storytelling beyond the campfire - why search engines & users care about content

Why Search Engines & Users Care

About Your Content

Presenter: Ross Monaghan

Why are we talking about

STORYTELLING?

Shouldn’t we be talking about “keywords?”

Or on-page optimization?

Doesn’t think so…

How do we know that?

Introducing

Penguin Panda

• Heuristics count• Time on site

• Bounce Rate

• Number of pages viewed

• Returning visitors

• Thin light content

• Brand related queries

• Engagement (shares/comments)

• Over optimization• Keyword stuffing

• Anchor text manipulation

• Link schemes

• Anti overly used Advertising

• Spammy links

How can you tell if you were affected?

1. Analyze the algo dates vs. your data

2. Dimension by keyword vs. past

3. Search Query data in Webmaster Tools

Unaffected Affected

4. Filter by “Web”

5. Export your data (90 Days Saved)

OK. So you’re in the clear…

Right?

OK. Let’s say you are…

What can we do to please Google?

SPEND $$$

Want Users to get the information they were Looking for Quickly.

Want it to be a Good Experience which Others Share and trust that you have provided just that per the Data.

So how do we do this?

We need to be Real.

We need to show Passion.

We need to simplify Data.

We need to tell Stories.

Why?

Stories typically create a Higher Engagement

Why?

Because as humans we enjoy listening to Experiences both negative

and Positive.

Why?

Because we love Heroes.

Why?

Because we have Aspirations to get better each day and Enjoy Life.

So how do we tell these stories online?

Types of Storytelling on a Website

• In your face…obvious

• Subliminal

•User Generated

In Your Face Examples…

•About pages

•Category pages

•Product detail pages

•Blogs

Subliminal

•Colors

•Design

•Headers

• Images

User Generated

•Comments

•Reviews

•Contests

•Gamification

•Polls / Surveys

•Blogs

So how do we tell these stories online?

Top Ten Keys to Storytelling1. Authenticity and Transparency

2. Create opportunities for your content to be shared

3. Curate / re-purpose other content

4. Makes sure content is SEO friendly

5. Encourage Linking from other sites

6. Make commenting and liking part of the story you are telling

7. Reward people for liking or commenting on your content

8. Take care of your influencers – they keep your lights on

9. Create relationships and continue to cultivate over time

10. Be relevant

Forms of Engaging Content

•Videos

•Reviews

• Shares (social)

•Real Time Content

• Tribal Nature

•Breaking News

• Stories

Video

Reviews

Shares

Real Time Content

Tribal Nature

Breaking News

Stories

Each and every example included

An Experience

We have to remember that people don’t wake up to buy your product…

They wake up to enjoy a new “experience”.

Find a way to communicate how your product allows aspirers to

Live their Dream.

A few great examples…

So why does all this impact how

sees you?

4 R’s

Relevance

Recency

Rapport

Resonate

Things to keep in mind…

Technical Optimization Musts

1. Develop a Video Sitemap.xml

2. Leverage Rich Snippets

3. Implement Schema.org microdata1. Reviews

2. Locations

3. Events

4. Product information

4. Google + & +Local

5. Authorship

Remember Retailers

People need your product to do awesome things…so show and tell them

how others have done just that!

Everyone is competing for Market Share

Great Content drastically improves

• Conversion

• Engagement

• Return Traffic

• Merchandising

• Shares / Virality

Ross Monaghan

Director, Digital Marketing

Zeon Solutions

@RossMonaghan

Ross.Monaghan@zeonsolutions.com

LinkedIn.com/IN/rossmonaghans

Download the Presentation

http://slidesha.re/1bQSONK