Speakers:
Cam Balzer, Director of Search Strategy, Performics Inc.
Stephan Spencer, Founder and President, Netconcepts, LLC
Marshall Clark, Director of Search, Organic
Liana Evans, Director of Internet Marketing, KeyRelevance
Marty Weintraub, President, aimClear

This session focuses on balancing search-engine friendly practices with a persuasive and engaging visitor experience. Leading search engine optimization trends and advanced techniques for optimizing sites will be discussed by industry experts and Chris Murvine, Global Internet Marketing Manager at Promega will share advanced Google tips and tricks. There will also be a hands-on component in the afternoon with exercises to apply learnings and to develop SEO strategies you can use for your organization.

Presentors:
Jody Hartwig, Vice President, E-Business
Jeff Muendel, Online Marketing Analyst

UW Consortium event description page

Moderator:
Danny Sullivan, Editor-in-Chief, Search Engine Land

Speakers:
Lise Broer “Durova”, Administrator, Wikipedia
Jonathan Hochman, Founder/President, Hochman Consultants
Matt McGee, SEO Manager, Marchex
Jeff Muendel, Search and Online Marketing Analyst, Netconcepts

Moderator:
Danny Sullivan, Editor-in-Chief, Search Engine Land

Speakers:
Lise Broer “Durova”, Administrator, Wikipedia
Jonathan Hochman, Founder/President, Hochman Consultants
Jeff Muendel, Search and Online Marketing Analyst, Netconcepts

A Facebook application (or “app” for short) is simply a small program that can be placed on a user’s site to lend some form of added functionality to the generic interface. Applications are popular because individual users can customize pages to their needs and desires. One of the more interesting recent apps, for example, is the Zombies app wherein users bite their friends, who then also become zombies if, of course, they add the app to their page. It’s fun, simple, viral and monetized by horror movie advertisements in the app interface.

Ecommerce sites have had varying degrees of success with these applications, correlated directly to how useful or fun the apps are. These small programs need to have viral attributes — those hard-to-define qualities that make users want to add the app to their page and share it with their friends. BlueNile.com has created the “Blue Nile Wish List” app, which keeps friends informed about what jewelry an individual would like to purchase (or have gifted!) from the site. Buy.com has created the “Garage Sale” app, which ties the sale of used merchandise into their system. Rather than use branded Buy.com elements, the interface looks like a generic garage sale sign easily purchased at any hardware store, and the connection to Buy.com isn’t immediately apparent. It’s just a little ol’ online rummage sale! And therein lies its charm.

So, what exactly does it take to create a Facebook app? A knowledgeable programmer is one way (and they really need to know the Facebook coding parameters), and if you have one available to you it shouldn’t be a time-consuming project. Short of a good programmer, there are services like Clearspring.com. This company’s software can take just about anything — a small Flash program, animated gif, or even a static graphic — and wrap the proper code around it to make it a Facebook-ready application. And, their basic services are free. If multiple apps are in your future, consider their paid programs.

Creating an application that goes viral, of course, is the key and the hardest part. One tool many application developers are referencing is Adonomics.com, a site that tracks Facebook apps like a stock market. At the site, all the hottest apps are listed with many statistics about their growth popularity including graphs on daily active users, total number of users, ranking, related applications and links to the apps themselves. It makes for an ideal Facebook application research tool; identifying trends in either the design or concept of these apps allows both marketing departments and app developers to spot certain successful elements that can be applied to their own applications.

Creating a Facebook app doesn’t have to be expensive or intensive, and ecommerce sites would be remiss not to create at least one. Facebook makes it very easy to get an app up on its site because it wants as many apps as possible. Creating one that will be popular and go viral is the challenge for everyone, but there are research tools to help in that regard. If you don’t have the staff to develop an application from the ground up, there are white label opportunities out there that will take even a remedial design and wrap it in the code needed to get it live. My advice: Come up with your viral angle, keep it simple and put it together!Ye

Target Marketing: What preparation did Cabela’s complete before implementing the search management platform?
Derek Fortna:The technical team had to implement some server side rules and apply some tags to the Web site. The process was completed over a total time spend of about 10 hours over the course of thirty days, and the software team handled the other aspects.

TM: What, if any, challenges did Cabela’s face when implementing the search management platform, and how did it work through those challenges?
DF: Things went smoothly. The software team planed the implementations cooperatively with us to ensure the solution stays true to the business strategy, the user experience on the site and takes into consideration things such as merchandising.

TM: How did creating a real-time, Web-crawler version of Cabela’s site allow you to optimize your existing pages without forcing a complete site rebuild?
DF: First, it’s important to understand that the pages that GravityStream generates are optimized user experiences for both human and nonhuman users. Having descriptive copy on a page, rather than only images, is good for everyone. The program allowed us to use natural search optimization without having to worry about the heavy lift of redesign. The program does this by creating on-the-fly pages that are based on a set of business rules created during the program implementation.

TM: What results have you seen since implementing the search management platform? How significant was the increase in Google rankings?
DF: Cabela’s enjoys page one, and in lots of cases, much higher rankings on a number of long-tail, unbranded terms that generate a large quantity of new-to-file Web purchases. For example, we now have higher rankings on terms like ‘hunting socks,’ ‘boat seats’ and ‘camp chairs.’ The increase across the board for Cabela’s was significant. The new program shattered indexation goals by 45 percent, which led to 200 percent more traffic and 50 percent more sales. Cabela’s brand is well positioned in over 200,000 long-tail search markets, with over 40,000 pages driving traffic.

Solution: Use buzzworthy anecdotes, video and catchy titles

Results: A 14-percent increase in blog-driven sales and spikes of 1,000 sessions per day after each post that contribute to repeat traffic

Steve Spangler, famous for creating a 30-foot geyser of Diet Coke by dropping Mentos into a soda bottle, not only has mastered the art of science, but also the art of blogging to optimize natural search results and increase Web sales. Founder and CEO of Steve Spangler Science, a multichannel firm that sells educational toys, Spangler says the overall goal of his blog is to convey information in a fun, thought-provoking way. From a simple site with science toys and experiments, Steve Spangler Science has grown exponentially by using fun stories, catchy titles and newsworthy blog topics to catch the eyes of reporters, search engines and, ultimately, parents and teachers.

When he sat down to write his first blog, Spangler didn’t think he had anything interesting enough to discuss. However, after hearing that Insta-Snow, a product his company sells, was featured as a popular “stupid product” on a “Good Morning America” review of e-tailer Stupid.com, Spangler found what looked like a promising topic. According to Stephan Spencer, president and founder of Netconcepts, the SEM firm that works with Steve Spangler Science, leveraging a hot news story is one way to help drive Web site traffic. Spangler’s Insta-Snow blog piggybacked on the interest generated by the current media coverage by describing the story of a woman who got out of a speeding ticket after using the science toy. Spangler says she told the officer she had just left a science training seminar and convinced him she could make it snow. The officer told her that if she could, he would let her go without a ticket. Spangler says, “Lo and behold, she made snow by the side of the road. Not only did the officer excuse her ticket, he [also] asked for the Web site so he could buy Insta-Snow for his kids. We knew when we heard this story, it was like gold falling into our laps.”

What was it about this story that worked for Spangler’s blog? The anecdote surprised readers while showcasing the product’s usefulness or wow factor. “Myself and my customer service team are trained to know that when we hear a great story, we could be very successful by sharing it with everyone through our blog,” he says.

Another solution for increasing Web traffic via a blog is to use catchy titles to attract the attention of news outlets for additional exposure. For example, when blogging about one of his latest group trainings in Florida, Spangler planned to title the post, “Teachers perform hands-on science experiments as inquiry-based learning progresses in Bravard County.” Spencer said that to be effective, Spangler needed to find a great picture and develop a powerful title. Together, they came up with, “Parents Beware: Teachers Gone Wild.” Spangler says, “This was great Google juice! The search engines picked up on it, and we got links back to it from all over.” The flashy titles are fed through RSS and XML feeds to drive clickthroughs, which very quickly becomes viral marketing. Spangler also participates in media activities that drive traffic to find him through search engines. For example, each week his relationship with NBC/Channel 9 in Denver provides video clips placed both on his Web site and on YouTube. According to Netconcepts, these have trememdous viral reach, as well as support both link building and search placement.

In addition to using his own blog to fuel SEO results, Spangler also leverages blog interaction to drive clicks and links via social networking. He helps teachers develop their own science blogs for interaction with students, which often leads them to link to his blog in their postings. Again, this link activity and the blog visits that are a natural part of the blog development process for teachers and students all lead to better SEO results for Spangler’s site.

For small-business owners trying to increase Web traffic and generate more sales, Spangler says, “Two things are of utmost importance: 1.) Make sure you have something to say and [that] someone wants to hear it. Find some niche area on the Web where people are talking about what you are merchandising, or thinking about merchandising, and talk to them directly; 2.) Always ensure your blog features your own distinct voice. When starting a blog, a lot of business owners will see it as almost a diet pill. To stay with the same metaphor, a diet requires exercise, eating right and hard work—not simply a pill.”

Adding a blog isn’t a quick fix if there are holes in your business or marketing strategy, he points out, “but if hard work is put into it, and it is given a chance to develop and find its place in the online community, the results can be breathtaking.”

—Kate DeBevois

It’s not often that an ecommerce site is going to have naturally occurring link bait, because baiting isn’t just about selling. The best link bait may not try to sell at all, but rather simply tie itself to something of interest with regard to your products. Thus, more than likely, the bait is something you’re going to have to make an effort to create.

One great avenue for link bait is social media – sites like MySpace, YouTube, Digg and Facebook allow users to share and promote content and opinions, almost always for free. Social media sites (sometimes referred to as Web 2.0 sites since most are based on Web 2.0 technologies) are quickly becoming primary promotional vehicles, and the very core of that promotion is link bait.

Creating link bait on social media sites opens the opportunity to reach a large audience of users actively seeking the new, the interesting, and the fun. If these users like your link bait, it will be promoted and your links will proliferate. So, what kind of bait can an ecommerce site create?

• MySpace.com — Oscar Mayer isn’t a true ecommerce site, but it has a MySpace profile for their famous Wienermobile. Victoria’s Secret mirrors their “Pink” campaign on a MySpace page and have accrued 197,783 friends. Importantly, a hip MySpace page can drive traffic back to your corporate site. Do you have a mascot? Can you create a contest and give away prizes? Is there an interesting or funny angle to take on your business? A profile here also allows you to create MySpace groups focused on dedicated subjects, like your company or what it sells. Either way, make sure to include links to your native site.
• YouTube.com — an interesting or funny video can be made about almost anything! Blendtec.com is a great example. They make videos of their blenders blending anything from golf balls to iPhones. It’s hard not to enjoy these. They make sure to incorporate URLs back to their corporate site both within the video and on the YouTube page. As a result, traffic to the corporate site has increased dramatically.
• Facebook — the resurrection of this site is largely due to their open policy on Facebook applications. Anyone is allowed to add their own app, and many ecommerce companies are offering them up. Development is streamlined and made as easy as possible. Facebook wants these applications!
• StumbleUpon, Digg, and Del.icio.us — have an odd or interesting story about what you sell? Post it to these news-oriented and bookmarking sites. If the story hits a nerve with the users, links and traffic will increase exponentially as the story is shared.

Keep in mind that these sites are social, and by definition of that, all things “prefab” and corporate will by and large be ignored. A successful social media campaign needs to steer clear of corporate feel and aim at communicating with attitude; apply your street smarts, not your MBA. Also, be careful not to overdo the backlinks you incorporate in any given piece of bait. Users on these sites are looking for the “cool factor,” not to be taken in by link bait. Too many links will immediately be viewed as an attempt at link baiting, and your content will be shunned.

There are, of course, many more social media sites than the few, large entities mentioned so far. Other important possibilities include blogs, news sites, and sites that might be focused on some part of your business. If you’re selling shoes, for example, seek out blogs that deal with fashion or shoes specifically (there are many more than you might think!). A pet supplies store might seek out Dogster.com, Catster.com or even the dating site, Datemypet.com. In each of these scenarios, sign up and get to know the culture. Once you understand the general disposition of the site, start formulating link bait that panders to that culture.

Above all, try to have fun with your social media link bait. It’s likely that you have a passion for what you sell. The more the link bait speaks to you, or makes you giggle, or raises the hair on the back of your neck, the more likely it’s going to do the same for others. Always be respectful and good-natured when dealing with these communities, but also look for that which will stand out.

Not all photo-sharing sites are perfect when it comes to social media optimization (SMO). A quick comparison of some particularly popular photo-sharing sites shows that one stands out for its inherently search-engine-friendly design.

Read the conclusion of Picture This here, and learn how you can use and optimize images through Flickr, an SEO-friendly photo-sharing site.