SEO Competitive Analysis @ SES San Francisco 2011 Live

Search Engine Optimization Competitive Analysis at SES San Francisco.


The challenge with a great conference like SES is that very useful, multiple presentations can occur on multiple tracks simultaneously. "SEO Competitive Analysis" was a session I did not want to miss, and I was not disappointed! Excellent presentation. I filled page after page with notes, here is an overview.

http://www.searchenginestrategies.com/sanfrancisco/index.php

Moderator: Chris Boggs, Director, SEO, Rosetta
Speakers:
Michael Hayward, CEO, ROI Labs
Taylor Pratt, VP of Product Marketing, Raven Internet Marketing Tools
Richard Zwicky, Independent Consultant 


Highlights from the SEO presentation included:

"Help! I've dropped in search engine rankings. What am I doing wrong?"

• When bad SEO happens, don't panic. Don't focus just on your website. Look at those sites which have passed you. Evaluate and research their success. Develop a Reverse Marketing Plan - - in effect, reverse engineer your competition.
• Determine your competitive landscape. Who is doing what where? 
• Look at the web strategy of competitors, including their source codes, to get drill-down data you can use.
• "To Compete, you must Displace your competition." In other words... Kill, or be Killed. 
• Organic Search, Local Search and Social Search are all connected. Don't ignore any of them!
• Proper web analytics tools can help you understand your competition in hours, not days.

SEO is the most highly leveraged tool in the digital marketing toolkit - - you can enjoy great ROI. But more SEO and other tools are needed to achieve success. Your SEO marketing plan must be part of a total package which includes PPC, email, print, advertising, sales, mobile and PR.

• Look exploiting Brand and non-Brand (generic) positioning in organic search and paid search.
• Consider building three matrix evaluation charts, grading current marketing results by 'effective', 'neutral' and 'ineffective': 
• SEO Matrix - Organic Search
• PPC Matrix - Paid Search
• Social Media Matrix - Social Sites
• Use analytics for quick (top 5-10) and in-depth (deeper) analysis of keywords. Ask "is that keyword worth the effort and cost?". 
• Keyword research tools, free and paid, are readily available to help you evaluate keywords. Tools include Google Analytics, SEObook, SEOMOZ, SEObook for Firefox, CustomRank, Getmelisted, Sycara, Searchmetrics and many others.
• Analyze SERPs from your competitors. Consider:
• Age of the domain. Number of links. Number of ads for keywords, title tags, page urls, keyword density, keyword positioning, anchor text, navigation, back-links, clean HTML, Call-to-Action, etc.
• What else are they doing? Blogs, Conferences? Part of the back-link analysis.
• Compare their webpages to YOURS. Evaluate and prepare. How far do you have to go to be competitive?
• After evaluation, determine rank potential. Look at potential keyword value, ROI and % share of clicks. 
• Then ask: "Is it worth your time?". Pick your targets and your battles and implement your strategy.

Google Ad Innovations @ SES San Francisco Live

The Google Ad Innovations session at the Search Engine Strategies SES Conference this week was a stellar example of why going to SES is so valuable for web marketing professionals. Here was a rare opportunity to hear directly from Google personnel about what's new and what's coming in Google ad marketing. 




Google Adwords at SES San Francisco 2011.

 The Google team:
Dan Friedman - Google New Ad Formats
Bill Kee - Google Analytics
Alexandra Kenin - Google Optimization


Here is a short outline of what they shared:

1. Google Search Overview:
a. Ad Innovations Resource:
Excellent source for new information and updates at: http://www.google.com/ads/innovations/
b. "Search is becoming more Visual, Local and Personalized" - - with all that implies for how Google will continue to evolve search engine results (SERPs) in the coming year. 
c. Google's ongoing mission is to continue to improve SERPs, and made searching more easy, relevant and intelligent.


2. Adwords Automation Rules:
a. Extended automation rules - schedule automatic changes to criteria you specify - free your time up.
b. Opportunities Tab - - optimization ideas can help customize your account and goals.
c. New Display feature - - Interest Categories. Activate 'Audiences Tab' - - there are over 100 categories. Over 500 million daily users are categorized in some manner.


3. New Google Ad Formats:
a. Make your Ad relevant. (What else would you expect from Google! LOL)
b. Ads are evolving at Google as the web evolves: "1/3 of Google ads are served in new formats." 

• The latest display benchmarks and Adsense Ad formats from Google.

c. Ad Sitelinks create lift. 3 Line sitelinks bring a 40% CTR lift. 1 line sitelinks a 17% CTR lift.
Related update: Google's New 'Sitelink' Search Dominates Results - PC World, Aug 16, 2011.
d. Ad sitelinks help your visitors navigate to your site pages faster and more efficiently.
e. Sub-category links allow for faster drill-down. Mobile ads can benefit from a 30% lift in CTR.
f. Product Ads: Ad Block of Product Listing Ads give 100% CTR Lift. Text ads with product extensions give a 6% CTR lift.
g. For ecommerce sites, Google Merchant Center links with your ad account. Commission based platform.
h. Google Media Ads: Combines Brand advertising with the 'Intent of Search'. Good for video, TV, entertainment, etc.


4. Local & Phone:
a. Click to Call Features: Mobile devices. Phone extensions. Adding phone number helps conversion.
b. "Vanity Phone Numbers can now be added." Example: 1-800-Flowers
c. Call Only creative available. Not a click-to-call. Helps to segment channels if needed.
d. Hyperlocal Ads: Increases phone call rate, reduces CPC.
e. Product Local Ads: Show in-store inventories


5. Adwords Experiments: 
a. Adwords Campaign Experiments: Now in Opportunities Tab.
b. "Test Smart" - Test keywords, Bids, Ads, Ad Groups, Ad Creatives, Placements, Remarking Lists.
c. Run experiments on keyword and bid ideas.


6. Google Analytics: More data on funnel behavior and Social Media coming.
a. Most leads require 3 to 5 'touches' before conversion occurs. There is a need to better understand this process using analytics.
b. Multichannel Funnels built on goals and ecommerce. A set of 5 reports now available, providing an understanding of the path towards conversion. 
c. The Impact of Social Media Beta: Social Interactions and Source - -"Tracking behavior across channels, including social media."


Whew! My apologies for such a lengthy blog post, but in this short 1 1/2 hour long presentation by Google there was a huge amount of valuable information and updates... this session alone made SES worth attending. There  was something here for experienced search engine marketeers and novices alike. Having Google HQ, along with Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and other powerful web marketing platforms, just a short drive from the Moscone Center is an prime advantage for SES San Francisco.


Other sources on Google Innovations at SES San Francisco, 2011:

• http://blog.milestoneinternet.com/industry-news/google-ad-innovations/
• http://www.bruceclay.com/blog/2011/08/ses-san-francisco-2011-google-ad-innovations/

YouTube is one big fat Search Engine. SES Highlight Day Two.

One of the eye-opening concepts I picked up today at SES was that YouTube is one huge Search Engine and Social Media Site..... it is not stuck in an online "Video" niche, mostly visited by teenagers and college students. Far from it, as the user profile broadens and grows, opportunities to market to these people grows along with it. While I have posted videos for my company on a dedicated Youtube channel and we get visitors, I now realize we can and should do more to exploit this arena!

Moderator:

• Liana Evans, Author and Co-Founder & CEO, LiBeck Integrated Marketing
• Speakers:
  Greg Jarboe, President & Co-founder, SEO-PR
  Mark Robertson, Founder, ReelSEO

According to the panel assembled today for the SES Conference, Youtube is:


1. The 2nd most popular search engine in the world after Google.


2. The 2nd most popular social media website after Facebook.


Youtube enables users to discover and share videos (going viral). There are massive ad opportunities to get into Youtube and monetize it for your business. Already thousands of Brands are using Youtube to promote products and services, and driving traffic to landing pages on their websites.


Youtube has a keyword tool for "Promoted Videos", by targeting Video Title, Description and Tags. Paid Search costs on Youtube are very inexpensive compared to Google.


But creating a good video people will watch and send to their friends required good content... an art, not a science. People use Youtube for Inspiration, Education, Enlightenment and Education. "How To" videos are really starting to take off.


Put your URL into your video description. Include the http:// to make sure the link is live.


"Cosmic Panda" - A new look for YouTube is coming. YouTube is changing! Per Greg Jarboe.


SES Day Two: Today was another intense, in-depth, full, information-packed day on Search Engine Strategies and the Marketing that goes with it. There was so much good material today that I can't pack it all into one blog entry... more to come in the days ahead. I'm bringing a large cache of new tactics, strategies and tools back to the office, and there is still one more day to go. The Google Adwords team made an excellent presentation on "Google Ad Innovations" - - this topic alone deserves a dedicated blog entry, which it will get.

SES Conference: Search Engine Strategies Live. Day One

I've just finished day one of Search Engine Marketing University..... an action-packed day at the SES Conference during CONNECTED Marketing Week. Today was a deep dive into search engine marketing and related areas. More tomorrow. Between the SEO and PPC presentation tracks it was a full and richly educational day. I had no time for the other tracks on Social Media, Accelerator and Kick Start topics. There is just too much to absorb, unless you send a team. I've never been able to attend an SES conference before due to timing and logistics.... finally did it, and I can say SES was well worth the wait. If you have to pick one mega-conference on Online Marketing, go to an SES Conference. You will learn literally hundreds of tactics, ideas, options and strategies to help make your marketing more effective and efficient. And there are two more days to go! 

SES Morning Session.

There were so many useful bits of expert knowledge broadcast to the large audiences today that I can only give you the briefest of outlines:


The Tools of the Trade for PPC:
Moderator: Kevin Lee, Co-Founder & Executive Chairman, Didit

• Speakers:
• Thomas Bindl, SES Advisory Board & Founder & CEO, Refined Labs GmbH
  Jeff Ferguson, CEO, Fang Digital
  Tim Mayer, Chief Strategy Officer, Trada

"Better ad targeting can save up to 30% in costs without losing conversions."
"Don't look at Search as a silo. Look across channels."
"PPC audit process - look at structure, creative, tracking."
"Utilize Negative search terms"
Try "Match Type" campaigns to further target.


The Tools of the Trade for SEO:

Google and Symantec Exhibit Booths at SES.

• Moderator:Rob Garner, Vice President Strategy, iCrossing
• Speakers:
  Bruce Clay, President, Bruce Clay, Inc.
  Jamie Smith, CEO, Engine Ready
• "First set your website priorities and KPIs."
• "Review of Keyword research tools, SEO tools, Paid Search tools." 
• "Visibility = Impression / Rank / Position"
• "Search marketing SERPs are changing, thanks to local search, instant search, etc."
• "Multichannel Analytics Beta available from Google. Ask your Google Rep about it."
• SEOToolSet Version 5 now out - - excellent presentation by Bruce Clay.
• "Social Media is emerging. Facebook has organic and PPC search sectors."
• "Search Engines enjoy higher conversion rates."
• "If you want to be in the top three organic search results, you better study the guys in those spots and BEAT them at their own game."
• Google and Links: "Trust Score getting more weight. Page Rank getting a bit less. All in an effort to reduce spam results."
• 
  
• Insider Tips to Ad Optimization:
• Moderator:Bryan Eisenberg, SES Advisory Board and NYTimes Bestselling Author, bryaneisenberg.com
• Speakers:
  Nicholas Gadacz, Director of Search, CafePress.com
  David Greenbaum, Founder and CEO, BoostCTR
  John Yi, Marketing API Program Manager, Facebook
• "Get a copy of 'Ad Magic' from your Google Rep."
• "Use a team of Ad writers for better results - - reduces the blind spots."
• "Test Test Test - - - CTR and Conversion"
• "Facebook is optimizing for 'word of mouth' - - we're only 1% finished!"
• "Facebook is about a 'Friend's voice', not a 'brand voice' in terms of influence.
• "Facebook will provide more metrics for advertisers, they're coming."
• "Use resources to find those WORDS that SELL."
• 
  
• Google Adwords Author, Expert and Trainer Brian Geddes was spotted during the morning sessions.
• Website SEO Expert and Author Matt Bailey was spotted at SES, and he hosted a table during lunch.
• 
  
• Crossing the Digital Divide: The Leap from Search to Display:
• Moderator: Chris Sukornyk, CEO, Chango, Inc.
• Speakers:
  Emily Iverson, Director of Display Media, Booyah Online Advertising
  Bill Leake, President and CEO, Apogee Search
• Yes, Display Ads do matter and they are going to play an even bigger role. And you can bid on them like Adwords. Search is "Pull" advertising. Display is "Push" advertising. You benefit from having both.
• DSPs are Display Side Platforms - - Services you can use to coordinate and bid on Display Ad space across many websites. Use only one DSP agency at a time or you'll bid against yourself.
  DSPs can be very cost effective compared to massive display campaigns negotiated with large sites like Yahoo, NYT, etc.
• "Use auction driven display ad options - be smart."
• The "Lift Factor"
  Search + Display Ads running: +119%
• Search Only: +82%
• Display Only: +16%
• "Google will be a winner in Display Ads."
• "Display + SEO + PPC = the biggest lift." Integrate them all.
• Display Ads are the best tool to fight market lack of awareness and low visibility challenges."
• "Exploit Google Trends for potential niche targeting and brand awareness."
  
  Here in one day, four sessions, is plenty to think about and act upon. And I'm not including the sessions I missed from the other simultaneous tracks.... SES is huge and offers a lot to absorb.

Social Media Marketing Summit - Live Report

I haven't attended a major multi-day web marketing conference in a few years, and it is time! The marketing landscape has changed quite a bit.

The ClickZ CONNECTED Marketing Conference is full of innovative ideas and best practices. The main event for me will be SES, Search Engine Markting, but today the spotlight was on Social Media Marketing Summit - - Facebook, Linkedin, YouTube, Twitter, etc. The Social Media marketing niche for B-to-B is getting bigger and bigger, as more customers across the customer demographic spectrum spend more and more time on Social Media sites.

Here are some Top-Level Take-aways today from several of the speakers:

Social media expert Michael Stelzner:

Michael Stelzner, Founder of Socialmediaexaminer

1. People want content, not a sales pitch. Focus on people - they want information from quality sources.

2. "Un-gate" your white papers, brochures and reports, and do not require someone to register first, if possible. Encourage more downloading, this will only help your cause.
3. Transform your Social Media content from "How can we sell to you" to "How can we HELP you". You'll get a much better response rate.
4. "Put away the marketing pitch" for Social Media content... don't engage in marketing oversell. Save your selling for later in the sales cycle... 'free' offers, email campaigns, links, etc.

5. Try using guest expert content contributors from your industry, not just people from your own company. This can have positive effects for credibility, synergy and enhance your content's standing with your target markets. "Lift people up, and they'll lift you up."
6. Social Media is very cost-effective for new product and service launches. Done correctly it can have as big or bigger impact than more expensive alternatives.
7. Michael has published a new book on Social Media Marketing - -
"Launch: How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition" 
After hearing Micheal's ideas today, I'm going to buy his book.

Caterpillar's Successful Social Media Campaign:

Kevin Espinosa from Caterpillar Inc gave an excellent real-world review of how his company is handling social media. Surprisingly, for a company that sells multimillion dollar earth moving and other large equipment to the world's major resource industries, social media plays a big role in lead generation and in customer feedback and relations! This was a real eye-opener for me in terms of casting off some pre-conceptions of Social Media being more B-to-C friendly than B-to-B....... Caterpillar is about as B-to-B as you can get. Kevin's comments on the positive impact of Facebook Ads was another important item that anyone in B-to-B should sit up and pay attention to.... using dedicated landing pages these Facebooks Ads are having a positive impact on major big-ticket sales.

There were many other great presentations - - including Katy Collins with AOL and Mike Lewis with Awareness Inc.

I admit, Social Media is not my top lead generation priority, Search Engine Marketing still holds that role, but after today I am resolved to give Social Media more time and attention. Social Media marketing is moving into a more mature and productive phase... now is the time to jump on if you haven't already.... don't ignore a chance to pick the low-hanging fruit in terms of customer contact and lead gen.

Linkedin is not like Facebook.

Message to College Juniors and Seniors: Linkedin is not like Facebook.


I've talked to quite a few university students and others who need or will need a job in the near future. Some are college students about to graduate. Others are already in the workforce and looking for a new job. All of them must jump into a very tough job market.


The first thing I ask someone is if they have created a Linkedin Profile. To my constant surprise, around 90% give me a puzzled look and said "No, I don't have one. What is Linkedin? Is it like Facebook?".


There are a surprisingly large number of people out there who haven't heard of Linkedin, or think it is a social media website like Facebook. The short answer is No. Linkedin is not like Facebook. For your work career, Linkedin is vital. 


Linkedin and Facebook are not the same. They perform very different tasks. One is primarily Social Networking (Facebook). The other is primarily Professional Networking (Linkedin). My advice to Juniors and Seniors in College is don't ignore Linkedin. 


Get your profile up and running ASAP. Start building your professional network and profile while in school - - you'll be very glad you did when your graduating and looking for that dream entry-level job!

B-to-B Lead Generation: The Rise of the Web.

Lead Gen Revolution: 

Dramatic change to Business-to-Business (B-to-B) lead generation in just 10 years.

Over the last decade, promoting technical services to businesses has been transformed, going from mostly 'physical' tactics like sales rep cold calls, trade shows, print ads and stamped mail shots to new technologies including dynamic websites, paid search, organic search, banner ads, social media, and email campaigns. 

Various web experts are saying that in 2010 around 58% of all B-to-B leads were web generated in the USA. That number is expected to rise to 75% in 2015. Already, 80% of buyers said they contacted the vendor, presumably most of them referenced the web for research. Only 10% of buyers came from traditional cold calls. These figures state what we now take for granted: the web has radically changed how a business does business with another business.

I am very lucky and privileged to have been a full and deep 'brick-and-mortar' web marketing player in this unique period of human history - when the business world became wired and went global. When marketing began to transform from 'analog' to 'digital'. Back in 2000, business websites were rather simple, static, 'brochure-ware webpages', not really written nor geared to this novel new way people could find and scan (not read) information on the web. Most people had only thin copper wire connectivity to the web. Broadband was expanding but a rarity. Worse, many sites were not search-engine friendly  because search engines like Google and Overture were not a big factor in search engine traffic.... yet. Remember those disastrous 'framed' content management systems?

I had the pleasure of seeing my first web-leads generated in 1998, they came from extremely qualified customers who were technology savvy, early adapters - - they saw and understood the fantastic potential of the internet, and also appreciated it as extremely cool. They were the customers who kept asking me why we didn't have a website. After months of advocating and pushing, I secured agreement and resources to get the new site built. And surprise! We started to get visitors, and real live leads. That first web-lead in 1998 was very exciting, the beginning of a dramatic shift in lead gen, and a big surprise to skeptics and doubters. 

How did the clients find us in those pioneer days? Promotion. Mostly because I insisted we have our URL domain and an email address printed on business cards, ads, listings, and promotional giveaways. Promotion was our primary way to build awareness of the site, search engines were not an important factor back then. I first heard about Google in 2000, and my first impression was that the name was pretty funny. Little did I know that because of Google, I would spend literally thousands of hours working on webpages, Adwords and Analytics to generate tens of thousands of B-to-B leads a year.

Once Google, Yahoo, Ask Jeeves, MSN (AKA: Paleolithic Bing), Copernicus, and many other search engines became popular, lead generation from B-to-B websites really took off. I am honored to have been involved in the exciting, early stages of this revolutionary change.

Organic and Paid search became extremely important for generating leads. A potential customer could now find that needle-in-the-haystack with relative ease - - you being that needle, that lucrative niche service, for example, if you did your job right!
                                        
The customer now controlled the lead generation process, to your advantage. If you took the initiative in, say 2003, with fresh web content and innovative paid search, and your competitors were oblivious (and most of them were), you could enjoy a near-monopoly on key search terms and web leads.... an enviable situation which is still possible today if you are dedicated, creative and focused.

Website Lead Generation Success: When it all comes together.

Engineering Website Lead Generation Success.

Want to experience the happy result of watching a surge of global B-to-B qualified leads spill out of the various webpages for which you are responsible... to get "one for the record books"? It is a great feeling.

The principles involved are few, but extremely important. Get them right, and you'll see excellent business leads coming out of the woodwork. Here are four principles I find useful and important for lead gen.

Intense focus on webpage content:
Is the content concise, precise, relevant? Is the content updated regularly? Are the right keywords being used for the right potential audience? Is there relevant professional 'eye candy' like images, graphics, videos, etc? Is there a strong call to action?

Search Engine Marketing:


Search Engine Optimization - SEO:
Organic SEO is vital to success. Pages must be found in order to be read. A great webpage, when not found by potential clients, is utterly useless. Is the page benchmarked against competitors in search? Are actions taken to improve content with an eye to raise search engine rankings and exploit long-tail niche targeting? Have additional language options been created when useful?

Paid Search (Adwords):
Paid Search is another important tool, lead generator and effective branding tactic. When Organic and Paid search are used in a coordinated fashion, quality lead generation benefits. Paid search can support organic search, validate your organic search rankings in the customer's mind, and fill in search engine result gaps when they occur. Using of negative search terms in paid search will help improve accuracy, conversion, and cost measurements.

Navigation and Links:
Diligent and intelligent cross-linking to other relevant webpages and blogs, with strong site and sectional navigation menus added and updated help keep potential clients from getting lost in a site. "Don't Make Me Think" is a great book, for this very reason if nothing else. Is Social Media being exploited?

Teamwork:
Having a talented, professional, reliable and innovative website management, design and webmaster team is mission critical. A well-designed website is like a fine symphony hall.... fantastic acoustics, great architecture.... just as a fine concert hall needs fine music to fulfill its destiny, so too, a good website needs good content to achieve ultimate SEO and lead generation success. Good content performs best on a good website. Get the formula wrong, and a mediocre website will produce mediocre to poor leads, no matter the quality of the content.

Discipline and Conviction:
What I have discussed are some general principles to help generate more, better, B-to-B leads. Discipline, inspiration, conviction and work-ethic are required to make lead gen success happen. Make SEO, Navigation, Benchmarking and Linkage optimization a daily habit and good things will happen.

What to do when those great quality leads start pouring in and they have to be classified, followed-up and tracked is another important topic for another day.

About to Graduate from University? Need a Job? Get Linkedin Now.

Linkedin can be an important tool to get you the job you want after graduation.


If you are a college student facing graduation in a year or less, you're seeing a tough job market. Competition will be fierce. How do you get noticed by potential employers, and make important connections before you graduate, so your chances of getting hired to the dream job you want are improved? 


I have one important word of advice for you: Linkedin. Register and get on Linkedin now. The sooner you do, the better for you. Give yourself a competitive edge in the job market... get a Linkedin account.

Linkedin is a more serious version of Facebook for the professional business world. It is not designed for socializing and game playing. It is designed to make business contacts, join professional organizations, and network, network and network. It is a virtual Rolodex* that never becomes obsolete... a networking tool to connect with business professionals, recruiters, clients, senior management and much more.


Potential employers and job recruiters are crawling through Linkedin, searching for talent and potential hires for a wide range of jobs and industries. As a newly minted graduate, you need to get visibility - - and get it fast. 

Linkedin will help you get noticed by potential recruiters across markets, regions and countries. The basic version of LinkedIn is FREE. To upgrade is inexpensive, it is an investment in yourself. Start connecting with your professors (you'll be surprised to see your professors with business and networking sense already there), parents, parents of friends, university speakers, intern contacts, and people you know the industry you want to target for your job search. 

The real power of Linkedin is your ability to explore and find new contacts who can help you find that first, great professional job after graduation.You can also join Linkedin Groups which are interesting for you.... Campus organizations and Alumni associations have Groups on Linkedin.... great ways to get started with your networking! You can even start your own Linkedin group focused on a industry, science, engineering discipline, career interest, and more.... showing you have initiative and leadership skills.

If you are a Senior or Junior, get started now. It takes time to build a quality network, and you need to visit and update your Linkedin account on a fairly regular basis, not a daily social feeding frenzy like Facebook, but at least a few times a week. Keep your profile updated, pay attention to your profile, and always look for quality connections which can help in your professional career.


Visit Linkedin at www.linkedin.com
Learn more about Linkedin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LinkedIn
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolodex

PPC Blog Produces Excellent Google Flow Chart: "How Google Works"

PPC Blog has produced a very entertaining and informative graphic showing "How Google Works - In Gory Detail".

For those of us who attract business leads generated from Google Search Engine Marketing, both organic and paid search, this Google graphic is one I advise you post on your office wall and absorb some of the Google factoids displayed on the flowchart. At the very least, this will spark some office thought and conversation!

View the How-Google-Works flowchart here: http://ppcblog.com/how-google-works/


Infographic by the Pay Per Click Blog