SEO- ensure consistency in marketing message

In a recent article titled "Cheap SEO tricks and how to use them", writer Tom Crandall comments on how search engine marketers are consciously using the word "cheap" as part of their SEO strategy to attract traffic during these economically tough times. His point is that companies were previously reluctant to associate the word 'cheap' with their brand, but seem to be more pragmatic now considering the huge demand for products/services that best describe themselves as 'cheap'.

Personally, I think the question that search engine marketers need to be asking themselves is not whether the use of the cheap adjective will cheapen the brand, but whether the use of that term will accurately reflect the company's positioning of their product/ service. If the answer to the latter is "No", then there is not much point in attracting traffic using the 'cheap' tactic.

For example, does the company really believe that its products are cheap? Even though cheap and expensive are very relative, how does the product/service really compare against others in the market place? Luring visitors to the website with the promise of being cheap is one thing, but what is the cost of not delivering on that promise? Afterall, the objective of SEO is/ should not be limited to traffic acquisition, but conversion as well.

Regarding the cheapening of the brand with the use of the word "cheap", I think marketers will continue to be extremely cautious when they use it. I don't expect to see a search engine optimization specialist for Rolex trying to optimize for the keyword "cheap watches" [though I don't entirely rule out the possibility of the same guy trying to optimize for "cheap Rolex watch"]. Premium pricing is a key attribute of products/ services targeted at the 'premium'audience and I doubt if marketers dealing with those will ever embrace the word 'cheap', no matter what.

Afterall, it ultimately boils down to really knowing and understanding your target audience.

SEO: Durable marketing

With marketing and advertising spend tightening by the day, the value of a good organic search marketing strategy is even greater.

Companies that invested in SEO activities in the past will continue to benefit from the visibility, traffic and leads/sales they get, without having to shell out instant cash for the instant gratification that other forms of marketing, including paid search, provide.

Granted, continuing to do well in organic search results is not without consistent SEO effort--- but then, given a choice between spending time or spending money in times of cash crunch, "time" is invariably the choice.

SEO is an investment; it is akin to medical insurance for marketing. A regular investment of "small premiums" in terms of both time and money will stay one in good stead during the hard times.

Of course, SEO results in the form of traffic and click-throughs will undoubtedly be affected by the economic environment; for example, a real estate company is likely to get fewer sales leads because fewer people have the 'intent' and urgency to buy houses. However, you can be sure to at least capture the attention of those who are still interested and looking for what you offer. The business will not suffer because you could not be found by the target audience.

Even when the money tap runs dry, the leads pipeline doesn't have necessarily have to.Which is why SEO is durable marketing.

Google SearchWiki & SEO

About 10 days ago, Google formally launched SearchWiki, which is designed to make search results even more personalized. (As of this writing, we have not seen the SearchWiki features here in Singapore, even when searching on Google.com; but we expect that to change soon).

The official Google notification says this about SearchWiki:
"A way for you to customize search by re-ranking, deleting, adding, and commenting on search results. With just a single click you can move the results you like to the top or add a new site. You can also write notes attached to a particular site and remove results that you don't feel belong. These modifications will be shown to you every time you do the same search in the future. SearchWiki is available to signed-in Google users."

The question that immediately crops up is: how will this affect search engine rankings? Well, at least for now, Google says that the changes will not affect rankings for others. "The changes you make only affect your own searches."

We would be naive to believe that all the user actions that will be captured with such a tool will not become a factor in actual search rankings at some point. We reckon it will be sooner rather than later.

Not just rankings, but boost clickthroughs too
With (the likelihood of) personalized search behaviour impacting rankings on the SERPs by the day, SEO professionals will have to expand their role significantly. The role of a SEO expert, until recently, was seen to be to help a website gain in the search rankings, with the assumption that as rankings went up, traffic would also grow automatically; however, as long as the rankings went up the job was done. The evolution of search algorithms mean that getting clickthroughs from the search results will become even more important; a conscious effort will have to be made to generate clickthroughs. The quality of titles of one's landing pages and the description that shows up on search results gain even more importance.

SEO: Think more traffic, conversions

We've always believed SEO is a marketing function and less of a technical function and that's how we have approached SEO projects. With the evolution of search engines, particularly Google, into much smarter, all-knowing beasts, it becomes even more imperative for SEO practitioners to think beyond top keywords and achieving top rankings for those. Certainly, trying to obtain higher search rankings for relevant, high-demand keywords will continue to be among the key milestones to be passed for a SEO, but it can't and won't be the be-all and end-all.

More experts are increasingly echoing the same sentiments at various public platforms. In fact, Bruce Clay, President of well-known SEO firm Bruce Clay, Inc. , recently went so far as to say that "rankings are dead". The reasons for that: universal search, personalized search and intent-based search. SEO experts now have to be understand the implications of how search engines use the above three and be prepared with appropriate responses if they have to succeed, he says.

Matt Cutts of Google says something similar in an interview he gave to WebProNews.com. Here's an excerpt from the interview:
"Universal is really useful and I think it will continue to expand and what that means in 2009 you can't just think of yourself as an SEO. SEOs are starting to embrace the fact that they are marketers. It's a broader spectrum. You have to think about how you build buzz, how do you get loyal customers, how do you optimize your ROI. All those different things and that can include how do I make good videos, do I have a book, things like that."

Top SES coverage, Top SEO Blogs & Top "How to"

SES Coverage
Search Engine Strategies (SES) San Jose concluded last week. As the premier event for the search industry, there has been lots of coverage about the event. A list of the top articles, compiled by SearchEngineWatch.

Top SEO Blogs
If you are looking for the top blogs related to search engine marketing, check out this compilation. Looks like there's been some effort put into compiling this list; so the least I can do is link to the Top SEO blogs :)

Google Suggest
Lastly, Google has rolled out Google Suggest on its homepage, which is essentially a real-time search query prompt [Yahoo Search has had this for some time now]. Users will be shown query suggestions as users type in keywords into the search box--- another feature that'll make searchers lazy. Will a feature like Google Suggest impact the "long tail" theory of search? I reckon it could because if more people begin to use the keyword suggestions, we may see searches getting concentrated over fewer terms. We'll have to wait to see the extent of impact, as there are some ifs and buts here.

Here's something for those interested in trivia. The top "How to" list (taken with the assumption that Google Suggest is showing the most popular/ in-demand search queries)as shown on Google.com, here in Singapore on August 27, 2008 [Recording this for posterity!]:
> How to tie a tie
> How to kiss
> How to have sex
> How to lose weight
> How to draw
> How to make money
> How to write a resume
> How to play a guitar
> How to make a website

Keyword Research with the "new" Google Keyword Search Tool

Keyword research for search marketing campaigns just got a bit easier, and dare I say, cheaper? The Google Keyword Research tool, which until now gave a visual indication of search demand with its green bar that hardly gave anything away, is now showing "approx" numbers for the most recent calendar month. In addition, it also gives the average monthly search volume over a "recent" 12-month period.

Even though these numbers are based on searches on Google and the Google search network, I'd like to believe that these numbers are probably more representative of potential demand for a search term than the numbers we get from some of the other keyword research tools. As the reaction in the SEM community shows, this enhancement to the keyword research tool was long overdue; I sense there is a sense of relief more than elation.

There are bound to be more questions and business issues for products like Wordtracker & Keyword Discovery, as suddenly these products become a lot more dispensable, particularly for the small business. Can these products bring in more value added features that can help SEO / PPC professionals? How will they differentiate themselves from the free keyword research tool to justify the prices they charge? I doubt if the argument that the Google tool is limited to showing search volumes from Google only will fly; there better be a much stronger value proposition.

SEO & keyword ranking reports

One of the questions we often get asked is: how often do you provide keyword ranking reports? Monthly, we answer. Can you provide it weekly, we get asked in return? Why would you need those weekly, we are tempted to ask, but choose to decline in a more polite manner.

Suffice to say, the obsession with "keyword rankings report" is one of those things a SEO agency has to live with. Not that it is totally bad--- afterall, it is one of the ways clients get an idea of what is happening with their SEO campaign. The problem is when that report is taken as indisputable evidence of the success or failure, or the competence or lack thereof, of the SEO agency.

The evolution of search engines means that position ranking reports need to viewed with a handful of salt. Search results may vary from location to location- why, even computer to computer. We've seen numerous examples where users sitting a couple of metres apart and searching for the same phrase have been shown a different set of results by Google, even when none of these users were logged in. So, how could one rely entirely on the ranking report, typically generated using a software?

The challenge for a SEO agency is to try and get clients (and often, prospects), focused on the right metrics. While Google Adwords says it very powerfully,"It's all about results", for us the focus has to be "It's all about results that matter".

SEO Simplified: 3 'simple' SEO tips for great search engine traffic

Most of us in the SEO business know of the scepticism with which we are viewed---- some 'luminaries' have even branded SEO professionals as glorified snake oil salesmen. SEO is not rocket science, they scream at every given opportunity.

You know what, they may well be right.

There are only 3 things anybody has to do to drive search engine traffic to your website through the roof. So, here are those 3 simple SEO tips.

Content: Create "great" content, "frequently".
Now "great" is very subjective isn't it. So let's qualify that further: Relevant, Topical/Timely.

Accessibility: Make that great content accessible
Accessible to both humans and search engine spiders....

Popularity: Make the great content/website you create "popular"-- Spread the word, make your site known.

Absolutely simple, isn't it? If you said, "Yeah, what the heck, I knew that. I want to know HOW", I'm glad.

That's the 'rocket science' SEO consultants & other SEO professionals get paid for to think and execute.

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SEO 'Quote of the Day':
Plan & prepare for (SEO) success, and you will achieve more (SEO) success by accident as well.

Using "link exchanges" in link building

Recently, I put up a question on LinkedIn on the use of link exchanges for link building purposes.

My main objective of putting up this question was to gauge what other folks in the SEO/ SEM community thought about these exchanges. I wasn't very surprised by the responses received either-- most folks were well meaning and suggested that I stay away from these exchanges. One person termed them as "glorified link farms" and many others advised against apparent artificial means to boost link popularity.

Fair enough. And pretty much in line with conventional wisdom on link building. Now, I haven't used these link exchanges yet to know them in full detail--- and I must admit, ignorance, fear and uncertainty about the potential consequences have prevented me from trying them out.

At the same time, prima facie I am not averse to the concept of these link exchanges, which I personally believe are different from the much abhorred "link farms" [not sure if there is a good definition for a link farm---- as far as I am concerned any page that has a lot of outbound links is a link "farm"; it is what "grows" there that should differentiate a good farm from a bad farm].

The reason why I like the concept is that such an exchange gives an opportunity for a webmaster to "advertise" his/ her website---- and whoever wants to provide a link to that website does so purely of his/her own accord. The choice of whether I want to provide a link to website XYZ rests with me, and I can make that decision based on whatever qualitative criteria I choose to apply to a particular site. From a web master's perspective, I think an opportunity to get in front of other webmasters who are open to evaluating your website and providing a link is an efficient way of creating visibility.

I don't know how many takers there would be for that arguement or perspective---- but I would certainly want to explore and experiment with the link exchanges to form a firm opinion one way or the other on their merits & value in SEO efforts.

Optimization for the Search User (OSU)

Bryan Eisenberg in a recent ClickZ column talks of the new SEO: End Searcher Optimization. I am fully in sync with the End Searcher Optimization bit, but I am not quite sure if the concept is indeed that new.

I used the term OSU (optimization for the search user) about two years ago [not that it is the most popular acronym on earth!]; there was another term that did the rounds about a year ago-- I think it was called VEO [visitor enhanced optimization], and now this one, ESO. I suppose they all mean pretty much the same: focus optimization objectives on the end user; understand the searcher and try to provide the searcher with what they need and what they expect.

In the ideal scenario, there would be a total convergence of what one provides one's target visitors with and how the search engines see the utility of what you provide to your target visitors.

All this again comes down to understanding that SEO is really about marketing---the medium is a search engine, that's all. By all means, SEOs have to understand the medium that we are using to market and have to do everything necessary to ensure that we are getting the most out of that medium, but problem is when the entire focus is on the medium and the market itself is forgotten. It's a disconnect that happens far too often.

Measures for SEO success

SearchEngineWatch columnist Mark Jackson in his article, Defining SEO success, writes about a common problem that some of us encounter quite frequently: convincing clients of the true measure of succcess of a SEO campaign. There are some who simply refuse to accept that it is not just about getting ranked at the top for ANY keyword THEY are OBSESSED with, but about trying to drive relevant traffic.

Surprisingly, it is sometimes people at the very top who have these weird obsessions-- even if they would not be too well-versed with search engine optimization/ search engine marketing, one would expect these senior managers to have a good understanding of their company's marketing objectives and what they are trying to achieve. Somehow, when it comes to SEO, they seem to forget/ ignore marketing basics.

I guess that's the problem--- even while more people are beginning to "get" SEO, they haven't been able to completely relate it to marketing. These seem to be seen as two different activities.

So, I have to write this again (and I don't get bored of saying it time and again): (i) SEO has to be seen in the context of one's marketing objectives and (ii) SEO is only a means to an end-- it is NOT the end in itself.