Category Archives: SEO

Much Love, #HigherEd Tweeps.

Posted on by jesskry
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My head is spinning – but in a good way. After coming back from HighEdWeb Regional at Vassar, watching the #PSEWeb conference Tweets, following #PSUWeb10 + #hesmlaw online, catching a few EduComm moments, among others, my brain is abuzz with new ideas, questions, strategies and overall #highered love.

Taking a step back, I see all the opportunities that lay before us: individually at our respective schools, and collectively as a thought leading team. In no other position have I felt the momentum and urgency to learn more, try harder, and most of all, to be humbled by the ever-changing environment and those forging ahead in it. Seeing all that we do – including the not so great moments – helps keep me sane, because I know all of you are also going through the same thing and can be a shoulder, an ear and a resource.

It’s hard to determine where to start. I find that returning from a conference or after being a part of great conversations online I want to do everything. Right now. Knowing that can’t happen makes it difficult to get going on just one thing but being able to prioritize – both what is right for the audience and what is right for the internal politics – can put the earth back under your toes.

With that in mind, I just wanted to say a thank you. To all of you for what you do, how you do it, and your ability to turn with the tide and ride it out fully. You truly make this position the best challenge and learning experience a girl could ask for. It’s the difference between just a job, and a chosen career.

Much Love.

Hey Facebook: Who do You Think You Are?!

Posted on by jesskry
1

If you’re like me, you’re up in arms about Facebook’s recently revealed changes. Not only from a personal level with all of the privacy issues, but also from a business perspective in higher ed and beyond. This brings up a lot of issues across the board for everyone: personal users, professional users, the government. Wow, way to really eff up, Facebook!

From an SEO perspective, the ‘Like this’ function is something to consider. Do we all run out and immediately add it to our web pages and blogs? Sure you’ll get instant traffic, but is it an added step in what otherwise would have been found and shared content? Sharing content in Facebook is nothing new: people use several different ways to do this, be it Stumble Upon, Google, or just simply cut and pasting.

This week’s Whiteboard Friday from SEO MOZ sums it up: Facebook thinks it can out Google – Google. Liking is not truly bookmarking. Its sharing. How often do you share web content versus how often you bookmark items. Also, do you primarily share content in Facebook or do you do it more so in Twitter? I’d argue that those who are web savvy enough to really use the ‘Like This’ button are those savvy enough to not see its benefit. And to think that ‘Liking’ could be a new or better way to search is interesting, but not nearly an earth shatteringly new idea. Thats why we have dedicated sites like Yelp and Blip.fm – to share content you like with others. Can Facebook take on being better at what all these other services already do while also taking down Google? I think not.

And using Wikipedia for the new ‘Community Pages’? How lazy is that? Is Facebook having a personality disorder? On one hand its showing lofty Google goals, on the other is zapping privacy and acting like a hungover college student copying from the internet for a final paper.

Facebook should concentrate on being who it is and stop trying to find ways to monetize. Its only making it suck.

Content and Offers: Why Should I Give You My Information?

Posted on by jesskry
1

Information. Its our golden ticket when it comes to converting leads into sales. Or, better than that, people who don’t know us into brand ambassadors. But how do we get there? We’re all consumers; what makes us as individuals in our daily lives hand over our contact information? With the junk mail and spam we get on a regular basis, what really gets us to say its worth it? Its all about two things: content and offers.

When you are asking a web visitor to provide contact information, they rightly may be hesitant. Its your job to move them from worried to seeing this as beneficial to them. Bottom line is that its about THEM not YOU. Sure you may have segmented your messaging to them, but truly, is it a benefit to them or to you? What are you providing me – immediately – that is for my benefit and not yours? Offers can be seen as altruistic or as sales pitches. You need to be careful when providing offers so that they do add to the community and aren’t just a ploy to get names and leads.

What does your customer want? What will make life easier for them? Is it connections to others like them? Is it information that you have access to that you can provide for free? These offers are what allow clients to give up their privacy and provide their information to you, because, they see that there is a benefit and that you are a trusted resource.

Content. It really is king. It allows you to be seen as a thought leader and to bring people to your conversations. Its not about pulling or pushing. Its about providing something of use for the overall gain of the community. Its this goodwill that builds rapport with your customer base. By doing this, you may not close sales quickly, but the goodwill you gain will ultimately gain you entry into a much larger base of opportunity than just push marketing ever will.