South Central Media

SEO 101: The Meta Description Tag

brett — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:23:24 +0000

While the meta tag description does not directly affect the search rankings, it is still a crucial element of on-page SEO.

Why?

The meta description tag can be a deciding difference between a user clicking through to your site … or moving on to your competitors.

So what exactly is the meta description?

Short paragraph (max 150-160 characters) that appears below the link title in the search results page.
Let’s searchers know what kind of content to expect after clicking your link from the search results page.
Employed using the following tag – in the section of the page.

Best practices for writing a meta description:

Proper keyword usage – Use variations of the Web page’s primary keywords. Incorporating a call to action and using enticing or engaging language will increase likelihood of a user clicking through. Search engines will also bold search terms if present in the meta description tag.
Write for humans, not search bots – Don’t keyword stuff, keep the writing natural and compelling, same as you would with search ad copy, a blog post, etc.
Be descriptive.
Write unique meta descriptions for EVERY page. Do not duplicate other meta descriptions or page titles, and mix up variations of keyword terms.

Here is a screenshot of a meta description from a search query using “apple.”

Most important “best practice” for meta descriptions – Remember to stay human!

Blogging for Website Traffic Vs. Blogging for Value

brett — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:15:20 +0000

A quick keyword search on “blogging” via WordTracker nets a not-too-surprising list of the usual suspects:

blogging for money
make money blogging
make money by blogging

and so the list continues as expected, with obviously a large percentage of the volume dedicated to those of us looking to spike site traffic and hit the big win to blogging and marketing paradise.

But a second, more intriguing number of keywords indicates that knowledge seeking is giving the “make money blogging” crowd a run for its search engine glory:

what is blogging
explain blogging
blogging preschool? (couldn’t have made that up if I tried)
what is the meaning of blogging (very deep)

Now either we’re being overrun by Internet existentialists, or there’s something to be said about the demand for good, valuable content with insights into blogging. Which brings me to a larger point.

While blogging is certainly a valuable vehicle for gaining inbound links and subsequent traffic boosts, increased rankings and so on, it’s also a perfect platform for you and your brand to engage with your customers on a whole different level.

Think value before traffic. Think blogging tutorials for beginners. Think about how you can offer these blogging-intrigued enthusiasts a helping hand.

Do this, and watch both your traffic AND reputation in relevant communities spike.

5 Simple Steps to Sustainable Social Media

brett — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:19:22 +0000

First impressions are certainly memorable and often lasting depending on the approach, and in the case of sustainable social media, the process for that first hello and handshake is quite similar when you break it down into simple, actionable steps.

Following these 5 simple steps will provide you, your brand, your cause and your conversations a platform to engage like-minded communities with the intent of forging sustainable relationships:

Listen
Introduce, not self promote
Engage and comment on conversations
Start conversations (think “helpful”)
Offer free advice and favors without expectations

The first step is where most of us fall flat on our faces. Once you dip that first toe into a social community, rather than leaping in armed to the teeth with promotional information and product sales sheets, take a step back and observe – Focus on conversation trends, identify the most popular or thought leaders in community and try to understand the temperature of the community (will they be receptive to your message and why/why not).

The second step is a natural follow-through to the listening process. Once you’ve listened and determined the temperature of the community and who the thought leaders are and how they are engaging each other and the community as a whole, offer a personable introduction with the caveat that you are there listen, learn and participate.

The third step requires active participation in ongoing conversations. By providing thought provoking commentary, you’re working to establish yourself as a trustworthy member of the community. You’re not self promoting, but asking questions, engaging and guiding the conversation into new avenues without expecting it to land on your site.

The fourth step is an extension of the active participation process. Once you feel comfortable enough to venture out on your own, offer an olive branch to the community by providing helpful advice, information, tips, etc.

That leads to the fifth and final step in your journey to sustainable social media. By offering value to the community without expecting favors or rewards in return, you’re legitimately focused on the long-term positive evolution and not the personal, short-term gains that your engagement could provide your business/brand. While the word “free” may make some of us cringe, it’s not about losing out on a sale in the immediate that you should be concerned with. It’s the “everybody wins” mentality from focusing on the relationships that will net much greater rewards down the road.

Generalization – The Conversion-Killing Landing Page Mistake

brett — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:35:27 +0000

The number one conversion-killing mistake for any landing page is being too general.

If you’re an auto dealership looking to shine a spotlight on your hot new 2010 mid-size SUV lines, then why fill the limited real estate you have for content on your landing page with general information about your brand and dealership?

Because it’s too tempting (and often much easier for busy business owners) to simply re-use existing Website content to populate your landing page. After all, it’s all about driving traffic … right?

It’s a tight-rope walk for most brands. While there is certainly value in establishing the positives that your brand offers potential customers via the content on your landing page, in the end the true value of a landing page all chalks up to relevancy. The more on target and relevant your message is to the solutions, products or services people are actively searching for, the more likely you are to increase your loyal customer base.

So while driving traffic is an essential first step, once you’ve connected with your audience your follow through is even more crucial to converting your audience into customers.

Here are three important questions you should ask before writing your landing page content:

How relevant is your landing content to your PPC ad copy?

Effective PPC marketing is all about relevancy. Creating a positive feedback loop on publishers like Google requires a simple three step process:

Keyword and competitive research to help you understand what your targeted prospects are searching for so that you can shift your PPC efforts and provide enticing copy that captures search demand.
Write engaging ad copy that is relevant to what your targeted prospects are searching for (if it’s tips on pet training, don’t focus all of your efforts on writing ad copy offering discount puppy chow).
Ad copy should be hyper relevant to the content on your landing page, creating a positive feedback loop with both user and search engine.

Relevant ad copy supported by relevant landing page copy = winning formula every time.

Are my headlines both keyword relevant and engaging?

An important litmus test for landing page copy is whether a) the primary headline grabs your attention and entices you to keep reading, and b) your headline is targeted and meaty vs. irrelevant and generalized.

Focus your headlines on the product or service that you are promoting on the landing page. Your headline should both engage the user and tell them exactly what to expect if they continue reading your content.

Am I talking too much about my brand instead of how I can help my audience?

General copy about your company history, while important in helping to establish trust with your audience, is not always best applied in the body of your landing page content.

Cut to the chase. Use bullets to present the benefits of your products and services. Separate chunks of copy into shorter paragraphs using sub headlines. Keep the copy concise and use your landing page content to build a case for conversion – from engaging headline to benefits copy to a stirring call to action.

Simply put, your landing page content should focus all of its energy on helping the user understand why this particular product or service can change their lives, solve a great need or concern, etc. Focus only on the higher points of your company/brand, and risk being relegated to irrelevancy bin ten fold.

A Scientific Approach to Paid Search Will Drive Results, Not Just Traffic

brett — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 19:14:58 +0000

As a small-to-medium business, effective paid search marketing is all about trimming the excess fat from your campaign to achieve maximum results, i.e. spend smarter to acquire more customers.

I would encourage all business owners, whether just dipping toes into the proverbial PPC pool or savvy veterans of the PPC realm, to reconsider how you approach campaign setup and focus more on understanding your customer’s needs and how to capture demand by offering highly relevant ad copy and smart PPC management.

Ideally you’ll want to focus on these key elements first:

Re-identify your core conversion goals. These should be actionable, whether it’s a customer picking up the phone and calling for inventory, service or about specific products, or interacting on your site and submitting forms or downloading promotional coupons.
Review your site content and segment by creating categories according to relevancy and priority. This is a key first step to determining how to properly set up ad groups. If your an e-commmerce retailer, for example, than key content categories will obviously revolve around your products, but consider delving even deeper and determining priority based on brand, seasonality, etc.
Start with core keyword phrases and branch out to add long tail (unique brand or product names for example) and geo keywords (location specific, i.e. nashville bike shop).
Consider separate campaigns if you have multiple, high volume product or service categories. Also, be certain that you don’t dump all product keywords into one or two broad ad groups should you focus your efforts on a single campaign. A bucket approach will simply dilute the effectiveness of your ads and keywords, so segment to be hyper relevant.
Review your organic search traffic trends and gain a better understanding of your customers’ search habits.

The key elements of approaching your PPC campaigns with a scientific eye will ensure that you’re starting the process with a clear advantage. The above elements are truly just the beginning of a long but worthy and fulfilling journey.

You’re simply avoiding the pitfall of hitting go on your search campaign and hoping loads of traffic will hit your site … and you’ll reap the profitable rewards as a result.

Remember: Smart PPC drives qualified traffic, and qualified traffic is much more likely to engage with your products and services.

SEO 101: Introducing the Title Tag

brett — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 16:44:57 +0000

Arguably the most important on-page element when it comes to SEO optimization, the title tag is a crucial bit of meta information that you (or the search bots) can’t afford to neglect.

A bit of background on the title tag:

Describes the page content – Conveys to the user and search bot exactly what this page is about.
Influences (along with the content of your page + other elements) page relevancy.
Shows up in three important places – Search results page, browser, social media and browser favorites/bookmarks

Page relevancy is essentially the search engine’s way of determining how relevant the content on a particular page is to what users are searching for. So being hyper relevant requires using appropriate, relevant keywords in not only the title tag of each page, but the content and other elements as well.

As you can see in the examples below, the title tag “Search Marketing – South Central Media” appears both in the browser bar when visiting that particular page, in addition to the clickable link displayed in the search results page on Google.

Remember, the lack of page relevancy will only hurt rankings in both the short and long term. More on best practices for title tags to come.

Wowsers: The Chimpadeedo Signup Form App for iPad

brett — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:16:21 +0000

Okay iPad users, I’ll admit that we don’t go out of our way to feature Apple news. Considering there are blogs geared to tech and geek news and product reviews that do it a lot better than we can, we stick to offering tips on effectively marketing your brand or business.

Enter Chimpadeedoo, a signup app for iPad with a sleek and simple interface for collecting email addresses while you’re in physical locations. Exchanging business cards at trade shows just got an extreme makeover.

Best part is that you can actually store connections locally on your iPad, so if you’re in a bind without internet access, you’re still covered on nabbing that essential new contact’s information.

MailChimp’s Chimpadeedo App for iPad

3 Tips for Writing Email Subject Lines That Straight Deliver

brett — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 17:53:34 +0000

Pun intended.

The real deal when it comes to writing effective email subject lines is personalization, and the smart entrepreneurs, business owners and email marketers are the one’s who take the time to write compelling, unique and personable content before ever scheduling or hitting the send button.

Subject lines are not excluded. Following best practice when writing email subject lines is as simple as 1-2-3:

Keep it short – If you’re over 50 characters with spaces, you’re too long.
Keep it targeted – In addition to keeping your subject lines short and concise (think people and short attention spans), making sure your subject lines are highly targeted to the segment of your list will help increase open rates. If you’re a retailer sending a seasonal email to women promoting great specials on your swimsuit line, make sure the subject line includes your store location and references the specific product (for ecommerce without a physical location, being specific still applies). Avoid words like “free” and “percent off” in your subject line to reduce spam risk, and save promotional content for the body of the email (but keep it light, remember value first!).
Personalize – Change parts of your subject line regularly to avoid becoming stale. If you’re sending a weekly or monthly newsletter, consider adding a content teaser to keep it fresh.

Repeat – Keep it short, keep it targeted and keep it fresh, and you’ll be well on your way to delivering more value to your audience.

5 Tried and True Headlines for Engaging Your Audience

brett — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 21:25:42 +0000

Engaging. A word that quite simply implies all you need to know about effective copywriting and content strategy.

The formula for sticky content is simple: Start with an engaging headline that peaks the reader’s interest (enough to read past the first line of copy), provide value and build trust leading up to a compelling call to action.

I’ve prepared a brief list of 5 headline types that are time tested and true to grabbing your audience’s attention.

Be Direct

Skip the fluff and go directly to the meat of your value proposition. If the offer is sexy enough, and you’ve clearly stated the process, outlined the steps involved and built your case for conversion, then this headline type can be very effective. NOTE – The headline can only be as good as the offer and supporting copy.

Free 60 Day Trial of XYZ Product
Shop Our Line of 2010 Designer Suits - Prices Reduced by 50 Percent!
Sign Up for XYZ Product Today and Receive an Additional 30 Percent Off

Be Subtle

A slightly more clever approach, this headline type uses the power of curiosity to subtly engage the reader. Employing the power of metaphors, a pun or two and even subtle humor can go a long way in catching the reader’s interest without hitting them directly in the head with your offer.

SEO is Like a Fleeting Lover … Difficult to Catch but Well Worth the Effort
Out with the Old Ways of Selling XYZ Products and In with the New (make sure product is easily recognizable in this case).

Ask a Question

No better way to gain empathy from your audience then by asking a relevant question that sparks a personal response. The idea here is purely psychological (though all good copywriting is). You ask a question that the audience feels compelled to answer or can easily relate to their personal lives, problems, etc., then provide the answer in the copy that follows your headline.

Are You Tired of Watching Your Competition Dominate the Market?
Are You Suffering From Hair Loss and Tired of all the Gimmick Solutions?
Who Wants to Get Rich Online in Only 90 Days?

Call to Arms

Break out your arsenal of highly effective verbs and unleash! Actually, the approach is rather simple. Use a clear call to action that incorporates a strong verb and prompts the reader to take immediate action.

Subscribe to Our Monthly Product Newsletter
Contact XYZ Company for Your Free Consultation Today

Listing Like a Maniac

The cat’s meow for just about every successful blogger out there today, the list headline type is actually an mash up of two traditional headline types – the Reason Why and How to.

Reason Why headlines traditionally employ a bulleted or numbered list that provides multiple “reasons why” your reader should buy a product, contact your company, etc.

50 Reasons Why You Should Use These 5 Headline Types in Every Blog Post
5 Reasons Why Building Relationships is the Best Kind of Networking

A How to headline also generally uses a bulleted or numbered list. The idea here is you are offering a direct correlation between the valuable information you provide and a question your reader needs answered.

How to Use Free Wordpress Themes to Generate XYZ Result
How to Minimize Bookkeeping Errors with XYZ Product

So now you have a beginner’s arsenal of effective headlines, but what about the follow up? Effective headlines are only the first step to using your content to engage an audience.

Be sure to check out Three Crucial Tips for Turning Your Audience into Rabid Fans for more information on the steps to take after you’ve engaged your audience with sticky content.

SEO 101 – Starting with a Seed List for Keyword Research

brett — Mon, 24 May 2010 20:35:48 +0000

Keyword research is your bread and butter for understanding more about your target market and your customers – to predict demand and shift if needed – so you can offer the products, services and most importantly content that potential customers are already seeking. It’s not exactly a crystal ball … just the next best thing for connecting with your prospects.

There is a plethora of meaty information to help you navigate the keyword research process, but before you dive in head first and absorb an abundance of expert knowledge on refining your keyword list, first consider building what SEO expert Aaron Wall calls a “seed list.”

Now, building a seed list really is no different than doing a thorough business analysis. It entails understanding the solutions/information your customers are looking for (search terms), how you will solve that need or provide relevant information (content on your site or in other marketing efforts) and how you will shift your approach according to the answers and data you accumulate.

Building a keyword seed list starts with asking the right questions:

Which key terms are most relevant to my brand/business, products and services?
What geographic areas are my customers searching from and for (your city combined with a relevant search term, like Chicago lawn care service)?
What are my competitors doing to optimize their organic search rankings (specifically key terms they are targeting in the content of their site)?
What opportunities do I have for keyword optimization in the content of key pages on my Web site, i.e. what am I missing?
What is the data from my site analytics (hopefully you are tracking this via Omniture, Google Analytics or another web analytics platform) telling me about my prospects (which terms are driving traffic, which terms are converting site visitors into leads/customers)?
Repeat question 5 for your paid search marketing (how much are you willing to pay per visitor to your site, i.e. how much is a single visit worth?) and determine which converting paid search terms represent the highest value for your business.

Answer these questions, build a core or “seed” keyword list, and you’ll be well on your way to better understanding what your customers are searching for and how you can connect with them, front and center.