what do I do?" I'm so glad you asked. Market to the professors and parents of these students. They're the ones who, ultimately, dictate what types of content goes up. Typically, parents pay the bills to these schools. So, professors and staff answer to them. The staff and teaching professionals are responsible for the education of these young minds. They don't want something as glaring as a junk link on their Web site. Think like an adult when marketing to .edu sites.

The bottom line in all of this? You must provide valuable content to the user to get .edu links. No ifs, ands, or buts. Sure, you can get other .edu links without much effort. But I doubt they'll provide any long-term value for search engine rankings. And in link development, long-term is the way to go.

Oh, and by the way... Happy Thanksgiving!

Don't Think Like a Student for .edu Links
Posted by Angela Moore at 06:53 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)
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November 20, 2008

Google Lets Users Promote, Remove, Comment on Listings

posted by Erik Dafforn in category: Google

This has been discussed for a few months here and there, but this is the first time I've seen it in the wild. Google SERPs are giving users the ability to "promote," "remove," or "comment" on listings:

Here's a closeup of the three. See if you can figure out which is Promote, Remove, or Comment:

I've only begun to play with them, so I have no idea what the implications are. I suspect that like with most things, Google will harness the data and use it in aggregate to try to improve relevance of results. I'm sure we'll read more about that in the next couple days, along with the imminent speculation about "what it all means," which, in the grand scheme, is usually very little. Still, it's cool.

Google Lets Users Promote, Remove, Comment on Listings
Posted by Erik Dafforn at 10:32 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)
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Google SERPs Showing MySpace + other Videos

posted by Erik Dafforn in category: Universal SEO

I'm surely not the first to notice this, but I saw MySpace video thumbnails in Google SERPs for the first time today:

Looking around, G is pulling from multiple sources, including MetaCafe, CollegeHumor, and this example from Spike:

A couple months ago, AccuraCast noticed two video results in a horizontal line, but in that sample, both videos were from Google-owned YouTube.

This is the next logical step in the universality of Universal Search, so to speak. Is it also the beginning of the end of big corporate presence on shared video sites?

Google SERPs Showing MySpace + other Videos
Posted by Erik Dafforn at 06:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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November 13, 2008

Perceived Competition vs. Actual Competition

posted by Angela Moore in category: Link Building

It happens 80% of the time I ask the question. I am talking with a client on the phone and I ask “who do you feel is your direct competition in your industry?” What I then receive is a list of competitors that are prominent in the industry. But how many of these competitors are showing up in the search results? Generally, less than 10% of the competitors that I get from my client are actual competitors in the SERPs.

If my client is a big brand, then I get a list of other big brand companies that have a Web site. These competitors typically are not engaging in SEO nor are they targeting the same keywords that my client is focusing on. These competitors tend to rely on their brand name to draw customers and make online sales. There are times when big brand competitors are showing up in SERPs for broad keyword phrases due to their brand name and domain. For instance, if I’m doing research on the keyword “toys,” it makes sense that Toys R Us shows up at or near the top. “Toys” is in their brand and their domain. Since most people link to Web sites with the brand name, that adds to their ability to rank.

But what about my clients’ actual competition? There is a tremendous amount of value in doing a thorough competitive analysis that focuses on link development. Why? Because a) it shows you what your competition is (or is not) doing in terms of link development, b) it tells you who your actual competition is for specific keywords that are valuable to your SEO efforts, and c) it is a springboard (or smorgasbord of information) into researching potential sites that you can acquire links from.

Big brands aren’t always optimizing their site nor are they engaged in an active (or well designed) link development campaign. More often than not, I find resource sites, niche brands, and other lesser-known players in a particular industry performing the best for these types of keyword phrases. And, surprisingly enough, these smaller sites tend to out-perform the big brand competition in their link development efforts. They have a more varied link portfolio than the bigger companies. Why? Generally because they teach themselves the ins and outs of the industry because they know they are competing with bigger brands. And also because they tend to have a little more time on their hands since they are not managing the daily activities of a multi-million dollar corporation.

There are, of course, exceptions to this. Auto insurance is a great example. Several of the big players in the industry are actively engaged in strategic SEO and link development campaigns. While some are definitely performing better than others, there is quite a bit of evidence that points to the fact that these companies are SEO savvy.

So the next time you think of your competition, think beyond the big players in the industry. Do some queries and find out who is truly at the top. And dig a little deeper to see what more you can be doing.

Perceived Competition vs. Actual Competition
Posted by Angela Moore at 07:43 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)
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