Pumping up page description tags The page description tag appears as several sentences below the link to each site in natural search results, as shown in Figure 2-5. Search engines display the first line of text when a page description tag isn’t available. Depending on the search engine, search engines may truncate description tags after 150 to 250 characters. Just in case, front-load the description with all the search terms from the set you’ve assigned to that page. Why pass up a marketing opportunity? Just because your site appears near the top of search results, you have no guarantee that someone will click through to your site. Write your page description tag as though it were ad copy, including a benefits statement and a call to action. Figure 2-5 displays natural search results on Yahoo! with the page description for several other internal wedding pages from MSLresort.com. Note the inclusion of search terms from the keyword tag in Figure 2-4 (wedding planners, wedding packages, pocono weddings, wedding locations), the benefits statement (Our wedding planners will customize a wedding package just for you), and the call to action (Enjoy).
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Figure 2-5: The page description tag for several wedding pages on the Mountain Springs Lake resort site appears in the natural search results for pocono wedding packages.
Book II Chapter 2
Leveraging Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Reproduced with permission of Yahoo! Inc. © 2010 Yahoo! Inc. YAHOO!, the YAHOO! logo, FLICKR, the FLICKR logo, DELICIOUS, and the DELICIOUS logo are registered trademarks of Yahoo! Inc.
Working out with
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Optimizing Your Site and Content for Search Engines Optimization is the process of adjusting your site, blog, or social media profiles to “play well” with search algorithms. It’s done primarily by having plenty of relevant content, updating it often, and making sure that your Web presence is easy for general and on-site search engines to spider. I cover a few of the most important tricks of the trade in the following sections. For additional information on search engines and site optimization, check out some of the resources listed in Table 2-3.
Table 2-3
Search Engine and Optimization Resources
Name
URL
Description
Google Webmaster
https://www.google. com/support/web masters/bin/answer. py?answer=35769
Guidelines and suggestions for site optimization
LinkVendor
www.linkvendor.com
Suite of SEO tools
MarketingSherpa
www.marketingsherpa. com/Search2010Excerpt. pdf
Search Marketing Benchmark Report 2009-2010 (free excerpt)
Pandia Search Central
www.pandia.com
Search engine news
Search Engine Guide
www.searchengineguide. com/marketing.html
Search engine articles, blog, marketing
Search Engine Journal
www.searchen ginejournal.com/seobest-practices-forurl-structure/7215
Best practices for URLs
SearchEngineWatch. com (ClickZ)
www.searchengine watch.com
Articles, tutorials, forums, blogs, SEO articles, and tips
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Name
URL
Description
SEOmoz
www.seomoz.org
SEO resources, toolbar, blog, spam detector, membership
UrlTrends
www.urltrends.com
Suite of SEO tools and reports
Writing an optimized first paragraph
There’s nothing like on-site social media, such as a blog or forum, to generate keyword-rich content for search engines to munch on. Best of all, other folks are helping you feed the beast!
Book II Chapter 2
Leveraging Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
First and foremost, use the four or five search terms from each assigned set in the first paragraph of text on a page or the first paragraph of a blog posting (refer to Figure 2-3). Basically, most search engines don’t check entire Web sites or blogs, so the engines continue until they reach a hard return or 200 words. That’s too many words for a paragraph on the Web, so get those search terms in early.
Figure 2-6 shows a well-optimized posting and its source code from the Changing Aging blog. Ecumen, a nonprofit organization specializing in senior housing and services, owns the blog. This entry at www.changingaging blog.org/posts/view/1272-boston-college-analysis-projectsseniors%27-long-term-care-costs includes the phrase long term care in its URL, post title, tags, categories, and text. The source code uses the same term in the title and keyword tags, and indicates that the Ecumen Changing Aging blog has both an XML site map and an RSS feed. Don’t try to force more than that set of terms into the paragraph. If another phrase or two from the keyword tag fit naturally, that’s fine. Trying to cram more words into your text may render it unintelligible or jargon-loaded to human readers. No matter where the first paragraph of text appears on the page, place the text near the top of the source code. The text should appear above any tags for images, video, or Flash.
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Figure 2-6: This blog post uses several keywords in its title, tags, categories, and text and includes an XML site map and RSS feed. Courtesy Ecumen
Updating often Search engines, especially Google, love to see updated content. A sign that a Web site is loved and cared for, easily updated content is one of many reasons for having a blog or content management system on your site. If changing content is simple and free, you’re more likely to do it.
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At least once a month, change a paragraph of content on your site. Include this task on your Social Media Activity Calendar (see Book I, Chapter 3). If you can’t commit to this task, at least ask your programmer to incorporate some kind of automatically updated material, whether it’s a date-and-time stamp, a quote, or an RSS feed, for example. If you follow no other search optimization tips in this chapter, make sure that you follow at least these two: Update often and optimize the first paragraph of text on every page.
Using search terms elsewhere on pages
✦ Links: Use the words from your priority set of search terms as text links or anchor text (words that form an active link to another internal page or external site). Don’t waste valuable real estate on meaningless phrases such as Learn more or Click here. They don’t do a darn thing for your search ranking.
Book II Chapter 2
Leveraging Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Guess what? You score extra jelly beans in the relevance jar if your search terms appear in particular places on your Web site. Follow these tips to help optimize your Web page or blog for your selected set of search terms. If they don’t work naturally, don’t force them.
If a clickable image opens another page, such as a product detail page, add a clickable caption that includes a search term or the product name. Score some points! ✦ Headings: Headlines and subheads help organize text and assist readers who are skimming your copy for the information they want. Headings that include your search terms can also improve your search engine ranking. Onscreen, these words usually appear in bold and in a larger font size or different color (or both) from the body copy. Headings must carry the
FAQs
Social Media Marketing All-in-One For Dummies - PDF Free Download? ›
The rule generally states that one-third of your content should focus on promoting business, one-third on sharing other posts and one-third on interacting with others.
What is the 3 to 1 rule social media? ›The rule generally states that one-third of your content should focus on promoting business, one-third on sharing other posts and one-third on interacting with others.
How do I start social media marketing with no experience? ›- Learn the fundamentals of digital marketing. Here are some areas you can focus on to improve your fundamentals of digital marketing: ...
- Complete certifications. ...
- Look for part-time or freelance work. ...
- Prepare your portfolio. ...
- Apply for jobs. ...
- Network with people.
- Consider a college degree. ...
- Build your online community. ...
- Take a social media marketing course. ...
- Research tools you can use for social media management. ...
- Network online and in person. ...
- Volunteer to manage social media for small business.
The 4-1-1 Rule suggests that you should post four pieces of new content, one repost and one self-serving post. When you follow this pattern, you will achieve the ideal ratio of original posts, engagement and self-serving posts.
What is the 80 20 rule in marketing? ›What Is the 80/20 Rule? The 80/20 rule indicates that 80% of social media posts should be useful to your audience — meaning, it educates, entertains, or offers a solution to their problems — and only 20% should explicitly promote your business.
What is the golden rule of social media? ›Communicate
The key to the golden rule of communicate is to communicate with your audience and not at your audience.
This means that all of your correspondence, advertising, and press releases will take on a consistent, easily recognizable tone that's unique to your brand. The Golden Circle can help to guide customer engagement strategies as well by honing the focus of content marketing, email, and social media posts.
What should a social media plan include? ›- #1 Define your goals.
- #2 Specify your target audience.
- #3 Audit your social media channels.
- #4 Analyze your competitors.
- #5 Set your KPIs.
- #6 Choose social media platforms.
- #7 Create a social media content calendar.
- #8 Set up a workflow in your team.
Since then, the theory has been expanded into the 7 P's of marketing. Which are: Product, Price, Promotion, Place, People, Packaging, and Process.
What are the 7 C's of social media? ›
These facets form the base for the world of social media and can be referred to as the 7 Cs of social media. These seven Cs are - content, community, conversation, capital (social), culture, collaboration, and conversion respectively.
What are the 4 C's of social media? ›Social Media is about content, conversations, community and connections. That is the consensus.
What are the 6 C's of social media marketing? ›His six Cs are content, commerce, community, context, customization, and conversation.
Is social media marketing hard to learn? ›To be honest, digital marketing is easy to learn. If you gain some basic skills and keep on exploring and reading magazines, you can easily learn digital marketing. But still, some people can find it hard to understand because of the technicality used in the analysis.
What is the lowest salary for social media marketing? ›$33,000 is the 25th percentile. Salaries below this are outliers. $65,000 is the 90th percentile.
How to make money on social media without being an influencer? ›- Sell products directly.
- Build awareness for your brand.
- Implement affiliate marketing.
- Sell intellectual property.
- Engage customers directly.
- Sell dropship products.
- Know the various platforms. Twitter. Facebook. ...
- Develop strategies that match the clients goals. ...
- Build a following. ...
- Decide what services to offer. ...
- Identify a niche. ...
- Create a business plan. ...
- Choose a pricing structure. ...
- Decide on a business name.
Jumpstart your social media manager career
Remember: It's possible to land a role without any experience if you channel your unique expertise, hone the right skills and are willing to keep learning.
What does a social media manager do? Social media managers are ordinarily responsible for developing strategies to increase followers, creating and overseeing social campaigns, producing content, reviewing analytics, and communicating with key stakeholders in a company.
What is the 5 3 2 social media rule? ›5 should be content from others, relevant to your audience. 3 should be content from you, relevant to your audience—and not a sales pitch. 2 should be personal, non-work related content that helps humanise your brand.
What is the rule of 70 social media? ›
The 70:20:10 rule in social media marketing
Western-Webs recently published this overview: 70% of Facebook posts should be proven content that supports building your brand. 20% should be content from others, such as promoting another's business or sharing interesting articles written by another and tagging.
It's important to connect with your followers using a healthy balance of content that engages, informs, and promotes your products. In general, you'll want to aim for 50% of your posts to engage, 30% to inform, and 20% to promote.
What are niche strategies? ›What is a Niche Marketing Strategy? Designed to attract a specific subset of customers, a niche marketing strategy considers the narrow category into which your business falls. It focuses on a small group of buyers, instead of the broader market.
What is the 30 60 10 rule marketing? ›According to SnapRetail, the 60/30/10 rule states that 60% of the posts you create should be engaging content that gets people reacting, commenting and sharing, 30 percent should be shared content, and 10 percent should be promoting your products and services, sales, events, etc.
What is the first rule of social media? ›The first rule of Social Media is that you don't talk about Social Media. Meeting after meeting, presentation after presentation, there is a lot of focus on social media marketing and understanding its arcane to take advantage of it.
What are the 3 basic golden rules? ›The Golden rule for Personal, Real and Nominal Accounts: a) Debit what comes in. b) Credit the giver. c) Credit all Income and Gains.
What is the Golden Rule phrases? ›"Everything you should do you will find in this: Do nothing to others that would hurt you if it were done to you." "Do not offend others as you would not want to be offended." "The successes of your neighbor and their losses will be to you as if they are your own."
What are keywords in content marketing? ›Content marketing keywords are the words or phrases that describe what a piece of content is about. The keywords are used to then tell a search engine what the content is about, so the search engine can rank it accordingly.
What is the step formula in digital marketing? ›A closer look at this formula tells us that the product positioning for each target segment is different. This forms the essence of the STP (Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning) marketing model. Let's take a closer look at each of these parts of segmentation, targeting and positioning.
What is the golden triangle in business? ›The Golden Triangle states that business results, employee engagement and sustainability are as critical as each other for business success; and that they need to be interrelated and given equal attention.
What are the 4 Ps of social marketing? ›
Most people have heard of the four P's used in social marketing: Product (key benefits, service or behavior change), Price (the cost of stopping an unhealthy behavior or adopting a healthy one), Place (the opportunities and access to products, services and places to engage in the behaviors), and Promotion ( ...
What are the 4 C's of marketing? ›The 4 C's of Marketing are Customer, Cost, Convenience, and Communication. These 4 C's determine whether a company is likely to succeed or fail in the long run.
What are the four methods of promotion? ›- Direct selling.
- Advertising.
- Public relations.
- Personal selling.
- Sales promotion.
The four main elements of the promotional mix include the promotion mix budget, the promotion mix tools (including advertising, personal selling, sales promotions, direct marketing, and public relations), and the promotion mix strategies.
Can I learn digital marketing by myself? ›Can You Learn Digital Marketing On Your Own? Yes, you can learn the basics of digital marketing on your own, but because the digital marketing landscape never stops evolving, self-guided learning may not be the best route.
How fast can I learn social media marketing? ›Most people who start a website and open some social media accounts can pick up social media marketing in three to six months. Classes are the most efficient and economical way to acquire the skills you need to switch to a career as a Social Media Marketer. You can complete a certificate course in two to four months.
How can I teach myself marketing? ›- Step 1: Enroll in an Online Course. ...
- Step 2: Learn from Experts. ...
- Step 3: Read Digital Marketing Blogs. ...
- Step 4: Create a Personal Digital Marketing Project. ...
- Step 5: Listen to Digital Marketing Podcasts. ...
- Step 6: Watch Videos and Webinars.
It takes most people one to three months to learn the different digital marketing tools and techniques, and it takes six months to a year to perfect those skills through practice. Of course, this depends on several factors.
What is the easiest type of digital marketing? ›Email marketing is one of the easiest, most effective types of digital marketing, as it consistently reaches an audience of regular customers and potential buyers.
Can you learn digital marketing for free? ›These free certificate courses are like an overview or an introduction to the field of digital marketing. The next step is to take an advanced digital marketing course. There are many free courses available online that would help you understand specific skills.
What should I learn first in social media marketing? ›
- Excellent Communication. The first social media skill you must have is - communication. ...
- Creativity. One of the most important attributes of social media marketing skills is creativity. ...
- Writing Ability. ...
- Content Curation. ...
- Project Management. ...
- Aptitude to Learn. ...
- Marketing. ...
- Flexibility.
- Gather data. In a data-driven digital era, knowledge is synonymous with success. ...
- Choose your channels. ...
- Create a content calendar. ...
- Consider paid advertising. ...
- Measure your effectiveness.
- Figure out what you want to get out of social media. Ask yourself the question, “What do I want to get out of Social Media?”. ...
- Create your profiles. ...
- Learn the community rules. ...
- Become an active part of that community.
(Marketing mix explained) The four Ps are product, price, place, and promotion. They are an example of a “marketing mix,” or the combined tools and methodologies used by marketers to achieve their marketing objectives.
What should I learn first in marketing? ›Learn Digital Marketing Fundamentals
The first step toward beginning a career in digital marketing is to acquire core technical competencies in SEO and SEM, analytics, social media marketing and advertising, and email marketing.
- Get certified – show your dedication and go through a couple of marketing courses;
- Get reading – learn and improve constantly with books, blogs, webinars, and podcasts;
- Get doing – work on a side project or volunteer to gain initial experience;
As far as degree requirements go, many employers prefer a bachelor's degree to start. But the good news is: because social media is still a newer field, you have options for what you can study. Typically employers require a degree in journalism, communications, marketing, or public relations.
What qualifications do you need for social media marketing? ›- knowledge of media production and communication.
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail.
- the ability to sell products and services.
- the ability to work well with others.
- the ability to use your initiative.
- thinking and reasoning skills.
- business management skills.
- excellent verbal communication skills.