****UPDATE: This was posted right before Google Instant was revealed.  Thoughts and commentary are likely to change significantly on my next blog.****

When Google picks certain users to do beta testing on, I wonder how they go about choosing them.  Do they rely on demographics?  What percentage of users do they test to satisfy their results?  Do the users that get chosen feel as lucky as I would?  I always hoped that some day I would get to be one of them.  I don’t know why; I just want to be a part of it.  To know that my search patterns will help dictate how Google thinks things should operate somehow feels comforting.  This is why I was pleasantly surprised when I did my first Google search today.

Google Search Results Appear As You Type

I had to Google bit.ly this morning because my other URL shortener wasn’t working and I couldn’t recall their actual URL.  As soon as I typed the ‘B’, the search box darted to the top of the screen like I had already finished my search.  I paused and wondered why the Bank of America website was first in my search results and how it searched already when I had yet to press enter.  Noticing the lonely ‘B’, I continued, ‘BI” and now Bing was at the top of my search list.  Wow, I thought, this is the thing I have been reading about!  Search results are coming up automatically as I type!  After playing with it for a while, I finally remembered that I wanted to go to bit.ly.  All I had to type was ‘BIT’ and the search was executed and bit.ly was at the top.

Pay-per-Click Implications on Click Thru Rate

While I was playing around with it, Andy Groller noticed that the ads were changing after every new word typed into the query.  For example, we typed in ‘NYC APARTMENT’ and saw one of our client’s ads running, but when we continued to type ‘FOR RENT’ the ads changed and our client’s ad no longer was there.  We thought, “Does that count as an impression?”  Logically speaking, why wouldn’t it?  The ad was displayed on the screen.  If it counts as an impression, it’s a pretty weak impression.  You don’t even have enough time to focus on the ad at typical typing speeds, though you can see the ads changing as you type.  This could spell disaster on click thru rate and we anxiously await seeing how Google will deal with it.

A New Competition for Advertisers?

As I played more I began to naturally notice what specific sites came up for the first letter of a query: ‘A’ is AOL, ‘B’ is Bank of America, ‘C’ is Craiglist, and ‘D’ is Dictionary.com.  A lot of searchers will know get to know these sites, as they will come up often.  The exposure is valuable.  Obviously these sites where not chosen on the basis of alphabetical order.  So what then were they chosen for, popularity?  Probably not that either, as I would expect Bing to get more hits than Bank of America.  Were they chosen on the basis of SEO?  How does one optimize a website for the letter ‘B’?  So why then were they chosen?  I think, due to the enormous potential value of coming up first on the first letter of a search, that Google will find a way to make money on this.  Being the highest bidder may be the simplest way to make sense out of it.  Obviously now organic results are always free, but I still can see Google making money on coming up first with this new method of search.

Keywords that Trigger Ads

To take it another step further, what will this do to the value of keywords in general?  Why would I want to bid on ‘NYC APARTMENTS FOR RENT’ if I already come up for ‘NYC APARTMENTS?’  Could this be the death of expensive long-tailed keywords?  Perhaps I haven’t fully thought this one out, but I wanted to mention it.  I invite your comments to help get my gears turning.  I look forward to seeing how this will end up too.

Automatic Search Result Usability

Overall, I think this is really neat.  I love not having to type out entire queries.  I also love not having to click on search when it will just do automatically.  The PPC side of me has a lot of questions, but the searcher side of me is pretty happy with this new search method, and even happier I get to test it out.  Have you had the chance to try out the new Google search? What do you think? What questions do you have?

In a previous entry of our internet marketing blog we discussed Google’s new image search results and how they almost exactly mirrored Bing’s. Then our very own John Lavin asked the question “What is Bing going to do next to out-do Google?” So today I respond by asking “Why not merge with the competition?”

Yahoo And Bing: The Alliance Begins

As far as gaining ground on Google is concerned, teaming up with the competition may be a wise decision and just in case you haven’t heard, a merger between Bing and Yahoo search engines is already underway. As of now Bing has already begun to power results in Yahoo search pages.  About 25% of natural search results and about 3% of paid search results in Yahoo SRPs are generated by Microsoft’s Bing.  Now this isn’t the first time two search engines have attempted to merge. Back in 2008, a proposed Yahoo and Google merger in the US slipped through the cracks. This was due to the intervention of the Justice Department who threatened to block the deal on antitrust grounds.  That leaves me to wonder “What’s Google doing while this merger between Yahoo and Bing is happening?”

Google And Yahoo’s Search Engine Merger

It turns out Google and Yahoo have a deal of their own already underway. Yahoo Japan recently announced that it will be using Google technology to run its search engine.  How do the boys at Microsoft feel about this?  Senior Vice President of Microsoft’s Legal and Corporate Affairs was quoted as saying “It means there will be no search competition in Japan and that Google will end up controlling all personal search information for all Japanese consumers and businesses,” Sounds like somebody’s feelings are hurt. In my opinion he may be right in the long term but it’s too soon to say.  The guys at Microsoft must be heartbroken. I just hope they have enough tissues.

How Will These Search Engine Mergers Affect Internet Marketing?

With all this happening between the top three search engines you have to wonder how it will affect internet marketing as a whole.  Even though these mergers are still in their early stages, it’s never too early to plan ahead. If Google did happen to gain control over all of Japan’s search engine information that would definitely affect any business outside of Japan trying to market themselves on a global scale. For us in the US, the Yahoo and Bing partnership’s predicted completion is a little too close for comfort. Microsoft and Yahoo predict that both of their search engines will be fully integrated by October 2010. This means that SEO and PPC campaign strategies will most likely have to be modified and it’s never too soon to plan ahead like I said before.  I, myself, would like to know more details about the alliance. Thankfully for those of us who weren’t able to attend the latest Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO) group meeting in San Francisco, there will be a live webinar on August 4^th 2010 at 9a.m. which will discuss the details of the merger.  Everyone should buckle their seat belts just in case as this might be an interesting yet bumpy ride.

The number of inbound links to your website is a metric used by search engines for ranking the website.  The more links a website has to it, the higher rank it will obtain.  So, naturally, SEO incorporates link building, as it is essential to getting high rankings.  Enter link baiting, Wikipedia defines link baiting as, “Any content or feature within a website that somehow baits viewers to place links to it from other websites.”  In other words, link baiting is a method to get links to your page so it ranks higher.  There are many different hooks of link baiting and I will discuss a few of them further below.

Informational/Resource Hooks

This is the most legitimate hook.  Sites using informational hooks provide the reader with useful information.  Wikipedia is a fine example.  This may include educational articles, guides, pamphlets, or other useful data that readers can utilize.  This informational hook hopes that readers will blog or write about like topics and use their page as a reference.  The only downside is that it takes a lot of effort and time to create a citable work of valid information, but the amount of links one could acquire is almost always worth the extra effort.

News Hooks

This is another very legitimate hook and rather self explanatory.  Sites using news hooks rely on providing the freshest of information to readers.  This hook aims to provide content other sites do not have.  These sits are constantly updating and attempting to provide information relevant to current events.  They too are hoping that bloggers and writers will link back to them so that their sites rank higher in search engine results.  There a few important subsets of news hooks like impact, prominence, proximity, and magnitude that must be considered before hoping for links.  News hooks have the same downside as informational hooks, as it takes a lot to get accurate news and it is quite time consuming to constantly update the information.

Humorous Hooks

Humor hooks typically involve humor, personal funny stories, funny cartoons, or even strange or odd images to attract links.  Top-ten-lists can also fall into this category.  If your site provides odd enouhg or funny enough content, readers may want to spread the joy to their friends.  Even the most serious of bloggers need to inject humor into their blogs, and they often do it through images or stories.  Humorous hooks provide this data.  One of my favorite sites that use humorous hooks is failblog.org.  The downside to this tactic is that the site doesn’t get as many links as informational and news hooks.  However it does not require the grand effort either. 

Controversial/Political Hooks

These hooks take a side on issues, often the unpopular side.  From abortion to gay marriage to space aliens on Earth, these hooks want the reader to know an opinion based upon facts and want the reader to cite them as a source.  These hooks could also include attacks on competitors.  One needs a very strong brand if planning to use this strategy though. You might get away with a public rant or an against-the-grain opinion, but publicly attacking a competitor or an opinion held by many could potentially cost more than gain in the end. 

There are other hooks too, but these four are the most commonly used amongst white hat SEO workers.  Link baiting is a powerful technique for marketing especially since there is the potential for going viral.  Look for a way to provide the reader with something interesting, resourceful, funny, or contrary and more and more sites will link to it.  I am reminded of an old Kevin Costner film and it’s famous line, “If you build it, they will come.”

Have I suddenly discovered the best SEO strategies ever through revelation?  No, I have not.  Moreover, I probably wouldn’t tell you if I did (can you say trade secret?).  I do have a thing or two to say, however, about this quest we marketers are on to formulate the best, most flexible SEO strategies and link building campaigns; that is, generalizing our tactics so that they are useful in every situation.  Having a handy-dandy formula may make us confident and give us a sense of security when addressing a new client, but it is ultimately not for the best.  Here is why. 

SEO Is About Being Practical and Adaptive, Not Rigid and Certain

‘Essence-seeking’ is a wonderful habit we humans have, but it becomes a problem when we follow it slavishly during our SEO efforts.  Link building is something of a science, yet it is a science whose theories dance to the tunes of individuals who determine what the phenomena being studied are (i.e. the nature of search engine algorithms).  Imagine living in a polytheistic world in which the gods frequently ‘update’ physics for whatever reason.  Being a traditional physicist in this type of universe would most certainly suck, majorly. 

However, if the experts understood that their knowledge should be formed on a case by case basis and not generalized due to a lack of consistency (which is something we do not lack in this universe, fortunately), they would be in better shape not only to handle changes, but also understand the universe at the moment for a particular situation.  Those who focus on universals will find themselves bogged down in a continuous need to update and recategorize their findings.  A similar situation seems to apply to link building and general SEO as well:  We have to focus on action and results only, not endless theorizing about where the existence of and where we can find our Philosopher’s Stone.  Of course we need to pick up advice here and there to get us on the right track, but not much of this information is worth being enshrined and clung to—we have no idea which direction the track will turn. 

In short, what I believe to be key to every SEO/link building undertaking is to get with the current program (some idea of it, at least), exploit it, and then move on when the changes are significant enough to merit doing so; there is no need to construct a superstructure of data that constantly needs maintenance and/or stores outmoded strategies, for you will soon feel more like an archivist than an actual SEO or link builder out on the front lines getting your job done.

In the immortal words of Nike, just do it. 

Or disturbing, depending on your view of online advertising and the technological metropolis that gave rise to it.  According to a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, children ages 8 to 18 spend most of their day (7.5+ hours) utilizing a smart phone, a computer, and, of course, a television.  This means a number of things for those who have a message or product to deliver/present to the public, and indicates that the field of Internet Marketing has a very healthy future ahead—assuming nothing happens that either takes us back to the stone age, puts our fate in the hands (or jaws) of zombies, or both (which would really suck; who wants to fight zombies without guns or chainsaws?).

The Non-Apocalyptic (and Zombieless) Future of Internet Marketing

With so much time being devoted to being ‘connected’ in one way or another, SEO and SMM, though rapidly changing as the years pass, will likely take on an even larger role for businesses and organizations.  Not having a website for an enterprise, or any kind of online presence for that matter, might turn out to be the equivalent of not having either a physical sign or nominal brand as far as this new generation is concerned; thus whatever that enterprise is doing or wants to do will neither be heard nor spoken of by a target audience with a ton of potential—you know, $$$$. 

And here comes an almighty bulleted list for the future:

• It’s a cliché by now, but good content will matter more than ever – As I implied in a previous blog post, when you have an audience that is continuously overwhelmed by the information and options presented to them, you better be sure that what you have to offer—i.e. your brief appearance in the chaotic limelight—is relevant and, most importantly, exceptional.  When there are, say, over one hundred other websites competing for the same spot, you really have no other choice. 
• Be open to the change in strategy that is inevitable when it comes to online engagement — Change does not have to be a difficult thing by any means, especially if all signs point toward its getting you more $ (or exposure—people get into marketing/advertising/etc for many reasons).  As more studies similar to the one mentioned above become more accessible and obtain a place in the public consciousness, the need for innovative online marketing should slowly rise to the status of no-brainer in due course.
• Finally, let people find you – Of course you have to be aggressive with your marketing tactics, but that doesn’t mean you have to be officious (your audience can always go to someone less annoying).  There are a lot more customers than there are businesses, and the Internet is structured more around the former than the latter nowadays.

Here’s to a connected, zombie-free future.

Sadly, we SEOs do not have enough in terms of insider jokes that we can be proud of, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a special batch of us who aren’t trying!  Let’s face it:  When you’re in any industry long enough, you become engrossed in all kinds of new concepts and jargon that you can create humorous relationships among.  Of course, only certain people will understand these abstruse, short, but clean jokes, yet that fact is where half the humor lies; for you are then certain of your being an elite SEO nerd.

There exist some clever websites which contribute valiantly to the SEO funny joke cause and this post is by no means an effort to regurgitate or compete with their valuable input.  I am going to strike out on my own and create a list of utterly preposterous jokes that attempt to bridge the gap between the worlds of SEO and non-SEO humor.

SEO Jokes for Everyone

You ready?  Here we go:

“Knock, knock.”

“Who’s there?”

“White hat.”

“White hat who?”

“White hat SEO.”

~cricket~

“What?”

 What do you call a conversation with someone that doesn’t influence your opinion of him/her in any way?  A nofollow conversation!

 What do you call a word or phrase which directly links to a certain thought(s) in your mind?  Anchor text!

 “Don’t Guy Kawasaki me bro.” (Thanks Andrew)

“So I hear you do SEO.”

“That’s right.  As a matter of fact, I’ve been in the field for over a decade.”

“You must know a lot about Google then.”

“Google?”

Now that you see what the standard is, definitely do not be shy about suggesting your own in the comments.  I believe you will be hard pressed to come up with jokes that set the bar even lower; but then again, maybe you can.

If only it were that simple....

This will blow your mind....

What intrigues me is that there is an interesting and very intelligent comparison of postmodernism and SEO on another blog (and it is a mere two weeks older!).  I thought this post would be something of a first of its kind.  Nonetheless, I intend on going into the true nature-assuming there is one-of Postmodern SEO, and not just a simple exposition.  What the postmodern approach means for the entire SEO enterprise will be made quite clear in the following.

And do not worry; there is a moral at the end of this extremely strange story which shows both SEO and relativism/postmodern philosophy at their worst.

SEO of the Future Must Transcend All Theory, Objectivity, and, ultimately, Meaning to be Postmodern

We SEOs all want to optimize our clients for certain keywords and phrases, and of course develop link-building campaigns based around these optimization efforts.  In essence, we always want the content to be relevant to the search query; that is the cornerstone of many SEO efforts.

But these efforts are deeply flawed.  They depend on hostile, oppressive, and incomplete notions of relevance and meaning.  In short, neither clients nor SEOs can ever truly know which words are relevant for which pages, what search engines want and what they don’t want, or what their goals really are.  Traditional SEO approaches are doomed to suffer from inchoate and insidious concepts.

Here is what you as an SEO can do to get around all this…

Let’s say you have a client who wants, or believes they want, to be number 1 for the phrase “tennis shoes” because they believe they sell things that can be adequately captured by the term ‘shoes’.  Since all words are equal in the grand scheme of things-that is, in nothing-it is imperative to start your research with a list akin to the following:

Steam            

Hat

Carrots

Precisely

Sky

Screen

However

All are equal and valid.

Be sure to stay away from anything to do with shoes; doing otherwise is politically and philosophically unacceptable.  Now, after generating your list (it need not be any definite length-nothing is definite), you can additional modifiers that are the furthest thing away from what people would normally associate with the words you generated for your beginning list:

Blue Steam Rabbits

The Hat Good

In Carrots Whatever

Precisely Cars Cheese

Sky A Wall

Rise Down Screen

However Cookie Wonder

Once you have this arsenal of words that no longer have meaning or relevance (a sure sign of their transcendence), you are ready to begin working with your client.  Let them know that there will be no goals, no demonstrable results, and no overall progress.  Each page of their website will be acceptable for many, many kinds of queries, and will not foolhardily assume that there is a need for focus and accuracy.  Your SEO is now ready for both the future and the post-future, and is ‘truly’ postmodern.  The fact that an entire business is lost in the process is unimportant.

SEO and (a parody of) Postmodernism Don’t Really Mix, and Here Is the Moral

I hope a few SEOs who are also part-time recovering philosophy majors (or any combination thereof) like me can empathize with the above absurdities that, inevitably, had to be encountered during one’s quest for truth.  And what every SEO and client needs to keep in mind is this:  Although the playing field of advice for getting a website (and, of course, the business itself) to the top is a bit chaotic, difficult to navigate, and considerably complicated, there is no need to run from the challenges and throw SEO efforts, as well as the potential for innovative techniques in this regard, to the dogs.  Meeting the overwhelming factors head on is indispensable for an organization’s survival in this day and age; and you do not want to run away from it all and, quite possibly, fall into the realm of postmodernism….

She may be beautiful, but she can't help you with your SEO.

The SEO guarantees that follow this section must be read with your tongue firmly planted in your cheek.  Again, the SEO guarantees that follow this section must be read with your tongue firmly planted in your cheek (this means they are unforgivably sarcastic).  Now that that’s out of the way, I now can say that the real point of this post is to poke fun at the grandiose claims some SEO firms make for their clients, and to hopefully reinforce the clients’ right to investigate the quality of the organization they are considering.  Here is a pair of simple rules for businesses who are ready and willing to make the wise move of incorporating SEO into their strategy for success:  investigate everything about your potential business partner and draw your conclusions.

With that said, what follows is a number of claims I would love to be able to make for myself regarding SEO but never would and, furthermore, hope no one would ever believe.  What’s somewhat frightening is that, if you look at some of these uncouth SEO firms, the deliberately inane things I am going to say are not all that far off from what is actually claimed (well, sometimes).

Genius SEO Advertisements That Are Ridiculous

That 'S' doesn't stand for SEO.

Is your tongue in your cheek yet?  Alright…

I can get you on Google’s (and Bing’s) first page in 1 hour, regardless of your site’s present rank:  Oh yes, you heard that correctly.  The link-building strategies I have mastered, among many others, are so supreme that Google, Bing, and many countries’ governments are struggling to understand just how incredible they are.  And if you want to do PPC, I’ll guarantee that Google starts paying you for your ads in less than a week (less than 24 hours in most cases!!).  Bing will start paying you too, even if you’ve never done any business with them!

In 2 weeks I will ensure that, for any keyword, your site will fill the entire first page of every search engine in existence:  How does this work?  Aren’t there blatant logical inconsistencies present in this kind of claim?  No, and I see it as extremely unprofessional to press the issue.  As far as for how it all works, the short story is magic; the longer story is really good magic; and the full story involves secrets that you just weren’t meant to either have or discover.

My SEO methods are also effective healthy-living methods:  While you see the money and traffic pour in from the effects of techniques you couldn’t possibly understand, you will also notice a significant improvement in the health of everyone at your office.  I have reports confirming the phenomenon of reverse-aging caused by my SEO techniques, and will never deign to explain how this is done either.  As with everything else I have claimed so far, you just have to take my word for it-it is a very fine word to take.

Finally, all I need is your credit card number (and SSN while we’re at it) so that these amazing things can happen:  Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, doesn’t it?  All you have to do is give me a ring-or drop me an email-with a string of numbers at the tip of your tongue (or fingertips) and, in return, miracles shall happen not just for your website, but for your life.

I think that’s enough nonsense for now…

SEO Is an Ongoing, Evolving, Complicated Process-Do Not Be Convinced Otherwise

Anyone who promises anything even remotely as absurd as the above is lying to you, plain and simple.  Very rarely are there quick fixes to problems as complicated as the ones SEO deals with, and someone offering you fast and  solutions as opposed to the correct ones, which require time, is doing you a grave disservice. 

It would be nice, though, if the first outrageous could actually be done, right?

The Meanings of SEO Hat Colors

This is probably already sounding like the most cliché blog post that will ever be written for the SEO world; however, it will not be (fooled you!), and I promise that there is some degree of knowledge to be obtained by gleaning the following.  You will also be pleasantly surprised at how rich SEO hat culture is, as well as at how different and diverse the color meanings are.

I will have you know that this all started from an innocuous, professional discussion on Facebook that Kristina provoked:

White Hat SEO

The good guys in westerns often wear white hats to ensure that their goodness is known and well broadcasted to the townspeople; the good guys in SEO practice ‘white hat’ approaches that the search engines like-or at least do not mind (there is an enormous amount of discussion regarding this, mind you).  In short, SEOs who are associated with white hat techniques are usually working hand and hand with search engines and not in opposition to them (i.e. using strategies that will be met with punishment the moment the search engines discover them, which is bad news for those who need the search engines for their living).

And they do not drink vodka Ms. Kristina-at least, not on the job, maybe.

Black Hat SEO

In short, the bad guys of the SEO community.  Of course, as one would conclude from the previous comment on westerns, the villains are frequently seen wearing black hats.  Black hat SEOs spam and participate in other activities which, as again mentioned above, the search engines will terminate with extreme prejudice. 

Here is the ideal black hatter:

Be sure to keep an eye out for any and all entities that resemble this.  Furthermore, the following rule should be useful:  the bigger the beard, the blacker the hat; the blacker the hat, the higher the probability of finding a Stewart’s coffee nearby (ha!).

Gray Hat SEO?

Gray hat SEO represents, more or less, the dynamic nature of the industry and the debates surrounding it, not so much a particular set of practices.  When an SEO begins to wonder about a certain procedure’s ‘essence’-that is, whether it is white hat or black hat-s/he immediately is in the gray hat realm, where this kind of debate dwells.

That’s my take on gray hats, but there are still more to come.  As you saw from our profound Facebook discussion, there are a few more colors that must be mentioned.

Pink Hat SEO

The meaning of the color pink is multifarious, but is generally seen as being loving and sensitive.  Combine these with lattes, and you have an SEO who will be alert, possibly sophisticated, and very affectionate toward keyword research.  Pink hat SEOs are notorious for having thin skins, however, so be careful.

Green Hat SEO

Yes, the color green means nature, life, growth, health, and so forth, but I will stand by my assertion that green hat SEOs take offense to the presence of leprechauns for trying to outdo them.  Green hat SEOs might be environmentally conscious and considerate professionals, but they are also quite competitive, with leprechauns.

Blue Hat SEO

Blue hat SEOs really do eat smurfberries while smurfing the Internet, ’nuff said.  Be careful about recruiting them for your SEO needs:  they already have other obligations that do not include them.

Yellow Hat SEO

Given that the meaning of the color yellow is thought to be either happiness/joy or cowardice/deceit, it is best if you do not trust yellow hat SEOs at all; look, you already have enough to worry about, thus you do not need SEOs who have multiple personalities working on your campaign (the phone calls could get interesting, to be sure).

More SEO Color Meanings Are Welcome

Anyone else have any more SEO colors they would like to cover?  Or have further input concerning the ones already mentioned?  By all means go for it.

As social media keeps getting more and more attention, many of our SEO management clients come to us with questions. It’s getting rather complicated because they hear about Twitter and LinkedIn and I can tell that they feel pressured to be involved, yet they don’t quite know how.  Often they want to make sure that they are represented in the latest hot new trend, but what is happens is a client contracted for SEO begins to talk about wanting SMM services.

SMM and SEO: Alike, but Different

Somewhere we had to draw a line that separates the two activities which really isn’t that hard because they are not the same.

Search Engine Optimizations is a huge very complicated area with many technical coding issues and checklists that all add up to helping the search engines find and rank your webpage correctly. When we manage an SEO account for a client, we are essentially building back links to their website for the purpose of increasing that pages rankings for the specified anchortext.

While essentially the goal of back linking is to get a link from a relevant site, over 18 months ago ( before social media had a real name), we also incorporated general branding and promotions. Sometimes, it’s not just a link that one ends up getting, or sometimes time is invested but there is no link, but still branding and promotions.

Social Media Marketing, however, is much simpler in many ways.  While links are great and passed links are becoming more and more important; really the idea is to just be social and active.. and links are not the only goal.

The Lines between SMM and SEO Blend

Some more social orientated profiles are included in standard SEO back linking and this is where it gets fuzzy.

Our SEO management isn’t just about creating back links to improve search engine rankings. Since we do take a more rounded approach and cover any aspects of promotion and branding which allows us to make important profiles for solid universal search results. The idea being, of course, that no matter where a potential customer was online, if they searched for one of our client on any website, by name or main keyword, they would find their way to our client’s website soon enough. Well ranking profiles on Twitter and Facebook are defiantly services that bridge the gap between SMM and SEO because of this very reason. 

In a perfect world the profiles would be active and prolific, but even in the worst case scenarios; I would rather have a user experience a successful search that leads to a static profile, then not to find anything from a client at all. If I could have it my way then  during SEO management, we create the fully optimized and branded profiles for SEO, but then either through SMM management or because they client embraces my social networking trainings, they would produce the content organically though their passion and involvement with the subject, products or services. My role would be much more of a social media consultant who teaches them how to perfect the medium to their best advantage. 

Unfortunately, though, I have found that while clients will say they want to use Twitter and understand that they should be Tweeting; it doesn’t always happen. We will create them a branded Twitter account and then provide them a tutorial on how to use Twitter and strongly encourage them to be active; but you know what they say about leading horses to water? Same thing; not all clients drink the Twitter juice.

I love that they are actually mindful of social media and what’s new online, and I do appreciate that they come to us for consultation rather than just running around joining up services and creating duplicate profiles. The issue becomes what falls under the heading of SMM tasks and what is pure SEO?

Defining Social Media Services

Since now we have expanded at DragonSearch to met the growing needs of our cliental, we have separate social media management accounts. When I have a full on Social client; I actively create a social media presence for them on important social networks for their industry. I keep their Twitter’s full of interesting bits, grow and weed their followers, engage with their Facebook Fans and create content. It’s a very natural and organic process since I am fully immense in their industry and fields on a daily basis.

When working with a social hat on I want to go to the popular places where there are large markets of interested folks.  I don’t always have to be 100% on target with keywords or issues, but can be much more human and just follow interests and be interesting. It’s even better when a client also has contracted with us for blogging services so that the whole Social Media loop can be incorporated.

Linking for SEO purposes can be completely different. While a popular and well ranking site is always more desirable, if we are targeting a specific keyword the links might be on a much quieter area.  Let me paraphrase a very generalized conversation that has been occurring with an SEO client over link building:

CLIENT: Why did you comment on that blog? It’s not about my XX industry.

DRAGONSEARCH: We were building links to your XYZ page. The keyword for that is Widgets. The blog is a widget Blog and the post is a widget post and that blog allows HTML in their comments with a no follow, so it will assist in improving your rankings in that page.

CLIENT: But site 123 is much more about my products.

DRAGONSEARCH: Yes, but site 123 is a social site and while we built you a profile there, we cannot get actual links in the comments because they don’t allow HTLM there.  We can’t do anything there that will improve your SEO rankings and THAT is what we are contracted to do.

Of course, then it’s time to explain that we do offer Social Media Marketing and how social can really assist in promotions and branding, and can work well  with their SEO foundation, but that the social should ADD to our work with SEO not take away from it.