MindComet

What’s the good in SEO if users quickly drop off?

So, being in the industry that I am in, I have particular long and heated conversations on the constantly changing topic of SEO and its importance in driving traffic for a particular site. We could talk about this all day, discuss all the latest gimmicks and search engine algorithm trickery, but lets take a step back to the bigger picture. Your site has a purpose. Your goal is to maximize that purpose or “convert” (typically defined as a transaction, sales lead, time spent with brand, comment, user participation, etc). So the problem is, you list on the first page for a desired keyword, a user clicks, but still is not converting. Your content is unengaging, you have keyword spam all throughout your content and its lame to read, you are so petrified to used rich media elements or minimize fluff content in order to be easily absorbed, all with the reason that your page ranking may change. I’m sorry to state the obvious…but…(web surfers have a bit of A.D.D.). The quicker the better, the more entertaining or interactive the longer we pay attention to the brand. The brand is no longer a destination but a vehicle. If we can remember the brand, then we will keep coming back to that brand as long as we have had good experiences.

It’s obviously in my creative nature to question everything, especially the overemphasis on this particular topic when it comes to sacrificing the experience of interacting with a brand. Am I stating that SEO has no value, of course not, but whats the point in optimizing your page to a doldrum experience for SEO sake, if users ultimately drops off? So your analytic report for the month states that you had a high amount of traffic to a particular page, but a good majority dropped off. On paper you had great listing results and click-throughs, but your brand experience and conversions frankly sucked.

Its my accrued habit that I never click on the number one returned result for a particular keyword search. Over the years, I’ve found the first results to be gimmicky or not so much of a perfect match to what I am searching for. If the site has solid purpose, well developed and engaging content, then it will naturally rise in ranking for an organic search. With that a higher probability that your growth is long term because of the loyalty. I will provide more support on this topic in future posts! Stay tuned….

TAGS: Monkey, ramble, rants, SEO, Search Engine Optimization, discuss textual priorities, engage, disengage, star trek, scissors, paper, rock, think quick, convert, conversion, charge

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Posted by David Martin on May. 27, 2009

The Art of Brainstorming 2

How to lead an effective brainstorm

1. Pre-Brainstorm Prep

• Those involved need to research brand and competitors prior to meeting
• Provide an outline of current media usages
• Determine what is working and what is not
• Determine what they have not leveraged and if it makes sense
• Determine client objectives

2. During Brainstorm

• If an individual has not prepped, then do not allow them to participate. There should not be time allowed to “get them up to speed”. Time is valuable.
• Perform group creative exercises like "the object game",  "art mash-up" or simply "word association" to bring individuals out of their comfort zone, help de-clutter the mind and position everyone’s thought process on the brand and task at hand (no computers on, no distractions about other work, no phone calls, no heavy sales and numbers talk to pull you back into left brain thinking, this is a right brain activity!)
• Do not have a final time to end brainstorm, but rather a range.
• Do not be disappointed if brainstorm results are limited. Thought will continue after the session. Just make sure everyone involve continues to write down their thoughts throughout the day.
• Only bring in a few key people for the brainstorm. Too many becomes a distraction and those not into it will add to wasted energy and time.
• Do not rely on technology to give you an idea, rather match a concept to the technology. You do not need to leverage every new gimmick to show value or be successful.
• No idea is a bad idea at this point. Bad ideas could open discussions to potentially revolutionary ideas. Limit criticisms and take notes. Quiet breaks in a room are not necessarily bad, it means people could be piecing thoughts together.

3. Post Brainstorm

• What additional thoughts came to you later?
• Send an aggregated list of ideas and/or post them for group review
• Wrap ideas into a sellable campaign!
• and repeat…

So next time I will start dissecting further and venture into other forms of idea creation.

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Posted by David Martin on Apr. 30, 2009

The Art of Brainstorming 1

You have 30 seconds.
Think of the next award winning idea.
GO!

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and so on…

What did that amazing mind come up with? I hope it sells! This is always extremely challenging even for the most experienced, savvy and creative talent in the industry. I thought I would start off my journey into blog land by offering some flushed out “structure” to this often rushed and overlooked necessity of the creative process.

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Posted by David Martin on Apr. 29, 2009