Holistic Technology Enabled Internet Marketing Solutions

Microformat example: the mechanism

This week I was chatting with my Hall colleague, Mike Johnston, about targeting multiple locations for search, and asked if he was familiar with using microformats (also known as rich snippets) a data format embedded in a web page that can specify to Google the purpose of the content separately from the context or the design on the page. This mark up allows search engines to automatically process the information that is intended for a user accurately so it can be indexed and cross-referenced in other areas.

This mark up is widely used for recipes and reviews, but there are location-specific contexts as well, specifically when a website is trying to increase visibility in a specific region or city. Businesses can both embed location formats providing addresses and phone numbers directly in their web pages and feeds, as well as markup existing latitude and longitude coordinates in the context of the rest of the information. Below is an example from Emilitsa’s profile in Urban Spoon (I took the liberty to remove some of the formatting code for demonstration purposes):

Now, if I were to implement rich snippets for the Emilitsa’s website, it would look something like this:

The <div class= “vcard”> indicates the HTML code following is a microformat.

And if you feel like geeking out a bit more, here’s a great reference guide by Alan Bleiweiss at Search Marketing Wisdom. You can also see the different implementations on Microformats.org.

UPDATE 6.11.11 – Since search engines like to keep us on our toes… now that you are fully aware of how structured data such as microformats can benefit search results, Google, Bing and Yahoo announced a new standardized collaboration of microdata types at schema.org.

Microformats will continue to be supported under this new collaboration, but eventually they will be phased out.

Resources:

• Scema.org FAQ
• Schema.org: Google, Bing & Yahoo Unite To Make Search Listings Richer Through Structured Data
• Schema.org – A New Approach to Structured Data for SEO (includes example)

We talk all the time about creating content for your website. Search engines love content. It helps them understand what it is you do, what your website is about and how much of an authority you have in your space. That is why we encourage updating content on your site regularly and blogging.

As you know, there is more to adding content to your site than just throwing it on there. I wanted to take a couple minutes to share a few things to keep in mind when you are creating content for your website.

• Reporting content – We see reporting style content frequently in website copy and press releases. Reporting content is strictly facts, fair to every side and is lacking in personality. This can be good for being found for specific search terms but it may not be as helpful for encouraging people to link to your site.
• Vanilla content – As we create content for our websites, many times the content comes out so politically correct and full of ‘gobbledegook‘ that the message in the text is lost. Don’t be afraid to speak the way you do in your regular life, on your website. Use the same tone and vocabulary you use when you are talking to your best customers.
• Have an opinion – What makes your business different from your competitors is your staff and your opinions. By leaving your opinion out of your website and blog copy you are hiding who your business really is and what you stand for. Don’t be afraid of inserting your opinion. You will never make everyone happy or have everyone as a customer so don’t waste your efforts by being vanilla. Instead, attract the people who want to do business with the real you.
• Thought leadership takes opinions – Establishing yourself as a thought leader in your industry is going to take some personality, some original thought and opinions. Thought leadership lends to your content being shared more among the internet and the more shared the content, the more points you get in the search engine’s algorithm.

That is it. Just a few thoughts on creating content for your website. Don’t be afraid to inject a little personality and retrain yourself to not write like you are reporting but like you are educating customers about what it is you do.

Photo credit: Hannibal Poenaru

Short version of the answer:

You do what you can and what you have been doing. You build relationships and get your content out there. Read this post from Copyblogger.

Longer version:

I just read an interesting post from Copyblogger about the flip flop from Google on whether or not they use social media sites to influence their search results. Originally we heard links from social media sites do not influence search rankings because of the ‘nofollow’ links that take away all the ‘search juice’. Now, like many of us suspected, we hear that social media sites are a small factor.

Why wouldn’t they be a factor?

They wouldn’t be a factor because that opens the door to people trying to spam and trick search engines by regularly linking back to just their content. If you opened 10 Twitter accounts, each account had one follower and you used all 10 to constantly link to yourself – should that count as 10 inbound links? No. As we know, inbound links are one of the best things you can get for your website to do better in search engines. People linking to your site tells search engines that you are an authority.

As mentioned in the Copyblogger article, Google recognizes that social media profiles can highlight who the influencers are and that can help them perform more accurate search results. If a very popular and engaging Twitterer continues to link to your blog, you should get some credit for that.

So how can we use this to rank better?

My advice is to keep doing what you can. We, here at Hall, are a small, fast paced company. Besides the tweeting and Facebooking we have lots and lots of ‘actual work’ to do, like most small businesses. We also need to build a reputation so people trust us and come to us when they need our services. We also need to form relationships with thought leaders, industry leaders and current and future business partners.

We put out a lot of content! Multiple blogs a week, tweets, Facebook posts, free weekly webinars, public speaking engagements, videos etc. and each one (I mean each one) has thought, research, expertise and the good intention to teach people behind it.

Do I think we put out better content than lots of other people? Of course! Do I think we form our opinion from our expertise and not from another person’s thoughts, blogs or books? I sure do. Are we marketing it perfectly? Absolutely not, but we are doing what we can.

People know what they can count on us for, people refer to our content for their business, to help a client of their own and to share. We refer our content when people ask us a question, want to know more about our company or need more information. Slowly this will build in a holistic way. You can’t force your content, you really shouldn’t try to scam Google (or anyone actually) so just keep doing what you are doing. Get better at it. Find what works and what doesn’t for you, your routine, your staff, your website and your search results.

It is good to hear that Google is using social media as a point they measure but they use hundreds of data points, that is just one. It shouldn’t drastically change your game plan.

Photo credit: Frank Kehren

What exactly is a landing page?
A landing page is essentially any page a user lands on when they are surfing the internet (sometimes called an entrance page). However, in most cases, a single page on website that is tied to a specific campaign is usually referred to as a landing page. Website users will be directed to a landing page after clicking on an advertisement. Sometimes print ads or direct mail offers will promote special landing pages for different campaigns.

Why can’t I just send them to my homepage?
Your homepage has multiple options and calls to action for a user to take. If you’re using pay-per-click ads that have a specific offer then sending users to your homepage; having too many options may distract them from the offer they originally came to the site for. Landing pages are created to promote the advertisement in more detail. They are custom designed for a target audience so that the user feels compelled to engage in the intended action.

Why are landing pages important?
When using landing pages in accordance with pay-per-click campaigns and other similar internet marketing efforts, they produce better conversions than a regular web page. They are custom designed for a targeted audience with the intention of driving qualified leads to a particular offer.

How do they work?
Online marketing ads use copy (and sometimes design elements) to motivate the user to click the ad. Once a user has clicked the ad, they are directed to a landing page. When a user arrives to the landing page there is a general framework to assist user conversion.

This framework consists of:

• The goal or the offer – Whatever you want the user to do from this page. For example; buying a product or signing up for a free trial.
• Relevance to the campaign – The landing page must reflect back on the source it came from. For example; if you are using Facebook ads to promote an offer, the page  should use the same offer as the original ad.
• Keywords – If you’re using Google Adwords or Microsoft adCenter, your landing page should target 2 to 3 keywords that are  used in the original ad copy.
• Captivating title or header – Website users consume content very quickly by scanning. An attention grabbing header will help keep the user from navigating away from the landing page.
• Supporting copy – Use additional copy (but not too much) to explain the offer in more detail. Explain why the user should take the action.
• Image – Graphic elements can be extremely persuasive and have the ability to make a statement. When used effectively, they  can evoke emotion and compel the user to stay on the page longer to explore the offer.
• Conversion piece – Make the user do something. Whether it’s filling out a form, watching a video or sharing the content with their friends, get them to take action.

Do I need to use landing pages?
Take this “super official quiz” that will determine if you should be using landing pages.

• Do you use paid advertisements (Google Adwords, Facebook Ads, banner ads, etc.) to drive traffic to your website?
• Do you use email marketing to offer specials to your customers or drive traffic back to your site?
• Does your business have multiple locations?
• Do you have different kinds of users or customers?
• Do you promote your website using direct mail?
• Do you have customers coming to your website from social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.?

If you answered “yes” to any of the questions above, then you should think about using landing pages. Any time you can offer a specific product or service, or if you are directing users to your site for a specific offer, using landing page will come in handy.

To learn more about landing pages watch this archived webinar or leave your questions in the comments section below.