Hardcore SEO & Social Media Tools - SMX Advanced 2012
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Transcript of Hardcore SEO & Social Media Tools - SMX Advanced 2012
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+