Audience, Relevance, and Search: Targeting Web Audiences with Relevant Content

How much more effective would companies be if all the content they created for the Web reached its specific target audience? In this book, three pioneering IBM content and search experts show how to get closer to this goal than ever before.

Readers will discover how to write highly relevant content containing the keywords and long-tail phrases their targeted users actually use. By doing so, they will learn how to go beyond merely "maximising" traffic to actually delivering the right content to the right visitors at the right time. They will even learn how to prove the relevancy of their Web content.

More than any other book, Audience, Relevance, and Search is relentlessly focused on the search and content optimisation problems that Web professionals face right now. Drawing on 45+ years of collective experience in Web publishing and search effectiveness, the authors share powerful insights into these and other crucial challenges:

• What's the best way to optimize keywords and other content for Google's

newest PageRank algorithm?

• How can personally relevant content be developed for the widely diverse Web

audiences that visit large sites?

• How can users be steered to content that's relevant to them and away from

content that isn't?

• Can content be aligned to users' roles, or where they stand in the purchasing

cycle?

• How can analytical tools and dashboards be used to determine which content

is relevant to their audiences, and how relevant it is?

     Since leaving ComputerUser in 2004, James has worked for IBM as a Web developer and Web content editor. In his current role as editor-in-chief of ibm.com, James sets standards, and creates and delivers education to improve the effectiveness of IBM’s Web content. James has trained more than 1000 writers, editors, and content strategists on Web content quality and search engine optimization (SEO) within IBM. James leads all search effectiveness efforts for IBM’s Smarter Planet Web presence (ibm.com/smarterplanet). He is also the search strategy lead for IBM Marketing and Communications, a role that gives him influence over future Web and social media content efforts at IBM.

Frank Donatone is an Internet professional with over 20 years’ experience in the IT industry. His experience includes people management, project management, Web site design, usability, accessibility, search engine marketing with a SEMPO certification in advanced SEO, and social media optimization. Using his previous experience in addition to customer satisfaction survey analysis he provides tactical and strategic recommendations to IBM for Web site improvement. His position as a IBM Worldwide Web Effectiveness Lead has a strong focus on SEO and social media to improve IBM’s ranking on the Web for key terms, managing the brand’s reputation, identifying sales opportunities, and improving share of voice. Frank has also co-developed and taught several search engine optimization courses at IBM with his coauthors. Recently, he has participated in the design and presentation of education related to using social media for sales inclusive of Twitter, LinkedIn, and event promotion. In addition to his Web Effectiveness role Frank also serves as a social media lead for ibm.com.

     Prior to joining IBM, Frank was an IT consultant to IBM as well as a second-line manager for Keane Inc. accounts at three IBM sites, Reader’s Digest, and VSI Communications. His second-line management position encompassed the management of 4 first-line account managers and 50 consultants. His dual role as a consultant at IBM during this tenure was Lotus Notes help desk management, and Lotus Notes and Web application deployment quality assurance. He also holds a professional certification in Lotus Notes administration and development.

Cynthia Fishel is a Senior Interactive Marketing and Brand Specialist with over 24 years of global agency and corporate Fortune 500 experience in the IT Industry. She has a proven track record of building teams that build successful Web sites. She was among the original team that launched ibm.com back in the early 90s and has continued to work on IBM’s Web site for the past 15 years. She produced the ibm.com interactive and visual design standards in support of all ibm.com worldwide Web development for consistent customer experiences across IBM Web sites. She drove IBM’s strategy for Web collaboration and developed the first Collaborative Branding Standards for co-marketed and co-branded Web sites.

    Cynthia has always been part of the IBM team that sets standards, and creates and delivers education to improve the effectiveness of IBM’s Web content. As a Search and Social Media Evangelist for IBM, Cynthia led the development of five Organic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) education modules for IBM internal use, IBM Business Partners, and interactive agencies, used to train over thousands of associates worldwide.

    Cynthia has spearheaded ibm.com initiatives and education in Corporate Identity & Design, Digital Branding, Rich Media, Accessibility and Privacy. Her recent position as the IT Consultant Specialist/Web Customer Satisfaction Team Lead for ibm.com focused on Web content effectiveness and gave her the opportunity to be the single point of contact for IBM business units, helping them to more effectively attract, convert, and retain business through the Web.