The Maine SEO Blog

A while back, I wrote about what to do when you can’t think of anything to blog about. This post goes a step further. Do you feel like you’ve been keeping up with your blog pretty well, but your posts are always a similar flavor? Let’s spice it up a little…

1. What’s your competition up to?

Use Google’s blog search to search for blogposts in your industry. You’ll have to sort the junk, but I bet you’ll quickly feel inspired with some new and different posts.

2. Write more about what people are already finding

Check out your Google Analytics Traffic Sources section, then in your keywords. Scroll to the bottom of the list – deep down in the long tail. Only a few people found you with these keywords, but perhaps there’s opportunity to expand on some posts you’ve already written by incorporating some of that long tail language.

3. What’s hot in your industry right now?

Have a favorite blog(s)? Follow what’s happening in your industry right now and blog about it. Sure, you won’t be the news source where people find out what happened first; but you’ll certainly be able to put your own, unique spin on it. Or, if you don’t have many other favorite blogs, you could always use one of these cool tools.

4. IRL (In Real Life)

Does something ever happen in your day-to-day life that makes you think “Man, I could relate this to something in my blog!” Grab a piece of scrap paper, a voice recorder, or your phone and jot your idea down! You’d be surprised how you can relate something completely unrelated to your industry.

5. Use what you already know

Tips and tricks you use every day may be common place to you, but not your audience. Write a quick tutorial blogpost or, better yet, create a video how-to!

6. Incorporate FAQs

Are your customers constantly asking you the same questions? Chances are, it’s probably more than just your customer base asking those questions. Make sure you write those questions down when you’re on the phone with a client.

What are your tricks for spicing up your blogposts?

Photo credit: recycle this

Nicki Hicks
Don’t get stale

Last month, we finished a website for Knight Vision International, media and public relations experts. KVI specializes in many services, including:

• Media and Public Relations
• Strategic Positioning and Branding
• Crisis Communications and Management
• Media Training

Knight Vision has also committed to creating a number of witty and informational blogposts, that range from Mel Gibson’s rants to the BP Oil Spill to lessons we can learn from Russian spies. The folks over at KVI realize that blogging is a fantastic way to increase their search engine visibility. Not only are they able to show their expertise on the subject matter, but they’re doing it in a way that will help them get traffic. How, you ask? By incorporating hot, new keywords.

Here’s the latest trend line for the query “russian spies”:

See the spike? Blogposts are a great way to incorporate what’s hip and happening right now – even if it might not tie directly to your industry.

So if you need help with public relations, crisis communication, or media training, give Knight Vision International a call. If you need help increasing your online visibility with a blog, talk to flyte.

Nicki Hicks
Maine SEO

Can you answer “Yes” to any one of these questions?

• Do you have a presence on Facebook already, but want more “likes” on your page?
• Do you have a presence on Facebook already, but want to drive more traffic to your website?
• Do you have a new fan page that needs to build up fans (or “likes”)?

Then Facebook ads are right for you. Facebook ads are inexpensive, intuitive, and, when done the right way, have the ability to drive a ton of traffic.

In the past week, I’ve gone step-by-step through creating Facebook ads. They’re all linked here…so get ‘em while they’re hot.

1. Create ad: Create and Target
2. Create ad: Bidding and Review
3. Measuring and Reporting
4. Measuring Conversions
5. Making sense of the data

Nicki Hicks
Like flyte on Facebook

This post is the fifth of a five-step process to set up, measure, and manage your Facebook ads.

You’ve set up your ads, you’ve started measuring their success, and now you’ve started measuring conversions. You’re done, right? Nope. You can’t just leave those ads stagnant for long. The last step in the series? Making sense of your Facebook ads data.

Here’s what to do if…

My bid is higher than my Avg. CPC/CPM?

More often than not, the actual CPC/CPM you pay will be less than your bid since your bid is just that – the most you’re willing to pay per click or per impression. If your bid seems to be too high, you can certainly decrease it.

My CTR seems too low

A low Click Thru Rate might be from any number of reasons, but include:

• Is your ad copy enticing enough? This might be an opportunity to test different ad copy to see what works and what doesn’t.
• Is your image enticing enough? They say an picture says a thousand words…try adding more ads with different images.

What should I use: CPM/CPC?

It depends on the ad. If your ad is going to get a lot of impressions, you probably want CPC – it’ll be cheaper. [This might be an ad targeted to a large audience.]

For ads that won’t get as many impressions, CPM is probably going to be cheaper. [CPM is best suited for very targeted ads that don't have as many impressions.]

Should I send visitors to my fan page? or to my website?

Do you want to build up your following on Facebook? Or do you want to pass go and send folks directly to your website?

A good strategy may be to start by sending folks to your fan page. Then once your following is where you want it to be, start sending them over to your website.

There are many, many analyses you can make from Facebook ad data, but these hit the major ones. Now get out there and analyze!

Nicki Hicks
Like flyte on Facebook

This post is the fourth of a five-step process to set up, measure, and manage your Facebook ads.

Last time we covered measurement and Facebook reports, today we’re going to talk measuring conversions. You have two options at your disposal for conversion measurement: Google Analytics and Facebook conversion tracking.

Google Analytics

Even if you’re using Facebook ads to direct visitors to your fan page, the goal is probably driving traffic to your website. Wondering how much traffic? Just check your Google Analytics.

Take it a step further: is your Facebook traffic converting? Just check the goals tab.

Conversion tracking

Facebook recently launched conversion tracking for ads. Simply install code on the conversion page, just as you would with Google Analytics code.

Choose a category from:

• Other
• Purchase/Sale
• Sign up
• Lead
• View key page

That way, you can install multiple conversions on different conversion pages, as they apply. You can also give a conversion value, just as you would with Google Analytics goals.

Take it a step further: run “Conversions by Conversion Time” and “Conversions by Impression Time” reports to see how your ads are converting.

You’re almost there. Next time, we’re going to cover the last [and I promise it's the last!] step: making sense of the data.

Nicki Hicks
Like flyte on Facebook