Building Your Brand: Test Your Content, Not Just Your Keywords

I was doing my usual shuffle through a few analytics accounts the other day, for interest rather than with a clear goal in my mind when this blog post occurred to me. Firstly apologies for again writing something that is not ‘in the news’ as such. I promise my next post will be about current events – from Google plus-ing to site mobile-ing and everything in between.

For now, back to the thought I had about content, brand and analytics.

Here’s my train of thought:

1. We all know that our analytics accounts tell us what content is working, what search terms people come in on and  even what search terms send the ‘right’ kind of people to our site.

2. We all know that we need to hone our keyword targeting in order to get those ‘right’ kind of people – even if we are limited to using endlessly frustrating tools like the dreaded Adwords Keyword Tool.

3. We all know we need to write content, using those target keywords, in order to get conversions.

4. How often do we think about brand visibility and its value alongside conversions?

Let me give you an example. … Continue Reading

Your Influence (and Klout Score) is Worth Money

As you may know I am not a big fan of Klout or the services like Klout. Simply because it in most cases gives people the wrong impression of influence. You can be an influencer with a low Klout score or you can seem to be an influencer because you may have a high Klout score while in fact nobody cares about your opinion.

Still it is inevitable that we have to deal with services like this, because it is how we try to get a grip on the whole ‘influence’ matter. Because influence and authority will matter. We’ve seen it with Search Plus Your World. The more influence you have the more visible you get to be, so you need to be as visibile as possible. And your influence is going to be worth money. Lots of it. And Klout is one of the first to actually show us that. … Continue Reading

Why an editorial calendar is essential for kickass content creation

As an SEO and content creator, I know how vital it is to keep on top of each of my client’s needs when it comes to blog and web content. There’s nothing quite like missing an opportunity because you were too late to tie in content to a holiday season, a product launch or a pre-planned event to focus the mind on how to work that much smarter…..

It was this post from Lisa Barone back in 2009 that first alerted me to the wonders of the Editorial Calendar, and I’ve been using one ever since. Well, several in fact, for myself, my blogs and all of my client sites.  You might argue that an editorial calendar (EC) takes all of the spontaneity out of blogging, but it actually provides a solid basis for producing and distributing content, still leaving plenty of wiggle room to write those posts that leverage current news stories.  You still get to put your message out there, but in a way that provides your readers (and the search engines) with content that meets their needs on a consistent basis – with the added bonus of ad hoc content as and when required.

… Continue Reading

2012: A New Year shouldn’t always mean a New Start

Happy New Year State of Searchers! I hope 2011 was a successful year for you all and sincerely wish greater success for all in 2012. May it be prosperous and filled with fortune.

Now.. onto the body of this post. My initial thought for this blog post did centre on New Year and Resolutions. Pipped at the post by a winning top ten list by Jackie Hole, I had to give my post a little more thought. It occurred to me that my resolutions are always less about change and more about doing things ‘the right way’. Think a ‘classic’ coat rather than an ‘on trend’ coat. There is something to be said for  learning what works and sticking to something that will last! Think Audrey Hepburn rather than Paris Hilton. </Fashionspeak>

I’m not saying that change isn’t going to happen, nor should it ever be ignored. The opposite, however, is also true. Principles that work, techniques that make a difference, day-to-day methods should not be dropped after the latest hysteria or in order to keep up with the trends. My thoughts: … Continue Reading

People Searching For Rebecca Black Are Not Stupid

I have been doing training sessions for quite a while now. And for years one thing has been coming back on the table multiple times in sessions: listen to what your potential client has to say and act on that. It started off years ago with keyword research: trying to find what people searched for and act on that with your texts instead of trying to push your own ‘language’ and hoping people will adapt to that.

It has evolved to using not just the right keywords, but also the right platforms: be where your potential audience is and address them in a way they feel comfortable and familiar with.

It still strikes me however how few marketeers and tech people actually do this and how they sometimes respond to what ‘the real world’ is doing online. They don’t seem to understand that it is not them what makes the world go around but the bigger audience. Even people like Bill Gross don’t seem to understand. … Continue Reading

The Steve Jobs Way to Marketing Integration – By Bryan Eisenberg (@thegrok)

I am very proud that honored that Bryan Eisenberg agreed to do a guest post in our special integration series. Bryan is probably one of the smartest and knowledge people I know and at the same time a very nice guy. Bryan is speaking this week at the Conversion Conference in London as well as at Fusionmex this Friday. He decided to look at another great mind to give us an example of how we should look at marketing integration: Steve Jobs.

Do you currently own an Apple product? Better yet – more than one Apple product? That seems to be increasingly common. Have you ever experienced being in an Apple store? There is a reason that they sell up to 10x more per square foot than any other similar retailer. Even their online presence is demonstrating their dominance; they are now the number 2 most visited online retailer in the UK right after Amazon. The secret is an end to end seamless customer experience and equally tight marketing integration. Apple and a tiny handful of market leaders set the standard for your customers’ expectations. The question is – will you live up to it?

Ron Johnson who built Apple’s retail strategy said retailers should be asking, “How do we reinvent the store to enrich our customers’ lives?” Ask yourself: how will you reinvent your business to enrich your customers’ lives? If you find yourself or anybody at your company giggling then you have a propblem. … Continue Reading

SES Amsterdam: Unleash the power of your organisation for SEO results

Another summary of a session at last weeks SES Amsterdam 2011; Sander Tamaela, SEO manager at Onetomarket,  speaking about how to unleash the power of your organisation to get the most out of SEO.

First of all, explaining how SEO has evolved, all the way up to the recent Panda update, now a hot topic – but if you are worried about this you have been spending the last few years on the wrong SEO strategy. Who should SEO be accounted to? Not to your SEO (consultant) – but rather to your whole organisation – Sander explains. … Continue Reading

How X-Factor Can Help You Win in Online Marketing

The end of September / early October is the time of the year in which in many countries the talent shows start again. Usually (you can never be sure again in these days so it seems) the weather turns bad an people want to stay inside on the weekend nights.

So shows like the X-Factor and “The Voice” in the Netherlands are pushed onto the TV channels to give the viewer what they want: entertainment, competition, the idea you could have been one of the winners and the social element: something everybody talks about. But what could these shows tell us in our online marketing jobs? Quite a lot actually. If you look carefully they can teach you how you can win, in online marketing. … Continue Reading

The Target Audience Companies Keep Forgetting About

I do a lot of training sessions, I speak a lot and I help companies figure out what their strategy should be when it comes to online. Even though every client is different, there is always one question which I will ask every client, every attendee at training sessions and sometimes even the audience when I speak: what is your target audience?

Funny enough in nine out of ten times the answer is wrong. Or at least partially wrong. They are always missing one part of their target audience. Let me explain. … Continue Reading