SEO Tips: News Values & Brand Values All Count on Google

Content marketing is the hot thing now for many companies. It isn’t rocket science, but it requires you apply newsroom values and discipline to make it work well. Fact is, there’s no quick fix, SEO isn’t a `black art,’ it is a skill set rooted in journalism.

You need trained journalists because your brand is competing with media outlets for P1 on Google. It’s a shark pool out there.

If you want your content on Page 1 of Google, recruit an SEO trained, experienced writer. It works.

You could cut corners, use an outside agency or freelancer who syndicates blogs and re-writes press releases in a keyword-stuffed kinda way, circa 2009. But it probably isn’t going to work.

So read the papers, watch the TV news, use Google Trends, Alerts, trade journals, websites, forums and Twitter to see what’s hot in search volumes. Both within your business niche and the wider economy.

Never forget human nature; people are greedy, they love something for nothing, like PPI compensation, dodgy insurance claims, cheaper petrol, designer clothes reduced by 50% in the Debenhams Sale, or vouchers for a free meal at their local restaurant.

Give them news about freebies, shops going bust and selling stock cheap, big brands dishing out voucher codes.

NOT ALL CONTENT IS LINKBAIT

You need some values, something beyond keywords.

This is where most companies lose the plot because they often see content as essentially subservient to commercial needs – every article has to make money, or gather data.

Good content can get your brand a top position on Google’s search pages.

But business is about brands too, and the trust you build into a brand has a tangible, cash value. Ask John Lewis, M&S, Aston Martin, Apple, the BBC, or Moneysupermarket.com who paid Martin Lewis £87 million for Moneysaving Expert, because readers TRUSTED what they read there.

Give your readers true value; like the knowledge to avoid online scams, or ways to buy something expensive that bit cheaper than your neighbour. People want knowledge and the internet is a knowledge economy, still developing its true potential and power.

In a decade there will be no UK High Streets as we understand them now.

There will be leisure shopping experiences, places that are fun, pleasant, safe and packed with major brands. But we will make all our essential, everyday, `distress’ purchases online. Content marketing will ease the sting of that impersonal process, empower some consumers with wisdom and expose the shabbier, more obviously dubious companies.

We live in interesting times, chronicle them.

How to Use Content Marketing to Get to Page 1 on Google Search

People talk about content marketing and how 2013 will be the year when many businesses finally get to grips with it. Possibly.

Will 2013 be the year of content marketing? Maybe. If business people get their wallets open.

For me, I don’t see that happening this year in the UK, because most businesses do not have the time, willpower or resources to create original, well written content, which will achieve a high page rank on Google.

The harsh truth is that most SMEs and smaller businesses think they can do it on the cheap. Big companies are more switched on in general, but few want to invest serious money in quality content.

Many senior managers and directors still think that by paying web developers and web designers huge amounts of money, they can `game’ Google. That there is a `trick’ to getting to P1/P1 on Google or Yahoo.

SEO isn’t X-Box; there isn’t a `cheat’ app, or website, which will enable your company to consistently get P1/P1, although there are plenty of web developers who will happily sell you that notion. And forget about link farming, that train has left the station.

The Technical Side Matters, But You Need Good Writers, with SEO Skills

Good websites need many things.

Error free website code, high quality links, H1/2/3 site structure, XML sitemaps, W3c compliance, a lack of flash media, or appalling marketing spam above the fold on your home page. There are many other technical aspects, but nothing is as important as excellent content in the long run, when it comes to overall page rank and making money from particular pages within your site.

You would think people would grasp this basic truth, but there is still far too much syndicated PR fluff, outsourced Pidgin English copy bought for peanuts from People Per Hour or some dreadful Copyscape rehash of old, or stolen content, which is irrelevant, poorly written, keyword stuffed or just riddled with tacky affiliate links.

Great stories, hard news, `how to’ articles that answer questions, product reviews, comparisons, witty, short video clips and outstanding, shareable photos. That’s what you need. Downside is, it costs money – because good writers and image creators need a living wage, just like web developers do.

If You Include News and Topical Articles on Your Website, then Employ Experienced Journalists, Not Interns or Amateurs

I will speak slowly, so that the slow of understanding can note this point; journalism matters, it drives traffic, boosts conversion rates and helps websites make money.

Storytelling is an art and like a great TV ad, online video, podcasts, or features, need skilled creative authors.

Irrespective of what you think of the Mail Online website, it delivers, being the most read UK newspaper website by a huge margin – twice as big as its nearest rival, the Guardian. The reason is that people get the news, 24/7, plus comment from both journalists and readers alike. For free.

Then there is the clever `wall of shame’ photo strip at the right-hand side of the Mail Online page, which acts as internal link bait – these pictures of scantily clad women, celebrity affairs, weight loss/gain pics, soap stars in court, Harry Styles copping off etc. all keep readers clicking on Mail Online stories – reader engagement.

That engagement, that precious web browsing time, builds trust and when people like and trust your website, they are about 20 times more likely to click on a link to a partner company, advert, or graphic image which acts as an affiliate link. That is how Martin Lewis made his £87 million from MoneysavingExpert – trust.

To create all that topical content, you need pro writers, and photographers, with SEO qualifications. Or you can hire editors to add the vital SEO tweaks via the CMS ( Content Management System) when the content is posted. It helps if those editors keep up to date with Google’s shifting sands of SEO rules and regulations too.

That too, takes a financial investment, you cannot learn it all from a Mashable post or two.

Case Study: Beating Car Magazines at Car Reviews

Google search result for Jag XF 2.2 diesel review.

OK, check the screen grab; Google P1/P4 result on my Jaguar XF 2.2 Diesel car review.

Now, let’s be blunt, I shouldn’t be able to beat What Car, Auto Express, Fleet News, Autocar, Evo and others with my review on Watch My Wallet, which isn’t a car magazine.

Google should see my feature as being less relevant than specialist car magazines, but it doesn’t.

The reason this content has a good page rank is because I have applied the lessons learned whilst studying SEO and social media marketing at Salford University. Great course, if you’re in business, you should try it – I’m not on commission by the way.

I also used Google Analytics and Trends, to fine tune the content, so that I could match it to the potential searches entered online.

For example, top keywords include the Jaguar’s engine size; 2.2 litre, mpg, review, road test and the engine type, which is the more popular diesel variant. In my experience, Google likes to look at the opening paragraphs of articles to define relevance, so try and make sure you write a natural, flowing intro, that has two or three of those top keywords in there. It works.

Define your images, add the make or model to the image description – some people search Google Images, not the text search, never forget that.

Don’t forget to mention rival cars. You want potential car buyers to look at your content, because ultimately you need some sort of link, or partnership deal to monetise your content. So people who type `Jaguar XF 2.2 vs Audi A5 diesel’ need to see your content on P1 of Google, because you really, really want those readers.

You can create content that has a higher page rank than articles produced by specialist magazines.

There are some other SEO tweaks involved, but these basic hints and tips should serve you well. So go and create some original content, write some reviews, and amplify your reach using social media. Google Analytics will tell you which days, which hours of the day, your Twitter, Quora, LinkedIn, Facebook or You Tube posts are most likely to bring you the right traffic.

Content marketing can, and will, bring readers to your web pages, and where our eyes go, our money follows.

Tweet me @npointsocial

 

 

The World’s Top 10 Best Lunch Boxes for Nerds

Reblogged from The Worlds top 10 of Anything and Everything!!! :

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When I was a child I always had my classic "Knight Rider"  Tin lunch box so I could carry my sandwiches to school,  (X2 sandwiches, yoghurt and my drinking bottle)  But these days I am all grown up (despite what my Girlfriend says) and I have a coffee and a panini from Starbucks. But I hope you will join me as I take a look at what the nerds of today call a lunch box....

Read more… 614 more words

Liking the `Top 10 of Everything' SEO angle with this blog, and the best Nerd lunchboxes post in particular. Fun, readable, nice pics - great blogging ;-)

Car Reviews: Jaguar XKR-S 550PS Supercharged V8

Technology is addictive stuff, because when it works beautifully, you just want to repeat the experience.

It’s not everyday you get to drive a supercar. So yes, I had fun.

Take the distinctive transmission button inside the Jaguar XKR-S. Push the `Start’ button and the silvery dial glides upward, like some kind of Smeg designer oven control. It’s just a tiny detail, but the way it works so effortlessly is a massive hint that the XKR is all about the technology of explosive, efficient and utterly ruthless speed.

HOW FAST DOES IT GO MISTER?

Have you ever ridden a modern Superbike, something like a Yamaha R1, Honda Fireblade, Ducati 1098 maybe? The XKR-S has that same immediate, gut-pulling punch of acceleration.

The spec sheet says 0-60 in 4.2 seconds, with a top speed of 186mph, with that kick-ass 550bhp performance delivered from a 5-litre V8. That plain description doesn’t really tell the story however. This is a car which can be transformed within a second, from a pleasantly burbling automatic around town, into a brawling street racer.

Nope, it isn’t a great rear view for parking. But hey, there’s a rear camera.

Just a flick on the paddle shift, or a simple jab at the throttle with your foot – it’s away on you. Full noise from those four exhausts, cabin full of V8 music, traction control keeping those enormous tyres stuck to the Tarmac.

The XKR-S overwhelms your senses. You just shut up and drive. Every idea you had about what made a car `fast’ vanishes, about as quickly as petrol through the injection system.

IS THE XKR-S A RACE CAR FOR THE PUBLIC ROAD?

Certainly there are race car touches. The brakes are big red calipers, mounted on discs the size of Thor’s shield. The XKR-S sits low to the ground, there’s a serious looking carbon spoiler on the rear of the car and vents in the bonnet to feed a fresh gulp of air to the fuel injectors at speed.

No messing about brakes. They work beautifully.

But the XKR-S has a genuinely luxurious interior, which is a million miles from the stripped-out, sparse brutality of a real racer. Touch the chrome seat adjustment buttons on the door and make everything fit you like a glove. Play with the music system. Make a phone call.

Try the reversing camera out, or freeze-dry your hair, Van Damme style, with the climate control.

The XKR-S does all things you expect. It’s got all the luxury lifestyle toys. It does live and breathe for Paddock Hill, not Primrose Hill.

CRAZY FAST, SUPER SAFE

Yes, it’s easy to end up going way too fast in the XKR-S, but if you do arrive at say a T-junction on a country road and need to scrub off about 60mph in 70 feet, this car can do it. No drama, no tyre smoke, just fearsome stopping power when you need it.

Interior is a mix of functional trackday features and business class luxury.

The car also handles with a totally focussed, but understated ability. The steering and suspension gives you all the feedback you need, so you push on just a little bit more on each corner. It doesn’t get twitchy, or `whiteline’ over ridges on the road, it just keeps everything feeling 100% spot-on.

Technology you see. Adaptive Dynamics they call it at Jaguar, which means the suspension varies its settings the harder you drive. It knows you want to press on, then firms everything up before you can say `pass me that C-spanner.’

Clever stuff.

FUEL ECONOMY

If you can’t afford a private lake of unleaded petrol for your £97,000 Jaguar XKR-S supercar, then please leave this page for the Kia Picanto review on Mumsnet.

TECH STUFF

I guess I should mention the Smooth FM 6-speed automatic gearbox, which lets you play sweet soul music with that V8 engine. Naturally you can set cruise control if you need to save your licence on a deserted section of the M74 one night.

The sound from those four pipes is something unique.

The XKR-S has a pedestrian sensor program for town driving, which is probably a good idea, as once you’re inside the XKR-S you really are set low to the ground and the view of the front end is a bit limited.

It’s got auto locking, plus a proximity ignition key with valet mode, so your Downton Abbey staff can buff up the leather interior sections without the car shouting `Help, poor people are stealing me!’

The central 7-inch screen on the dashboard lets you set up your sat nav, connect an iPod/MP3 and vary the mood lighting inside the car. I’ll be honest, it took a good ten minutes to relax in the XKR-S, it just feels like a coil-sprung, hard-as-nails kick-boxer, waiting to get into a cage fight.

So yeah, press `shuffle’ on the Eagles Greatest Hits and turn the mood lighting to deep indigo. Whatever gets you through the day…

IF I WON THE LOTTERY, WOULD I BUY ONE?

This wild, heavy breathing muscle car is just too much for the public road. Everyone stares at you, wondering if you might be Mario Ballotelli about to dish out free cash. Drivers in company BMWs hammer the throttle, just to make you nail the Jag and get past them – they feel they need to see, and hear, all that expensive engineering in action.

I just couldn’t be bothered. I’d hire the XKR-S for a trackday, then drive home in an XF, or a Merc S350S diesel maybe. Anonymous and happy, with a points-free licence too, hopefully.

But if you are a premiership footballer, hip Swedish DJ, or member of the Russian oil and gas mafia, then the XKR-S will announce to the world that you indeed fabulously wealthy, and a magnet for every gold-digging sex pest on reality TV.

Seat buttons are a joy to use. Intuitive, solid feel.

The XKR-S is, like a Rolex, a statement of wealth and power, yet it’s also an utterly immersive, overpowering experience. It is something a driver could love, admire and enjoy using. It demands your total concentration and frankly, not many modern cars do, they’re too easy to drive.

I liked feeling nervous, edgy even, as I drove the XKR-S. The boys at Jaguar have built a car that reminds the rich they are mortal, on every 120mph corner. For that, they deserve a round of applause.

Be lucky.

Are Friends Electric? No, But The Smart Electric Drive Is

Tested the Smart electric car recently, which looks like a refugee from a giant Lego factory, but might well make sense if you live in London, or another city which offers tax breaks and free parking for electric vehicles.

The smart electric fortwo is a great little city car. But watch that battery meter.

Like the Smart petrol, this is a 2-seater city car, with basic luggage carrying capacity, nippy acceleration, but a fairly unexciting top speed. In fact I reckon the electric version would struggle to hit the giddy speed of 73mph which I squeezed out of the Smart petrol about 10 years ago.

Time has updated the interior however, which now has air-con, groovy dials showing battery life remaining and the `regen’ zone, plus more racy semi-bucket seats. My memory could be playing tricks on the seats however.

On test, which was a distance of maybe 10 miles, the battery meter fell from 60% to 40%, so I would guess that city driving in winter would cane the battery into a gibbering wreck in about 50 miles.

In theory, if you brake, or coast downhill the regen gadgetry adds a little charge to the battery cells.

In reality coasting down a very long hill near the M62 raised the battery meter by 1%. Great. Except I was doing 28mph by the bottom of the hill and angry truckers were queing up behind me.

Inside you have all mod cons, it’s a well equipped city car.

Is an Electric Car a Practical Everyday Vehicle?

For all the practical problems associated with electric cars; limited range, having a chargepoint installed at your house and the potential catastrophic drop in residual values, I became a fan of this car within 5 minutes.

It’s just like driving a battery powered go-kart. Acceleration is instant and the sheer nippiness of the Smart annoys regular petrol car drivers, with its whirring oomph away from the lights.

In London you avoid the congestion charge and get free parking in some locations. Obviously there’s no VED tax to pay. On that basis the £11,000 cost ( base model) isn’t too bad if you are saving say £15 per day in congestion and parking fees.

The battery pack in most electric cars will start to degrade in about 7 years, which means it won’t hold its charge for the same distance. After 8-10 years you will probably need a new battery pack and that cost – which could be around £3000 – is what hammers the resale value of electric cars. But Smart think that many customers may choose to lease the car, or the battery pack.

A similar lease deal is available on the Renault Zoe, which retails for £17500 by the way.

the Smart petrol can manage 70mpg, so would a used one make a better buy than a new electric drive?

Plus points; Forget petrol stations, London congestion charges

Minus; You could lose £7000 in 3 years in depreciation, nobody in the car trade knows what a used Smart electric will be worth.

How NOT to run a social media competition: Skillens Jewellers

Reblogged from Love PR?:

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So it appears Skillens Jewellers in Castlewellan, Down has gone viral on the internet. Great says you. Not so.

The family-owned jewellers hosted, what seemed to be a great competition on their Facebook page, with a prize of a tanzanite and diamond ring. To enter, all that was required was a simple 'like' and 'share' of their photo, and to comment below the image letting the brand know you had done both.

Read more… 329 more words

The dangers of the competition page - never let ANYONE who works for, with or is sleeping with someone in your company win. Social media and Google will find you out...

It’s Time for Small Businesses to Forget Facebook – They’ve Ruined It

I will cut to the chase;  Facebook has sold its soul to Goldman Sachs and needs an enormous aircraft hangar of cash this year, or the share price will kiss Satan’s arse in the depths of Hell.

Facebook – No, we don’t ‘like’ the way you’re hiding our posts and wasting our time. Goodbye.

That means they are busy hiding posts, editing your Facebook stream to make sure the good stuff doesn’t get spotted by your target market and even persuading solo FB users – some of whom run back bedroom businesses – to pay to promote posts to friends. Desperate tactics.

The latest stats from Google Analytics confirmed what I suspected back in November when FB began its campaign of making all the time and effort put in by small business owners a complete waste of time and money. Post Views are down 60-80%. Comments down about 50%.

Twitter is now referring more traffic than Facebook, for the first time ever. Google + and Pinterest are starting to awaken like the sleeping giants they are.

Facebook can’t do anything else, but unless you’re Tesco, Mercedes, universal Studios or another megabucks brand that can spend cash, polus employ a pro team of social media content writers and bloggers to manage your FB pages, forget it.

For most small business owners, time – which is money – is better spent elsewhere.

ALTERNATIVES TO FACEBOOK

Google + Hangouts offer a superb opportunity. Set a time and day each week for answer questions – if you lack the expertise, then get an expert to sit in for an hour. They need to have personality – this is web TV don’t forget, attention spans are measured in milliseconds.

Likewise Google Communities have the same free marketing potential that FB had until 2012. Upload your content, like other communities, post a comment – form a circle, literally, with your wagons.

Part of Google’s Penguin plan is to make the Knowledge Graph more important than keyword stuffing when it comes to blogging. Long overdue.

Spreecast - imagine You Tube crossed with Skype – that’s Spreecast. Have a live chat, product demo, advice session etc – then edit it as a 20 minute show. Use Twitter as a back channel as they do on Thursday nights ( UK time) with #SWchat. This is the future. Embrace it.

Authority Blogs – the Knowledge Graph is coming. Don’t know what that is? Well Google is about to stitch threads of authorship around the web, with a view to setting author rank, in the same way it sets page rank.

That means if you blog on sites like Huff Post, national magazines, newspapers, or anything with credibility, you’ll soon show up in the Knowledge Graph.

MCi Tours; travel the USA on two wheels.

Or rather, your content, complete with backlinks, alt tagged photos and You Tube/Spreecast videos will.

What do you mean, you don’t know what an alt tag is for..? Oh #FFS.

Did you know I have a client called MCi Tours who gets 30% of his blog traffic from Google Images searches alone?

So yes, alt tag your photos with some sense, logic, keyword research and creative elan. Then cap it at about 15 tags per picture. It works.

It will work even better in the future, when more people browse from small tablets and smartphones, which means image search will be more finger/thumb friendly than typing quesries.

Edison would call it a light bulb moment. But it’s just SEO baby; a slippery chameleon of content.

So let’s all say goodbye to Facebook in 2013 and hello to creative thinking I generally do mine down the disco, so see you on the dancefloor. I’m the guy in the crazy shoes.

Saturday Night Fever. Right moves, right time. There’s a lesson there.