SEO Blog from Distilled

Design For People Not For Bots

The longer I work in internet marketing, the more I wonder if we’re often missing the point. We tend to think primarily in terms of “link-juice,” conversion rates, or increasing traffic, and when it comes to accountability, we usually look to Google as some omnipotent deity, hoping it will bestow favor upon us. But with so much emphasis on these inanimate statistics, we’ve forgotten something really important:

The internet is not about Google.

The internet is not about ads.

The internet is not about traffic.

The internet is about PEOPLE.

Shocker, right? Amidst all the hubbub centered around how to best optimize X, or increase Y, or reduce Z, we overlook the simple, raw purpose of the internet.

The user

Building links and leads: How co-marketing can work for you

I got to know Liz when we ran a joint webinar with Hubspot a few months ago. Unlike some other efforts we’d made to do joint marketing with different companies, this one went super well. With this in mind, we thought we’d ask her to share some secrets to successful co-marketing with you all. Over to Liz:

Let’s face it, with so much content floating around the Internet, you might be feeling the pressure when it comes to creating brilliant new ideas to get people’s attention. That’s why I’ve got this little secret I want to share with you…it’s called co-marketing. Now, it may sound a little daunting at first, but it’s actually pretty simple (and pretty darn exciting). Think about it as networking for your business. Co-marketing is all about forming relationships with other companies and working together to create new opportunities. By finding and collaborating with businesses that complement your own expertise, you can open up your company to a world of opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t exist.

There’s more to it than just slapping two companies’ names on something and sharing it with the world though. Co-marketing is about jointly creating and promoting a piece of content or a product and sharing the success of your efforts. Now don’t think you can’t do co-marketing just because you’re not buddy-buddy with the execs at some big-shot companies. Starting small is just fine, and remember, your network is bigger than you think!

Why is Co-marketing Important?

1. Give your audience a new perspective

shutterstock_109731452

Avoiding outreach failure, DistilledLive video discussion

With the launch of the DistilledU Expert Outreach module this week, who better to talk us through the subject than the team themselves. This week’s video comes from Rob Toledo and James Daugherty, sharing their experiences on how to avoid outreach fails.

In this video, the guys talk through some more creative ideas when it comes to pitching your content as well as ways of successfully reaching out to people. You can read the full transcript below.

Google Analytics Resources for Beginners to Advanced Users

Analytics is what makes online marketing so valuable to many executives. We can track what is working on the site and how effective an online campaign is for the business bottom line. It’s like the wiring in a house, it’s not the foundation but just as imperative and not seen to the user of the site. Continue reading »

The Future of Search

Welcome to the World of Tomorrow!

Sorry…had to be done. I’m here at eConsultancy’s Future of Digital Marketing conference where our very own Mr Will Critchlow is presenting his thoughts on the Future of Search. As the chances of all of our readers actually being in this conference room with me is rather small, I’ve taken it upon myself to sum up Will’s talk so you don’t miss a thing.

And you don’t want to miss a thing.

Choosing the Right Mobile Site Platform

A few months ago, I wrote a post on SEOmoz about responsive web design, and how good it can be for SEO. A fellow Distiller, Bridget Randolph, followed up with a post about how to optimize a separate mobile site. Both got a lot of attention: we’re getting to the point now where having a well-optimized mobile site is becoming a necessity rather than an option. The question is, which format is right for YOUR site?

To help you choose the best format for your site, Bridget and I decided to put together a best practice guide to Building Your Mobile Friendly Site, which we’ve just launched today. It discusses important points about design, development, search engine optimization, and web analytics for both separate and responsive sites. The first step, though, is choosing which type of site you’re going to build.

The Content Marketing Show Round Up – May 2013

Friday saw more than 1000 marketers attending the Content Marketing Show in Logan Hall at the Institute of Education in London.

This was my favourite slide of the day – it’s Paul May’s & the photo was taken by Stacey Cavanagh.

The wifi password was ‘going underground’ but despite the dearth of natural light in the basement auditorium the unexpectedly clement weather (yeah I know it’s the end of May but someone forget to let the weather Gods know) meant all the attendees and speakers had a decidedly sunny outlook.

Suitably caffeinated and netbook battery fully charged I took my place I the auditorium. What follows are my notes from the sessions. Before we jump in I’d like to thank Kelvin Newman, his fantastic team and of course the sponsors for putting on yet another fantastic (and FREE) event – well done guys and girls! Additionally, big love to Cheri who was also there taking notes and came to the rescue when my battery died.

Dealing with content beyond the webpage, DistilledLive discussion

By now, most of us are aware of the idea of responsive design and the sorts of tools you can use to make your website’s layout more mobile friendly. But how do we deal with content in this multi-screen world? In this video, London consultants Hannah Smith and Bridget Randolph talk you through how to move beyond simple responsive design, and distinguish between the layout of your site vs the content you choose to publish on it. How does your content fit into this design and how can you make it work more effectively for a more positive user experience?

You can read the full transcript, below.

Who fancies joining us in Paradise?

On 5^th & 6^th September, we’re bringing our renowned mixture of expert speakers, advanced sessions and invaluable networking opportunities to the sunny West Coast; San Diego to be precise!

Summer seems to have been and gone already in the UK, so I, for one, cannot wait to be heading over to the US this September for two days of glorious sunshine…I mean, online marketing!

Want to join us in Paradise?

Paradise Point that is.

Ticket Sale time…

For one day only, we will be running an exclusive ‘Flash Sale’ for those who want to sign up early. Taking place today - Thursday 30th May, the flash sale rate will be just $749 (that’s 50% off the standard rate $1499!) Continue reading »

Why Webmasters Make Great Consultants

When I started at Distilled almost two years ago I had exactly zero real-world business consulting experience. What I did have, though was a portfolio of personal web development projects of which I was the sole proprietor, creator and webmaster. While some of these ventures were more successful than others the experience, understanding and scrappy marketing tricks I picked up along the way have continued to serve me well throughout my tenure here at Distilled. Continue reading »