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Interview with Amanda Watlington on Podcast & Audio Search Optimization

Right now SES Chicago is going on….. the only major Search Marketing Conference and Expo in the Midwest. I had the good fortune of being able to interview Amanda Watlington of Searching for Profit…. She was on the panel of the Podcast & Audio Search Optimization session. Here is my interview with Amanda.

Q. Why Podcast? Who Should be Podcasting….. And who shouldn’t be?

A. Podcasting allows the brand owner/entrepreneur to extend the brand’s reach with the powerful medium of sound. The entire media landscape is very fragmented, and interrupt advertising is increasingly ineffective. A podcast lets the medium bring the message without interruptions or noise. Because of the portability of podcasts, there is a unique opportunity to develop deep brand engagement and loyalty from time-shifting listeners downloading the podcast for at their convenience listening. We are preconditioned to tune in our radio dials to favorite shows. Now we can essentially tune in to our favorite podcasts, download them and listen at any time.

Almost any business can podcast, but this does not mean that everyone should. Podcasting has been embraced by indie musicians as a means of getting a wider audience for their music, technologists eager to stay in touch with the changes to occur almost daily in fast-moving technology fields and by those who provide spiritual counsel, advice and prayer. These types of podcasts dominate the directories. There are also a wide range of podshows that feature business advice, quirky humorists or political pundits of every type.

The most important point in deciding whether to podcast or not is to decide whether the user will find your audio content valuable and interesting. Another key decision point is to decide whether the podcast will be a one-off or part of a longer series. It takes a lot of effort and preparation to develop a series that has a broad following. Sustaining the effort at the same level of interest is very hard. If, for a moment, you question whether you can sustain the effort, step back and reconsider.

Q. Why is Podcast & Audio Search Optimization so important?

A. Search is the single best tool on line for capturing potential interested listeners. In looking at search and podcasting, I try to look across the continuum of interested parties. The media site, an aggregator of audio content, search can be a powerful tool for bringing in those looking for “mp3 download.” A site with a number of features on “techno music” would want to target keywords that included “techno music” and “download techno music.” An artist’s site would want to expand its reach by using search keywords that included the band’s name and the genre. Search connects the audio and the user.

Audio search optimization is really multi-part. The site page describing the audio will be found on search engines so it is important to do SEO on the page to ensure its relevance for the keywords that describe the podcast content. An RSS feed is a vital distribution mechanism for the podcast content, so this must be optimized. Finally, the audio file itself must be optimized since the ID3 information is useful to listeners who might want the information contained to relocate you or to learn more about the podcast – information that you can encode in the ID3 tags. Whether you are optimizing the podcast episode’s landing page, the feed or the ID3 tags the goal is the same – to make the podcast findable to users of the various types of search technologies that provide information on audio.

Q. Is search optimization for Podcasts and Audio much different than the search optimization one would do to a Web Page?

A. It is only different in that you must essentially optimize three different entities, each of which has its own tactical requirements. It is not difficult to optimize the landing page. It is basic SEO. Optimization of the RSS feed is very slightly different in that it requires astute attention to how the TITLE and DESCRIPTION are written. It is also a technical implementation – not a difficult one I might note. Optimizing the audio file similarly requires doing a few easy steps meticulously and carefully.

Q. I noticed that most Podcasts on blogs that they also had the content written out in readable form…. Is this a must for SEO?

A. The discussion of whether to include a full or partial transcript is a topic often debated among audio content optimizers. One school of thought is to put entire transcript on the landing page and in the ID3 tags of the audio file. Another school contends that a keyword-rich summary should suffice. In my opinion there is no really right answer since it is often impractical to create a transcript both in terms of time and cost, so it becomes beyond the resources available. In those cases, a keyword-rich summary would suffice. The summary and transcript are for the user and for search engines. The summary is the minimum level. The ideal for both user and search engine is to include a full transcript in the page content and in audio file. Is a full transcript a must for SEO? Not really. For a long rambling podcast, it is possible to create a rich summary that may perform better in search than a diffuse transcript. There is no hard fast rule.

Audio optimization is really a matter of simply remembering how the optimization elements will be used. The key elements are the audio file, the landing page, and the RSS feed. Attention must be paid the unique requirements of each of these constituencies; otherwise it neither complex nor difficult.

Thank you so much for your wonderful interview, Amanda. It totally was a pleasure to interview you. Podcasting is an area I would love to try and this interview just makes me want it even more.

For the rest of you Marketers, SEO professionals, Webmasters, Business Owners or anyone interested in Search… if you are in the Chicago area the rest of this week SES Chicago is still going on. And, it is definitely a must attend.

Posted in Interviews, SEM, SEO, Tips and Tutorials, Web 2.0, Web 2.0 Basics | 5 Comments »

Interview with Erik Qualman on Social Media Optimization

Thursday, November 20th, 2008 |

Next month from December 8th thru December 12th is the Search Engine Strategies Conference in Chicago, IL. SES Chicago is the only major Search Marketing Conference and Expo in the Midwest and I’m fortunate enough to not only be attending but to be doing a couple Pre-Show interviews. Today I’m interviewing Erik Qualman.

Erik Qualman is a Search Engine Watch Expert and the Global VP of Online Marketing for EF Education. He’s also an acclaimed fiction author. Erik will be speaking on the Social Media Optimization panel along with Liana Evans and Jonathan Ashton. This is going to be an awesome session to attend if you are a search marketer. Join me….. I’m attending.

Q: Why Should a business worry about Social Media Optimization?

A: If you knew what you do now back ten years ago in the Search Engines (SMO) you would be a multi-millionaire and ranked #1 for some popular keywords (mortgage rates, vacation packages, etc.). A similar opportunity has arisen with Social Media. It is a new frontier and there is some huge opportunity for those that move quickly and know what they are doing. Users are already starting some of their searches directly in Social Media (e.g. YouTube has taken over the #2 spot from Yahoo! in terms of searches). Also, the traditional Search Engine result pages (SERPs) have many social media placements listed high. For example if you perform a search for “John Deere” the #3 organic listing in Google is for the John Deere Wikipedia page.

Q: Many businesses don’t understand Social Media & therefore don’t want to invest their time, energy & money into Social Media Marketing. What would you say to these businesses to get them to understand the importance of SMM and SMO to their Company?

A: Look at Barack Obama’s successful use of social media to create his “brand” from the bottom up. I believe his success speaks volumes to the power of Social Media. President 2.0

Q: If you were only able to offer one tip regarding Social Media Optimization…. what would it be?

A: A business that tries and fails will be much better off than a company that does nothing.

Q: Are there any Social Media Optimization techniques that you feel businesses should avoid?

A: Business should avoid trying to make everything perfect before launch. The key is to get something out there and then adjust based on the social graph’s response. Also, it’s important for companies to not try and be on every network at once. Select the social media placement that has the highest potential for success and learn and build from there. It’s okay if you are only on MySpace and not Facebook, or vice versa.

Q: How can a business measure whether their Social Media Optimization techniques are working….. whether it is the SMO that is bringing more business/sales?

A: The best approach is to take a new or limited marketing supported product and show success (i.e., you know the success came from SMO as that is all you were running). There are also many free and robust tracking tools out there that can show where the volume is coming from. For example I know that some business I’ve spoke with now receive 20% of their organic traffic from Facebook.

This is just a tiny taste of what you would be getting if you attend the Social Media Optimization session at SES Chicago. Find out more information on this session and the other sessions at SES Chicago by checking out their detailed website.

Posted in Conferences, Interviews, Social Media, Social Media Marketing | 3 Comments »

8 Random Things about Me - A Meme

Monday, March 17th, 2008 |

I have been tagged by Julie Joyce, one of my favorite SEO Chicks, to do the Meme, "8 Random things About Me". Being a huge fan of all the SEO Chicks I was more than a little excited about participating in this Meme. So, here are 8 Random things about Me.

8 Random things you didn’t Know about Me

I have a HUGE fear of failure. And, it appears that in worrying constantly about failing I rarely, if ever, enjoy the rewards of success.
I love puzzles. I don’t have much time to enjoy them these days, but I really love a challenging Jigsaw puzzle. I love them so much that once I start one I can’t stand ANYONE touching them. This is probably because I want to say that I completed it myself. One time I noticed someone had touched my puzzle… I immediately went out and bought two huge shopping bags of jigsaw puzzles. I had toddler puzzles all the way up to challenging adult puzzles. This way there was no need for anyone to touch my puzzle…. they can easily find their own puzzle to put together without touching mine.
I love making people smile - Truly…. I love it!! I would rather make people smile than doing something for myself. It gives me such a good feeling to see a smile on someone’s face and knowing that I have the ability to make someone happy.
Tennis is my Sport of Choice - I love to play tennis!! Am I any good? I think so…. But, even if I wasn’t I wouldn’t care. That’s how much I love it… I just want to be playing. Last summer I bought my 11 year old all the supplies he needed to play tennis. Did he ask for them? No. But, this way I could have a tennis player available whenever I was ready to play. Good thing he loves to play too.
My Best Friend is my Younger Sister - And, she is one of the most talented and beautiful people that I know. I credit her for my online success as she is the one who introduced me to Web Design years ago. Plus, she is one of the few people that on a very difficult day could make me laugh till I cry or pee my pants…. whatever comes first.

My sister Rachel, my father, and myself. I was six.
I give birth to Monster Babies - No lie. My largest baby was my daughter. Hannah weighed 11 pounds 12 1/4 ounces and she was born the OLD FASHIONED WAY a week earlier than planned. The doctors had no idea how large she was until she was born. It reminds me how amazing the human body is.

My daughter at a couple minutes old. 11 lbs. 12.25 oz.
I love Musicals!! - They are amazing to watch and I leave feeling totally satisfied. Musicals are filled with multi-talented people and I love watching that. It reminds me of the wonderful times I would spend with my Grandma. Her and I would sit and watch old movies together. You know, the movies with Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. I loved watching movies with her.
I have a Chronic Illness - Up until this point only a very few people know about this fact. I got very sick in July of 2006 and finally in August of 2007 I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus. Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can affect various parts of the body, including the skin, joints, heart, lungs, blood, kidneys and brain. My immune system is overactive and attacks my own body parts. Unfortunately, the form of Lupus I have is the most severe…. my immune system is attacking my Central Nervous System and Brain. The diagnosis is still quite new and I am trying to deal with how my life has changed and will continue to change. I continue to morn the person I was prior to diagnosis and that is one of the hardest things I had to go through thus far. Some days I feel quite well while other days it is so difficult just to get out of the bed in the morning.

So, there you go…. 8 random things about me. Some you might not have known and others you might wish you still didn’t know about me. But, like it or not…… it’s me.

Thank you so much Julie for tagging me for this meme. I am tagging the following three for this Meme:

Social Media Mom , Taylor Pratt & Sean Maney

Shana-Albert, social-media, meme, Julie-Joyce

Posted in Blogging, Interviews, Link Love, Meme | 29 Comments »

The Uncanny Broadcasting Brain Caught my Brainwaves!!

Tuesday, January 8th, 2008 |

(The following story is a teeny tiny made up)

This morning as I was surfing my usual Social Media sites I took notice to something that was very familiar. It was my avatar. The avatar I use on all of my Social Networking sites. But, it wasn’t on one of my usual Social Networking sites. Then I took a closer look and I saw that the Title of this particular post was called, "Q&A With TheNanny612". What?! I didn’t agree to any interview!! I didn’t answer any questions!! Oh, Wait! Did I? Oh, no….. wasn’t last night just a nightmare?!

As I was sitting quietly Sphinning and Stumbling as usual. This crazy, freaky looking brain guy kept popping up on my laptop asking me questions. I was nice to him the first few times he appeared. I simply said, "No thank you", "Not interested", "Don’t want any". Finally, I screamed, "Leave me the F**K alone and get the H**L off of my computer!!!". I thought that did the trick because I hadn’t heard anymore from him, until……my computer crashed!!

"Damn it!!" I hate when this happens right when I’m trying to Sphinn this Rock’n Search Engine Journal post!! UGH, now Marty is going to get it first!! He’s always up my butt to sphinn things before me!!"

As I was working on trying to get my laptop back online it appeared to be juicing itself to come back up again, but instead that freaky brain guy is back on my computer again. This time I couldn’t get rid of him or turn the computer off at all. And, he kept chanting, "I’m going to catch your brainwaves, Nanny. And, there is nothing you can do to stop me!! I’m going to catch your brainwaves."

The next thing I remember was waking up the morning with a huge headache and feeling a bit violated. But, for the life of me…. I couldn’t figure out why. That is until now……

Mark Dykeman of The Uncanny Broadcasting Brain Blog caught my brainwaves and has plastered my thoughts all over the front page of his Blog.

Okay, okay…. maybe this story is a bit of an exaggeration and maybe I even changed the story a teensy tiny bit. But, I got you reading, huh?!

Anyway, Mark at The Uncanny Broadcasting Brain Blog Interviewed me and the entire Q&A With TheNanny612 is over at his Blog. So, please check it out and let me know your thoughts.

Thanks for the great interview, Mark.

Technorati Tags:mark dykeman, shana albert, thenanny612, interviews, humor, blogging, social media, sphinn, social networking

Posted in Blogging, Humor, Interviews, Social Media, Social Networking, Sphinn, Web 2.0 | 6 Comments »