Hardcore SEO & Social Media Tools

Finding the right tool for you.SMX Advanced 2012

@Rhea | @OutspokenMedia

Why I’m qualified to talk about tools:

I am not a programmer, but I work great with them (bribery works wonders).

I’ve “built” tools.

I’ve purchased tools.

I can do a lot without tools.

I’ve dated some tools.

Most of us weren’t hired to build tools.

WE WERE HIRED TO THINK!

When we combine tools and brain, we make something incredible.

Then again,

sometimes

we don’t.

(It’s a food storage suit.)

EPIC FAIL TOOL CASE STUDY

New CMS went live

Organic traffic for target keywords:

All traffic to client domain:

Period of intense frustration punctuated by a demoralized team,

technical difficulties and donuts.

What went wrong:

New CMS contract signed before SEO got involved

Couldn’t get access to dev server to crawl

CMS launched on organic site

vs a test site

IT had no training on how to manage the new CMS

Guarantees not kept by tool provider on release

Poor communication between SEO & IT teams

Unplanned and extended code freezes

SEO agency positioned as a vendor, not consultant

How it’s getting fixed:

• Immediate SEO audit and ongoing analysis as we discover more issues

• In-person visit of client by agency, met IT

• Bribed IT with donuts and our work got done

• Agency positioned as consultant with more management of the SEO process and internal team

• Halted development of new CMS on other properties

Actual Cost of Tool

• New CMS

• Internal time

• Agency time

• Loss of sales due to drop in organic traffic

• Agency SEO audit and consulting

• Travel down to see the client

• Internal team morale and productivity

• Turnover

• Missed opportunities

TOOL SELECTION CRITERIA

Criteria 1: Access

Is the tool accessible by Windows and Mac users?

Is the tool / product of tool viewable in a variety of web browsers?

Does the tool provide options that support necessary compliance measures?

Will the tool be around for a while?

Is the data dependent on a third-party provider?

Does the tool have an API?

Criteria 2: Cost

Is the tool free?

Are there limits to data usage?

Is there a cost for additional users or features?

Criteria 3: Usability

Do you have to create an account to use the tool?

Is the tool easy to use?

Does the tool have a robust and easy to use Help section?

Does the tool provider offer customer support? Is this paid or free?

Does anything have to be downloaded and installed on the computer to use the tool?

Criteria 4: Privacy & Intellectual Property

Does the tool protect your personal data?

Does the tool protect data submitted through the tool? If data is shared, is it anonymous?

Does the tool allow you to retain sole IP rights to the content you create?

Does the tool allow you to determine the copyright status of the content you've created?

Can you save a copy of the product to your desktop for archival purposes?

Criteria 5: Resource Management

Does the tool make it easy to track content submitted through the tool?

Does the tool require training?

Does the tool provider manage training?

Criteria 6: Added Value

Can the tool be easily replicated with an internal resource or hired contractor for the same budget?

Does the tool provide features that further our business goals?

Does the tool provider customize the tool to meet our needs?

THE BUSINESS CASE

Making the business case:

–

TRUE cost + (

Risks )Tool

Value

Switch cost considerations:• Data import

• Data export

• Data sync

• Data sources

• Data freshness

• Support & customization

• Analytics

• Reporting

• Platforms and environment

• Internal knowledge of tool

• Tool builder’s knowledge of your business/industry

• Data limits

• Expense, overages, minimums

• Training time and costs

• Admin capabilities

• Bandwidth, speed, uptime, downtime

• Turnover of tech team and/or account managers

• Privacy policy and data usage

• User limits

I bet you’re tired of looking at slides and tools, huh?

Now for something refreshing!

I like to make things simpler:

Get the spreadsheet:http://outspokenmedia.com/seo/link-building-strategies-spreadsheet/

So we made this:

Want it?

Get the sheet: http://bit.ly/KNdyIS

Follow Outspoken Media on Google+

Thank you.

t: @Rheae: rhea@outspokenmedia.com

Get all of the SMX coverage:http://outspokenmedia.com/blog/