marți, 20 septembrie 2011

SEOmoz Daily SEO Blog

SEOmoz Daily SEO Blog


Conducting Effective and Regular One-on-Ones

Posted: 20 Sep 2011 03:37 AM PDT

Posted by LCT

There are a number of ways managers can ensure they are doing everything they can to keep their employees happy and therefore productive. Sometimes this requires the moon, and sometimes this requires a new chair. But sometimes, it only requires a good discussion and reassessment of goals - or, an hour of your time. What’s important is that you know what it takes, and how you can reach them, and that you take action. After my own one-on-one’s with Kate Matsudaira, and a few interviews, I was able to put down in writing her method of effective one-on-one’s, and personalized management.

One-on-one’s, at SEOmoz, are a valuable asset to all of our employees. Quite simply, these meetings are consistently regular. The frequency and duration of the one-on-ones is at the manager’s discretion, however are typically weekly and at least 30 minutes long. All of the team managers at SEOmoz conduct one-on-ones, and therefore every employee has a guaranteed opportunity to voice needs and praise. They are also given the opportunity, most importantly, to assess their personal goals on a fairly frequent basis to ensure culture and happiness are in tune! Below are some useful ideas you may want to keep under your hat the next time you are in a review with one of your employees.

In conducting one-on-ones, the goal is to move beyond your role as a manager, and be an available ear for your teammate. In a room, with the door closed and pen in hand, you are all ears and eyes while sitting across from your teammate, ready to discuss and resolve performance concerns, and just generally talk about work. Not only are you setting goals in these meetings, you are also tracking their progress in achieving these goals; making you their biggest fan!

Image source here.

One-on-ones also help you establish what kind of manager you are, and need to be. This is the time to talk about what you can do to be a better manager, and learn what habits you have that either are or are not conducive to a productive work environment. Therefore, the one-on-ones are meant to be exactly that - a push and pull meeting where goals, complaints and praises are heard and resolved.   

There are lots of things to pay attention to in these meetings and below is a list of considerations to help you make them more effective:

Body Language:

  • Present an open presence by sitting facing each other, don’t cross your arms or turn away – you want to physically appear open and receptive.
  •  Make eye contact.
  •  Don’t look at your phone or your watch, give them your undivided attention. If you are worried about time, then set an alarm on your phone or make sure you do it in a room with a clock.  If your phone rings, don’t even look at it – the person across from you is your primary concern at that moment and they need to know it.  In the times when you might be expecting an important call, set that expectation at the start so the person is aware - which will make the interruption less jarring.
  • Take notes, not just because it helps you remember your conversation and follow ups, but because it shows that what they are saying is important.

The Basics

Although these sound like no-brainers, these points are so basic they are often overlooked. Punctuality, the Golden Rule, and Follow-up are seriously necessary in progressive one-on-ones.

Punctuality:   Showing up on time shows commitment. It also shows that you care about their schedule and time as much as your own.  You wouldn’t be late for a meeting with an important client, so treat your teammates with that same level of courtesy.

Golden Rule: Treat them with the same respect you would treat your boss, as well as the same respect you would want your boss to treat you. Make them feel like they are walking on sunshine! We should all feel like the dog in the picture below as often as possible, as well as make others feel the same way!


Follow-up is almost as important as the actual meeting. You don’t want to give the impression that you are just following protocol by hosting the meeting.

Even if this means a few sentences over email, Be sure to thank your teammate for meeting with you, and for their candidness, especially if some tough topics were raised in the meeting.

You should follow-up in more than one way - verbally and written, so that the hot points of your meeting are communicated effectively, and are transparent. That way you are on the same page, instead of just hinting at things. Suggestions can work with some people but not all people - use the Socratic Method as an example of how the conversation should flow.

A lot of times employees will bring up things that bother them or that they would like you to help them solve.  It is so important to make sure that you close the loop on these items.  Doing so will help you build a productive relationship and show your teammate they can trust you to act on their concerns.  In the event you aren’t able to fulfill their desires, then make sure you circle back and tell them why.  Sometimes this can be done in your next one on one meeting, but sending a little note or email is also very effective.

Hug me, Squeeze me, Kiss me, Kill me.

Publicly praise, privately criticize. Never yell. I once worked for a man who threw paperclips at my head - not cool. People want to do well at their jobs - so if they are not doing well, something obviously is wrong, and there is a possibility that something in their personal life is going on, or that they don’t have a skill set that would make their job less challenging. If they aren’t doing their job, maybe there is a lack of motivation for personal reasons, or skill reasons. If it is motivation, they might not like their job anymore, or aren’t good at what they are doing, or simply, just bored. It is important to understand when and where they are faltering so that you can make adjustments. Maybe they want to be promoted, maybe their chair is uncomfortable, maybe they need a new stapler.

Regardless of the reasons, make sure you take the time to ask questions and really listen to their responses. That way you can make changes or adjust before things escalate into major issues.

 

Image source here.

 

When I was 5, I wanted to be a horse trainer, not a secretary.

An important thing to consider is “what do they want to be when they grow up”. Especially if they are new to your team, you will find that most people don’t know or may not be open enough to tell you yet. They might be uncomfortable telling you because they are so far from meeting that goal, or because it’s not aligned with where their career is right now. They might also worry that by telling you it will ruin their career trajectory. This is something you should always avoid - make sure your employee knows that they can be open and honest with you.

For instance, a lot of people want to be in management but don’t have the skill-set and worry that they won’t reach it in the next two years. So, when presented with the “what do you want to be when you grow up” questions, they keep quiet, or they’ll say “I just want to be better at my job or learn new things.” Part of this statement may be true, and these are legitimate goals, but it doesn’t tell you what may be underlying. As their manager, you can still get the big picture and help the employee build those skills, but you have to ask the right questions.

Here are questions / conversation topics to help draw these answers out:

  • What do you think you are best at?
  • What do you love about your job?
  • What makes you tick?
  • What is part of your job now that you wish you could change or do less of?
  • Fill in the blank: You know it was a good day at work when ________.
  • Think of a time you were happy in your job.
     

The Weekly Meeting

It’s good to share stuff about yourself in your meeting with a teammate, it’s a one on one, and you’re not just a manger on report. When you open doors to conversation you build trust. For instance, tell them what you want to be when you grow up if you aren’t there yet. This can open the door to surprising conversation. Although in addition to free form conversation, it also helps to have a template, or format.

Even if you meet once a week with a person, it is useful to use the same questions. That way you both know what you are going to ask, and they will be conscientious of this during the week between meetings, and maybe make a mental note of something that applies. This ensures you always cover the important topics and make the most of your time together. Of course these won’t (and shouldn’t) take up the whole time, so it is also good to have other questions or topics prepared for discussion.

Listed below are questions that we liked to ask on a weekly basis:

  • What went well this week?
  • What could have gone better?
  • On a scale of 1-10, how happy are you? Why?
  • What makes this week a ____.
  • What would it take to make your week a 10?

The questions above not only quantify their mood, but also give you something to work with. These questions will also help you understand what they do and don’t like about their job. Asking for specific feedback about certain projects that you know they are working on, especially if they are new, or if it is taking a long time for them to complete a project. If you take good notes, you can also keep track of the weekly, or even monthly quantifier, which will give you a sense of whether you are getting the most of one another.

 

Gossip Can be Productive

 

Image source here.
 
Another great topic for these meetings is to talk about important events or challenges happening throughout the company.  This can include things like changes in staff, company strategy, certain deals, or even changes in policies like benefits. Don’t tell them about it; ask them their opinion so that it’s conversational. And if they don’t understand it, they have the opportunity to ask for clarification right there and then. If you don’t know at that moment - always get back to them in an email after you have done some research, but do it shortly thereafter (ideally in the same day) so they feel important and heard.

Ask for feedback on team members, and ask specifically, like “do you have any feedback for your teammates? (Here, it is good to encourage positive feedback, because sometimes employees see things you might miss giving you a great opportunity to praise someone else.  If it is negative, this is a great time to coach them to help their teammates.)

Specific questions often generate specific answers. If their answer is negative, try to get them to resolve the issue themselves. Encourage them to have one-on-ones with each other. It will force them to have those conversations with each other, and address those issues on their own. Additionally, in requesting feedback on their teammates, you become acquainted with their leadership potential, which could result in their promotion, and improve their happiness number.

Awkwardness can lead to greatness:

Image source here.

While figuring out what makes your teammates tick, remember to ask them what you can do to make their job easier, or help them to be more productive - that’s why you are there, after all. But this is not an easy task - you could be setting yourself up for a very awkward meeting. So, in order to Rico-Suave informative and honest answers out of your teammate, it’s important that you don’t take time away from their sessions, especially if they have a lot to say, so leave these questions for the end of the one-on-one.  Ask for feedback about yourself, not necessarily specific, but generally. These are hard questions for them to answer, but ask them, and be sure to wait patiently for their answers. Make a conscious effort to not react to bad feedback (that you asked for). Having them be a part of the solution will often help and always praise their idea before you criticize it. Here are some examples of questions you can ask:

  • What is one thing that I can do differently?
  • What was one thing that your last manager did that you like that I don’t do.
  • What do I do that you don’t like.
  • What can I be doing to help you more?
  • Do you have any feedback for me?
  • Is there anything I should start doing?  Stop doing?
  • How can I support you better?

When you ask these kinds of questions, you will have to learn to get comfortable with awkward silence. And you have to learn to just sit there, do not say anything until they respond, which can be really hard.  If you let them know you expect an answer and solicit feedback consistently, you may be amazed by what you hear.

The Dreaded One on One

Sometimes the hardest part of being a manager is delivering critical feedback.

Start the meeting with praise of their idea (of issue), and then talk about the issue, then listen to what they have to say. People want to do well, which is why giving tough critical feedback is hard; so let them vent and hear what they have to say. Then hash it out - focusing on going forward. It’s also important to not disagree with them (even though you might), but focus on what they can do to remedy the situation. Also, be sure to always focus on the future so that the conversation remains productive.

If diving right in doesn’t work with a particular teammate, try the “Oreo” concept: say something nice, give them the feedback, give them praise. In the event that the Oreo concept doesn’t work, it’s also okay to just dive right in and leave it at that – with some people being direct is the only way to get through to them.

Once you have addressed the anxiety-ridden issue, have them come up with a plan, then move on. It allows you to continue the conversation, and then recap in an email. Sure, the paper trail can be helpful, but more than that, some people process things verbally, others like to see it written out. By following up in email it clearly communicates (and reiterates) the important point and new expectations to all parties.

At the end of the one on one, thank them for being open, talk about the solution, and just recap the situation. And finally, in most cases it is helpful to make the feedback about the action or task, not the person, since it makes it less personal and more actionable. When you separate the two, you are inviting the involved party to create a solution, and therefore assess their own issues productively and responsibly.

Ending on a positive note:

Instead of a cheesy high-five, verbally state that you are happy with how the meeting went, or discuss something positive the meeting highlighted once again. Mixed signals and unnecessary meetings can make workers weary of their position, distract them from their priorities, and can make them dread their one-on-one’s. What you both take away from the meetings is equally important, but the underlying goal is to make sure you and your teammate trust one another, and can successfully communicate through problems and help each other reach career goals. If necessary, or if your last one-on-one ends on a bad note take them to lunch, or communicate that you are looking forward to the next one-on-one. If you are excited, they’ll be able to sense that, so utilize your outlook to influence theirs.


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Link Building with OSE & a Host of Other Tools

Posted: 19 Sep 2011 04:34 PM PDT

Posted by randfish

In late August, I gave a free webinar called Link Building with Open Site Explorer. As is usual, I couldn't limit myself to just a bunch of Moz tools (always feel a bit too self-promotional when I do that), so I ended up covering more than a few others as well. I also ran through a link building methodology and process that I've seen a lot of professional firms adopting lately, though their specific systems are more advanced and customized than what I'm illustrating.

Nevertheless, I thought it would be valuable to provide the webinar, in full video form, here on the blog, along with the slide deck. Many folks may not have found the webinar in our free webinars section (bottom of the page), and I think this info is pretty useful for anyone investing in link building and wanting to use OSE.

Here's the video (92 minutes in total, the last 30 are Q+A):

And here's the slide deck:

 

 

The tools I cover/mention include:

  1. Open Site Explorer
  2. Google (crazy, I know)
  3. The MozBar
  4. Excel or Google Spreadsheets
  5. Free SEOmoz API Key
  6. FollowerWonk
  7. LinkedIn
  8. Blogscape
  9. Google Reader
  10. Google AdPlanner
  11. MoreOfIt
  12. Link Acquisition Assistant
  13. FindPeopleOnPlus
  14. SEER Interactive's Twitter Link Building Spreadsheet (w/ Export.ly)

If you're PRO, I'm doing another webinar this morning (about 9 hours after publishing this post at 10:30am Pacific, 1:30pm Eastern, 6:30pm London) on the End of Search without Social, and once again, I'll be illustrating a number of tactics that I think can be helpful for search marketing.

p.s. Sorry for the non-unique content post; I'm just way behind this week and working to catch up. Hopefully it's not too terrible a sin. Promise to be back on my blog game soon(ish), maybe after Mozcation Lima this week (oh man am I excited about that!).


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Is Having a High Exit Rate Bad Graywolf's SEO Blog

Is Having a High Exit Rate Bad Graywolf's SEO Blog


Is Having a High Exit Rate Bad

Posted: 20 Sep 2011 10:50 AM PDT

Post image for Is Having a High Exit Rate Bad

Is having a high exit rate bad? In pursuit determining whether Google is using analytics data to ranks SERPS, many marketers put undue focus and weight on factors like bounce rate and exit rate instead of taking a more holistic look at the statistics in relation to one another and what they really mean.

determine if the high exit rate is because it’s part of the flow or natural process, like end of content series or checkout process… 
Is having a high exit rate bad? It depends. To understand the problem, we need to take a step back. Every analytics program will differ slightly, but exit rate technically means this is the last page someone visited on your website. The real question is whether someone left because they reached a logical conclusion or found the answer to what they where looking for–or whether they left because they didn’t.

As an example, if you have an article series on the top 5 places to visit in the Caribbean, and you did it head and tail style, it would make sense that tail piece number 5 would have a higher exit rate than tail piece number 1. However, if your head piece has a high exit rate, then you probably didn’t do a good enough job of creating linkbait that matched your title.

Another factor you need to look at is time on site.

High Exit Rate High On Site Time

These pages have a high exit rate but also have a high on site time. This usually means the people are reading the content and it is helpful. Compare that to the page below with a high exit rate of x% and low on site time of x%

Some pages will have a high exit rate because they are the final step in a process, like checkout confirmation, or email subscription. If you use affiliate links and mask them through a redirect, that redirect page will have a high exit percentage as well. I recommend blocking bounce/redirect pages in most cases, but sometimes there are exceptions.

Other factors to consider are advertising income, affiliate commissions, social interaction, bookmarking, and printing. For example, some tutorial pages or information pages have a high likelihood of being printed. Consider all these factors before rewriting, updating, or deleting a page.

You may also want to read is Is a High Bounce Rate Bad.

So what are the takeaways from this post:

  • Try to identify pages with a high exit rate as part of your regular content audit.
  • Try to determine if the high exit rate is because it’s part of the flow or natural process, like end of content series or checkout process.
  • Look at other factors, such as time on site, social bookmarking, sharing, or printing.
  • Only when you have determined that a page isn’t doing its intended function, should you update, rewrite, or delete the page.

photo credit: Shutterstock

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Is Having a High Exit Rate Bad

"This is not class warfare. It’s math."

The White House Your Daily Snapshot for
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
 

"This is not class warfare. It's math."

Yesterday, President Obama unveiled a plan for economic growth and deficit reduction that details how to pay for the American Jobs Act while also paying down our debt over time.

The President’s plan lays out a blueprint that will enable Washington to live within its means, something Americans across the country have been doing for years. And the balanced approach means that no one group has to bear the burden alone. It means that everyone – including millionaires and billionaires – has to pay their fair share.

Learn more and watch the President's remarks.

Photo of the Day

President Barack Obama meets with advisors before a phone call with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany in the Oval Office, Sept. 19, 2011. Briefing the President are, from left: Liz Sherwood-Randall, Special Assistant to the President and NSC Senior Director for European Affairs; Mike Froman, Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs; and Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

In Case You Missed It

Here are some of the top stories from the White House blog.

The United States Releases its Open Government National Action Plan
This global initiative supports efforts to promote more transparent, effective, and accountable institutions globally, and builds directly on steps President Obama has taken to strengthen democracy and promote a more efficient and effective government through greater openness

How Do You Think Federal Websites Can Improve?
As part of President Obama's Campaign to Cut Waste and the Administration's overall commitment to improving customer service, we're taking a fresh look at how government information and services are delivered on the Internet

President Obama: Washington Has to Live within its Means
The President's plan for economic growth and deficit reduction offers a balanced approach to get our fiscal house in order, based on the values of shared responsibility and shared sacrifice

Today's Schedule

All times are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

10:15 AM: The President meets with the Transitional National Council (TNC) Chairman, Mustafa Abdel Jalil

10:30 AM: The President attends a Libya Contact Group Meeting WhiteHouse.gov/live

11:00 AM: The Vice President and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Karen Mills visit Wrap Tite, Inc in Solon, Ohio WhiteHouse.gov/live

11:45 AM: The President holds a bilateral meeting with President Hamid Karzai of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

1:55 PM: The President meets with President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil

2:15 PM: The President and President Dilma Rousseff join in a family photo with leaders attending the Open Government Partnership Event

2:25 PM: The President attends the Open Government Partnership Event WhiteHouse.gov/live

4:30 PM: The President attends a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey

8:20 PM: The President and The First Lady attend a DNC Event

WhiteHouse.gov/live Indicates events that will be live streamed on WhiteHouse.gov/Live

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9 Ways to Sharpen Up Your Paid Search

Posted: 19 Sep 2011 06:16 AM PDT

If you're already using paid search marketing, how can you improve your results? Here are nine tips for sharpening up your campaigns.

Use conversion tracking & Google Analytics
Which keywords produce what results? Which cause people to make purchases, which result in newsletter sign-ups, which drive traffic to your forum or blog? You need tracking to answer these questions. AdWords (or AdCenter) will tell you what ads searchers click, but it won't say what they do when they get to your site.

If you don't have any conversion tracking installed yet, then install it. AdWords and AdCenter have their own conversion tracking, which records a conversion when someone who clicked on an ad subsequently visits a page on your site with conversion tracking code. This is usually a 'thank you' page for a sign up, or a receipt page after a purchase – it depends on your website's goals.

Having Google Analytics is in some ways better than just conversion tracking, as it can tell you about the behaviour of visitors who didn't convert. Analytics tells you which keywords result in bounces, which pages searchers visit and how long they stay on site. If you've got an e-commerce site, you want Analytics for its e-commerce tracking – then you can link keywords to the revenue they generate (and so calculate their ROI).

If you're not using Google AdWords, you can still use Google Analytics: use URL tagging to pass along information on keywords and ads.

It doesn't matter what quality score, CPC or CTR a keyword has if nothing happens when the searchers reach your website. With conversion tracking you can tell if keywords give results – and then all the other metrics matter, as they help you maximise the results and minimise the cost.

Use a trail of keywords
Your mission is to make it easy for the searcher to click, land and convert. The searcher's intent is shown in their search term, so you want to use that same term both in your ad copy and on the landing page. That makes it simple for the searcher to see how relevant your website is, and avoids getting them frustrated and clicking away. Also the call-to-action in your ad should reflect the language on the landing page, to reinforce the message of what the searcher should do.

Highlight your best deal
You only have a small space in your ad in which to get searchers' notice, so make sure you really hook their attention. Lead with your unique selling point or a special offer. If you have a great price for the product they've searched for then include it (and make sure this product and price is prominent in the ad's landing page). This will encourage them to spend time looking around your website.

Test your copy
It's not just the success of your keywords you should be continuously assessing. The ad copy dictates whether or not someone will click on it, and also sets the tone for the visit to your website. Test different ad copy for your keywords and make sure your words are working for you. You can also try to save costs by prequalifying traffic with your ad text: mention price information or the intended audience (e.g. "for small business") to avoid clicks from people who will not convert.

Improve your quality score and relevance
If you're using Google AdWords, then a higher quality score will give you a higher ad rank, which means that you'll get better ad position or cheaper clicks. Of course, improving quality score isn't straightforward. Google does not say precisely how they calculate it, nor how they measure 'relevance'. The column labelled 'Quality Score' in AdWords isn't true quality score – that depends on the combination of keyword, ad and search term and is recalculated at every search – but it does give an indication of which keywords need attention. The main factor of Google's quality score is click through rate.

(If you're using Microsoft AdCenter, quality score doesn't affect ad position, but if it's too low it will limit the eligibility of your ads to be served. Again, CTR is one of the main factors.)

Improve CTR by making sure your keywords are as relevant as possible to your website. Check search query reports and use negative keywords to get rid of irrelevant searches. Try splitting bigger ad groups into smaller, more tightly targeted ad groups with highly tailored ad text.

Use niche keywords
The obvious keywords may have large search volumes, but they also have high competition and high CPC. By advertising around more niche keywords and phrases, you can drive far more relevant traffic to your pages and often pay less. There are several tools to help if you're stuck for words to start testing: WordStream's Keyword Niche Finder is designed especially for the task, but you can also use the Google Keyword Tool or Übersuggest for free if you don't mind the results being less well organised. You can also find ideas from search query reports, if you have keywords on broad or phrase match – this has the advantage that you have a more accurate idea of the search term's CPC.

Of course, you have to use your judgement and knowledge of your site to make sure the niche is suitable! If a keyword isn't relevant but get lots of impressions, then use it as a negative keyword to keep the unwanted searches away.

Go local
This may not be relevant for all business, but for some it is an opportunity to get clicks from very targeted potential customers.

You can geotarget with geographical search terms – for example, advertising around 'Oxford SEO' instead of 'SEO'. This is a sort of niche keyword, as above: these keywords are likely to be both better targeted and cheaper, maximising your returns.

An alternative is to set up a geotargeted campaign to only display in your locale, where you can afford to bid higher as the searchers are more likely to convert.

Even if you don't think your website would benefit from targeting local searches, you can still check to see if there are areas with high impressions and good conversion rates – use the Geographic view in the Dimensions.

Expand
If you've got a campaign in your account which is doing well but is losing impression share from a restrictive daily budget, then give it a more money. If you've got keywords which get high conversion rates but low CTR because of bad positions, raise the bids to improve their positions and see if they continue to convert.

If your paid search is working well and delivering a good return, then it's time to consider upping your game by increasing your spend. If your business has the capacity to increase turnover then you should consider growing an existing successful pay-per-click campaign.

Analyse and test, test and analyse
Small businesses with no dedicated search marketer often set up advertising around a set of keywords and then ignore it. But a good paid search campaign is constantly monitored, tweaked and sharpened in order to maximise the returns. Even just a few hours every week or two can really make a difference.

© SEOptimise - Download our free business guide to blogging whitepaper and sign-up for the SEOptimise monthly newsletter. 9 Ways to Sharpen Up Your Paid Search

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Seth's Blog : "Please complain"

"Please complain"

Acquiring and processing user feedback is a choice.

There are good reasons to hide from it:

  • You might believe that inviting disgruntled customers to call or write to someone who will actually take action will encourage them to become more disgruntled. If no one is listening, the thinking goes, then perhaps the annoyed will quietly go away.
  • You might believe that it's expensive to listen to squeaky wheels, particularly if you have someone in authority (as opposed to a low-paid clerk) actually listening and responding.
  • You might believe that the noisy minority don't share the objectives of the rest of your audience, particularly the higher-paying and silent majority.

On the other hand, you might believe:

  • That direct feedback in real time is a competitive advantage which will help you grow.
  • That assuaging an unhappy customer now is worth way more than negative word of mouth later.

Whichever strategy you choose, you should choose. It's the middle way that vexes... the pretending, the grudging acceptance, the insertion of many levels of filters--when you do this, you get none of the benefits of either plan.

If you want people to speak up, be clear and mean it. If you don't, don't pretend.

 

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