Join Lee Odden for his workshop, Advance Your SEO Skills with Social Media Optimization, on Monday, October 17 from 11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. at the PRSA 2011 International Conference, Oct. 15–18 in Orlando, Fla.!

The demand for smart Social Media and SEO information from Public Relations departments and agencies has increased significantly this year.  Many PR groups are investing significantly in SEO and Social Media strategy, road mapping and training for their teams. In our work as a resource for these organizations, one of the most useful insights we provide is guidance on what to avoid when it comes to incorporating SEO and SMO (social media optimization) into PR content strategies.

No one likes to #fail, so as PR pros ramp up their SEO and Social Media Optimization efforts, here are seven things to avoid:

Continue reading " How Not to Fail at SEO and Social Media Optimization "

Leading with the topic word in your Web headline is one way to get found and get clicked online. When you put the keywords in the first word or two of your Web head, you increase your chances of:

• Getting listed higher by search engines.
• Helping readers figure out what your Web page is about.

Here are three ways to force the topic words to the front:

Continue reading " Web Headlines: Three Ways to Focus on the Front "

This is a vexing question that so many are asking themselves these days. Is that target audience for your news the “media”? To be more specific, is it just your known media as in trade media? How about your clients and prospects for your business? How about your customers?

According to a 2008 Bureau of Labor Statistics study, one in four media jobs have disappeared since the year 2000.

This figure is growing every day. I’m afraid to believe that this will grow to be two out of four media jobs by the end of this year. So, I have to ask the question again about who is the target for your news.�

Continue reading " Who Is the Target for Your News? "

You’d be hard pressed to find any modern public relations agency practice that isn’t researching or already implementing a digital public relations strategy including search engine optimization, blogging/blogger relations and social media. Many public relations practitioners are scrambling to adjust to the opportunities presented by shifts in both consumer and journalist behavior online.

Look no further than popular public and media relations conferences like the upcoming PRSA 2008 International Conference event to see exactly how the public relations industry is making a concerted effort to educate itself on new opportunities with Web 2.0, SEO and social media.

The Point of Connection is coming. In fact, I will be doing a half-day, pre-Conference workshop for the PRSA International event October 25 from 1–5 p.m., “Optimizing Content for Optimum Search Results: Search Engine Optimization for News.” News SEO is distinctly different from SEO for lead generation since the desired outcome is not a new customer or a sale, but to be a source for a journalist writing a story and possibly an ongoing collaboration. News content optimization folds in nicely with digital asset optimization as we’ll be identifying the kind of content and assets most public relations departments can best leverage for optimization.

Continue reading " What Does Web 2.0, Social Media and SEO have to do with Public Relations? Everything! "

On the Record…Online with SEO Guru Lee OddentestCEO of TopRank Online Marketing Lee Odden goes On the Record…Online with Eric Schwartzman of online PR service provider iPressroom to discuss value of search engine optimization marketing.
This PR podcast was recorded at the 2007 Public Relations Society of America International Conference By in Philadelphia.

Lee Odden is CEO of TopRank Online Marketing, a leading Internet marketing agency that specializes in helping companies improve sales and brand visibility online. Based in Minneapolis, TopRank has been recognized as a leading search engine optimization firm by TopSEOs.com and PromotionWorld and has been included in Marketing Sherpa’s guide to SEO firms for the past 3 years. An internet marketing veteran and recognized expert on search and blog marketing, Mr. Odden is executive editor of MarketingBlog.com. He is a regular contributor to industry leading publications including BusinessBlogConsulting.com, WebProNews and Search Engine Guide.

Continue reading " On the Record…Online with SEO Guru Lee Odden "