Search Marketing Weekly

Moderator: @CyrusShepard

Is the Disavow a win for SEO, or should Google simply “not count” bad links pointing at your site?

@seoJesseo: Not sure if it’s a win.. not enough data to prove effectiveness of disavow. Nice that they make effort I guess. Seems like disavow doesn’t prove much to Google seeing as how they need to see much more effort in resubmission requests.

@Sonray: Disavow is a win; takes the power away from the spammer sites. It will be interesting to see how the data Goog has collected via disavow will be used in this next update.

@BradyDCallahan: I think it’s a win. Gives SEOs a chance to prove they care about what’s best for user. Not a big win though. Just a tool.

@Ravenjeremy: It’s a double edged sword. The truth is the sheisty links shouldn’t have been built in the first place.

@RyanJones: I think they should just not count them. even with penalties, there’s so little cases disavow is needed.

@CountXero: “Disavow” is a win & a great first step to this issue. Google would ignore if it were more confident in the algo.

@Tony_DWM: Win for client sites. Shows Google intent to clear up link profile, esp as the importance of Authorship grows

In the past year, have you actively worked to remove links? Worked with Clients who have?

@seoJesseo: Yes, very much so. Spent many hours removing links and petitioning webmasters to remove links (the latter with little success).

@BradyDCallahan: Yes. About to do more of it too. Past black-hat SEO links that needed removal.

@CountXero: Absolutely. Worked with clients who have. We generally “teach a man to fish” with our #SEO work.

@ty_kilgore: Yes, have spend some time working to remove links. Mainly collecting the list and emailing web masters.

@Sonray: gained many new clients and cleaned up their link profiles.

@SteveWebb: Unfortunately, yes. I’ve done more link audits for clients than I care to count (ditto for disavow files).

@BrockbankJames: Worked with a small number of clients who have after being stung by previous SEOs.

@Tony_DWM: Yes & Some

@seo_george: Nope, haven’t had to, only doing in-house but good to know it’s available if needed.

@CyrusShepard: Interesting – Sounds like Link Cleanup has actually been good business for some. Unfortunate but true.

@ty_kilgore: What I found was various links on pages that were no longer managed. So nice to work on clients that haven’t had an “SEO expert”

@CountXero: We were already kind of “down that road,” pre-penguin, but there was a nice uptick afterwards.

When’s the best time to remove bad links – After a manual penalty or after a rankings drop? or ASAP?

@seoJesseo: ASAP! Stay ahead of the penalty. Resubmission has no firm timeline and one day’s dropped rankings can break a company.

@CountXero: ASAP and regularly. We teach our clients the warnings signs as part of training & to get ahead of the penalty.

@SteveWebb: If you KNOW you have bad links, remove them ASAP. Once you’re on the Penguin radar, it’s difficult to get off it.

@Sonray: Before for sure but that isn’t always an option. Even with disavow, Penguin is hard to get in front of.

@BradyDCallahan: ASAP. Just “do the right thing” + the SERPs change/vary too often.

@Tony_DWM: I’d start right after a link audit before a client comes on-board. Need to understand tho whether algo or manual has happened.

@CyrusShepard: I’ve removed links proactively as well, long before any penalty/dip in rankings.

Adding Disavow: What do you think is more important, removing links or disavowing them? Have you used the disavow?

@jerodbarlow: Always try to remove first. Disavow has got to be a last resort.

@Sonray: removing links FIRST then disavow to show goog your love and care. I’ve used the disavow.

@seoJesseo: Removing, definitely. Google has stated themselves that you must first attempt to remove all the links before using Disavow.

@BradyDCallahan: All I know is Disavow tool should be absolute final resort. And don’t pay to have links removed. #NotWorthIt

@SteveWebb: Both. If you can’t show a good faith effort on your part (by removing links), disavowals don’t have the same value.

@ravenjeremy: Also don’t always jump to the conclusion that bad links are the ONLY reason a problem can occur: Check for site errors first!

@countxero: We use both with varying levels of success. One’s a scalpel, one’s an axe.

@CyrusShepard: Sounds like removing links is way more important….

What’s more important to Google when submitting a reconsideration request: 100% accuracy or Effort shown?

@BrockbankJames: It should be effort shown but whether it is is another story!

@seoJesseo: I’d say a bit of both, but mainly effort. They want clear evidence that you understand what the wrong way to do SEO is.

@Sonray: I don’t know that 100% accuracy is achievable; a lot of these sites have been disappearing fast.

@Tony_DWM: I’d say effort, as accuracy can be hard when dealing with many links.

@CyrusShepard: My tip: Run all links found in Google Webmaster through Screaming Frog. Any that return a 404 submit to Google as “removed”

Would you use Disavow for algorithmic factors like Penguin, or ONLY for manual penalties?

@BradyDCallahan: I’d use Disavow tool for any (truly) bad link I can’t get removed via the webmaster.

How do you suppose Google uses your data from Disavow Files? Can you do negative SEO by submitting competitor sites?

@Sonray: It’s useful in each case but focus should be on client goals and needs before proceeding with disavow.

@itrogers: Unlikely to hurt unless on a massive scale. disavow is a suggestion, like rel canonical.

@CyrusShepard: Recently, I ran an experiment to Disavow every single link to my website. Will publish results soon.

What are your favorite tools for finding bad links?

@CountXero: GWMT is still my fave. I can see most of the baddies a mile a way there.

@BradyDCallahan: Lots of awesome tools that help. But ultimately, when there’s time, manually going through the link profile is my favorite.

@ttwelsh: We are testing http://www.linkdetox.com/ to see how that works. Seems to work well.

@Sonray: WT has to be where you start. Pull in data from Open Site, and push tru Screaming Frog.

@seoJesseo: As much as i love OSE, I feel ahrefs gives me a better idea of where the bad ones are.

@CyrusShepard: My favorites: GWMT, Link Detox, Re’moveem, Rmoov, aHrefs and Open Site Explorer.

Moderator: @thompsonpaul

We’re going to be talking about how the definition of SEO is changing, and the skillsets SEO pros are going to need. Last week’s “Why we can’t just be SEOs anymore” by Rand Fishkin plays right into the discussion http://ow.ly/kRTdY.

Can “pure” SEO survive by itself or do we all have to become “inbound marketers”?

@CarrieHill: I’m kind of irritated by “inbound marketing” term – what the heck is it? I think “pure SEO” is naive though, SEO is balance.

@DerekOstler: I think it can survive for a few more years but eventually in will be more “inbound Marketing”.

@Sonray: SEO’s should never just focus on one type of marketing; we must be holistic and view the whole marketing pie.

@CountXero: I think “pure” #SEO has always been a form of inbound marketing, it’s the impure side of SEO that is dying off now. If you think about it, pure #seo has always been a collection of marketing and site dev best practices. All things you should be doing, even if Google and #seo didn’t exist.
@FogelRivka: or it’ll be a combo of site tech + site content & its promotion (bringing traditional PR/marketing online)

@DerekOstler: I like to think of SEO as several things like content marketing, some social, conversion rate optimizations etc.

@jenastelli: I think the most successful SEO is when it’s broken apart as a silo and integrated as a cross-sectional strategy.

@iamchrisle: I think SEO is expanding. Areas like PR and having to work in a larger team with traditional marketing ppl.

@thompsonpaul: Will only teams be able to afford a “pure” SEO while others do the rest of web marketing?
@CarrieHill: SEO can’t really stand alone, BUT it depends entirely on one’s definition of SEO. IMO SEO without Conv. Opti is only 1/2 the story. I think if you solely define yourself ans an SEO you’re selling yourself short. You’re doing TONS more than just traditional SEO.
@thompsonpaul: But many are still specialising specifically in hard-core SEO and don’t want to get pulled into other marketing areas.
@tommy_landry: That’s shortsighted and career limiting. Internet Marketing > SEO, it adds additional strategic value.
@CarrieHill: Other roles in marketing – design, social, ppc, lpo, cro, etc need to know SEO – they cannot exist & work well w/o the other. I think if they’re effective doing straight SEO & work w/ others that add in the add’l components it can work.

@CountXero: I think the evolving role of #seo is actually to dismantle many of its functions & make them part of existing roles.
@kenjansen: It might not be dismantling SEO but educating all the players on why certain ways are better than others.
@CountXero: But that’s the point, all the players are doing the “real” #seo, not the person w/ the SEO title.

@tannerpetroff: I don’t care what you call it, but SEO isn’t just SEO anymore. With more ranking factors than ever, there’s more to ‘optimize’

@tommy_landry: SEOs need to be integrated into processes that work across an organization. Part of overall KPIs.
@CountXero: Absolutely! Not to say there still can’t be an SEO role, but it’s more of a stewart than a doer.
@jenastelli: yes, to be good at SEO you have to be good at website mgmt, online marketing, social…
@CountXero: but that’s just it, why make an #seo at those, instead of just having those roles do it?
@jenastelli: Because then SEO objectives get lost & no one owns the reporting, analytics & strategy of it.
@FogelRivka: site tech + top of the funnel engagement
@tommy_landry: The huge challenge is accountability with SEO spread across orgs. Who truly owns execution?
@tannerpetroff: I’m all for people specializing in what they do, but someone needs to own the reporting. Point is, if nobody owns it or is responsible, nobody cares to track the metrics.
@jenastelli: that’s what I’m getting at-you need an SEO role empowered to project manage those objectives. And there’s more tools to capture more information & insights than ever before.
@CountXero: Which reporting? Anyone can track rev from organic search channel. Tracking rank is dead.

@thompsonpaul: Interesting… so most see SEO as needing to expand beyond the old “traditional” definition.

@BojanSEO: As on-site optimization is still the most popular service, I think that “Pure” SEO wont disappear any time soon.
@DerekOstler: nice thought, I can see where you are coming from, people will always need the basics.

@renee_girard: SEOs always create more work for others. We love getting our hands in the cookie jar of social, ux, design, dev, etc.

Can generalist SEOs survive as scope creep expands and needed skills get more demanding?

@dan_patterson: I think you first need to define a “generalist SEO”
@thompsonpaul: Hearing people say SEO needs to know UX, CRO, UI, content gen etc – tht seems like a generalist to me, as opposed to old “pure”.
@dan_patterson: ah ok, i see what you’re saying. Being general is good, but everyone has their strengths. You gotta play to those.

@CarrieHill: they absolutely can – IF they provide value and support to other components. Hardcore Audits are really valuable if done right

@FogelRivka: Generalist SEOs are needed to manage a team of starter specialized SEOs if SEO is getting more integrative.

@dan_patterson: Really there’s a place still for a basic link prospector. It’s still a valuable skill, but I’d hope they’d move on to bigger things.

@jeypandian: I am a generalist SEO. Yes. You can be a generalist and still have mastery of the niche specialties. Not much difference.
@thompsonpaul: So that’s my question – can a “generalist” actually master all the new areas that have become part of SEO?
@jeypandian: Yes. . .if you dedicate the time to learn. I spend 4 hours daily studying SEO. How many generalists do that?

@DerekOstler: SEO Audits and onsite SEO will be around for a long time. They are both very valuable.

@dan_patterson: You don’t have to be an expert in everything. Be awesome at what you’re awesome at, but lean on others as needed for those areas that maybe aren’t your “specialty.” But you should also have a general knowledge of the other areas. Know the basics, know your way around. But know your weaknesses.

@kenjansen: Someone else may be using the keyboard but the SEO person would be the one driving the direction or changes.
@CountXero: That I can dig; like a said, more project manager than a combo writer, site dev, link builders.

@tommy_landry: SEO is just another tool in the Internet Marketing “Toolbox”. Needs to be integrated to prevent cannibalization of other channels.
@renee_girard: Well said! why reinvent the wheel when other channels like email and paid can all benefit by aligning with SEO.

@CarrieHill: #1 skill in a good SEO? be humble, you don’t need to know and do EVERYTHING – build a network of help.

@thompsonpaul: Many “pure SEO” skills are search-engine focused. Authorship implementation for example.

@tannerpetroff: Yes, but they will lose out to those web strategy and more, and will become even more and more ‘specialized’ as time goes on.

@CountXero: I think the #seo generalist needs to evolve into a project manager, a stewart for seo tasks. There are better content creators (writers, etc.), better site dev (engineers), better link builders (PR). We prefer to teach our clients to fish than try and make them something they’re not.
@jenastelli: but back to your point abt evolving past the SEO role, who becomes the SEO project manager? Who owns it?
@CountXero: That’s the modern SEO, I think. More a project manager/stewart, than a content, site dev, link expert.
@thompsonpaul: So actually, the generalist SEO is managing SEOs who specialise in individual areas – so both types still needed?
@CountXero: Absolutely. The SEO directs others based on his understanding of the ebb and flow of search. Basically, he helps keep the org’s #seo nose clean. Kind of like an OSHA manager at a plant. And that’s the root of the discussion. There’s still an SEO role, but the actions of the role need to evolve.

What do you see as **essential** skills for the next-generation SEO – the real core essentials first

@jeypandian: Fundamentals of Information Retrieval. You can’t optimize if you don’t understand the underlying foundations. Most people don’t realize this but once you study the underlying technologies, you’ll realize most SEs are very similar.

@dan_patterson: technical/on-site skills aren’t going away any time soon. So many focus on just link building. Learn to clean up a site first.

@KeriMorgret: Reading. Google and other SEs change. You can’t do SEO like you did in the past. You need to keep on top of things.

@Sonray: Willingness to LEARN and analyze/consider the details available.

@CarrieHill: architecture, authorship, how Search Engines work, technical functions like redirects, etc. best practices, constant learning.

@CountXero: Project management, analytics, and organizational awareness. Everything else is other expert’s jobs.

@tannerpetroff: Technical and analytical skills, ability to adapt quickly, and knowing how everything ties to the company’s bottom line.

@emcgillivray: Passion. Awareness. Reading. Ability to connect w/ your community in order to ask questions & share knowledge.
@thompsonpaul: And ability to create that community/network so they’re there when you need ‘em

@CarrieHill: MUST be able to drill into and interpret data, must understand scientific method for testing, MUST be humble.

@BojanSEO: How search engines work, communication skills, honesty, will to learn new things and improve existing knowledge.

@jeypandian: Critical thinking skills and reading comprehension skills are very important as well. Some SEOs can’t reason and that’s not good. Mindset & personal philosophy plays a HUGE role.

@thompsonpaul: For me? Top SEO skills we’re all going to need are around business analysis. Getting right things done, not just things done right.

@thompsonpaul: Do you see other soft skills (communications, project management) becoming essential or will they be handled by others on team?
@CarrieHill: Communication is important! Proj Mgt is great skill, but shouldnt get in the way of their time furthering knowledge and DOING work.

@thompsonpaul: So ideal agency team – generalist SEO at top, leading a bunch of other SEOs who specialise in their areas? Or team of generalists?
@jeypandian: I feel both works. I prefer generalists for a more well rounded holistic skillset but it can go both ways.
@CountXero: Just one seo as the leader/owner/guide. Other roles exist… content, site dev, pr, etc. Lots of dotted lines.
@tannerpetroff: I personally like the client -> account manager -> strategist -> specialist setup for agencies.
@BojanSEO: Generalist at top, leading a bunch of other SEOs who specialize in their areas + someone to keep them happy together.
@CarrieHill: Someone who doesnt do SEO cannot manage SEOs, a generalist is a must, or a specialist that understands all facets. Maybe I should say “should not manage SEOs”.
@tannerpetroff: True, but many times ‘specialists’ don’t make great managers. Managers still need manager skills.
@CarrieHill: very true – not everyone can, or should, be a manager. Management is a set of skills just like SEO is.
@jeypandian: That sounds like an oxymoron, what would you call a specialist who understands all facets?
@CarrieHill: understand doesnt = specializing in them. I can explain a lot of things but leave execution to those better equipped.

How are these skills going to be acquired? Will we start to see accredited programs?

@tannerpetroff: I would like to see accredited programs, but the landscape changes so frequently that a curriculum doesn’t have time to develop.

@CountXero: Frankly, we see that as the next big #seo opportunity; teaching our clients how to make #seo a part of their org

@jeypandian: We are already starting to see accredited programs. I think as it continues to go mainstream, this will only continue. I think if we have accreditation for fundamentals + another course for each specific topic, we’d be good. For example, 1 course – fundamentals, 2 – panda, 3 – penguin, 4 – venice. 5 – international, etc. Perhaps more courses for – random surfer model, 2 – mathematics page rank, 3 – eigenvectors and bayesian theory, etc (lots to do) .

@thompsonpaul: So if an “SEO Curriculum” changes too fast, are we on our own to integrate education from individual sources? Other options?
@jeypandian: I doubt it’ll change fast. There are only +/- 10 major algorithmic updates per year. Remainder are fundamentals.

@BojanSEO: Trial and error + never stop learning. No accredited programs.

@thompsonpaul: Guess other problem with accreditation is it would be out-of-date very quickly – so how reliable a measure for employers for e.g.?

@zpazar: GA I.Q test or W3schools HTML certification for example.

@CarrieHill: I think @MarketMotive does a good job w/ SEO – and up to date. But they’re really the only ones. Certificate doesnt = accreditation.
@jeypandian: They def do a good job. @stuntdubl is a true master as is @avinash and John Bailey and Jessica Bowman. Great folks.

Moderator: @shuey03

Today I wanted to have an open discussion on prepping for an SEO campaign through market research. I specifically want to address (high level) business analysis, buyer persona creation, keyword research, and competitive analysis. I believe that in order to have the greatest chance of success with SEO, you have to intimately know your clients business.

What are some discovery questions you ask to gain crucial insights into your clients business?

@yankeerudy: What are you hoping to accomplish? What is your objective? Often times what they say is the objective isn’t really. You have to keep digging to find it.
@FogelRivka: yes: & make sure that what you’re optimizing is valuable from an operational standpoint. ie,optimize what they can.
@yankeerudy: agreed. too often i see SEOs fixing stuff that doesn’t matter or doesn’t contribute to goals.

@kenjansen: I ask them about GA to gauge where we are starting. Same with keywords. Deer in headlights gives me a good idea. What do you expect your website to do for you? What do you want a website visitor to do? Is it working?

@FogelRivka: Best-selling product categories, related demographics and demographics they’ve been targeting. What if you need to rebrand? or, do you ever get leeway like that from tiny clients?

@OptimizePrime: Top customer service questions, business partnerships, competitors, and their “typical” customer. And also success metrics (what are they and why).

@Sonray: What are our main goals/objectives? What does success look like for you?

@PeterThistle: Your competitors: who keeps you awake at night!

@shuey03: I like to start with business mission, vision, values, and goals so they can be built into the overall strategy. After you understand your clients business, you need to understand who your customers are and what interests them.

@LogicalMediaGr: What are your main goals and objectives? And competitors are a big thing as well!

@sbenhart: Goals, target market, sales process are the main ones

@parky: Can you introduce me to a real customer of yours. ie. In EDU lead gen ask to visit campus and talk with their students? Only way we can understand who the clients of our clients truly are and how to get the right message in front of them.
@shuey03: What percentage of the time do you actually get to talk with one of their clients?
@parky: They 100% accommodating when they understand what the goal of this meeting is for, same success in ecommerce client work. In commerce definitely, in space like EDU talking to the Clients students you have to be more careful, more deducing.

@northcuttSEO: Like to know who the client thinks their competitors are, who buys their product, why their product is different, their goals.

@DerekOstler: I used to send a email with 10 questions for every new client to fill out #seochat before I decided to do inhouse SEO instead. They were just basic questions ones like, competitors, real goals, vanity goals, traffic vs conversions, KPIs etc.
@FogelRivka: I like the vanity goals: good to show short-term ROI so you can push the big/top-of-the-funnel projects.

@thompsonpaul: Do you have a business plan you can show me? If no bus plan avail I know the dig is going to be a LOT tougher. We’ll practically end up writing one by time we’re done.

@EddyDeMelo: From a sales perspective, what are their top barriers to entry? What’s their unique selling proposition?
@sbenhart: Agree unique selling proposition is huge as well – what makes you different?

@yankeerudy: Funny nobody mentioned money… as in “What kind of budget are you working with?”

What data points are absolutely necessary when building buyer personas and how do you get that data?

@wilcoxaj: Difficult to do that without previous buyer data and analytics. If you’re starting from scratch, I’m not sure.

@TheSassySEO: The SassySEO says More traffic does not equal a successful online business. Be clear what you offer and add value to your customer.

@shuey03: I like to put together persona background, demographics, goals of the individuals, and their biggest challenges.

@PeterThistle: deal size, value of conversion by persona. Role of persona in sales process: first contact, gatekeeper, decision maker.

@EddyDeMelo: Assuming they capture that data into their CRM tool, getting access to some of the reports from that can be a huge win.

@thatgirlmegan: Beyond demographics – keys to engagement, where to find them online, what they like/don’t like beyond product.

@FogelRivka: personas: referral, location, landing page by each, search kw by each, bounce rate within the lp drilldown.

@SassyAssassin: More traffic does not equal a successful online business. Be clear what you offer & add value to your customer.

@DerekOstler: AOV, conversion Rate, getting access to important reports/analytics

@zacpalmer: Offline conversion tracking can help gather some data.

@sbenhart: Value of a conversion, lifetime value of a customer, who is the actual decision maker at the time of conversion.

@DaveyDeMille: Demographics is the easiest place to start. Target age, gender, or income level can make a huge difference in digital strategies. Initially through conversations with client. If eCommerce, then through database queries eventually.

@Sonray: Slicing and dicing #PPC and data (if any is available) can be hugely helpful to speed the process.
,LR”/(B@FogelRivka and also gives you insight into what the client/competitors feel is valuable to bid on.

@northcuttSEO: Survey current customers, research their backgrounds/businesses, audit support/sales requests from perspective clients. The data points = type of business, need being fulfilled, and the current step in the buying process.

@thompsonpaul: We’re fortunate that the Canadian Tourism Commission has built extensive psychographic profiles of diff traveler types.

Outside of the Google Keyword Tool, what other tools are necessary for performing a thorough keyword research and why?

@sbenhart: Reviewing the competition’s websites is always helpful, obviously we want to target similar, if not the same, phrases & keywords. Also look in Analytics to see what’s already driving organic traffic to the site. Quora is helpful too, you can see what people are looking & asking questions about related to the industry/product/services.
@Sonray: Webmaster Tools too!
@DaveyDeMille: Big difference in Bing Web Tools keyword tool – it’s based on actual SE queries, not commercial ad data.

@DaveyDeMille: The more data, the better. I use historical traffic in Analytics, apply estimated traffic, & add current rankings to start.

@Sonray: Google straight up, PPC data, social, team scrums, instinct – have to cast a wide net and drill into where the gold is.

@parky: @ubersuggest is simply a must for my team helping bridge gap between keyword research and inspiration for actual headlines.

@DigitalMoonster: I’ve heard debates about LSI, but I always use my handy “~” when auditing a keyword in Google.

@FogelRivka: well that’s based on adwords. GA on-site, @SEMrush and @majesticseo for free global visibility, @conductor for integration.

@jenastelli: I look at content people are sharing. rt.ly is great. Think of it more holistically than a set of words,LR”¦(Bthink intent/interest.
@thompsonpaul: I like to be able to go through customer service/helpdesk tickets too for same reason – customers own terms for issues.

@northcuttSEO: @SEMrush is amazing for low-hanging fruit. Quora for content opportunities that Google didn’t originally satisfy people. Google autocomplete will show some interesting results as well.
@sbenhart: Stack Exchange, similar to quora

@PeterThistle: talk to front line sales.

@wilcoxaj: Rand Fishkin recommends using youtube autosuggest for keyword research as well since it’s often more transparent than Google.

@FogelRivka: Have you used promediacorp? They have a keyword suggest tool that aggregates data from G autosuggest http://suggester.promediacorp.com/ .

@rjonesx: For bulk keywords, consider using the Xedant database.

What elements or metrics do you like to look at to get a good feel of what it will take to compete in a market?

@DaveyDeMille: It’s non conclusive, but I like starting out with pages indexed to see how our site compares size-wise. Over time I try to analyze link building efforts/spend by comparing total links month over month. I try to find weak points in competitors campaigns/sites in order to surpass and not just catch up to competitors.

@wilcoxaj: DA of the big players. I trust it more than PR. You get some wiggle room with keyword optimizations, but you have to be in ballpark.

@FogelRivka: Adwords. Also who’s ranking above you: manufacturers, retailers, their microsites: who’s taking up space in the SERPs. Also: blended views (paid + organic) if you need to weight to one end for certain kw/product/brand buckets, common denominators among those lp’s.
@shuey03: I not only like to look at who’s taking up space in the SERPs but what type of content is taking up space.

@sbenhart: Strength & authority of the competition in the SERPs.

@PeterThistle: cpc. SERP volatility.

@DerekOstler: How authoritative the competitions websites are. Back Links profile/ onpage/design/content etc.

@Sonray: How many spam links competitors have; cost of a paid click; historical data. Specific keyword phrases and how they relate to trends, seasons etc.

@shuey03: When looking at competitors, I like to try and understand what their marketing mix is as well.
@FogelRivka: oh I see. Calendar trends so that you don’t attribute to optimization or big brand.
@Sonray: As well as search engine penalties. A win/gain for one client could be caused by a competitor loss.

@parky: Understanding their method of acquiring the backlinks and the depth of content they link to is my key indicator of competition.

Moderator: @abbygilmore

In your opinion/experience, what are the most important elements of a content marketing strategy?

@tannerpetroff: Most important thing is to make sure you know your audience, and create what they want to consume and share.

@dan_patterson: It’s important for the content to be relevant to your site, your audience, and actually be interesting.

@kenjansen: updated relevance

@sbenhart: You have to tell story & connect – it’s not just about pushing the content.

@SEOSEM: Understand what your visitors want for content based on analytics of current content, see whats sticky.

@northcuttSEO: Creating content that is relevant/valuable to your audience and will ultimately lead to a deeper level of interaction.

@EddyDeMelo: You have to define a goal of each piece that’s created. Don’t just create content for the sake of it.
@jalizabrown: And a schedule of content ideas or themes help as well

@kenjansen: Content strategy for the web 2nd edition by Halverson is pretty darn great

Developing a content marketing strategy can be hard—many steps, resources, etc. What has been the most challenging part for you?

@shuey03: For me it’s been consistently pumping out great content. great content takes a lot of effort and time.
@abbygilmore: Yes, & depending on how big your team is/what resources you have in-house, it can be exhausting!
@jalizabrown: Agreed. Trying to find new or more interesting ways to deliver content that so many have produced before.

@DerekOstler: Getting people in house who know the product well to write compelling content I would share.

@EddyDeMelo: The research. You need to really understand your client’s customers before you create content that speaks to them. Being realistic can be tough. You may have an idea for the next great novel, but only the budget to produce a blog.

@sbenhart: Consistently producing great content and successfully pitching that content off-page.

@dan_patterson: Just coordinating it all is quite the task.

@kenjansen: Consistency of publishing seems the hardest to me. Other jobs seem more urgent. And continually training other people about SEO best practices, eg SE don’t read those images like a human…

@LogicalMediaGr: Definitely the time and effort it takes to create the quality content that people want to read.

@northcuttSEO: Staying topically relevant to the client. Involves a lot of research..

When it comes to content marketing metrics, what KPIs do you measure?

@shuey03: I liked this post on Moz from this past week: http://t.co/7TewGH20nM

@EddyDeMelo: Time on site / page is a big one. It all goes back to the goal of the piece, too. It seems obvious but, ‘did the piece achieve the intended goal?’
@sbenhart: Time on page can be misleading though – one user can drastically change the average GA shows.

@sbenhart: Comments are good one, if the feature is available.

@shuey03: the obvious… leads generated, white paper downloads, revenue

@DerekOstler: Depends if it is a first click or middle of the conversion funnel etc. But it is important to give it a true value.

@northcuttSEO: Visits, social shares, conversion rates, etc, etc

@jalizabrown: Audience involvement and shares

@thompsonpaul: better than time on page – how far a user has scrolled while reading the page-gets around open/unread in tab

Which tools do you use to measure your content marketing success (or lack thereof)?

@kenjansen: GA , how busy I am with leads, and my wallet

@EddyDeMelo: I’ve used things like StumbleUpon to get a basic understanding of whether or not people like the piece at first glance.

@abbygilmore: I use Google Analytics (of course) but we use Hubspot as well.

@northcuttSEO: Google Analytics, UTM tracking codes, and always looking at what the newest emerging technologies are and how they can help.

@jalizabrown: If you have the budget, radian 6 or lithium are great.

What metrics tell the best story when reporting content marketing ROI to a client, boss, team, etc.? What do they want to know?

@abbygilmore: I know we discussed what we measure, but sometimes what is measured and what our clients/boss care about are different.

@FogelRivka: Conversion. so, rankings – site flow (+ bounce rate), referral path – conversion

@EddyDeMelo: Money talks. If you can tie the piece back to completed conversions within GA – that’s a win.

@jalizabrown: ROI. If you can show data from content marketing that led back to revenue, clients are happy.

@DerekOstler: year over year sales and traffic.

@northcuttSEO: Clients want to know if the efforts are driving leads/conversions.

@PeterThistle: business results: leads etc count but strongest is revenue

@CountXero: Any marketing activity, SEO or whatever, should always lead back to the money; conv of some sort (sale, lead)

Moderator: @pincock

What are common crawlability/indexing issues do you find with ecommerce sites? And how do you solve for it?

@debraleitl: Common issue I find is poorly/incorrectly written 301 files

@FogelRivka: duplicate content w/ dynamically created searches/item list pages. Solve: pagination and deindex outside of key parameters. Speaking of which, no fun 404 template/page.

@tannerpetroff: No use of rel=canonical /301s. Working with customer right now who has 10x as many 404s as they have live pages. Faceted search can be a nightmare as well.

@LogicalMediaGr: No rel=canonical and many 404s

@pincock: javascript and other non-crawlable search result pages have been a common issue i’ve seen
@FogelRivka: yes – js without text behind it. also, reviews or other text content inserted via iframes
@pincock: yep. lots of canonicalization helps with the dupe content as well.
@FogelRivka: worried abt overusing though. ooh or instead of pagination, point everything to pg that combines the most imp kws? Plus you rank sculpt a bit, so 10x traffic because of 10 pages gets pointed to one page. theoretically.
@pincock: right. you don’t want to confuse the bots. mapping out architecture and how you want pages crawled is huge.

@TimBiden: Prefer to 301 or to suggest depending on URL attempted?
@tannerpetroff: Depends, is this end of life cycle for product? I prefer 301s to cat/home page for those.
@ShannonEvansS: What’s your life cycle?
@tannerpetroff: Depends on how long it can be stocked. Once the product sells out permanently, it gets pulled from the site.

@marcbitanga: New products are at times hard to get indexed. Fix: Create a new prod list page and link from homepage. Sometimes ecomm system creates duplicate product pages through tags. Need to pick the best page and use cannonical links.

@VintageAdStock: I think the thin content on our category pages is our biggest problem. And it’s what I’ll be working on this afternoon.

@samzbeeb: what is the best thing to do with a 404?
@tannerpetroff: Custom 404s are different for everyone. Best thing to do is help point them in the right direction.
@FogelRivka: or most relevant pg: if 404 is a product page, I’d skip 301 and link on 404 to relevant product
@TimBiden: Interesting. Hadn’t thought of that. Have multiple 404 pages by category?
@FogelRivka: Write rules for 404s, via your product management system that connects outdated SKU to relevant one.
@tannerpetroff: Or a dynamically created 404.
@FogelRivka: Cool. Seriously. but would the bot read as too many 404′s? in that case better to 301.
@tannerpetroff: Agreed. 301s are always best, but a custom 404 page for the times they can’t just be redirected.

@ShannonEvansSM: duplicate content for sure–rel=canonical is my best friend

@DerekOstler: I have seen an issue with ajax and of course rel=”canonical”.

Any platforms out there that cause you more headaches? Any that you love? Magento, Volusion, etc.

@dan_patterson: I’ve grown to hate any sites that are .NET based. I see .asp or .aspx and I cringe
@tannerpetroff: Just did an audit on a site built on .NET Nuke… ‘Wow’ is all I have to say on that one.

What other on-page tweaks get overlooked most often?

@FogelRivka: I really want to try some custom landing pages that are geotargeted (considering product geo restrictions). IP’s one way of doing it but if we have user accounts we also have location. except there would be an extra sign-in step. Along the same vein, meta built by unique product data. then you can automate the whole thing w/o worrying abt dup meta.

@marcbitanga: Including product serial or model numbers in page title and headings. Users search for those.

@dan_patterson: Seems like a lot of ecomm sites have soft 404 problems as well. I’ve seen several that have their home page content as a 404, but it loads as a 200 OK. Oops.

@tannerpetroff: I think a lot of people miss easy stuff like robots.txt files and sitemap.xml files. Or they do them wrong when they do.

@pincock: obvious, but shockingly underdone, is re-writing unique product descriptions. ‘ve seen image optimization drive a lot of new traffic for some clients as well.

@DerekOstler: Load time, architecture of the site and user experiance. Creating quality user generated content on product pages.

@debraleitl: img optimization, do you mean img name or also other tags ie cation, alt, title etc.
@pincock: primarily image file name and alt tag

@CountXero: oddly, the most overlooked are the easiest and most “basic” of #seo practices (titles, METAs, etc) – crazy, but true.

What is your content strategy for Ecommerce sites?

@ShannonEvansSM: Rolling out some exciting resource articles! Very excited!

@debraleitl: site content, videos, transcripts, step by step training, unboxing, etc. Buyers guides make nice evergreens, and google loves them.

@DerekOstler: Hiring more copy writers and of course getting reviews and Q&As going. How to videos/transcriptions, blog, unique descriptions, and of course user generated content too.
@FogelRivka: and, podcasts (maybe monetize later?), with transcripts as content hosted on the page, repurpose across channels.

@tannerpetroff: Blog, infographics, videos, and add content to category pages to help people make educated buying decisions.
@FogelRivka: +1000 on evergreen, pair with a blog for seasonal pushes, push both on social for a better-rounded profile.

@marcbitanga: On page video of products. Multiple product images. Snippets of 3rd party reviews. Customer reviews.

How do you make your content unique and scalable across thousands of products?

@DerekOstler: This is when doing Q&A and other user generated content comes into play!

@marcbitanga: Focus first on strong category pages and popular products. Prioritization of resources.

@debraleitl: do all of your products need expansive content, probably not
pincock true, just have to pay attention to your analytics and see what needs attention.

@Price_Mob: I also think Rich Snippets/Microformats are key for your product feeds in terms of search engine visibility
@FogelRivka: the product pages are less important to me I think. they’re changed too frequently to be worth the rank.
@tannerpetroff: Agreed. Product pages should be built fundamentally well, but it’s tough to spend too much time on each.
@FogelRivka: I agree – on product page though. I’d do consumer reviews on the page and keep rich media/guides elsewhere.

@serfofthesoil: Long tail, niche keywords. Better content. Better UGC (reviews, etc.). Microdata.

How can small ecom stores compete against Amazon?

@tannerpetroff: Pick a niche and excel in it.

@pincock: especially in light of @mattcutts recent comments about merchant quality http://t.co/MmtWCuECSU

@FogelRivka: authorship. blog. leveraging the stronger niche audience over the behemoth

@dan_patterson: the way I see it is that universally Amazon is going to have massive domain authority, but you can beat out individual categories just fine. They’ll show up just about everywhere, but you can be right there with them. It pays to be focused more than they are. Gives you the chance to really build authority in your niche.
@TimBiden: And with better titles and descriptions, you can have killer click-through!
@FogelRivka: rich snippets here all the way, for SERPs.

@scottcowley: Small ecomm stores should against Amazon through branding, relationships, referrals, and awareness. Not price.
dan_patterson Don’t necessarily compete on price. Be comparable, but kill ‘em with other things that you can offer as a smaller company.

@ShannonEvansSM: Good customer service and brand awareness.

@dan_patterson: The other way to compete with Amazon… sell your products on Amazon.
@DerekOstler: yes and then they out rank you! Dang Amazon! #seochat we have had some of our own product we are number 2 and they are 1.

@CountXero: By being a small, ecom store. It’s like any biz plan, you go against a biggie by NOT going against them. Be nimble, niche. Also, sometimes, the best strategy is actually to just be good at #seo to start with – most suck at it!

@FogelRivka: I wonder how merchant quality algo will even out w authorship (until amazon builds blog content, and we’re done for)

@dan_patterson: Other companies bidding on your brand is just part of business, so if it happens you gotta pony up. Amazon is another huge marketplace, so if you can you might as well be a part of it IMO. More potential buyers.

@scottcowle: How can small ecomms compete with Amazon on something like service? I’ve never understood that point.
@pincoc: right. and service doesn’t get your in the SERPs
@FogelRivka: gets in the audience, though, so its opportunity for small ecomms with some strategic warehousing.

Moderator: @Dr_Pete

@dr_pete: Ok, let’s start this party. I’m your friendly neighborhood Dr. Pete, Marketing Scientist for @SEOmoz. Commence introductions…

What formats do you think of when you hear “data-driven content”, NOT including infographics?

@corey_northcutt: whitepaper, ppt, tweet, chart, blog post. but mostly infographic.
@FogelRivka: or really anything based on data, including products of content strategy built by keyword data.

@emcgillivray: Really long posts by you, of course A series of highly relevant articles/posts.

@dr_pete: Two votes going old school with white papers – I honestly love long-form, used in moderation. My ulterior motive – I think we need to separate data from format. We approach it format-first, IMO.

@dan_patterson: white papers, really any blog posts can be data driven, tons of stuff i guess. It goes both ways. Infographics that are designed like a blog post are a good example of format-first. If it looks more like a blog post, make it a blog post!

@mattpolsky: I think interactive statistical arrangements

@kenjansen: I would say articles either blog post, or web page, or adding new pertinent photos/images with geotagging.

@KoontzyCub: sureveys/studies similar to what @iacquire did recently…also templates for data exports from popular SEO tools. Here is a pretty simple one I put together for OSE exports http://goo.gl/5xtl easy way to provide value to reader.
@dr_pete: Templates for data exports/reports – interesting

@bobjones: case studies and seo experiment articles

@ShannonEvansSM: I think we need to think of the home for these big data documents. Web, print, download?

@TyLampella: I think whatever format it is – if you have a way to link your data based content to deep pages = more value.

@tannerpetroff: I think ‘data-driven’ is anything you write based on trends/data – Case studies, white papers – even blogs.

Are “scrollers” the new infographic (interpret as you like)?

@dan_patterson: I’d say no, just another option for how to format and present the content.

@YoungbloodJoe: Parallax? yes, i think so.

@vinceblackham: I think scrolling graphics (interactive) can tell a much better story and display data the way static pieces can’t
@dr_pete: I think my fear is a “Infographics are dead! Long live scrollers!” mentality that turns scrollers to crap in a year. I think they can be awesome, but we’ve also abused them terribly. If they’re dead, we killed them.
@kristy: Data viz CAN be sexy when done right. So many don’t try hard enough. It’s sad

@joshbachynski: so you don’t mean data driven posts but data-presenting posts- what are all the typical posts for presenting data?

@mattpolsky: I think you can do a ton with parallax design and scrolling graphics. Downside is load times

@jerodbarlow: I’d say “scrollers” are like infographics on steriods. End goals may be different though. Pros and Cons to both.

@sbenhart: I think you can do a lot with scrollers – but they def haven’t replace infographics by any means.

@scottcowley: Most of the infographics I’ve seen rely solely on statistics and don’t actually work with raw data. Correct me if I’m wrong.
@vinceblackham: also, a good portion JUST use data. no correlating message or storyline to connect them.
@dan_patterson: I’d agree with that. The research includes looking up references for what you want to represent.
@dr_pete: Absolutely. Data-driven marketing is storytelling, IMO, not graph barf.
@DanBischoff: Big thing for me is, which data will solve my audience’s problems. Then everything else fits into place.

What are your favorite APIs for collecting marketing data (organic, paid, social)?

@scottcowley: I’m guessing that most marketers have no clue how to use APIs or even where to start or why they’d want to.
@AlanBleiweiss: that’s exactly why I don’t use APIs – my head would explode having to implement one
@scottcowley: http://Codecademy.com offers some basic API projects to get started, but API work requires some technical foundations.

@kristy: As a less technical marketer, I’d welcome an API’s for Dummies

@dr_pete: I just feel like there’s data everywhere, if we’d get off our asses and look for it. The data fairy isn’t going to bring it.

@FogelRivka: Adwords, majestic, facebook engagement, all of these with integration with google analytics.

@AlexMouravskiy: I think with Google UA going mainstream, there’s little else needed. It’s robust enough for almost anything. All data isn’t equal. Getting it is easy, knowing what’s important is the next chalenge.

@dan_patterson: I understand the idea and some of the uses behind APIs, but I turn to the coders to get it done. The thing about data: you can pull all the data in the world. But first you have to know what you want to get out of it.
@dr_pete: Very good point. I think it all starts with the right question, not “Hey, here’s a new shiny thing! SHINY!!”
@tannerpetroff: Funny when people try to find data that says what they think, instead of listen to what the data is telling.
@dr_pete: I should say that there’s a difference between “story-telling” and “making up stories”.

@sbenhart: We use Analytics APIs to automatically compile data in a digestible format

@LogicalMediaGr: Social data, google analytics, majestic, these might not be the greatest but they’re working so far for us.

@iamchrisle: My fav APIs are: Majestic, Twitter, GA, and .. SEOMOZZZZZ

How do you (I’m talking to YOU) find data in non-technical industries?

@dr_pete: What too many people call “boring” industries (don’t make me smack you)

@AlexMouravskiy: google consumer surveys has been a godsend for this. And no coding knowledge required. Surprised so few people use it.

@scottcowley: My favorite data source for content creation? http://www.sporcle.com – An insane amount of data creatively packaged as quizzes.

@TyLampella: Create a hypothesis then use a service such as USamp and survey real people.

@mattpolsky: user generated content is HUGE when the data isn’t there (or there yet)

@DerekOstler: Nothing works like surveying real people! #seochat Make sure you have enough though for good data.
@tannerpetroff: We push a lot of clients to ask for data from customers. That said, there’s already data out there for nearly every industry.
@victorpan: Here’s what we do – do a quick poll whenever you host a webinar (survey bias, but it’s ok as long as you disclose shortcomings)

@dr_pete: I used to work tradeshows, and just about every industry is interesting, if you give it a chance and are curious.
@dan_patterson: Every industry is interesting to those that are interested in it, but not every industry is interesting to everybody.
@dr_pete: Audience-wise, agreed. But as marketers (especially in-house), I just hate hearing that someone’s work is “boring”.

@dr_pete: This may be gray-hat, but I’m discovering more and more uses for crawlers – they’re not just for Google/breakfast. For example, I’ve seen a few good articles on how Amazon changes prices. It’s all right there on the site. You want to learn cool things about Google? Crawl someone like http://Earthlink.com who uses their data. Not that I’ve done that. 10,000 times. Thursday. Crawl any product site, really – what categories are most popular, how do reviews break down, etc.
@AlexMouravskiy: The problem with crawlers is organizing the results into something useful. http://t.co/x2NxEoSt7D.
@SteveWebb: Just a quick clarification… please don’t follow this advice unless you know how to avoid getting yourself banned
@dr_pete: Sorry, I’m confusing people – I’m talking about crawling other, public sites, to collect/aggregate data. Terms of use, legal issues, set. apply, and you need to tread lightly, but there’s gold to be had.
@recalibrate: Mozenda, anyone?

@sbenhart: What are you’re favorite spider tools? I use Screaming Frog a lot.
@dr_pete: I’m really talking here about crawling outside sites to get at public content and aggregate it quickly.
@iamchrisle: Crawlers you say? This is epic: http://www.seerinteractive.com/?p=15398

@iamchrisle: If it’s on the web, it’s structured data. Therefore you can mine it. Note: I did NOT say “normalized” data. Big difference.

@TyLampella: Find some industry leaders who have released similar data.. crunch and/or compare then link back as reference = linkbait.

@AlexMouravskiy: There’s a great course on building a #python crawler at udacity if you have the time http://ow.ly/jYxka

how do you justify/control the costs of big content/data projects?

@dr_pete: I’ve had a lot of luck building proof-of-concept projects. MozCast v0.1 crawled 50 keywords, once. That sold the project 50X better than “Hey, guys, I have this cool idea! GUYS?!”

@nick_eubanks: I think justify and control are 2 totally different questions. Control (IMHO) would come back to story points and production ctrl
@dr_pete: Fair point. I cross them because, if you can control costs, it’s easier to justify

@iamchrisle: Control the cost to producing big content? Reduce the scope of data by focusing on the right question. Also, break apart the question into smaller questions. Get them answered, test, verify, and iterate. If it’s not working, stop.

@iambradhanks: Better to ask for forgiveness than permission. I beg, borrow, and steal in the down moments to minimize impact.

@mattpolsky: Control costs by staying relevant. Relevancy = Results

@TyLampella: This is hard – as most of our data projects are built to enhance the content it links to – ROI is not that easy to measure. We do track keyword positions on a data driven campaign basis. So we have a little bit of an idea on its effect.
@dr_pete: Yeah, sometimes just having the right metrics in place makes all the difference. It’s not easy

@FogelRivka: map to traffic and kw opportunity, further map to conversions. oh and someone to build a platform that integrates all your APIs. a dream: finding the perfect comprehensive kpi report.
@dr_pete: I think we’ll see that more and more. APIs will become plug-and-play, no (or very little) coding required.

@jerodbarlow: Control the costs of big content/data projects by having skilled/intelligent interns help out with data gathering

@iambradhanks: A voice recorder and someone in the office that types 90 WPM can really cut down production time.

@dr_pete: I know coding can seem intimidating/costly, but also think in terms of platforms. What can you build upon later? Every day, I repurpose past data-collection engines, and sometimes the savings is 90%+. Stealing from yourself isn’t a crime, at least until we invent time travel.

Are data scientists (a) very sexy or (b) super-sexy?

@DerekOstler: BBBBB

@Nathan_Safran: As a Data Analyst I can confidently say b. super sexy

Moderator: @bloomreachinc

Today is all about the user. How can we use their intent to make them happy customers.

Does the searcher’s intent factor into your SEO efforts? If so, how?

@Ravenjeremy: If you don’t know the searchers intent when your “doing seo” then you’re gonna have a bad time. In fact I would say if you don’t have searcher intent in mind, then are you even really doing SEO?

@DerekOstler: it helps us see similar key words people are looking for

@tannerpetroff: I run into a lot of differences in the searcher intent with industrial vs. consumer based products.

@JaroG4: wouldnt it be necessary so that you can best match phraseology to the queries they would provide?
@bloomreachinc: Yes! But therein lies the challenge for many – particularly with large catalogs

@kenjansen: yes 85% of my real estate niche want to see homes for sale. So I optimize for that.

@Zack_Hanebrink: Searchers intent is very top of mind. Ensuring a relevant match lowers bounce and increases conversion rate.

@ClickXPosure: Definitely, looking at patterns and keywords they search for really helps.

@bloomreachinc: Intent is tied to happiness. Happiness results from finding relevant content.

Do you put yourself in the shoes of a searcher trying to find your products? And do others in your org do the same?

@JaroG4: I would think it is important to consider the personality behind the search being conducted to be an effective match
@bloomreachinc: Absolutely. Do you have a number of different personas to consider? If so, how do you do it?
@JaroG4: It depends on what for, but there’s always different kinds of customers to consider in anything. Ideally I would want to brainstorm such personalities and adapt what I think would match them best.

@kenjansen: yes and yes. Then I look at GA to see what else would be good to think about.

@northcuttSEO: Yes. To help individuals find what they are looking for, we have to understand the methodology of how they are looking

@bloomreachinc: It’s important to consider the use case for various channels (organic, PLA, social, etc)

@tannerpetroff: First, I try to create a few persona models, then put myself in each of their shoes before deciding a kw list.

@DigitalSherpas: Always. You have to think and act like your targeted demographic in order to reach them.

@jeypandian: How do you create your persona models? Is there a different persona for a different social media property?
@Ravenjeremy: I think it is contextual based on the intent of your audience and what they’d be receptive to on social media.
@tannerpetroff: Not all just social. When creating persona models, picture your ideal buyers, and what they care about.

@Zack_Hanebrink: Personas are key for this. This way you know who you’re optimizing/writing for and targeting. Influences CTA and content.

How do you quantify if you are matching intent to the right content? i.e. Are they “happy”?

@tannerpetroff: Bottom line says a lot. Also, bounce rates, time on site, & other engagement metrics are great indicators.
@FogelRivka: yes: are your goals being met? and, if you’re not e-commerce/conversion are they the right goals?

@jeypandian: I’d take it a step further – why not tie in a conversion metric vs engagement?
@tannerpetroff: Couldn’t agree more. Conversions (not necessarily the ones generating sales) should definitely be monitored.

@ClickXPosure: lots of metrics can tell you: bounce rates, CTR, time spent on site, etc.

@bloomreachinc: Bounce rate vs conversion rate. And conversion rate vs number of page views. http://ow.ly/jKy4m. Single metrics in isolation can be misleading. So good to consider their correlation with others.

@northcuttSEO: Bounce rate, funnel conversions, and length of time on page (though that can get a bit iffy
@FogelRivka: when do you start mistrusting time on page?
@bloomreachinc: Beyond a certain time on page, more time won’t mean more user happiness (they could be lost)
@FogelRivka: So how do you tell how much time on page is valuable? i’m thinking setting adjusted bounce rate in GA.
@northcuttSEO: Agreed. It’s just kind of ambiguous. Sometimes people are interested, other times confused.
@bloomreachinc: Worth looking at flows through the site (particularly those that convert). But those may be edge cases. Some similarities but “conversion” may mean something different (ad impressions for example).
@FogelRivka: some of which are clearly defined, some of which depend on user insight

@jeypandian: Why do you use conversion rate vs page views?
@bloomreachinc: Optimizing for just one may skew efforts. There’s a breaking point.
@jeypandian: Fair enough, in your link, you use product pages as an example, do you recommend conv vs pv for say a blog?
@bloomreachinc: Terrific question. Use case (and your goals) should definitely determine the right combo of metrics.
@ClickXPosure: just because users view your site doesn’t mean they got their answers.Conversion rate: you’ve gave them their answer.
@jeypandian: Not necessarily, it depends on the conversion activity eg signup for free newsletter or a brand email subscription. It depends, I can visit a drinks website, not find my drink recipe but decide i want regular recipes emailed. varies. On the other side, for a product page – I can visit a book page, not convert and purchase a different book. It really varies.
@ClickXPosure: that can sometimes be the case but sometimes users can view your site and be lost or not able to find what they need.
@jeypandian: That’s true, happens a lot. We should make this chat 2 hours.
@tannerpetroff: Even different blogs have different metrics they will want to measure for searcher happiness. Everything case-by-case.

@DerekOstler: A3 bounce rate, conversion reate, etc.

@Zack_Hanebrink: Bounce rate and conversion rate are good indicators if you’re on target or way off.

@Ravenjeremy: You really should be looking at Dwell time- Bounce rate and time on site are fundamentally FLAWED because of G analytics. http://t.co/ya5c37iQNS. Also if you’re looking at Analytics and metrics do NOT MISS: http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/

@DigitalDionne: Social signals as an indicator? Shares, mentions, etc. show engagement which happens if content matches intent.

To turn those insights into action, who is ultimately responsible for making sure search visitors are happy in your org?

@jeypandian: I’d say the marketing department (and your business stakeholders)

@FogelRivka: Usually merchandising, though seo/I’m managing an overhaul of on-site search; it depends on the org/function

@ashbuckles: I think it depends on the size of your company and it’s org structure.
@jeypandian: I agree because in startups or SMBs, its typically IT department

@tannerpetroff: Tough question. I think everyone who creates content or interacts with customers is responsible.

@ClickXPosure: online marketing team.

@DigitalDionne: Team effort. Can’t be all one segment. Copywriters, SEOs event DEVs. Just my 2 cents…

@Zack_Hanebrink: Everyone can be a part but we all know this normally falls on who manages the site.

@Ravenjeremy: Short answer: Everyone. (From Janitor, to copywriter, to SEO, to CEO, to salesman)

If you could have a magic wand, how would you reduce the friction between searcher and product (thus making u both happy)?

@FogelRivka: no minimum advertised price restrictions.

@jeypandian: Remove as many barriers to checkout as possible e.g. Amazon’s one click buy method. Guest checkouts. Zero forms. Oauthorization. A/B Testing + Multi-variate Testing. Use your data to create recommendation engines. Create ‘trust’ signals, proper color usage (probably hire @tim_ash). Trust signals – verisign, thawte verification, symbols that evoke trust for consumers shopping on merchant sites. Use collaborative filtering http://t.co/ExBSbSJgJT. Know your information architecture inside out so you present information correctly via Peter Morville.

@JaroG4: language seems to be an inhibiting factor for both human & machine, I’d optimize the ability to comprehend for both. It would probably be that the machine gets it right every time I ask a question regardless of how I ask.

@tannerpetroff: Search engines would perfectly read every webpage, CMS’s would have no restrictions, and buying would be zero-hassle.

Moderator: @tannerpetroff

We all know links are a huge ranking factor in SEO. Links aren’t as easy to get as they used to be, and Google is getting pickier about what is a good link and what’s not. Today we’ll be talking about how to identify the ‘good’ prospects.

What are some of the metrics of a page or site you look at when qualifying prospects?

@LogicalMediaGr: We look at the Domain Authority, Domain mozrank, inbound and outbound links for the site as well.

@tannerpetroff: Always depends on my goal & campaign, but most often moz metrics & inbound links.

@DerekOstler: If it is a site I would go to and trust. If the site is trusted by others and related to my industry. Depending on the point of the link, but if we can get good traffic from it, I think most good links do send traffic IMO!

@dan_patterson: I’ll look at the site’s DA and other things like PA. Basically I don’t want a worthless site. If it’s more of a guest blogging opportunity, I also look to see if there is any interaction on the site. Do they have a following?

@sbenhart: Their own link profile, domain authority, mozrank, pagerank

@mattgratt: Moz and on-site metrics are a good site. It’s also worthwhile to look at social traction/audience metrics. It’s also important to look at the site itself – metrics don’t tell the whole story. Don’t be a “PageRank Magpie”.

@kikolani: I used to do all of the basics: DA, PR, inblund links. Now I look at traffic, social engagement, overall popularity. You just have to make sure the social engagement isn’t fake.
@tannerpetroff: Engagement is big, especially when building links for traffic, and not just the link. I like to look and see if it’s the same few people interacting with every page. If so, might not be a great site.
@LogicalMediaGr: What do you mean by fake? By having a legit FB page and Twitter handle with consistent engagement should be good enough.
@kikolani: Ran into a business that bought tweets, likes, etc FB wall posts were liked & shared but no comments. I noticed because they were using my photo with a different name & testimonial I never submitted.

@ClickXPosure: #1 metric we look at is domain authority.

@mega_trahan: DA & PA – I use opensiteexplorer from @seomoz first and foremost for this task

@northcuttSEO: Check out the Rss subscribers, engaged community, page rank, and then Alexa.

What are your favorite tools for qualifying link prospects?

@tannerpetroff: Love using OSE and my eyes. Heard good things about the BuzzStream toolbar and Ontolo tools, but don’t have much experience.

@mattgratt: I really like to use @BuzzStream with the BuzzBar (http://t.co/sKXoAounPV) to quailfy links. (Disclosure: I work at BuzzStream)

@DerekOstler: Open Site Explorer #seochat I love @SEOmoz

@mattchstik: MozBar chrome extension.

@LogicalMediaGr: We love link prospector – that’s our main one we like to use and buzzstream as well too.

@Ravenjeremy: Research Central for a roundup of key metrics, then run it through Site Auditor

@kikolani: I use several tools depending on the project. Mostly @seomoz @cognitiveseo for backlink research.

@FogelRivka: OSE is great — and also this neat article on pivot tables for link prospecting http://tlcseo.com/link-prospecting-pivot-tables/

How does link prospecting differ from campaign to campaign?

@tannerpetroff: Depends on goals for me. Don’t know that I care if a prospect has a page of sponsors if I’m looking for guest blogs.

@Ravenjeremy: Link prospecting shifts subtly from topic to topic. You’ll find some areas don’t really have experts with opinions out there. It’s about finding places where people are already engaging and congregating around good information.

@mattgratt: It depends what sort of assets you have. If your company has big Twitter/email lists, start your influencer research there. By contrast, if you have a new site, you’re going to want to start with prospecting queries and looking for ‘easier’ links.

What elements on a page/domain make a seemingly qualified prospect a deal breaker?

@scott_dodge: Spam links, evidence of penalties (deindexing, not ranking for “branded” terms), ads all over the place.

@mattgratt: Obviously paid links to sketchy sites in the sidebar. Terrible design. Markov chain text. And there’s more. Rarely will a site be bad for just one reason. Typically bad factors – poor design, spam links, dupe content – go together.

@tannerpetroff: If the domain doesn’t rank for it’s own name, if the site sells links, or has duplicate content at all.

@kikolani: Links to bad / irrelevant sites in the sidebar, footer, or content.

@sbenhart: Anything suspicious in their link profile is a deal breaker. Can’t be too careful.

@tannerpetroff: And obviously, if the site isn’t indexed, that’s a worthless site.

@mattchstik: Animated GIFS with a submit link button.

@ClickXPosure: spam links,duplicate content,crappy design and the list goes on.

@FogelRivka: too many outgoing links, outgoing links that lead to each other + similar content (aka link farms), awful UX.

@ravenjeremy: Geocities web design, advertising for Link Buying PR5! PR6! LINKS!, Tons of spam comments showing, bloated stinky link profile.

@northcuttSEO: If there is the same style or template across several blogs, creating a blog carousel, that is a major concern.

What are some of your best ways to find prospects?

@scott_dodge: 1) @GarrettFrench’s Link Prospector, first and foremost. Great first step to finding actionable link opportunities. Then, competitor stuff. Check out the top ranking sites and do a little reverse engineering. Also, on larger sites, never forget about link reclamation. Blaze through those crawl errors in GWT.

@tannerpetroff: As @mattgratt already said, start with the lists you already have. Then focus on new lists. Competitive analysis can dig up some serious gems.

@serfofthesoil: Search engines, Followerwonk, lists of blogs, lists of resources, looking at competitor backlinks.

@kikolani: Competitor backlink research, advanced operator searches on google, broken link discovery, and social media searches.

@mega_trahan: Investigating quality competitors, straight up google searches, industry blogs for inspiration, social outlets (twitter, etc.)

@mattgratt: Start by getting social profiles assoc’d with your email list with FullContact. Then grab the list of sites from Twitter. Also, monitor brand mentions and identify evangelists. They’re in a better position to share your content effectively than you.

@DerekOstler: Looking for people already talking about us and asking for links, and of course looking at our comp. link profile too!

How will social search change the way we search for link prospects? (Think FB Graph Search)

@serfofthesoil: FB Graph Search – might work for some industries where Facebook fans are active on their profile.

@northcuttSEO: Social Media will create a firm foundation to build relationships on as well as provide another huge resource for discovery.

@LogicalMediaGr: Followerwonk to us is so similar to something like the FB graph search, so not too much. You can still search thru twitter too. Couldn’t agree more, social is all about the relationship building. Very important to maintain.

@Ravenjeremy: Social search has already changed some of my processes. I look for people who are active in discussing the topic on social. The best link prospects are those who are engaged on social media, and have an open line of communication for collaboration. I know we’re all chatting on twitter, but a good sign of a prospect is an active G+ page or main evangelist profile. It’s all about relationships and that develops over time through engagement in social. I would collaborate with any of you peeps!

@ClickXPosure: It’s already changing it. Facebook Likes are a great way to find more sets of related sites.

@kikolani: It will help us connect w/ people we have relationships with to build links, making link requests more successful.

@sbenhart: Social search is just another tool in building relationships. I Think it’s already changing the way we get started prospecting.

What questions do you have about link prospecting?

@LogicalMediaGr: When you find these links, what do you all think is the best way to reach out to them for a potential blog post etc..?
@tannerpetroff: I think it’s important to know how to appeal to them. What can you offer that they want, and also helps you?
@sbenhart: I find astablishing a relationship via social helps make the link request smooth & successful.
@serfofthesoil: Meet in person > phone call > direct message on SM > e-mail > contact form > blog comment.
@Ravenjeremy: Meetups are great places to find engaged professionals who are good link prospects

@Ravenjeremy: Direct Twitter message, limited + message, email, Private message. What’s your preffered social direct approach?
@tannerpetroff: Depends on the relationship I have with them. If I know them well, a twitter message or even @ reply is great.

@sbenhart: I think a lot of people are hesitant to reach out via phone. Is it too invasive?
@tannerpetroff: Again, depends on the relationship. If I’ve never heard from, or heard of the person, then yes. Definitely too invasive.
@serfofthesoil: If you can find the phone number before a WhoIs check, they probably do not mind a call.
@Ravenjeremy: I can’t think of a single person I’ve ever talked to on the phone about a link!

Moderator: @dan_patterson

Is keyword research still important? Why or why not?

@thompsonpaul: Gotta say it’s still a core component of everything online

@tannerpetroff: Absolutely still important. Always best to find what your audience is searching for.

@Ravenjeremy: Yes, keywords are still important. There was no magical faery moment that wiped out the use of keywords in SEO. You just need to be more expansive in how you consider it, and use multiple data points to evaluate. Adwords, Youtube, Social. Ravenjeremy14h
A1: You also need to add other metrics to evaluate the value for those keywords, not just traffic but conversion/Revenue.

@AChrisTurner: keywords research is important but only in the vain of identifying what questions your content can answer via search. It’s a ‘working backwards’ type of mentality. Start with [your] user profiles and work with purpose. (also vein lol).
@thompsonpaul: I think it’s use can be even broader – lots of info for product research too, for example. But even there – if consumers are using keywords that indicate/highlight a gap in your services, could be useful.

@yankeerudy: KR remains a core SEO component. Rankings, not so much, but conversion rates more so.

@mega_trahan: No doubt it’s still important. It keeps us in touch w/ the searchers & what they’re looking for & /how/ they’re looking for it.

@LogicalMediaGr: For sure, still very important. It helps us determine the best way to achieve the highest rankings & stay above competition.

@kenjansen: yes still impt to find high converting low competition phrases.

How does keyword research differ for new vs established websites?

@AlanBleiweiss: diff. User mind models, diff. words, all must b considered in kw research.

@DerekOstler: It is different that a couple years ago for sure. But still helps to give you the right direction for sure.
@LogicalMediaGr: everything is always constantly changing though, so who knows what will happen with it.

@Ravenjeremy: With an established site you’ve (hopefully) got some GA data for existing traffic and site search usage to start from:

@tannerpetroff: New sites might be looking to find a niche. Established sites are looking for greater reach of their audience.

@mega_trahan: new sites don’t have analytics for what ppl are searching. Old sites have a starting point for more pinpointed research w/ GA.

@yankeerudy: Clearly, new sites lack historical data that many existing sites have. A treasure trove!

@scottcowley: New sites have the advantage of allowing keyword research to help dictate the site architecture.

@TriClimb: it’s part of my strategy when deciding on site structure for a new site.

@nick_eubanks: keyword research gives you the data to make the discoveries and decisions regarding intent.

Those of you that do agency work, do you prefer working on an established or a new site? Why?

@AChrisTurner: Both. Establish sites in the same vertical can help influence the types of KW and users for the new sites.

@shawnccpr: It’s about opportunity. If a client is old and already #1 or new and only getting branded traffic, it’s the same goal.

@TriClimb: That’s a hard call. Both have their fun points. Building something from scratch vs creating & dialing in funnels.

@tannerpetroff: I love working with both. Established sites are great to work with and improve, but I love working from the ground up, too.

@LogicalMediaGr: Established site – easier to work on a site that is established and has numbers & keywords in place.
@tannerpetroff: Assuming they know what they’re doing. Lots of established sites struggle because they have no direction.

@mega_trahan: Both have their challenges. I like the fresh start & ability to work w/ developers, but also like est. facts of old.

@dan_patterson: I agree they both have their “fun” points. Personally I prefer established sites because you have the data to back up decisions.

@SarahVanElzen: There are benefits to both. New is a fresh canvas, old you can see what’s worked.

How do you come up with keyword ideas for a new site?

@RyanJones: I don’t look at sites then pick keywords. I look at keywords, then build the site
@dan_patterson: I like that concept. But what about when you have a client with a brand new site they want to market?

@thompsonpaul: Brilliant little tool to engage friends/clients for real-life keyword research http://ow.ly/iAd92

@dan_patterson: I hear @matt_siltala gave a great presentation on using competitors for getting keyword ideas: http://t.co/v1NCJXa6gF. That tool helps you get a base of the keywords real users use when talking about a product/service.

@tannerpetroff: Always look at the product/service, and find what that audience is looking for. I like to do KR from persona modeling as well.

@DigiMatt: Asking your parents to look for it is always a good one! Otherwise its personas and industry research.

@KentKineticSEO: competitors ppc campaigns, ubersuggest, quora, google keyword tool

@LogicalMediaGr: Research competition, look at your own content for what words are more important that will drive the most quality traffic.
@DigiMatt: it’s good to see how someone not too tech-savy finds a product or service. Unusual results!

@SauravRimal: indepth research on the business and the purpose of the site

@serfofthesoil: Soovle, Wikipedia, News, Adwords Tool, Ubersuggest, Competitor Title Tags.

@Ravenjeremy: Ol’ fashioned brainstorm session then look at semantically related words, then mash those together http://raven.im/16LJDKJ . Use Google and attempt to research the topic/niche/Industry as if you don’t know about it. Write down what you search.

@mega_trahan: Try to think like a customer, research those keywords, research what similar sites are using, & do a lot of creative thinking.

@scottcowley: I would decide who my ideal visitor is and make them the focal point of my keyword research. Customer > company.

@KentKineticSEO: I might also use something like launchrock or stumbleupon depending on the level on content involvement. If it’s something that may be worth more than one visit(e-course, e-book) I’ll use launchrock to catch emails. if it’s a blog post/infographic/video stumbleupon is great because you can segment much better than just keywords.

@wilreynolds: http://www.Seedkeywords.com is essentially a great tool to help create KW scenarios. Sitting in on a sales call or listening to their inbound lead team can be a big help, wish we did that more here.
@dan_patterson: yeah, or just customer service to get a feel for the lingo. Hard to do, but cool idea.
@tannerpetroff: Some of my best work has come from listening to acct managers interact with clients.
@RachaelGerson: Easy way to do this in less time – Have sites send you the transcripts of their LiveChat sessions.

@thompsonpaul: Check out http://ow.ly/iAd92 for an easy way to extend brainstorming to more people.

@dan_patterson: I suppose you could also mine related forums, customer service portals in the industry, etc to also learn the lingo.

Do any of you test keywords and content out with PPC campaigns first?

@tannerpetroff: Haha, I’ll admit it. Yes, I test some ‘on the fence’ keywords in AdWords.

@DigiMatt: I use PPC for some content marketing, but don’t test. If PPC team have previous data then thats great to get hold of.

@thompsonpaul: Have done a bit of using PPC to split test possible meta-descriptions, but not keywords. Would like to try more.
@dan_patterson: I think that’s valuable as well. I use PPC ads as the basis for meta descriptions as well. They’re both ads

What are your favorite and most-used tools for keyword research?

@KentKineticSEO: ubersuggest. @neilpatel also has a sweet bash script in his guide to seo that helps parse out text: bit.ly/11l1uEx near the bottom.

@thompsonpaul: Facebook and LinkedIn groups of your target customer can be great sources of keyword info – including intent. Parallel to Ubersuggest-Hidden gem @yoast’s Google Suggest Output Expander to automatically broaden keywords http://ow.ly/ji4Tw . Big plus for Bing Webmaster Tools Keyword research -actual serp-based, not just ad-based like Adwords KW Tool. Also love Google Trends for “when” to focus on a keyword, as well as finding keywords themselves.

@dan_patterson: I LOVE Google Trends

@dan_shure: Google Correlate. analytics, webmaster tools and internal search data too

@AChrisTurner: For me I export my GWT list, filter by impression or rank, then look at the volume/comp in Google KW tool.

@SauravRimal: Ubersuggest, Google Trends, GA & Google Webmaster Tools!

@scottcowley: My most-used tool for keyword research is Adwords tool + Google Trends for broad, http://Soovle.com for long-tail. I use Soovle over Ubersuggest because Soovle helps you triangulate search volume better (even if it requires more effort).

@dan_patterson: I also mine multichannel data in GA. Look at organic and PPC interactions that led to conversions. I think that higher funnel keywords get forgotten a lot because you have to dig deeper to see their value.

@nick_eubanks: I went into some ways to gather these keywords on my webinar from Tuesday: http://t.co/FC0w5Oza5E .

@ClickXPosure: Google Webmaster Tools! Just read a great article about it today: http://t.co/wZ1uEWRoCj

How do you do keyword research for pages/posts that will have a short ‘window of opportunity?

@KentKineticSEO: news and social media #freshwebexplorer is what I use

@dan_patterson: I think the hard thing about a short window of opp is thinking if you have time to actually get the organic ranking. So competitiveness really comes into play for something like that.

@serfofthesoil: IFTTT. Send timely info. to RSS feed. Plug into N-Gramanator. http://thegramanator.appspot.com/

@jenastelli: not necessarily keyword research but I like @bitly realtime to figure out urls/pages are most talked abt on social ATM

@KentKineticSEO: one #linklove presentation @searchmartin talked about how he got #1 for #facepalm in less than 24 hours. http://t.co/NpfsaSdJ2s.

@tannerpetroff: I struggle with that one. I’ve been using Google Trends and news/social, but sometimes it’s just tough. Open to ideas.

@tommy_landry: Bing Webmaster Tools has a lot of good stuff in it, not just the keyword research tools. Huge fan.

@scottcowley: For real-time KW research, I know what the focal keywords are. I Google and see how I can differentiate my title from the field.

@SauravRimal: Newsletter sign ups, social, G News!

@Ravenjeremy: I think people forget this. “social networks” are sites. Posts have links. Social Shares=Links.

@Ravenjeremy: My fav KW research approach: http://raven.im/14afBkd – Create a sheet with all of the metrics that matter, and create a score. So my KW sheet has: Queries, Impressions, Paid Conversion, Organic conversions, Average position, Time onsite +2 min. Oh! And don’t forget about Site search in your GA data. What are visitors onsite searching for that they can’t find. Then create it.
@tannerpetroff: Easily the most under-utilized goldmine of data: Site Search

Moderator: @ChrisWarden_SE

Great content has to be tailored to your audience and branded for your company. Content should in wide variety of forms. Successful forms take more time and effort to create then the age old blog post/graphic. At Spread Effect we host The Spread Effect Show where we interview industry experts around the SEO community. Video and comprehensive industry resources are time consuming to create but are invaluable to a content marketing strategy.

What are some of the more unique forms of content you use and find most effective?

@pincock: I’ve been seeing more and more slideshares in the SERPs and we’re working with clients to use that channel.

@ashbuckles: The most unique forms include something new or rare in your industry. Maybe that’s video or a community. When you develop a story that needs to be told in person/slides/audio/video/text then you’ve got longevity. Test every content for you in your industry to see what your audience likes.
@ChrisWarden_SE: I agree. Industry guides (think SEOmoz beginners guide to SEO) are surprisingly lacking in most industries.
@Ravenjeremy: Also don’t forget to actually go to the SERPs for your queries and see what TYPE of content comes up currently.

@Zack_Hanebrink: The obvious, content that is written with the info their searching for. Answering questions and providing value.
@ChrisWarden_SE: Good point. Content that matches a searchers expectations or answers their questions will always win.

@yankeerudy: Matching visual media to the target audience – ie code snippets for developers, copious imagery/video for interior design, etc.
@Zack_Hanebrink: Exactly, build your foundation with solid market and persona research. Then you have a better idea what they want.

@Ravenjeremy: Tailored content to specific segments of our customers, like a Welcome Series of videos with content pages. Really surprised at how much the visitors liked when we embedded videos http://raven.im/Ytkmk4 into related content pages.

@iGoByDoc: Not sue it is unique, but actually providing contextual content that searchers are looking for, not just crap content.

@ChrisWarden_SE: As a follow up, what form of content is at the forefront of your personal/company strategy for 2013? Video? Guest blog posts?
@Ravenjeremy: We’re actually looking at white-papers and PDFs, Pending release is “28 Metrics you can report and sell to clients”. That kind of content is perfect for generating direct leads to prospective clients.
@ShannonEvansSM: Video is great b/c people have a visual and keeps them entertained.

@ChrisWarden_SE: Studying the success of other’s content in your industry is critical as well. You don’t always have to reinvent the wheel.

@iGoByDoc: Also our webinars, and co-marketing activities have been great!
@pincock: I like webinars as content. lots of social sharing can happen leading up to it.

B2B is a different game vs B2C in terms of content. How should the strategies differ?

@ShannonEvansSM: I think it’s the topic not content that is different. EOD it’s something that is beneficial to the reader.

@yankeerudy: B2B involves “how 2 solve my clients’ problems” in addition to B2C’s “how 2 solve my own problems.” Content must reflect that.

@dan_patterson: your audience is different, so you have to take a different approach for sure.

@dan_patterson: Really all the same mediums work for B2C & B2B, I would think it’s just the tone that changes.

@FogelRivka: Social changes entirely from B2B to B2C. You’re doing audience segmentation by company type, not personality/context.

@iGoByDoc: Why does it have to differ so much? Whoever your target is, create the content they need to make decisions.

What existing communities do you find most attractive right now, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, third party blogs?

@VintageAdStock: My business is 100% image based. Pinterest is going to be my main focus with the usual suspects on the side.
@dan_patterson: I’d think you’d have to be careful with Pinterest to make sure no one rips off your images. Is that a problem?
@VintageAdStock: After going over it A LOT, we’ve decided not to watermark in the interest of sharing.
@FogelRivka: Hm. Our images have logos, but maybe they shouldn’t. then again you can ask img stealers for links.
@VintageAdStock: Exactly! EXIF data will help us find the image thieves.
@FogelRivka: and chrome image search will return resized images with the same elements.
@VintageAdStock: None of our images are watermarked. But we are selling different licenses, home and pro. If we see an image in print, we’ll just hit them for a higher license fee.
@VintageAdStock: So we are choosing sharing and hopefully links over people stealing images.
@mega_trahan: I like the assumption of honesty. And as a consumer – watermarks tend to be a huge turnoff & cheapen the look.
@Ravenjeremy: I hope you aren’t going Getty images Ghetto and seeking businesses to slap with violation fees.

@ShannonEvansSM: For me it’s Pinterest and FB–but I’m B2C and my demo is women.
@ChrisWarden_SE: It’s not a populated as some of other major channel. Although coupled with Authorship it’s powerful SEO wise.

@mega_trahan: From what I’ve experienced B2B tends to be more info-based whereas B2C is more catchy, fun, engaging outreach.

@dan_patterson: naturally this will vary by company industry. Personally we do a lot on FB. Also in Twitter, Pinterest, G+

@ChrisWarden_SE: Is anyone experiencing frustrations with Facebook EdgeRank out there? Any advice on increasing your reach?
@Ravenjeremy: Personally, I’m in love with G+. People are engaged, create good content but it’s not the Twitter pablum/overload. We are lucky that most SEOs tend toward techie- but don’t rule it out- here’s why. G+ is being pushed with every Google account, and every google search prompts for a google account. That means that more and more “average” users will adopt G+. You can see that in the rise of Communities – Opportunity for Niche!

@mega_trahan: It varies by industry,Twitter & Pinterest seem to be gaining a lot of momentum. Especially w/ the statistics on who’s using ‘em

@mega_trahan: Not seeing much G+ action for business gains yet, but think it’s definitely worth having an account to appease the Google gods.

@ChrisWarden_SE: I’m curious how many people are bought in to Google Authorship? It’s gaining momentum. We’re seeing bump in rankings and CTR.
@pincock: bought in or implementing? probably a lag on getting it in place for everyone we work with but see the value.
@ChrisWarden_SE: Has Google Authorship motivated you to personally start contributing more on third party blogs?
@pincock: it takes a lot for me to be motivated to blog! but yes.
@Ravenjeremy: I’m always open contributing to other peoples blogs(Just ask!), but Authorship IS a nice bonus incentive.
@tannerpetroff: That’s how I am. Tough to get motivated, but I’m seeing more value in it every day.
@tommy_landry: I’m a huge proponent of Author Markup / Author Rank. Will only grow in importance.

@yankeerudy: When G eventually adds image authorship, you’ll know a Flickr/Instagram acquisition or clone is on the horizon.

@Ravenjeremy: Is there authorship markup for images? *ponders aloud

@natebro: peeps in London want to know how to “crack” a guest post on a blog that is anti guest post? One tip?
@VintageAdStock: 2 tips: 1) build a personal relationship first. 2) write an ultra high quality, relevant post without links in it
@ChrisWarden_SE: Get to know the editor of the blog personally. Find out how you can help him/her outside of just providing a good post.
@ShannonEvansSM: Also let the blogger know you are an expert in X area and are there to help if they need a source for their own story.
@ChrisWarden_SE: Good point. Some aim too high when they first start contributing. Start with mid tier sites, leverage up to big sites.
@pincock: also, some kind of primary research that is relevant to them, and could be published exclusively by them.
@FogelRivka: Or get to know writers, as many write for multiple blogs and can help you grow your guest-posting network.

What’s the best to way to build a community around your company’s blog starting from scratch?

@Ravenjeremy: First, interact with comments, and follow them to their native social network to continue conversation. Then you can engage them on that topic in the future when you post related similar content. See who they engage with on social media on that same topic, friend/circle and engage with their content.

@FogelRivka: Aggressive social push + promotional + press release/event + email to existing customers.

@tannerpetroff: Involve others, let them help you create content, and they’ll help you promote it.
@ChrisWarden_SE: Definitely! Have people with established authority contribute on your blog, you’ll capture some of their audience.

@mega_trahan: Social outreach – engage the people who do come and post at your blog. Use other media to tout your blog.