Get a Basic Understanding of Search Engine Optimization

Back to school season always gets me down because it marks the end of my favorite season, summer. So I have to get psyched up about something to force myself out of the end-of-summer-blues and prepare myself for the busy schedules of three teenagers returning to school. To drum up some more enthusiasm for the back to school rush, I decided to take up the challenge author Robert Fulghum lays out in his famous poem, “All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten.” Here are its principles, applied (with some creative license!) to the realm of digital marketing.

“Share Everything.”

Well, this one’s easy. Let others know about what you’re up to with a blog, LinkedIn posts, Twitter tweets, Facebook posts, YouTube videos….you get the message! But speaking of the message, make sure you’re not just sending something that’s one-sided. Always ask yourself, “What would my customers really want to hear? What would be useful to them?” Posts with the right messages will help you connect, but the wrong ones will just turn people off.

“Play Fair.”

Ok, this one is a little harder to translate. But to me, this advice applies perfectly to search engine optimization. There are lots of folks out there who think SEO is about “tricking” the search engines. That worked for some for a little while. But with Google’s emphasis on content and the shift toward social search, it’s really a whole lot smarter to just play fair. Don’t think there’s any quick way to SEO success or any magic way to “get to the top of Google.” There isn’t. And old “tricks” sold by some SEO firms can actually get your site penalized. Good organic SEO requires work, and playing by Google’s Webmaster rules is the only way SmartSite will do it. We like playing fair.

“Don’t hit people.”

Geez. It’s been, well, … never since I’ve seen any marketers hitting each other! How can this one apply? It’s a challenge. But let’s take the word “hit” metaphorically and let this one mean “don’t verbally assault anyone.” How does that apply to online marketing, you ask? I’ve got the answer: if someone gives you a bad online review, don’t lash out in response. Consider their complaint, look for any merit it contains, then craft a measured and strategic response. Try not to be emotional, and just stick to the facts.

“Put things back where you found them.”

Be organized. Have a marketing plan. Use something like our Website Management Sheet to keep your online presence organized. Always know where vital information is – how to log in, where passwords are, when your registrations expire, what you’ve already posted, etc. etc. Use a good content management system to keep your web content fresh and orderly. Let your staff know where everything is, so they can pick up online marketing responsibilities more easily if and when you need a hand.

“Clean up your own mess.”

So much content, so many posts… it can be a challenge to keep your website cleaned up and current all the time. You thought you’d get back to that photo that you should have swapped out, but it’s still there. Take the time to go through your site and clean it up. Chances are you’ve got some broken links, missing graphics, tired calls to action. Raise your hand – or, these days, send an email or text! – and get an expert working on those fixes.

“Don’t take things that aren’t yours.”

In the online marketing world, this advice applies to following copyright laws. Go ahead and share information freely, but remember to give credit where credit is due.

“Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.”

Ok, another challenging one to apply. But here goes….! Everybody makes mistakes; that’s why pencils have erasers. You can sometimes turn the worst client disaster story into your biggest client success story, simply by giving an honest apology and trying to make things right. It’s hard to anticipate what might offend or “hurt” somebody, but if they’re complaining, you need to respond. Taking responsibility for their pain point, even if you don’t agree that your company actually caused the pain, is the right way to respond.

“Wash your hands before you eat.”

This advice is really about showing up for dinner properly prepared. So I’ll interpret this advice for online marketing to mean “don’t show up unprepared.” Make sure your website has current content, good calls to action, and the right messaging before sending lots of traffic there.

“Flush.”

Wow. This one’s going to take some creative license! What it’s really about is creating the best environment for those who arrive after you, isn’t it? That goes back to keeping a marketing plan and online marketing action steps well organized. If someone on your staff or an outside consultant needs to step in at any point to help, they’ll be entering into an environment that supports their success. Too big a stretch? Then let me know how you’d interpret this one!

“Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.”

A treat now and then is actually okay. If you are always sending out serious content, take a break and do something more light-hearted and unexpected. That’s what I thought of doing with this post, because taking a different spin on something is a creative opportunity that encourages new thinking. Give it a whirl!

“Live a balanced life – learn some and think some
and draw and paint and sing and dance and play 
and work every day some.”

Enough said on that one, what more could I add?

“Take a nap every afternoon.”

The point here is to take care of yourself.  Most of us are trying to do that while also taking care of many others: clients, colleagues, children, spouses, etc. It can be hard to take time out for ourselves. With regard to online marketing, this advice says to me that we all need to take a break now and then to shut out the daily buzz and chaos to focus on the basics. You don’t have to literally go to sleep in order to benefit from this sage advice.

“When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic,
hold hands, and stick together.”

This one’s a cinch to translate: when you bring your presence to the worldwide web, get the right help to support you. Work with someone you trust to give you the straight story and watch your back. Partner with someone who’s committed to “sticking together” for the long haul, and who feels committed to your business’ success.

“Be aware of wonder.
Remember the little seed in the styrofoam cup:
The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.”

There’s not always a perfect answer to everything. Keep your mind open to new opportunities and flexible to considering new ways of marketing your business.

“Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup – they all die. So do we.”

Your online presence actually has the potential to outlive your career. Decide how your business wants to contribute, what it wants to add for the benefit of your clients and other visitors to your website, LinkedIn page, or Twitter feed. What do you want your company to be remembered for? The answer should be a component of your messaging.

“And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books
and the first word you learned – the biggest
word of all – LOOK.”

Search engines are giving us a whole new way to look for (and at) every element that touches our lives. Your online presence is important, because it’s often that impression that confirms or negates a referral’s decision to contact you. So look for yourself and your company now and then. Make sure that when the right people are looking, you’re showing up where you want, and how you want.

The rest of Fulghum’s advice I wouldn’t dare try to mess with. It reads, “Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.

Take any of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or your government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if all – the whole world – had cookies and milk about three o’clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had a basic policy to always put thing back where they found them and to clean up their own mess. And it is still true, no matter how old you are – when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.”

When you need a hand, I hope you’ll reach out to us!