Applying SEO & Startup Tactics to Book Marketing
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Rand Fishkin, Wizard of Moz | @randfish | rand@moz.com
Applying SEO & Startup Tactics to
Book Marketing
Slides online atbit.ly/mozbookmarketing
Why Does Search Matter to Authors?
More recent data is hard to come by, but it’s
probable that 50%+ of book sales happen
online, and many offline purchases are
influenced by online exposure.
Via DBW/Bowker
Via SimilarWeb
In ecommerce, search is the traffic referral leader
TheStartup Marketing Model
Identify Right Customers
Who are they?
What social networks do they use?
Who are their influencers?
Not Into Tools?
Can’t Find Your Audience on Social?
Have Conversations!
So… What kinda sites do you dogs visit?
Target the Right Audiencein the Right Places
Your Audienceis Already
Spending Time at These Places:
Via SimilarWeb’s Top Sites
You Can Leverage thatAttention by Contributing to…
Massive Networks Like Facebook
Via TheFinancialBrand Via SearchEngineLand
Although we’ve seen organic reach dipping for years, there’s been a resurgence thanks to
audience optimization
Professional Networks Like LinkedIn
We’ve seen a recent rise in engagement and CTR on LinkedIn for the right
kinds of content
An Important Note on Social Networks--
Signal:Noise Ratio is Critical to Reach
Because this post didn’t do well, Facebook won’t show my next few
posts to as many users
Book-Centric Sites Like GoodReads
Via Norwegian by Nighton Goodreads
Publishers that Accept Guest Contributions Like Good Housekeeping
Via Good Housekeeping
Targeting Your Audiencewith Paid Advertising
Ad Click-Through-Rates Are Abominable
Via SearchEngineLand
Half of All Mobile Ad Clicks are Accidental
Via SearchEngineLand
But, Ads are Getting Far More Sophisticated
Via Sovrn
And even though we don’t think they influence us, they do
Via Harvard Business Review
The Key to Ad Buying is ROI
$0.25 / Click X 200 Visits $50 Total Ad Spend=
200 Visits X 5 Sales = 2.5% Conversion Rate
$50 ÷ 5 Sales = $10 Cost of Acquiring a Customer (CAC)
You want this figure to be less than you make per sale
Facebook Ads
Google AdWords
Google Shopping Ads
Retargeting (Google, AdRoll)
More on Whiteboard Friday
e.g. I visited Squarespace while building this slide deck, and now their ads follow me around
the web like a lost puppy dog
Twitter Ads
Via NYTimes
Instagram Ads
Good Guide to Instagram Ads from AdEspresso
Pinterest Ads
Google Display Ads
Sponsored Content (Outbrain, Taboola)
If You Have Email Addresses,You Can Also Use:
Google AdWords’ Customer Match
Via SearchEngineLand
Newsletters & Book Announcements
Via Dan Ariely (author of Predictably Irrational)
Good, Free Mailing List Options:
Mailchimp:Free to 2,000 subscribers or 12,000 emails/month, great deliverability
Newsletter for WP:Requires a bit of installation, but free to unlimited numbers of subscribers
Benchmark Email:Free to 2,000 subscribers or 14,000 emails/month, easy UI
Attract an Audienceto Your Platform
Is your publishing platform holding you back?
Sometimes, content isn’t the problem.
SEO-friendly access for crawlers and searchers
Great user experience on every device
Compelling reasons to subscribe, share, & return
Freedom from features that would annoy or dissuade visitors
Content that’s consistently interesting, useful, and/or engaging to a distinct audience
Does My Publishing Platform Provide:
Platforms to Consider Include:
Wordpress:Free, extensible, powerful, has lots of plugins & developers
Wix:Easy templates, good support, strong designs, inexpensive
Squarespace:Solid templates, easy to manage, inexpensive,
I’m a Big Fan of Jane Friedman’s Advice on Author
Websites:
Via JaneFriedman
How do you build a platform that consistently attracts your
audience?
Publish web content
Amplify
Grow networkIncrease ability to rank in
search engines
Increase brand recognition
Learn & iterate on amplification tactics
Earn ongoing search traffic
Content Can Mean Many Things
Animations
Via BusinessInsider
For Most Writers,
It Means Written Content
Opinion Pieces
Via The New Yorker
Whitepapers
Via PricewaterhouseCoopers
Stories Via Radio Times
But (if you want to build a marketing flywheel)
that can’t be your entire platform
Via Rachael King
I loved Rachael’s site, but there’s no flywheel happening, just promotion of her books and
events.
Content Forms the Backbone of What Gets Distributed on the Web
Via Buzzsumo
It’s What Gets Shared on Facebook
Via Rand’s Facebook Page
What Ranks in Google
What Makes for Conversations on Twitter
Via Medium
What’s Posted on LinkedIn, Google+, Snapchat, and Instagram
But, Content Only Matters If It’s Seen
Via Buzzsumo
It’s Often the Same Effort to Make
Content No One Sees,
As Content Thousands Do
Who will help amplify thisand why?
Start With a Great Answer to the Question:
This is not a right answer:
Museum goers will love this.
And maybe museum curators, too.
Via MattKelm
This is a right answer:I did an analysis of all
the recent major museum thefts
Carolyn & Shelley have already expressed interest in
seeing the finished piece
SEO Best Practices
Earn Ongoing Traffic by Leveraging
Accessibility is Critical
Via the YouMoz Blog
Google Search Console Can
Highlight Many Problems
Via Google Search Console
Moz, ScreamingFrog, or OnPage.org Can Also Be Useful for Crawl Issues
Via Moz Pro, Screaming Frog Crawler, and OnPage.org
Keywords Still Matter
And Google is Smart About Matching Concepts & Topics to Keywords
Titles and Headlines?Still Important.
Page titles come from the HTML code, and (usually) appear as the headline of
the piece.
The Search Snippet? Still Important.Does the title match what
searchers want?Does the URL seem
compelling?
Does your site sound trustworthy or sketchy?
Is your result fresh? Do searchers want a newer
result?
Does the description create curiosity & entice
a click?
Do you get the brand dropdown?
Meta Keywords? Useless.
Via Google’s Webmaster Central Blog
Keyword Stuffing? Will Only Hurt You.
No one wants to click on a page like that
(and Google penalizes these types of pages)
Links Still Matter
Via Moz’s 2015 Ranking Factors
Link-based ranking factors
Ask: Who WillLink to Me & Why?
All these websites (and ~450 others) link to StopYoureKillingMe.com
Stumped?Check Out 100s of Techniques on the
Moz Blog
Via Link Building on Moz
User Satisfaction Matters
If Google observes many searchers clicking this result, visiting the page, then bouncing back to the search results and,
instead…
Clicking this page, and seeming satisfied with those results…
It’s very likely that, over time, KirkusReviews will outrank WaPo here.
Google Calls This Pogo-Sticking
Via Bill Slawski on Moz
Make the Back Button Your Enemy
NPR’s clean design, well-respected brand, options for listening or reading,
solid visuals, and quality writing compel me to want to stay.
If only they’d used good keywords in their title, they’d probably be on page 1
DO NOT Split Up Your Content & Promotional Sites
Tragically, Rachael is likely costing herself valuable branding and lots of lost search traffic by having two separate sites.
Via Rachael-King.com and SoundofButterflies.Blogspot.com
Consider Which Page You Want Ranking for Your Book
IMO, Kate Beaton has this right. Get your own site ranking at the top, rather than
Amazon, because then you control the user experience (and can use an Amazon affiliate link to get greater revenue from your sales)
You Control Much of This Through How You/Your Publisher Choose to Link in Press & Bios
More About SEO:
Prefer text + visuals?See Moz’s Beginner’s Guide to SEO
Prefer video?See Skillshare’s SEO that Matters class
Use Data to Learn What Works vs. Doesn’t
Google Analytics
Looking at “site content” (under “behavior”) can show you which
pages are attracting and engaging visitors, and which ones aren’t.
Jetpack
A popular alternative to Google Analytics, many
site owners appreciate the simpler, more intuitive
reports despite fewer bells & whistles.
Via Jetpack Stats
Bit.ly
I track all my content that I share to get a sense of what
works, and where it performs best
A Neat Hack You Can Do with Bit.lyJust add a + to the end of any bitly URL:
http://responsivecitypress+
Buzzsumo
Buzzsumo is invaluable for seeing content on any topic or from any site that’s
performed well on social networks
Via Buzzsumo Pro
ConvertingVisitors to Buyers
We need to identify the traits that separate customers who’ll buy, love, and amplify our books from those who won’t.
My Favorite Process:
From Conversion Rate Experts’ case study
Boom.
And Shakalaka.
Haven’t heard of the book
Heard of it, but didn’t buy
Bought, read, & loved the book
What do you think the book is about?
How’d you hear about the book?
What first made you interested?
What would make you more likely to check it out?
What are your biggest objections to purchase?
What objections did you have to buying?
What would have made you change your mind?
What objections did you have and how did you
overcome them?
What did you love most about it?
Can we share your story as a testimonial?
Create Messages and Sales Pages that Overcome Your Target Audience’s
Objections
Benefits that speak to Nir’s audience
Authorities that Nir’s audience knows, likes, and trusts
Multiple ways to get the book, even for non-readers
Via Nir Eyal
Use These Messages on Your Amazon and Publisher Pages, Too!
Via Hooked on Amazon
The same messages and editorial reviews work here, too
Retain, Delight, & Grow Amplification
How do you know what to create?
Or where to invest?
What do you hate doing?
Via Tech Noir
What skill, talent, or creation can set you apart from the crowd?
Via Rand’s Blog
One of my strengths is an ability to be
contrarian, and to create homemade
graphics that convey those opinions
Improving the flywheel is an iterative learning process
No one starts out great at this.
Geraldine started the website in 2009
For 2 years, she rarely broke 100 visits/day
She had a few successes
But traffic fell back down after these viral spikes
In Jan. 2012, she was featured on Time’s “Best Blogs” list. Readers came by the thousands, and many stuck.
These days, she consistently breaks 100K visits/month(even when she took time off to write her book).
Thanks to the audience she built and the flywheel of her blog’s content & distribution channels, Geraldine’s got a great
opportunity to publish and market her work.
Failure + Learningx Time = Success
Rand Fishkin, Wizard of Moz | @randfish | rand@moz.com
Bit.ly/mozbookmarketing
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