An important first step in launching an online marketing campaign is identifying objectives. Your objectives will help lead your strategy, implementation, measurement, and refinement. For example, an ecommerce site may be looking to drive more traffic to their website. Increased traffic will push more visitors into the top of the funnel, likely increasing the number of visits which convert to a sale. However, as one company learned, marketing effects for an ecommerce site can impact your bottom line in more than one way.
Company Background:
Leather Bound is an online and in store retailer of leather motorcycle apparel and accessories. Leather Bound Online has been engaged with TopRank since 2010, with the objective of increasing traffic and online sales via their website, leatherboundonline.com.
Current Situation: Leather Bound Online retained TopRank Online Marketing to strategize and implement a Search Engine Optimization and Content Marketing program which tactics include:
One word: Optimization. Right, I know, everyone is talking about optimization, but we’re talking about not just optimizing for search engines, but optimizing for customers.
What is optimization?
optimize (verb): to make as perfect, effective, or functional as possible (Merriam-Webster)
Optimizing your online content, whether it’s your webpage, a blog post, social message, online profile, article, press release, photo or other content, involves weaving in keywords and phrases that provide solutions for the business problems your customers are looking for help solving. Synchronizing your keywords and content with both your customers’ needs and search engine algorithms can grow your audience and increase exposure to potential new clients.
Most marketers understand the importance of setting goals, understanding audience and making a plan for improving their search engine visibility. But despite the need for that strategic approach, online marketers are hungry for individual tips and best practices. At TopRank Online Marketing, we understand the need for both and cover the strategy in-depth at Online Marketing Blog.
For tips that you can use right now, here are 7 suggestions that will help you align your content with SEO best practices and help raise your visibility where customers are looking:
Avoid overuse of pronouns like “it”, “they” and “them” in favor of more descriptive keyword phrases where Google is looking for them in page titles, file names, text links between pages, image alt text and in body copy.
Facts tell, stories sell: Figure out why customers buy and create keyword optimized content that tells stories about how and why your products solve customer problems.
TopRank Online Marketing is in search of a talented web developer to join its high-performing team. The ideal candidate seeks an opportunity for challenge, innovation and reward with an opportunity to do world-class work in a fun, growing and collaborative environment.
We are looking for a design savvy Web Developer that also understands the technical side of SEO. This role requires proficiency in web publishing applications, web design and their impact on search engine visibility. It also offers a chance to learn and grow as web technologies and search optimization continue to evolve.
Primary Functions & Responsibilities:
Design and development of websites, email landing pages, blogs, social media backgrounds and more for clients
Developing web, social and blog templates
Supporting website SEO audits for clients
Supporting web analytics and search marketing reporting
Creation and testing of email campaigns and response tools
Thursday, January 26th, 2012 | Filed under Ask an Expert.
When should you start with Content Marketing? Today’s online marketing is a race where the stakes are high, competition is tough and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to create a sustainable, competitive advantage. Consider these questions to help you answer, “When Content Marketing is right?” for you:
What’s the right time to understand who your best customers are? Who are your “worst” customers?
When is it a good time to know what your prospects and customers care about and why they buy?
What triggers your prospects to discover, consume and engage with content that inspires sales, social shares and referrals?
Does having no content plan really mean you’re planning to fail?
If you don’t tie your SEO, Social Media and Online Public Relations efforts together in a way that’s “manageable” and efficient now, will you wait until your competition does?
Wednesday, September 28th, 2011 | Filed under Ask an Expert, SEO.
The culmination of a deal signed just over a year ago is that Microsoft’s Bing now powers Yahoo! search. The actual search impact remains to be seen, but it’s worth noting that the two search engines together (Yahoo! and Bing) account for only about 30% of U.S. searches – with Google at 65%.
The real SEO news is that Bing is launching its brand-new Adaptive Search. This is a tool by means of which Microsoft will attempt to adjust its algorithm to take into account the contextual relationship of a user’s search history. Microsoft’s Aidan Cook explains the Bing Adaptive Search this way: “Every time you search on Bing, the information provided helps Bing understand what you’re trying to do. The more you search, the more Bing can learn – and use that information to adapt the experience so you can spend less time searching and accomplish what you set out to do.”
In an ever-evolving age of interactive media, search marketers walk a tight rope. Between paid and organic search, social media, optimization, search rankings and measuring success, it’s no surprise that this balancing act presents challenges.
MarketingProfs University is offering a 13-class course addressing popular questions on these topics to help search marketers find the perfect balance and be more effective in their careers.
MarketingProfs University provides affordable, comprehensive online training across the disciplines that make up every business’ marketing mix. In addition to learning what businesses need to plan, build and measure successful marketing programs, course attendees have the opportunity to review best practices from peers, discover new tools and processes, and see what’s working in marketing today. Search Marketing School is a live online presentation featuring several speakers throughout the day.
Marketo Social Media & SEO for B2B marketing webinar with Lee Odden of TopRank Online Marketing and Rand Fishkin of SEOmoz.
Mobile Marketing Spend to reach $56.5 billion by 2015. That’s 6 times the spend in 2010. Mobile is obviously hitting its stride this year with the proliferation of smartphones. The ATT & Verizon plus iPhone and Droid competitive spirit hasn’t hurt growth either. Via MarketingCharts.
The 7 Stages of News in a Twitter and Facebook Era. Insightful observations about social group behavior when it comes to news. Social sites like Twitter have eclipsed mainstream media when it comes to breaking news. Via GigaOM.
The Role of On-Page SEO Content: Relevance, Not Rankings. The bottom line with SEO is to make it easier for search engines to do what they do with your website. With the recent Panda update, that also means quality content and social engagement. On-page SEO is just the start, because links are still important and to inspire content and social engagement, a website’s content must be promoted and shared. Via Search Engine Watch.
Transform Your Marketing. Need a ton of stats on Social SEO and Blogging? Check out this presentation from HubSpot’s recent Marketing Transformation Week.
How Engaged Is Traffic from Social Sites? Web users who follow links from social sites are less interested in their content. According to data from Outbrain, just over 10% of external referrals are from social media sites, compared with approximately 41% from search and nearly a third from other content sites. Via eMarketer.
Facebook Launches ‘Send’ Button For More Selective Sharing, Announces 50 Million ‘Groups’. Via TechCrunch.
A First Look at Facebook’s New Deals. Facebook’s new Deals feature launched today in five U.S. cities and this post offers a first glimpse of how those offers look and function. Via Mashable and additional coverage from Search Engine Land.
5 reasons why social media is good for SEO by Stacey Acevero of Vocus. Via SEO Copywriting Blog.
Content Marketing Optimization — Digital assets, rich media, web pages, consumer opportunities. Interview with TopRank CEO Lee Odden at SES London.
Best Practices for Engaging With Consumers Through Social Media. Via WSJ.
Timeline of major Google algorithm updates 2003 – 2011. Via Level 343.
Three Steps to Generating Higher ROI From Content Marketing. Via MarketingProfs.
If you use Majestic SEO for link tracking and research, then get ready to get more out of Majestic with this Advanced Reports Tutorial. Via Majestic SEO.
Facebook is the social network with the highest rates of satisfying small-to-mid-sized businesses (SMBs), according to a Q1 2011 survey conducted by Borrell Associates. Via MarketingVOX.
A study of Fan Engagement on Facebook Fan Pages. Over 200 million fan pages were analyzed discovering that in terms of engagement, Audi beats Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber. Via Visibli.
An important first step in launching an online marketing campaign is identifying objectives. Your objectives will help lead your strategy, implementation, measurement, and refinement. For example, an ecommerce site may be looking to drive more traffic to their website. Increased traffic will push more visitors into the top of the funnel, likely increasing the number of visits which convert to a sale. However, as one company learned, marketing effects for an ecommerce site can impact your bottom line in more than one way.
Most marketers understand the importance of setting goals, understanding audience and making a plan for improving their search engine visibility. But despite the need for that strategic approach, online marketers are hungry for individual tips and best practices. At TopRank Online Marketing, we understand the need for both and cover the strategy in-depth at Online Marketing Blog.
TopRank Online Marketing is in search of a talented web developer to join its high-performing team. The ideal candidate seeks an opportunity for challenge, innovation and reward with an opportunity to do world-class work in a fun, growing and collaborative environment.
When should you start with Content Marketing? Today’s online marketing is a race where the stakes are high, competition is tough and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to create a sustainable, competitive advantage. Consider these questions to help you answer, “When Content Marketing is right?” for you:
The culmination of a deal signed just over a year ago is that Microsoft’s Bing now powers Yahoo! search. The actual search impact remains to be seen, but it’s worth noting that the two search engines together (Yahoo! and Bing) account for only about 30% of U.S. searches – with Google at 65%.
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