7.13.08 Diving (30,000 feet) into web marketing
I am writing this post aboard a decommissioned Harrier jet, streaking high above the Sierra Nevadas on the first moonless night of July. Hours ago I careened across the Bay Area and parachuted deep inside the Googleplex. I infiltrated Google’s headquarters (dumpsters, actually) and uncovered the secrets of a strong web presence. What follows is a full transcription:
Hey there,
Post something people want.
Cheers,
Larry & Sergey
Yep, that’s it. Let me explain.
The old days
Not long ago, getting noticed online meant loading your site with meta data — arbitrary code that only search engines cared about. Meta data didn’t have to relate to what was actually on the page, and many sites took advantage of that. As a result, search engines lost track of the most relevant sites and instead found the most cunning. Then Google came along and said, “We’re more interested in what’s actually on the page, and how many other sites link to it.” Realizing Google’s success, the remaining search engines followed suit.
So what matters now?
There are still ways to tweak your site for better ranking. But the honest, future-proof approach is to post something people want — something they can only get online; not in a phone book or brochure. Instantly impressed, visitors will make note of your site. They’ll send the link to colleagues. They’ll post it on their blogs. They’ll add it to their profiles. And Google will treat all these links like currency. The more you earn, the higher your site will rank.
Freshness
But no one will keep coming back to a site left to rot. Maintaining current content is crucial, not only for retaining visitors, but for attracting search engines as well. All other things being equal, a more recently updated page will rank better.
Design matters here too. Let’s face it, a web layout from 1999 isn’t hard to spot. When it comes to visitors’ impressions, a fresh look is just as important as fresh content. Sometimes that means going all the way back to branding. After all, a contemporary layout with an ancient logo doesn’t do much good.
Execution
As meta data loses traction, page titles and even URLs have grown more important. The more naturally they’re written, the more likely they are to match someone’s search. Search engines also examine navigation hierarchies, how headlines are used, and where information appears in the page. This is where writing, design and code come together to ensure an intuitive, well-indexed, highly visible site.
Empathy
Ultimately, a successful site starts with learning what people want. Sometimes you already know; sometimes you have to hire a company (like Gorilla 76) to help figure it out. Then comes the small matter of making it happen. So far it’s meant tracking volunteer events, surveying impractically large swaths of land, or showcasing dozens of pieces of print work without paying for paper.
I suppose giving people what they want is the essence of marketing, on the web or anywhere else. And it just so happens you’ve found a couple marketing guys who can figure it out and make it happen.
Guest contributor,