Live Blogging Triangle AMA Digital Marketing Training Camp 2012: Search Engine and Landing Page Optimization

Speaker: Jenny Halasz

Jenny Halasz

The question is how do we get in front of the search engines? Jenny says that's not as important and we'll talk about that today.

What is SEO?
Mrs. Halasz starts with a story. She talks about going into the doctor's office. Knowing that she would be at bed rest after the procedure, she stopped by Blockbuster. They were closed.

Her sister told her about Redbox, which she never used before. While waiting at the doctors office, she jumped online via the mobile device. Step-by-step, she goes from visiting the web site to downloading the mobile app. Once she finished that step, she walked through renting a movie from the app to picking it up at the kiosk.

Must Haves of SEO

• Must be seen
• Must be relevant
• Must motivate a click

By using the Triangle AMA web site as a reference, Jenny points out things that could be done better. The first thing is starting with meta description. This will allow you to control what shows up in the Google search result.

Keyword Research
While logged into Google, you can personalize search results. If you're doing business under the old model, then you're doing it wrong.

Fundamentals of Usability
Jacob Neilson is the "father of usability testing." What we've learned is that we read web pages from top to bottom, left to right.

Looking at Walmart's web site. They have a top bar and left navigation bar. This is done right.

Keep It Short And Sweet
We don't consume web sites in the same way we consume books. The average user only reads 8 words before they decide to read. Tip: Get to the point quickly!

Make Your Page Load Quickly
When you look at how fast your page loads, this can determine how your page ranks in search engines.

Conflicting Information (Friction)
Similar to road signs that say merge left, but instruct user to turn right. Our web pages should provide instructions on where you want people to go. Tip: Tell the customer where you need them to go.

Persona
Use to identify what your customer needs. This allows you to understand your customers.

Motivation and Value Proposition
Using FreeCreditReport.com as an example, they provide a reason for you to order the report and they then  provide the value. "Look, you can protect yourself for only $2.99"

Motivation - What problem are you trying to solve? What are we at risk of losing if we don't buy this product.

Value Proposition - What will it take to solve that problem? How much?

Call to Action
It's important to have a call to action.

Remember - "User-Centered Design is ROI"

R = Reduce friction and unsupervised thought

O = Obvious motivation

I = Interact with clear call to action

Closing Thought

Take a look at your current web site. What is it that you want your customer to do? The truth is 90% instinct.