 SMX East Roundup: What CMOs Need To Know About Search
SEO Roundtable
What are the high-level strategies and big ideas that CMOs need to know to "get" search and make sure that the company is leveraging it effectively? Panelists at SMX weighed in on that topic.
One of the key themes was that SEO is an ongoing process. "SEO is really less of a function and more of a process," said Allegis Group's Jill Nortman. "You need to be involved because the Internet industry is constantly changing. Recently, social media sites are being indexed. Having a presence there is very important, especially to articulating that to your CMO. Blended results are also a new phenomenon - if you aren't keeping up with those changes, you're missing the boat."
Also, having synergy between paid and organic efforts is key. "Visibility in both increases our brand awareness," said Jennifer Doss, of Hat World and Lids. "In our paid listings, we can control the ad copy but you can't do that as easily with organic listings. You can also control the landing page for these so you can go to higher-converting pages."
The panel also touched on the importance of using tools, the fallacy of "ego-bidding," as well as optimizing all kinds of content -- not just text. - Read the whole story... SMX East Roundup: Google's Local Search Q&A
Search Engine Land
Greg Sterling posts a Q&A from SMX East in which Eric Stein answered attendees' direct questions about Google's Local Business Center (LBC) and map listings. Of particular interest was whether the analytics for local queries would improve, as Webmasters see clicks from OneBox listings or Google Maps lumped in with the "ordinary" organic traffic. Google's stance came through loud and clear -- both times the question was asked. "Local Universal results are organic results and there is no plan to separate them," Stein said.
Attendees also asked which data sources were the most authoritative for local business listings -- be it their own submissions, third-party data feeds, user reviews, or other sources -- and Stein said the business owners' own verified data always ranked first. "A business owner's verified listing trumps all other sources in terms of fields displayed," he said. "The least authoritative is a single reference on an unverified web page. Everything else is in between those two ends of the spectrum."
Stein also answered questions about Google's efforts to fight local and map spam, the LBC's seeming affinity for 800-numbers over local numbers, as well as queries from business owners outside the U.S. - Read the whole story... Grading Icewraps.net For SEO
Practical e-commerce
Jeff Meundel gives Icewraps.net its SEO report card, assessing the site in terms of its tags, keywords, content and overall optimization. The site, which offers cool wraps for people with sports injuries, received a B+. There was good indexation (A), no duplicate content issues, good keyword integration (B) and rankability, as well as lots of quality content that was relatively easy to access. Title tags and URL structures also scored As.
The big problem was a lack of inbound high-quality inbound links. IceWraps.net had a PageRank of three -- not horrible, but not great, when you consider that there were nearly 1,200 inbound links already. It signals a problem with quality, not quantity. "An additional concern is the links page, which has many outbound links to other websites," Meundel says. "These links are simply bleeding away PageRank. While it is great to support partners and associates, there are too many in this section, and most of the links should have NoFollow tags added to them so as to retain PageRank." - Read the whole story... A Comprehensive IT/SEO Checklist
aimClear
Marty Weintraub lays it all out there, serving up a comprehensive IT checklist that search consultants or agencies should give to prospective clients at the start of the relationship. The list covers everything from credentials and passwords for file transfer protocol programs and content management systems, to server models, database types, and of course, the various paid search account and analytics programs.
"Over time we've learned the importance of gaining proper understanding and access credentials, before evaluating sites and/or taking on new clients," Weintraub says. "We need to understand how your site is wired, how things are measured and gain quick access as needed. It's true; we don't need all of these access points for every account we deal with. That said, gathering the information ahead of time sure saves piles of time when bodies are flying." - Read the whole story... Is Your Client's Blog Ginger or Mary Ann?
Copyblogger
Ahh, the eternal question. If you were trapped on Gilligan's Island, would you want to be (or be with) Ginger or Mary Ann? Sonia Simone turns that question into a study of blog tactics and styles, noting that the best blogs are a hybrid of both function and flair.
Ginger, for example, was a star -- no matter where she was -- and so her behavior reflected that. In blogging, that can be translated to pushing the envelope in terms of content. "Ginger is killer headlines," Simone says. "Ginger is linkbait. Everyone talks about her, everyone wants to know what she's up to. Ginger can hit the front page of Digg with a long, smoky look and a shift of her hips."
A Mary Ann blog, however, is one that can hit Delicious' front page once a week, every week. "Mary Ann is passionate about her content community," Simone says. "Mary Ann follows 15,839 users on Twitter. Everyone loves her, everyone links to her. If Mary Ann was a blog, she'd give lots of practical, solid advice that her readers would want to file away for reference." - Read the whole story... |
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