Shawn and the panel discuss SEO strategies with the SES audience.
We have the opportunity to learn the seven proven ways to get your website on page one organically and how to dramatically increase your conversion once you get there. We are listening to Internet marketing guru Shawn Moore as he explains the secrets that he has discovered over his 11 years in the industry. Does your website generate comments like this: “Since we re-wrote our website in 2006, our sales have continued to grow at an alarming rate. Our lead count was up by 137% on the same period last year. Our contract signings grew by 608% and our conversion rate increased 40% on the same period last year.”
Speaker:
Fact - What is Google’s business model?
They are in the business of attracting eyeballs. The revenue model is to provide paid search advertising. Emphasis is placed on relevance. Google generates $40M a day from advertisers. Page 1 is priceless as 91% of AOL users use page 1 for example. Position 1 is key as well with 50% of all visitors clicking on position 1 before the move on.
SEO Strategies - Search Engine Strategies listed in order of importance.
- Content is King - Appropriate content is important to support the keywords selected. Images can also be used as well as video.
- Navigation and Architecture - Use programming that Google can index. Be careful of JavaScript drop downs that can’t be followed by the search engine.
- Blogs - Blogs are other forms of content server in a slightly different manner. All of these items are strategies and more strategies are needed as competition is more sophisticated.
- Quality and Keyword Rick Inbound Links - reference Google’s guidelines. Use Yahoo SiteExplorer as a quick reference.
- Database installations - Be careful that the search engine can see this information
- Electronic Press Releases - Many sections that are submitted to Google News that have great content and links.
- Domain Name Strategy - Can be an area not currently used. Select a keyword rich domain name if possible. Register and host for multiple years indicates relevance. Take a look at direct domain searches to direct traffic to you and your site.
How do we leverage the strategies above related to an Internet marketing budget plan? Simple; take a percentage of budget for each. Implement as many strategies as possible using your budget. Look at your major competitors first to understand which strategies they have deployed.
What is and Ideal SEO team?
- Talented Creative Designer
- Talented Web Developer
- Talented Content Writer
- Talented Marketing Manager
- Wiz Technical Manager
- Expert SEO
- Expert Strategists
The more fluid the team the more significant the results!
Open Q&A
- Keep your links to 100 or less per page
- Focus your link building on keyword anchor text that you are looking to dominate
- Stay away from duplicate content
SES Keynote Panel: How Much Search is Enough?
Eric and I have the pleasure to sit in on today’s Key note panel. It’s a huge room with lots of Internet marketers.
Where does search really fit within a marketer’s total digital advertising effort? Big businesses and small businesses alike struggle with how to allocate search marketing and other online advertising or marketing efforts. This Orion panel will evaluate strategic thought processes and then grind down to tactical execution with thought leaders from the search engine marketing, advertising agency, and advertiser perspectives. We will explore how search can be “carved out” from an overall budget and how it will lead the white whale of online marketing — a truly holistic marketing strategy.
Moderators:
Speakers:
- Robert Murray, President, iProspect
- Aaron Goldman, VP, Marketing & Strategic Partnerships, Resolution Media, an Omnicom Media Group Company
- Steven Kaufman, SVP, Media Director, Digitas
- Bob Tripathi, Search Marketing Strategist, Discover Financial Services
Notes:
- There is a huge slide displaying the following information
- Take This Home
- What’s the best plan?
- Holistic Strategies
- Agency Integration
- Brand Integration
- Case study on Gatorade micro site strategy for natural search
- Search input given in the wire frame strategy - 2 years ago SEO would have been thought about after launch - 50% of sites are starting earlier than 2 years ago.
- The efficiency and effectiveness of search has driven the adaption of including SEO planning earlier.
- Market conditions have changed where budget is now coming from TV and other traditional channels and moving to online.
- The applause meter shows a balanced attendance between agencies and in house buyers.
- Most money being spent in marketing is being spent on accountability. Search falls into this sweet spot.
- Understanding the lifetime value of your customer allows smart marketers to make key decisions.
- Search is being used today to justify traditional media effectiveness, aka spikes in volume at certain times and geographies.
- Panelist Comment: Search engines need to do a better job selling brand. Advertisers are launching campaigns to not click, but show brand.
- Baby Boomer demographic as a whole not interested in doing business online. Although 2/3 of offline messages have seen results in search and 2/3 of those purchased from the company that introduced them.
- Advise clients to include testing budgets so you know where to move without jeopardizing your primary campaigns.
- Panelist points out that more money is spent on resources for TV vs search.
- Tips
- Recognize the role of each term in your search campaign & measure
- Understand demand capture vs demand acquisition
- Know the lifetime value of your customers
The final day of the Search Engine Strategies Conference begins with a morning keynote by Dan Heath, author of “Made to Stick”. I’m then off to my first session of the day, which is going to be Site Clinic, an interactive session examining volunteers’ websites live to provide help to gain more traffic from search engines.
The second session of the day will be Creating a Cohesive Search Strategy Across Multiple Business Units. David Roth, Director of Search Marketing for Yahoo! will explain how Yahoo defines, measures and manages online marketing success across a variety of business models. Eduardo Llach, Chief Marketing Officer and Co-founder of SearchRev will present search strategies and campaign optimization techniques that brands use to meet their online marketing objectives.
Session number three is Post-Click Marketing: Converting Search Engine Traffic. This session will cover: keyword research, organization and structure of a site to facilitate click-paths, creating content that pleases each segment of a visitor, testing content to determine what works and what doesn’t, and making sure you’re showing each segment of users the content that is most likely to entice them to convert.
The final session of the conference I will be attending is Search Advertising Tools. This will focus on both free and paid offerings for search advertising tools. A panel of experts including the co-founder of Clickable and and the VP/Director of Search of SMG Search will be there to to teach us about the latest tools.
Finally, I will be heading home on the red-eye back to Charlotte. Keep an eye out for my live blogs from SES as well as some thoughts from when I return. I look forward to hearing your feedback..
Here’s what I am planning on day 3 of the Search Engine Strategies Conference:
First, the Keynote Roundtable: Why Does Search Get the Credit for Everything? This session focuses on gaining a better understanding of how, when and where to attribute revenue gains.
The second session of the day for me will be either SEO Through Blogs and Feeds, which falls under the Organic Track and focuses on advantages blogs offer to SEO efforts or I will attend Social Media Marketing: What is it and What is it Good For? falling under the Social Media Track. This is the first year SES is offering the Social Media Track, which looks like it will be offering some strong sessions.
The next session I’m looking to attend also falls under the Social Media Track : Successful Tactics for Social Media Optimization (SMO). Here, I will learn how to tap into social media services.
Next, I will be attending yet another session in the Social Media Track. This one is entitled Social Media Analysis and Tracking and focuses on how social search can be used to drive traffic, conversions and increases ROI.
The last session of the day will be another Social Media Track offering, Facebook, Feeds and Micro-Blogging. This session is all about how social software and feeds are shaping the world we live in and changing the online user experience.
The day ends with yet another party! The Search Bash is hosted by WebmasterRadio.FM. I’ll try to post pics from this party as well as all of the others…stay tuned for Day 4..
