Is SEO BACK From the Dead? [Update]

In a previous post, we talked about how SEO and how strategies and web algorithms have changed over time, particularly in relation to social media and small business online marketing strategies. Content marketing may be partly to blame, with a huge focus and push on publishing content, establishing a tone, voice, and even a brand.

Most non-technical entrepreneurs or bloggers who think or hear anything about SEO often grown or run away in fear. Most perceive SEO as scary. It's big, bad, and can even harm us, if not taken seriously. But like something out of the "Thriller" video, we've seen the transformation of content marketing and shifts in SEO strategies and management over the last year (and even in the last week!) so much that it begs the new question: Is SEO BACK from the dead?

Yes, today is Halloween, and while its a time for ghosts, ghouls, and goblins to emerge from their dark hiding places, SEO is back from the dead, but its zombie-like presence shouldn't mean entrepreneurs and bloggers have to lock their doors tonight or plan for an apocalypse.

The Customer Journey is No Longer Spooky. Today when customers or website visitors hit the web for the purpose to look up or purchase something, they really embark on a journey. Back in the day, this journey used to be more like a haunted house tour...but without the thrill and the fun. Many websites employed tactics that were designed to "trick" (not treat!) customers into a specific call-to-action or even blowing up their screens with annoying pop-ups, ads, and download prompts. But those days are now gone...mostly. Not only are customers and users smarter, Google is smarter. Sites that attempt to trick customers by the allure of fancy keywords and back links now get knocked by Google.

Trans- "actions" -sylvania. The customer journey now involves three steps. Those steps are similar to the buying process we learn about in sales. Reaching a level of trust with a particular business, finding information on a particular product or service and recognizing the value of that product or service, and then make the purchase decision. In summary, the journey is informational, navigational, and transactional.

This customer journey experience now has everything to do with SEO strategy. It's about matching customer experience with SEO strategy; the SEO strategy ultimately playing the role of the customer map. Each "customer map" or SEO strategy should be informational and navigational in order to ensure a customer reaches the "transaction" or the step of "purchase decision".

SEO Becomes Human. Over the last several weeks, Google's algorithms have changed. It focuses on the HUMAN behind the MACHINE. Keywords, content, and SEO strategies are now all tied to the customer. It's all about user-centered SEO. So rather than focusing solely on keywords, back links, and meta tags, Google is now interested in websites and content that builds or represents a BRAND.

Brands Come ALIVE! Each small business should have its own content marketing strategy, which includes a unique tone, voice, culture, or recipe, if you will. Once this has been established, and even documented, this content strategy now becomes a part of the small business brand. So a brand itself has evolved from an image, a logo, a color, or even merely a customer reaction. A brand is still all of those things, but now throw in a superb blog and web content that incorporates all these great elements, and you've now got Google's attention. As a result, SEO has now shifted to focus on the end user, audience, and customer. It's now more about taking those keywords and HUMANIZING them.

So is SEO really BACK from the dead? Or with now more content marketing still taking charge and altering how Google ranks pages, does this really mark the death of traditional SEO? Traditional SEO can still be found haunting various web and social media channels, however, as we progress into 2015, small businesses and bloggers can expect to see an even bigger push on content marketing, but in different ways. As discussed, one of these ways is by embracing the customer journey, and their map is your SEO strategy. Each customer will be matched with a particular SEO experience. Talk about personalization tokens. We just might have created a monster...

Image credit: © Jeffrey Collingwood

Written content: © 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 J.H. Language Solutions

Play on, Play off: The Game of Digital Marketing

Today I attended another seminar at Bryant University. This seminar was on understanding online marketing trends in today's technologically and digitally-driven society...and how this shapes business marketing trends and strategies.

To the average user, sounds riveting, huh? I can imagine...however, to a small business owner and entrepreneur, online marketing is the very essence of what keeps businesses alive today. In fact, today's digital landscape looks a little something like the image you see here in this blog post. This chart was provided in our hand outs. As a fellow attendee humorously claimed, this looks more like the map of the T than our digital landscape.

But the fact is, each small business owner with any level of online presence needs to consider these channels and avenues to play the game of digital marketing. If you are a start up small business operator and entrepreneur that doesn't have an online presence, the chances of you being around in five years is slim. This is the hard and fast truth we all deal with today. Part of the game of digital marketing is keeping ahead of the competition with only one drive: to come out on top and win.

Within minutes from walking in the door, I was greeted by a friendly and engaging instructor, who asked me to introduce myself and what my purpose was for attending the seminar. I explained that I owned and ran my own business and this topic was something I was super excited about and thought that it could really help me to increase my online presence as well as help my clients with their content management and marketing goals. She asked me what types of services I offered, to which I explained translation, content and web marketing and management, and editorial services. After chatting for a few more minutes, I grabbed some breakfast and coffee, and the presentation began a short while later.

Then, in the middle of the presentation, the instructor called out, "Julie operates a services entity that offers a translation service...so if anyone is looking for that, reach out to her" ...which I responded graciously with my dashing smile and beauty queen wave. And while I very much appreciated the shout out, as well as the opportunity to talk to some great prospects after the seminar was over, I realized on my drive home that I learned two important things today: 1) My digital program should be thoroughly planned out and should involve more on how I provide "translation" solutions, and 2) my listeners and audience only pick up on one or two of my services.

But why is this? Is it because translation is "foreign" and "interesting", which is why it easily resides in audiences' minds? Or is it because it's the only real "service" that I offer that they understand? So whenever I give my pitch on my services in content marketing and web management, in addition to translation, as I did when I first met the seminar instructor, I realized that most of my audiences really aren't sure on what "content marketing and web management" really is. But the truth is? While I provide translation services in the conventional sense (Spanish to English, English to Spanish, and localization), I also spend a great deal of time "translating"...meaning translating clients' content ideas for their blogs and websites into written copy, and "translating" customer requirements and specifications into a physical product, and even "translating" what it is J. H. Language Solutions actually does into a tangible service that also provides solutions.

 

So, in closing, my digital plan? Spend more time learning, understanding, and really getting to the root of clients' challenges, and REALLY think about the words I use to describe my business and services in my pitch, and how I seek to provide more translation solutions rather than just "translation". Let the games begin.

Written content: © 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 J.H. Language Solutions

Which Blogging and Online Marketing Strategies Actually Work?

Do you have a blog or website? How are you marketing it? Whether you run a blog or website that features your creativity or something you show off or you run a small business, you may be trying to market it in some way to increase your audience and traffic. Most methods include "sharing" content on social media sites, optimizing your web or blog content with keywords, back links, etc., and using ads. But which blogging strategies actually work and which are a waste of time and money?

Is SEO really dead? Social media is the new SEO... 

Current blogging and business trends suggest that SEO is dead, and has been replaced by social media. Social media IS the newest and most effective online marketing technique that has been incredibly successful for many businesses. If you have a small business or are a fully functional entrepreneur and have a website, you should be utilizing social media and online marketing strategies as much as possible. Look into using Facebook ads. Not only is this incredibly cost effective (you are able to set ads to run and control your reach based on what you are willing to spend), but it also increases the amount of "likes" you receive, as well as increase traffic to your website, if you are sharing relevant content on your Facebook fan page. You can kill two birds with one stone here.

While Google page ranks are still vital to a small business's success, and should still be considered in any online marketing strategy, the focus has certainly shifted to social media and utilizing ads, promoting your small business Facebook fan page, and even responding to leads and customer queries. One of the best features to using social media marketing is the ability to interact with clients quickly and directly. Today clients are looking for personalization.

To Click or Not to Click...

Another effective blogging and marketing strategy from years passed is Pay-Per-Click ads, or PPC. This method basically involves using Google Adsense or even another affiliate marketing solution to post ads on your blog or website. So how does this work? Basically small business owners or website owners hosting the ads will get paid a small commission each time a visitor clicks on the ad, and some affiliates even offer a slightly higher commission for those clicks that turn into conversions. Sounds like a good deal, right? Maybe. Basically in order to generate a substantial commission from PPC ads, you would need to ensure that your website receives a LOT of traffic. This may not be the best idea for small businesses trying to establish an online presence or who are just starting out.

The downside? Different articles and studies from various online marketing experts have also claimed that small businesses trying to establish an effective online presence should keep their websites easy to navigate, organized, intuitive, user-friendly, and even interactive (with plenty of videos, infographics, etc.). Some believe that PPC ads create clutter to a web page, are annoying to look at (especially those that pop up in front of users), and are often times irrelevant.

The Future of Digital and Inbound Marketing

So what does the future hold for small businesses and inbound marketing? There are many predictions on what digital and inbound marketing has in store for us. Will Google Glass finally catch on? It's tough to say. Consumers are happy with the ability to swipe their phone in front of a coded box to find out information on a particular ad or billboard advertisement, or even on a box of cereal to obtain nutrition information. Some predictions include virtual ads that will pop up in bus or train windows in front of commuters' and passengers' faces. Some small businesses firmly believe that the future of digital marketing will be all about getting in a customer's face...literally.

On the flip side, what about print advertising mediums? Some of the more "old school" businesses and older generations believe that print will never die. Sure it has declining and will continue to do so each year for the foreseeable future, but will it die completely? It's tough to say...but the moral of the story here? As much as there is a huge push towards inbound marketing, and it is effective, don't abandon your print advertising. Printed brochures, business cards, and flyers still work...and are significantly cheaper than a decade ago.

Time is Money

So what is the best blogging strategy? You can include all the ads, all the posts on your Facebook page, and incorporate all the trending topics into your blog and on your website as possible. Maybe this will work, maybe it won't. But all in all, only blog when you have time. Don't throw any old article up on your website or blog and "share" it on your Facebook and Google+ fan pages just to post something. Your fans and users will see right through this. They aren't going to bother reading content that isn't relevant...or is full of errors. Of course it is important to post content on a regular basis, but keep it meaningful and keep it relevant. This will yield the most results.

Currently the market is flooded with content, webinars, and conferences on "what to dos" and "what NOT to dos" in relation to digital marketing, proven methods versus not-so-proven methods, what works and what doesn't. How do small businesses know what to believe and how do they get it right? At the end of the day, blogging and online marketing strategies really depend on your business, strategy, industry, and what you are looking to get out of it...

Many studies and articles claim that small businesses should be using Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and everything else out there. But how much time does that take? A ton. Not to mention, if your small business offers professional services, how is Pinterest going to be of use to you? Use the social media platforms that make sense for you and your small business. Choose several to commit to that are worth your time and effort and be consistent in your strategy.



Image credit: © Alexey Lisovoy | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Written content: © 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 J.H. Language Solutions