A first step to re-invigorate a neglected website is to conduct a content audit. Is your content still relevant and useful? Fill the gaps and eliminate old, ineffective content. Is it meeting your goal? Prioritize. To prevent future neglect, create a process for updating and assign appropriate people to execute your content strategy.
If You Want to Rank, You’ve Got to Yank
A “get-by” content strategy can be harmful. It can hurt the company’s reputation by wasting visitors’ time and can actually lower their ranking on Google. Even one dud page amongst stellar pages can drag them down.
How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile for Sales Success
I recently spoke at the Construction Writers Association Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, and fellow panelist Kimberly Kayler of Constructive Communications told us many of her construction-related clients find LinkedIn to be one of their most powerful social media tools. Prospective clients will often view Linked-In profiles to find out more about key associates within a firm. In addition to making sure that all employee profiles are 100 percent complete, businesses can take the next step to optimize those results for search engines.
1) Employees should link to your website or websites.
LinkedIn is an authoritative site and chances are good that your LinkedIn Profile will be one of the first listings you see in search of your name. The more employees linking to your company website, the better it is for your company’s search engine rankings. LinkedIn provides an opportunity to link to three sites. Use them all. Instead of listing only the web addresses, you can use keywords to name the site. Instead of “Blog” , I might want to name this link Content for Biz Blog.
2. Optimize your profile for keywords.
Your headline is the information that search engines will pull into the search results, so be sure to include important keywords that potential clients might type in a search. If your business is local include important geographic keywords. Be sure your profile is visible.
3. Create a vanity URL.
One way to ensure your LinkedIn profile will show up in a search is to customize the default LinkedIn URL with your name. My vanity URL on LinkedIn is
http://www.linkedin.com/in/joannecostin.
The summary is also an important area that can be keyword-rich while describing the unique benefits and skills you offer. Use the space wisely to introduce yourself and your accomplishments, keeping in mind the needs of a prospective client. Don’t be afraid to stand out from the crowd. If you aren’t comfortable writing about yourself, solicit some help from colleagues or professional writers.
3. Add content
Google likes content shared on LinkedIn. Share your content with your contacts through regular updates. You can feed both twitter and blog posts directly to your LinkedIn account.
4. Join Groups and Share Your Knowledge on LinkedIn Answers
Groups are a great way to reach out beyond your professional network and impress others with your expertise. Post your content or answer questions related to your profession using LinkedIn Answers
Monitor weekly searches to see who is viewing your profile to measure the impact of your optimization efforts. Identify the most effective headlines and profiles. Linked in Profile Stats Pro is an upgrade that lets you see the complete list of who has filled your profile. It’s included with a LinkedIn Pro membership of $19.95 per month.
Like any social media site or website, content needs to be reviewed on an ongoing basis. It is amazing how quickly things can get out of date.Writing this post forced me to re-evaluate several areas of my LinkedIn Profile. I will let you know well the optimization plan worked.
7 Tips For Getting Your E-Newsletter Read
Newsletters need more than news to get read. Include useful information your audience can act on. Speak with the voice of an insider, add relevant resources, offer something special for your readership, and measure to learn what your audience is most interested in.
SEO: Its Not Just for Websites
B2B public relations professionals who are strictly focused on maximizing opportunities with traditional journalists are missing an opportunity to drive traffic to their websites with press releases.
Online press releases can be optimized for search, just like your website. Carefully craft your release utilizing those keywords you want to rank for. Include keywords in anchor text and you will drive traffic to your site. Consider linking back to relevant content rather than simply your home page. Place the link as close as you can to the beginning of the release. Remember to include your keyword in your headline.
Distributing press releases online allows you to expand your influence beyond B2B trade journalists, to a growing audience of industry bloggers, investors, and potential employees through search engines and other online news sources. Make your press releases shareable by including social network sharing buttons and posting press releases on blogs and other B2B online communities.
Many PR distribution services have a limit on keywords, so avoid keyword stuffing. Remember to include at least one complete hyperlink back to your website because some news sites do strip out active links. Hubspot offers a useful Press Release Grader to help you optimize the release for search. The Grader will test the readability of the press release, identify overused words, provide an analysis of links and more.
We’ve found success generating inbound links using press releases both for ourselves and our clients. A press release Content for Biz distributed earlier this year increased website traffic by 220 percent over the prior week.
If you are in a larger organization, work with your marketing team to be sure you have the right keyword terms for your business. Share your success with us.