Choosing an SEO consultant, SEOmoz weekly Friday whiteboard

If you are facing this problem, we strongly recommend that you take a look a this very instructive video from SEOmoz consultants. And, in any case, if you need to hire an SEO consultant, don’t hesitate to contact us.

• Optimizing the architecture to ensure the website is crawled and indexed by search engines
• Optimizing the content to ensure the website includes the right keywords at the right places
• Optimizing the incoming links to ensure the website receive quality incoming links from relevant domains

An interesting article from the website SEOchat has been trying to verify these statements while focusing primarily on the the incoming link which is one of the most important search engine ranking factor. Basing his analysis on SEOmoz search engine ranking factors, with a particular emphasis on the top five ranking factors, the author demonstrates on which factors it is important to concentrate one’s efforts. We strongly invite you to have a lot a this article.

The conclusion confirms SEOmoz study and totally goes in line with what we have been doing in our eMarketing agency. Actually, the most seems to make sure that incoming links use the targeted keywords in the anchor text and come from relevant related domains.

The end of SEO?

Indeed, the SERPS are now more complex, personalized and constantly evolving depending on the behaviour of the Internet users.  In this context, it is legitimate to ask: Will SEO still exist in five years? On February 26, 2009, Google software engineer Matt Cutts  answered this question in one of his weekly video:

Yes, I think SEO will still exist in 5 years. Google tries to make it so that you don’t need to be an SEO expert, but SEO in some sense is almost like a resume. In the same way that you polish a resume, you figure out how to put your best foot forward.

Indeed, Google Inc. doesn’t only provide search-related services but it provides a whole integrated environment in which the Internet user is more and more captive.

I can’t even name an Internet service or product where Google Inc. is not as the forefront. I guess that when every Internet user will have a Google account, this will mean with the complete domination of the Internet by Google.Inc

Google’s Acquisition Strategy

Below is a mapping of Google Inc.  acquisitions.

White Hat SEO

As a SEO consultant in Brussels, I only White Hat SEO techniques to help my client increase their presence and visibility on the Internet. These techniques provide long-lasting qualified traffic on your website.

SEO Audit

Before implementing any SEO strategy, I always perform a SEO audit to check possible blocking factors. This is the preliminary step before the actual optimization of a website.

On-site SEO

On-site SEO refers to search engine optimization techniques that are performed on your own website or page, and are therefore termed “on-site”.

Off-site SEO

Off-site SEO refers to search engine optimization techniques that are not performed on your own website or page, and are therefore termed “off-site.” Typically, it involves the implementation of a link building campaign to generate backlinks to your website.

Black Hat SEO

Black Hat SEO involves that are used to get higher search engine rankings in an unethical manner. These black hat SEO techniques usually include one or more of the following characteristics:

• Breaking search engine rules,
• creating a poor user experience directly because of the Black Hat SEO techniques used on the website,
• and presenting content in a different visual or non-visual way to search engine spiders and search engine users.

Nowadays, there are two tendancies regarding Black Hat SEO:

1. autogeneration of content, generally rewrited, to appear as unique and thus relevant for search engines,
2. and the autogenerationof backlinks through the use of spamware (i.e. automated comment spam from bots) .

Black Hat SEO techniques generally provide short-term visibility in terms of search engine rankings, but if you are discovered utilizing these spammy techniques on your Website, you run the risk of being seriously penalized by search engines.

Grey Hat SEO

Finally, Grey Hat SEO techniques, those that are neither really white nor black hat, include purchase of links and parasite hosting. While such techniques can be very effective, it really has be used in an elegant manner if you don’ t want to get a spam report.

Overview of SEO techniques

Below is a diagram illustrating the scope of the different SEO techniques.

As you can see, high value White Hat SEO techniques are the following:

• on-site optimization based on keyword research,
• linkbait through the production of high-quality content with a viral potential.

Backlinks will naturally come from using the above mentioned techniques.

Combining SEO with SMO techniques

Very important, I strongly advise to combine SEO with SMO (Social Media Optimization) techniques. Going on social media through the creation of a blog or using a microblogging tool like Twitter can help you build a strong reputation online.

A profession at the intersection of technology, marketing and statistics

Being a webmarketer in Brussels is very challenging, especially when dealing with European affairs. Not only you have to possess a sound knowledge of how things work in the Brussels bubble but you also have to be somehow a technologist, a marketer and a statistician at the same time. This first diagram perfercly illustrates the complexity of our profession.

What does a SEO consultant?

If you are a SEO consultant, you have probably been confronted to the inexpertimentation of a client. And I would dare to say I generally dedicate more time explaining why SEO is a worhwile cost-effective channel rather than actually optimizing websites. This also the reason of the existence of our glossary dedicated to eMarketing. This second diagram I think perfectly illustrates this problem.

That’s why, I also provide dedicated trainings on eMarketing to my clients. This is the best way to raise awareness about SEO issues and eventually turn your attendants into future clients.

About Web Analytics

As to the Official WAA Definition, Web Analytics  is the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of internet data for purposes of understanding and optimizing web usage. For more details, see our glossary dedicated to eMarketing. Generally speaking, Web Analytics can be off-site and on-site.

Off-Site Web Analytics

Off-site Web Analytics refers to web measurement of a website’s potential audience, share of voice (visibility), and buzz (comments) that is happening on the Internet as a whole.  Note that it is not necessary to be the actual owner of the website to run such a buzz monitoring.

On-Site Web Analytics

On-site Web Analytics measure the online performance of a website meaning that it provides detailed analysis of the Internet traffic of visitors on a website. Typically, this data is compared against KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for performance and used to improve a Website or marketing campaign’s audience response.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics it the free online web analytics tool offered by Google to generate detailed statistics about the visitors to a website. From my own experience, this solution is one of the most comprehensive and reliable of the market.

Web Analytics  and eMarketing

I wouls say that understanding one’s core audience and trying to reach it out is the very basic mission of any eMarketer or online communicator. It goes alon with defining objectives and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Thanks to Web Analytics, it is now possible to do it in a very detailed way. Indeed, Web Analytics allow you to analyze the audience of a website and gather strategic insights about its current visitors. Assuming that you are an industry federation dealing with the EU institutions. It will be most likely that you would like to know if EU officials visit your website, read your press releases and download your brochure.

eMarketing = SEO + SEM + SMO

As an eMarketing expert based in Brussels, I provide Internet services to help you increase your presence and visibility on the web. I developed a solid expertise in three fundamentals fiels that are SEO, SEM and SMO.

SEO Consultant

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) can help you acquire long-term positioning in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) and thus gain visibility and influence on your strategic fiels of activity.

SEM Consultant

SEM (Search Engine Marketing) can help gain quickly visibility in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) through sponsored links campaigns.

SMO Consultant

SMO (Social Media Optimization) can help you create, manage and improve your online reputation on social media.

A ROI-based eMarketing approach

Whether you are looking to develop online your presence on the Internet, grow your visibility and influence decision-makers, eMarketingServices.eu commits itself to a result-oriented approach. Working together with a strong network of experts covering development, web design and eMarketing, we bring flexible and cost-effective services to help you achieve your objectives online.

A user-centric approach

With the help of Ernst & Young, which performed a web audit on Europa.eu, DG Communication followed an qualitative approach through dividing the overall navigation of the website into six main themes focusing on the Internet visitors’ needs.

The new Europa.eu

First impressions

The new homepage is  simpler, more uniform and its content is presented in a more consistent way while focusing on navigation continuity, to prevent users from getting lost after the first click. What’s also interesting a tutorial has been created to shows how to navigate the top levels of the website and find the information needed. In any case, I strongly invite you to have a look at the new refreshing look of Europa.eu.

Context

The turnout of the European Parliament Elections has been falling steadily since the first elections in 1979 indicating increased apathy about the Parliament despite its increase in power over that period.

In order to reverse this tendency, the European Parliament is increasingly using the Internet to reach out the European citizens online. The year 2009 was particularly interesting for the use of social media like social-networking and content-sharing web platforms.

Online Communication Strategy

Precisions

This short retrospective analysis focuses on the online communication strategy of the European Parliament.
Though I consider myself being a kind of “insider” of the EU Bubble, I don’t belong to the European Parliament and have no relations with their Web Team. That’s why, this analysis is rather a partial interpretation than an exhaustive impact assessment. So, any feedback is welcome!

Strategy

While the official website of the European Parliament played a central role in the online communication strategy of the European Parliament, two fields of online promotion to spread through its message were mainly used:

• SEM (Search Engine Marketing)
• SMO (Social Media Optimization)

Finally, one should not underestimate the power of offline communication of the European Parliament which reinforced the impact of their online communication.

Basically, the European Parliament created synergies between its different communication channels the Internet (official website, social-networking and content-sharing web platforms) through interlinking them all together and thus creating multiple online “gates” to its official website.

European Parliament Online Communication Strategy

The European Parliament Official Website

First, it is important to reckon that multilingual European Parliament website played a central role in the online communication campaign of the European Parliament Elections 2009 through informing, communicating and linking to their different web platforms.

The European Parliament Official Website

SEM (Search Engine Marketing)

Then, to raise awareness about the European Parliament Elections, the European Parliament did perform a Europe wide Google AdWords campaign directly promoting the European Parliament website and indirectly promoting their presence on other web platforms.

SMO (Social Media Optimization)

European Parliament Social Media Strategy

Content-sharing and social-networking web platforms

Indeed, in order to convey online their message, the European Parliament developed mainly its presence on content-sharing web platforms and social-networks:

• YouTube, to share videos
• FlickR, to share photos
• FaceBook and MySpace, to network with the young generation

Blogging and micro-blogging

Their dedicated blog – EP-WebEditors.eu– played a central role to provide content on the Facebook Fan Page and interact within the EU blogosphere. They also opened a Twitter account – EU_Elections_en – to diffuse efficiently short messages.

Seeding

After having identified key online leaders – mainly EU bloggers – they successfully contacted them to promote their Facebook Fan Page and manage to relay their initiative through effective seeding.

Conclusions

There are three key factors of success regarding the online communication strategy of the European Parliament are:

Integration

The online communication strategy of the European Parliament is integrated meaning that - the European Parliament used all the communication channels available on the Internet to spread through its message.

Production

Then, the online communication strategy of the European Parliament is based on the continuous production and effective diffusion on content. While the European Parliament did produce and diffuse the great majority of the content, they also relayed on the user generated content.

Interaction

Finally, the online communication strategy of the European Parliament was proactive, meaning the European Parliament – with the help of eAmbassadors – actively interacted with social media web platforms to spread through their message