| 13 November 2007
Search Engine Optimisation advice to help you attract more people to your site, as well as analysis of the search players' strategies.
Search engines have massive influence over how internet content, services and applications are found, used and shaped.
They're designed to deliver the most relevant content based on the words you give them - in other words (was that a pun?): what you put in will have a serious impact on what you get out.
Now here's the challenge if you're want to attract people to your business online: most people only use online search on a very basic level. They enter the words that are top of mind when they're trying to find something.
So you need insights into how your potential customers, suppliers and partners think to help them find you and think of you positively.
David Hutchins, Director, Press Matters, comments on how his business communications company uses Google, search engines and Search Engine Optimisation
1. I have come to rely on Google search for almost all of my online searching, for me it feels more practical and simple. I have had staff you have filled their entire desktop with Google options, and then hardly used them when the novelty wears off.
2. The internet is such a powerful tool, the challenge has really become finding the time and possessing the smarts to effectively harness it. Search engines like Google and Yahoo are increasing offering services for Trend Spotting, which is an emerging business service which marketing and research firms are capitalising upon. But you can, and should, start it in your own operation by ensuring your team spends some of their net time noting and highlighting items that are applicable to your business and/or your customers. The benefit comes from being aware and noticing relevant items for your business.
3. Many businesses react negatively when they discover their staff are spending time online, I actually encourage it and ensure each staff member raises relevant items to our business in our weekly company meeting. It has won us new business, improved our customer responsiveness, and boosts immediacy across the business.
4. Whether its noticing new developments, contracts, or market reactions, the internet has unparalleled immediacy. It alerts us to trends that are worth reacting to, or even promoting, but it can also help us notice red flags, such as market fluctuations and dangers.
5. I reckon there are three different levels of Net usage: Non Tactical Non Strategic; Tactical No Strategy; and Tactical and Strategic. Businesses in the third category tend to be more agile, responsive and informed and would be proactive in establishing trend spotting as part of the routine. Those in the first category are probably not that intuitive and immediate and are suffering through workers only really using the net for personal use.
6. The way your web site is put together, makes a difference... "Does it contain the necessary titles, descriptions, keywords and other Meta tags required to be read and indexed properly by leading search engines, nor do they include the beneficial language in search results to entice customers to click through to their websites."
7. Optimising your Search Engine presence, recognition and subsequent click through by a customer or a prospect requires that you know at least as much about your customer and prospect as you do about your preferred Search Engines.
8. Search Engine Optimisation is about creating a magnetic attraction for your customers and prospects, if you can achieve this you don't want to obliterate the effect by having your customers click and land on a page that is as under construction, slow, or worthless real estate
9. Also it's about saving money. Are you going to plough your hard earned marketing dollars creating a flashy information superhighway billboard that's going to blink all day and night - or are you going to get savvy and engineer a campaign comprising primary market touch points at the peak times your targets are in the traffic?
10. Keywords are to search engines what bait and lures are to fish and perfume and pheromones are to mutual attraction. The click throughs you catch are the click throughs you attract. If your keywords don't resonate with your target market you have got something drastically wrong.
How to make the most of natural search
Google currently holds the majority of the Australian Search Audience and it is easy to understand why. Google far exceeds Yahoo- not only in terms of Australian Market share, but also in their technology, products, services and support.
Search Engines and Web Sites have a relationship similar to the paparazzi and movie stars. You may not like each other but may fail to exist without each other!
Natural Search traffic drives around 70 to 80% of all visitors to a site. Having no visibility in the search engines is leaving the "closed" sign on the door of your shop. No visitors = no sales!
There are three core issues that affect your reputation and privacy in relation to search.
1. Google knows what you search for
2. Google will publish information in the search results regardless of whether it is right or wrong
3. Google has access to data from every Adwords customer and every Google Analytics customer
(1) Google knows what you search for
Google knows which country you are from and your IP address. Different IP addresses get served different search engine results for both paid and natural search. Google also collects all of your search data, and if you are using Google Gmail, Google Desktop (finds things that Windows can't!), Google Toolbar, Google Search history etc. Google has access to hordes of information. What will it do with the information? And what exactly is it that everyone doesn't want them to know? It seems ironic that people are publishing their personal opinions and life stories on Blogs, Myspace, Forums and all over the Internet, yet people are so quick to jump on Google collecting search data.
Generally privacy is something that can be "fashionable" to protest against much like "freedom of speech". However in the United States privacy has become and issue of National Security with the Bush administration announcing new laws that force Internet Service Providers and Google to retain data for Police convenience.
This brings us to the key questions: What's the scope? Who will have to comply, and what type of data will be forcibly retained? It will be curious to see what action the Australian Government will take in the coming years.
More information about Online Regulations in the US
At one point Google wanted to index the entire worlds information from libraries to databases, music, science etc etc, and now Google wants people to turn to Google to ask important personal questions such as "what job should I apply for?", "where should I go on holiday? So based on your search behaviour Google will eventually be able to supply more relevant results for individuals.
Currently it seems more likely that Google uses the data to create a better marketing solution for paid search advertisers, and their goal is to continue to grow their share value and yearly profits. As an Adwords Qualified Google Professional, who has assisted many clients to make money using Google, I have no moral issue with the mutually beneficial arrangement; whether it leads elsewhere in the future "Google only knows".
(2) Google will publish information in the search results regardless of whether it is right or wrong
Search Engines are software programs that can make no moral judgement on content. So what if someone publishes information that is incorrect or damaging personally or professionally and these are shown on page 1 of Google search results? What can you do if your service or reputation is being slandered on a blog, or Wikipedia or a site such as Crikey? Mud sticks and so can bad press in the Google index.
- You can request Google remove pages from the search engine index but only if you are the publisher of the site.
- You can approach the site to ask to have the article or pages removed; or report it to a moderator if one exists.
- Just because something is published online doesn't mean it is exempt from standard laws such as defamation. Seek legal advice.
Alternatively you can attempt to outrank the negative page by creating your own positive press campaign. This will force the negative articles down the Search Engine Result list. Use standard search engine optimisation techniques; create relevant keyword rich content, setup a paid search campaign and do some online linking and press releases to set the record straight!
(3) Google has access to data from every Adwords customer and every Google Analytics customer
Google's technology platforms are designed to help you make money from your site. If you make money on Google you will spend more on Google. It is truly in their best interest that your online campaigns succeed. Use Google Adwords to drive targeted customers to your site, use Google Analytics to see what the customers do when they get there.
Never before in marketing has there been such an ability to setup, manage and track campaigns to a lead, sale or return on investment. If they know too much, so be it; with Search Engines we all can know too much and people now have access to more information than ever before. To most marketers the "Google privacy conspiracy" is of little consequence when sophisticated powerful tools that benefit business bottom line are available.
Some of our clients who are more sensitive with data have invested in custom tracking packages rather then Google Analytics. Some of the issues faced with using these packages are the annual commitment financial commitment and ongoing training requirements. In comparison Google Analytics is so intuitive and the setup of tracking goals is extremely easy. This simple but yet highly effective tool that would suit the majority of sites.
Improving your online rankings and reputation
Some people become obsessed with Google PageRank and the Google Algorithm. In our experience the most consistently well performing sites are those that are structurally well organised and have substantial quality content. Creating quality content that adds value is a great incentive for organic linking. Developing positive online PR campaigns and continuing to update, respond and grow your online presence is the best way to get ongoing quality rankings and inbound traffic online. Short term wins are too often short term gains. Invest in quality content and develop quality alliances and links online.
Stephen Murphy, Director, Payperclick, explains the best ways to engage your audience via search
(1) How do you ensure your are using the everyday common language of your audience?
(2) What is the best engagement strategy for the web site content?
To attack both problems I recommend the following approach:
- Based on your knowledge and experience of your products and services build a transactional landing page (TLP).
- Allow the visitors to clearly understand what is required of them
- Put site live
- Drive qualified traffic ( users) via paid search (use Google only- initially)
- Study the Impression share of keywords that you purchase and focus on the keywords that provide conversions or yield actions
- Google allows you to actually see the common language search phrases that your target audience actually uses.( typed in to find you site)
- Use the above findings to help build the SEO content strategy
- Create some newsworthy articles about your site or products and features
- Syndicate the news a articles via web base pr services to generate awareness and organic inbound links
- There are always a few bad fish that spoil the taste in every industry, some industries perhaps more than others therefore if the optimiser's message proposition is " quick, easy, or to guaranteed" please stay well away.
Actually, after many years of waiting, Google finally released some search engine optimization guidelines or a "what not to do list". While it may originally look slightly daunting, please take the time to read and if necessary speak with colleagues about the points raised as only you will ultimately be held responsible if the engines either penalise you or even remove your site from listing at all.
Optimisation is not a black art or secret science, therefore engage with a company that wants to provide you with a level of knowledge transfer and charges on a fair hourly rate (not success metric) as it is an ongoing process and not a once off.
Finally, load some web based tracking software (free) that identifies the users pathways, the actual keywords that initiate conversions and actions as well as the most popular referring sites that drive a quality audience.
