No. 1 SEO Tactic: Content Creation

In a recap of MarketingSherpa 2012 Search Marketing Benchmark Report – SEO Edition, Adam Sutton gives a quick analysis of the most effective SEO tactics according to a survey of SEO marketers. Here are the top 5 very effective / somewhat effective tactics for achieving objectives:

1. Content Creation- -- 50% / 42%
2. Keyword Search -- 43% / 44%
3. Title Tags --  42% / 47%
4. SEO Landing Page -- 39% / 47%
5. External Link Building -- 35% / 50%

Blogging can be a stream of compelling content that engages customers, and yet only 31% of SEO marketers said it was very effective -- and only 60% use it. Surprising.

Here's one reason: They don't know what to say in twice weekly posts -- the minimum to keep readers engaged. One tip from a successful blogger: Answer people's questions. No. Matter. What.

When you commit to blogging twice a week, you'll amass at least 52 posts in just 6 months. That's 52 keyword-rich pieces of content with descriptive titles -- the top three SEO tactics in one campaign. Sweet!

Avoid blogatrophy

Stretch those soft blogging biceps and follow the advice of Fast Company expert blogger Rich Brooks. Blog at least 2-3 times per week to build credibility and improve SEO.

• Anticipate and answer customer questions
• Give quick tips and lists
• Tell the story behind your creative process
• Track news that affects your market

Go forth and be buff.

(Thanks go to Andy Wibbels for pointing to Rich's post.)

Photo stories

Big Picture Guy Keith Philpott took up my challenge to tell the back-story on some of his fabulous images. Of course, the photos speak for themselves, but getting a glimpse of the photographer's process is like hearing an author talk about the genesis of a novel. Thank you, Keith!

Dell's IdeaStorm

Dell engages global customers in product design with IdeaStorm, which looks and feels like a wiki. Check it out!

Stopping content thieves

ClickZ Network Editor-in-Chief Rebecca Lieb gives us step-by-step instructions for tracking down and deterring the sploggers and other content thieves who make money by swiping stuff off other websites. She admits, though, they're hard to stop.

Here is one of the splogs ripping off my content, which I found doing a Google Blog Search on my name. There where others, but Blogger must do a good job of policing splogs, because they're now MIA.

In my case, the publisher owns the copyrights, and this particular splog appears to have been tested and abandoned, so it's not worth pursuing. But others are actively racking up Google AdSense revenue by padding their sites with keyword-rich articles not their own and without permission.

Here are the steps Lieb recommends taking:

1. If it's a website, identify the owner using WhoIs or Alexa.
2. Email a cease-and-desist order that documents the transgression, sets a deadline for response and threatens legal action.
3. Engage in polite dialog to reach a satisfactory conclusion.
4. If it's a splog, notify the blog host that the site violates the terms of service.
5. Report the AdSense policy violation to Google.
6. Report search results that include stolen content to Google and Yahoo.

The best outcome is getting these thieves kicked out of the search engine indexes, which Lieb says "renders them invisible."

Thanks for these great resources, Rebecca!

Long vs. short posts

In the latest edition of Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox, he crushes the concept of short snappy posts under a mountain of evidence that long is better, supporting his basic tenet:

"To demonstrate world-class expertise, avoid quickly written, shallow postings. Instead, invest your time in thorough, value-added content that attracts paying customers."

Nielsen says content derived from secondary sources has less intrinsic value than content driven by the author's experience. If you want to be the go-to person, you have to be the primary source.

If I thought that was always the case, I would not have shared his tidbit with you but would have, instead,  written about how to write those long, in-depth articles -- because that's what I do best. But Nielsen gave me food for thought, and I passed the platter.

What to write

Andy also says there are four types of blog posts, so when you're stumped for content, think about what you can offer in each category: news and updates, how-to's and tips, resources and links, thoughts and essays.

Blogging made me fat

Writing White Papers author Michael Stelzner warns that blogging can be dangerously addictive and erode your free time. The A-list bloggers he cites caution that it takes a considerable time commitment to write compelling content, build an audience, and monitor and respond to comments.

Reading this, I am reminded of Rebecca Blood's Bloggers on Blogging interview with David Weinberger, featuring this exchange:

Rebecca: "How has your weblog changed your life?"

David: "Blogging has made me fat. I used to exercise in the morning. Now I blog."

My problem exactly.

Stop cyber-bullying

A disturbing controversy has erupted in the blogosphere around one blogger's suggestion that it's OK to delete obnoxious comments from your blog. The flurry in abusive and threatening comments that followed have been likened to cyber-stalking and cyber-bullying.

In response, tech publisher Tim O'Reilly proposed a bloggers' code of conduct. His seven principles (paraphrased):

1. Take responsibility for what you post, and for comments others make.
2. State your tolerance (e.g., none) for abusive comments.
3. Prohibit anonymous comments.
4. Ignore trolls. Don't tussle with pigs.
5. Take confrontations offline and engage an intermediary, if possible.
6. If someone behaves badly, tell them so.
7. Don't say anything online that you wouldn't say in person.

The ugly phenomenon of bullying in the blogosphere is not an inexorable outcome of free speech and spirited debate. It is simply people overstepping the bounds of decency and hiding behind their anonymity. It needs to stop.

MarketingU

It's great to see how people act on the advice of experts to achieve instant results.

When Janis Johnson wanted to launch a new website for Johnson Consulting, she followed business blogger Andy Wibbels' lead and used a blogging platform that's easy to setup and maintain with no IT support.

Janis organized the blog categories around her areas of expertise, giving her a prime platform to demonstrate what she knows through advice and case studies. Nice work!