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Our ever-popular tri-annual search conference is heading back to the beautiful resort of Paradise Point on the 23-24 February 2017.

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Being new to SEO, I had many questions, but as this was one of the first things I was told, I thought it would be best to take a keen interest in it, and try to understand exactly how your site speed effects performance.

Cue my head exploding.

Yes, site speed can be a difficult thing for a newbie to get to grips with, especially when you consider every possible factor – images, style-sheets, flash, scripts – the list goes on and on.

As my knowledge of site speed grew, I began to understand that it’s more than just how fast your pages load.

We know that user experience is a ranking factor. How fast (and well) a page loads will come under this, but I think we need to stretch site speed a little further than this.

I realised that yes, there are a number of practices you can follow to make sure your site loads as quickly as possible for the user, but how they interact with your site once the page has loaded is just as important – perhaps even more significant.

On site content, another confirmed ranking factor, is the best example of this.

Yes, you can have a page that loads in less than a second, and checks off all of the boxes in Google’s PageSpeed Tools, and is technically the best damn page out there, but if you’re presenting the wrong content, then what’s the point?

If you’re ranking for a query along the lines of ‘Who is the all-time top goal scorer in the MLS?’, and your returned page is a three-hour read on the history of soccer (or football, as we call it here in the UK) with one sentence on who the top goal scorer is near then end, then you’re not really providing great user experience, which we’ve already established as an important ranking factor.

It’s California’s own Landon Donovan, by the way.

Now, if the above scenario really is happening (or something similar) then it’s not going to be long before search engines take notice.

Your bounce rates will increase, users time spent on your page will be very low, and people won’t interact or share your page – it’s bad news.

Whilst search engines might not use data straight from analytics, they’re smart enough to recognise a poor page when they see one.

If your page isn’t useful to the users, then it’s not useful to search engines.

Technological advancements have not only changed how we access the internet, but also how we interact with it. The more options we have for finding online content, the less time we spend looking at it, seemingly.

Generation Z spend up to 25% less time on your online content, and according to CMO.com, by 2020 this generation will make up 40% of your market. That’s a drop in market-share that you shouldn’t ignore.

People are becoming quicker, so to speak. They’re always in a rush, they’ve always got something to do.

They don’t have time for the aforementioned three-hour read on the history of soccer, especially when what they were looking for could have been presented in less than a paragraph.

This fickle generation needs instantaneous assurance that they’ve come to the right place.

So, what can you do? What are the biggest ways of improving your site’s speed, and your visitors’ recognition of it being exactly what they are looking for?

Below is a selection of both technical actions and content advice that can help you on your endeavours.

Using the right images

Now, this might seem very obvious and some might reply “yeah, we always use our own images” or “we always credit our image sources correctly.”

This is great, but there’s a little more that you need to think about.

Both image size and image formats can make a difference to your page load times.

If you’re using a picture that can only be viewed at a maximum of 500×500 pixels, then don’t upload the picture as a 1000×1000 pixel image. That’s just giving your page more to think about, when it really doesn’t have to.

Additionally, look at the type of picture you’re uploading. Is it a bright, vibrant and colourful picture? If it is, use a JPEG.

If it’s more saturated, black and white, or even transparent, use a PNG.

Image formats are better suited to specific picture types, and this can again make a small but noticeable difference.

Redundant scripts and code

If you’re an internet user, there’s a fair chance that you’ve visited The Oatmeal’s website.

There’s also a fair chance that you’re aware of the pterodactyl that lives in the site’s source code. Pretty cool, huh?

Well, as cool as it is, this will be slowing down the page load time.

Okay, it’s not a lot of code, so it won’t be slowing down the loading time by much, but it acts as an example of the point I’m trying to make.

If your site doesn’t need it to function, then it shouldn’t be there. It’s as simple as that.

Style and layout sheets also fall in the same category. These need to process before the page can be rendered. If you’ve got redundant sheets on your page, then this will also be slowing down your load time.

You can inline small resources, if applicable of course, and this can shave off some time. But, the important thing to remember here is that if something can be minimized or cut down, then do it!

Understand your audience

Now, you’ve looked at the technical aspects of your site speed, what’s actually presented on the pages should be your priority.

You can have a page that loads super-fast, but if it isn’t useful to the user, then they’re going straight back out of there.

A mistake that a lot of content creators make, is that they write content that they think is going to do well in the rankings. This isn’t necessarily good practice.

People are writing content that they think the search engines want to see, when what they should be doing is writing for their audience. Knowing your audience inside out will help you do this effectively.

Web psychologist Nathalie Nahai is a staunch supporter of this, and has much to say on the case.

Nahai states that “to succeed online you have to understand and leverage the hidden psychology of your users.”

While this might sound obvious, it’s a really good point to make as if you don’t truly understand your users, then they’re not going to be interested in what you have to say.

If you do have a proper understanding, then you won’t have to worry about trying to write for your audience.

It will just come out naturally, and that is exactly what search engines want.

Present the right information

As previously mentioned, users are becoming less engaged with online content, hence they’re spending less time looking at it.

This is usually caused by poor content targeting.

While we can say that users are more ‘fast paced’ than ever before, this doesn’t mean that your content needs to be fast as well.

It’s the quickness of the user recognising its usefulness that is essential.

While we have talked about not presenting a three-hour read for certain queries, that’s not to say you should avoid in-depth content.

If the subject calls for a three-hour read, then definitely do that. But, if it calls for something snappier that is easy to digest, then create the appropriate content.

Can you present your information in a user-friendly table instead? Would a user benefit from a list of bullet points?

It’s about presenting the content in a way that the user needs it, not what you think looks best.

Putting it all together

Everything discussed above can find its way into all aspects of SEO.

The ‘fast content’ idea is definitely taking off in mobile with the introduction of Accelerated Mobile Pages project, for example.

Even Facebook has introduced its Instant Articles to compete. The social network recognised that this would be a great way to present content to their users, and acted on it accordingly.

The axiom rings true – Fast content for fast users.

Site speed can definitely make a difference to your revenue too. A few years ago, Walmart found that for every one second that its load time improved, it registered a 2% increase in conversions.

Those numbers might not seem that impressive, but Walmart made $13.5bn in global online sales in 2015, so a 2% increase in conversions equates to a lot of money.

You might not see improvements on a scale that large, but you will see a difference. And your users will also notice it too.

The above might seem straight-forward, and even rudimentary to many of you.

However, something that I’ve found in my time in SEO is that quite often, we can forget the basics. There’s a desire out there to excite.

Many feel that impressing and standing out from the crowd with something flashy and out-there is the most effective approach.

You’ll get no argument from me that this isn’t a good attitude to have, but don’t forget the basics, and above all don’t forget the users.

For more on this topic, check out these resources:

• SEO – Digital Marketing Template Files
• Search Marketing Training

Being new to SEO, I had many questions, but as this was one of the first things I was told, I thought it would be best to take a keen interest in it, and try to understand exactly how your site speed effects performance.

Cue my head exploding.

Yes, site speed can be a difficult thing for a newbie to get to grips with, especially when you consider every possible factor – images, style-sheets, flash, scripts – the list goes on and on.

As my knowledge of site speed grew, I began to understand that it’s more than just how fast your pages load.

We know that user experience is a ranking factor. How fast (and well) a page loads will come under this, but I think we need to stretch site speed a little further than this.

I realised that yes, there are a number of practices you can follow to make sure your site loads as quickly as possible for the user, but how they interact with your site once the page has loaded is just as important – perhaps even more significant.

On site content, another confirmed ranking factor, is the best example of this.

Yes, you can have a page that loads in less than a second, and checks off all of the boxes in Google’s PageSpeed Tools, and is technically the best damn page out there, but if you’re presenting the wrong content, then what’s the point?

If you’re ranking for a query along the lines of ‘Who is the all-time top goal scorer in the MLS?’, and your returned page is a three-hour read on the history of soccer (or football, as we call it here in the UK) with one sentence on who the top goal scorer is near then end, then you’re not really providing great user experience, which we’ve already established as an important ranking factor.

It’s California’s own Landon Donovan, by the way.

Now, if the above scenario really is happening (or something similar) then it’s not going to be long before search engines take notice.

Your bounce rates will increase, users time spent on your page will be very low, and people won’t interact or share your page – it’s bad news.

Whilst search engines might not use data straight from analytics, they’re smart enough to recognise a poor page when they see one.

If your page isn’t useful to the users, then it’s not useful to search engines.

Technological advancements have not only changed how we access the internet, but also how we interact with it. The more options we have for finding online content, the less time we spend looking at it, seemingly.

Generation Z spend up to 25% less time on your online content, and according to CMO.com, by 2020 this generation will make up 40% of your market. That’s a drop in market-share that you shouldn’t ignore.

People are becoming quicker, so to speak. They’re always in a rush, they’ve always got something to do.

They don’t have time for the aforementioned three-hour read on the history of soccer, especially when what they were looking for could have been presented in less than a paragraph.

This fickle generation needs instantaneous assurance that they’ve come to the right place.

So, what can you do? What are the biggest ways of improving your site’s speed, and your visitors’ recognition of it being exactly what they are looking for?

Below is a selection of both technical actions and content advice that can help you on your endeavours.

Using the right images

Now, this might seem very obvious and some might reply “yeah, we always use our own images” or “we always credit our image sources correctly.”

This is great, but there’s a little more that you need to think about.

Both image size and image formats can make a difference to your page load times.

If you’re using a picture that can only be viewed at a maximum of 500×500 pixels, then don’t upload the picture as a 1000×1000 pixel image. That’s just giving your page more to think about, when it really doesn’t have to.

Additionally, look at the type of picture you’re uploading. Is it a bright, vibrant and colourful picture? If it is, use a JPEG.

If it’s more saturated, black and white, or even transparent, use a PNG.

Image formats are better suited to specific picture types, and this can again make a small but noticeable difference.

Redundant scripts and code

If you’re an internet user, there’s a fair chance that you’ve visited The Oatmeal’s website.

There’s also a fair chance that you’re aware of the pterodactyl that lives in the site’s source code. Pretty cool, huh?

Well, as cool as it is, this will be slowing down the page load time.

Okay, it’s not a lot of code, so it won’t be slowing down the loading time by much, but it acts as an example of the point I’m trying to make.

If your site doesn’t need it to function, then it shouldn’t be there. It’s as simple as that.

Style and layout sheets also fall in the same category. These need to process before the page can be rendered. If you’ve got redundant sheets on your page, then this will also be slowing down your load time.

You can inline small resources, if applicable of course, and this can shave off some time. But, the important thing to remember here is that if something can be minimized or cut down, then do it!

Understand your audience

Now, you’ve looked at the technical aspects of your site speed, what’s actually presented on the pages should be your priority.

You can have a page that loads super-fast, but if it isn’t useful to the user, then they’re going straight back out of there.

A mistake that a lot of content creators make, is that they write content that they think is going to do well in the rankings. This isn’t necessarily good practice.

People are writing content that they think the search engines want to see, when what they should be doing is writing for their audience. Knowing your audience inside out will help you do this effectively.

Web psychologist Nathalie Nahai is a staunch supporter of this, and has much to say on the case.

Nahai states that “to succeed online you have to understand and leverage the hidden psychology of your users.”

While this might sound obvious, it’s a really good point to make as if you don’t truly understand your users, then they’re not going to be interested in what you have to say.

If you do have a proper understanding, then you won’t have to worry about trying to write for your audience.

It will just come out naturally, and that is exactly what search engines want.

Present the right information

As previously mentioned, users are becoming less engaged with online content, hence they’re spending less time looking at it.

This is usually caused by poor content targeting.

While we can say that users are more ‘fast paced’ than ever before, this doesn’t mean that your content needs to be fast as well.

It’s the quickness of the user recognising its usefulness that is essential.

While we have talked about not presenting a three-hour read for certain queries, that’s not to say you should avoid in-depth content.

If the subject calls for a three-hour read, then definitely do that. But, if it calls for something snappier that is easy to digest, then create the appropriate content.

Can you present your information in a user-friendly table instead? Would a user benefit from a list of bullet points?

It’s about presenting the content in a way that the user needs it, not what you think looks best.

Putting it all together

Everything discussed above can find its way into all aspects of SEO.

The ‘fast content’ idea is definitely taking off in mobile with the introduction of Accelerated Mobile Pages project, for example.

Even Facebook has introduced its Instant Articles to compete. The social network recognised that this would be a great way to present content to their users, and acted on it accordingly.

The axiom rings true – Fast content for fast users.

Site speed can definitely make a difference to your revenue too. A few years ago, Walmart found that for every one second that its load time improved, it registered a 2% increase in conversions.

Those numbers might not seem that impressive, but Walmart made $13.5bn in global online sales in 2015, so a 2% increase in conversions equates to a lot of money.

You might not see improvements on a scale that large, but you will see a difference. And your users will also notice it too.

The above might seem straight-forward, and even rudimentary to many of you.

However, something that I’ve found in my time in SEO is that quite often, we can forget the basics. There’s a desire out there to excite.

Many feel that impressing and standing out from the crowd with something flashy and out-there is the most effective approach.

You’ll get no argument from me that this isn’t a good attitude to have, but don’t forget the basics, and above all don’t forget the users.

For more on this topic, check out these resources:

• SEO – Digital Marketing Template Files
• Search Marketing Training

Posted by MiriamEllis

Implement generosity.

If I could sum up all of the thoughts I’m about to share with local enterprises, it would be with those two words.

Image via Lewis Kelly

Disasters and emergencies are unavoidable challenges faced by all local communities. How businesses respond to these stressful and sometimes devastating events spotlight company policy for cities to see. Once flood waters reside or cyclones trail away, once the dust settles, which of these two brands would you wish to call yours?:

How two brands’ reaction to disaster became a reputation-defining moment

As Hurricane Matthew moved toward the southeastern United States this month (in October 2016), millions of citizens evacuated, many of them not knowing where to find safe shelter. Brand A (a franchise location of an international hotel chain) responded by allegedly quadrupling the prices of its rooms — a practice known as ‘price gouging,’ which is illegal during declared emergencies in 34 states. Brand B (the international accommodations entity Airbnb) responded by sourcing thousands of free local rooms from its hosts for victims of the hurricane.

And then professional and social media responded with news stories, social communications, and reviews, trying both brands in the court of public opinion, doling out blame and praise.

This is how reputations are broken and made in today’s connected world, and the extremity of this tragic emergency situation brought two factors into high relief for these two brands:

Culture and preparedness

“I don’t know about the prices. I just run the hotel. I don’t set the prices. Corporate sets the prices.”

This is how the manager of the Brand A hotel franchise location responded when questioned by a TV news reporter regarding alleged price gouging, set amid a backdrop of elders and families with small children unable to afford a room at 4x its normal rate.

“We are deeply troubled by these allegations as they in no way reflect our brand values. This hotel is franchised. We don’t manage inventory or rates.”

This is the official response from corporate issued to the news network, and while Brand A promised to investigate, the public impression was made that the buck was being passed back and forth between different entities while evacuees were in danger. Based on the significant response from social media, including non-guideline-compliant user reviews from people who had never even stayed at this hotel, corporate culture was being perceived as greedy rather than fair to an extreme degree. It’s important to note here that I didn’t encounter a single sentiment expressed by consumers expecting that the rooms at this hotel would be given away for free. It was the quadrupling of the price that brought public condemnation.

Consumers are not privy to the creation of company policy. They aren’t able to puzzle out who made the decision to raise prices as this hotel, or at the many other hotels, gas stations, and stores in Florida which viewed an emergency as an opportunity for profit. Doubtless, the concept of supply and demand fuels this type of decision-making, but in an atmosphere lacking adequate transparency, the consumer is left with judging whether policy feels fair or unfair, and whether it aligns with their personal value system.

While we’ll likely never know the internal communications which led to this franchise location being cited by the public and investigated by the authorities for alleged price gouging, it is crystal clear that the corporate brand was not prepared in advance with a policy for times of emergency to be enacted by all franchisees. This, then, leaves the franchisee working within vague latitudes of allowable practices, which can result in long-lasting damage to the overall brand, coupled with damage to the local community being served. It’s a scenario of universal negativity and one that certainly can’t be made up for by a few days’ worth of increased profits.

You’ve likely noticed by now that I am specifically not naming this hotel. In the empathetic spirit of the carefully-crafted TAGFEE policy of Moz, my goal here is not to shame a particular business. Rather, it’s my hope that seeing the outcomes of policy will embolden companies to aim high in mirroring the value systems of consumers who reward fairness and generosity with genuine loyalty.

Ideally, I’d love to live in a world in which all businesses are motivated by concern for the common good, but barring this, I would at least like to demonstrate how generous policy is actually good policy and good business. Let’s turn our eyes to Brand B, which lit a beacon of hope in the midst of this recent disaster, as described in this excerpt from Wired:

“This was profound,” says Patrick Meier, a humanitarian technology expert who consults for the World Bank, the Australian Red Cross, and Facebook. “Airbnb changed its code order to allow people to rent out their place for zero dollars, because you could not do that otherwise.”

Innovation shines brightly in this account of Airbnb recognizing that communities around the world contain considerable resources of goodwill, which can then be amplified via technology.

The company has dedicated its own resources to developing an emergency response strategy, including the hire of a disaster response expert and an overhaul of the website’s code to enable free rentals. Thanks to the generosity of hosts who are willing open their doors to their fellow man in a time of trouble, Airbnb has been able to facilitate relief in more than twenty major global events since 2013. Of course, the best part of this is the lives that have been eased and even saved in times of trouble, but numerous industries should also pay attention to how Airbnb has benefitted from this exemplary outreach.

Here’s a quick sampling of the exceptionally favorable media coverage of the emergency response strategy:

That is a set of national and local references any business would envy. And the comments on articles like this one show just how well the public has received Airbnb’s efforts:

In utter marketing-ese, these consumers have not only been exposed or re-exposed to the Airbnb brand via the article, but have also just gained one new positive association with it. They are on the road to becoming potential brand advocates.

What I appreciate most about this scenario is that, in contrast to Brand A’s situation, this one features universal positivity in which all parties share in the goodwill, and that is literally priceless. And, by taking an organized approach to emergency preparedness and creating policy surrounding it, Airbnb can expect to receive ongoing appreciative notice for their efforts.

Room for hero brands, large and small

The EPA predicts a rise in extreme weather events in the United States due to climate change, including increases in the precipitation and wind of storms in some areas, and the spread of drought in others. Added to inevitable annual occurrences such as tornadoes, blizzards, and earthquakes, there are two questions every intelligent brand should be asking and answering internally right now: How can we help in the short term and how can we help in the long term?

Immediate relief

In the short term, your business can take a cue from Airbnb and discover available resources or develop new ones for providing help in a disaster. I noticed a Hurricane Matthew story in which a Papa John’s pizza deliverer helped a man in Nebraska get in touch with his grandmother in Florida whom he had been trying to reach for three anxious days. What if the pizza chain developed a new emergency preparedness policy from this human interest story, using their delivery fleet to reconnect loved ones… perhaps with a free pizza thrown into the bargain?

Or, there are restaurants with the ability to provide food or a percentage of profits to local food banks if they are lucky enough to still have electricity while their neighbors are less fortunate.

Maybe your company doesn’t have the resources of Everbridge, which has helped some 900+ counties and organizations communicate critical safety information in emergencies, but maybe your supermarket or the lobby of your legal practice can offer a free, warm, dry Wi-Fi hotspot to neighbors in an emergency.

In brief, if your business offers goods and services to your local community, create a plan for how, if you are fortunate enough to escape the worst effects of a disaster, you can share what you have with neighbors in need.

Long-term plans

According to Pew Research, 77% of Latin Americans, 60% of Europeans, 48% of the population of Asia and the Pacific, and 41% of the U.S. population are worried about the immediacy of the impacts of global warming. A global median of 51% indicates that climate change is affecting people right now.

From a business perspective, this means that the time for your brand to form and announce its plans for contributing to the climate solution is right now. Your efficient, green, and renewable energy practices, if made transparent, can do much to let the public know that not only will you be there for them in the short term in sudden emergencies, but that you are also doing your part to reduce future extreme weather events.

• Every time I walk into the local Kohl’s department store, the in-store messaging informs me that the building is powered, in part, by solar and wind energy.
• Green Swedish startup Wheely’s Cafe is the fastest-growing coffee company in Europe, vending organic beverages from bicycle-based carts.
• Here’s a furniture manufacturer in Connecticut that went solar, two companies that rent and recycle children’s toys, and Canada’s first all-electric taxi service.

Whether your business model is green-based or you incorporate green practices into your existing brand, sharing what you are doing to be a good neighbor in both the short and long term can earn the genuine goodwill of the local communities you wish to serve.

Do something great

I often imagine the future unlived when I see brands making awkward or self-damaging decisions. I rub my forehead and squint my eyes, envisioning what they might have done differently.

Imagine if Brand A had implemented generosity. Imagine if, instead of raising its prices during that dreadful emergency, Brand A had offered a deep discount on its rooms to be sure that even the least fortunate community members had a secure place to stay during the hurricane. Imagine if they had opened up their lounges and lobbies and invited in homeless veterans for the night, granting them safety in exchange for their service. Imagine if they had warmly reached out to families, letting them know that cherished pets would be welcome during the storm, too.

Imagine the gratitude of those who had been helped.

Imagine the social media response, the links, the new stories, unstructured citations, reviews…

Yes, it might have been unprofitable monetarily. It might have even been mayhem. But it would have been great.

To me, firemen have always exemplified a species of greatness. In moments of extreme danger, they forget themselves and act for the good of others. Imagine putting a fireman’s heart at the heart of your brand, to be brought out during times of emergency. Why not bring it up at the next all-staff meeting? Brainstorm existing resources, develop new ones, write out a plan, make it a policy… Stand tall on the local business scene, stand up, be great!

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