Do You Do SEO?

The inevitable question, “Do you do SEO?”

“Yes.” I answer tentatively.

The do-you-do-SEO question is a heavily laden cargo ship launched years ago in the even more primitive era of the Internet. The bounty it carries is comprised of great expectations, misunderstandings and broken promises freighted by a crew of charlatans. Now there is an indictment!

If you think SEO, more accurately known as search engine optimization, is something your business needs, take a moment to consider the following:

Marry Your SEO

SEO is not a one-night stand. Sure, there are some pretty simple quick fixes. But optimization is an ongoing process that can go on, well, till death do us part.

Return on Investment

An SEO campaign will demand a budget. Therefore, the best – and perhaps only – SEO initiative that should be undertaken requires a clearly identifiable metric of performance success. Usually this performance is based on some kind of action such as creating a lead, a download or a sale. What it is not measured by is the prominence of a specific keyword phrase. This metric of success must be applied against the cost of the entire effort to produce a Cost Per Action.

Content is (sigh) King

Look, if you want to be found, you’ve got to offer something for which people are looking. Read that again. And what are people looking for? Answers. Answers to their problem. They are not looking for your hyperbolic marketing speak. They are not searching for your awards. They want good content in the form of text, images, videos and audio. Yes, all of these media. And new stuff regularly.

Social Media Helps

Social media is content. Sometimes (usually?) it is vacuous cat memes and moody slogans. But done right, social media is a well-stocked river of catch and release (to others) content. An effective SEO campaign includes a vibrant social media initiative. They go hand in hand.

Your Website Sucks

Maybe yes. Maybe no. But chances are there will be changes made to your website so that your valuable content can be properly digested by the Great Google, its Court of affiliates and the BingYahooAOL search engine challengers. Some of this is content. Some of it is technology configurations.

If you are interested in marketing your business on the Internet, I can help. Do I do SEO? Yes, maybe. The real question is, “Do you know what you’re looking to accomplish?”

I’m Invited to Publish on LinkedIn Pulse. How About You?

When the notice arrived that I was being invited to publish content on LinkedIn I had to give it some thought. I presently publish professional content on several of my blogs, slides on slideshare (owned by LinkedIn) and photos on Flickr. What was the value to me of publishing content on LinkedIn? And, after all, every LinkedIn participant currently can “share an update” in the form of a blurb and/or link to content residing elsewhere on the web. Where’s the gain?

A Win for LinkedIn

For LinkedIn, the value of published content was plain. Content is sticky. It keeps people on the LinkedIn site. The prevailing alternative of creating a social share of content does the opposite. It sends visitors away. Whatever one’s business model, sending visitors away doesn’t seem to be a good strategy. Additionally LinkedIn has been fighting being branded a recruiting/job seeking one-trick pony. Hence, LinkedIn has morphed into a more complete publishing platform. Good luck to them. What’s in it for you?

A Win for You

Even if you have a blog or other content manageable platform, publishing on LinkedIn is like going to a potluck dinner party – you share something of value and meet a lot of new people with common interests. It is yet another distribution channel for you to build network and establish your authority. This should pretty much mirror your objectives for using LinkedIn. Moreover, your published content becomes part of your profile as well as being shared with your network. And, of course, unlike a potluck dinner, your intellectual property can always be shared but never consumed.

What to Publish

My early thought is that the medium and the audience will define the content for me. For example, this Pulse exploration belongs on my blog. It would be less relevant in LinkedIn among a community already tuned in to this information. We’ll see. I’ll lurk a little but ultimately publish. Think differently? Send me a comment.

LinkedIn Pulse Nitty Gritty

The LinkedIn publishing environment is Pulse. Pulse is an evolution from LinkedIn Today & LinkedIn Influencer if you care and/or follow the brand names, interface evolution and strategies of LinkedIn. If you are not currently authorized to publish on Pulse, you can make a request to have this functionality enabled.