• Optimizing Video For Your Website (Part 3 of 3)

    By Keith Moehring | Posted Aug 18, 2010 | 2 Comment(s) | Filed in: Search Marketing

    Part 1 of this blog series on video optimization discussed hosting options and beginner video best practices. Part 2 focused on optimizing your video on YouTube.

    Optimizing video on your sitePart 3 is all about how to optimize video on your website. This information pertains to both embedded YouTube videos as well as those that use your website’s video player. We will detail activities you can do through your content management system (CMS), as well as activities that may require the support of a website developer, or someone with HTML coding expertise.

    The Right File Format

    Make sure that your video content is in one of the following file formates: .mpg, .mp4, .mov, .wmv, .asf, .avi, .ra, .ram, .rm or .fly. Google can index these file types. (Bing does not list the formats it can index.)

    Its Own Page

    When possible, make sure to give your video its own web page or blog post. The content around your video is an opportunity to tell search engines what it is about, so include keywords and be descriptive.

    Optimization Activities With a CMS

    Page Title (less than 60 characters)

    Optimize the video’s page title as you would any other web page. Integrate your keywords, placing them first if possible. At the same time, make sure the title will grab your audience’s attention and entice them to click. This may be your only opportunity to get them to watch.

    Meta Description

    Also similar to standard on-page optimization, create a meta description that details what the video is about, integrates keywords and motivates searchers to click. Keywords in meta descriptions don’t carry much weight with search engines, but search engines often use a page’s meta description as the text under the main link on a results pages, and will bold terms that match the search query. You get up to 150-160 characters, so make them count.

    URL

    Be sure to integrate keywords into your page’s URL. For example, "www.DomainName.com/keyword-and-more-keywords." Keep URLs short and user friendly.

    Description

    The only way a search engine is going to understand what your video is about is if you literally spell it out for them. Create a description that is posted directly above or below the video. This description doesn’t have to be a word-for-word transcript, but it should highlight the main points covered in the video and integrate your targeted keywords.

    However, if you prefer, you can include a transcript of the video to integrate additional, indexable content. For this, Adobe offers a tool, SubPly is a free online tool, and YouTube can automatically caption your video using voice recognition software. If you prefer to create your own transcript for an embedded YouTube video, follow these instructions. To add a transcript to a video hosted through your CMS, talk to your developer on the best way to create this file.

    Comments

    Make sure to allow viewers to leave comments. While comments don’t carry much weight with search engines, they are additional text that may get indexed, and a way for users to engage with your content. 

    Rating

    Give viewers the option to rate your video in some manner. Again, search engines look at audience participation as one of the many factors to determine the strength of your video. Embedded YouTube videos can include this feature just by selecting it during the upload process. If you don’t use YouTube, ask your developer about adding this feature to your player.

    Social Media Buttons

    Search engines continue to utilize social media more to identify popular videos, trends and viral content, so make it easy for viewers to share your video. This includes share buttons for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and social bookmarking sites (e.g. Digg, Delicious, Reddit and StumbleUpon) as well as the ability for viewers to embed or copy and paste a link to your video on their site.

    Advanced Video Optimization Activities

    The following activities are a little more technical in nature, and may require the support of a web developer, depending on your internal capabilities.

    Video Markup

    Google supports two markup formats — Facebook Share and Yahoo! SearchMonkey RDFa — that enable you to add indexable information about the video directly in the HTML code. Here you can include the video’s title, description, thumbnail URL and source URL. The following Webmaster Central blog post provides additional information.

    Video Sitemap Submission

    Google now allows you to submit video sitemaps using Webmaster Central. Video sitemaps are integrated into your website’s XML sitemap, and must include at least the following five elements:

    1. Title
    2. Description
    3. Play Page URL
    4. Thumbnail URL
    5. Raw Video File Location

    I recommend reading the following video sitemap guide from Google. Bing does not offer this option yet.

    Media RSS (mRSS)

    mRSS feeds are RSS (Real Simple Syndication) modules capable of sharing media files, such as video, audio and images. Google enables you to submit your mRSS feed URL instead of, or in addition to, a video sitemap. With mRSS, search engines will automatically be alerted to any new video content you publish. Click here for more information about submitting mRSS feeds to Google (you’ll need to scroll half way down the page).

    Additional Resources

    For additional resources on optimizing video, I highly recommend reading this resource from Google and subscribing to ReelSEO.com.

    Optimizing Video Series

    Part 1: How to Optimize Video
    Part 2: Optimizing Video on YouTube

    Does anyone else have any advice on how best to optimize video for the web?

    Keith Moehring is business development manager and a consultant at PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. Follow Keith on Twitter @keithmoehring.

  • Driven by Content Part 3: Content & SEO [VIDEO]

    By Christina Capadona-Schmitz | Posted Aug 4, 2010 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Content Marketing

    Websites have become the new front door to organizations, and serve as the foundation of integrated, inbound marketing campaigns. Unlike websites of the past that were static brochures, today's websites provide companies with the opportunity to regularly publish relevant, optimized and link-worthy content, such as eBooks, case studies and online videos.

    In Part 3 of Driven By Content, Keith Moehring, who heads up PR 20/20’s SEO efforts, talks about websites and SEO, and creating content that can be easily shared and found.

    Part 3 - Content & SEO

    Managing Content

    As part of a content marketing strategy, your corporate website needs to have a content management system (CMS). This enables users to update and create pages on a website in real time, and optimize these pages for search engines. CMS features can include blog platforms, online media rooms and RSS feeds, to publish and share content.

    Content & SEO

    The next layer of your website is search engine optimization (SEO), or the process of strengthening your website so it ranks better in search engines for specific keywords. Hosting your blog and media room on your website retains the SEO value of your content that is posted and shared.

    While incorporating important keywords into your website content, or on-page optimization, can help boost your search engine rankings, it is the off-page optimization that really has the most impact, accounting for nearly 85% of your site’s value. By developing great content that people will want to share and link to, you can have a direct impact on your off-page optimization. Social media also plays a role in SEO, as search engines are now indexing profile status updates, tweets, videos and more.

    When it comes to SEO, it’s all about publishing remarkable, optimized content that your audience will want to consume, share and link to. 

    For questions on SEO and its role in content marketing, you can contact Keith direct at keith@pr2020.com, or connect with him on Twitter at @keithmoehring.

    Resources:

    You don’t need to be a web expert or programmer to set yourself up to succeed in content marketing. What you do need is to understand how optimization, content management systems and social publishing platforms set the stage for successful campaigns. You can then use this knowledge to activate the tools that help you focus on creating content that can be shared and found by the audiences that matter most.

    For more resources on SEO, check out the following:

    PR 20/20 posts:

    All things SEO:

    Local Search:

    Video SEO:

    Navigating the Driven by Content Series

    Part 1: PR 20/20 Assistant Vice President Christina Capadona-Schmitz covers “What is Content Marketing?” and why it matters to today’s organizations (3:44).

    Part 2: PR 20/20 Inbound Marketing Manager Laurel Miltner discusses online publishing and the idea of content & community, the role of social media in content marketing (8:55).

    Part 3: Keith Moehring, who leads PR 20/20's search engine optimization efforts, talks about websites, content management systems, online publishing tools and how SEO can impact content marketing (8:42).

    Part 4: PR 20/20 President Paul Roetzer shares the importance of your brand in content marketing, how content marketing is connected to PR and who you should trust to tell your story through content (7:06).

    Part 5: PR 20/20 Content Services Manager Christy Barksdale ties it together, in planning your publishing strategy, giving your content legs on the web and furthering your leadership position through content curation (5:43).

     

    Keith Moehring is business development manager and a consultant at PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. Follow Keith on Twitter @keithmoehring.


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  • 4 Tips for Giving Your Content Legs

    By Christy Barksdale | Posted May 13, 2010 | 2 Comment(s) | Filed in: Content Marketing

    Content marketing has become a hot topic for marketing professionals across many industries. A core component of an inbound marketing strategy, content marketing can help level the playing field for many businesses — no matter their size — and is the driving force behind generating leads and building loyalty.

    However, content alone cannot deliver results. It is the powerful marriage of content and community that really has the potential to impact a company’s positioning as a thought leader, and influence buying decisions. As my colleague Christina Capadona-Schmitz stated in her “What is Content Marketing?” blog post,

    “While many understand the benefits of investing in the production of captivating content pieces, without community building activities, established distribution channels, and the internal commitment to a long-term strategy, the content will not travel far beyond the place it is published on the Web.”

    running

    Here are four tips for enhancing your content footprint:                                         

    1) Know Your Audience and Their Needs

    Before content is shared, it has to be consumed by people who find it interesting and/or useful. In order for your content to appeal to your target audiences (thus enhancing its sharing potential), you must know the purpose of your marketing efforts.

    Understanding your buyer personas is crucial before any content marketing strategy can be developed. You must ask:

    • Whom am I trying to reach?
    • What are their needs?
    • What are their pain points?
    • What is important to them?
    • How do they best consume information?
    • What can I develop that will be of use to them?
    • How can I leverage my expertise to alleviate these concerns?

    2) Optimize for Searchers

    Optimizing your content to get found is crucial. Buyers today use Internet searches to make informed purchasing decisions, and while product and price are obvious factors, by offering valuable resources (free of sales pitches) your company builds trust and influence, and has a better shot at earning the sale.

    Make sure your content is easy for customers and prospects to find by incorporating targeted keywords in both on-page and off-page optimization. Use buyer persona research to determine keywords that will most likely be used by your audience; don’t get caught up in industry jargon.

    Here are some useful resources for optimizing a few specific types of content:

    For short-term impact, consider activating a targeted pay-per-click (PPC) campaign to help jumpstart content consumption.

    3) Get Social

    One of the greatest satisfactions of creating content is the opportunity to share it with your community and see your ideas spread. To achieve this, here are some tactics to consider:

    • If you’re launching a new ongoing program, such as a blog or eNewsletter, notify your audience ahead of time through established means of communication.
    • If you already have a blog up and running, use it to announce new content pieces. Invite readers to browse, view or download the content, and encourage them to share it with others.
    • Share on social networks, which provide great platforms for promoting your content and engaging in conversations about the topic at hand. Also, be sure to include sharing buttons alongside your content, to encourage others to share it as well.
    • Include links to your content in your email signature. By making content a part of your daily communications, you help to keep it top-of-mind for your customers and prospects.  

    Remember: community is also about supporting your peers. Be sure to share useful resources from others in your industry, not just your own content. By supporting each other, you can develop a great community with mutually beneficial relationships.

    4) Repurpose Existing Content

    Bring new life and context to “old” information, extend its reach and provide valuable content in formats that appeal most to your varied audience preferences. For example:

    • Package a series of blog posts or presentations on a particular topic into an eBook.
    • On the flip side, break apart an eBook into a series of blog posts.
    • For more technical pieces, such as white papers, develop an educational webinar (or vice versa).
    • Customize an eBook or podcast for specific vertical markets.
    • Use recently developed content to help populate and supplement original content in your monthly eNewsletter.

    When considering new mediums for existing content, remember how your buyer personas prefer to consume information, and use formats they are comfortable with.

    Savvy B2B Marketing offers some great insight on the dos and don’ts of repurposing content. Also check out Ardath Albee’s “The Rule of 5 for B2B Content Development.”

    Putting It All Together

    Ensuring that your content gets found, consumed and shared can be a daunting task for many marketers. But, by understanding your buyer personas, optimizing your content, embracing community and offering information in multiple formats, your chances of success are much greater.

    Don’t forget that content marketing strategies are never perfect from the start – keep track of what content is resonating well with your personas and what is not, and be willing to adapt your strategy accordingly.

    So, what’s your company’s secret to giving your content legs?

    Christy Barksdale is content services manager and consultant for PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. Follow her on Twitter: @ChristyBarks.

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  • SEO's Magic Bullet

    By Keith Moehring | Posted Jan 27, 2010 | 2 Comment(s) | Filed in: Content Marketing, Search Marketing, Social Media

    The concept of a Magic Bullet is an intriguing one — a magical solution to solve a vexing problem without the fear of any side effects. This is especially true in search engine optimization, where there is so much money to be made by ranking at the top of a Google search result page for a key term.

    Well, what if I told you...

    ... Search Engine Optimization may just have a “Magic Bullet,"

    SEO's Magic Bullet

     And it is BLOGGING.

    Half of you just stopped reading. You were ready to hear something new and exciting, and instead were given the same ole same old. Allow me to explain.

    Several months ago, SEOmoz.org released their Search Engine 2009 Ranking Factors. (For those who don’t subscribe to this blog, you’re missing out on some of the most advanced and useful thinking on the topic.)

    The 2009 Ranking Factors rate the importance of search engine ranking factors based on the opinions of 72 SEO experts. Below I’ve detailed how a blog can impact the factors ranked as “very high importance” or “high importance.”

    (It is important to note that while blogging can have a big impact on the factors below and growing your business, to have the greatest success, it should be one part of a comprehensive marketing strategy that includes search marketing, social media, content publishing, and PR. Learn more here.

    On-Page (Keyword-Specific) Ranking Factors:

    Keyword Use Anywhere in the Title Tag (Very High Importance)

    Blogging makes it simple to continuously generate new Web pages, all with keyword-rich Title Tags. In most blogging platforms, your Title Tag is taken from your headline, and if you follow SEO best practices, you are already integrating keywords here anyway.

    Keyword Use as the First Word(s) of the Title Tag (High Importance)

    This again falls in-line with writing effective headlines. By positioning your keywords near the beginning, you can easily satisfy this factor. Word of caution however, don’t get to focused on search engines when writing headlines. First and foremost, headlines should be written to catch the attention of your readers. Always be thinking user-friendly first, optimization second. Search engines are smart enough to understand what you’re optimizing around.

    Keyword Use in the Root Domain Name (High Importance)

    If your company is looking to boost its site's search engine rankings through blogging, don’t worry about this factor. For a blog to provide the maximum SEO value it must be attached to your site as a subdirectory or subdomain (i.e. www.CompanyName.com/blog or blog.CompanyName.com). The root domain name should ALWAYS be your main site.

    On-Page (Non-Keyword) Ranking Factors

    Existence of Substantive, Unique Content on the Page (High Importance)

    Blogs give you a medium to consistently publish new, original content that addresses specific subject matters. By keeping in mind your buyer personas and objectives, there is no limit to how much keyword-rich, unique content you can create.

    Recency (freshness) of Page Content (Moderate Importance)

    As Russ Jones commented in the SEOmoz post, “If Google only ranked the ‘tried and true,’ their results would be old and outdated.” A blog gives you the ability to quickly publish timely content. The more often search engines find new content, the more frequently they’ll return to your site. Every new blog post you create is another page for Google, and other search engines, to index.

    Page-Specific Link Popularity Ranking Factors

    Keyword-Focused Anchor Text from External Links (Very High Importance)

    At first look, it may appear that you have no influence over what anchor text people use in their links. Not exactly true. Typically, when creating links, others will use the title/headline of your post — another reason to focus on getting keywords in your headlines. Something else to keep in mind — a number of bloggers understand the value of keywords in link anchor text and may automatically integrate words you use, or even consider changing their anchor text if you ask nicely.

    External Link Popularity (quantity/quality of external links) (Very High Importance)

    The beauty of quality, useful blog content is that if you share it using the right social-media channels (i.e. Twitter, LinkedIn, Digg, StumbleUpon, etc.), your network will spread it for you. As more people see your content, the chances of generating links increase exponentially. Always be trying to grow your reach through social media in tandem with writing good, useful blog content.

    Diversity of Link Sources (many root domains) (Very High Importance)

    This goes hand-in-hand with External Link Popularity (above). The greater your social media reach, the broader your audience of potential linkers. Consider pushing the boundaries of your niche and expanding how you can impact other topics or industries through disruptive innovation. The more you can do this, the more diverse your audience will become.

    Page-Specific TrustRank (whether the individual page has earned links from trusted sources) (High Importance)

    The Internet is full of online resources created by thought leaders expanding their industry’s thinking on a specific topic. Support your posts by citing these resources with links from within your content. If the source is using analytics, they will see any traffic coming from your post to theirs, consequently making them aware of you. If your post supports their thinking, and they find value in your content, the chance of them linking to you increases.

    Topic-Specificity/Focus on External Links Sources (whether external links to this page come from topically relevant pages/sites.) (High Importance)

    Blogging gives you the opportunity to become a thought leader. Your blog can amplify your reach to thousands of people who are interested in learning about your subject matter, many of whom are probably writing about similar topics on their own blogs. The more of a resource you are, the more your links you can expect.

    Keyword-Focused Anchor Text from Internal Links (High Importance)

    Integrate your blog posts throughout your site, whether it’s through a feed on your homepage, links on related product or service pages, links from other blog posts, or a list of posts in a media room. If you’re using a feed, your keyword-rich headlines should do the trick. If you’re linking from within page content you have complete control over what words you use as anchor text. Use your priority keywords, and consider using synonyms on different pages to expand the terms for which the search engines index your post.

    View SEOmoz’s full list of search ranking factors. See the 72 SEO experts who collaborated on this project.

    Keith Moehring is a consultant at PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. Follow Keith on Twitter @keithmoehring.

    Image credit - http://www.clker.com/clipart-25666.html

  • Public Relations in Web 2.0: From Impressions to Inbound Links

    By Paul | Posted Jul 17, 2008 | 1 Comment(s) | Filed in: Internet Marketing, Public Relations

    The public relations industry is rapidly evolving. Technology is redefining the profession, and Web 2.0 — the new online world of mass collaboration and consumer-generated content — has given unfiltered access to the opinions and perceptions of target audiences (i.e. employees, customers, prospects, competitors, media, etc.).

    Plus, through the use of blogs, optimized press releases, podcasts, videos, forums, social networks and other Web 2.0 tools, companies now have the ability to connect with their audiences in a more authentic, human voice.

    For the PR industry, which traditionally has relied on pitching stories to mainstream media (i.e. TV, print, radio) in the hopes of landing editorial coverage and generating impressions, Web 2.0 has given us the ability to consistently produce a more measurable outcome — inbound links.

    Through social media, search engine optimization (SEO) and self-publishing, wired PR firms are building inbound links, driving qualified Website traffic, generating leads, directly influencing consumers and having a measurable impact on the bottom line.

    Here’s a snapshot of three public relations trends changing the industry:

    1) Social Media

    This is the most obvious and talked about trend in the public relations industry. PR professionals are communications specialists, and blogs, forums, online video and social networking offer the ability to communicate more affordably and efficiently than ever before.

    2) Search Engine Optimization

    Placement of targeted keywords throughout your Website, as well as generating inbound links to your Website, play an essential role in how your site ranks on major search engines, and in turn, directly impacts the quantity and quality of Website visitors. While SEO is not a traditional public relations practice, PR firms that don’t quickly integrate SEO principles into their services will become obsolete.

    3) Self-Publishing

    Press Releases, blogs, eBooks, white papers, by-lined articles, newsletters and online magazines are now being written with keyword-rich content and distributed with the goal of building Website traffic, inbound links and leads.

     

    Web 2.0 has leveled the playing field for many organizations. It’s no longer about the size of your marketing budget, or how many impressions you can generate, rather it’s about how intelligent and innovative you can be in adopting emerging online technologies.

    By concentrating on the activities that build inbound links, drive Website traffic and convert visitors into leads, your organization can grow smarter and faster than the competition.

  • Google's Take on Inbound Link Strategies

    By Keith | Posted Jun 24, 2008 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Internet Marketing


    Google takes a number of different factors into account when ranking Websites for specific search terms, including: content, page titles, descriptions and navigation.

    However, the number one thing Google looks at is how many other Websites link to your site (i.e. inbound links). It considers each link an endorsement of your site to other Internet users, and the more you have from legitimate Websites relating to your subject matter, the higher you rank.

    For this reason, when optimizing a Website, generating inbound links must be a top priority. Paul touched on this topic in an earlier post titled – Tools to Build Inbound Links, Website Traffic and Leads.

    Well, in a recent post on Ramblings About SEO, Eric Enge shares a transcript of his interview with Matt Cutts, head of Google’s Webspam team.

    In it, Enge asks Cutts to describe what makes a good inbound link and to explain Google’s take on several inbound marketing strategies, including article publishing and reciprocal links. Below are a couple excerpts from the transcript:

    On What Makes a Good Link:


    Matt Cutts:  So, what are the links that will stand the test of time? Those links are typically given voluntarily. It is an editorial link by someone, and it’s someone that’s informed. They are not misinformed, they are not tricked; there is no bait and switch involved. It’s because somebody thinks that something is so cool, so useful, or so helpful that they want to make little sign posts so that other people on the web can find that out.

    On Article Publishing:


    Eric Enge:  ... writing a really good article, placing it in an online magazine site somewhere. I mean, that’s a pretty solid strategy as well, right?

    Matt Cutts: Yeah absolutely; because someone is choosing to put that article up.

    If you think about it as a freelance journalist, it is exactly that situation where they are getting their article placed in a magazine and in return they get credibility. And, a journalist is actually paid as well, but getting well-known, whether it’s through networking or through writing articles that you are expert about, or even doing a guest post on a blog are all important to journalists who are trying to get their name out there and have people know more about them    .

    On Reciprocal Links:


    Matt Cutts:  ... that’s another place where not so long ago [we] improved our documentation, because at first we said avoid the reciprocal links. Really, what you need to do is avoid the excessive reciprocal links.

    Click here for the full transcript. And for more from Matt Cutts, check out Google's Cutts: Good directions drive traffic to your Website from USA Today.

  • Tools to Build Inbound Links, Website Traffic and Leads

    By Paul | Posted May 15, 2008 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Internet Marketing



    The number of inbound links to your Website plays an essential role in how the site ranks on major search engines, and in turn, directly impacts the quantity and quality of Website visitors.

    So what can you do to generate more inbound links to your Website?

    • Become content publishers:
      • Launch, maintain a blog about your company, industry and/or areas of expertise.
      • Distribute keyword-optimized press releases through online wire services that include links directing readers to your Website.
      • Publish eBooks, white papers and case histories.
      • Submit by-lined articles to industry sites.
      • Post photos and videos to social media sites.
      • Launch interactive, Web 2.0 magazines with keyword-rich content.
    • Incorporate RSS feeds into your site.
    • Maintain updated company profiles on key online directories such as ZoomInfo, DMOZ, Yahoo! Directory and Business.com.
    • Submit your URL to major search engines.
    • Post a complete, searchable site map to your Website.
    • Optimize anchor text of existing inbound links based on priority keywords.
    • Analyze competitor inbound links to discover new link-building opportunities.
    • Get involved in the blogging community by researching blogs that discuss topics related to your site, and then commenting on relevant blog posts.
    • Contribute to online forums discussing topics related to your company, products and industry.
    • Participate in leading social bookmarking sites such as StumbleUpon and Digg.

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