Search engine optimisation is one of those marketing techniques that changes more often than a teenage girl trying to work out what to wear on a night out.
You’re told one thing, then Google adjusts its algorithms and then you have to do something else.
Because of that SEO marketers tend to fall into one of two categories: those who continue to do what they’ve always done and begin to see their website’s fall, and those who embrace new techniques and flourish.
This post is aimed at the die-hards who believe that the old techniques are the best even if they are no longer working.
Here are 4 old techniques that should be shown the door. So if you’re still doing any of these, stop right now.
1. Keyword density
Wash your mouth out with soap.
All your content should be written naturally and with the reader in mind – not the search engines.
It’s hard to believe that there are still people out there fixated by the number of times a word or phrase should be repeated within their content. If you’re writing about a specific subject, the keyword (i.e. the topic) will be naturally introduced into your writing without you being obsessed by inserting it into every nook and cranny you can find.
As soon as you start to think about search engines you lose the ability to write naturally so cast them from your mind and forget about keyword density.
2. Press releases
Another firm favourite is writing press releases for absolutely everything and blasting them out to umpteen online outlets.
On the face of it you may think that’s fine, as it will generate loads of backlinks for you. But the problem is that the press releases aren’t newsworthy and can damage your reputation just as a poorly written piece of content can.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t write press releases, just make sure you only issue them for a real news story.
3. Spinning
Once upon a time, marketers thought it a great idea to write one article and then stick it through some spinning software to generate umpteen versions of it that were then blasted across numerous article sites.
The result was a lot of very bad articles.
Although that type of article marketing is a no-no, you can still write great, unique content and publish it to grow your reputation as an expert in your field.
4. Meta Tags
In this instance I’m talking about keyword Meta tags. They are meaningless and about as much use as a chocolate teapot, so don’t use them.
If you are using any of these ‘techniques’ stop right now.
Author:
Sally Ormond, copywriter, tweeter and MD at Briar Copywriting Ltd.
Most businesses seem hell bent on gathering as many Twitter followers as possible.
They seem to be concerned, when starting out, that their ‘following’ to ‘being followed’ ratio will look odd if the first number is greater than the second.
Well, for starters the only way to get people following you is to follow others, so this really shouldn’t be an issue.
But numbers are not the be all and end all of Twitter. Yes, we’ve all seen people (ordinary Joe’s, not super celebs) with tens of thousands of followers because they’ve followed one of those ‘how to get thousands of followers quickly’ blog posts.
Why?
It’s not impressive and all they’ve done is land themselves with a worthless Twitter stream of inane ramblings of people they’re not interest in.
It’s so much better to search out the people you want to follow and have a stream of interesting tweets from people you want to engage with.
But once you have your followers the next big hurdle is to get them to notice and engage with you.
The following 5 ideas will help you stand out, but it will take time and practice, no one becomes an overnight Twitter superstar – not even you.
1. Time zones
Your followers not only come from all over the country, but all over the world. They are all going to be using Twitter at different times of day, so if you have something important to say, say it once or twice at different times.
That doesn’t mean sending out the same tweets all day long, but once or twice at different times (only for the important stuff) is OK.
2. Talk
If you’re one of those people that sends out blanket tweets to everyone the chances are your engagement levels are zero.
If you want a particular influencer in your field to see what you’re saying, say it to them directly. Keep an eye on what they’re saying too and respond to them. Eventually, they will notice you and talk back.
3. Retweet
Having one of your tweets retweeted is a great feeling and will draw people’s attention to you.
If you have someone you particularly want to engage with, retweet his or her stuff (not everything, you’ll look like a stalker) if it resonates with you. They’ll start paying attention to you too.
4. Ask
Rather than just putting stuff out into the Twitterverse, start asking questions and advice. As a copywriter who works alone most of the time, I use Twitter as a knowledge bank. When I have a query about IT or need a recommendation for a service provider, I turn to my Twitter followers.
It gets you noticed and is a great way to start conversations with people.
5. Be consistent
When using Twitter it’s important to be consistent in what you put out if people are going to get a sense of your personality. If you always put out great information, retweet useful information and interact with other tweeters, you’ll start to build long-term and rewarding relationships with other people.
So you see, Twitter isn’t just about getting loads of followers. If you want to be effective you must get people to notice you.
The name Paris Brown has become well known, but for all the wrong reasons. For those that don’t know it (really?), she is (or rather was) Britain’s first youth police commissioner who resigned shortly after being appointed when certain violent, racist and anti-gay comments posted on her Twitter account came to light – ooops.
She said she was resigning because she had fallen into the “trap of behaving with bravado on social networking sites.”
But why do some people find it acceptable to say things on social media that they wouldn’t ordinarily say to people face to face?
According to an article in The Drum, a recent survey showed that 88% of respondents believed that people are less polite on social media than in person and 19% had reduced in-person contact with someone because of something they said online. It also found that the main culprits for having “emotionally charged” conversations online were the young rather than ‘baby boomers’.
So are social media platforms the problem?
It could be argued that they are because they allow instant channels to vent frustrations that would otherwise remain behind tight lips. With a flourish of fingers a comment can be made and sent out into the online social world without any thought about how it may affect other people. Whereas in a face to face situation people are likely to be more reserved and (if they do vent their frustrations) will do it privately, or at least without the likelihood of several hundred or thousand friends and followers witnessing it.
It would appear therefore that education is called for to make people stop and think before they post or tweet. The author of the report, Joseph Grenny, offers 5 tips for communicating both candidly and respectfully on social media.
1. Check your motives
Social media hasn’t only changed the way we communicate, it has also modified our motives.
Think about why you use social media – is it to get lots of ‘likes’, provoke controversy or are you looking to have healthy dialogues with people?
2. Replace hot words
If you want to make a point rather than score points, look at what you’ve written and replace “hot” words that may provoke offence with words that will help others understand your position. For example don’t use “this is idiotic” when you could simply say “I disagree because…”
3. Pause
Never post a comment or tweet in the heat of the moment. Emotionally charged writing will only end in tears. Give yourself time to calm down before writing anything.
4. Agree before disagreeing
We are all different so, at one time or another, are going to disagree with each other. Find your common ground first before wading into an argument. According to Grenny, arguers agree on 80% of the topic, but create a false sense of conflict when they spend all their time arguing over the other 20%.
5. Trust your gut
When you read a response to your post and you feel the conversation is getting too emotional for an online exchange – stop because you’re right. That’s the time to meet up and talk about it face to face.
Over to you
What are your thoughts on this?
Is social media to blame or do you think it’s youth culture?
You already know that search engine optimisation is one of the best and most effective long-term marketing strategies for any business that markets itself online.
But you also know that one wrong move and Google will be down on you like a tonne of bricks, so if you decide to outsource your SEO work, how can you be sure you find an agency that actually knows what its doing?
A lot of agencies will try to blind you with science and then take short cuts that, although may produce immediate results, could harm you in the long-term. Or you could end up with an agency that has no idea what it’s doing and simply won’t deliver the return you want.
So how can you be sure you find a good agency that actually knows what it’s doing?
Here are a few questions you should be asking when meeting with potential agencies.
1. Algorithm updates
What do you know about the latest Google updates?
Any agency worth its salt will be up to date with all of Google’s latest algorithm updates. You’ve probably heard about Penguin and Panda, but a good agency will not only have heard about them, it should also be able to explain to you what they mean.
2. Penalties
Can you tell me why I have been hit with a Google penalty?
If you fall foul of Google’s rules you will be slapped with a penalty, but in order to make good the situation it’s essential you know why you got the penalty in the first place.
3. Expertise
Now this one covers a lot.
You need to be sure of the agency’s technical experience and knowledge and that of their content writers.
There are loads of companies out there that can produce shed loads of content for not a lot of money, but if it’s not high quality you’re going to do a lot of damage.
On top of that, as social media is a huge part of SEO these days, the agency also needs to demonstrate it has a working and in depth knowledge of how to use social media to build influential relationships, promote your content, encourage sharing and generate customers.
4. Link building
What link building strategies do you use?
Link building, if done incorrectly, will damage your website. Avoid any agency that answers this question with things like, submitting your website to directories, placing articles on article directories, buying links, automated link building etc.
Instead you should be looking for ideas such as guest blogging on influential sites, increasing exposure on social networks and forums and other creative ideas.
5. Tools
What tools do you use?
There are certain tools that the agency should be using and some it shouldn’t. If they say they do everything manually, you’ll end up paying far more than you need to.
However, if you hear things like they use tools for link building, content production, social media etc., run for the hills as fast as you can.
But, you do want to hear they use tools for measuring their effectiveness, potential link opportunities, tracking your ROI and for the discovery of influencers etc.
6. Guaranteed results
Do you guarantee results?
If they say “yes” run away.
The true answer is “no” – no one can guarantee results when it comes to SEO.
Other things to ask
You should also be asking:
Who else they work for – can you speak to their clients?
How do they measure success?
What happens if they fail to provide results within the give time frame?
How will they report progress?
There are a lot of elements to your marketing strategy – finding the right professional copywriter to work with, the right design company, the right email marketing software etc.
But finding the right SEO agency is one of the most important aspects of getting your online strategy off the ground.
There are some people who are so obsessed by their rankings that they check them daily.
Personally, I think that’s madness. You’ll run the risk of sending yourself potty over the slightest fluctuations and I’d much rather spend that time generating content, working and networking and keeping myself 100% focused on my business goals.
A lot of people are noticing at the moment that their content is ranking really well to start with, but then takes a nose dive.
This latest video from Matt Cutts explains why this happens to your content.
Hopefully, that video will answer a lot of questions for you.
Sally Ormond – Copywriter and MD at Briar Copywriting Ltd
