RETURN ON ENGAGEMENT This page intentionally left blank RETURN ON ENGAGEMENT Content, Strategy, and Design Techniques for Digital Marketing Tim Frick AMSTERDAM • BOSTON • HEIDELBERG • LONDON • NEW YORK • OXFORD PARIS • SAN DIEGO • SAN FRANCISCO • SINGAPORE • SYDNEY • TOKYO Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier 30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803, USA The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford, OX5 1GB, UK Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Details on how to seek permission, further information about the Publisher’s permissions policies and our arrangements with organizations such as the Copyright Clearance Center and the Copyright Licensing Agency, can be found at our website: www.elsevier.com/permissions . This book and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by the Publisher (other than as may be noted herein). Notices Knowledge and best practice in this fi eld are constantly changing. As new research and experience broaden our understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices, or medical treatment may become necessary. Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in evaluating and using any information, methods, compounds, or experiments described herein. In using such information or methods they should be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including parties for whom they have a professional responsibility. To the fullest extent of the law, neither the Publisher nor the authors, contributors, or editors, assume any liability for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions, or ideas contained in the material herein. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Frick, Tim. Return on engagement : content, strategy, and design techniques for digital marketing / Tim Frick. p. cm. ISBN 978-0-240-81283-0 1. Internet marketing. 2. Social media — Marketing. 3. Strategic planning. I. Title. HF5415.1265.F745 2010 658.8 72 — dc22 2010008537 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN : 978-0-240-81283-0 For information on all Focal Press publications visit our web site at www.elsevierdirect.com Typeset by MPS Limited, a Macmillan Company, Chennai, India www.macmillansolutions.com Printed in the United States of America 10 11 12 13 14 5 4 3 2 1 CONTENTS v CONTENTS Preface . x Acknowledgments . xvii Part 1 STRATEGY Chapter 1 The Grand Plan . 3 Get Connected . 4 Create Great Content . 5 Make It Real, Keep It Real . 7 Stay Consistent . 9 Developing Your Strategy . 10 Strategy Elements . 10 The Return . 17 Chapter 2 On-Site Strategy . 19 Your Website Is Never Done — Ever . 19 Your Home, Your Castle . 19 Website Components . 20 Design Strategy . 26 Standards -Based Content . 27 Syndication Strategy . 31 Keyword Strategies. 32 Rich Media . 33 User -Generated Content . 36 Analytics Strategies . 37 Commitment Issues . 38 Conclusion . 39 Chapter 3 Off-Site Strategy . 41 Link Power . 41 Relationships . 42 Mind Your Media . 44 On Target . 45 Commitment Issues . 54 Monitoring and Metrics . 54 The Plan . 55 Conclusion . 55 vi CONTENTS Part 2 ON-SITE TECHNIQUES Chapter 4 Content . 59 General Content Guidelines . 59 Information Architecture . 60 Keywords . 68 Keyword Tools . 69 Content Approaches . 71 Tag , You’re It . 73 The Perfect Page . 77 Conclusion . 78 Chapter 5 Design . 79 Credibility -Based Design . 79 Design Considerations . 85 Conclusion . 99 Chapter 6 Content Management Systems . 103 CMS Explained . 103 CMS Examples . 107 Modular Expansion . 110 Server and Technology Considerations . 110 Installation . 112 Confi guration . 114 CMS for SEO . 117 The Skinny on CMS Plug-Ins . 119 Blogs versus CMS: Which Is Better? . 120 Conclusion . 120 Chapter 7 Development . 121 Development Landscape . 121 Site Optimization . 126 Semantic Web . 131 APIs . 134 Widgets . 141 Conclusion . 144 CONTENTS vii Chapter 8 The Blog . 145 To Blog or Not to Blog? . 145 Blog versus CMS . 147 Blog Tools . ..