SEO Strategies You Can Bank On: Driving Traffic That Builds Real Revenue

You Can Bank On: Driving Traffic That Builds Real Revenue

ZACK STACKEdgeMM.com/Connect15 [email protected]

SEO STRATEGIES

http://EdgeMM.com/Connect15

Get a firm grasp on what SEO is and isn't

TODAY'S GOALS

Leave with ac:onable insights for advancing your SEO strategy

That you won't get hungry

SLIDE DECK & RESOURCES

EdgeMM.com/Connect15


WHAT SEO ISN'T

• It isn't dead

• It is NOT a fast-‐acJng, digital snake oil

• It is NOT a one-‐and-‐done deal

• SEO is NOT Search Engine Manipula(on

SEO leads have a 14.6% close rate, while outbound leads

(such as direct mail or print adverJsing) have a 1.7% close rate.

-‐ Search Engine Journal

79% of companies that have a blog report a posiJve ROI for

inbound markeJng in 2013. -‐ HubSpot State of Inbound 2014

WHAT IS REAL SEO?

$20K is the average companies save per year by invesJng more in

inbound markeJng versus outbound.

54% more leads generated by inbound tacJcs than by

tradiJonal paid markeJng. -‐ HubSpot State of Inbound 2014

2x as many marketers say inbound delivers below average cost per lead

than outbound methods.

WHAT IS REAL SEO?

OUTLINING YOUR SEO STRATEGY

ON-‐PAGE OFF-‐PAGE• Keyword & Audience Research

• SEO Site Structure

• Publishing Compelling Content

• Mobile OpJmizaJons

• Local SEO & CitaJons

• Healthy Link Outreach

• Social Media ParJcipaJon

& Paid PromoJon

EdgeMM.com/Connect15


THE PILLARS OF A

SUCCESSFUL SEO STRATEGY

SEO Strategy

The First Pillar

Keywords & Audience Research

•Reveals the searcher's intent

• Tells you what topics to opJmize your website for

•Helps to put yourself in the mind if the searcher

Doing Your Homework: Keyword Research

THE PILLARS OF A


RELEVANCE: You should never target a term solely because you think it will drive a load of traffic to your site. Target keywords that are highly relevant to both the services or soluJons your organizaJon provides and how the user is looking for them.

The First Pillar

Relevance, Volume & CompeJJonTHE PILLARS OF A


VOLUME: Take into account the size of your audience. It's possible to get too specific and target keywords that are highly relevant, yet no one is searching for.

The First Pillar



The First Pillar



COMPETITION: How hard will it be to rank for these terms? Can you trade raw search volume for increased relevance?

Op:mize for conversions rather than clicks.

The First Pillar

Keyword CategorizaJon & DistribuJon

Your customers are NOT searching for keywords. They're searching for helpful informa(on.

• Op:mize your website for topics, not keywords

• Group them into the services or topics you'll be covering on your website

Keyword Categoriza:on

THE PILLARS OF A


Assign a specific keyword to each page of your website.• Aligns your content with the searcher's query

• Makes it clear what each page is about

• IdenJfy new pages or content you may need to create

Keyword Distribu:on

The First Pillar

Keyword CategorizaJon & DistribuJonTHE PILLARS OF A


"Stop by our mortgage loans center to find the perfect mortgage loans that are sure to fit all your mortgage loans needs. Our mortgage loans are the essen(al mortgage loans for when you're ready to mortgage loans your mortgage loans."

Keyword Distribu:on -‐ Don't go nuts!

You are now free to make… great content for humans!

The First Pillar



Ask yourself these four ques(ons…

1. Does it sound natural when I read it aloud?

2. Would I be proud to put MY name on this content?

3. Would I read read this?

4. Would I recommend this to a friend or colleague?

Keyword Distribu:on -‐ Don't force it!

The First Pillar



The First Pillar

Ongoing Keyword Research

Keyword Research is a con:nuous and evolving process

Should be revisited at least twice a year

Some keywords just don't bring home the bacon

THE PILLARS OF A


Google Trends • Are the keywords you're trying to get found for trending down or up?

• Are they seasonal keywords?

• How do certain terms compare in different geographical regions?

The First Pillar

Keyword Research Tools


Google Sheets • Document your keyword research and create living, collaboraJve

documents that your team can use to implement your strategy.

THE PILLARS OF A


The First Pillar

Keyword Research ToolsTHE PILLARS OF A


Adwords Keyword Planner • You will have to sign up for an Adwords account to access this tool. This doesn't mean

that you have to run paid Adwords campaigns, but it's well worth it.

• If you run Adwords campaigns then you have access to a bevy of keyword data already.

• Paid Search can be a quick and effecJve way to test keywords.

• The keywords that are performing well in Adwords can be used to inform your

organic strategy as well.


The First Pillar



THE PILLARS OF A


More Keyword Tools • Moz Keyword Difficulty Tool: hgp://moz.com/tools

• SEMRush: hgp://www.semrush.com/

• SpyFu: hgp://www.spyfu.com

• Yoast Suggests: hgps://yoast.com/suggest/

http://moz.com/tools

http://www.semrush.com/

https://yoast.com/suggest/

The Second Pillar

CORE CONTENTThe Third Pillar

CONTENT MARKETING• Core Content SEO

• Variety

• Clarity

• Site Speed

• Security

• Strategy

• Content of value

• Gehng buy-‐in

• DocumenJng your plan

• Assessing your content

• CreaJng a content team

Content Op:miza:onTHE PILLARS OF A


Does it makes sense to a human?All the elements of your page should be descripJve and easily idenJfiable.

• URLs

• Page Titles

• Meta DescripJons

• H1 & H2 Headers

• Body Text

• Image Filenames & Alt Text

URLs only a robot could love…

The Second Pillar

Core Content OpJmizaJonTHE PILLARS OF A


Does it makes sense to a human?Which URL would you remember and be able to return to on your own?

DomainName.com/?Cabinet=Main&Drawer=loans&Folder=transporta:on&SubFolder=auto

OR

DomainName.com/auto-‐loans

The Second Pillar

Core Content OpJmizaJonTHE PILLARS OF A


Content VarietyPeople consume content in different ways.• Blogs

• Infographics & Charts

• Videos

• eBooks

• Podcasts

• Guides & Reviews

• Images & Memes

• InteracJve

• Case Studies

• Interviews

• Research Findings

• Apps

THE PILLARS OF A


The Second Pillar

Core Content OpJmizaJon

Content Clarity: The 5-‐Second TestA visitor should be able to tell within 5 seconds what the page is about.

Calls-‐to-‐Ac:onAre you telling the visitor plainly what the next step is? CTAs expedite the conversion process and provide clarity.

Site SpeedHow long does it take your page to load? Do you need a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to speed up delivery of your pages?

Security82% of the FI sites we surveyed were secured with HTTPS.

THE PILLARS OF A


The Second Pillar


Core Content & Site Structure Tools• Google AnalyJcs Webmaster Tools

• Screaming Frog SEO Spider

• Moz's On-‐Page Grader

• sitemaps.org

• schema.org

THE PILLARS OF A


The Second Pillar


http://schema.org

Content Marke:ng & Strategy

The Third Pillar

Content MarkeJngTHE PILLARS OF A


"There's no prize in content for hiNng 'publish'. […] The only prize comes when you produce something that […] achieves the reach and marke(ng goals that you seek."

-‐ Rand Fishkin from his JAN 9th, 2015 Whiteboard Friday

The Third Pillar



"Marke(ng is telling the world you're a rock star. Content Marke(ng is showing the world you are one."

-‐ Robert Rose @ Content MarkeJng InsJtute

The Third Pillar



Content Builds ValueHelpful, unique, compelling content builds value for you, your brand AND your customer.

• The planning and implementaJon of it builds and strengthens your strategic ability.

• The research and creaJon process literally helps you become an expert, if you weren't one already.

• The consumpJon of it builds your authority, strengthens trust signals and provides value to your customers, both new and returning.

• In short, content gives you a reason to connect and it gives your customers and members a reason to return and even bring others with them.

THE PILLARS OF A


The Third Pillar

Content MarkeJng

Have a Documented Plan That…• Fits on one page

• Includes specific, measurable goals

• Includes strategic objecJves

• Includes a descripJon of who you are

• …and who your audience is

• Lists your primary topics

• Lists your CTAs

• Outlines Content ResponsibiliJes

• Links to helpful resources

THE PILLARS OF A


The Third Pillar

Content MarkeJng

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1DGofkzUQ9FNWDxCPeEH3orMNO5vZyiQ2dvHDtliA-C0/edit#slide=id.g794501917_16

Document Your Content Strategy"…a documented content marke(ng strategy helps increase effec(veness in all areas of content marke(ng."

77% B2C organizaJons

surveyed that said they use Content MarkeJng

27% B2C marketers that have documented Content

Strategies

Source: CMI's B2C Content MarkeJng 2015 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends

THE PILLARS OF A


The Third Pillar

Content MarkeJng

http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2014/10/2015-b2c-consumer-content-marketing/

Create an Editorial CalendarRemember that quality trumps quan(ty.

• They can take many forms, but it's best to keep 'em simple

• Main Content Schedule

• Social Media Schedule

• Ideas Journal

THE PILLARS OF A


The Third Pillar

Content MarkeJng

Assemble Your Content Team!The Edge Content Team looks like this:

• Content Manager: Assigns projects and provides accountability

• Content Editor: Brings the raw content to a publishable state

• Graphic Designer: Creates infographics and other visual assets

• Social Media Promoter: Distributes and Promotes published content via our Social Media channels

• Email Marketer: Creates and sends email campaigns around our content

• Contributors: All internal experts and any guest contributors we might bring in from Jme to Jme

THE PILLARS OF A


The Third Pillar

Content MarkeJng

Content Marke:ng Tools• Google Docs: Calendars, Accountability & CollaboraJon

• Content Marke:ng Ins:tute: Tons of resources & ideas…

• CMI's Essen:al Templates: hgp://d.pr/16msq

• Hemingway Wri:ng App

• Canva.com: Create graphics to accompany your content

• Edge's 1-‐Page Plan Template: hgp://d.pr/17HTp

THE PILLARS OF A


The Third Pillar

Content MarkeJng

http://www.hemingwayapp.com/beta/index.html

http://d.pr/17HTp

The Fourth Pillar Mobile OpJmizaJon

Mobile Readiness & Op:miza:on

THE PILLARS OF A



Why Is This Big News?

Mobile search is expected to surpass desktop by

2016

FI websites surveyed were NOT mobile friendly

57%FI websites poorly opJmized

for mobile devices

21.5%

THE PILLARS OF A


Only

3.5 billion Toothbrush Users


4 billion Global Mobile Users

Source: hgp://60secondmarketer.com/blog/2011/10/18/more-‐mobile-‐phones-‐than-‐toothbrushes/

THE PILLARS OF A


http://60secondmarketer.com/blog/2011/10/18/more-mobile-phones-than-toothbrushes/


• Google's Mobile-‐Friendly Test: hgps://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-‐friendly/

• Google Webmaster Tools Mobile Usability Report

Look at your website from Google's perspecJve:Step 1: Assess Your Mobile Traffic Situa:on

Source: hgp://www.slideshare.net/SearchMarkeJngExpo/the-‐data-‐behind-‐mobile-‐experiences

THE PILLARS OF A


http://www.apple.com

http://www.slideshare.net/SearchMarketingExpo/the-data-behind-mobile-experiences

What percentage of your traffic and goals come from mobile and tablet users?


Source: hgp://www.slideshare.net/SearchMarkeJngExpo/the-‐data-‐behind-‐mobile-‐experiences

• Across all ver:cals the average is around 30%

• What would it mean to your bank or credit union if just 5-‐10% of your sessions,

new users or online loan applicaJons dried up?

THE PILLARS OF A


http://www.slideshare.net/SearchMarketingExpo/the-data-behind-mobile-experiences


Step 2: Convince the Higher Ups

FI websites that are NOT mobile friendly

57%FI websites that are poorly opJmized

21.5%

FI websites that offer a poor mobile experience or none at all

78.5%

THE PILLARS OF A



Step 3: Make a Plan To Go 'All the Way' Mobile• Consider temporarily realloca:ng funds from tradiJonal adverJsing or direct placement efforts

• Consider a mobile website sinking fund

THE PILLARS OF A



Step 4: Create a Truly Mobile-‐Friendly Website1. Takes into account your mobile audience's unique needs

• Is it easy to find the branches and ATMs nearest to them?

• Is your phone number or a click-‐to-‐call bumon easy to find?

• If they call, will someone pick up?

• Phone Leads > Form Leads

• Is the Name, Address and Phone number (NAP) on each page?

2. Responsive Design vs

Dynamic Serving or

Mobile URLs

THE PILLARS OF A


https://developers.google.com/webmasters/mobile-sites/mobile-seo/overview/select-config?hl=en


Step 4: Create a Truly Mobile-‐Friendly Website3. It should provide a seamless brand experience

4. Fonts large enough to be easily read on a smartphone

5. Easily navigable with one finger. No pinching or zooming required.

6. Links & tap targets are easy to select with your index finger

7. It should not use incompaJble plugins or Flash

8. It can be crawled and understood by Google

9. Finally, it should just look good on a phone and be helpful

THE PILLARS OF A



Mobile Assessment Tools• Feed The Bot is a great resource to get started: hgp://www.feedthebot.com/mobile/

• Google Analy:cs & Webmaster Tools

• Mobile-‐Friendly Tool: hgps://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-‐friendly/

• Mobile Usability Report: hgp://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com.es/2014/10/tracking-‐

mobile-‐usability-‐in-‐webmaster.html

• Screaming Frog's Smartphone Googlebot Crawl: hgp://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-‐spider/

• PageSpeed Insights: hgps://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/

THE PILLARS OF A


https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/

Developing Partnerships

• Extend your markeJng capabiliJes

• Free you up to focus on your strengths

• Align with your organizaJon's core values

• Play well with your other vendors and partners

• Help you to form a more cohesive brand experience

• Focus on measurable results

• Are transparent about their efforts

Develop partnerships that…

THE PILLARS OF A


Relevance Resonance Best Prac:ces

Data Content

Developing PartnershipsTHE PILLARS OF A


SEO Challenges & Opportuni:es Reviewing The Data

FAILING SEO GRADES84%

FI websites without a SEO site structure

80%FI websites that are NOT mobile-‐friendly

57.5%FI websites that

lack content variety

84%OrganizaJons with NO

content markeJng strategy

70%

FI's websites that have unclear or missing CTAs

72.5%FI's websites with NO visible social media

connecJons

47%FI's NOT running Paid Search & Display

Campaigns

68%Average page views on claimed GMB pages

140,847


FAILING SEO GRADES84%


• Set measurable goals and assign an economic value to them

• Document your goals and strategy

• And, if you do only one set of 3 things arer that…

1. Create a truly mobile-‐friendly website

2. Give it a SEO-‐friendly site structure

3. Create content that engages your audience

The secret to a successful SEO strategy for a financial insJtuJon is…to be one of the few who have a SEO strategy.

You Can Bank On: Driving Traffic That Builds Real Revenue

ZACK STACKEdgeMM.com/Connect15

SEO STRATEGIES

Thank You


SEO Strategies You Can Bank On: Driving Traffic That Builds Real Revenue

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