Blogging, Marketing & SEO● The Benefits of Blogging

Blog Software and Search-Friendliness Marketing & Corporate Communication Linking, Social Tagging & Viral Traffic Brand & Identity Building

● How to Create a Successful Blog Selecting an Author & a Focus The Blog Launching Process Building a Passionate Audience

● Examples of Successes & Pitfalls Disney's Imagineering Blog, The Stranger's “Slog” Fake Blogs (Mazda, McDonald's, Coke) Offending the Blogging Community

Our blog:www.seomoz.org/blog.php

Benefits of Blogging● A personal voice● Direct feedback &

communication● Search engine

friendly publishing medium

● Targets tech-savvy “connectors & mavens”

Technorati – Growth of the Blogosphere60X growth in 3 Years, doubles in size every 6 months

Blog Software & Search Friendliness

● Use of Friendly URLs● Easily Crawlable● Keyword use in URLs, title

tags and Hx tags● Excellent “linkability”● Spread of anchor text and

content via RSS, blog directories, etc.

Marketing & Corporate Communication

● Creates a human “voice” inside the company● Builds brand loyalty and creates “buzz” around a product● Attracts valuable online connectors, mavens & salespeople● Lets passionate users connect to your company for feedback

and participation

Linking, Social Tagging & Viral Traffic

● Blogs are pre-disposed to getting links from other bloggers

● Trackbacks, blog directories & RSS feeds all serve as link mechanisms

● Viral “memes” - revolutionary ideas or projects can attract tens of thousands of links very quickly (aka linkbait)

SEOmoz blog trafficMay 11th - Digg home page

“Just make a great site, with great content... that's going to help you capture the mind of the blogosphere and that's really the best way to let search engines find out about you too."

- Matt Cutts in an Interview with Mike Grehan

Brand & Identity Building● Blogs allow for a relatively

unknown brand to build a high profile online

● Blogs can help to change the image about a company by creating a forum where user voices are heard

● Brand identity can be crafted and refined through the perception of blog readers and filtered for offline audiences

Techcrunch – Unknown 18 months ago, now one of the biggest “brands” in the online tech sphere

How to Create a Successful Blog

● Find a passionate blogger

● Write in a “real” voice – don't use “PR” or “sales” speak

● Approach topics that are fun, informative, vary in scope and drive interestYahoo!'s Jeremy Zawodny

A “real” voice inside the companyjeremy.zawodny.com/blog/

The Blog Launching Process

DO DON'TStart with comments off

Launch with 3-6 posts

Email friends, industry contacts

Build relationships through forums, other blogs, communities and industry events

Link to competitors

Be self-effacing & honest

Create fake comments

Leave excessive trackbacks

Bribe bloggers to link to you

Be overly defensive of your product, service or company

Building a Passionate Audience

● Get creative in your blog posts – write about subjects that readers care about

● Don't be afraid to be negative or stir up controversy, better to be loved and hated than simply mediocre

● Recognize and call out your users – fame is intoxicating

Examples of Successes & Failures● Disney's Imagineering Blog –

an incredible success● Real Disney designers,

speaking with passion and without reservation

● By siding with fans & criticizing the company, the team has re-created passion around their projects

“There was a severe power shift at Walt Disney Imagineering in the early-90s, which completely changed the creative landscape. The best ideas no longer made it into the parks, and WDI fell victim to the kind of personal politics and rampant cronyism that is often associated with Hollywood studios,” reported SaveDisney.com in 2004. “Many talented Imagineers were laid off or put out to pasture, while finance executives were given the power to make creative decisions.”

imagineerebirth.blogspot.com

Seattle's “The Stranger” Starts a Blog● Recognizing the threat

of an online cultural voice, The Stranger created “Slog”

● Coverage includes politics, pop culture, Seattle events and more

● Thousands of daily readers and a massive influence on Seattle culture – music, restaurants, politics, etc.

www.thestranger.com/slog/

Pitfalls – The “Fake Blog”● Blogs require an honest,

real voice – these companies failed the test and turned off their readers

● Bloggers are a savvy, investigatory group – they don't like to be manipulated

● The lesson – don't blog unless you're prepared to go “off script”

Fake Blog & “Viral” Video

Fake “Lincoln Fry” Blog for Superbowl

Fake blog on Coca-Cola “Zero”

Beware Offending the Blog Community

● Bloggers are remarkably sensitive to manipulation, spam or intrusion

● Lawsuits against bloggers typically hurt brands, don't succeed and create badwill (and bad SERPs)

● Bloggers are loyal to one another and the communities /blogs they read – piss off one blogger, and an entire community can come after you.

More Information on SEO & Blogs● Beginner's Guide to SEO

www.seomoz.org/beginners.php

● Search Engine Ranking Factorswww.seomoz.org/articles/search-engine-factors.php

● SEOmoz Daily Blogwww.seomoz.org/blog.php

● Get in Touch with Rand Directemail: rand@seomoz.org