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Thanks for the post. Although this seems like a no-brainer, it is amazing the number of sites that do not have a thank you page. I have been in the same predicament where I wonder if my request actually went through. Having not only a thank you page, but a clearly written thank you page is important. This is also a good reminder to specify to your designers/engineers, what you want the page to say. As a marketer, you might understand what the page should say, but others in your organization might not have as clear of an idea.
Well said Vanessa! Sometimes I feel like I am banging my head against a wall trying to explain to clients (and at times our own sales staff) why high traffic numbers are NOT the end-all, be-all of SEO. Without conversions, great ranking and high traffic doesn't help much - why is that so difficult to understand? Thanks for the great post.
Awesome article! I think that the analogy of the maintenance worker was perfect!
I have seen a similar issue with many sites that are not redirects. They perform well on Google and Yahoo, but are nowhere to be found in MSN results. Also, only the home page is indexing in MSN ... excuse me, Microsoft Live Search. :-)
Adding to this confusion, most of these sites were performing very well until about 2 months ago. There were no major changes to the site from month to month, so I am not sure what is going on with MSN. Thankfully, we are getting great traffic from Google and Yahoo.
I agree with Jill (and most of the commenters) that SMM can be a good PART of SEO, but it doesn't replace it. Good content is still king. No matter what means people get to your site, if the site is not well written and doesn't reach your target audience what good is it really doing for you? If you are looking for conversion through sales or some form of contact, your site needs to promote that.
The beauty of the video was it was so simple. Having gone to a chiropractor myself, I felt like I was next in line for an adjustment.
Living in San Diego (thankfully not in the fire zones ... yet), I have been using several of these maps for the last few days. I think the best one for my needs (trying to see if areas where friends live have been evacuated, figuring out which roads were closed, and finding evacuation centers to drop off supplies) was the Google map maintained by KPBS.
Although I am about 10 years too old to be considered an "Echo Boomer" this post makes a lot of sense and hits a little close to home. Although my mom found her own way into the internet, I recently had to walk her through how to broaden her online expereince. In one particular case, walk her through the steps of changing from AOL dial up to DSL (I think it only cost her an extra $5 a month). I can see how children (or nieces/nephews) can help their parents with search. Definitely a good idea to tailor marketing efforts.
I agree with SEMDude. Just the beginning of the revised guide is a great resource to help people understand search engines and how this all works. Thanks!
The opening editor's note makes a great point "Social search isn't the new kid on the block anymore, but it still has [its] mystery as far as search marketing implications." I couldn't agree more, we are currently working on determining the best way to incorporate social media into our current SEO strategy. Ron's article gave some good insight.
Good information! Although it's free, I'm hearing grumblings from coworkers who don't want to sign up for a Yahoo account in order to use Sute Explorer. If that turns out to be our biggest issue with these changes, I will be happy. :-)
"Usability trumps SEO." It can be difficult for people new to the SEO game to learn how important this is. It's always an interesting experience to teach how to achieve the balance of SEO and usability.
Thanks for the post! It's a great reminder that rankings are only the first step in creating an effective site. If web users don't 1) click on your site and 2) stay on your site to the point of purchase or contact (or whatever you want the user to do when they get there), the rankings are not doing much for your business.
It seems like too many people view optimization of sites as a popularity contest - how can I get Google and the other search engines to like me? Unfortunately, to get ahead you need a bit of popularity. However, once you get them in the door, how do you keep them? You have a good site.
As a former educator (and sometimes in-house trainer), I am a huge fan of education. One thing to remember is the in-house education should go both ways. You should teach others about SEO and you should be open to learning about other departments in your company. The better you understand their processes/products/ etc., the better you can help them (and find ways for them to help you).
I have already shared this post with the rest of my team. Working with a clientele of mostly lawyers, cosmetic surgeons, and dentists, it can be mind-numbing trying to explain why the competitors' "bells and whistles" aren't what you need to worry about. I just reviewed one site on which a client wanted an "innovative design." If I wasn't analyzing the site, I probably would have clicked away since his navigation (like the one described in the post) was hidden (in flash, no less).
The points in this post give me yet another way to try to explain why sometimes you just need a new design (or better yet, you need to start with a clean design to your site). Thanks!
Well I am just having a big DUH moment. I, too, find Sphinn to be a wonderful resource (ok, more like a godsend). I just never thought to say it. Thank you Shana for taking a moment to say what I have been thinking. My duh moment came because I realized that I always assume that EVERYONE who uses Sphinn is so much more ahead of the game than I am and I wonder what I have to contribute (I've only recently begun to even sphinn articles already submitted). Of course there are others like me who are trying to play catch up! Like I said, duh.
Thanks again Shana for the post and a BIG THANK YOU to the entire Sphinn community for helping me up my game.
This is a great resource for those of us who on the verge of starting a blog and those who have just started. Thanks for the great resource.
Thanks for the post. Unfortunately these social networks are being used for the wrong reasons ... just like everything online that has the potential to make spammers money.
Story: The SEO Song - Classic
Loved the song (and the flush). A few of us just gathered around my computer to watch.
I originally saw this auction on Ebay because my sister (who has 5 kids) emailed the link to our family to give better insight into her life. Now that's great copywriting!
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Story: The Art of the “Thank You” Page