Squeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Well, it looks like my readers are going to have to prepare themselves for boudoir pics of me and MY NEW iPAD! Trada announced on Saturday morning that our collective voting efforts worked and that I was the proud owner of a new iPad.

In all seriousness – thank you.

This is what community is about. It’s not about ME winning an iPad – it’s about being ABLE to reach out and garner a response. I’m fortunate that I’ve build a community where people listen when I write. So I owe each and every one of you a HUGE thank you.

For reading, commenting, voting, emailing, tweeting, sharing and coming back post after post. Without you – my readers – I’m just a crazy lady with a keyboard. (Fine – I’m a crazy lady with a keyboard already, but since you listen, it keeps me out of the asylum.)

Now, a bit about Trada – have you ever wondered what it would be like to have HUNDREDS of  PPC experts working on your online marketing campaign (instead of just one or two)? Here are just a few cool tidbits you might like to know about this Boulder-based gem:

• Advertisers reduce their CPA by an average of 10% after joining Trada
• The average campaign has 24 (!!!) PPC experts working on it at one time
• Trada campaigns have an average of 10 times more relevant ads than before joining the market place.

Don’t believe the hype – see how it works. I was turned on to Trada by seOverflow, an incredible Denver-area SEO firm that I’m fortunate enough to work with on a regular basis. I’m looking forward to their full report!

Now – go forth, prosper, do all that Vulcan shit and tell Monday to kiss your ass. And thank you for being part of my community.

I met Brian Clark (finally) back at Blog World in 2009. He knew I was a SEO copywriting geek and he pinged me early this year with a question: he had a cool new WordPress SEO copywriting plugin and would I mind giving it a beta test?

Does a monkey fling poo?

Not a moment later, I found a nifty zip file in my inbox. Enter Scribe.

If you’re using a WordPress-powered content management system or blog, it’s essential. If you’re a copywriter producing article marketing content for distribution around the web, it’s like mother’s milk. Here’s why:

• It Thinks Like a Search Engine: It’s all very well and good to think you’re TELLING the search engines what you want them to see through coding meta data like page title, description and keywords, but what do search engines really see? Scribe tells you and helps you pull your head out of your backside before your content goes live.
• It Acts Like a Coach: When you run the Analysis tool, it not only tells you what it sees, but it tells you how to fix it. Hells yeah.
• No Blog Needed: Maybe you’re a copywriter who churns out article marketing content and you have to be careful about keyword density (I’m talkin’ eZines here, folks…). Scribe had a web-based standalone version accessible from anywhere (one you sign up) that catches any boo boos before the big bad submission engines get ahold of you. I lurvs. A lot. (Not alot.)
• It Ain’t Free (and nor should it be): If you want cool free tools, check out HubSpot’s awesome arsenal. The Scribe tool ranges from $27/month to $97/month. Don’t believe it’s worth the cash – try it 30 days for free and see for yourself. I did.

Here’s a screenshot of the analysis tool once it’s run (these are the results for the post you’re reading right now):

Here are a few things you need to know about WHY I’m pimping this plugin:

• I work in the SEO space and have sent referrals for this tool over to SEO firms with whom I work.
• I’m all about anything that’s going to make my job easier.
• Brian’s group is all about feedback and he PERSONALLY responded to a list of improvement/expansion suggestions I sent over.
• They’ll be releasing versions for additional blogging platforms in coming months.
• It takes writers out of the position of thinking like writers and makes you look at your content in a different way – a way that better serves clients.

Will it make you a SEO copywriting pro overnight? Hell no. But it WILL make your path to understanding how search engines read content less bumpy. Read more about the Scribe SEO Copywriting tool and see why I’m jazzed. Have a delightful Monday.

SEO copywriting for the web is an art. It’s not about slapping any old words on a web page and waiting for the traffic to magically appear. As an SEO copywriter, I work with a team of other professionals to help make a client’s website successful: SEO firms, sponsored search specialists, web designers. The most challenging conversation I ever have with a new client is “words do not traffic make.” But they’re a damn good place to start.

While search engines are pretty doggone smart, they’re also pretty dang dumb. You have to tell them what’s important. You might have the most awesome doggie supply business on the planet Earth but if the search engines (and hence, all your prospective customers) don’t know that, you’re screwed. So what’s the key to breaking it down Barney-style and spoon feeding the search engines?

Keywords, keywords, keywords.

Today’s blog is a few simple steps you can take and tools you can use to start thinking like your customers and spoon feed the search engines exactly what they should know about your website, your business and who they should be sending your way.

• Pretend you’re a customer. Stop being the business owner for a minute and put yourself in your customer’s shoes. When they go to the web, what are they typing into that Google Search box when searching for what you’ve got in spades? Here are some simple steps you can take to find out!
  • The Google Test. Play around in Google and act like a customer. If you sell doggie supplies, key in search terms like dog bowls, online pet supplies, online dog supplies, etc. See what comes up.
  • Snoop Around Your Competitors’ Yards. You know who they are, so why not pay their websites a visit? When you land on their home page, use a right click of your mouse to get a pop-up box that says view page source (Chrome/Firefox) or view source (IE). Click that. It will open up a new window that will show you all of that web site’s meta data (information that the site is giving to search engines). This includes keywords, page description and page title. Sneaky – make notes!
• Dig Deeper: Keyword Research Tools. Using free online resources like Google’s Keyword Tool, you can type in multiple keywords and keyword phrases (a single keyword would be dog, a keyword phrase would be online dog supplies). You can then let Google (master of all that is Search), tell you how popular those keyword combinations are! Why is this useful?
  • Because Google is smart and you are dumb. Google knows data and spends more time that you and I have combined compiling data. It knows who is searching for what and how often. But their hard work can help you choose the best search terms to focus on for your web content.
  • Same but Different. Google will show you synonyms and other related phrases (proof that Google is smarter than you and me). You might type in dog supplies online, but it will also give you the following:

• Be specific. I don’t know about you, but when I look for things online, I’m rarely looking for “dog supplies.” I’m looking for a medium Furminator brush. Being generic in Search Engineville is the kiss of death. The more specific you can be, the better for your web copy and behind-the scenes meta data. Here’s a hierarchy as to what your keyword selection should look like from your home page on down:
  • Home Page: general keywords (online pet supplies).
  • Internal Pages: more specific keywords (online cat supplies/online dog supplies)
  • Sub Pages: even more specific keywords (cat litter boxes/online cat food/cat scratching posts)
  • Category-Specific Pages: very specific (Furminator brushes)
  • Product Specific Pages: freakin’ specific (Furminator dog brush/Furminator cat brush/Furminator Medium)
  • The goal is to drive traffic with your web copy and meta data to the point where a site visitor doesn’t have to dig through your site to get what they want. If you’ve ever left Target because you couldn’t find what you were looking for, Target failed in its marketing. More websites than not do this very (bad) thing.

So, you’re doing keyword research. Awesome. Start a spreadsheet with what you’ve found or just make a list in a document that you can keep handy. This information helps a copywriter (an SEO-savvy copywriter, not one that’s used to working with print medium or is a wiz at editorial work) understand your products and business. Your SEO copywriter (if any good) will then take that list and do a little digging of their own and then be better able to craft web copy that works for both the search engines and your business instead of just giving you what anyone is capable of: word on a web page.

SEO copywriting takeways for today regarding keyword research and selection:

• Think like your customers and figure out what they’re typing into Google.
• Check out your competitors – there’s nothing wrong with finding out what already works (and doesn’t)
• Test your results with free online resources like Google’s Keyword Tool (because it’s smarter than we are)
• Understand where to use general keywords and where to get more specific
• Make a list of your research to help the other key professionals in your web campaign understand your business, your products and you target audience.

Next Monday, tune in for the reason your web copy needs a pool boy and a plumber. It’s called specialization of labor, and SEO copywriting will get your web content tuned-in like a well-staffed corporation!

Did you miss installment one in this series? Read Why Your Web Content Isn’t Working.

Are you subscribed? Don’t miss out on the next installment of the SEO copywriting blog series on RedheadWriting. We publish every Monday/Wednesday/Friday! Get a dose of The Redhead straight to your reader of choice or via email – just go to the top right hand side of this screen and clickity-click!

Website content is the undisputed king – search engines rank you by it, people rate you by it, and most of all, it’s the number one tool (in conjunction with a solid website design) that tells your visitors who you are, what you do and what you can do for them.

But your web copy isn’t working. WTF, over?

Today’s post is the first in a series of five posts that will cover website content. As a reminder, installment two in my WordPress Series will be published this Wednesday (catch installment one Three Reasons Your Website Sucks and One Simple Way to Fix It here), so if you haven’t subscribed, have a lookie-loo at the right hand side of this page and subscribe via RSS feed or email. Let’s face it – you get a lot of crap in your inbox every day…why not get some crap you actually want to read?

Most people think that the mere act of having a website is their ticket to instant traffic and an exponential increase in sales. Yeah – you’re wrong. There are two key components that go into a solid website: content (king) and design/coding (a piss-and-vinegar queen that’s bucking for the throne at all times). A pretty website alone, while nice to look at, isn’t going to result in higher traffic or sales. It needs the compliment of coherent, purpose-driven content. Now, before I get the commenters who think I’m being sexist by putting forth that a website is a patriarchal entity and the matriarchal figure is subservient (blah-blah-blah)…it’s a metaphor. The king and queen compliment one another and work together to create a web-based kingdom that:

• Is sticky (keeps visitors on your site)
• Lets visitors know what you want them to do (click here, buy this, subscribe, submit a form)
• Converts visitors to customers (creates revenue or another desired result)

In the words of Mel Brooks: It’s good to be the king.

Any old words slapped up on a web page simply won’t do. There’s a tried and true method for developing coherent and conversion-oriented web copy that works. The next four parts of this series will cover the following topics:

• Do Your Homework: Audience Identification and Keyword Selection (WTF is a keyword?!?!)
  • Who do you want to visit your site and why? This post will delve into how to think like your target audience and how to do the research for your entire site that will result in web copy that speaks to your audience and more importantly, speaks to the search engines. Search engines are smart, but you’ve gotta tell them what they want to hear.
• Specialization of Labor: Why Each Page of Your Website Should Have a Job
  • Ever worked in a company where everyone was the sales/marketing/administrative staff/lead developer and CEO? Too many cooks in the kitchen! We’ll look into why each page of your website should have a clearly defined purpose and talk about how that helps the search engines and your business simultaneously. Copy rules here, and it takes a polished pen/keyboard to write purpose-driven text that gets you where you need to go.
• Who Loves You, Baby? The Importance of Links and Anchor Text
  • Expanding on the idea of specialization of labor, we’ll discuss why the specialization you committed to will help your website from both the inside AND the outside. There’s a heavy importance that search engines place on links (both internal and inbound from other sites) as well as the way you create those links – anchor text. Stop pasting URLs and hyperlinking the words “click here.” Do it right, reap the rewards.
• It’s Not Over Until It’s Over: Revisiting Your Site, Making Revisions
  • When you’ve finally achieved a site that works and one that’s got a design and the complimentary copy to do what you expected it to do—you can’t just let it be. We’ll go over the importance of analytics, competitive analysis and how to stay one step ahead of your competition through some smart “tweaks” to your web copy and site meta data to ensure that as the months and years roll by, your site isn’t left in the dust with the dinosaurs.

There’s a lot of crap lurking out there on the interwebz, but your website doesn’t have to belong to the Crap Club. Follow this series of blog posts and take your website from crap to content-rich in a few easy weeks of reading. We’ll see you next Monday with Do Your Homework: Audience Identification and Keyword Selection, and don’t forget to catch this Wednesday’s installment in my WordPress series and how it can be used as a tool to help you build a solid website.

Holy hell. Look at your website.

It sucks. No, seriously: it really sucks. The chrome off a Studebaker’s fender type of suckage. The kind that it took someone who knew just enough to be dangerous to achieve.

Houston: we have a crap website. That is confirmed.

The first reason your website sucks? I have no idea what it’s about or what your business does when I get to your homepage. I mean, thank god someone posted a bit.ly link on Twitter or else I never would have come here on my own. All I’m seeing is a boatload of words and a tiny stock image at the top of the screen. I could be reading a pamphlet for interstitial cystitis for all I know. It’s possible you’re in real estate because there’s a little picture of a house and your big, shiny mug all over the screen. Then again, you could be an animal shelter because all I see is pictures of a woman surrounded by dogs. Personally, I’m lost.

The second reason your website sucks? The search engines can’t find you. It’s pretty obvious that when you put your website together you felt that any ol’ words on the page will do. When I pull your site’s source code (go ahead, blink…I know you have no idea what I’m talking about), there’s no meta data, your pages are all named www.mywebsite.com/afbijkaf6^&()^%^#$, or everything on your site is in Flash (which is totally brutal for search engines and site vistiors alike). If Google can’t find you, good luck on generating traffic. Aren’t you glad you paid that cheap (or maybe not-so-cheap) web firm $249 for your site?

The third reason your website sucks? I have no idea what I’m supposed to do when I get to your homepage. Your site’s navigation is so confusing that I would probably be able to come up with a bipartisan-approved solution to the heath care question in this country before I can find your “Contact Us” page. That is, if you even have one. So, I quit. I’m going to work as a lobbyist for the American Medical Association because it’s an easier gig than trying to find anything on this digital abomination you call a website.

But there’s a simple way to fix all that ails you. And it’s called WordPress.

Not WordPress.com…I’m talkin’ WordPress.org. If you’re thinking about redirecting a WordPress.com-hosted blog to your own URL, I’ll issue you a pre-emptive bitch slap now and tell you to read Stop Being a WordPress Whore.

“But that’s for bloooooooooooooooooooooooooogs.”

Really?

RedheadWriting is powered by WordPress. So is RedheadedFury.com.

So are www.copyblogger.com

www.chrisbrogan.com

www.ourayicepark.com

Yup. All powered by WordPress.

The beauty of a self-hosted WordPress-powered website is that everything you need to be successful is available in a simple, easy-to-use, and FREE package! Just think: you can have the website you always dreamed of for your business (or blog, or whatever) and if you have opposable thumbs – YOU can manage your entire website yourself! Soup to nuts.

This blog is the first blog in a series that will cover WordPress as a tool for website development. Here are the topics of the next installments in this series:

• WordPress Themes – Out of the box and onto your site solutions that are more than just pretty pictures. We’ll explore the genius behind DIY Themes’ THESIS theme and those available from Woo Themes and iThemes as well. Themes can single-handedly help you avoid the perils of poor navigation design and are easily tweaked (yes, that IS a technical term) to meet anyone’s aesthetic demands.
• The Power of CSS - What the hell is CSS? My guest blogger, Jason Nelson of Visual Adventures Web Design (and WordPress CSS Style Sheet guru), will tell you in plain English and show you how a friendly web developer can take your WordPress-powered site from blah to BAM!
• Plugins: they’re not just for lamps anymore – WordPress plugins are like Legos for your website. You literally plug them in and watch them go. We’ll cover some of the cool things they can do for your website and how these and wise theme selection will solve that pesky SEO problem once and for all.

Subscribe now via either a reader or email updates (look on the right hand side of this screen) and don’t miss the rest of this awesome series. I hate to see websites that suck and there’s really no reason for them. If you ever wondered about the power of WordPress, here’s your chance to learn the basics…and for FREE.

I never said I was easy, but WordPress is…and my advice is the right price.

Go organic in search results!

Just like your body, your website is a reflection of what you put into it: crap in, crap out.

And then there’s the other side of the coin: fill yourself up with too much of the good stuff and you still get fat, not fit.

So Erika – where’s the happy medium?

As I discussed awhile ago (I Have a Website, I Have No Traffic – WTF?) there are fundamental components of website design that can completely screw you if you’re not savvy. Today, we’re going to talk about the grunt work of getting those coveted organic search engine rankings. I’ve been getting this question a lot from my followers on Twitter as well as my clients this week, and it’s an issue I deal with daily as InvestorLoft’s Director of Communications & Content.

How do I get my website to that first page…even first POSITION in Google?

Straight-up: if I KNEW the answer to that question, I’d be rich beyond belief and living on some tropical isle with a herd of cabana boys fanning me and keeping me in mojitos  or Twisted Pine Billy’s Chilies 24/7. I’m not a search engine specialist, nor will I ever claim to be. I do, however, write the copy for a shitload of websites and find myself explaining a whole lot about keywords, meta data, backlinks….and…..(snore)….

What I can tell you is that there are several things you can do in order to increase your traffic and your page rank. Both of these factors contribute highly to your position on any search engine and when you pair them with linkbuilding, increasing all puts you well on your way to better rankings built over time.

We’re heading to Whole Website Market(ing), so grab your reuseable cgi-bin and let’s get going.

1. Examine your keyword strategy. When’s the last time you looked at your on-page keywords and meta data (page descriptions, page titles and meta keywords in your code)? Have a look and make sure that they’re still consistent with your target audience. I have many clients tell me, ” I don’t show up in Google for Arizona Real Estate Investing.” Many times it’s because that phrase is nowhere to be found on their pages at all (crazy, I know). What you THINK you should be ranking for and what your website is TELLING the search engines you should be ranking for are sometimes two entirely different things. Get your stories straight and then move on.
2. Start a blog. Not a self-serving gratuitous bullshit blog, folks. A solid informational source about topics of interest to your potential clients and customers. This blog should be hosted on your website and if you missed why, read this before your become a WordPress whore. Blogs are excellent linkbait and another tool that search engines can index in oder to help you build rankings, traffic and interest from your audience.
3. Catalog Your Website & Blog. Directories with decent page rank (and I consider a Google Page Rank of 4+ decent for directories) that link bck to your blog can only help you in search engine rankings. Many are free and many are paid – start with the free ones or even use a directory submission service to minimize your energy expenditure. Here is a starter list of blog directories. If you use a directory submission service, make sure they provide you with a report of sites submitted. You’re never guaranteed acceptance and many have reciprocal link requirements. Understand the terms before you submit.
4. Article Marketing – It’s Not a One-Shot Deal. One of the keys to highly successful websites is the consistent generation of new content. Your blog will contribute to this as will new articles both on your website and externally that link back to you. Article Marketing through such sites a eZineArticles, GoArticles, iSnare and others not only generate backlinks to your site (most often through your author bio/footer), but also position you as an authority on your chosen subject matter. However (a BIG however), you need to establish a schedule for regular submission of articles.  Most article marketing sites will also require that they have exclusivity on the content you submit (this means one article can’t go to 3 sites). Instead of “spinning” content, contemplate how to address your subject matter from a complimentary angle. For example, the article “Self-Directed IRAs: 10 Reasons to Start One Today” can lend itself to “How Do I Set Up a Self-Directed IRA?” and “Self-Directed IRAs: Pros and Cons.” (ya catch my drift?)
5. Maintain a Blog Comment Campaign. First of all, if you spam my blog – I WILL remember you and blacklist you. I have no mercy. Don’t pump someone’s thoughtful blog full of your bullshit, marketing-only comments that are just poor excuses for backlinks. Engage in conversations. Find blogs in a related industry that your target demographic is likely to read and leave thoughtful comments (not that you just “liked the post and will check back often”). Real conversations develop on blogs, and I’ve earned clients from them.

This is just one short list of five ideas to get you started. I’ll encourage readers to leave their thoughts on additional strategies below and enlighten everyone in the process. It’s definitely possible to feed your website with good vittles like these and boost your organic search results in the process. As a conversation I just had with someone extolling the virtues of a frozen box of Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies – they taste good as hell but ultimately do nothing for yor bottom line.

Hey pretty blogger…what’s your name?

Yeah? You’re a writer? That’s hot.

Why don’t you, uh…come on over here and chat with me for while. We can talk about…umm…about…

Gee, I dunno…we could talk about how pretty you look sitting in front of that little MacBook, the silver case reflecting the auburn in your hair.

Or…we could talk about why you’re a little whore.

There – I said it. A whore.

Last week I admitted that I’m Google’s bitch and this week, I’m going to give my speech to all you inner-city disadvantaged bloggers out there about being a Wordpress whore. Ari Herzog even called me out on it in the comments of last week’s blog. It was a shameful day for me as I was faced with what I already knew as both a writer and an SEO professional:

I am a whore for Wordpress.

By hosting my blog here at a Wordpress.com domain, I’m giving away all my take. My tricks – these posts – are giving Wordpress all of the SEO juice when you, my cherished and slightly skewed readers, visit my site each week when I post. At the end of the day, it’s like I’m walking the streets for Wordpress, turning tricks and acting like a freelance writer from India who will pound-out 500 word articles for $3 each.

I

am

a

whore.

I am pleased to announce that effective February 1, SEOCopywritingRedhead will be found at its very own domain. This has been in the works for awhile, but Ari lit the fire under my ass necessary to get me out of Wordpress’ stable and into the groove of being my own madam.

Now, for those of you out there using free blogging platforms (i.e.: http://blog.freebloggingthingie.com), I’m going to do a little “scared straight” on your ass and tell you what’s what.

• If you blog for fun and don’t care about the SEO juice, go ahead and whore it up on a free blogging platform.
• If you’re attempting to establish a personal brand or a subscriber base – you need to stop being a dirty little blogging whore and get your own domain.

But Erika (you ask…) HOW do I stop being Wordpress’ dirty little blogging whore?

C’mere little blogger…sit down. I’m going to have the same conversation with you that a wise man once had with me.

You’ve got your entire blogging career ahead of you. You’re young (kinda), you’re smart (after all, you’re reading my blog) and you write some damn good looking words. Seriously – if your words were legs, they could kick for the Rockettes. So with gams like that, sweetheart, were gonna get you walkin’ in the right neighborhoods.

If you’re on Wordpress.com, there are several hosting services out there with one-click install of Wordpress when you purchase a domain and hosting. I’ve heard wonderful things about both Bluehost and Dreamhost, and while I’m currently embroiled in GoDaddy’s rat bastard practices, I encourage you to check them out.

You can also redirect your current Wordpress.com blog to your own domain for a mere $15/year. Under your Dashboard, go to Settings/Domains and then tell it the url you want it to point to. Then it’ll ask you to buy 10 Wordpress credits and BAM! You’re on your way. (and yes, your page still gets the SEO juice this way)

So, the bottom line it that it’s simple to get off the streets and end your acceptance of sub-par take for all of your hard work. Writing is very (very) sexy stuff, and there’s no reason to be giving away the milk without making the search engines buy your cow first.

Get your own blog domain. Open your own brothel. Be your own pimp. Keep your link juice.

And you can keep Wordpress, too, if you like.

Please note: no bloggers were bitch-slapped in the crafting of this post.

I love it when Google smacks me...

Here’s the truth folks: Google beats me and I like it. I also occasionally take some fair swatting  from Yahoo! and MSN, less often from Alta Vista (but their spankings feel super niiiiiiice). Frankly, now that I think of it, I make a living out of spending my 8-to-5 bent over on some desk or another. And it’s all for my clients’ benefit.

Much akin to being in an abusive relationship, I’ve engaged with the hot quarterback from high school in a small rural town. His dad owns a farm, his cousins are known for their cow-tipping antics. Did I mention his dad owns a farm? Well, it’s not just a farm. It’s the biggest farm in the county. He also owns the land where the co-op grain silo stands. And the trucking company that hauls the grain from each of the farms to the silo each harvest. I think dad also owns the police department. Huh. Quite frankly, his dad owns everything. (I’m not even going to mention how creepy it is that Hot Quarterback calls him “Daddy.”)

So, I decided to make a life with Mr. Hot Quarterback and become Mrs. Hot Quarterback. I love him, see. He makes me swoon whenever he plants one of those burly kisses on my cheek and smacks me playfully on the ass while I’m cookin’ up somethin’ in the kitchen. I went to work for his daddy’s (ugh) company as a little computer gal so I could help out the family-n-all.

(read: Erika opted for a career as an SEO copywriter because she loves the challenge and constant problem solving involved with her day-to-day routine.)

Google smacks me on the ass a lot.

If you’re an SEO professional out there, it’s pretty likely that you’re getting smacked just as frequently as I am. Only difference is that I might look better bent over a desk than you do.

For the sake of my clients, I’m constantly embroiled in the ongoing discussion of the “Google algorithms” and how search engines determine your page ranking. Why does some piece of shit website with an ungodly amount of content beyond distillation rank a bloody 6 and an easy-to-navigate, user-friendly, well-traveled site earn a paltry 3? For fuck sake, Google. Help me out.

You told me to build backlinks. I complied.

You told me content was king. I wrote.

You told me you like keyword-rich anchor text. I stapled that shit down with some bomber keywords.

You told me blogs were good. I am a serious blogging mo-fo.

Like the wife of Mr. Hot Quarterback who’s daddy owns everything in town, I feel some days that I get smacked too much.  Google told me what my chores were – and I did them! Google keeps me on a short leash, issuing the almighty smack-down for black-hat practices and serious search engine nastiness. For the love of all that’s clickable, there are only so many blessed directories that you can list a site on.

But you keep changing the game, Google.

Your algorithms are like Mr. Hot Quarterback’s daddy – you own everything in town so I can’t go to the po-lice.

If I cross the county line into Yahoo!ville or MSNville, I’m going to get less traffic than your behemoth community can send me.

So I spend my days explaining to my friends at the beauty parlor why we had that argument at the Cracker Barrel on Sunday. *sigh*

But y’know? I love him. That hot quarterback of mine who’s put on 50 lbs. since we got married (he says it’s muscle)…he’s the love of my life. He’s introduced me to everyone wonderful in this little/big town we live in and I meet someone new every day. When he smacks me on the ass in the kitchen, I can’t help it but to giggle and blush a little bit.

Google – you can smack me anytime. I’m completely your bitch. All I ask is that, if I play by the rules and I play well, allow me a victory every now and them. And admittedly – you have. But as an SEO professional, I can’t really take my clients anywhere else (and you know that). I want them to be safe in your hands. So instead of giving me a smack-down when you change your algorithms, why don’t you put on that unassuming little polo rig like the guy in the picture above? I’ll put on some fishnets. Some pearls. We’ll have a party –  big, wicked search engine party and I’ll get excited when you double-click my mouse. Go ahead – put “naughty” in the search box. We’ll see what pops up in the results.

It’s all a matter of perspective. And thankfully, he laughed.

We often find ourselves surrounded in both business and life by those who actively choose to be passive. Who allow life or their business to run THEM instead of the other way around. As a preamble to the 2008 holiday season, I wanted to send my readers face-first into their turkey sandwiches and shopping frenzies with some heavy thoughts for both business and your personal life. In scathing Redhead fashion, here’s my unsolicited thoughts on how to run towards something in life instead of continuing to run from everything.

If it’s not working, change it.

Are you stuck in square peg-round holeville? Einstein’s definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again in expectation of different results. You’ve got to mix it up, change it around, and sometimes — throw the entire bloody thing out the window if you’re ever going to get anywhere. Some of my favorite song lyrics of all-time are from a group called The Kills and their song “Good Ones.” Once in awhile, once in ahwile ya gotta burn down your house to keep your dreamin’ alive. Afraid of starting over? See the next point.

Fear is a four-letter word.

Your mom and dad smacked the crap out of you for saying “crap” when you were a kid and your stint on this mortal coil was threatened if you dared utter one of the “worse” words. Now as adults, we’ve got no fear of dropping the f-bomb, heli-skiing, motorcycle riding, bungee jumping or running a red light, but we’ve got this thing about “change.” It freaks us out. My advice? Stop worrying about what I call the “Udda Sisters.” They’re Shoulda, Coulda and Woulda. If you spend all of your time thinking about what might have been instead of what actually IS, you’re sticking yourself in a helpless position of fear and passivity. Take the leap, whether it’s one of faith or otherwise, and get something done. Shake up your world. I’d rather hear someone use the f-bomb than the other four-letter f-word (fear). You’re an adult – nobody’s going to smack you for not being afraid.

There’s a conversation you’ve been waiting to have. Have it.

One thing I’ve gotten extraordinarily better at in my life (though I still work on it daily) is my ability to initiate what could be uncomfortable conversations. No one wants to hurt anyone else’s feelings (and those who do aren’t worth talking to anyways), but those conversations we dread are the ones that leave us a hundred pounds lighter. If you’re afraid of the other person’s/party’s reaction, think about your wants and need beforehand. This is relevant in both business and your personal like. When you enter a conversation with intention and purpose, you’re positioning yourself as a winner. When you have these conversations, though, brig an open mind and ear to the table with you. Nobody wants to talk to a wall and dialogs are always more fun than diatribes.

If you hate your job, get a new one.

This one pisses me off. Seriously. Folks, I know the “economy is bad” and many people are “just grateful to have jobs.” This doesn’t mean you can’t find a new one. What it means is if you’re a fuck-off and just a total suck on an employer’s payroll, you’re going to have a tough time finding work. But those aren’t the people who read my blog. Each person reading this is pretty much a rock star in their given field and chosen vocation. If you hate where you’re at, you all have the tools, skills and means to break out from the crowd and position yourself as a valuable and value-adding asset to the employer of your choice. So quit bitching. Do it already. (there’s no hugging here)

Real friends – find them.

It takes being a good friend in order to have good friends. The real ones don’t care about the car your drive, the clothes you wear, if you’re married/divorced/have kids/have no kids. They care about you. Have a long look at your roster of friends and see who really qualifies. Who takes more than they give? Who’s there every time you end up in the emergency room (thanks John Mueller)? Who never has cash when you go on a lunch run? Who calls you out of the blue on Sunday afternoon just to catch up? Real friends will get you through any crisis in life and you’ll be excited to be their friend in return. And hopefully they’ll tell you when that purple skirt or “cool” shirt you like so much really looks like crap on you — and they won’t use the word crap. They’ll issue you a friendly yet stern, “Jeez…WTF?!” and tell you to burn it.

Colleagues – appreciate them.

They’re your 9-to-5. The life blood of your business. They’re the people who let you do the business that you do. Take a minute and say thanks. We don’t say thank you enough in our business lives (unless someone is saving our ass and then we pee thanks all over their desks). And if you can’t find a reason to say thanks, check out the point above about finding a new gig. If you surround yourself with colleagues you admire, respect and who challenge you to become a better business person, odds are you’ll have plenty to be thankful about!

Time – take some and make some.

Think back this year about all of the times you said you didn’t have time to do something. My take on it is that we always have the time — but sometimes we choose to not make it. Life’s about priorities, and sometimes first things are first and we truly don’t have the time to spend one some things because we’re actively (or passively out of avoidance) choosing to spend time on other pursuits. This is FINE. Just be honest with yourself and those surrounding you about where your time priorities are. And then always take some time for yourself. MAKE the time for yourself. There’s a ton to be said for hanging out with friends, spending the rare Sunday afternoon on the couch napping or indulging yourself with a last-minute getaway. And you don’t always have to do these things WITH someone. Sometimes it’s a hot date with YOU, buddy. Get rowdy. (insert bad kitty meow)

Make your list – check it twice.

It’s YOUR list and it’s time to be your own Santa. What is it that YOU want? Stop waiting for the Universe to bring you things and identify the things you want. In business and your personal life, to not have lists (be they virtual or written, no matter) is to be passive. Now lists aren’t the place for solving the Middle East crisis with methods and mechanics. They’re a place for identification. I think you’ll be surprised that, once you identify your wants, the methods and mechanics for achieving them will begin to emerge. As a rock climber, I was told long ago that if I didn’t know where to put my hands next, try moving my feet as it’s likely that as soon as I moved my feet up, I’d be able to see my next series of hand holds. This is, without a doubt, the finest piece of advice I’ve ever received for both rock climbing and daily living. Make your list. Move your feet. The rest will come.

Stop reacting and start acting.

Remember all those times you set your mind to something and you did it? All I’m sayin’ is that if there’s movement in your life, be the creator. From your family to business to friends to the line at the supermarket, set your life in motion and stop reacting to the world around you. In my case, I’ve found it’s pretty cool to have the world around me be the one I want to live in. Why is it like that? Because I created it. I went after the career I wanted and did it without fear (granted, a few “oh shits” along the way but nothing that wouldn’t wash out). I allowed the people into my life who want to share life with me instead of asking me to constantly live theirs for them. I’m fortunate and I’ve worked hard for what I enjoy each day, and I credit the majority of it to my intolerance for being idle and passion for setting out on new paths or delving deeper into ones I’m already walking.

So there it is, my dear readers. Redhead wisdom to learn and live by. You can think I’m full of shit or you can take away one or two things and set your world on its head and find the cool stuff that lies beyond. In the comments on this one, please feel free to share your own “Call to Action” with my readers. What inspired/inspires you? Where do you find your inner flame? What’s the key to your kick-ass work environment? I want to hear about it.

And with that, I’ll leave you with thanks for being so patient as I know it’s been a long time since my last post. I went to Tanzania, climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, moved to Denver and started on a new chapter in my writing career. Special thanks to all my readers who asked the “WTF?!?!? Where’s the new post?”  Here it is. Long overdue and hopefully what you’ve come to expect from The Redhead.  Check out the picture below…and the photo I’m holding is of my grandparents, Elsie and Harold Jensen. Melancholy that they’re no longer with us? Never. I opted for the melon collie.

The Redhead on the Summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro 9/27/08

Online dating: spending money to find love online?

I’m a serial monogamist. The “dating” thing eludes me. Perhaps that’s why my list of clients remains long and my list of suitors short:

It’s by design.

See, my clients are after a target customer or demographic. Just like me when it comes to dating. After having been a paying customer or lurker on several online dating sites (’cause “it’s OK to look”), a conversation this week brought me to the realizations below about how I’ve handled my online presence in the world of romance. I was practicing my own best advice to my clients when it comes to branding, SEO and SEM practices — and I didn’t even know it.

For those out there reading this who aren’t savvy in the fields of marketing-speak throughout, have faith. I’ll give you fancy pop-ups and definitions to go with my online dating advice. And I guarantee, none of the links will lead to porn sites.

Shall we? Let’s put on our cybersuits and delve into the online dating pool.

Online Dating and Branding

You’re unique. Yeah, you’re real unique.

Everyone is “unique.” So why the hell are you so special?

A company that puts out a product or service that doesn’t differentiate itself from the competition is poised to fail from the get-go. Once in a blue moon, you find the rare instance of a wanna-be that ekes out an existence, but is that why you went into business in the first place? To eke?

Successful companies have a clear identity. A clearly-defined brand. Customers know what to expect, what they’re buying and the terms and conditions under which they’re acquiring that good or service. It’s no different in online dating.

Ladies:

• Every one of us is “just as comfortable in a cocktail dress” as we are in jeans
• We’re all looking for someone to laugh with
• We all “work hard and play hard”
• And everyone (well, I think most everyone) is looking for a man who will love them and, on occasion, make them feel like a princess.

Gents:

• Most of you like sports, cars and beer
• You’re all looking for an “honest, loyal” woman (i.e.: one that ain’t gonna cheat on you, and if she is, at least not with your best friend)
• You want a girl you can “just hang-out with”
• The majority of you don’t spend hours at the mall and would prefer that’s what a chick just went and did without you, leaving you to a day with guys doing whatever you feel (or DON’T feel) like doing.

Those are givens.

Since women aren’t looking for an overweight ogre who will use them merely as an automatic beer dispenser every time they head for the kitchen and men aren’t looking for clingy, psycho Glenn Close/Bunny Nemesis type, it’s time to do some research.

There are a multitude of online dating sites that let you scope-out the competition, so why not start running your personal life and search for Happily Ever After more like a business? Successful businesses understand their competition, so get online and do exactly what Match.com says is perfectly acceptable:

It’s OK to Look!

Get in there and take a tour of your “competitors” – the other people in your age, physical stature and life demographic. See what those folks are saying about themselves. I think you’ll be surprised how similar most of the profiles appear.

Now for the tough question: what makes YOU different?

Are you an irreverent smart-ass?
Do you collect 19th century coins?
Have you climbed Mt. Everest?
Are you a stark-raving Led Zepplin fan with a portrait of the entire band tattooed across your chest?

Your online dating profile should reflect both your core qualities and your quirks (ever read a bottle of Smart Water?) This is your love life, folks. If you’re going to actually go to the trouble of paying a membership fee (or not…lots of free sites out there…ew) and actively search for someone to share your valuable personal hours with, why not actually get something that resembles what you’re looking for?

A fair and honest representation of your personal brand – your personality – is the beginning of a more rewarding online dating endeavor. When someone checks out your profile, let them know what they’re getting, what your personal brand represents, and what they can expect if they actually earn the opportunity to meet you. And don’t get me started on photos. Post current photos that look like you, because when I go to the car dealership to buy a 2008 Honda Accord, I’m looking for the Accord I saw in the Saturday paper … not an ‘86 Ford F-150 with the left side made entirely of bondo.

Truth in advertising. A key element of any successful brand.

Online Dating in SEO Terms

Truth in Advertising: photo by Natalie Dee

So, you log into your dating site du jour and it gives you a gazillion search options. Age, marital status, kids, eye color, hobbies … the list is endless. Guess what: those are keywords. Just as if you were on Google and shopping for the latest Star Trek boxed set of DVDs or the best deal on that indispensible Fendi purse, online dating  sites are nothing but glorified search engines for sex. (there, I said it)

In addition to those nifty “long tail URLs” (threw that one in there for the SEO geeks like me), your entire profile is a collection of keywords. When you sit down to write that “In Your Own Words” section or whatever the heck the dating sites are calling it these days, think of the words that describe the core of your person:

Irreverent Smart Asses: who are your favorite comics and TV shows?

19th Century Coin Collectors: uh, say you collect 19th century coins or list a favorite coin or something

Mt. Everest Climbers: words like alpinist, mountaineering, climbing, snow and hiking could be key

Tattooed Led Zepplin Fans: maybe mention the band by name and the fact that you have tattoos

Why is this important? Because several sites allow you to search by keyword.

If you think of the run-of-the-mill profiles you came across in your Research Phase (see Branding section above), who goes into an online dating site and searches for nice, cool, funny, or cars? Just as if you were in a regular search engine searching for something specific, make the words in your profile ring specific.

For example, when I would do keyword searches, I’d use terms like “rock climbing,” “mountaineering,” “alpine” and “climbing.” Found several nifty men with whom I had quite a bit in common, a few of with which I’ve enjoyed multiple dates and enduring friendships. A hell of a lot EASIER and MORE PRODUCTIVE than just putting in age and other general demographics and then having to trudge through the search results with a fine-toothed comb.

Optimize your dating profile for the same reasons businesses optimize their websites:

to attract a better-qualified lead.

Online Dating in SEM Terms

The majority of online dating sites have a membership fee. Personally, I like the minimum level of commitment that it takes a person to fork over whatever-ninety-nine a month to engage in the whole process. Kind of a low water mark, if you will.

So if you’re going to spend the money, why ya gonna screw around?

You’re online, you’re web-savvy. Perhaps you found the online dating site from a search engine query in the first place. You know those 3 listings in yellow at the top of the Google search results and all those little listings down the right-hand side of the page? Well, companies pay for those ads. Those are called pay-per-click (PPC) ads.

When someone clicks on one of those ads, the company who posted the ad pays a “per-click” fee to the search engine. In other words, those companies are paying to be seen at the top of the search results by consumers like YOU who are searching for what THEY sell. Companies also budget for these PPC campaigns in their monthly or annual marketing budget.

Just like online dating.

Your monthly membership fee is your PPC ad spend, or monthly advertising budget.

There’s a reason that Campmor, North Face and Patagonia come up in the paid search results when you search for “outdoor gear” – because these companies feel people searching for the term “outdoor gear” are a good spend of their advertising dollars. They’re consumers searching for something specific, something they have to sell, and it’s possible you could be a qualified lead and convert to a customer.

It’s time you started thinking of your online dating site membership as your monthly Pay-Per-Click advertising budget.

If you’re going to spend the dough on putting yourself out there for others to see in the online dating marketplace, wouldn’t it behoove you to have your marketing dollars attract qualified leads?

Wrapping it Up

Here are some tips that can help you make your online dating experience a well-crafted one from a Branding, SEO, and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) perspective. These all go back to the previous points I’ve mentioned and bring it all together in one convenient, vertitas-laden package of personal experience:

• Build an accurate profile. Who are you? What drives you? Represent your personal brand well. There’s no one that brings to this world what YOU do, so put it out there and be proud. Post current photos, keep your profile updated if it’s taking longer to find Mr. or Ms. “Right Now.” Understand your competition and set out to represent yourself as the dynamic individual you are. Hell, even if you’re a twin – I guarantee you bring a floatie to the dating pool that your biological cohort doesn’t! Fair and accurate representation of your You Product ensures that, once your customer (i.e. date candidate) arrives, they’re entering into a fair business situation and not the “bondo dog” pictured above. Deception is NOT a great way to begin ANY relationship.

• Don’t be afraid to be specific. Specific is GOOD! Successful companies and their associated brands understand that not every human who walks the face of the earth is the most qualified customer for their service/product. Be clear about what you’re looking for, keeping in mind what’s worked and hasn’t in your previous relationships (just like when making business decisions). Understand as well that if you’re looking for a 6′6″ Pacific Islander millionaire with three children from a previous marriage who collects lint from Arab princes, cooks like a five-star chef and watches 60 Minutes every night without fail – that’s going to limit your results. Being specific isn’t synonymous with being so narrow-minded that you’re setting yourself up to fail. Successful SEM and SEO tactics take into account the specificity of the market they’re approaching, and while Ford might be looking for truck buyers in general, they ain’t lookin’ for (and nor are they going to pay for) people who are looking for planes just because it’s “all transportation, right?”
  

• Indulge in some good ‘ol A/B testing! Ever heard the saying that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? Not only should you review your profile on a regular basis, but if you’re not getting the results or traffic from people who fit what you’re looking for – change things up. Go in and edit that pain in the ass “about me” section. Add a new movie you’ve seen. Post a new profile. CHANGE YOUR PROFILE IMAGE! This is the oldest trick in the book, but it’ll often get you a second glance by someone who’d looked at you before (and maybe some new glances, too). Successful PPC campaigns undergo a certain level of A/B testing to fine-tune tactics so that dollars are spent in the most profitable areas and halted in those that aren’t performing.

• Pay attention to keywords. Many online dating sites allow users to search member profiles by keyword. Me? I’m looking for a dude who is into the outdoors, alpine sports, rock climbing … all sorts of nutty activity. You bet your sweet ass those words are in any profile I write – because those folks are probably looking for me as well and they’re VERY important things in my life. If you think of your online dating profile as the business plan for your PPC campaign, abide by one rule of thumb: a PPC campaign is only as successful as the keywords associated with them. By using targeted and specific keywords, you’ll likely attract a more qualified contact and one that’s got a better chance of surviving your scrutiny. Wouldn’t it be great to have a date for that whatever-ninety-five a month instead of an inbox full of people who are 180 degrees from your target customer with no chance of converting?

I’m sure there are a ton of other parallels I could have drawn here relating the online dating game to these various marketing concepts and practices, and I’d love to hear what you have to say. Bottom line is, when you start treating online dating more like a business than a scratch-off lottery ticket from a 7-11, I think you’re going to be a lot more satisfied with the results.

Who the heck am I to talk? Well, as a subscriber to various online dating sites since my divorce in 2002, my endeavors with

The Head Redhead - your blog author

profiles where I did exactly what I’ve enumerated above have netted me:

• Two long-term relationships totaling well over 4 years
• A handful of wonderful men who have remained friends though not romantic interests
  
• A clearer understanding of what’s important to me from a relationship standpoint
• Money spent in the online dating arena wisely with better-than-average (I feel) results
  
• Endless fodder for drinks with the girls

And apparently, the desire to write this blog and encourage feedback from the other folks wandering around out there in the online dating/social media world. Lay it on me, folks. I’m listening (in my best Frasier Crane voice).