Friday, October 29, 2010

The Secret to Stopping Scanners in their Tracks: Three S’s from Abigail Rossbach at Fathom SEO




The internet has turned most people into scanners. That is, they don’t have time, or want to make time, to read a lot of content on the web. They want to arrive at a site, find what they want and get on with their lives.

Which can be rather disappointing if you’re a good content writer. So what’s “The Secret behind Getting People to Actually Read What You Write?” That’s the title and subject of Abigail Rossbach’s recent article at FathomSEO.com.

Rossbach says you need to do three things before you sit down to write your next blog post, website update, etc:

Step 1: Admit it: People today scan more than they read.

Step 2: You need to quell their urge to scan.

Step3: Implement scan-busting methods that get people to stop scanning and start reading.

To do that, Rossbach says, is simple use of the “Three S’s:” Substance, Subheads and Scannability.

Substance: Your content needs to have value. People only read when they are expecting to get some benefit out of it. That benefit could be more information, a price, ingredients, materials, etc. Start by creating a headline that screams “Look at me!” Rossbach says.

Subheads: Subheads are vital on a web page. Why? They break up copy blocks. They organize what you’re talking about. And most of all they allow scanners to find what they’re looking for. Think of subheads as mini-headlines, because that’s what they are.

Scannability: Finally, Rossbach discusses the need for making your article ultimately scannable. Format your message in to manageable, meaningful sections. When the scanner finds what he wants, he’s yours. That’s why every sentence of your content should be entertaining and make a point.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Danny Sullivan on Google: Why Does Less Always Equal More?




Something at Google is bugging Search Engine Land’s Danny Sullivan. Namely, why is it, when you try to specialize a search – namely, eliminate potential search results by typing “-keyword”, you frequently get a much larger list instead?

To prove his point, he conducts a simple search on “cars,” and elicits over 546 million results. However, when he performed a search for “cars –used,” which one would think should eliminate any website with the word “used” in it, the number increases to over 661 million.

This, Sullivan says, is a long-standing problem; a gripe he has had with Google for years. Sullivan provides an answer of sorts from Google’s Matt Cutts, who says that search results are simply “estimates,” and not an exact count of pages that meet the parameters of the search.

In regards to why “A B –C” can return more results that A B searches, Cutts says: “The query [A B -C] causes us to go deeper through our posting lists looking for matches, which can lead to more accurate (and larger) results estimates. Other things can cause us to go deeper in finding matches, such as clicking deeper in search results.”

Using the cars example and Cutts’s explanation, Sullivan says, when you delete a term from the search task, it allows the search engines to “think” harder. Consequently, it can pull up more results.

In addition, with more and more websites coming online daily, Sullivan says it’s not as easy as it once was for Google to catalogue all of the information available on the web. This, however, doesn’t excuse Google from aggravating behavior. He suggests that maybe Google should add a disclaimer next to the results count stating that what you’re seeing is indeed an estimate.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Using Facebook for Business? Hubspot.com has 9 Tips on What Not to Do



No one is denying that Facebook has become a viable business tool. People are coming up with new marketing methods for Facebook literally every day.

However, there are also things you shouldn’t do with Twitter – which is what Diana Freedman writes about at hubspot.com: “The 9 Worst Ways to Use Facebook for Business.” They are:

1. Duplicating your Twitter Strategy on Facebook. Twitter and Facebook are two different platforms, and you need to use them differently. While it’s good to Tweet two or three times a day so that your customers (hopefully) see you, too many Facebook updates could lead to people dropping you. When you do post on Facebook, take advantage of the extended number of characters you have to get your point across.

2. Posting plain-text entries exclusively. People like variety. Post relevant videos or links to interesting articles. Involve your readers.

3. Not Allowing Fans to Share Content. If you don’t let your fans post on your wall, what’s the purpose of having a Facebook page? If you sell a product, for example, don’t you want pictures of your fans using that product to put on your wall?

4. Not Responding to Fans’ Comments. Facebook is a social medium, so be social. Respond to comments and questions. If you don’t have time, make time.

5. Ignoring Fans’ Comments and Content. Those very contributions to your site can be shared with others when they’re beneficial to promoting your product or service. They can also be great content additions when you’re short on time. So use them!

6. Not using Facebook Questions. This new Facebook service, allows anyone to ask and answer questions to and from Facebook users. It’s a great way to get customer opinion on your product ideas, service changes, etc.

7. Using a Profile Image with a poor thumbnail. When you upload your logo or brand image, Facebook cuts it down to make it fit in the little thumbnail on the profile. As a result, many logos get cut in half or rendered totally unrecognizable. Create a 200px-wide image of your logo and use it.

8. Not Linking to your Facebook Page from your Website. Stop keeping your page a secret! Put a Facebook link box on your web page and start drawing traffic to your Facebook page.

9. Putting Up a Page with No Personality. If your page is stuffy, you won’t get many fans. Facebook users want to connect with friends, not with a sales pitch. Freedman provides several examples of companies who are doing this correctly.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Google Gains on Bing-Yahoo in September, According to Experian Hitwise



Recent statistics from Experian Hitwise reports that search giant Google received nearly 75% of all searches in the U.S. in September. This is a full 1% gain from the previous month, and is remarkable in that the gain was made in the same month that Bing was hoping to cut into Google’s share by adapting its search engine to its new partner, Yahoo!

International Business Times writer Surojit Chatterjee, in his article “Google Rules Online Search Market in September,” says that Google’s gain was substantial, given that searches on Bing gained 2% when the search was conducted on Bing.com. However, Chatterjee says that Bing/Yahoo searches reported a 5% loss. That more than cancels out any gains that Bing.com may have made on searches made to its home site during September.

64 other surveyed search engines split the remaining 4% of the search pie not already taken by Google or “Bing-Hoo.” According to Chatterjee, Bing can be encouraged by the sites intellectual growth. For example, he says that in September, Bing saw its first double-digit sequential growth in the four major categories of Automotive, Health, Shopping and Travel.

Chatterjee could not say whether Google’s release of its Google Instant service helped the company’s growth in September. However, Google stock prices rose steadily throughout the month after Instant’s release.

Friday, October 15, 2010

SEOBook’s Aaron Wall: SEO (Usually) Doesn’t Create Demand – But Here’s What Does


In a recent Blog entry at SEOBook.com, Aaron Wall answered a question he was asked at a recent speech that he felt he had to think about a bit: How do you get your geo-local page to rank better when adding the location information?

Upon introspection, Wall realized the actual issue wasn’t so much ranking, but creating demand. Says Wall, “The core issue here is this: SEO fulfills, demand, but SEO doesn’t create demand.” He’s quick to add that there are exceptions to this rule, particularly when dealing with abstract products and services such as art, but these are rare.

Wall says that true demand is created by using one of three options:

Building the brand: Wall says building brand exposure is a great way to increase demand, because there are so many ways you can do it – public relations, product offerings, blog promotion, advertising, etc. Branded keywords tend to have the highest conversion rates. This means you’re likely to see a surge in both traffic to your site and sales.

Cross marketing: The “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” method works well for aggressive marketers who enjoy working with other organizations. Wall uses the example of the company that asked him the question at his talk. He recommends that they could have taken advantage of the fact that their business had a theme park across the street. They should have run “special promotions with that theme park offering discounts to frequent visitors.”

Gaining Exposure on Broader, Related Generic Keywords: Rather than trying to rank better for brand name + location, Wall says his subject company should have broadened the scope of their related query stream:

  • “their product category” + their location
  • Create a page on their product category +”near popular local attraction
  • Running ads that compare your product to others
  • Tuesday, October 12, 2010

    Karlie Justus at SocialMediaB2b Discusses Pros and Cons of Blocking Social Media at Work



    Can your employees access popular social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter? Karlie Justus, in her article “Pros and Cons of Blocking Social Media at Your B2B Company,” at SocialMediaB2B.com, cites a new report from Purdue University that says more than 80% of the businesses surveyed restrict the use of at least one social media site, while another 13% restrict all such sites.

    The concern, said the survey, wasn’t so much that people were using their social media presence to socialize, but that classified information was being entered into the public record, at an average cost of $2 million per incident.

    However, another report from McAfee, which also commissioned the Purdue report, says that 40% of businesses that allow their employees to use social media in the workplace have seen a measurable increase in productivity.

    So what exactly are the pros and cons of blocking social media at work? Justus sheds some light on both sides.

    Pros:

    1. Your business needs a singular tone and voice for its perceived image. Many B2B companies use a singular image and voice to represent their businesses. In order to maintain the image and feel you want throughout your communications, you can’t have more than one or two people writing what you release to the public. Too many voices muddy the waters.

    2. There may be industry specific concerns about social media. For example, if your company makes helicopters for the military, and their current project with you is top secret, you probably don’t want somebody accidentally spilling this information out on the internet. Justus says marketers in these areas should ask their customers whether social media is a part of their marketing plan before planning to use it yourself.

    Cons:

    1. It silences your biggest fans – your employees. Who knows your products better then the people who make them, sell them and want you to be successful, so that they can be successful too? If your employees can’t talk about your product, what better forms of free advertising do you have in mind?

    2. Justus says that few companies tend to stretch the boundaries of how social sites can be used in the office beyond the marketing department. She questions why more companies don’t use Twitter, for example, to provide public relations opportunities for their sales teams. She asks why more companies don’t allow Facebook to be used by Human Resources to help fill a position. And LinkedIn is a proven source for leads. If your employees can’t access all this, however, these are all moot points.

    3. A company that can’t access social media is a company that continues to live under the idea that social media is a waste of time, Justus says. If your company uses social media to attract new accounts, but you don’t let your own employees use it, how does that look to your customers?

    Friday, October 8, 2010

    BlueGlass.com’s Tucker Cummings Offers Four Necessities for the Modern Office “Luddite”


    Are you, or is someone in your office, a Luddite at heart?
    The term "Luddite" refers to anyone opposed to industrialization, automation, computerization or new technologies .
    In her article “The Luddite’s Guide to Productivity: Analog Solutions for a Digital World” at BlueGlass.com, Tucker Cummings admits that sometimes, amid all the modern social advancements of email, text messages, phone calls, IMs etc., low-tech or Luddite solutions can come in handy when you’re overburdened. She put together a list of four non-computerized tips that can really boost your productivity:

    Get an egg timer. This is a great way to manage how much time you spend on brainstorming and other open-ended projects. Plus, unlike a computer reminder service, the alarm doesn’t stop until you turn it off, which reminds you it’s time to do something else.

    Post-It Notes. Digital reminders aren’t always a good idea, because you can’t have your cell phone or computer screen in your face at all times. However, a post-it note sticks to virtually anything. You can put it in direct view of your line of sight regardless of whether you’re in a meeting or eating lunch. Post-it notes are great for reminding you to stay on task.

    Write on your hand. Yes, it’s an old grade school trick, but if you have something really important that you must accomplish, reminding yourself about it every time you look down at your hands is a good way to do it. (Cummings adds, “just make sure to wash your hands thoroughly before heading into a meeting.”)

    Eat something. Low blood sugar is not your friend. If you’re feeling tired or grumpy, it’s time to grab a fruit, vegetable or some other healthy snack to get your stamina back.

    Tuesday, October 5, 2010

    SearchEngineWatch.com’s Gary-Adam Shannon: White Hat Honesty is almost Never the Best Policy


    In a column that many industry insiders may find brave for someone to write, Gary-Adam Shannon has news for White Hat link builders that they probably don’t want to hear. In “White Hats: This is Why You’re Getting Beaten,” Shannon makes this statement:

    “With all things being equal, budgets matching and balanced resources, there is absolutely no way limiting your strategy to white hat will ever beat a black hat strategy.”

    Shannon goes on to say that combining “white hat” and “black hat” procedures in link building (or Grey Hat) is not only the way things get done these days, it’s the only way things get done. He says someone with a lot of experience in Black Hat can skillfully combine his tricks to make them look white hat.

    The stories you hear about black hat link builders going bad, Shannon says, are usually stories about inexperienced beginners. Having an experienced black hat builder on your team is vital in today’s fiercely competitive market.

    If the idea of black hat makes you nervous, Shannon suggests creating a new webpage; one that uses black hat techniques. Then compare its performance over your current white hat site. If for some reason, your black hat site get’s tagged and penalized, you still have the white hat side to fall back on. Shannon says your chances of even being caught using black hat techniques anymore are next to nil, due to Google and Bing trying to outdo each other.

    Shannon’s main point is that it’s time for link builders to evolve. Or as he puts it, “Life isn’t fair, and neither is the search business.”

    Friday, October 1, 2010

    Several Articles Point Out Google Instant’s Somewhat Fickle Blacklisting System


    Now that the hubbub about the SEO effects of Google Instant has quieted down to almost nothing, a sudden flurry of articles has appeared, centered around a list of blacklisted keywords published by 2600.com. The “Google Blacklist,” as they call it, is a list of several hundred terms which, when searched, will turn off the Google Instant feature for that search.

    Google says this is specifically to keep porn, violence and hate speech results from appearing in front of people who aren’t specifically looking for those things. However, both Matt McGee at SearchEngineLand.com and Samuel Axon at Mashable.com see some strange anomalies in Google’s word choices.

    For example, McGee says, one of the terms that Google Instant blacklists is “Pamela Anderson.” This means you can’t use Google Instant to help you search for anybody named Pamela Anderson, of which there are surely thousands.

    Since all variations of the word “Porn” are blacklisted, McGee reports that you can’t use Instant Search to find specific information on the popular indie band New Pornographers. And if you’re a rap fan, simply typing the phrase “rapping women” turns Google Instant off as well.

    Axon admits that while most of the blacklist consists of words that many people find offensive, there are others that simply seem out of place on the list. As an example, he points out the fact that “bisexual” and “lesbian” are on the list, while “heterosexual,” “asexual” and “homosexual” or not. He guesses that the offending words are probably the ones most likely followed in searches by the word “porn,” so Google Instant simply assumes the search outcome and shuts off. (That’s not good news for people looking for “lesbian health services” or “bisexual counseling,” for example, but there it is.)

    A Google Rep told Axon that they are constantly trying to improve the system. What they mean by “improve” remains to be seen.