The value of original, high quality web content continues to rise as Google makes new moves to decrease the visibility of low-quality websites. The search engine giant recently updated its algorithm to suppress the presence of link farms, which generate endless streams of poorly written, regurgitated articles. It’s all in a bid to cater to users who have been complaining about spammy sites appearing in top search results.

While Google reports it makes approximately 500 changes to its algorithm a year, this one’s significant, and SEO types, business owners and users will likely notice changes.

“This update is designed to reduce rankings for low-quality sites — sites which are low-value add for users, copy content from other websites or sites that are just not very useful,” Amit Singhal, a Google employee, and Matt Cutts, who leads Google’s anti-spam squad, wrote in a Google blog post. “At the same time, it will provide better rankings for high-quality sites — sites with original content and information such as research, in-depth reports, thoughtful analysis and so on.”

Black Hat SEO Versus White Hat SEO

The updated algorithm, which is initially being unleashed in the US, reinforces the need for marketers and business to avoid black hat SEO techniques — illegal tactics that can get websites penalized or de-listed from search engines altogether.

Just days ago, The New York Times reported on how J.C. Penny was caught with thousands of unrelated websites in the retail industry linking to their site — a common black hat SEO maneuver. While the US-based retailer enjoyed a brief boost in online presence and sales, it’s now in Google’s bad books.

The short-term gains of black hat SEO do not make sense for a business seeking long-term success. Businesses are better off developing links from reputable websites and communities through quality web content, including articles and press releases, as well as videos and social media.

White hat SEO involves hard work and dedication, which can reap enduring results. Black hat SEO is risky business, with a high potential for unhappy endings. J.C. Penny learned this the hard way.

Savvy companies have increasingly been posting videos on their websites to help connect with customers. But, as video technologies continue to advance, there will be implications for web copywriters, marketers and business owners alike. To get an edge over the competition tomorrow, you need to ensure your company’s videos are ‘SEO ready’, today.

Video on the Web

The explosive growth in video web content over the past few years has mainly been attributed to decreasing video production and equipment costs, and east-to-use, DIY gear. Once limited to companies with large budgets, video production is now accessible to many businesses. Consequently, more companies are putting more videos on their sites.

The Internet and its surrounding technologies have also improved to better support video. Greater bandwidth and faster download times mean that clicking “play” no longer means risking a long wait time or crashed computer.

Changes to Google’s search algorithm have also supported the prevalence of video on company websites; Google’s search engine favours websites that contain a mix of media. By having a site that features text, video and other media you may improve your search engine results. However, this advantage is becoming less significant as more websites offer mixed media.

Why Use Video?

Several arguments support implementing video on your company website. Video is sticky — visitors tend to stay on your website longer. In theory, the longer visitors stay on your site the more opportunity to sell and solidify your company’s relationship with the visitor.

Video is also ideal for conveying visual information. It’s often easier to watch a how-to video on assembling a product than read how-to instructions. When conducting a product review, it can be helpful to show the reviewer testing the product rather than describing the experience.

Video and SEO: The View Today

If you choose to employ video on your company website, be sure you include supporting SEO text. Providing context for the video and describing its contents to Google will increase your views and exposure. There is nothing worse for users than sitting through several minutes of video and slowly realizing it’s not going to provide them with the information they want.

Video and SEO: The View Ahead

Video technologies continue to change, and we predict the future existence of widely-used software that automatically transcribes and indexes video. In 2008, Google developed a gadget that used transcription and indexing technology, which was applied to politicians’ videos on YouTube during the U.S. elections. Google’s elections video search gadget used speech recognition technologies to automatically transcribe from speech to text and to index it, making the spoken content searchable. Viewers could search speeches for different words or phrases.

Testing revealed some problems, however. Some words were transcribed incorrectly. The gadget also couldn’t return results differentiated by the context in which words were used. For example, if you searched an Obama speech for “Iran” your results could contain references to the country as well as Obama’s morning exercise routine.

Later in 2008, Google expanded this technology by adding a new transcription and indexing tool to their Labs site. Unfortunately, the current status of the tool, which they called GAudi, is unclear. Google removed GAudi from their Labs site and the Google Elections Video Search gadget is no longer available. Nonetheless, we’re betting that development on these technologies will continue at Google, and elsewhere.

When video content becomes searchable, SEO tactics will come into play. Implications are huge: video script writers and maybe even speech writers will need to write text that’s search engine optimized. If your CEO or client is delivering a speech that is being video recorded and posted on your company’s website, you’ll want to make sure  his or her speech contains words and phrases that will help get desired search engine rankings and presence.

Get Your Videos SEO Ready

What does this mean for video production today? Once transcribing and indexing technology becomes available, companies will scramble to re-shoot SEO optimized video content. Those who have already addressed this issue and ensured their video content is search engine optimized will be well ahead of the game. The next time you are developing video content for a website, give some serious thought to making the content search engine friendly.

Journalists are increasingly turning to the Web to generate story ideas, gather information and source subject matter experts. If you’ve done a good job building your brand online, that expert could be you.

“The Web, search engines and social media are all important tools in what we do,” Vancouver Sun journalist Gillian Shaw told Webcopyplus, adding that reporters constantly scour the Web when conducting research for stories.

Other journalists back that claim. When 40 journalists participating in a www.useit.com study were asked how they get basic information about a company or organization, they all said they begin by doing some Web research, usually with Google.

And it’s not all about Google. A national Cision and George Washington University study found that a vast majority of reporters and editors also depend on social media sources when researching their stories.

Among the journalists surveyed, 89% said they turn to blogs for story research, 65% to social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn, and 52% to microblogging services such as Twitter.

Case in Point: Getting Found on Google

Vancouver-based Clear HR Consulting, a Webcopyplus client with just a few employees, is beating several industry giants in online searches, including Mercer, a 73-year-old corporation with more than 19,000 employees in over 180 cities and 40 countries and territories worldwide, and Hewitt, a 70-year-old company that boasts 23,000 employees in more than 30 countries.

Prior to getting their website optimized in 2007, only 3% of clients had found Clear HR Consulting through Web searches. By the end of 2008, 26% of new clients were finding the HR firm via Google, Yahoo and other search engines. In the first half of 2010, 67% of new clients discovered Clear HR Consulting via search with terms such as HR services Vancouver and HR experts Vancouver.

“With more than 50% of our revenue coming from clients who find us through search engines, I have to say search engine optimization is probably the most important marketing investment we’ve ever made,” said Cissy Pau, Principal Consultant at Clear HR Consulting.  “The icing on the cake is that we’re getting a lot of media coverage without spending time and money on PR campaigns and PR firms.”

With editors and journalists finding the consultants via Google, the small HR firm has scored dozens of features and mentions on prominent TV and radio shows, magazines, newspapers and websites, such as CBC Radio, CBC TV, Canadian Business, BC Business, The Globe and Mail, and others.

This is an excellent example of a business truly leveraging the power of the Web, which is now used by a record 1.9 billion people (source: Internet World Stats). Most businesses get a website created, launch it, and then let it float aimlessly in cyberspace. By optimizing it for search engines, conveying the right messages to the intended audiences, and leveraging social media, any website can be turned into an active marketing tool that generates very real results, and an excellent return on investment.

Making Life Easier For Reporters

The www.useit.com study concluded most of the PR sections of sites they studied failed to support journalists in their quest for the facts, information, and contacts they can use to write stories about companies and their products.

Here are the top five reasons journalists gave for visiting a company’s website:

• Locate a PR contact (name and telephone number)
• Find basic facts about the company (spelling of an executive’s name, his/her age, headquarters location, and so on)
• Discern the company’s spin on events
• Check financial information
• Download images to use as illustrations in stories

“I appreciate companies that make information easy to access — that covers everything from phone numbers to images — instead of requiring back and forth phone calls, which can end up being too late for our deadlines,” stated Shaw.

As 18th century writer Matthew Arnold put it: “Journalism is literature in a hurry.” When tens of thousands of dollars worth of PR are at stake, helping journalists who “do it at deadline” makes sound business sense.

The Virtual Miss Friday website states: Professional online business services. While the site looks professional — and the services probably are, too — it fails to treat visitors with respect. Three pop-ups. Three!

And forcing your personal musical taste on everyone, Miss Friday, is not only presumptuous, but irritating to say the least. Sure, Sting’s raspy voice might be timeless, but I’d rather you respect my right to choose the soundtrack to my web surfing. Today, for example, while I scour the web for offensive content, I’m listening to Computer Love by Zapp and Roger. Don’t like that song? That’s fine — I’m not forcing you to listen to it!

If I feel like being bombarded with pop-ups, I’ll visit sleazy porn sites. If I’m in the mood for music, iTunes has me covered. As stated in Treat Online Guests With Respect, maybe it’s time to start thinking of visitors as online guests. This new perspective might get companies to better recognize how their websites communicate with those they intend to serve.

When I’m assaulted with promotional pop-up windows, I feel like I’m at a used car dealership and there’s a yappy salesman jumping all over me like a Chihuahua in heat.

Help Me Put an End to This Madness!

Welcome your guests to your website, make them feel comfortable, and give them what they really want — respect. Please don’t invade their personal bubble. Make it easy for people to find the information they’re looking for, so everybody wins.

Yours truly,
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A great press release can go along way in terms of gaining virtually free publicity for your business, especially in an increasingly digital media environment. Learning to combine old tricks and new in your press release composition and distribution can help you leverage the power of both traditional media outlets, such as newspapers and magazines, and newer ones, such as blogs and social media networks, to get your message to your markets.

What Has Changed?

A press release is defined as ‘a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something claimed as having news value’ (Wikipedia).

Traditionally, when public relations and marketing professionals disseminated press releases to news media, that meant sending them to specific news editors and reporters via mail, fax, or email to consider running the story in print, or more recently, online.

However, as our focus increasingly shifts from print to digital, the role of mass media gatekeeper, normally reserved for editors and reporters, has expanded to include bloggers and regular Internet users who like to share stories they deem newsworthy with their friends and followers on social media sites. Public relations professionals must consider the power these new gatekeepers can have in propelling a story or brand message, since social networks can reach a large number of people if the story they post goes ‘viral’, or rapidly spreads across the Internet through endless networks of users.

As the PR model changes, certain techniques can help maximize exposure in this new landscape. For example, since online press releases are indexed by search engines, keyword optimization is a wise move. According to Melanie Waldmann, Social Media and Search Marketing Manager at Marketwire, 75% of public relations professionals now use keyword placement in their press releases. Releases can also be formatted with specific social media sites in mind, like Twitter, for instance, where headlines must fit within the 140-character status update limit.

Writing a Press Release – Basic Tips

Though the press release has evolved to adapt to the increasingly digital world, some essential elements remain the same. Following are some basic tips for writing traditional press releases that have stood the test of time:

• Write your press release like a news story, with all the most important information (who, what, when, where, why) in the beginning (inverted pyramid). The less an editor has to change, the more likely your press release will be printed as is.

Example:

Poll: Internet Users Place More Weight on Web Design

Vancouver, B.C., June 3, 2009 — The demand for good web design is increasing, reveals a recent Webcopyplus online poll. Almost 25% of web users indicated “poor visual presentation” is the number one element that drives them away from websites.

• Find a unique angle that makes your story newsworthy. For example, tie it to a recent event that made headlines or an upcoming holiday. Or, if your story has an unusual element, highlight it (e.g. ‘first ever’, or ‘record breaking’).
• Make your press release short; one page is ideal. News editors don’t have a lot of time to sift through long releases, and studies have shown that the average consumer of Internet content has an online attention span of just a few seconds.
• Use widely understood terms to reach a wider audience.
• Specify release date (immediate, or delayed) and ensure the timing is relevant.
• Keep your release factual and avoid fluffy, sales-type writing.
• Include quotes from authority figures, including sources within your company.
• Include a call to action along with all the necessary information needed to act (e.g. enter a contest, visit a website, etc.).
• Include a boilerplate at the end of the release. A boilerplate includes information about the source of the release that can be reused for subsequent releases. It should include basic company information and where the reader can go for further details on the company.

Example:

About Webcopyplus

Webcopyplus is a Vancouver, Canada-based web copywriting firm that helps designers and businesses increase online traffic, leads and sales with optimized web content. Clients range from independent designers to international service providers, including AT&T, Scotia Bank and 1-800-Got-Junk.

For more information, please contact:

[PR contact information]

Writing A Press Release – Advanced Tips

In addition to the basic tips for writing a press release listed above, you can apply these advanced tips to further increase your press release’s exposure on the Web:

• Include keywords that editors, reporters, and bloggers might use to search for story ideas online. Research your keywords using a free tool like Google Adwords.
• Place your keywords in the areas most likely to be scanned by search engines, such as headlines and subheads.
• Include relevant links within the text for the editor, blogger, or reader to find out more information, if desired.
• Craft your headline with social media networking in mind. If your story is posted with a Twitter account, for example, the headline must fit within the 140-character limit. Also keep in mind, however, that there must be room for the story URL, and the Twitter user’s @name within these 140 characters.
• Familiarize yourself with specifications of online news aggregators, such as Google News, which requires headlines to be between a minimum of two words in length, to a maximum of 22 for proper indexing.
• Post your press release on your own website for additional exposure.

Strive to make your press release as ready as possible for easy dissemination through a wide variety of online channels, but ensure that you’ve double and triple checked it. If you’ve done your job well, your story could take on a life of its own online, and you’ll want to ensure the message that goes ‘viral’ is one you can be proud of.

Distributing Your Press Release

Traditionally, press releases have been distributed via snail mail, fax and email. In the interest of saving trees, a simple email, either sent individually, or using a mass email program, and follow up call can suffice.

To build your media contacts list, visit newspaper and magazine websites and look for a ‘Contact Us’ or ‘Masthead’ section. Most will include individual reporter and editor names, sections, email addresses and phone numbers. You can build your list according to the type of audience you want to reach, and have phone numbers ready to follow up after sending your release. Keep in mind that some magazines plan the stories they’re going to run months in advance, while newspapers tend to have stories assigned by the end of the week. If these specifics are not listed on their websites, try doing some good old-fashioned telephone research.

When emailing, include the press release content in the body of the email, in addition to attaching a PDF, in case the recipient is wary of opening attachments from unknown sources. Include your carefully crafted, eye-catching headline in the subject line.

For maximum online exposure, you can also submit your press release to a wire service. There are several wire services available at different prices (some at no cost) that allow you to specify which industries you want to reach. Some options include:

• Marketwire
• PR Web
• PR Newswire
• Business Wire

If you use one of these services, be sure to pay attention to their specific press release formatting requirements.

Measuring The Results of Your Press Release

The success of your press release can be measured in many ways, including the number of resulting print or online stories, the number of times your press release has been viewed, or how much additional traffic is driven to your website. Most online wire services display how many views each press release receives, and direct website traffic can be measured using tools, such as Google Analytics.

By learning how to combine traditional press release writing and distribution techniques with new ones customized for digital media, you’re on your way to taking advantage of the cost-effective marketing potential of the almighty press release.

While it was once a requisite SEO tactic, submitting a website to search engines is no longer required. Still, several SEO companies continue to aggressively promote search engine submission services.

Search engines like Google now have the ability to quickly and easily discover and index new websites and content through links. So, to get discovered, you just need to get some links pointing to your website.

If you can get others in the industry to link to your website, great. Think of family, friends, suppliers and associations. If you can create compelling content to entice others to link to your website, even better. One article that goes viral can create dozens or even hundreds of valuable inbound links. If you don’t have the contacts or resources, don’t worry. You can leverage the social media platform.

For instance, you can create a LinkedIn account and a link from your profile to your website. You can use the same tactic with Facebook and Twitter. Search engines crawl these sites constantly, so your website and content will be found without delay.

There’s no longer a need to pay an SEO company for search engine submission services. Put your marketing dollars to better use.

Regardless what business or industry you’re in, websites have evolved into the base of operations, where prospects and clients inevitably go to gain product, service, and company information.

Of course, other marketing elements play a role: postcards, e-mails, PR, commercials and much more. But these sources frequently push people to a website. Even TV commercials are trading in 1-800 numbers for website addresses.

That’s because websites can do more than inform. They can also allow online transactions, from simple enquiry requests, through change of detail processing to full-on purchases.

To be sure, when properly planned and developed, websites can become virtual ambassadors.

From an SEO perspective, it will reportedly inject a new ranking factor into the algorithm — website speed. As a result, Google will be pushing faster sites higher in the search results, whereas slower sites will find it harder to rank.

On that front, here’s an insightful article you might want to check out: Website Performance: What To Know and What You Can Do.