How to Outrank Your Competition in Google
Lee Odden
In order to learn about the secrets behind ranking high in Google, I turned to Lee Odden, who is the author of Optimize: How to Attract and Engage More Customers by Integrating SEO, Social Media, and Content Marketing. For over fourteen years, he has consulted with companies ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies on how to attract and engage customers with a holistic approach to marketing online. He writes for ClickZ and is editor of TopRankBlog.com, recognized as a leading marketing blog by Advertising Age, Junta42, and Social Media Examiner. He speaks on integrated SEO, social media, and content marketing topics at conferences around the world including SES, PRSA, BlogWorld, Online Marketing Summit, and Content Marketing World.
In this interview, Lee talks about ranking high in Google, the best way to optimize your online presence, how SEO (search engine optimization) is changing, and more.
Do you think anyone pays attention to any search results after the first three in Google? How important is it to rank #1 for a term or phrase?
Actually they do, but as a general rule the top positions garner the most attention. One study conducted by the Chitika advertising network indicates a #1 position is worth double the traffic of the #2 position. A more recent study cites a much lower difference between positions 1, 2, and 3 but with the top spot commanding the majority of click through attention.
Before anyone gives up hope thinking that being #1 is the only goal and the seemingly impossible odds of getting there, a few important considerations are worth noting.
The user experience for the same search query can be significantly different from one person to the next. These variances are based on the search phrase itself, the geographic location of the searcher, whether the searcher is logged in to Google and past search history or Google+ social network activity. When a company is considering its “ranking” in the search results, they must understand that their experience may be notably different than what their customers see from other parts of the country and with different Google usage.
Another consideration is whether author verification is in effect for a search result. If the #1 and 2 positions are all text but #3 includes an author image, #3 is a more attractive search result, assuming each has equally relevant titles and descriptions.
In the end, the top position is best but it’s also important to optimize every opportunity to be the best and most appealing answer to the users’ query.
In order to optimize your web presence, why do you have to focus on content, social media and SEO?
Traditionally, SEO has been very focused on optimizing content and attracting links for the purpose of achieving an advantage in search results. The focus was more on search engine placements than optimizing the customer search experience.
Today’s best practices SEO focuses on connecting brand content with people that are looking through the optimization of the things that have the most influence on the customer journey. Content is the reason that search engines exist and content is also the most common outcome as a result of social sharing. Search engines are looking beyond basic web page text and links from other websites as the determining factors for serving up the best search results and so should marketers that expect to be found online. Search and social media drive discovery of content that can influence transactions and sharing.
How has SEO changed in the past year? What matters now when it comes to Google PageRank?
Over the past year Google and Bing have made substantial changes in terms of adding social signals that can influence which content is presented in search results and how that content is positioned. Additionally, Google has begun implementing a series of periodic updates called Panda and Penguin to address various issues around content quality and web spam that have had a significant impact on search optimization.
Google PageRank is an algorithm that some speculate has been diminishing in its influence as a ranking signal. Many SEOs are reporting a significant increase in the influence of social signals from Google+ and other social networks as a counter to the influence of PageRank. Marketers need to worry less about Google PageRank and more about creating, optimizing and socially promoting content that is useful to their customers.
Or, is it better to have fewer more high quality articles/posts?
The approach I’ve advocated for years is a quantity of quality content that is optimized and socialized. A lot of my book, Optimize, digs into the mechanics of how to do that.
With Google’s Panda updates, there’s been more focus on quality content versus a quantity of content as the price of admission ino top search results. Understanding what customers care about and even persona development can lead to an editorial plan as the most effective way to create a continuous stream of relevant and useful content that both search engines and consumers will respond to. Essentially, the answer is to find a way to have both – especially if you are in a competitive industry.
Do you think people will rely more on using social networks over traditional search engines for finding information in the future? Why or why not?
The path to purchase is no longer linear from search to transaction. Like media coverage and advertising, social media and content are influences that drive search queries. In my experience working with companies large and small, the question is less about whether people will rely more on search or social for information, but more about what situations call for search and social visibility and how can we get them integrated to create an experience that guides the consumer along the sales cycle.
A great example is a consumer going to Facebookwhere she asks friends for restaurant recommendations. After getting a few recommendations, she’ll Google those restaurants to find their locations, menus and reviews. The search results might show Yelp and local listings as well as the restaurant website. From there she might check in to the restaurant on Foursquare, then share photos of her meal on Facebook and Instagram so her friends can see the great (or bad) food she’s having. The customer experience involves multiple influences that likely include both search and social networks. Companies need to consider both search and social networks as complementary drivers to their content to attract visitors, grow sales and revenue.
Dan Schawbel is a Gen Y career expert and the founder of Millennial Branding. He speaks on the topic of personal branding, social media and Gen Y workforce management for companies such as Google, Time Warner, Symantec, CitiGroup and IBM. Subscribe to his updates at Facebook.com/DanSchawbel.
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