10 Commandments to Developing Personas when Redesigning for SEO

KNOW THY AUDIENCE10 Commandments forDeveloping Personas whenRedesigning for SEO Dana Lookadoo SEO Consultant, Trainer Yo! Yo! SEO @lookadoo & @YoYoSEO October 2012 Image credit: http://www.celebritysentry.com/post/the-10-commandments-ricky-gervais-wants-to-know-how-many-youve-broken-wnyc/

Audience Personas Fuel … Search Engine Optimization Social Media Conversations Content Marketing Conversions

10 Commandments for Personas1. You shall get corporate buy-in.2. You shall have no other focus than your audience.3. You shall not make graven images out of your company messaging.4. Do not use the name of a persona without understanding who they are.5. Honor your audience’s needs above your desires.6. Remember your customer’s psychographic makeup.7. You shall not design without data.8. You shall not design without knowing audience goals and conversion points.9. You shall not design or write without keyword research based on audience behavior.10. You shall not publish without social proof.

1 You shall get corporate buy-in. A Most companies hire people who DO NOT come from the buyer’s world. B Interests and goals are NOT aligned. C-Suite expects sales & marketing to C persuade prospects to spend money on something they DO NOT want, need, or understand. 2

Do You REALLY Know Them? Company-wide agreement on primary & secondary audiences. Image credit: http://twilightersanonymous.com/hq-stills-from-breaking-dawn-part-2-feature-edward-cullen-and-new-vampires.html

1 Key Stakeholder Surveys  Who are the audiences with whom you believe our website should communicate? Be specific. List multiple audience types, including titles if known. Identify those you believe are the sites primary audience (the sites main focus) and those who are secondary (important, but not as critical).  What do you know (think) about their computer usage and personal Web behavior?  How do they use the Web - via computer and/or mobile devices? Where do they hang out – Facebook, LinkedIn, news sites, YouTube, game sites?  What activities make up their job?  With whom do they communicate most frequently at work?  What are their frustration and pain points in their job, and what does [COMPANY] offer them to help?  What obstacles do they need to overcome?  What information do they need?  What do they need to understand about [COMPANY] that can 2 make things better? Sample C-Suite Questions for Planning Redesign (1 of 3)

1 Key Stakeholder Surveys  How are they talking about [COMPANY] offerings? <List examples>  What do they say when comparing us to [PRIMARY COMPETITOR] and [SECONDARY COMPETITOR]?  How can [COMPANY] address their objections on the website?  Thinking back to our primary audience, what stage of the buying cycle are they in? Are they:  Researching?  Trying to understand more about us as a company?  Determining if they need our products or services?  Intend to purchase?  Already a customer and accessing support information?  How can the website address their questions and concerns?  How can we compel them to buy, complete a contact form, or call us?  How can we explain the value of [COMPANY]s products and services? 2 Sample C-Suite Questions for Planning Redesign (2 of 3)

1 Key Stakeholder Surveys  What are your expectations for the site redesign?  Examples: Make the site more intuitive/easier to use. Explain more about our products, services, career opportunities, gather visitor feedback, attract new audiences, increase attendance at events, build sense of community, increase brand awareness, etc.  What specific requirements do you want included in the site that would help our audience?  List 3 websites you like, that you personally visit and or participate in on a regular basis. (These dont have to be related to [COMPANY] or our industry.)  Do you like the graphics, colors, look and feel, quality of content, functionality, community, other special features?  Do you have other input youd like to share about our customers and how they may view the site? Sample C-Suite Questions for 2 Planning Redesign (3 of 3)

1 Image credit: http://www.cartoonstock.com

2 You shall have no other focus than your audience. Customer Surveys 2 Clicktools graphs out responses.

2 Survey Tools Clicktools: Integrates with Salesforce – high-end, paid 4Q Survey: Free pop-up surveys to figure out why visitors are on your site and if they’re able to do what they need to do Survey Monkey: On-site or email surveys, free Instantly (formerly Survey Builder): Free survey builder for 2 web & mobile insights

2 Identify wants, needs, and obstacles by audience type. People People who use looking for your information website via search 2

2 Customer Surveys  R a t e t h e o v e r a l l Sample Customer Questions for l 2 Audience-based Redesign (1 of 3) o o k

2 Customer Surveys  What is your preferred media, types of content? (You may choose multiple answers.)  Text with pictures  PDF downloads – whitepapers, fact sheets, brochures  Charts & Infographics  Video  Anything I can view on a mobile device, i.e. phone or tablet.  Other Please specify: _________________________________  What, if any, suggestions do you have for improving the website (including content, functionality, etc.)? (Open comment field) Sample Customer Questions for Audience-based Redesign (2 of 3) 2

2 Customer Surveys  How do you find information about or engage with [COMPANY]? (You may choose multiple answers.)  Website  Search Engines  Twitter, Facebook, or Google Plus  Email notifications  Industry Publications & Events  Other Please specify: _________________________________  Identify social media accounts you use. (You may choose multiple answers.)  Facebook  Twitter  Google Plus  LinkedIn Sample Customer Questions for  Other Audience-based Redesign (3 of 3) 2  None

3 You shall not make graven images out of your company messaging. 2

3 No More Self Portraits!It’s not about you! Image credit: http://www.inqmind.co/2012/08/ad-campaigns-by-hugh-kretschmer/

3 We We Calculatorhttp://www.futurenowinc.com/wewe.htmhttp://www.futurenowinc.com/wewetext.htm

Do not use the name of a4 persona without understanding who they are. 2 http://www.seomoz.org/

4 Identify who they are! Background Demographics Psychographics Motivations/Needs Activities New/Returning Site Visitor

4 Workshops: Persona Exercises Audience Identity & Task Analysis Group Brainstorm Supplies Whiteboard Worksheet Photos Glue Stick Pens / Pencils Sticky Notes Thinking Caps

Potential Audience Photos

4 Simple Persona Worksheet

4 Empathize! “To truly communicate with your visitors, you must put yourself in their shoes.”Content Marketing PersonasBryan Eisenberghttp://bryaneisenberg.com/content-marketing-personas/ Image credit: http://www.inqmind.co/2012/08/ad-campaigns-by-hugh-kretschmer/

5 Honor your audience’s needs above your desires. “As proud as you may be of your company and your product or service, most customers only care about how well you can help them meet their wants and needs. If you want more of them to buy, your focus has to be on your customer.” 2 http://www.futurenowinc.com/wewetext.htm

5 REI: Users are #1! “First of all come customers. Theyre the most important people. Theyre our reason for existing as a business. So we like to say, ‘Users are number one.’” Leveraging Agile Marketing for SEO Jonathon Colman Principal Experience 2 Architect, REI http://www.seomoz.org/blog/agile-marketing-whiteboard-friday

6 Remember your customer’s psychographic makeup.WHO THEY ARE &WHAT THEY DO are the center of your website universe! 2

6 Content Consumption Habits Competitive Scans header, highlights, bullet point; quickly makes decisions Humanistic MethodicalLooks for content that Logical; scans page relates to them; carefully reading drawn to pictures & highlighted portions; design; pays attention towill share if resonates details with self Spontaneous Looks at everything 2 quickly w/o focus looking for interactivity, ADHD

Image credit: unknown

6 Audience Behavior ResearchImage credit: Marty Weintraub

6 Audience Behavior Research

7 You shall not design without data. Visitors Overview Reports (new & returning) Browsers and OS (desktop, mobile) Map Overlay (location) Referring Sites Keyword Referrals Webmaster Tools (impressions & landing pages) 2

8 You shall not design without knowing audience goals and conversion points. Free TrialPrevious redesignclearly addressed 2audience: B2B & B2C http://raventools.com/

8 Designing for Audience Answers “Who” Stroked ego with “Best” Peers / Trust Answers “Why” Authenticity Keys http://raventools.com/

8 Outline audience goals and steps to conversion. Sample Worksheet

9 You shall not design or write without keyword research based on audience behavior. Classifiers help you understand what audience is looking for at various stages 2 of the Buying Cycle.

Sample Worksheet Tasks & Keywords2

9 Go Beyond Google AdWords

9 Google Autocomplete

9 Keywords - Social Sentiment

10 You shall not publish without social proof. Social proof increases confidence in your product and/or service. http://raventools.com/ Statements by satisfied customers Pictures add further validity. 2

10 Social Proof: Psychology People tend to believe the actions and decisions of others reflect the correct behavior or conclusion for that situation. Transparency: Addresses “pet peeves” Openness to input increases comfort level, leads to conversions. http://raventools.com/

Result Persona “Buckets”2 Brannan Atkinson Chief Marketing Officer, Raven Internet Marketing Tools

Website Personas for SEO Surveys Your Benefit•Key Stakeholders •How your product or•Customers service provides benefit to this persona Identify Design & Search Personas Your Solution•Demographics, •How your product orpsychographics, service solves theiractivities, Web usage motivations, needs,•Needs, wants, desired desires, eases paintasks, objections•What messages willreach them, words they Marketing Channelsuse •Best channels to reach this persona Goals & Conversions •Types of content will New & Returning they consume Visitors •Web, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Keywords – Buying Pinterest Cycle / Buckets

Dana LookadooSEO Consultant, TrainerYo! Yo! SEOAgency focus is Word-of-Mouth SEO,helping clients optimize theironline conversation.dana@yoyoseo.com . YoYoSEO.com@lookadoo . @YoYoSEO10 Commandments for Developing Personas whenRedesigning for SEO: http://yseo.us/pubcon12

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10 Commandments to Developing Personas when Redesigning for SEO

by Yo! Yo! SEO on Oct 16, 2012

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