The Importance of Search Engine Optimization

After you’ve critically evaluated your Web site, finding the answers to the key questions that help you better understand how well your site is performing, it’s time to move on to the fun part . . . forming your online public relations strategy. Of course, before you begin, you should develop a list of your organization’s online goals. Here are a few common goals that you may want to consider:

• Increasing rankings
• Increasing traffic
• Increasing “conversions” (a.k.a – sales, donations, volunteers, email sign-ups)
• Maintaining beneficial relationships with key publics
• Generating positive feelings among publics
• Combating negative opinions
• Conducting research
• Obtaining feedback
• Fostering two-way communication

No matter which goals you choose to address, effective search engine optimization (or SEO) will help you reach them.

So what is SEO? According to SEOmoz.org, a useful SEO resource, “SEO is the active practice of optimizing a web site by improving internal and external aspects in order to increase the traffic the site receives from search engines.” Wikipedia, yes Wikipedia, also has a good little definition of SEO: “Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a Web site from search engines via “natural” or un-paid (“organic” or “algorithmic”) search results as opposed to search engine marketing (SEM) which deals with paid inclusion.”

Why should you care about search engine rankings? Well, there are quite a few reasons to care. Let’s consider the stats:

• 49%  of all Internet users access search engines daily (source: Pew Internet & American Life Project)
• Searching is the second most popular online activity after email (source: Pew Internet & American Life Project)
• 10,272,099,000 searches were conducted in January 2010 alone (source: The Nielsen Company)
• 66.3% of those searches were conducted using Google with Yahoo coming in second at 14.5% (source: The Nielsen Company)

So, just as most of us suspected, search engines are a BIG deal. And, since 90% of users click on results in the first two pages, if your organization is not listed on these first two pages for your key search terms, you effectively don’t exist to the key publics looking for you online. If that’s not enough to get you interested in SEO, consider this:

• High rankings provide the third party validation once reserved for and provided exclusively by traditional media outlets
• High rankings boost sales and general awareness
• High rankings generate user clicks, which further boost your rankings
• The higher your organization’s site is ranked, the more likely it is that your competition or your nay-sayers are farther down the list

To see some of these positive results, SEO should be central to public relations planning. In my next post I’ll walk you through some of the basic steps to getting started including (as promised) key word research. Stay tuned!

Starting from Scratch: An Effective Online PR Plan Begins with Research

We’ve heard it time and time again – successful public relations campaigns begin with research. This adage holds especially true for online campaigns. Whether you want your organization to appear highly in search engine rankings or gain thousands of followers on Twitter, you have to do your research.

Start by thinking about your organization’s goals, objectives, publics and current image. A thorough SWOT analysis should do the trick to get you started. Then, turn your thoughts to your organization’s Web site. In a world where smart phones, laptops and wireless clouds prevail, your Web site is your organization’s face to the world. Of course, most of us know this, but few of us know the crucial information that can help us better understand how well our Web sites are performing. For example, do you know the answers to the following questions?

• How much traffic does your site get?
• What are the most popular pages on your site?
• How long do users stay on your site?
• From what pages do users exit your site?
• Is your site user-friendly?
• Is the most important information easy to find?
• How often do you update your site?
• Is there a call to action on every page?

If you draw a blank on any of these questions, you need to find the answers STAT. Check with your hosting provider or your Web master to see how you can access these stats. Here’s why:

1) How much traffic does your site get?

Knowing how much traffic your site attracts gives you a more realistic picture of how many folks are finding you online. It also serves as a baseline measure so you can determine whether the strategies you develop to drive traffic are effective. Your hosting provider or Web master can most likely guide you to an analytics portal that tracks this information, but if you want another tool to see how you or your competitors are doing in terms of traffic, Alexa provides some great stats and allows you to compare sites too.

2) What are the most popular pages on your site?

Knowing which pages are the most popular and which are the least viewed gives you an idea for what your publics find interesting. If your publics frequently visit a page devoted to a particular product or service, chances are there’s something about that page that they find appealing. Perhaps you should produce more content about that popular product or highlight it more in your advertising. You should also try to identify the key characteristics about that page that make it so popular and, if possible, try to apply them to the pages less traveled.

3) How long do users stay on your site?

Do your visitors stay on your site for a while, visit several pages and scroll through content? In other words, do your visitors stay longer than the time it takes to find out contact information or make a purchase? Hopefully they do. A high “click through” rate (or the percentage of pages users visit) helps you make a better connection with your publics because it means your content is of interest to them. If you find users are only visiting a few pages and then leaving, perhaps you need to rethink and revise your content.

4) From what pages do users exit your site?

This information is crucial to know. It makes a big difference if people are leaving as soon as they see your homepage or if they’re leaving after they make a purchase. Find out which pages are making your publics jump ship and see if there are improvements that can be made to the content. Remember the old acronym – WIIFM? – check your frequently exited pages and make sure there’s content there that addresses the “What’s In It For Me?”

5) Is your site user friendly? Is the most important information easy to find?

While there are a ton of wonderful Web designers who foreground usability in their designs, some do not. If you find your click-through rates are low or folks are exiting your site at the first page they visit, there may be an issue with your site’s usability. Try to imagine yourself as a visitor to your site. Does the navigation make sense? Can users easily find the information they’re looking for? Is your contact information and/or shopping cart and/or call to action easy to find? If the answer is no, it’s time for some updates.

6) How often do you update your site?

Gone are the days where it was enough for organizations to simply supply static information about who they are, the products and services they provide and how to make a purchase or get involved (a.k.a “brochureware” sites). Today, Web sites must have fresh, relevant, frequently updated content in order to be indexed and highly ranked by search engines. I’ll discuss more details about how search engines work in a later post, but for now, you should know that it is extremely important to update your Web site frequently, but cautiously – because the information you include should be relevant to your publics. Whether it’s through a blog or user-generated feedback or press releases, new content should be added regularly.

7) Is there a call to action on every page?

I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a call to action on every single page of your Web site. More often than not, publics are finding you via search engines and as such, they can enter your site on any page, not necessarily your homepage. Today, every page is your homepage! So, whether your goal is soliciting sales or asking folks to sign-up for email alerts, make sure your call to action is on every page. I’d also suggest you put your contact information on every page too. We all know how frustrating it can be to search and not find a way to connect with a human being when you’re interested in learning more.

Now that you’ve given your Web site the critical eye, it’s on to the next phase of research that will put you on the path to increased traffic – key word research. I’ll address this topic in-depth in my next post.

“New” Media, New Public Relations Opportunities

When I first began studying and practicing public relations tweeting was strictly for birds. Facebook was a few years away from having its first friend. Search engines existed, but they were primarily used as a research tool or for finding static brochureware sites.

Of course, much has changed in 10 years – particularly in the field of public relations. For example, when I took my first PR writing class, I learned how to write press releases, newsletters and financial reports that I expected would eventually reach my audience in a tangible form. Since I was a bit tech savvy, I did think that my press releases would be uploaded to an organization’s Web site, but that’s where my online vision ended.

But, in this fast-paced world of social media buzz, search engine rankings and viral videos, it’s no longer enough to expect that simply uploading content will get your organization noticed. It’s also no longer sufficient to pitch only traditional media – we’ve all heard the stories lamenting the death of newspapers (although I think this prediction oversimplifies the situation). Today online information sources, such as search engines and social media sites, have the potential to impart the third party credibility once reserved for and provided by traditional media outlets.

In this sense, “new media,” which I’m pretty sure is a passé term, has spawned tons of new opportunities for PR practitioners. From enabling us to interact with key publics more directly to enhancing our ability to evaluate our effectiveness to providing opportunities to produce truly integrated marketing communications campaigns – digital/new/convergence media has opened the door for a more sophisticated, comprehensive, attentive, responsive, proactive form of public relations. Now it’s up to PR practitioners to walk through that door.

But, enough with the metaphors, what does this changing digital environment really mean for public relations practitioners? It means we have an exciting opportunity to stake our claim as digital communication gurus. PR practitioners should be the ones crafting online messages and managing relationships with and within these online outlets. After all, who else is better prepared to effectively communicate with a wide variety of publics through a proliferating number of communication channels?

In the next few posts I’ll be talking about the role of PR practitioners in the digital era – from search engine optimization and formulating a content development strategy to fighting content with content and engaging with publics on social media networks. I’ll also dissect some of the jargon so you too can sound like a guru.

But, for now I’d like to leave you with a video that one of my students recommended. Marinate on this:

Getting Your News Read on Social Media News Sites

So, you want to see your story on the front page of Digg.com? It’s possible, but it takes some hard work. According to an October 2009 Compete report, Digg had 43,491,124 unique monthly visitors. Clearly, such social media news sites can be powerful marketing tools. However, with everyone trying to get their story on the front page, you need to be aware of some of the ways to stand out from your competitors.

1.    Determine the most interesting news angle of your story and go with it. Typically the most interesting news angles focus on the unusual or new aspects of a particular topic. Stories that tie a product in with the season or an upcoming holiday are also a good way to get attention. If you are introducing a new product, make a video or provide pictures to demonstrate what’s new. If you are ranked high on a recent list or have breaking news these could also be interesting stories.

2.    Research the users you want to appeal to. The more you know about the users the more you will be able to write content they like. That means you should read and comment on as many stories as possible and make these comments reflect your personality. This will help you make friends who will also Digg on your stories.

3.    Make your story accessible. Don’t fill your story with large numbers or complicated techno-jargon. The appearance of too many complex details may turn people away from your story. If a product or a story has a lot of information, it may be best to include a diagram or a video that breaks down the information in an easy-to-follow way.

4.    Be yourself. Remember sites like Digg are still social networking sites. Being social is part of the experience. If you put up a front, people will eventually see you and your stories as untrustworthy. Keep your stories and your comments true to your personality and to your product. That way you will not only gain the respect of other posters, but they will also want to read what you have to say.

5.    Have a catchy title. We’ve all clicked on news items that have exciting, strange or shocking titles. Brainstorm a few titles that you think will generate clicks and pick the best one. Just be sure the title goes along with the story. You don’t want to promise something you can’t deliver.

As always, make sure your content is of some value to your intended audience. After all, you want them to Digg you, not bury you. Carelessly producing and distributing junk content is a surefire way to spoil your reputation.

Wikipedia and Your Credibility

Wikipedia has opened the virtual floodgates allowing nearly anyone the opportunity to create and edit content that is viewed by throngs of people worldwide.  However, with this form of communication and knowledge-building come several cues strategic communicators and public relations practitioners must take into consideration.

Take into account that Wikipedia has become engaged in a back-and-forth war with spammers who are constantly developing software to combat Wikipedia’s anti-spam efforts.  As a result, Wikipedia takes your credibility into very serious consideration when deciding whether or not your edits will remain on the site.  As a social networking site, individuals have taken various measures to combat spam.  For example, the Wiki Scanner is a program that scans Wikipedia for anonymous edits.  The anonymous edits are tied to an IP address that is sent to a database that subsequently blocks that IP address from making any more edits.  Several large corporations (including Exxon, Walmart and Google) who had employees post anonymous edits to improve their online image, have been “busted” by the Wiki Scanner.

As a result of Wikipedia’s intense efforts to block such content, there are a couple of things PR practitioners should do before attempting to establish a brand on Wikipedia.

First, it is essential that you develop a Wikipedia profile.  Posting anonymous edits without a profile sends a red flag to those who are looking to rid the website of spam and pure marketing content.

Second, your profile must be established for some time before you engage in edits for your company.  A long history of credible edits under your profile tag will heighten your credibility.  This is especially true if your edits are on pages that have absolutely nothing to do with your business.  An individual operating a Wiki Scanner is less likely to tag your edits if they see that you have a long history of performing virtuous edits such as deleting spam, fixing typos, etc.

Finally, once you have created a profile and have developed a solid reputation behind it, you will find it much easier to not only edit material surrounding your particular company or industry, but also to create your own Wikipedia page.  Pages are more likely to remain on the site if the profile attached to the page has demonstrated a long history of contribution to the Wikipedia community.

Keep in mind that Wikipedia, like all other social-networking sites, is one that follows certain cyber-cultural traditions, values, and norms.  Presenting yourself as someone who is sensitive, understanding, and pro-active in maintaining these traditions, values, and norms will maximize your potential in harnessing the power of the site for your benefit.

Social Media and SEO: Two Peas in a Pod

It’s official, social media and SEO are inseparable. You can’t have a successful social media marketing campaign without SEO and it would be almost impossible to compete in the realm of SEO without utilizing social media.

Some folks out there debate the benefits of each, proclaiming one as more essential than the other. This debate is more like the chicken-and-the-egg argument than some may think. Both are necessary, both are essential. Both complement each other in such a nice way that it’s almost a shame to pick just one. My advice to you is not to pick one over the other – pick both. You’ll be glad you did.

As most of you know, search engine optimization requires relevance and authority. Ian Lurie, who strongly agrees that SEO and social media are joined at the hip, says that relevance comes from content and authority comes from links. The best way to add content is to utilize social media like blogs, discussion forums and other technologies that have community building as a goal. Writing blog posts can drive up search engine rankings and generate new and repeat viewers. These blog posts can also provide excellent linkbait – if you’re lucky – or generate a wave of interest on social network sites like Digg. These social network sites are also crucial to a successful link campaign, which will enhance your authority and drive traffic to your site.

Just as social media helps SEO, SEO is also a crucial aspect of successful social media campaigns. While social media sites like Reddit or Digg are extremely powerful, it’s highly unlikely that your campaign will reach the front page of either site. That’s where SEO comes in. A great social media campaign would be lost without SEO – literally. While you hope that your social media campaign will spread virally, it will ultimately need to appear high in search engine rankings to achieve a high level of traffic. This is especially true for blogs, which may get lost in today’s crowded online environment.

So, if you are debating between whether to focus on SEO or social media, the answer is to focus on both. Strengthening your search engine rankings through search engine optimization will help ensure that your social media strategies get the attention they deserve. In the same vein, developing and building social media strategies will help your site achieve higher search engine rankings.

Beware the Potential Drawbacks of Social Media

Using social media is a great way to get your organization’s name out to a large group of people. It is also a great way to appeal to your publics using PR and marketing messages specifically designed to address their unique needs.

But, as with every type of communications media there are some potential drawbacks of using social media to market your organization. If you aren’t careful, your organization can be negatively affected by marketing on the wrong social media website or by targeting messages toward the wrong audience.

Some good advice for PR and marketing practitioners is to beware that their brand may be judged by the people affiliated with it.

MySpace is one place where some companies can see real benefits and others see real damage to their reputations. MySpace is great for companies looking to target a younger demographic. It is also great if your organization doesn’t have a particular brand image you are trying to maintain. Still, MySpace may not be the ideal social media website for your company.

MySpace may not be useful for specific kinds of brands. For example, a surgical equipment manufacturer would probably not benefit from MySpace because the site does not cater to the company’s target demographic, doctors. Perhaps WebMD would be a better choice. Also, MySpace may make the company seem less professional if the company attracts friends who are constantly pictured drinking alcohol. On the other hand, MySpace is a great place for microbreweries to market to a large audience. The type of social networks a company should use depend entirely on the company’s goals.

When considering the best social media Web sites for your organization, you should ask yourself the following questions:

1. What goals am I trying to accomplish? Are you trying to boost traffic, increase sales or generate sign-ups?
2. What demographic do I want to appeal to?
3. What social media Web sites is this demographic using?

After you determine which social media Web sites best target the demographic you want to reach, you should create a profile that will resonate with your particular market. Use pictures, give-aways, or unique content customized for this audience to generate interest. Establish and maintain relationships with your followers, fans and friends by listening and responding to their feedback

If you do your homework and select the right social media websites you’re on your way to avoiding one of the major potential drawbacks of social media.

Targeting PR Messages for Microcommunities

Understanding how to target your most important publics is the key to effective public relations. As many of you know, PR  messages are not one size fits all. One major rule of thumb is that PR messages should be specifically tailored to meet the needs of each community you seek to reach.

That’s why the advice to “fish where the fish are” is particularly helpful. The idea behind the catch phrase is to target your public relations initiatives to specific network communities that cater to a niche population who may be interested in your organization or services.

These niche network communities are referred to by many as “microcommunities.” These microcommunities, such as, WebMD, Wikihow, and deviantART, provide social networking features for a smaller audience with particular interests.

By focusing PR initiatives on microcommunities, you can create customized messages that will appeal to each community on their own terms. In other words, targeting microcommunities with personalized PR messages can lead to better relationships, more traffic, and greater buzz.

So, how do you reach these niche audiences? How do you actually “fish where the fish are?” Here are some tips that can help you get started:

1)  Figure out which microcommunities to target. Who do you want to reach? What are the characteristics of the audience you think could use your services? Brainstorm a list of the various audiences or publics you think you’d like to reach. Then, conduct a comprehensive Web search to find out what microcommunities are out there. Make a list of the most active microcommunities, the ones with lively message boards and a steady flow of traffic.

2)  Do your research. Effective communication starts with research. Before you begin creating your targeted messages, you should find out as much information about your key publics as you can. Who are the people who visit these microcommunities? What interests them most? You should read as many blogs and comments as possible. Take note of any common patterns or concerns you see in their posts. Also, try to identify particular opinion leaders, those who post more frequently than others. What are their major issues? These patterns and posts can serve as inspiration for you when you begin to construct your targeted messages.

3) Brainstorm and test your PR messages. After conducting thorough research you should have plenty of ideas for messages that can reach each microcommunity. Make a list of key terms and ideas each microcommunity may find interesting. Generate your targeted messages around these key terms and ideas. Once you have a list of messages, select a few to test. However, before you post anything, make sure you are clear about who you are and what you represent. By being honest from the start, you can generate a sense of trust within these microcommunities. If you aren’t upfront at the beginning, you will certainly be discovered and the word will spread like wildfire.

These microcommunities can be a great resource, but remember that their members are communicating with each other frequently. This can be great for business or doom your campaign from the start.

With Social Media, Any Feedback is Good Feedback

Remember that old nursery rhyme: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” With social media, this old cliché is especially true.

Some organizations may be afraid to start a social media campaign because they don’t want to open up the floodgates for negative comments to come pouring in. But, there’s no reason to be afraid of such negative feedback – it can be a good thing.

Negative feedback is priceless – as long as it’s constructive. A general “you suck” doesn’t provide much guidance, but if a potential customer leaves a comment that your Web site is too complicated or your product is poorly made, your organization can use this feedback to improve operations.

Think about it. Most major companies pay big bucks to conduct research. Focus groups, surveys and customer interviews can cost thousands of dollars and it can take a long time to get the results.

With social networks, it’s easy for your publics to leave feedback. Plus, since the Internet provides a degree of anonymity, publics are more likely to speak their mind. Which brings me to the point at hand . . . negative feedback can be the best feedback.

For example, if your company produces witty bumper stickers and you are trying to gain a buzz on Facebook, you would want to know if your target market thinks your bumper stickers are funny. If Johnny501 says your bumper stickers are lame and look cheap. Don’t curse Johnny501 under your breath and think he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Perhaps you should take the hint, generate fresh jokes and find a new graphic designer.

If you receive the same negative feedback from several people, take it seriously and make a change. Likewise, if you receive the same positive feedback from several people, you should keep doing what they like. Like they say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

If you find that one person is being extremely negative without offering constructive criticism, you should contact them directly to see if there’s anything you can do to change their opinion. That way one loud naysayer won’t ruin your good reputation.

Negative feedback is generally a good way for you to test and prove how responsive you are to your publics’ needs. Plus, responding to your publics will foster the two-way relationships you need to help you avoid more negative feedback in the future.

Build a Positive Reputation on Social Media Networking Sites

Much like salesmen at mall kiosks, PR practitioners have the unfortunate reputation of being a little pushy. As I’ve said before, this is reputation does not speak for the majority of the profession, but with negativity bias in mind – it only takes a few bad apples . . . as the saying goes. So, when using social media Web sites, PR practitioners must remember to not fall into the role of publicity agent and instead remember the benefits of two-way communication.

 Social media networking sites are not your typical Web sites. They are more like a busy coffee shop or lounge where friends and acquaintances talk about common interests. No one wants a salesman to interrupt a pleasant conversation. Just like you wouldn’t try to sell your product at a dinner party, you shouldn’t try to sell it on a social media networking site – at least not overtly.

 Sure you can talk about your company or organization, but don’t make it the focus of your conversations. Instead, engage others on the network in discussions about their interests. That way you’ll learn more about your potential customers’, fans’, donors’ interests. Now that’s a great way to get some-real “two-way” conversations going, which is also the key to building strong relationships with your key publics.

 The key to truly engaging in productive conversations with others on social media networks is honesty. Be honest about who you are and who you represent. Make sure the other members of the social media network know that you are there because you have a genuine interest in the group and the topics they discuss. If you sense any measure of distrust, it may help to further explain that you are there to learn and because you yourself find the network personally interesting.

 As you begin to make contacts and acquaintances look out for ways you can appeal to them. But, as I said before, be honest. Treat your online relationships as you would your personal face-to-face relationships. As trust builds, those who are interested in your product, service or organization will come to you, honestly interested.

So, before you begin to use social networking sites to communicate with your publics, you should consider these tips: 

• Never be too pushy or vocal about your products, services or organization
• Engage other members in genuine conversations
• Take note of common concerns and patterns that appear
• Figure out the things network users find appealing
• Use insight gained from participation in social media networks to improve your targeted marketing and PR messages
• Treat online relationships as you would face-to-face relationships
• Remain aware of the rules for joining social media networks

 Just remember, word travels fast on the Internet. Good manners will get you far and help you build a positive reputation.