Date post: | 14-Apr-2017 |
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Marketing |
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7 Ways to Boost Your Traffic with
SEO and Content Marketing
By Colin Pang
What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a digital marketing strategy to help
your website rank highly on the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)
Good SEO = Good Organic Search Results
Paid Ads
Good SEO helps you rank high on Organic Search
Results
What a typical Search Engine Result Page (SERP) looks like:
Organic Search Results
Your Organic Search Results Matter
Source: http://www.advancedwebranking.com/ctrstudy/
Google Organic Click-Through Rate (CTR) History Mar 2015
Top ranked organic search results à High click-through rate (CTR)
For example, 200, 000 people search for “men’s watches”
Position #1 on desktop search, you get 25.84% X 200,000 = 51, 680 visitors
CTR: 25.84%
Your Organic Search Results Matter
Source: http://www.advancedwebranking.com/ctrstudy/
Google Organic Click-Through Rate (CTR) History Mar 2015
CTR: 2.85%
CTR dramatically drops for lower ranked search engine results à Low web traffic
Position #6 to #10 on desktop search, you get 10 times lesser traffic: 5700 visitors
That’s why SEO is important
Source: http://www.advancedwebranking.com/ctrstudy/
Google Organic Click-Through Rate (CTR) History Mar 2015
With excellent SEO practices… you can achieve 10X more traffic
CTR: 25.84% CTR:
2.85%
SEO Karate by Happy Marketer
On the other hand, what is
Source: http://www.advancedwebranking.com/ctrstudy/
Content Marketing
What is Content Marketing?
Content Marketing is a digital marketing strategy that entails the creation and
distribution of relevant, valuable, unique and consistent content to
acquire and retain customers.
Why is Content Marketing Important?
Brand Awareness
Web Traffic
User Engagement
Generate/Nurture Leads
SEO & Content Marketing Work Hand-in-Hand
SEO Content Marketing
#1
Identify the right
Keywords
#1 - KEYWORDS
Find the keywords that people search for when they are looking for something related to your brand or product offering, and ensure that your
website is optimized with such keywords.
#1 - KEYWORDS Some free ways to identify keywords
#1 - KEYWORDS Google AdWords Keyword Planner
Google’s FREE Keyword Planner tool lets you find new keywords based on many criteria that include
• Product Category • Targeting (location, language, search
channel, negative keywords) • Date Range
#1 - KEYWORDS
Google AdWords Keyword Planner Identify keywords to target based on • Average monthly searches • Competition
Google AdWords Keyword Planner
#1 - KEYWORDS
Acquisition > All Traffic > Channels > Organic Traffic and you will see Primary Dimension as “keywords”
Track your current site with Google Analytics
Review the top organic keywords that are driving traffic to your website.
Optimize well-performing keywords (based on traffic, low bounce rate, high average session duration) to rank higher in search
#1 - KEYWORDS
Use Google Trends as a complement to AdWords Keyword Planner. You can compare the level of interest among potential target phrases and customize it based on various filters • Geography • Time Duration • Categories • Search Type Allows you to see any upward or downward trend and plan what prospective keywords to target accordingly.
#2 Understand the cumulative power of
Long-Tail Keywords
#2 Long-tail Keywords What are they?
• Longer and more specific keyword phrases • Often less competitive to rank • Often draws better quality traffic & higher
conversion rates
Long-Tail Keywords
#2 Long-tail Keywords Why it makes sense to target long-tail keywords
#2 Long-tail Keywords Why it makes sense to target long-tail keywords
#2 Long-tail Keywords Some ways to find long-tail keywords
Google Autocomplete
#3 Optimize your
Website Architecture & Technical Issues
#3 Architecture & Technical Issues
Even if you have the best content on your site, if your site is structured in a way that
search engines cannot crawl and find your content, you won’t appear on search results.
#3 Architecture & Technical Issues • URL Structure
Ensure it is easy for users and search engines to understand Good Practices • Use words in URL • Straightforward • Meaningful • Simple directory structure • Try to include the keyword you are targeting in the URL structure • Try to match URLs to titles
#3 Architecture & Technical Issues • URL Structure
Ensure it is easy for users and search engines to understand
Bad Examples to Avoid • Use dynamic parameters (www.example.com/asd?id=123) • Too long (www.example.com/this-is-a-terribly-long-example-of-a-url-structure.html) • Too many folders (www.example.com/region/country/destination/route/flight.html)
#3 Architecture & Technical Issues • Create Sitemaps
One for users
One for search engine Create a XML sitemap so that search engines can easily navigate your site and hence, show your site in search results. *VERY IMPORTANT FOR SEO*
Create a simple sitemap page that shows a hierarchical listing of pages on your site for visitors to see.
#3 Architecture & Technical Issues • Is your site mobile-optimized?
“More than half of searches on Google
(100 billion monthly searches) now happen on mobile”
Source: http://www.theverge.com/2015/10/8/9480779/google-search-mobile-vs-desktop-2015
Amit Singhal Google’s Senior VP of Search, October 2015
#3 Architecture & Technical Issues • Best practices for mobile-optimization
RESPONSIVE DESIGN
#3 Architecture & Technical Issues • Best practices for mobile-optimization
• Don’t block CSS, JavaScript • Legible font sizes • Use HTML5 and avoid plugins, especially Flash or Java • Titles and Meta descriptions should be short and sweet • Optimize for local search
#3 Architecture & Technical Issues
Fast, free way to check if your site is mobile-friendly or not https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/
#3 Architecture & Technical Issues
Lots more await you in the technical world of SEO i.e. canonicalization, 301 redirects, robot.txt, etc
For more in-depth information and how-to-dos,
check out these resources: • Moz Technical Site Audit Checklist • Google’s SEO Starter Guide
#4 Create and Distribute
Compelling Content
#4 Compelling Content
Use the A-I-D-A
approach
#4 Compelling Content
Awareness Interest Desire Action
Awareness Interest Desire Action
#4 Compelling Content
Ensure that your audience is aware of you by being on all the platforms they are on: • Search Engines • SEO-Optimized Website and Blog
• Social media channels • Unified marketing strategy across channels
to ensure that you are on the top-of-mind
#4 Compelling Content
Awareness Interest Desire Action
Stir up interest and cause them to click on the content shared on the various channels
• Identify WHO is your target audience • Create different customer personas based on
their demographics and interests • Appeal to them with catchy headlines • Surprise • Questions • Curiosity • Negatives • How-to
#4 Compelling Content
Awareness Interest Desire Action
*KILLER TIP* Headline Analyzer http://coschedule.com/headline-analyzer Write awesome headlines for blog posts and email subject lines to drive social shares, traffic and SEO value.
#4 Compelling Content
Awareness Interest Desire Action
Generate desire among users to make them take action (e.g. follow your site, purchase product) • Offer quality content • Inspiration • Empathy • Utility
• Produce content on a consistent basis • Make it interactive, i.e. infographics, video • Testimonials
Awareness Interest Desire Action
#4 Compelling Content
Get them to take action (i.e. follow, share, sign up, purchase) • Visible follow & share buttons • Good landing page optimization • Master the art of the call-to-action
• Copywriting • Positioning on page • Imagery pairing and Visual elements
• Do A/B testing
#4 Compelling Content
Two killer content marketing strategies are shared in the later slides
#6 Newsjacking #7 Skyscraper Technique
#5
Blog Regularly
#5 Blog
Marketers who prioritized blogging are
13X more likely to achieve positive ROI
Source: HubSpot State of Inbound, 2014
#5 Blog
Long-Term Impact
Source: HubSpot
#5 Blog
Don’t forget to
Guest Blog
#5 Blog
Benefits of Guest Blogging
1. Establish Yourself as an Industry Authority
2. Increase Exposure and Traffic to your website
3. Build Backlinks to your website, that further boost your SEO performance
#6
Newsjacking
#6 Newsjacking
“Newsjacking is the process of injecting your ideas or angles into breaking news, in real-time, in order to generate media coverage for yourself or your business.”
#6 Newsjacking
#6 Newsjacking
Keep abreast with the latest news
• Identify what type of news you want to newsjack • Set up Google Alerts • Follow real-time industry news or experts on social
media, especially Twitter, Facebook and YouTube • Subscribe to RSS feeds
#6 Newsjacking Killer Tip: Google Alerts
www.google.com/alerts
#6 Newsjacking
And when an opportunity arises,
• Speed is key • Create relevant content around the news, but with a
unique twist that draws interest • Be careful about controversial topics
#6 Newsjacking
Best combined with social media Case Study: Oreo News Opportunity: 8.32pm, Feb 3th 2015 Power blackout at Super Bowl XLVII Game
Real-time Newsjacking Oreo’s Twitter account tweeted this at 8.48pm
Viral Response Tweeted 10,000 times within one hour à Dominated mind share of customers à Boosted brand reputation à Positive effect on web traffic
Skyscraper
technique
#7
Note: The Skyscraper technique was originally coined up by Brian Dean of BACKLINKO fame and has since gained popularity http://backlinko.com/skyscraper-technique
What is the Skyscraper Technique?
Find content that’s proven to perform well in your niche, i.e. “the tallest skyscraper”
and slap 20 stories to the top of it.
#7 Skyscraper Technique
Step 1: Find link-worthy
content
Step 3: Reach out to
the right people
Step 2: Make the content
better
http://backlinko.com/skyscraper-technique
#7 Skyscraper Technique
Step 1: Find link-worthy
content
Link-worthy content is content that other websites will want to link to because it’s valuable and relevant. In other words, find content that is proven to be so awesome that many people are linking to it.
Free Tools:
• Moz Open Site Explorer https://moz.com/researchtools/ose/ • Topsy http://topsy.com/ • Buzzsumo http://www.buzzsumo.com
#7 Skyscraper Technique Open Site Explorer (https://moz.com/researchtools/ose/)
Type in a website that generates many links from their content
Make sure to select “Top Pages”
#7 Skyscraper Technique Open Site Explorer (https://moz.com/researchtools/ose/)
Look for content with at least 25 linking root domains
#7 Skyscraper Technique
Step 1: Find link-worthy
content
Buzzsumo (www.buzzsumo.com)
You can select the type of content
Type in any keyword to quickly find any content in any industry
#7 Skyscraper Technique
Details • Longer lists • More in-depth information • Well-researched case studies
Up-to-Date • Spruce it up with the latest information
Design • More visually appealing • Images and Infographics
Step 2: Make the content
better
“Creating epic content is the key in getting outstanding results from the Skyscraper technique”
#7 Skyscraper Technique
• Develop a list of RIGHT prospects • in the same niche • interested in your content topic • linked an article to that topic
• Email Outreach • Craft your pitch/email template and how they can
benefit from linking to your content • Actively promote
Step 3: Reach out to
the right people
Even if you have epic content, it doesn’t matter unless people read it. The last step is the most important as you need to actively promote your content.
These are just a few of a whole arsenal of digital marketing
techniques…
Author: Colin Pang
http://linkedin.com/in/djpang @djpang
Need help with SEO or content marketing? Write to us at [email protected] or visit us at www.happymarketer.com