SEO Metrics are Changing

As other SEO specialists have pointed out recently, Google is changing the way it presents search results. No longer is it simply a list of the top 10 pages. For any given search on Google, you are now likely to receive a wide variety of results, from news and books to products and blog posts. These could show up at the top or bottom of the page, or even be intermixed within the web page results.

These results are different for each user, based on previous search history, location, the types of results you have clicked on previously, and perhaps even more. With results changing from user to user, and location to location, how is an SEO company to track success? What metrics can you use?

As an SEO company, we have long anticipated that search results would reach this point. As such, while we have given ranking improvement some importance, we have always felt that increased site traffic, the source of that traffic, and increased conversions to be a much more telling metric.

All search engines “test” the ranking pages on a regular if not predictable schedule. You could be 1st one day and 10th the next, just because the search engines like to perform A/B testing. You might have a better ranking from one data center than another, and since data centers sync weekly, your “ranking” is never really static.

As these changes become more and more a part of the SERPs, it is important to track what really matters. Your SEO metrics should reflect your company goals. Ranking 1st isn’t important, but the increase in traffic and brand awareness that usually come from a 1st place ranking are. Define your goals, and then track what really matters.

At the same time, traditional methods of improving your rankings are no longer enough. It is becoming ever more important to branch out into a variety of areas. Press releases, videos, books, ebooks and blogs are the new ranking currency. Having a presence in each of these areas, in addition to traditional SEO, will help to ensure that your web presence continues to grow.

Whether you are currently working with an SEO company, or are considering doing so in the future, keep these suggestions in mind. If a company wants to measure success solely by rankings, find another company. At VUDU Marketing, we specialize not just in SEO, but in improving your overall web presence. We tailor our efforts to the metrics you need, and we can help you define those metrics as well.

You can learn more about VUDU Marketing and SEO metrics here.

SEO is Not Direct Mail – Realistic Expectations

I guess we have to face facts…SEO has become a fad.

I work on a regular basis with a wide variety of clients, from individuals to Fortune 500 companies. The vast majority of clients I meet with know almost nothing about SEO, other than they should be doing it. It has become a buzz word, and as such everyone wants to make sure they are doing what everyone else is doing. This is both good and bad.

The good news is that the SEO industry is growing rapidly, and the quality and usability of the Internet is improving. The bad news is that this growth is backed in large part by ignorance and unrealistic expectations. Far too many people seem to think of SEO as a form of marketing, and expect it to be just as immediately effective and easily measurable as direct mail. It is neither.

SEO is an investment. Like most investments, it takes time for it to mature and pay dividends. SEO does not take effect overnight, in a week, or even in a month. It is a long, complicated process that requires careful planning and implementation. It could be a year or two before you rank for a competitive term. Patience and persistence are the keys to effective Search Engine Optimization.

Just as with other investments, the entry price into the world of SEO is not the same for everyone. If you want to invest with Berkshire Hathaway, you need a significant amount of money. Buying a CD from the bank is easier and much less expensive. Showing up for a local, long tail keyword such as “Orem Internet Marketing Consultant”, is going to be both easier and cheaper than trying to show up for “DVD”. If you want to rank well for a competitive, high traffic term, you had better be ready to pay tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars per month to do so.

Search Engine Optimization is not marketing, just as writing an ad isn’t marketing. These are the things you do to prepare for marketing. SEO is the preparation, the backbone of a company and their marketing efforts. It is the frame around which you build your architectural masterpiece. Would you buy a house with no frame, no support?

SEO is not a trick. True SEO is simply the act of making a site relevant, interesting and user friendly. That’s it. Everyone wants a piece of the Internet pie, but very few people are willing to do what it takes. Having a website that is poorly coded, badly written, and just plain ugly can actually harm your business. Gone are the days when it was ok to neglect your website. Your website is the goose that will someday lay your golden eggs.

If you are considering implementing Search Engine Optimization for your website, do so with realistic expectations. If your site is brand new, it is going to take a while to rank. If you want to rank for a competitive term, it is going to take time and money. Do not expect immediate results. Don’t check your rankings every week to see if they are going up. Be patient.

One final point. Because it can take so long to see fruits from an SEO campaign, many people run the risk of being scammed. We always recommend investing in an independent analysis of your website prior to engaging an SEO firm. That way, you know what the company should be doing for you, and you can set realistic expectations in advance.

At VUDU Marketing, we can quickly and efficiently perform both an SEO Analysis and a Social Media Marketing Analysis, to insure that you know exactly what you need. We will even recommend another SEO company if we feel their expertise is better suited to your needs. Our goal is to improve the quality of the Internet, and the best way to do that is to improve the quality of websites.

Social Media Marketing: What it is and why you need it

There are countless business owners out there who are struggling to understand the world of online marketing. They ask for advice and find a million answers, and are literally drowning in information. To that end, I would like to explain one very important aspect of Internet marketing…Social Media.

Social Media Marketing is complex, and has many different facets and purposes. It can, however, be broken down into three simple categories: Reputation Management, Networking, and Marketing. That is, there are three main purposes for social media.

First is Reputation Management. If someone starts researching your name, what will they find? You want to make sure that you are in control of as much information about yourself as possible. For example, if someone searches my name, the first result is my LinkedIn profile. None of the results are in any way negative.

If someone searches for your company name, what will they see? Is the information showing up relevant? Accurate? Positive? All of these are things that can be greatly affected with Social Media Marketing. LinkedIn, Facebook, Spoke, GetSatisfaction, HubPages, Squidoo, and VisualCV are just some of the places where you can create a personal and or company profile. The more of these you use, the more likely the negatives (if any) will come in behind the info you have created.

Next is Networking. LinkedIn is still my favorite site for professional networking, with Facebook a close second. LinkedIn can help you to get in contact with other professionals in your industry, as well as to locate people who you feel could benefit your company. While Facebook is more personal than business, you would be surprised how much business comes from friends, family, friends of friends, etc.

People tend to go with who they trust. If you are a friend, you are more likely to get their business. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten a call from someone who heard my name from someone and wanted to know more about what I do.

In the professional world, who you know often opens more doors than what you know. You could be the coolest new company in the world, but if no one will meet with you, it’s going to be pretty tough to grow. Take advantage of Social Media Marketing for networking purposes. Connect with as many people as possible, and contribute where relevant. Build your “web cred”, so to speak.

Last, but not least, is Marketing. It is, after all, called Social Media Marketing. The main interests for most companies are in increasing traffic, sales and brand awareness. There is no better outlet than social media to achieve these goals. I have seen a single mention of a company on a social media site generate thousands of new visitors, and dozens of sales.

Another marketing purpose of social media is link building. When it comes to Search Engine Optimization, the more relevant and/or popular sites that link to yours, the better your website will rank. In addition, links on these other sites will drive traffic to yours. For example, I regularly get visits to VUDU Marketing from both my personal blog and my LinkedIn profile.

Because navigating the world of social media can be confusing, it is strongly recommended that you secure the help of an expert in that field, be it an individual or a company. We at VUDU Marketing have extensive experience in the world of Social Media and Viral Marketing, and would be glad to offer a free consultation to determine the best approach for you or your company.

Internet Marketing – In-house our Outsource?

For most companies, the question is not whether or not they should market online. The real question is whether to perform the marketing in-house, or to outsource it to a marketing company. You might question whether or not it really makes a difference. It actually makes a much bigger difference than you might think.

A few years back, MarketingSherpa did a study to determine exactly that. They came up with the following:

“The big debate over Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has never been whether or not to do it. It is self evident that you would want your site to appear near the top of free rankings for keywords important to your brand. Instead, the debate has always been whether to outsource or handle SEO in-house.”

“According to our 2005 data, marketers who outsourced SEO saw a 110% lift in overall site traffic within six months, wheras marketers who handled SEO in-house saw only a 73% lift.”

“In short, if you hire an expert or SEO firm for SEO, you tend to get significantly better results.”

- Taken from MarketingSherpa’s Search Marketing Benchmark Guide for 2007

So there you have it, 37% more bang for your buck by outsourcing. MarketingSherpa is considered the authority when it comes to online marketing, and Internet marketing professionals pay a premium for access to their data.

If you are considering SEO for your website, take the time to research the facts, and contact professionals to help implement tried and proven strategies to improve your online presence. We have seen a number of business people who come looking for SEO professionals after having tried to do it themselves and fallen far short. After a few months of professional services, their traffic and sales have grown by leaps and bounds.

You can get a free evaluation of your website and learn more about Strategic Internet Marketing Services at VUDU Marketing, a Utah Search Engine Optimization firm.

VUDUMarketing.com Goes Live!

VUDU Marketing is a Utah internet marketing company specializing in packages combining SEO and SEM advertising. SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is a method of optimizing the content of one’s site so as to rank higher on the SERP’s, or Search Engine Results Pages. SEM is paid marketing on search engines, such as using Google AdWords™.

Our goal was to get our new company website launched by September 1st, and we are proud to announce that we made it! VUDUMarketing.com is officially live!

We are excited to begin offering our internet marketing services in Utah and abroad.

We do everything from Search Engine Optimization and Pay Per Click Management to Viral Marketing and Blog Writing. We always offer a free consultation, and wiil be happy to provide you with suggestions for improving your website, whether you choose to work with us or not.

Learn more about our SEO Services at VUDU Marketing. Thanks for the interest and support!

Marketing in a Recession

There really isn’t much question at this point as to whether or not we are in a recession. We are. The question is, what can you do about it?

A recession can be be a blessing or a curse for a business depending upon how you approach it. The first impulse of business owners during a recession is to cut spending, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but what gets cut can mean the difference between the success and failure of the company.

So where should you make the cuts? Unfortunately, marketing budgets are often at the top of the list, which is a very bad idea. Instead of taking money away from a marketing budget, the wise move would be to spend that marketing money more carefully. The key to successful marketing, recession or otherwise, is accountability.

Research has shown that SEO, or Professional Search Engine Optimization, shows the highest return on investment over time, but what about the short term? Pay Per Click ads have shown themselves to be one of the most accountable forms of advertising in our digital age. You can pick exactly where and when an ad is shown, and designate just how much you are willing to pay for a click. You can monitor exactly what people who click on your ads do, monitor conversions, etc. The effects of Pay Per Click can be monitored, tested and improved over time.

We have found that the most effective method of advertising in our digital world is with a combination of Search Engine Optimization and Pay Per Click. When properly combined, you get the most beneficial combination of short term and long term internet marketing available.

VUDU Marketing is a Utah Internet Marketing firm that specializes in packages that effectively combine both SEO and PPC. We are committed to providing the best possible return on your marketing investment. Learn more about Utah SEO at VUDU Marketing.

SEO Is Not a Trick

Over the years SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, has changed greatly. The changes are usually preceeded by a change in the way Google crawls websites.

SEO largely falls into two categories, known as White Hat and Black Hat. The phrase comes from early western movies, where the bad guys usually wore black hats, while the good guys wore white hats. So basically, good SEO and bad SEO. Bad or “Black Hat” SEO is focused on trying to trick search engines into ranking a page higher than it deserves to be ranked. Good or “White Hat” SEO is all too often about doing the same thing, but in a less overt way. Not necessarily trying to trick the search engines, but essentially trying to paint your site in a more favorable light.

Unfortunately, neither of these methods is exactly right. Search engine optimization is not a trick or gimmick, and should never be approached as such. Google is trying to give the best page for any given search. Period. You could almost say Google looks at your site from the perspective of a blind person. If a visually impaired individual visited your site looking for, say, 24″ Chrome Rims, they would need to know, accurately, that the site they were on was about 24″ Chrome Rims. It needs to be the first thing they “see” or in this case hear. Links need to mention it. Pictures need to be properly labeled. Google is looking to provide users with accurate search results. It is not looking to make you money. The quality and relevance of your product will do that.

If a site wants to show up for a keyword, they need to either be about that keyword, or have some information that is relevant to that keyword. Pay per click exists for people who want to be visible for a keyword that their site has nothing directly to do with. You should pay for it. That is how advertising works. SEO is only a part of a more complete marketing strategy. It is not the solution, but a single step in the process.

So, if your are looking for someone to perform SEO Services for your site, you need to understand before hand what you will actually be getting from the deal. If someone tells you that SEO is what you should focus on, and that the other stuff is less important, go elsewhere.

If a company promises you first page results, go elsewhere. First page results are going to depend on a lot more than SEO, and if the SEO is done “Black Hat” style, it is going to cost you dearly in the long run.

To learn more about SEO, and the best way to implement it, please visit VUDU Marketing. We are always happy to answer any questions you might have. Even if you aren’t interested in or able to pay for our services, we’re more than willing to give advice to get you started on your own.

The Birth of VUDU Marketing

VUDU Marketing is a Utah internet marketing firm specializing in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM). We will officially open for business on September 1st, and are excited to become a part of the Utah business community. As to our name, internet marketing can be very complex, and we feel that sometimes the only way to succeed online is to use a little VUDU!

Sam McRoberts, the owner and CEO, brings a wealth of internet marketing and entrepreneurial knowledge to VUDU, having been involved with web design, eCommerce and marketing since 1999.

Our initial service offerings will consist of three levels of combined SEO/SEM packages, starting at $1,500/month, as well as a variety of a la carte services starting at $100.

You can learn more about Organic Search Engine Optimization at our website, which will provide more information regarding our services and pricing.

In the future, while we will use this blog to provide updates on new services and products, it’s main focus is to provide regular information regarding search engine optimization and internet marketing.

We work very hard to stay on the cutting edge of internet technology, and will work equally hard to keep our readers and clients up to date on emerging trends and technology.

Thank you for your interest in VUDU Marketing!