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"Search Engine Journal" - 5 new articles
- Wordstream Announces 6K Facebook Fans Sweepstakes
- 13 Online PPC Marketing Courses
- Good Copy, Bad Copy: The Magic Is In The Headlines
- Quickly Diagnose Your Page with Instant SEO Review
- What Is Latent Semantic Indexing
- More Recent Articles
- Search Search Engine Journal
Wordstream Announces 6K Facebook Fans Sweepstakes
Our good friends at Wordstream have some fun contest for you and some awesome prizes as well! And the good news that we have partnered with them to bring even more fun!
Participating has never been easier: just like BOTH Wordstream Fan Page and SearchEngineJournal.com Fan Page at Facebook and become eligible to win the following prizes:
- $100 Amazon gift card (when Wordstream page has 1000 fans);
- iPod Nano (once the page reaches 3K fans);
- Toshiba Mini Netbook (once the page reaches the milestone: 6000 fans).
So again:
To be eligible to win, you must:
Yes, it's that simple! Winners will be announced on the WordStream Facebook fan page and the WordStream Internet Marketing Blog
For all the legal mumbo jumbo, check here: WordStream Facebook Sweepstakes Official Terms and Conditions.
Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal.
Wordstream Announces 6K Facebook Fans Sweepstakes
13 Online PPC Marketing Courses
If you are relatively new to PPC marketing, it's a good idea to consider taking an online course. There are quite a few of these courses being offered, and unlike your typical blog entry or news article, they provide a comprehensive overview of paid search advertising. Another benefit is that many of the courses offer a certification exam.
Here are 13 online PPC marketing courses worth checking out:
1. Google AdWords Certification Program
If you use AdWords for your PPC marketing efforts, consider becoming AdWords certified by participating in this program. It includes an extensive study guide covering all areas of AdWords advertising. To get your AdWords certification you must pass two tests: a fundamentals exam and one of three advanced exams. Each exam costs $50.
2. Microsoft adExcellence program
If Microsoft adCenter is your pay-per-click advertising platform of choice, it's probably a good idea to get your adCenter accreditation by participating in the Microsoft adExcellence program. This program offers training videos on a variety of topics like keyword match options, ad copy best practices and bidding. The accreditation exam costs $50.
3. Yahoo Learn Online
Yahoo offers a variety of tutorials and archived webinars that are free and comprehensive. Tutorial topics include how to navigate your account, how geo-targeting works, and how ad testing works. Archived webinar topics include enhanced targeting capabilities, ad ranking, and back-to-school ads.
4. Market Motive courses
Market Motive offers two types of online PPC programs: one where you take one course a month for up to three months and another where you commit to three months of courses. The second option, which is significantly more expensive, involves faculty guidance, real-world projects and a dissertation. Classes include video lessons, quizzes, and web conferences.
5. SEMPO Institute's search advertising classes
The SEMPO Institute offers an SEO/PPC class for beginners as well as an advanced PPC class. The former has 14 lessons and costs nearly $400 for non-members, and the latter has 13 lessons and costs nearly $1,400 for non-members. Upon successful completion of the advanced class, which includes strategies and tactics from experienced PPC professionals, you receive a certificate of completion whose logo can be displayed on your website.
6. Search Engine College Pay-Per-Click Starter Course
There are two versions of this course: one that provides guidance from industry expert Kalena Jordan and a "self-study" version that does not involve her guidance. Only students taking the first version qualify for certification. The class discusses paid advertising with Google and Yahoo, as well as a variety of other topics on PPC management. It includes 10 downloadable PDF lessons totaling 97 pages.
7. ROI Revolution's Google AdWords Beginner Online Training
This $97 class is devoted to Google AdWords. It includes three video training sessions that last about 90 minutes apiece, and a fourth video devoted to strategies that can help you sidestep common beginner mistakes. The instructors are Timothy Seward and Mike O'Rourke, founder/CEO and PPC account manager, respectively, at ROI Revolution.
8. International Webmasters Association-HTML Writers Guild Web Site Promotion class
This six-week course covers PPC advertising in addition to other topics like SEO, link
campaigns and affiliate strategies. It costs $100 and is taught by search marketer Cindy
McMahon. McMahon posts lectures, readings, and other assignments once a week in the "online
classroom." The class requires one textbook: 101 Ways to Promote Your Website by Susan
Sweeney.9. Stikky Media's Pay-Per-Click Online Certification Course
This tutor-supervised course is fairly pricy, but it includes over 300 pages of downloadable PDF lessons, 30 interactive online review quizzes, and 12 months of access to the online classroom area, among other benefits. Students who receive at least a 70% overall on their quizzes and final exam, and successfully complete all the necessary assignments, become PPC certified.
10. GutsGo's PPC Course
If you would like to learn about paid search advertising using a variety of search engines, this may be the class for you. This class, which is a partnership with the Internet and Mobile Association of India, discusses Google, Yahoo, Bing and Ask. The website doesn't mention the class's cost, though more information can be obtained by contacting GutsGo.
11. Direct Marketing Association's Search Engine Marketing Certification
Two levels of this class are offered, basic and advanced. Both levels discuss PPC as well as SEO. Specific topics addressed include powerful landing pages, misleading metrics, and good bidding strategies. A certification exam can be taken at the end of the course, though certification must be renewed every three years.
12. Marketing Experiments Landing Page Optimization Certification
This $595 course teaches you how to increase your landing page relevance, how to design your page to hold your readers' attention, and how to motivate your visitors toward the desired action, among other landing page-related topics. It includes various case studies on how particular companies increased their number of sales conversions.
13. PPCblog PPC Training Program
Members of PPCblog have access to a handy set of PPC marketing tools and over 50 modules covering PPC marketing basics plus detailed tutorials on advertising via Google AdWords, Microsoft, Yahoo, Facebook, and MySpace. Have a question that isn't covered? You also have access to an active community forum. Membership is $179 per month.
Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal.
13 Online PPC Marketing Courses
Good Copy, Bad Copy: The Magic Is In The Headlines
You Blog and tweet and optimize your site and pay for ads and Facebook and syndicate articles….all to drive traffic to your site.
So what happens when the traffic gets there?
With only a few seconds to grab the attention of your site visitor and pull them into your site – your headline is the most important element of your website (this applies to email subject lines, headlines on ad copy, and headlines on articles – really all of your marketing)
Many people think of their website as a store, and they open with "Welcome." While it's nice to welcome people and that is what you would do if someone walked into a physical store, it is not the same for a website. Let me explain.
When someone lands on your site, they are not actually in your store yet. This important fact is something most people don't realize.
When someone lands on your homepage, they are really standing outside your store – they are looking at the sign and the window display and trying to decide if they want to come in.
Your headline is your sign and your window display – it has to entice visitors to come in and browse!
Once they start reading your copy and checking out what you have to offer (clicking product links, looking at pictures etc) then they are actually in your store!
Now your site has to sell them – your content acts as your sales person and describes the benefits of the items you are offering.
So often people think they don't need a headline – they think they have great content and great quality information and it will "sell itself". To be very blunt, that is a mistake and one I see site owners make far too often.
A lot of time, effort and research (testing) have gone into writing the perfect headline over the years.
Do you know how much testing magazines do to come up with the headlines you see on the covers each month? It's shocking! (Tip: take a look at headlines on Vogue and Elle and other magazines and try using their formula for your own headlines – they've spent a ton of money getting those headlines right so use them as a guide!)
Creating The Best Headline For You:
There are different headline approaches – which headline is best really depends on your product or service and your audiencet. Is it an ad headline, a Blog post, an article headline, headline text on a corporate web page, or a headline on a sales page?
If you want to go with a strong headline but don't want too much hype, then you should go with a benefit-oriented headline that promises something but isn't too over-the-top. You can also create some curiosity.
Here are a few samples:
The Real Truth About SEO
What You MUST Know Before You Hire An SEO Firm
Insider SEO Secrets To Increase Rankings and Traffic
You've created curiosity, you've told them what they can expect to learn and you've kept the hype to a minimum.
These headlines are strong and effective but sometimes you need to pack a little more power. If your competitors are all promising the same info, then yours isn't really going to stand out so you need to step your game up.
Before we go into some more power-packed headlines, let me address a common concern I hear all the time…
"But I know my audience/customers/readers/industry and they just don't like this over-the-top hype"
While you do know your industry/clients/readers and you do know what they like, unless you are a trained copywriter that has tested tons of different headlines, you don't really know what will work. The truth is most people are afraid to get bolder in their marketing. No one wants to offend their readers or harm their credibility. But the truth is, this stuff works!
There is definitely something to be said for knowing your audience and targeting your copy and there is definitely merit to doing that but there is also a time to push the envelope and see if you can improve your response.
OK, back to some other headline examples:
Other effective headlines are ones that talk to people's pain – they tap into whatever emotion people have based on their need. It taps into their worry, fear, frustration, anger etc.
(Tip: Fear of loss is a greater motivator than desire to gain! That means people are more often motivated by missing out on something than they are by the thought of gaining that same thing. The end result is the same – they acquire an item – but it's how you present it – Get This versus Don't Miss Out On This. When you word it like they may be missing out on something it motivates them more.)
Here are some headlines that tap into the "pain" (the emotion behind the need).
Stop Banging Your Head Against The Wall To Get Top Rankings – Don't Miss Out On Insider Secrets To Make Your Quest For Rankings Easier.
I've addressed their pain and I've also promised a benefit and played up the fear of loss angle.
Another sample headline:
Stop The Insanity: Easy Link Building For Beginners (Including My Top Secret Link Building Strategy You Won't Want To Miss)
Tired Of Wasting Time On Twitter? Learn How I Used Twitter To Generate $39, 872
(Notice the specificity of the number. Claims are always more believable when they are very specific)
Please remember that you too should test different headlines and find out what works for you.
For those that want to play around with what I've already shared, go ahead and get started. If your appetite has been whetted and you want to delve a little deeper, here is some more in-depth information on crafting compelling headlines.
You may be familiar with AIDA. It stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. To break it down further, it means you have to remember to: capture your reader's attention, arouse their interest, increase their desire and lead them to take some kind of action.
So, what does it mean to increase their desire? What it really means is to elicit an emotional response from them. People buy based on emotion. So, the key to remember is that you want to illicit an emotional response for the reader.
Look at this headline "Discover The Top 3 Crucial Tips You Must Know To Create Powerful Headlines …." – the first part can cause people to feel uncomfortable (fear) – they don't want to be the only one that doesn't know!
Improving Step By Step
I've worked with clients to get them to jazz up headlines and create more impact and it's often a process. They often start with something that is scaled back and more comfortable and then I push for more impact. Here are a series of headlines that show how you can go from basic to dazzling with a few tweaks.
Draft 1…
Information You Need About Headlines
- This is short, to the point and tells people what they can expect. However there is nothing exciting, it does mention information "you need" but it just doesn't have enough of an impact to really cause people to feel they are missing something.
Draft 2….
The Most Important Information You Must Have About Headlines
- This is getting better but it is still not right. You are implying there is a lot of information out there and telling them that you have the most important information. It is still too vague though, so let's take another stab and make it more specific.
Draft 3…
The Top 3 Things You Must Know About Headlines
- This is more direct and makes people feel like there are some very important and specific pieces of information they need to have. This has now created an element of fear – fear that they are going to miss out on knowing the Top 3 most important things. Of all the things there are to know, these 3 are the things that must know, no matter what.
And finally, the last version…
Discover The Top 3 Crucial Tips You Must Know To Create Powerful Headlines and Stop Losing Sales
- I have added another element to be afraid of. Now people are not only afraid of what they don't know but they are also afraid of losing sales because of it. I also added a verb at the start and jazzed up the wording to create more of an impact.
OK, so that covers step 1 (using AIDA) Now on to step 2….
Use action words – verbs! Verbs encourage readership and guides them. You can use words like:
- Discover
- Find
- Get
- Learn
- Join
- See
- Read
- Etc
An example would be: "Discover Top Weight Loss Secrets" instead of just saying "Top Weight Loss Secrets".
Give and Get
Another approach is to let people know what they have to give up to get the info you are promising:
For Only $7 Get Insider Secrets From Top Bloggers
For Only 6 Minutes Of Your Time You Can Learn The Number One Mistake Most People Make With Their Facebook Fan Page
You'll notice the specificity again – I used 6 minutes. If I had said 5 or 10 there would be less impact.
Get Going
That's the end of Headlines 101. Now it's time to check out your headlines on your ads, Blog posts, web pages, articles and sales copy and see how they measure up. Start playing around with some juicier headlines and have some fun.
Stay tuned for the next article in the Good Copy, Bad Copy series where I talk about body content, calls to action and getting people to take your MDA (most desired action).
As always, I welcome questions and comments.
Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal.
Good Copy, Bad Copy: The Magic Is In The Headlines
Quickly Diagnose Your Page with Instant SEO Review
Last week we featured interview with Scott Hendison of SEO Automatic and it prompted me to go ahead and try their free SEO tools. The Instant SEO Review was my first choice because I like comparing various on-page SEO analyzers and all-in-one diagnostics tools.
This one stands out for a couple of reasons:
- It doesn't so much focus on pure numbers (number of characters in title and meta tags, amount of text and links, etc)
- It provides helpful information on each section it diagnoses.
The tool uses the following icons to visualize the report:
Notable Issues
Worth Reviewing
Correct Items (or are they?)
The Free SEO Report Contains the Following Sections:
1. Title Tag
The title tag is generally considered the single most important "on page" ranking factor there is.
It's what's shown as the "headline" in your search ranking results, and helps determine whether a viewer will click on your result or not.
The title tag also shows in the blue bar at the very top of your browser window, but it does not actually show "on page".
2. Description Tag
The description tag is what the visitor will read in the search results when deciding whether or not to click on your listing.
While not necessarily a "ranking factor" per se, it should be completely unique for each page, and relevant only to that page. That's why Google Webmaster Tools points it out when you have duplicates.
3. H1 Header Tag
The H1 tag is arguably the most important tag to have after the title tag, since it's the headline for the page.
If your headline isn't visible and relevant, then how is anybody supposed to know what your page is about?
4. H2 Header Tag
If you have a page long enough for multiple headlines, you want to be sure you're only using one H1 tag, but you can use an H2 tag or more all you want.
Some people prefer to use "bold" instead of H2 tags, or number them H3, H4 etc. and I believe they all have a positive effect on your ranking. Use them.
Note: what was missing for me here was some basic analysis of heading structure – which reflects the semantic structure of the web page.
5. Keyword Meta Tag
The keyword meta tag is NOT considered a factor for ranking at this time by the search engines any more, and most SEO's ignore them.
However, I personally believe that the importance of this factor could again change someday, and tagging your pages, photos, videos etc. is a very good thing, since the effort is so minimal.
6. ALT Tags for images
The ALT tag was originally designed to help sight impaired visitors "see" what an image was.
With the addition of Google's Universal search, ALT tags for key images will help your site appear more often in the search results.
Besides actually signalizing the absence or presence of each element, the tool also extracts it and provides you in the list which makes it easier to structuralize the SEO report.
Overall the tool seemed useful enough for the beginner user. It didn't seem too in-depth to be overwhelming and too straightforward to encourage the user to apply some instant changes.
Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal.
Quickly Diagnose Your Page with Instant SEO Review
What Is Latent Semantic Indexing
Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) is a system used by Google and other major search engines (Update: read here, thanks for the Tweets, guys) The contents of a webpage are crawled by a search engine and the most common words and phrases are collated and identified as the keywords for the page. LSI looks for synonyms related to the title of your page. For example, if the title of your page was "Classic Cars", the search engine would expect to find words relating to that subject in the content of the page as well, i.e. "collectors", "automobile", "Bentley", "Austin" and "car auctions".
Do Not Underestimate Content
SEO strategy has always denoted that great importance is placed on the page title and words encased in heading tags, especially the H1 tag. Words and phrases within the content that are bolded or italicized are also given a greater importance. But you should be aware of the use of LSI, as it can affect what keywords your website is ranked for.
But if your page contains synonyms, the search engine recognizes that your page is actually about the subject title and will place greater importance on the page. You may well already use good keyword techniques and add a few secondary keywords into your content, but the rest of the content should also be littered with synonyms to convince search engine spiders.
A Response to Keyword-Stuffing
Latent Semantic Indexing came as a direct reaction to people trying to cheat search engines by cramming Meta keyword tags full of hundreds of keywords, Meta description full of more keywords, and page content full of nothing more than random keywords and no subject-related material or worthwhile content.
Search engines, like Google, appreciate good content, and encouraging people to add good content that helps keep the high-ranked listings relevant. Although producing good content will not guarantee you first page rankings, it could improve your quality score.
When LSI is Not Relevant
LSI will not affect a squeeze page that has no intention of achieving a search engine rank anyway, due to its minimalistic content. But for site owners or bloggers hoping to get on the search engines good side, pay attention to LSI.
Latent Semantic Indexing is a good thing. It keeps content relevant and rich and benefits not only visitors, but website owners that produce quality material.
How to Befriend LSI
Latent Semantic Indexing is not rocket science, it is simple common sense. Here are some simple guidelines:
- If your page title is Learn to Play Tennis, make sure your article is about tennis.
- Do not overuse your keywords in the content. It could look like keyword stuffing and the search engines may red flag you.
- Never use Article Spinning Software – it spits out unreadable garble.
- If you outsource your content, choose a quality source.
- Check Google Webmaster Tools and see what keywords your pages are ranking for.
Latent Semantic Indexing is not a trick. You should bear it in mind when adding content to a web page, but do not get paranoid about it. The chances are if you provide quality, relevant content you will never have to worry about falling foul of and LSI checks.
Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal.
What Is Latent Semantic Indexing
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jueves, 17 de junio de 2010
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