Build SEO

Building are growing SEO more aware of the need to understand and implement at least the basics of search engine optimization (SEO). But if you read a variety of blogs and websites, you’ll quickly see that there’s a lot of uncertainty over what makes up “the basics.” Without access to high-level consulting and without a lot of experience knowing what SEO resources can be trusted, there’s also a lot of misinformation about SEO strategies and tactics.

1. Commit yourself to the process. SEO isn’t a one-time event. Search engine algorithms change regularly, so the tactics that worked last year may not work this year. SEO requires a long-term outlook and commitment.

2. Be patient. SEO isn’t about instant gratification. Results often take months to see, and this is especially true the smaller you are, and the newer you are to doing business online.

3. Ask a lot of questions when hiring an SEO company. It’s your job to know what kind of tactics the company uses. Ask for specifics. Ask if there are any risks involved. Then get online yourself and do your own research—about the company, about the tactics they discussed, and so forth.

4. Become a student of SEO. If you’re taking the do-it-yourself route, you’ll have to become a student of SEO and learn as much as you can. Luckily for you, there are plenty of great web resources (like Search Engine Land) and several terrific books you can read. (Yes, actual printed books!) See our What Is SEO page for a variety of articles, books and resources.

5. Have web analytics in place at the start. You should have clearly defined goals for your SEO efforts, and you’ll need web analytics software in place so you can track what’s working and what’s not.

6. Build a great web site. I’m sure you want to show up on the first page of results. Ask yourself, “Is my site really one of the 10 best sites in the world on this topic?” Be honest. If it’s not, make it better.

7. Include a site map page. Spiders can’t index pages that can’t be crawled. A site map will help spiders find all the important pages on your site, and help the spider understand your site’s hierarchy. This is especially helpful if your site has a hard-to-crawl navigation menu. If your site is large, make several site map pages. Keep each one to less than 100 links. I tell clients 75 is the max to be safe.

8. Make SEO-friendly URLs. Use keywords in your URLs and file names, such as yourdomain.com/red-widgets.html. Don’t overdo it, though. A file with 3+ hyphens tends to look spammy and users may be hesitant to click on it. Related bonus tip: Use hyphens in URLs and file names, not underscores. Hyphens are treated as a “space,” while underscores are not.

9. Do keyword research at the start of the project. If you’re on a tight budget, use the free versions of Keyword Discovery or WordTracker, both of which also have more powerful paid versions. Ignore the numbers these tools show; what’s important is the relative volume of one keyword to another. Another good free tool is Google’s AdWords Keyword Tool, which doesn’t show exact numbers.

10. Open up a PPC account. Whether it’s Google’s AdWords, Microsoft adCenter or something else, this is a great way to get actual search volume for your keywords. Yes, it costs money, but if you have the budget it’s worth the investment. It’s also the solution if you didn’t like the “Be patient” suggestion above and are looking for instant visibility.

11. Use a unique and relevant title and meta description on every page. The page title is the single most important on-page SEO factor. It’s rare to rank highly for a primary term (2-3 words) without that term being part of the page title. The meta description tag won’t help you rank, but it will often appear as the text snippet below your listing, so it should include the relevant keyword(s) and be written so as to encourage searchers to click on your listing. Related bonus tip: You can ignore the Keywords meta tag, as no major search engine today supports it.

12. Write for users first. Google, Yahoo, etc., have pretty powerful bots crawling the web, but to my knowledge these bots have never bought anything online, signed up for a newsletter, or picked up the phone to call about your services. Humans do those things, so write your page copy with humans in mind. Yes, you need keywords in the text, but don’t stuff each page like a Thanksgiving turkey. Keep it readable.

13. Create great, unique content. This is important for everyone, but it’s a particular challenge for online retailers. If you’re selling the same widget that 50 other retailers are selling, and everyone is using the boilerplate descriptions from the manufacturer, this is a great opportunity. Write your own product descriptions, using the keyword research you did earlier (see #9 above) to target actual words searchers use, and make product pages that blow the competition away. Plus, retailer or not, great content is a great way to get inbound links.

14. Use your keywords as anchor text when linking internally. Anchor text helps tells spiders what the linked-to page is about. Links that say “click here” do nothing for your search engine visibility.

15. Build links intelligently. Begin with foundational links like trusted directories. (Yahoo and DMOZ are often cited as examples, but don’t waste time worrying about DMOZ submission. Submit it and forget it.) Seek links from authority sites in your industry. If local search matters to you (more on that coming up), seek links from trusted sites in your geographic area — the Chamber of Commerce, local business directories, etc. Analyze the inbound links to your competitors to find links you can acquire, too. Create great content on a consistent basis and use social media to build awareness and links. (A blog is great for this; see below.)

16. Use press releases wisely. Developing a relationship with media covering your industry or your local region can be a great source of exposure, including getting links from trusted media web sites. Distributing releases online can be an effective link building tactic, and opens the door for exposure in news search sites. Related bonus tip: Only issue a release when you have something newsworthy to report. Don’t waste journalists’ time.

17. Start a blog and participate with other related blogs. Search engines, Google especially, love blogs for the fresh content and highly-structured data. Beyond that, there’s no better way to join the conversations that are already taking place about your industry and/or company. Reading and commenting on other blogs can also increase your exposure and help you acquire new links. Related bonus tip: Put your blog at yourdomain.com/blog so your main domain gets the benefit of any links to your blog posts. If that’s not possible, use blog.yourdomain.com.

18. Use social media marketing wisely. If your business has a visual element, join the appropriate communities on Flickr and post high-quality photos there. If you’re a service-oriented business

Will the Rise of Daily Deals Signal the Decline of Brand Advertising?

Hotel ads featuring palm trees and white sandy beaches start to look very appealing during the winter months. However, according to recent research, the imagery and copy does little to motivate travelers to book hotel rooms

Hawk Partners research on Hotel Channel Usage find that 65% of travelers who booked a recent stay are most likely to have used Online Review sites, such as Trip Advisor to select their hotel rather than those picturesque ads of beach scenes.  74% of the 1200 travelers surveyed said that Advertising (defined as TV and Print) had no impact on their selection. 

Asked to comment about which channels had the most influence on hotel selection, travelers responded with Promotions (Groupon, Living Social, Reward Sites) and Social Media ranking highest, with advertising coming in a distant forth.

Has the struggling economy and the rise of daily deal sites like Groupon and Living Social given rise to a new breed of consumers who put a premium on price over brand? Bryan Gernert, CEO of Resonate Networks states that “It depends on what consumer segments you’re looking to target [however]…and as this is election year you may even want to think about their party affiliation.

For example: consumers who identify themselves as Republicans 35-44 are 41% less likely to buy based on brand, and 38% more likely to buy on price, compared to boomers.   Boomers, on the other hand, still value brands regardless of political affiliation.  Consumers 55-64 are 35% more likely to buy on brand than any other consumer segment.“  The trend was mirrored in the Hawk Partners research, which found travelers under 45 to be more influenced by promotions.  

Brand does still matter and so does price.  As channels continue to expand and evolve, marketers need to have deeper insights into audience behaviors and influences, in order to understand which segment to target with what offer.   As a result, the Digital Advertising Alliance has just launch a new campaign promoting the benefits of “interest based advertising” and companies, like Resonate Networks, are providing deeper insights into buyers psyche based on their attitudes, beliefs, and values.

Why is that important?  Because consumer behaviors are constantly changing, often shaped by new technologies and channels.  While the study findings only apply to the travel and hospitality industry, the data could be a signal for a broader trend worth following.  Specifically, the surprising find that Promotions’ channels are impacting what have traditionally been considered key brand advertising oriented metrics. 

Those travelers using promotional channels for selecting hotel brands are more likely to recall that brand top of mind on an unaided basis than guests who used other channels.  Additional, they are also more likely to stay at the hotel again and recommend that brand to friends, compared to those who used other channels. 

“What we may be seeing is a “halo” effect of the deal” says Rob Duboff, CEO of Hawk Partners, “Consumers like the deal, and as a result, the brand.”   And that is significant, because personal recommendations (77%) and online review sites, (65%) which are shaped by personal experiences, have the largest impact on influencing hotel selection.   

As the authors of the research note, advertising has “significantly more influence than guest give it credit” which has long been the case.  Brand advertising does provide a lift effect that has always been hard to quantify, but given the importance being placed on ROI, the impact of Promotional channels is worth noting and watching…as well as, the consumers who use them.