Dan Ouellette's Musings & Ideas on Search - SearchPrinciples by Dan Ouellette

Entries in seo (4)

Monday

Oct122009

Setting A Course For DAO, Successful or Not

Monday, October 12, 2009 at 1:27PM

Ideas sometimes come in many different styles of clothing, : a pin-striped suit one day and a flowered dress the next. Once it's been undressed, however, it is what it is.

So what the hell am I talking about?

Well, I'm referring to digital asset optimization (DAO) and what it means for Search campaigns. I believe that DAO has already been executed, in some form or another, on our websites. It's been done by optimizing images with keyword-centric naming standards, as well as implementing alternative text attributes, naming our videos appropriately, and optimizing our PDF's for search engines. Google's Universal Search or blended search has compelled the Search industry to socialize our onsite digital assets in order to keep up with the ever-evolving algorithm. Well, let me tell you something…I like it. It essentially makes Search industry professionals think beyond the meta tag and begin to think laterally.

My only concern is how do we measure the success of a well-executed DAO campaign? Is it the result of the blend search engine results page (SERP) or is it SERP domination on Google's first page? I suppose if we were to expand DAO to include RSS feeds, user generated pages/sites, and micro blogs - well, then SERP domination would then become more apparent.

If well executed, a DAO campaign will have a great chance of success in visibility and then we'll see who wears the pants in the search engine family.

Thanks to Heather Frahm for the inspiration.

Dan Ouellette |

Reflecting on Cookie Cutter SEO. The Fight for Repetition.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009 at 11:04PM

I like cookies. I like SEO. I would probably like SEO flavored cookies if there were such a thing.

What I like less is the idea that certain strategies cannot be replicated to produce a desired result. In a previous post I described the difference between productive and reproductive thinking. In this post, albeit similar, I'd like to tell you why I believe cookie cutter strategies in Search (particularly SEO) work and why we should continue to use them.

I normally would not advocate for using a similar strategy to achieve a certain result unless there were some benefit in doing so. The fact is repetitive SEO strategies work. Why would there be so many similiar top 10 lists of "how to's" in Search. SEO Rockstars are interviewed as to what they believe the most impactful ranking factors are when optimizing for SEO and the list repeats itself year after year...keywords in title, keyword in anchor text, keyword dense content, you know the drill. The point is that we shouldn't immediately dismiss known tactics that work. Feel free to reprise a strategy that once worked for you in a previous campaign remembering to weave in the new strategy to excite the algorithms.

Now if I could just find a social media flavored muffin I'd be in heaven.

Thanks to Josh Walsh for the inspiration.

Dan Ouellette |

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Thursday

Apr232009

The Insightfulness of Search

Thursday, April 23, 2009 at 10:56PM

I like to believe that I am insightful. I also like to believe that every search campaign has a strategy that, once presented, has given a client an 'ah ha' moment. Neither are probably true. What is true however is that a successfully executed search campaign can contain information that is "insightful" to all.

It would behoove any progressive search professional to develop a discovery process early in the campaign which will eventually lead to a mature understanding of the competitive landscape, content opportunities, and the site itself. Part of the exercise however is actually using your creative insights in successfully developing the insights of a search campaign. This is where your 'aha' moment will eventually transfer onto the client. Of course all of this requires time and effort but I think the end result will certainly pay for itself in client satisfaction. I know it has for me.

The light bulb above my head might be dim from time to time however that same bulb can shine brightly over a successfully executed search campaign.

Thanks to the scientists at Northwestern University for explaining what happens during an "ah ha" moment

Dan Ouellette |

The Need for The Gap Analysis?

Thursday, April 16, 2009 at 9:26PM

As search marketing professionals we are continually challenged to return amazing results for our clients. The adept search marketers will undoubtedly meet those challenges while the rest of us will continue to search for the "secret sauce" so to speak.

There is a tool in our Search toolbox that can help make it a bit easier for us to reach those sought after results, the gap analysis.

A gap analysis basically consists of defining the present state, the desired or `target' state and hence the gap between them. In organic search for example a gap analysis might be a snapshot of rankings for your top keywords now and where you would like to be ranking in say 6 months and what tactics are needed to reach those rankings. For organic search I'd argue that the best approach is the Tactical Gap Analysis to help close the gap. The search marketing mix would ideally be where you can modify the mix to reach your goal. In other words a 60/30/10 mix of linking, content creation, and social search might be the perfect blend to reach those ranking results.

Although the gap analysis is not adequate for all situations I believe an analysis of your online competitors and a good understanding of search tactics can help you reach your desired results.

Thanks to P&G for the inspiration.

Dan Ouellette |