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As you\u2019ve learned by now, the traditional SEO Campaign has evolved into the Content Marketing Process.<\/p>\n
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\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n How The Content Marketing Process Changed the Internet:\u00a0<\/strong>For Modern Content Creators, the shift is NOT just a buzzword phrase, nor a technical debate over an accepted version of the specific \u201cdefinition.\u201d It\u2019s a fundamental change in mindset and approach to growing a web presence online in 2013 and BEYOND.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n At it\u2019s core, it\u2019s now about building a PLATFORM, rather than an SEO campaign. The platform is the infrastructure that YOU control, maintain, and effectively utilize to enable your ability to do what you love, and serve the loyal audience who love what you do.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Content Marketing Process is an ongoing conversation that reaches out to, engages, and adds value to your audience in whatever creative use of communication formats and distribution channels you use.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The idea of \u201coutsourcing\u201d SEO, for thousands of dollars per month, is no longer necessary for Modern Content Creators.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Just so that theres no confusion, I\u2019m not saying that you cannot benefit from hiring an outside agency or firm who specialize in advanced SEO, or that there aren\u2019t products and services that can audit and optimize your current or future efforts. There are. Some of which I use and recommend.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What I am saying is be leery and skeptical of any agency, or SEO company that does not include a PROMINENT, well coordinated content strategy into the planning of any project or proposal.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n CONTENT is how you build an audience<\/em>, and an engaged audience is how you build a brand<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Noisy, keyword rich content at that crap level caliber-ain\u2019t doing anyone any good…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n AS THE CREATOR, the EXPERT, the ARTIST, the Enthusiast with a passion, a student of mastery… Your audience needs\/wants\/should hear from… YOU.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We\u2019ll be getting into the tools of the Modern Content Creator (i.e. the communication formats, the distribution channels, etc) in the next lesson, but today we are going to finish up the bit on SEO you need to be aware of.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n By now you understand that SEO is merely a set of \u201ctechnical<\/strong>\u201d and \u201clabeling<\/strong>\u201d factors that will optimize your pages relevance, value, and corresponding rankings through the eyes of search engine spiders and their ever changing algorithms.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is obviously beneficial because a #1-#3 ranking for even a mildly competitive search term can yield loads of short and long-term traffic, leads, and sales.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Today\u2019s lesson is going to cover just about everything you need to know, and deliver immediately actionable tips and exercises to put this stuff to work for you and optimize your SEO factors.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is something you can save and refer back to until it\u2019s functional knowledge.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n SEO = Labeling and links, and that means all kinds of variables and potential ways for BOTH sides to get it wrong.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Content Marketing = High value content created via the content marketing process, an interactive conversation and then delivered and distributed what, why and how your audience wants it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Content Marketing always was, and always will be the solution because it gives everyone exactly what they want..<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s a core skill of Modern Content Creators – and the best way to build an audience, period.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As I teach my clients and students, the best way for Modern Content Creators to look at SEO-is as a small piece of your Content Marketing. Not the other way around.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When you setup specific campaign objectives with a content strategy, you\u2019ll define whether or not your major focus is on targeting a specific keyword(s).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Just as any new product\/service\/blog or book starts with market research, the first step to SEO in this case would begin with keyword research.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SEO consists of on page, as well as off page factors.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you create a high quality piece of content, then ON PAGE SEO means to essentially optimize the SEO factors such as the site navigation, internal linking structure, titles and descriptions to include any keywords you want to target, as well make sure that the keywords are mentioned throughout the page.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n On page SEO is really just a labeling system so that people and the search engines can easily identify what your pages and content is all about.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The other factor is OFF the page factors – primarily consisting of the quality of links that are pointing back to both that page and to your website from different URL\u2019s across the web.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We are going to be taking a nice tour through both.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Again, there are some really really geeky things you can get into with this stuff, but that\u2019s the job and discipline of a professional SEO agency.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Instead of a flashing neon banner nestled somewhere on a page of interesting content, we ARE the content.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s about positioning, building a loyal audience, and ultimately your brand through effectively listening and delivering valuable content.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n High value content = traffic, relationships, and links<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is the recipe for building an audience, and simultaneously giving google what it wants.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The evolution of natural search has resulted in some changes\u2026 Primarily it all boils down to traffic, author rank, and high value content on authority sites… Essentially the factors “least vulnerable” to being “gamed.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Author rank and social sharing are the new article marketing and bookmark\/social profile link spam\u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n People aren’t clicking ads as much as they are ATTRACTED to and clicking on high value content.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Relationships are essential to the growth of your brand. You do all of that most effectively through Content Marketing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Inbound traffic i.e. content + relationship traffic<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 2012 google received 3 billion searches\/day.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Double that of 2011.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 2013 and BEYOND\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n SEO (or Search Engine Optimization) is the process of optimizing your site to improve your rankings in the search engines.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You do this primarily so that you can benefit from the traffic google will send as a result of someone searching for a specific keyword phrase.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Again, some of this involves things you can do on your site, such as using the “keywords” that your potential customers are using to find your site within the content of your pages. While the MOST important factor is the quality of LINKS that point back to you.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This part of Search Engine Optimization involves things you post on other sites, like press releases, videos, images and various other types of content. The links that point back to your website from these places will help your site’s ranking improve.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And the more quality sites that have links pointing back to your site, the better.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Part of the calculation that Google and other search engines use to rank your website is not just the number of links, but the \u201cpower\u201d and relevance of the websites they\u2019re on.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For example, if you had a link pointing to your website from a site like CNN.com it would be considerably more valuable to your ranking than a link from BobsCatsWebsite.com.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are various ways you can generate these links to your website. Signup for Content Marketing Bootcamp to learn just about ALL of them for FREE.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Since search engines can really only read text well, <\/em>it\u2019s important that you define the words and phrases that are relevant and then label and optimize the way the site is setup.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Keyword research is not only important because it helps you clarify and define the market, the language, the KEY WORDS being used to describe and find your audience… It is also the basis for being relevant to the search engines, because otherwise it doesn\u2019t know what you are saying.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The search engines are NOT really all that smart… despite the advancing algorithms, their not as advanced as many might think.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Keyword Research:<\/strong><\/span> [Link to article]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For now, know that there are tools that will help you determine exactly what those keywords are, such as the Google Keyword Tool.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Which is free, i recommend you start with, and something you can use right now.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This tool is designed for Google Adwords advertisers, to help them figure out what keywords to bid on for their ads.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But it works just as well for figuring out exactly what people are searching for. Because the things that people actually search for might not be what you would expect.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Long-Tail:<\/strong> You\u2019ll hear this term come up, and it simply means ranking for longer keyword phrases that have a compounding increase effect over time. Long Tail terms are less competitive, and although only double or MAYBE triple digit visitors search for these keyphrases every day-they add up AND they are more targeted than larger more generic keywords.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n FAQ are effective examples of good long-tail phrases, such as \u201chow to change the oil in your car.\u201d etc.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Be sure to use unmistakably clear headlines, be direct and ANSWER the question effectively, and the LONG-TAIL will add up over time. If done well, it can represent a significant percentage of your daily and monthly search engine traffic.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Again, SEO is a PART of good Content Marketing, not the other way around. You will want to focus on the following key points for SEO until you have them down. You should SAVE THIS LESSON and refer back to this list.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Again, SEO is broken down into TWO categories, which both have their own ranking factors.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Until you understand these terms, keep referring back to them every-time you create new pages, publish new content, or build new links and want to make sure you are getting the most out of your effort.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n On-site: Approximately 10-20%<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n On-Page Factors<\/strong>: Such as the accurate labeling and optimum description of what the page is really about.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Title Tags<\/strong> – What you see at the top of your page and in your browser (So, instead just labeling your main page as \u201cHOME,\u201c label it with the most appropriate-biggest-keywords, separated by commas, or the | symbol with spaces in between them. Generally, don\u2019t go after more than three, it can lose the focus and look like you are just stuffing keywords.)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Size of Site<\/strong> – Generally the more pages a site has can be a factor in Google\u2019s ranking algorhythm. NEVER sacrifice quality for quantity though.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Internal Links<\/strong> – This means the amount of links you have within your site and pages. You want to have a good internal link structure so that both google and people can get around and find what they are looking for on your site.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Freshness<\/strong> – You need to be adding fresh new content to your site. At least once a week for blogs. Enough said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Original content<\/strong> – This simply means that you are creating content you Originate, not just copying and pasting someone else\u2019s. You CAN do that, as long as you have permission from the author though.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Avoid duplicate content<\/strong> – To spare a whole long debate that is really just a bunch of non-sense that was spread and now confuses people… Duplicate Content = Two of the same pages, with the exact SAME content and descriptions on ONE domain.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You can OF COURSE, take your content and spread it on the internet and have it published on someone else\u2019s website. PLEASE do NOT confuse this very simple concept.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Age of site<\/strong> – This is another potential factor that Google may take into consideration when ranking one site over another. It carries some weight, but i don\u2019t think it\u2019s a HUGE component, and certainly not more than quality content and quality links.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Keywords in page names<\/strong> – Instead of having random numbers and characters, it behooves you to include the appropriate keywords in your page URL\u2019s. I.E. <\/p>\n Site Linking Structure <\/strong>– Your site should have a circular linking structure so that all your pages are interconnected in a logical and easy to navigate orientation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n First Link Priority <\/strong>– This just has to do with link juice. Basically, more than ONE link to any given page is automatically filtered out, so the FIRST link to any given page, is the one that will count. You REALLY don\u2019t need to worry about this.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n XML Sitemap <\/strong>– Just go through the STEP-BY-STEP configuration infographic below for setting this up with YOASTs SEO for WordPress Plugin.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Setup Google Author Profile <\/strong>– Here is an article that will show you how to easily set it up using the wordpress framework I use and recommend. The Genesis Framework. http:\/\/www.copyblogger.com\/wordpress-google-authorship\/<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Install SEO for WordPress Plugin<\/strong> – The one by YOAST. Go to this page and follow all the screenshot instructions to configure your settings effectively. http:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/the-advanced-guide-to-seo-chapter-4\/<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n WordPress Permalink Settings<\/strong> – Just set them as \/%postname%\/ UNLESS you know what you are doing, and it makes sense for your site, use \/%category%\/%postname%\/<\/p>\n *Seriously, you don\u2019t need to add dates, (unless for some reason you choose to for some intended purpose) or any .html extensions. Google likes clean, clear, and short.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Google Sitemap<\/strong>: You should have an XML sitemap for your site, you just probably need to submit to google and bing. Here\u2019s how to do that.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Option A<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n -Submit it to Webmaster Tools Directly<\/p>\n This is the preferred method to submitting any xml 1. Sign into Webmaster Tools<\/p>\n 2. View the profile for your website<\/p>\n 3. Navigate to Site Configuration->Sitemaps<\/p>\n 4. Click \u201cAdd\/Test a Sitemap\u201d in the right hand corner<\/p>\n 5. Enter the name of your sitemap and hit submit<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Option B<\/span><\/p>\n -Add The Following Line To Your Robots.txt File<\/p>\n Sitemap: http:\/\/www.example.com\/sitemap_video.xml<\/p>\n Like with any xml sitemap, if your robots.txt file set up <\/p>\n Site Speed<\/strong><\/p>\n Site speed could potentially have a tiny impact on your search rankings, but the major benefit is the impact it can have on USER experience.<\/p>\n https:\/\/developers.google.com\/pagespeed\/<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Reduce Large Images on your Site<\/span><\/p>\n Search images.google.com<\/a> <\/p>\n Off-site: 80-90%<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Off-Page Factors: Essentially meaning the quality and quantity of LINKS that are on other websites across the internet which point back to your pages.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Link popularity<\/strong> – All the links pointing to and from related sites. Link popularity is still an extremely important factor for search rankings.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Link reputation<\/strong> – Is the relationship a given link has to the context of your website or web page. It is also an important factor, as it directly effects the value of a given link.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Link authority<\/strong> (aka pagerank) – This is the toolbar pagerank that a link on a given page has.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Link trust <\/strong>– This is the amount of trust that links coming from your domain have.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Link theme<\/strong> – This is the semantic relationship between links and pages and topics. You don\u2019t need to worry <\/p>\n Look natural<\/strong> – Is there a diversity of links, as in, does it look natural? You don\u2019t want to just look <\/em>natural, you want to BE natural.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n –>Negative ranking factors:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I\u2019m going to simplify things for now by saying this….<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You don\u2019t need to worry that much about all those Off-Page link factors, unless you know you need to and are investing in a competitive keyword.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As a Modern Content Creator your job is to create and distribute high value content, as well as know the fundamentals. If you\u2019ve paid attention thus far, you already have an understanding and are well on your way.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Don\u2019t think about the link. As Dan Thies and Leslie Rohde of the SEO Brain Trust say…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s not worth spending time analyzing and researching about all these factors, just go and create the links you can get. In other words, just go and distribute your content to potential audiences that might value your content.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The time spent going out and getting a new link, is time BETTER spent than analyzing the best possible link to go after.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n OK. Now, i know that was a lot… You will want to get this though, so i encourage you to go back and re-read this lesson 2-3 or more times until you really get it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Again, and keep on coming back to this.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Since i\u2019ve dumped so much information on you, I WILL open this up for questions to provide you with additional support. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Please be CLEAR and to the point. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you need, or are interested in diving deeper into the SEO factors, here\u2019s a short list of resources that should cover all your bases. Take the three guides in numeric sequence.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n http:\/\/www.seomoz.org\/blog\/the-beginners-guide-to-seo-version-two<\/a><\/p>\nContent Marketing vs. SEO<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Content Marketing vs. Advertising:<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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The SEO Factors:<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
\nmysite.com\/category\/keywordpostname<\/p>\n
\nsitemap to Google.<\/p>\n
\ncorrectly, Google with find and process your video xml
\nsitemaps through having found it in robots.txt<\/p>\n
\nsite:yourdomain.com<\/p>\n
\ntoo much about this, just focus on a good user experience.<\/p>\n\n
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