Daniel Laws

4 Questions for Your Business Organic Search Audit

April 22, 2015 by Daniel Laws Leave a Comment

There’s not a business on the planet that doesn’t want more leads and sales. In today’s marketing environment, it starts with search rankings or does it? SEO is about keyword relevancy and intent so SEO crosses over into other marketing tactics.

How does an SEO audit impact your business goals?

The purpose of a website or SEO audit is to evaluate the existing position of your website as it relates to search engine performance. Sometimes it’s not the keywords or rich snippets that are impacting SEO, it’s your website. The audit will provide you with information to prioritize your need to grow your business, improve your search engine results, and generate more leads. You can draw some parallels from being a GM in the NFL. You have to evaluate your team, staff, facilities, etc. The evaluation provides you with a plan and a course of action to achieve the ultimate prize of an NFL Championship.

Do You have the Resources to Act on SEO Evaluation?

There are a number of SEO audit tools out there on the web. They range from free to paid solutions but never ask any questions about your resources (webmaster, programmers, tools, seo consultants, etc.) to fix the problems. Someone may have done some type of SEO work but what was or was not included in the SEO project. The bottom line is if you don’t have the resources or know how to make any changes, what’s the point of the SEO evaluation? It’s the equivalent of a team having the number 1 pick in the NFL Draft without the money to pay, coaches to prepare, and facilities to train or the ability to keep him.

Are you looking at SEO trending (#mobile)?

The SEO landscape continues to change for mobile, (Mobilegeddon) desktop and tablet. In addition, you need to take into consideration your specific business and the competitive landscape. In general, website audits software does not account for this. Again using the football analogy, the entire league is turning into a pass happy league, so the question is do you have a plan to account for the trending. If not, what’s the game plan for the future and the competitive landscape (talent, scheme, etc)?

Are you realistic with your SEO expectations?

I have clients or prospects call the office all the time with this statement that I want to be number one in the search engine results. It’s ok to have this expectation if you’re fairly well positioned within the search engine results but if your website is a structural or content nightmare, let’s get real! It’s like the equivalent of Raiders talking about winning the championship when they haven’t made it to the playoffs in almost a decade. So, please set realistic expectations and not dreams!

When you decide to run an SEO audit for your business I recommend settings goals and evaluating whether or not you’re going to be able to do anything with the information provided. Consider the resource that you may have to actually fix the problem/s. Take a look at your industry trends to prepare for your business future and the competitive landscape. Be realistic with your expectations after your analysis and plan the next steps.

5 Step Google Analytics Audit

March 4, 2015 by Daniel Laws 1 Comment

Okay, so you’ve had Google Analytics for years and you’re collecting data – but when was the last time that you performed a Google Analytics Audit for your website? Actually updated your Google Analytics account to streamline data collection, align to your current (and possibly future) goals/objectives, and verified that only approve employees have access to your data. If you haven’t updated anything within the last 6 months, then chances are that you’re missing out on opportunities to evaluate your marketing performance, improve data collection, obtain insights, or allocate your marketing budget towards the meaningful drivers of success for your website.

Have no fear – I’ve got you covered: here’s a 5 step Google Analytics Audit to get you started…

1. Prioritize Your Google Analytics Audit

So the first question you should be asking yourself is: “what are you examining your Google Analytics account against?” Any actionable audit starts with a measurement plan, and your Google Analytics Audit is no exception. The goal of the measurement plan is to provide a framework to track online performance, and define your goals, objectives, targets, and segments. Without the measurement plan, it will be a challenge to put your audit into perspective or to prioritize your next steps.

2. Get Your Google Analytics Code on All Pages

If you have a Content Management System (CMS), tagging all of your pages with Google Analytics code shouldn’t be too time consuming. Most CMS platforms have an area specifically for the Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager tracking code – but you can validate the implementation with Tag Assistant, ScreamingFrog, or WASP. If you’re not using a CMS, I would recommend using ScreamingFrog. Make sure that the code is only listed 1 time on each page, and don’t forget your ecommerce platforms or application process!

3. Protect Your Google Analytics Data and Ensure Accurate Data Collection

You may have granted Google Analytics access to your advertising agency, employees, partners, or vendors – but when was the last time that you updated your User Management settings? Are you collecting data based on the updated tracking code and information within the Google Analytics administration? I would recommend that you review both your Property and View settings to ensure that your data collection aligns with your measurement plan. This should include:

Goals
Content Groupings
Filters
Channel Settings
Ecommerce Settings

4. Link Your Google Analytics with other Products & Social Media

You can streamline the data collection across Google products, social media accounts, remarketing and data imports from third parties such as Bing Ads. By doing this, you will gain an idea of the ROI your marketing tactics are providing, and guide you to making adjustments to your approach.

5. Create Efficiencies with Segments, Modeling, and Alerts

Take the time to revisit your segments, alerts, and attribution modeling to ensure that they align with your measurement plan. You might find that these items could be updated based on your previous online performance, new insights or more enhancements that could have been available because of Google Analytics upgrades. An example was the 2014 update to segmentation.

Why audit Your Google Analytics Account?

Google Analytics will continue to roll-out enhancements. In general, the goal is usually to save practitioners time and to improve analysis efficiencies. This should have an effect on your ability to better assess your online performance and obtain insights. For example, Google Analytics has roll-out Cohort Analysis (beta) to better measure performance over time and simplify their data sharing settings.

Recommendations for a Google Analytics Audit

Perform your Google Analytics Audit quarterly to align with your measurement plan
After the audit, prioritize your tasks based on your ability to obtain insights or provide recommendations to achieve your goals and objectives
Automate or standardize segments, modeling, and alerts to simplify the audit and to implement future product enhancement quickly.
Subscribe to the Analytics Newsletters or Google Analytics RSS to stay up-to-date on product changes
Leverage auditing tools (ie: WASP, Tag Assistant, etc.), applications, and Google Analytics Solutions galleries to streamline segmentations and customizations.

Thinking of giving your own Google Analytics audit a try? Let us know in the comments below.

2015 Guide to Kickstart Your SEO Strategy

January 7, 2015 by Daniel Laws Leave a Comment

The office holiday parties are over, the gifts have been opened, and the New Year’s ball has dropped! 2015 is officially underway and so it’s time to move you and your clients’ SEO strategy into this year and beyond. If one thing is certain, it’s that big changes to the organic search algorithm are on the way. With that being said, here’s your guide to the big ticket items that will impact your 2015 SEO strategy.

Improve Organic Search with Mobile Devices for a Successful 2015 SEO Strategy

According to the November 2013 Google/Nielsen Mobile Path to Purchase study, search is the most common starting point for mobile research. Mobile organic search and smartphone usage continues to increase and makes information accessible in real-time. This trend undoubtedly will continue in 2015. But it won’t just be about finding your products or services; it will be the entire mobile user experience across multiple devices (tablet and smartphones) and operating systems. Focus on having customers find you, navigate seamlessly, and discover relevant content based on their search terms.

Use Different Content Types with Intent in Mind

There are “different strokes” for your different audiences, so it’s important to use different content types for search platforms (images, videos, text) as well as considering demographics, interests and a user’s intent. For example, are customers looking for product instructions, directions to a storefront, or comparison shopping? I would recommend that your content represent the brand voice and follow brand guidelines for consistency. Regardless of the different content types, organic search does not exclude branded search terms and your brand can and will appear in different forms. By diversifying your content, you’ll have more opportunities to achieve the goals of your SEO strategy.

Invest in Video as Part of Your SEO Strategy

Based on a recent eMarketer study, watching videos is on the rise, so have you given thought to communicating with your customers with video content? More than 77% of all tablet users will watch video programming on their devices at least monthly, and that penetration rate will grow to 87% by 2018, totaling 149 million tablet video viewers. My recommendation is to start brainstorming, create relevant content, optimize your videos, and leverage video platforms that connect prospective customers to your brand. Consider transcribing your videos into text to improve visibility and additional link earning as well. And remember, YouTube isn’t the only video platform on the planet! Find the best fit for your brand’s message and pursue it.

Build Relationships to Strengthen Your Organic Search Strategy

In my opinion, brand relationships will be critical to driving SEO strategies in 2015. I use the word “relationships” because it’s about the people and the relevant content that’s associated with them (what brand advocates like vs. what your prospective audience likes). By building relationships, you will increase visibility for your brand, create linking opportunities, and engage with influencers that resonate with you as well as your brand. Think about ways to develop an effective outreach program and reconnect with bloggers, journalist, reporters, etc. to get you started.

Develop Your 2015 SEO Strategy with Metrics and Milestones

Take a look at your mobile organic search traffic, assess your existing mobile design and organic search from mobile devices (smartphones and tablets). Identify opportunities to help customers find you, navigate seamlessly via mobile and get to your most relevant content. Test new ways to diversify your content with customer intent in mind. Find opportunities to build relationships via social media, but don’t be afraid to pick up the telephone (they’re people too)! I would recommend re-evaluating metrics/KPIs, establishing benchmarks associated with your organic search strategy’s past performance, setting targets or milestones, and connecting periodically within internal contributors to gauge progress.

Ready to ring in the New Year with an updated SEO strategy? Share your story in the comments!

Your Guide to Measuring SEO in 2015

November 5, 2014 by Daniel Laws 4 Comments

Danny Laws, Principal Owner and resident “Sharp Dressed Man” here at DMG takes to our big whiteboard wall to cover the top considerations for measuring SEO in 2015.

Learn the tactics and metrics your team should look to measure, what’s coming down the pipeline, and what you can leave at the door.

Read Transcript

Hi, I’m Danny Laws, Principal owner of DaBrian Marketing Group, a full service digital marketing agency in Reading, PA. I wanted to talk to you a little bit today about measuring SEO in 2015 and some of the things that I believe are going to come down the pipeline and have a little bit more of an emphasis.

What we have here is our digital analytics framework: Strategy, Implement, Measure, Optimize. With that being said, when we talk about measurement of anything, we talk about the goals and objectives, the execution of the measurement plan as it pertains to the measurement of all things related to your business, but in the case of this particular scenario, we’re talking about the measurement of SEO. We want to gauge progress, and we want to make improvements as it relates to organic search traffic coming to your site.

Now, in the past we’ve talked about the “ABCs” of measurement, of digital analytics, of web analytics, however you want to define it, and we’ve talked about the Acquisition, Behavior, and Conversions. In my opinion, in 2015 when it comes to measuring SEO, we’re going to have a little bit more of a focus on the measurement of the Audience, the SEO-related Audience. From a measurement of the SEO-related Audience, we want to talk about the demographics, the interest information. We also want to talk about the location, the localization of keywords and phrases. Is that the same audience we’re talking about within this strategy, that we’ve identified with KPIs, that we’re concerned with? You want to keep that in consideration.

Also when talking about the measurement of SEO, of organic search traffic, you want to tie this back to Acquisition. When we talk about Acquisition, we’re talking about the search engines (Google vs. the Yahoo/Bing Network). Typically, we see roughly 90% of that traffic within the US coming from those areas. Is that trend holding true? Are we looking at those components consistently? At the same time, we’re talking about the Acquisition via keywords, phrases, themes of keywords. Are we getting users and visitors coming from organic search traffic when we measure Acquisition via SEO? Are we getting what we need or what we thought we were going to get from those keywords and phrases, as well as the appropriate search engines?

The next component when we start talking about the measurement of SEO in 2015 is the Behavior component. For us, we do a lot of creating of content, whether it be video, whether it be infographs, whether it be blog content, those types of components. Is the information, those URLs that we look to do some link earning with, are we seeing traffic coming to those specific URLs that we’ve targeted for people, that we’ve leveraged our relationships for? Are we seeing what we expected to happen from a link targeting, link bait, link earning, however you define it, in this particular area? At the same time, when we’re talking about measurement of SEO, where is SEO in the events that are coming from SEO? Are we seeing a difference there, and what kind of user behavior is happening on the site from a pageview perspective, from a depth of visit, from returning visits, those types of behaviors as well, looking at that information. And my favorite part here within the behavior, is looking at it from a testing perspective. So, when we run tests, have we sliced and diced the data to look at how SEO or organic-related traffic is being impacted from a behavioral perspective here.

The last piece of this is Conversions. When we talk about the micro/macro conversions, measuring conversions from SEO, we want to specifically look at the measurement of keywords, phrases, themed keywords, a group or cluster of keywords specifically, are we seeing organic search conversions coming from that particular area?

What I would recommend at this point when you’re talking about measuring SEO in 2015 is making sure we revisit the strategy to account for the appropriate KPIs associated with SEO in itself. We want to update the implementation, i.e. the configuration, making sure that the configuration is appropriate to capture this audience-related information because of the updates that have happened, a number of systems around collecting audience information. Also the privacy policies, don’t forget about this particular component when we talk about the audience.

The other piece here is to validate that the data as it pertains to SEO, as well as the overarching goals and objectives, is being collected according to what you’re trying to capture within the KPIs in general. And then, you want to create hypotheses around SEO. Whether it be checking out themed approaches, keywords, different landing pages, those types of things. Content ideas. Create hypotheses, test these components. Within the framework of measuring SEO in 2015, I wish you the best of luck in taking these items into consideration. The audience, the acquisition, the behavior, and the conversions.

Good hunting, and let us know if you have any questions. Have a good day!

What Cheap SEO Services Actually Get You

October 22, 2014 by Daniel Laws 8 Comments

A December 2013 article posted over at Search Engine Watch titled, “How Much Should You Spend on SEO Services?” does a really good job of hinting at what to avoid when choosing a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) provider. Despite the article’s best attempts at deterring business owners and marketers from taking the cheapest route, we still see it happen time and time again. Today, I’m going to make the decision even easier for you. Not by detailing what to avoid, but telling you exactly what Cheap SEO services will do for (and to) your business.

Cheap SEO Services Lack in the Strategic Department

At DMG, we’re huge proponents of this marketing maxim: “Strategize first, execute second.” This is especially important for SEO because as a tactic, it plays a critical role in so many other digital campaigns a business may be running. If a search strategy isn’t comprehensive; that is, covering the client’s website structure, technical elements, keyword research, and content development, to name a few, suffice it to say that this agency is probably approaching SEO like it’s the year 2005.

As an example, imagine there is a retail business that’s currently running Paid Search advertising (PPC) focused on brand awareness and online sales. This company wants to begin incorporating SEO. A cheap service provider won’t perform industry research, conduct any sort of SWOT analysis, or take these PPC campaigns into consideration when devising its SEO strategy. In other words, they’re going to try to increase SEO performance in total isolation. Without a strategic approach that aligns all aspects of search marketing, this client can expect higher costs and diminished returns, both paid and organically.

A Note on “Instant” SEO Results

A cheap SEO provider is one that guarantees #1 spots and “instant results.” To be blunt, this is a bold-faced lie. It’s common knowledge that the search environment is constantly changing, and SEO providers can only base their offerings on what information Google (and reputable news outlets) is willing to make public. What’s interesting is that many of these cheap SEO firms operate as if the search engines can be fooled. Nearly every major change made by Google, Yahoo, and Bing is to combat tactics that work to “cheat” the system.

To move forward and actually help your business in organic search, don’t think about rankings as the goal. Being #1 for a keyword has little to no impact on whether a prospective customer can find you or if they’ll actually buy from you. Any company that claims to have the “secret sauce” to making that happen has a completely inaccurate notion of SEO’s business value.

The Man Behind the SEO Curtain

When browsing a service list for an SEO provider, take a look to see the type of support they offer. Are there any “checks and balances” in place, such as a project management system? How much insight are you given into what they’re actually doing on your behalf? How accessible are they on and off business hours? Over the years, we’ve learned that successful SEO doesn’t happen without transparent communication.

An open dialogue about what’s being done, what’s being planned, and how SEO can benefit other marketing initiatives is critical to a successful agency/client relationship. Failing to provide SEO transparently means there will be no accountability on the execution of the project. Even if the strategy is comprehensive, it takes communication to make sure it’s being executed properly and adjusted when necessary.

Here’s Our Recommendation

When choosing an SEO provider, it’s important to go into the process understanding that every other business out there is competing on the same playing field. And if there was a silver bullet to maximized ROI and sales, it wouldn’t take long before SEO agencies all went out of business. Approach the selection process with key questions, both about the agency’s SEO process as well as how they manage client relationships. Keep an eye out for talk of “guarantees,” because like we said, SEO is too varied and dynamic an environment for that. Finally, do a bit of your own research about what realistic SEO goals actually look like and how they’re measured. Don’t be afraid to put the agency on the spot and ask the question, “How will you prove that the money we spend led to a positive business result?” If they can’t answer these questions with confidence, you’ve got more searching to do.

Have a bargain-bin SEO horror story? Share it in the comments!

The Biggest Questions in B2B and Enterprise Search

August 20, 2014 by Daniel Laws Leave a Comment

”We are a B2B company, so we don’t need to worry about organic search or SEO.”

In our experience with various B2B and enterprise clients, we’ve heard this proclamation in one way or another. If and when the discussion comes to this, we typically utilize the example of the Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT), which essentially boils down to showing up at the right place, at the right time, and with the right content in order to capture customers at the key decision-making instant.

Being in a B2B sales environment doesn’t dehumanize this process, because people are still the ones making purchasing decisions. According to Google, 71% of people they spoke with use the internet on a daily basis for their business purchase decisions. The questions are: are you there (mobile, tablet, PC), is the content relevant, and is it delivered in a timely way?

”Why do we need content development and strategy if we’re primarily B2B?”

Simply put, if you don’t have content being created on a regular basis, it’s going to be like mission impossible to not only acquire new customers, but retain existing ones. Research has shown that content is of utmost importance to all stages of the purchasing process. Having a plan around content marketing is mission-critical in terms of conveying your products’ features, benefits, and key differentiating factors.

This process starts with the right types of content. Content isn’t isolated to just words on pages, but also images and videos as well. People can find just about anything in the search results, from PDFs (brochures) to online video demos. All of these must work to both represent your brand and differentiate your company from the competition.

”But our target audience already knows our products and our company.”

There are companies out there that I feel very familiar with, but that’s completely different from knowing enough to make a purchasing decision. Without proper details, research, and competitive information, the decision becomes far more difficult. This is because so many factors impact that final purchase decision, including the personnel involved (department heads, procurement, etc.).

Internal site search is a great opportunity to help these folks find relevant content about your company. However, if the best practices for organic search aren’t implemented across this information, it won’t matter how much you’ve invested in your enterprise search configuration. Garbage in means garbage out, and in this case, it means a poor experience for someone looking to learn more about (and maybe even purchase) your products.

”Trade shows and publication ads work for us.”

But can you prove it? I’ve noticed that some B2B companies put a significant amount of their budgets into trade shows or conferences without assessing or measuring their influence on the purchasing process. Prospective clients may visit your booth or see an advertisement, but as some point, they’re going to want more proof that you’ve got the solution to their problems. The ideal setup for trade show marketing is a marketing mix that includes organic search, direct mail, a phone call, email, etc. (aka “multichannel”). In the end, it is the process behind nurturing these prospects that will drive sales growth.

”How can we justify the cost of an organic search campaign?”

You can assess the influence that most tactics that are associated with your marketing mix have on purchasing or lead generation. Organic search should go deeper than a simple justification of cost; it should also be a part of a cost analysis for all tactics within your marketing mix. It is the ability to identify what contributes to revenue and high profit margins which are vital to all businesses.

If you’re still unsure of the way organic search, content, and strategy work together in the B2B environment, then I would recommend the following:

Read ZMOT for more details that focus on B2B
Run a few searches on keywords that prospects are using (see search queries in Webmaster Tools or matched queries from paid search) that led to an action on your website such as a download, form submission, etc. This way, you’ll be able to see if your most engaged visitors are actually getting to the most relevant information on your company, products, or solutions
Determine which marketing tactics are attributing to leads, sales, and revenue over the customer’s entire purchase process
Take a hard look at your “big ticket” items within your marketing mix and assess the cost per sale