The Missing Element in Search Engine Marketing . . . Creativity (Part 2 of 4)

The Missing Element in Search Engine Marketing .. . . Creativity (Part 2 of 4)

by Robin Nobles

In Part 1, I outlined Example #1, which is a travel Web site.

Now, let's get creative!

30-Minute USP Brainstorming Exercise

1. Try brainstorming with friends or associates who know and understand your business. For these exercises, try to work with at least one other person.

2. Try setting a specific time limit of just 10 minutes per exercise. When the time is up, stop - unless you are really on a roll. Never stop a "creative roll"!

3. There is nothing wrong with any idea. List every one whether it is good, bad, silly, or indifferent.

4. Make sure not to allow "negatives" or "negative attitudes" to destroy the atmosphere of creativity. If a brainstorming partner always seems to think negatively about ideas, it's time to find a new brainstorming partner.

(Important: These exercises will only work if you actually do them!)

Exercise One:

In 10 minutes, make a list on paper of every service that you provide that is common to your specific industry overall.

* Throw in absolutely everything that you can think of that is common. * Let your mind suggest anything in any kind of order as it occurs to you. * Once you have completed this, cut it off after 10 minutes.

Exercise Two:

In 10 minutes, make a list on another sheet of paper of every service that you provide that is uncommon to your competitors.

* This list includes every way that separates you from your competitor. * Focus on why you are different than a competitor, but not necessarily better than a competitor. * Do not feel that you have to think logically or in order. Write ideas as they are tossed out. * No idea is a bad idea or not worth listing. Include everything without question. * Once you have completed this, cut it off after 10 minutes - unless you are on a roll.

Exercise Three:

In 10 minutes, make a list on another sheet of paper of every service that is not or cannot be provided by anyone (but you wish could be provided.)

* This list can be as zany or crazy as you like with no logic at all. * Don't let anything prevent you from listing EVERY idea regardless of how crazy it sounds. * Avoid using your logical senses and have some fun with this. * Once you have completed this, cut it off after 10 minutes exactly - unless you are on a roll.

Once you are done creating your three lists, lay them out side by side and begin to think about your unique selling proposition. Have you noticed any new and original ideas popping into your mind yet? There is something wonderful about brainstorming combined with the action of writing things down that is very therapeutic. Sometimes it's when we are in our most illogical state of thinking, just having fun, away from the stress, that truly brilliant ideas and concepts will emerge.

Later in this article, I'll share my own list of possible solutions for Example 1 (the travel site). That will give you plenty of time to complete the exercises yourself. :)

Tip: Creativity is like SEO. You have to work at learning and building the skills. Do the exercises. You'll be amazed at how you'll feel and what you'll learn.

Example #2: Online Retail Store

(Note: Many of the same solutions can apply to this example, but we're going to brainstorm for others as well.)

You have an online retail store, and you sell a multitude of different products. You have 300 static pages, and you don't want to switch to a database. Your rankings are good, but your click throughs need help. (Tip: Be sure to check your log files and analyze your traffic. You don't want to change anything until you know for sure that your rankings/keywords aren't bringing you traffic.)

You have no real "identity" online. The name of your Web site is "GJL Retail," but that doesn't tell shoppers what your site is about and has proven lousy as far as branding is concerned.

You sell everything from clay clocks to building blocks for kids. People who visit rave about your product lines, the ease in navigation, the design of the site, and the friendliness of your staff. Your conversion to sales is good, once you get the customer on your site.

You're spending a fortune on the PPCs, and you'd like to reduce that cost. However, since you're not getting click throughs on your organic listings, without the PPCs, you'd be toast.

Ask Yourself These Questions:

First off, let's think about the click throughs. You have good rankings, but why aren't those rankings translating to click throughs?

(Tip: Again, be sure to check your log files and analyze your traffic. Don't change anything at this time.)

In search engine "optimization," we strive for top rankings. But all of the top rankings in the world won't matter if they don't convert to sales. In order for those rankings to convert to sales, they have to convert to click throughs. So what does that mean to you?

Your problem with click through rates could mean that your titles and descriptions aren't captivating and designed to drag your potential customers by the neck, kicking and screaming, to YOUR Web site.

You also may have optimized your pages for keyword phrases that few people are searching for.

Improving Click Throughs Exercise

Choose one of your pages that you're having problems with click throughs. Take the most important keyword phrase and type it into Google. When the results come up, study the titles and descriptions for the top 10 results. How do they compare with yours?

Pick someone in your office (or maybe your spouse or a friend), and ask him/her to choose which result he/she would pick after reading the titles and descriptions.

How does your title/description compare to the chosen result?

Where is Google pulling your description from? Is it pulling your description from the description META tag? If not, find the description on your page. If your site is listed in the Open Directory Project (dmoz.org), it may be pulling your description from that listing. Are you pleased with the description? If not, rewrite it.

Start rewriting your titles and descriptions for 5-10 of your top pages. Don't make any changes to your HTML pages yet. Let others in the office see the changes and get their opinions. Wait until the solutions part this article before letting any changes go live.

Though you may think these aren't "creativity" exercises, the solutions you'll find will definitely spark your creative thinking.

Remember: Make sure to use your keyword phrase toward the beginning of both tags when you rewrite them.

If you have a branding problem online, get your brainstorming team together and think about what you can do about "GJL Retail" and how to brand it and make it memorable. There are many different paths you can take. Take out a piece of paper and start writing. Study some successful retail sites online. How have they successfully branded themselves?

Tip: You don't have to use your keyword phrase in your domain name.

(In Part 3, we'll cover how to increase traffic to this Web site.)

(Continued in Part 3. This is a 4-part article)

Robin Nobles conducts live SEO workshops (www.searchengineworkshops.com) in locations across North America. She also teaches online SEO training (www.onlinewebtraining.com). Sign up for SEO tips of the day at seo-tip@aweber.com.

Copyright 2006 Robin Nobles. All rights reserved.