Quality Content Still Matters

Google has seriously been shaking up the world of search engine marketing, but 2012 is bound to get even crazier. Since the introduction of Google Panda that aimed to reward sites with rich and high-quality content rather than those stuffed with keywords, the updates to the Caffeine ranking algorithm that was said to impact 35% of searches to produce more up-to-date and relevant results, and the new SSL rules in Google Analytics that doesn’t allow the entrance keyword to be captured if the user is logged in to his or her account, web marketers have had to find better ways to capture data, measure results, and refine their strategies. However, if Google keeps smacking us upside the head with changes that blow our tried and tested methodologies out of the water, at least we can count on one thing to increase our chances of success: good quality content.

According to Kuno Creative, it is hard to maximize organic search visibility without good quality content. No more are the days in which websites can be stuffed with keywords or links to bump up their Google rank and claim the prize of being the top result on the search results page. Since the introduction of Panda, bloated websites like this don’t stand a chance. Website owners must consistently update their websites with fresh content to “keep the Panda happy” and to maintain their prime real estate. For many web marketers, this opened doors to yet another opportunity to optimize: content marketing.

Content marketing, in a nutshell, is one of the most important strategies to have in place right now. Along with social media, it is what keeps your content relevant in Google’s ranking index and increases organic traffic. To maximize results, establish a plan to update certain content areas of your website on a weekly or monthly basis. Whether that means dusting off your blog and utilizing your best writers to create top-notch content or keeping your portfolio up-to-date with case studies, videos of client testimonials, or digital e-books, your target audience is waiting for you to create meaningful and insightful content.

One of the most important things I have learned while creating content is that if you want to blog, you should blog because you want to. You should write genuinely and honestly to your target audience. Remember that every word is a direct reflection of not only your brand, but yourself. By producing content that is real, it will speak to users. It will get them to act. It will inspire you to create more, and in return, it will attract more listeners. It sounds easy, doesn’t it?

To web marketers, it will always be a challenge to set the right content marketing strategy in motion. There is not a “one size fits all” approach to content marketing that guarantees a safe spot in Google’s search engine indexing system. It will be a continuous cycle of measuring and refining to find the strategy that not only works well with your overall marketing plan, but also increases your brand’s online visibility and influence.

Other Game-Changers?

2012 will surely be a year in which everyone can agree that content – whether it is Tweets, videos, or blog articles – truly matters. I look forward to seeing what trends and technologies will emerge in fast-paced world of web and search engine marketing this year. What do you think will be a game-changer in 2012?

In case you missed it, here are my game-changers for 2012:

• Part I: Social Integrates with Search
• Part II: Video Content Explodes
• Part III: Quality Content Still Matters

The first month of the year is drawing to a close, but we are still curious to hear what others are saying about the state of the web in 2012. While technology may seem like it moves at the speed of light, we can count on Internet sales and marketing to adapt as needed. As search engine marketing experts are supercharging visitor engagement though social media and content marketing, website owners are taking note and making big changes. This is the year in which quality content is necessary for not only search engine optimization, but visitor engagement, conversion, and retention as well.

Keyword-Stuffing No Longer Works

A few years ago, it was quite easy for your website to secure a top ranking in search engines and drive a lot of traffic just by writing content loaded with keywords. Website content authors took advantage of this and would seize every opportunity to insert a keyword here and there to ensure prime real estate in Google’s search results. However, instead of finding the answer or solution to your search query, oftentimes what was returned to you was empty, meaningless content.

Take, for example, the following sentence: “We are an Indianapolis company located in Indianapolis, which is in the central part of Indiana, which is where many other Indianapolis companies reside.”

Although this is a bit of an exaggeration, it is obvious that this sentence was written to merely drive traffic and rank high in search results. Many websites might have performed well with this optimization trickery, but it has proven to be an ineffective and insincere method. Now that our search engines have gotten smarter and have upgraded their algorithms to sniff out lousy websites, website content authors can no longer rely on keywords.

Don’t get me wrong, though: keywords still are an important factor in the SEO equation. You still need to focus on strong keywords and terms to acquire new visitors to your website. However, now you really need to strategize about how your website content is going to engage, convert, and retain these visitors.

Engage Your Visitors

Your content should speak to the needs of your target audience and present solutions to their problems. Likewise, it should also entice your visitor to want to learn more about your company, products, and services. To take your engagement to the next level, set up a social media and email marketing strategy that will allow you to interact with your visitors on a more authentic level.

Convert Your Prospects

If you write content without regard to what it is your visitors are looking for, then what’s the point? It’s like throwing bait into a lake without putting it on a hook. By focusing on quality content, you create more opportunities to engage and earn the respect, trust, and (hopefully) the desire of those who visit your website. And when you have the respect, trust, and desire of your visitors, you are more likely to turn that opportunity into a golden one and, more importantly, that prospect into a loyal customer.

Retain Your Customers

It is important to plan to update your website content accordingly to keep it fresh and relevant not only in the search engines’ indexes, but in your visitors’ minds as well. By getting your visitor to come back to your website on a consistent basis, you know that your company will come to mind whenever they have a need for your products or services, regardless of search engine rank. Likewise, make sure the social media and email marketing strategies you have in place engage all of your visitors.

How will you engage, convert, and retain your website visitors this year? Please share your thoughts with us – we welcome the discussion!

Video Content Explodes

Did you know that videos account for 50% of all online traffic as of January 2012? Did you also know that 85% of Americans watch 1.3 billion videos a day? These statistics may seem surprising at first, but in reality, they make perfect sense. With websites like YouTube, Vimeo, Hulu, and Netflix, it has become increasingly easy for users to access high-quality video content either for free or at the cost of a fast food lunch at Arby’s.

How many times have you researched a product online to only find that there are no video demonstrations or tutorials to aid you in your final decision? According to GoMo News, users who are exposed to videos are 437% more likely to engage with your brand. This number is significant and speaks to the importance of video content. I know that as a consumer, I am more likely to make an online purchase if I see a video that shares more detail and offers me a solution to my problem.

As a user of these aforementioned online video services, it does not surprise me that video usage is skyrocketing. After all, people are visual creatures. We are more influenced by brands that engage us with color, texture, sound, and stunning theatrics that speak to our needs. Likewise, we are often charmed by companies that can offer us a solution by showing us a story with real characters and real problems.

This does not mean, however, that a video must be produced to fit Hollywood’s standards or be on par with an Oscar-worthy plot line. A simple 1- to 2-minute video usually tells a better story than three paragraphs of incredibly descriptive sentences that would make even Virginia Woolf cringe.

Not sure where to start or what your first online video should be about? Here’s a couple of questions to get you started:

• Who are you?
• What do you believe in?
• What is your culture like?

If you remember from a previous article, it was once said that your culture is your brand. If this still doesn’t click or ignite a quick response from you or a co-worker, then now is the perfect opportunity to rethink your marketing strategy for the new year. You should really think long and hard about this before jumping onto the video bandwagon.

If you’ve exhausted your brainstorming sessions and are still scrambling to create a video that aligns with your company’s marketing goals and overall message, then click here to check out some basic video ideas that will work well with any brand or industry.

Stay tuned for part III of III!

The Internet landscape is constantly sprouting successful ideas, innovations, and technologies and growing despite a less than stellar economy. This gives us reason to look ahead to what the new year will bring. If you’re anything like me, you look forward to the surge of predictions for how the next 365 days will pan out. Not only does it give us an idea of where the web is heading, but it also gives us room to prepare.

The year 2012 will be an exciting and interesting year for web marketers, SEO experts, content creators, analytics gurus, and the like. While we cannot predict how the year will turn out exactly, we can anticipate and start to plan for the impact of Google’s social search, the explosion of video content, and the emphasis on meaningful content.

Social Integrates With Search

Last week, Google introduced a little something to the web that got most web marketers in an uproar. The update, also known as Google Search, Plus Your World, was introduced as a way for Google to continue its transformation of the search engine into something more. According to Google, the transformation will not only allow the world’s most popular search engine to not only understand content, but also people and relationships as well.

The reason why most web marketers have spoken up about this is because it affects the way that Google search results are displayed. Instead of the standard list of top-relevant websites, it will now filter in content from you, a friend, or someone you may know. Likewise, you will now see relevant Google+ pages and profiles while searching for a topic or area of interest. While this may not seem like a big deal to the average web user, it is a note-worthy move on Google’s end that will indefinitely change the way we search for information.

Google Search, Plus Your World may not have been welcomed with open arms by the web marketing community, but it is the start of something significant. We still have work to do to build a social web that is easy, intuitive, and smart, but there’s no doubt in my mind that the year 2012 will give us the tools we need to refine the way we socialize and communicate on the Internet. Likewise, it will encourage businesses to invest in a sound social strategy to help them connect to not only current customers, but potential ones as well.

If you are not utilizing social media or have not setup your Google+ page, now it a great opportunity to do so to increase your visibility to Google users. If you are still unsure of what Google+ has to offer or how to set one up, here’s a great article to help you through the process.

What do you think of this new search feature? Will you use it?

Stay tuned for part II of III!

Businesses love buzzwords. Many businesses will change their entire direction, sometimes against their better judgment, in an effort to attain the competitive edge the new “term” will give them. As quickly as trends come and go on the Internet, there simply is not enough time to research these new ideas thoroughly before implementing them. This leaves businesses not necessarily using the best practice or fully utilizing new concepts as they come down the pipes.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is one of these terms that has been spreading like wild fire. To compound the issues mentioned above, SEO is dictated by constantly evolving algorithms that are kept under lock and key by Search Engine companies.

Most people believe that the goal of SEO is to be “number one on Google.” This dogmatic mantra resonates through marketing meetings with cult like fervor. So much so that businesses are at times, losing site of the big picture.

The big picture is: the goal of your business. If your goal is to be number one on Google, then by all means, chant the mantra and go for it. However, most businesses are either offering a service or selling a product. With that in mind, while you are optimizing your site for search engines, make sure you are optimizing your site for customers.

It doesn’t do any good if you have a high rank on Google, but your website drives customers away in droves. Focus just as much on your site’s usability as well as its “findability.” SEO should be just one more tool in your marketing box, getting the same amount of attention as all of the others. An increase in traffic doesn’t equate to an increase in business. It simply increases the OPPORTUNITY to increase business.

While SEO is used in the context of being a magic bullet, know that it isn’t and use it for what it is originally intended and nothing more; and that’s simply making it easier for customers to find your site. The operative word here is “easier.” Not “the only” or the “best;” just easier. SEO, when working with other marketing initiatives will produce great results, but think of your marketing like a race car. When all the parts are functioning properly, the car will be able to stay competitive on the track. But regardless of how much work you put into the engine, your car won’t be going anywhere with flat tires.

For more information on what Google Buzz offers and when it will be available from your g-mail account go here.