Well, not exactly YOUR search, but you get the point. As the 2008 election campaigns start to take form… who will utilize SEO as one of their marketing tools? Who will think, “Hey, maybe it would be good if the #1 hit in Yahoo for my name showed a GOOD website about me… not one that bashed me.”
Our friends at SEOmoz have asked that same question… and the results are interesting. Check out the article here. Also, Alchemist Media follows up that article, with a great piece of their own.
“Take the mind-boggling case of John McCain, a likely GOP front-runner: McCain’s active campaign site currently ranks #68 at Google for “john mccain” and just as abysmally for other terms and iterations of his name. How could this be?”
Links:
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/whether-dnc-or-rnc-political-candidates-need-seo
http://www.alchemistmedia.com/blog/political-search-marketing-electronic-grass-roots
Sometimes you have to wonder what possesses people to videotape themselves. I’ve presented in front of potential and current clients enough to know that they have certain expectations when you take time out of their busy day to sell them services.
1. They expect you to be well-spoken…Strike 1
2. They expect you to be well-dressed (popped collars work best in 1985 and NOT on suit jackets)…Strike 2
3. Don’t give off vibes similar to that of a used car salesman…Strike 3, better luck next time
The author of the linked article brings up some good points. Where is the line between spam (which internet denizens have learned to tune out) and value-added content that drives traffic. It seems to me that the key differences are commitment to getting a (good) word out and the intent of the word that’s outted.
Key differentiators :
Spammer (either a product/service provider or an agent acting on behalf said provider)
- Employs automated tools to seek out somewhat related content to blindly blanket a target audience
- Probably has no idea what its target audience is (hence the blind spamming)
- Probably has an inferior product or service
Legit Search Engine Optimizer
- First and foremost, they make an effort to understand the client’s product or service and the market they operate in
- Secondly, they work with the client to identify the target audience/customer demographic
- The content that is posted adds value
- The provider understands their product and why its superior to competing products
It’s important to be a solution, not a contributor to the problem. Doing right by clients is one thing, but choosing the right clients to work with means everything in the world.