A presentation at Intelligent Content Conference 2013 in in San Francisco, CA, USA by Jonathon Colman
STOP THE PAIN Image copyright © Maks Karochkin - http://www.flickr.com/photos/karochkin/3674906958
ENTERPRISE SEO & CONTENT STRATEGY Image copyright © nadi0 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/nadio/385590715
WORKING TOGETHER TO STOP THE PAIN Image copyright © nadi0 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/nadio/385590715
JONATHON COLMAN PRINCIPAL EXPERIENCE ARCHITECT WWW.REI.COM TWITTER @JCOLMAN Image copyright © nadi0 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/nadio/385590715
Logo copyright © REI - http://www.REI.com/
CORE VALUES MATTER Logo copyright © REI - http://www.REI.com/
AT REI WE INSPIRE, EDUCATE, AND OUTFIT FOR A LIFETIME OF OUTDOOR ADVENTURE AND STEWARDSHIP. Logo © REI© - http://www.REI.com/ Logocopyright copyright REI - http://www.REI.com/
AT REI WE INSPIRE, EDUCATE, AND OUTFIT FOR A LIFETIME OF HEY, THAT’S CONTENT STRATEGY… RIGHT IN OUR MISSION! Logo © REI© - http://www.REI.com/ Logocopyright copyright REI - http://www.REI.com/ OUTDOOR ADVENTURE AND STEWARDSHIP.
AT REI WE VALUE AUTHENTICITY, TRANSPARENCY, AND FRIENDLY EXPERTISE. Logo © REI© - http://www.REI.com/ Logocopyright copyright REI - http://www.REI.com/
SO LET ME BE CLEAR ABOUT MY INTENTIONS TODAY… Logo copyright © REI - http://www.REI.com/
I’M NOT HERE TO TURN YOU INTO NERDS Image copyright © macQ - http://www.flickr.com/photos/macq/4628281600
I’M HERE TO STOP THE PAIN Image copyright © Maks Karochkin - http://www.flickr.com/photos/karochkin/3674906958
THE PAIN Image copyright © hang_in_there - http://www.flickr.com/photos/59632563@N04/6238711264 BETWEEN SEOs AND CONTENT STRATEGISTS
WHY? SEOs NEED YOUR HELP. SO DO THEIR CUSTOMERS. SO DO THE SEARCH ENGINES.
WHY? YOU NEED HELP FROM SEOs, TOO. *
CORE VALUES MATTER Image copyright © jaredflo - http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaredflo/219190131
SO WE’LL START BY EXPOSING A FEW OLD MYTHS Image copyright © jaredflo - http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaredflo/219190131
MYTH: YOU CAN SHORT-CUT YOUR WAY TO SEO Image copyright © David July - http://www.flickr.com/photos/mountsutro/4667697699
REALITY: SUSTAINABLE SEO REQUIRES LONGTERM INVESTMENT.
REALITY: SUSTAINABLE SEO REQUIRES LONGTERM INVESTMENT. WE BEGAN INVESTING IN SEO WAY BACK IN 2007.
MYTH: YOU HAVE TO SPAM TO RANK Image copyright © alsis35 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/alsis35/7325200906
REALITY: ENGAGING CONTENT IS MORE IMPORTANT FOR SEO THAN EVER BEFORE. Image copyright © unknown - http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/181jyg51mqy12jpg/original.jpg
SPAM CAN’T DO THIS Image copyright © Radian6 - http://www.radian6.com/blog/2012/10/how-red-bull-stratos-successfully-soared-across-social-media/
RANK MUST BE EARNED.
RANK MUST BE EARNED. SPAM CAN’T GET THESE RANKINGS FOR A BRAND NAME SEARCH
AS WELL AS CLICK-THROUGH.
“RICH SNIPPETS” IN SEARCH CAN INCREASE CLICK-THROUGH BY 30% AS WELL AS CLICK-THROUGH.
NOT TO MENTION CONVERSION.
THE STRUCTURED CONTENT DRIVING OUR “RICH SNIPPETS” ORIGNAL, BRAND-DRIVEN PRODUCT INFORMATION WRITTEN BY OUR TEAM OF IN-HOUSE EXPERTS NOT TO MENTION CONVERSION.
MYTH: SEO TAKES AWAY FROM MY OTHER EFFORTS Image copyright © dfb - http://www.flickr.com/photos/geodanny/7031816979
REALITY: THESE CHANNELS WORK BETTER TOGETHER THAN THEY DO APART. Image copyright © Rand Fishkin/SEOmoz - http://www.seomoz.org/blog/inbound-marketing-is-taking-off
YOU CAN EVEN USE SEO METRICS TO CREATE BUSINESS $$$ Image copyright © Rand Fishkin/SEOmoz - http://www.seomoz.org/blog/inbound-marketing-is-taking-off CASES TO SUPPORT YOUR OTHER WORK.
WE USED SEO METRICS TO SUPPORT WEB PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION
WE USED SEO METRICS TO SUPPORT WEB PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION
MYTH: SEO IS FOR ROBOTS, NOT PEOPLE Image copyright © whirledkid - http://www.flickr.com/photos/whirledkid/3263379234
REALITY: ROBOTS DON’T HAVE CREDIT CARDS. SO THEY’RE NOT OUR AUDIENCE. Image copyright © 401(K) 2012 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/68751915@N05/6280507539
BUT HUMANS DESIGN ROBOTS… THERE’S PART OF US INSIDE THEM. Image copyright © unknown - http://i.stack.imgur.com/pcXBR.jpg
ROBOTS ACT AS OUR PERSONAL WAYFINDING AGENTS.
WE USE THEM TO FIND THE THINGS THAT WE NEED. Image copyright © Water Cooler Bob - http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobpoole/5937972676
WE USE THEM TO FIND THE THINGS THAT WE NEED. Image copyright © Water Cooler Bob - http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobpoole/5937972676
Image copyright © bre pettis - http://www.flickr.com/photos/bre/155276746/
DESIGN FOR REAL PEOPLE Image copyright © bre pettis - http://www.flickr.com/photos/bre/155276746/
DESIGN FOR REAL PEOPLE ACCOUNT FOR Image copyright © bre pettis - http://www.flickr.com/photos/bre/155276746/ THE ROBOTS
MYTH: SEO IS JUST ABOUT TEXT Image copyright © dwyman - http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwyman/92490928
REALITY: THE GOOGLE KEYWORD TOOL IS NOT AN EDITORIAL DICTATOR.
KEYWORD VOLUME IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR EDITORIAL GOVERNANCE.
WRITE FROM YOUR AUDIENCE’S NEEDS OUT, NOT FROM THE KEYWORDS IN. Image copyright © Note Booker, Esq. - http://www.flickr.com/photos/notebookeresq/4798286779/
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS VIDEO KEYWORD RESEARCH CAN’T DO THIS. Video copyright © Dollar Shave Club - http://www.dollarshaveclub.com/
SEARCH ENGINES REWARD YOU FOR BUILDING BRANDS, NOT FOR USING KEYWORDS Video copyright © Dollar Shave Club - http://www.dollarshaveclub.com/
SEARCH ENGINES REWARD YOU FOR BUILDING BRANDS, NOT FOR USING KEYWORDS Video copyright © Dollar Shave Club - http://www.dollarshaveclub.com/
MYTH: SEO IS JUST ABOUT LINKS Image copyright © ravages - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ravages/2831688538
REALITY: GOOD LINKS ARE IMPORTANT, BUT GOOD EXPERIENCES ARE ESSENTIAL.
NEED TO BUILD LINKS? START BY BUILDING OUT GREAT CONTENT.
MYTH: YOU HAVE TO BUY LINKS Image copyright © 401(K) 2012 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/68751915@N05/6355388579
REALITY: THIS IS FINALLY NO LONGER TRUE.
GOOGLE’S PENGUIN UPDATES PENALIZE MOST PAID LINKS Image copyright © unknown - http://www.gifbin.com/981126
…BUT IT DOESN’T HELP THAT LINK SELLERS ARE STILL IN THE INDEX.
MYTH: SEO IS DEAD Image copyright © Joe Shlabotnik - http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/6508884077
REALITY: BELIEVE WHAT YOU LIKE…
REALITY: BELIEVE WHAT YOU LIKE… BUT I’LL BELIEVE THE DATA.
REALITY: BELIEVE WHAT YOU LIKE… BUT I’LL BELIEVE THE DATA. OUR EARLY INVESTMENT IN SEO REALLY PAID OFF!
STOP BELIEVING THE MYTHS. Image copyright © nadi0 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/nadio/385590715
SEO WORKS BEST WHEN IT’S BUILT INTO CONTENT STRATEGY Image copyright © ludovicp - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ludovicpoitou/4598981013
SEO WORKS BEST WHEN IT’S BUILT INTO CONTENT STRATEGY YES, SEO IS THE CAN OPENER. Image copyright © ludovicp - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ludovicpoitou/4598981013
4 WAYS TO BUILD SEO INTO YOUR CONTENT STRATEGY WORK Image copyright © StArHaCkT - http://www.flickr.com/photos/bscherer/5383527652
CONTENT AUDIT [ 1/4 ] Include traffic and conversion metrics – not rank Image copyright © 27147 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/27147/3411775886
CONTENT AUDIT [ 2/4 ] Audit for metadata formats, not just <meta> content Image copyright © paul bica - http://www.flickr.com/photos/dexxus/5794905716
CONTENT AUDIT [ 3/4 ] Don’t waste your time with <meta> keywords Image copyright © gcaserotti - http://www.flickr.com/photos/hams-caserotti/3423139774
CONTENT AUDIT [ 4/4 ] Include competitive link-graph and social-graph data Image copyright © LinkedIn Labs - http://inmaps.linkedinlabs.com/network
PAGE TABLES [ 1/3 ] Include entry points to your pages Image copyright © paul bica - http://www.flickr.com/photos/dexxus/5791228117
PAGE TABLES [ 2/3 ] Review content experience on all page entry points Image copyright © sveeta - http://www.flickr.com/photos/sveeta/427418322
PAGE TABLES [ 3/3 ] Add competitor details, analyze any experience gaps Image copyright © mrwilleeumm - http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrwilleeumm/2108370839
METADATA STRATEGY [ 1/3 ] Move beyond <META> content into actual metadata Image copyright © Jonathan O’Donnell - http://www.flickr.com/photos/jod999/923209521
METADATA STRATEGY [ 2/3 ] Common formats: FB OpenGraph, Schema.org, RDFa Image copyright © sam_churchill - http://www.flickr.com/photos/samchurchill/8022804713
METADATA STRATEGY [ 3/3 ] Review how content is perceived without context Image copyright © WarzauWynn - http://www.flickr.com/photos/warzauwynn/2513436278
GOVERNANCE [ 1/4 ] Document and socialize your standards Image copyright © plums_deify - http://www.flickr.com/photos/10279741@N00/4851830784
GOVERNANCE [ 2/4 ] Follow-up with a bold accountability model Image copyright © wesbolton - http://www.flickr.com/photos/wesbolton/2717013932
GOVERNANCE [ 3/4 ] Incentivize staff to support your standards Image copyright © Miss Millificent - http://www.flickr.com/photos/athena1970/2860563297
GOVERNANCE [ 4/4 ] Incentivize management to support their teams Image copyright © DIRTYSKYWALKER - http://www.flickr.com/photos/52597330@N06/4869623393
6 TOOLS FOR MEASURING SEO TO INFORM YOUR CONTENT STRATEGY Image copyright © Kaptain Kobold - http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaptainkobold/4668396738
CHALLENGE: DUPLICATE CONTENT Image copyright © Sam ULs - http://www.flickr.com/photos/popilop/331357312
SIGN UP HERE!
CHALLENGE: SEMANTIC MARKUP Image copyright © danbri - http://www.flickr.com/photos/danbri/5925660995
GET STARTED HERE! 2. GOOGLE RICH SNIPPETS TESTING TOOL google.com/webmasters/tools/richsnippets
CHALLENGE: WHO’S LINKING? WHERE? Image copyright © Ravages - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ravages/2831688538
GET A GREAT TUTORIAL HERE! 3. SEOMOZ OPEN SITE EXPLORER opensiteexplorer.org
CHALLENGE: HOW TO AUDIT LINK DATA? Image copyright © kenteegardin - http://www.flickr.com/photos/teegardin/5912231439
GET GREAT TECH NOTES HERE! 4. SEOGADGET LINKS API EXT. FOR EXCEL seogadget.com/tools/links-api-extension-for-excel
CHALLENGE: HOW TO AUDIT WEB DATA? Image copyright © RubyJi - http://www.flickr.com/photos/rubyji/501205805
GET A GREAT TUTORIAL HERE! 5. EXCELLENT ANALYTICS excellentanalytics.com
CHALLENGE: WHAT PAGES ARE CRAWLED? Image copyright © courosa - http://www.flickr.com/photos/courosa/5190650437
GET A GREAT TUTORIAL HERE! 6. SPLUNK splunk.com
NOW I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING… Image copyright © @boetter - http://www.flickr.com/photos/jakecaptive/3205277810
“ WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?”
CORE VALUES MATTER WHAT ARE YOURS? Image copyright © Oberazzi - http://www.flickr.com/photos/oberazzi/318947873
YOUR CONTENT STRATEGY CAN DRIVE EVEN MORE TRAFFIC AND BUSINESS GROWTH Image copyright © ndot – http://www.flickr.com/photos/ndot/320119213
YOU CAN USE SEO TO GET MORE RESOURCES FOR YOUR WORK Image copyright © Narisai - http://www.flickr.com/photos/narisa/105039934
YOU CAN BETTER MEASURE THE IMPACT OF YOUR EFFORTS… Image copyright © janGlas – http://www.flickr.com/photos/kokjebalder/2348461718
…AND USE THAT DATA TO SHARE YOUR STORY. Image copyright © Thos003 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/thos003/6026477089
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR WORK? WANT TO GET PAID MORE? LEARN SEO. Image copyright © krissen – http://www.flickr.com/photos/andercismo/2349098787
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR WORK? WANT TO GET PAID MORE? LEARN SEO. Image copyright © krissen – http://www.flickr.com/photos/andercismo/2349098787
HERE’S THE BEST PLACE TO START SEOMOZ.ORG/BEGINNERSGUIDE-TO-SEO Image copyright © SEOmoz
WHAT CAN SEO AND CONTENT STRATEGY ACCOMPLISH BY WORKING TOGETHER?
REI CASE STUDY: EXPERT ADVICE
GOAL: REPLICATE THE REI INSTORE “GREEN VEST” EXPERIENCE ONLINE Image copyright © Hugger Industries – http://www.flickr.com/photos/60389800@N00/7998808442/
GOAL: REPLICATE THE REI INSTORE “GREEN VEST” EXPERIENCE ONLINE STRATEGY: USE CORE VALUES AND EXPERTISE TO ANSWER CUSTOMER QUESTIONS Image copyright © milos milosevic – http://www.flickr.com/photos/21496790@N06
GOAL: REPLICATE THE REI INSTORE “GREEN VEST” EXPERIENCE ONLINE STRATEGY: USE CORE VALUES AND EXPERTISE TO ANSWER CUSTOMER QUESTIONS RESULT: HUNDREDS OF “HOW-TO” ARTICLES ABOUT GEAR, APPAREL & ACTIVITIES
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS VIDEO WE ALSO MADE GREAT VIDEOS Video copyright © REI – http://www.REI.com/
EVERYONE LOVED THIS CONTENT Image copyright © Carlos Porto – http://www.flickr.com/photos/carlosporto/775089650
BUT NO ONE COULD FIND IT Image copyright © Bart van de Biezen – http://www.flickr.com/photos/bartelomeus/4184705426
AFTER AN INTIAL SPIKE AT LAUNCH TRAFFIC & GROWTH FLATTENED OUT Image copyright © Its.MJ – http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeimephotography/3430848777
GREAT CONTENT DOES NOT EQUAL GREAT VISIBILITY Image copyright © peasap – http://www.flickr.com/photos/peasap/518956588
ENTER SEO Image copyright © kaddisudhi – http://www.flickr.com/photos/sudhi_yhoo/8345412396
ON-SITE: RE-WROTE <TITLE>s, <META> DESCRIPTIONS FOR REAL PEOPLE REDUCED DUPLICATION, ADDED CANONICAL <LINK> ELEMENTS IMPROVED CROSS-LINKS AND NAVIGATION CREATED AN XML SITE MAP OF ALL CONTENT Image copyright © Dmitry Baranovskiy – http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmitry-baranovskiy/2378867408
OFF-SITE: TRANSFORMED BEST CONTENT INTO USEFUL, ENGAGING INFOGRAPHICS REACHED OUT TO RELEVANT INFLUENCERS AND PUBLISHERS ALIGNED CONTENT WITH EDUCATIONAL EVENTS IN OUR STORES EARNED ATTENTION FROM THE MEDIA Image copyright © REI – http://www.REI.com/
PEOPLE: SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY FOR SEO ACROSS MANY DIVISIONS TIED SEO OUTCOMES TO ANNUAL REVIEW TARGETS FOR ALL CREATIVE TEAMS DOCUMENTED SEO STANDARDS, GOVERNED WITH TRAINING Image copyright © nicola.albertini – http://www.flickr.com/photos/nalbertini/4077136093
THE RESULTS: +170% GROWTH IN ANNUAL TRAFFIC Image copyright © Éole – http://www.flickr.com/photos/eole/1394588888
WE EVEN SAW A TRAFFIC BOOST AFTER PANDA Image copyright © autan – http://www.flickr.com/photos/autanex/329004293
BECAUSE OUR COMPETITORS FELL BEHIND Image copyright © AlphaTangoBravo / Adam Baker – http://www.flickr.com/photos/atbaker/879539212
POSITIVE BRAND MENTIONS FROM LIFEHACKER
POSITIVE BRAND MENTIONS FROM LIFEHACKER AND WIRED
POSITIVE BRAND MENTIONS FROM LIFEHACKER AND WIRED AND LOCAL BUSINESS PRESS
REI MADE IMPLICT EXPERTISE EXPLICIT AND FINDABLE HUNDREDS OF “EXPERT ADVICE” ARTICLES DRIVES HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF NEW PEOPLE TO DISCOVER REI
WE TRANSFORMED THAT CONTENT INTO VISUAL, SHAREABLE DATA AND OUR CREATIVE AND MERCHANDISING TEAMS WERE ENGAGED BY THIS INFORMATION DESIGN CHALLENGE
WE REACHED NEW AUDIENCES WITH EARNED MEDIA CONTENT MARKETING SHOULD BE PART OF EVERY CONTENT STRATEGY! AND YOU SHOULD BE FLUENT IN MARKETING ANALYTICS.
WE LEVERAGED NEW METADATA FORMATS FOR INTEROPERABILITY THESE ARE ACTIVE ACROSS OUR ENTIRE CATALOG, DRIVING TRAFFIC RIGHT WHERE WE WANT IT: OUR PRODUCTS!
WE PROVED OUT THE VALUE OF STRUCTURED INFORMATION WE EVALUATE OUR IN-HOUSE TEAM AGAINST SEO STANDARDS AND SEO HELPED MAKE THE CASE FOR OUR FACETED NAVIGATION SYSTEM
WE HELPED BUILD SKILLS AND COMMUNITIES ACROSS CHANNELS REI IS THE LARGEST OUTDOOR EDUCATOR IN THE UNITED STATES BY NUMBER OF PEOPLE TAUGHT
WE LINKED DATA WITH CONTENT TO AID IN WAYFINDING AND GREW OUR HYPERLOCAL AWARENESS AT THE SAME TIME BY PROVIDING A VALUABLE SERVICE
WE AMAZED AND DELIGHTED REAL PEOPLE Image copyright © Sean Dreilinger – http://www.flickr.com/photos/seandreilinger/4208435158
AND SO CAN YOU Image copyright © Sean Dreilinger – http://www.flickr.com/photos/seandreilinger/4208435158
CONCLUSION AND FINAL THOUGHTS
CORE VALUES MATTER Image copyright © @jackeliiine – http://www.flickr.com/photos/jackeliine/3808786546
I’M AN SEO WHO VALUES CONTENT STRATEGY
BUT I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE. Image copyright © gardenskate - http://www.flickr.com/photos/gardensk8/6273808719
WE WANT TO STOP THE PAIN BETWEEN SEOs AND CONTENT STRATEGISTS Image copyright © hang_in_there - http://www.flickr.com/photos/59632563@N04/6238711264
WE WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU AND LEARN FROM YOU. Image copyright © Zahira - http://www.flickr.com/photos/zahira/4579176204
WE WANT TO BREAK DOWN THE MYTHS AND BARRIERS TO PROGRESS Image copyright © r3v || cls - http://www.flickr.com/photos/xt0ph3r/1557808913
WE WANT TO HELP YOU DRIVE NEW BUSINESS. Image copyright © ~jjjohn~ - http://www.flickr.com/photos/jjjohn/2723422506
WE WANT TO HELP YOU DRIVE NEW BUSINESS. A LOT OF NEW BUSINESS. Image copyright © ~jjjohn~ - http://www.flickr.com/photos/jjjohn/2723422506
WE WANT TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH YOU. Image copyright © jessleecuizon - http://www.flickr.com/photos/eelssej_/401919914
WE WANT TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH YOU. LET’S TALK. Image copyright © jessleecuizon - http://www.flickr.com/photos/eelssej_/401919914
JONATHON COLMAN PRINCIPAL EXPERIENCE ARCHITECT FOR REI WWW.REI.COM TWITTER @ JCOLMAN LET’S TALK.
WANT TO KNOW EVEN MORE ABOUT CONTENT STRATEGY? HERE ARE 200+ OF THE BEST FREE RESOURCES! Image copyright © nataliej - flickr.com/photos/nataliejohnson/2776045330/sizes/l/
Why do SEOs and Content Strategists have such a hard time working together when they have so much in common? They don’t have to suffer when they can both WIN!
Learn about tricks, tips, tools that content strategists can use to STOP THE PAIN when it comes to search engine optimization. This way, you can focus on the things that matter most: your users and customers!
The following resources were mentioned during the presentation or are useful additional information.
I’ve collected over two hundred of the best content strategy resources. My goal is to make it easy for you to learn about the field of content strategy, find content strategists and blogs to follow, and, hopefully, start contributing to our community.
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