nick roshon's thoughts about digital advertising, seo, and social media

I recently made the big switch from Android to iPhone. I’ve wanted one since it first came out five years ago, so needless to say I’ve had a long time case of iPhone envy as a Verizon customer.

Maybe it was the hype, or maybe it was the years of anticipation, but at first I was let down. My first impression was that it was nice, but lacked some features that Android excelled in (most notably: Google Maps Navigation, and lightening quick Gmail integration). I knew to hold off judgments until I truly got to know the phone…as a self proclaimed Android power-user, I knew it would take time to learn the ins-and-outs of the iPhone as well as I did on Android.

After about a month – it clicked. It was strange really, I was ranting a few days earlier about how much I missed my Android, and still second guessing my decision of leaving. Then just like that, I fell in love with the iPhone.

Here’s why:

That intuitive thing…

I didn’t find the iPhone intuitive at all based on my first impression. I didn’t know what the heck I was doing, and needed to ask a lot of noobie questions on how to do basic functions. It was no worse than learning to use an Android, but I didn’t feel that iOS was an innate skill I was born with either. The big “ah-ha” moment occurred about a month later when everything clicked & came together. The Apps are tightly monitored by Apple, so the navigation and options for the apps all work the same. The way you change settings on Angry Birds is the same way that you’d change settings on the alarm clock. All Apps follow a uniform user interface, whereas for Android every app is designed in whatever format the developer wants to. For most functions, there is only one way to make a change to the app behavior, and that interface, as well as the way of accessing it, is always the same. Once you learn the ins and outs of even just one app, it’s the same experience across the entire phone.

The Apps…

Sure, Android may have more apps, but Apple has BETTER apps. They’re quicker, they’ve got more features, they don’t crash, they’re just simply better. The apps are better supported by developers and have more frequent updates since they’re all built for a specific device (rather than fragmented across various screen sizes & manufacturers), so they are easier to update by developers. Apple users get the cream of the crop when it comes to app quality.

The Stability…

The iPhone is ridiculously quick and stable, always dependable when you need it. My Android phone crashed at least once a week, usually more. Ironically, my Android phone most frequently crashed when using the Google Search app or Google Maps. Everything works, and works well together, in the iPhone.

 The Attention to Details…

Android is sloppy when it comes to the details – Apple is obsessed. A representative detail of this is the default ringers & sounds of the two OSs’. The Motorola Droid line of Android phones (owned by Google) has a default ringer that sounds like a techno rave party and might induce a seizure to the average user it is so obnoxiously terrible. At the very least, it’s horribly unprofessional and would be embarrassing in front of a business colleague or client. Apple, on the other hand, scrutinized every default ringtone & sound notification to be soothing, simple, and pleasing. This attention to detail permeates to things like the design of icons, the homescreen, the phone’s appearance itself, and most importantly the settings menu.

The Graphics…

The iPhone blows any Android phone out of the water when it comes to HD display. The colors are vibrant and jaw dropping. I have yet to see an Android phone with anything nearly as impressive when it comes to graphics. If you play games or view photos on your phone, iPhone has the best display on the market IMO. And rumor has it the iPhone5 will only get better.

The Games…

I don’t play games and have never been interested. In fact, my laptop doesn’t have a single one installed other than the Windows defaults. But on the iPhone, the games are really good, and oddly addictive. I’ve spent way too many nights since getting my iPhone playing Monopoly or Temple Runner since getting the iPhone, and still finding new games that are fun to play. The above mentioned graphics make the games that much better, and the App Store makes it much easier to find games.

The App Store…

The Android Market, while vastly improved, is still light years behind Apple’s App Store. The App Store is easy to use, has better recommendations, and is easier to casually surf and stumble upon awesome apps you never knew you needed, until you install them and wondered how you lived without them. In just over a month on the iPhone, I think I might have twice as many apps as I ever did in my 2+ years of Android use, and that’s mostly thanks to an incredibly easy to use App Store that Apple provides (although I’m still not sure why I need to enter a password to download a free app).

Siri…

Siri is way cool, and the most popularly cited reason of why users love their iPhone 4S over the previous model. I use Siri all the time, most notably to call or text someone, as it’s way quicker than trying to find them in my contacts directory (which has over 400 people in it). This technology extends beyond Siri, as it’s really superior voice recognition software which can be used for dictating texts, emails, and notes. Android, on the other hand, had laughably bad voice recognition.

Email…

If you use Gmail (and only Gmail), then Android is great, and the Gmail app on Android is far superior than that of iOS. But if you use any other email provider, from Yahoo! to your work email, then the interface on Android is nothing short of terrible. On iPhone, the native email client is excellent. It’s easy to use and super easy to read. It took me a while, but Gmail is actually pretty good on the iPhone too, you just have to install it as an “Exchange” account type rather than a “Gmail” account type – if you specify the account as a “Gmail” account type the alerts are slow and the contacts won’t sync.

…to be fair, here are the things Android bests Apple at:

Not everything in iPhone-land is superior. While iPhone used to be such a clear-cut winner in the “which phone is best” competition, I believe Android has come a long way and excels in some areas the iPhone lacks. Here’s my two cents as to where the Android phone is superior to the iPhone.

Google Maps Navigation…

The Google Navigation feature in Android phones is amazing, and something I sorely miss. While I could download a paid app for turn-by-turn navigation on my iPhone, the native Google Maps navigation app was fantastic (despite being somewhat unstable at times, likely due to Google’s “always in beta” development style).

4G LTE Capabilities…

I demo’d a co-workers RAZR with 4G and holy crap was it fast. Fast, if not faster, than when I have Wi-Fi enabled on my iPhone. I’d love for that technology on my iPhone, although I think that will be coming soon in the iPhone5. Still, I was jealous.

Gmail Integration…

The Gmail integration on Android can’t be beat. This is logical, as obviously Google cares more about making Google products work well on Android phones than it would a competitor’s phone. Still, the Gmail integration was incredible on Android, getting push notifications on emails quicker than a desktop web browser would, and syncing everything effortlessly. Gmail isn’t bad on the iPhone, just not as good as it was on Android.

iTunes/Device Syncing…

Android is great for syncing – you just plug it in to your computer, and the phone becomes an external hard drive. You don’t need any special software, and you can easily copy files to your computer or drag & drop files on your Android phone with no issue. Apple requires that you install iTunes software, and personally I’m not a fan of iTunes. While it’s a great marketplace, the software itself is slow & cumbersome, and I’d rather just control my phone directly rather than have to go through iTunes. Additionally, if you pirate media, the Android is much easier to bootleg music & videos whereas iTunes requires a few extra steps to import. I understand why iTunes is a requirement for the iPhone, and how it contributes to many of the advantages listed above, but it’s still a negative compared to the Android system that doesn’t require any software on your computer to be able to connect with (other than drivers, of course).

The TL;DR

The iPhone still eats Androids lunch. If you switch from Android to iPhone, you might not feel that way immediately, but give it time and you’ll see the apps, OS, and hardware itself is far superior to that of Android’s offerings.

I attended the Online Marketing Summit in Phoenix yesterday, and wanted to share a few insights & tips I learned. It was a great conference and it was nice to see a lot of familiar faces and learn some new things. Thanks to everyone that made it possible! We covered a wide range of topics including SEO, Social Media, Conversion Optimization, Content Strategy, and everything in between. In no particular order, here were my favorite takeaways:

#10: Create a Search & Social Media Center for Excellence: Create a central repository for best practices, keywords, social media engagement guidelines, etc, for all employees. This will benefit everyone involved by:

• Leveraging synergies across all of your digital channels – search, social, PR, web development, email marketing, and display.
• Getting PR & Social Media people the proper URLs and anchor text for Press Releases & Social Media messaging, as well as tips for optimal distribution
• Allowing more people to get involved with responding to complaints or questions via twitter & message boards by posting engagement guidelines. Phone support people can respond to complaints on twitter during downtime if they have training & knowledge base.

#9: A Cheaper Press Release – WebWire.com

• I submit a ton of online press releases for clients through PRNewswire, Marketwire, and PRWeb – but they cost several hundred bucks a pop. It doesn’t look like the distribution network is as robust for Webwire, but for $20, that’s a cheap backlink at the very least…thanks @fionnd of Elixir for this tip!

Adwords Tool Keyword Suggestions for the query iCrossing

#8: Search your brand & competitors & Adwords Tool – See what suggestions Google has for your brand name, and your competitors brand names in the Google Keyword Tool and Google Search Suggest.

• This can be helpful to: find interesting keyword ideas for brand pages, find new content ideas & content gaps, and discover reputation management issues. Check out the image to the right for suggestions google had for the word “icrossing” – very on target!

#7: Some Cool Stats & Quotes

• #1 position on SERP gets 43% of the clicks – Arnie K of Vertical Measures, a link building company
• “Rankings are something you can influence, not something you can control” – Arnie K – good perspective
• If you have a website, you are a publisher – Mike Corak
• .The BEST time to post a blog is Tuesday morning, while the WORST is Friday afternoon. – Dan Tyre  of hubspot
• “Brands must behave and enage like people do…” ~Brian Haven of iCrossing
• Blogs are the unsung heroes of SEO
• Do not neglect your blog child
• If you talk to people the way advertising talked to people they’d punch you in the face – Steve Groves

#6: Check out your backlink diversity – diversity of backlinks has increased in importance in the past year or so – those with unnatural backlink profiles do not get the same benefits they used to. Don’t overdo one method of link building (e.g. directory submissions) if you’re not going to do others.

#5: Use Social Media Profile Pages for Quick & Free Backlinks – it’s easy to get links on many social networking sites, and even if they’re nofollowed, it’s still a great tool for reputation management and probably still pass along some SEO value as well. Examples: Naymz, 123People, BusinessWeek.com, Google Profiles, LinkedIn…

#4: The Real SEO Value of a No Follow Link? There was some discussion that a rel=nofollow link has been shown to influence rankings and has SEO value. Something to consider – don’t dismiss a link just because it’s nofollowed! In my personal experience I’ve seen evidence that there is some SEO value here as well, although I haven’t seen any conclusive case studies to prove it.

The last three tips were from Jeff Eisenberg, a famous conversion optimization expert who wrote “A Call to Action” along with his brother Bryan. This was the best presentation of the whole summit in my opinion, the whole presentation was captivating and inspiring - check him and his brother out at: http://www.bryaneisenberg.com/

#3: Analyze Every Word & Image on your Money Pages

• When Dell changed “Learn More” to “Help Me Choose” on the computer configuration page, they saw an increase of MILLIONS of dollars. Why? When customers are ready to check out, they don’t want education (Learn More), but they do want help making sure they picked the right accessories & upgrades (Help Me Choose).
• Another Example: Overstock.com had horrible conversions on their DVD page, something that should sell well. Turns out an image talking about Childrens Movies turned off users, thinking they were on the wrong page. They changed the image to something generic, and generated a $25m sales jump
• The takeway? Understand the mindset of the customer, and talk in their language.

#2: Make your forms & check-out pages warm & fuzzy

• Filing in Credit Card info is the scariest moment for the consumer, and where abandonment most commonly occurs.
• Post your return policy, quality guarantees, etc, on this page and make the customer feel warm and fuzzy
• Examples – adding customer testimonials on check-out page, always display savings (if applicable), show quality/product guarantees
• Warren Buffet’s shoe company added a “Return-O-Meter” to their check out page showing how often a shoe is returned, and why (e.g. too wide, too small, etc). The result? Lower abandonment rate (higher confidence in purchase) plus fewer returns.

#1: Leverage Your Reviews!

• The Eisenberg Brothers have been very successful using reviews to increase conversions.
• With internal search on a website, allow users to search by Best Reviews/Most Reviews. When Customers Sort this way, there is a huge increase in conversions
• Run promotions like Top Reviewed under $50. These types of categories convert much higher.
• Another example: Vitacost – after a customer purchases something, Vitacost thanks them for the order and asks them to review – the result? Customers would go to Vitacost.com, review the product, and actually buy more products during that session!
• Reviews have the ability to turn worthless customer (who buys very little, very infrequently, usually on sale, but leaves a review) into a very valuable customer, as their review may sway the big buyers.

PS If I mentioned something you said and didn’t properly attribute it back to you, please leave a comment and let me know and I’ll be happy to include a link back to your website or twitter profile! I was scribbling furiously on a notepad and some of the details got lost or mixed up…

Google pushed out a PageRank update last night, and now both NickRoshon.com and NicksCarBlog.com have PageRank3. Search Engine Land has more of this surprising update, given Google’s recent statement that webmasters shouldn’t focus on PageRank so much, and consequently removing PageRank from Webmaster Tools. Many speculated PageRank might be dropped from the Toolbar soon as well – but this doesn’t appear to be the case. The last PageRank update was in June, which continues Google’s trend of updating PageRank in the toolbar every few months.

RustyBrick of Search Engine Roundtable has a good point in regards to PageRank in the toolbar from an SEO perspective, so I’m quoting him below:

Yes, a Toolbar PageRank update means nothing in terms of your ranking changing anytime soon. The PageRank scores shown in the toolbar are outdated and have zero direct impact on your Google rankings. That doesn’t mean that PageRank has no influence, but the toolbar score does not have any influence. Google shows us one thing, but yet uses another thing.

Well put.

It’s also important to consider the Webmaster Point of View here, and I think that is really where Toolbar PageRank matters: I’m looking for advertisers for my car blog. When advertisers see that I have solid PageRank, I think that gives me credibility that I might be a website they should consider to advertising on (after more due diligence, of course) – especially if I offer those potential advertisers a link on my blogroll, as that link should pass along some “link juice.” At a minimum anyway, potential advertisers will see that Google values my content at least somewhat, that this is a legitimate site that probably isn’t penalized or banned, and that my website is something they give further thought to- and they can tell all of this from a free toolbar in a matter of a second. Likewise, a site with PageRank N/A or 0 is likely to turn off potential advertisers nearly immediately,  so that PR can really be the “first impression” to either open the door or have it slammed in your face. Just my two cents, anyway.

What are your thoughts? Would love some comments on this.

Reminds me of the spirit of my previous post, “Social Media Experts” Are Really Only Experts at Cliche.

I have an internet blog and everything. In laymen’s terms, that mean’s I’m super fucking awesome.

Word bro, I know the feeling

Is it too soon to start worrying about Yahoo/Microsoft Search Deal?

The world of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is going wild today with the news that Yahoo! and Microsoft announcing a 10 year partnership. Search Engine Land has been doing a great job covering this news, complete with liveblogging the press conference and getting inside interviews.

However, a lot of coverage out there is starting to speculate into what the SEM industry needs to do and how this changes things, particularly this post from SEOmoz speculating the Top 10 Things the Microsoft/Yahoo Deal Changes for SEO. I think we all need to take a few deep breaths and not get ahead of ourselves here. Here’s the fine print from the Search Engine Land article that is all to easy to overlook:

…At full implementation (expected to occur within 24 months following regulatory approval)..

That’s 2 years AFTER the Federal Government approves the deal. And don’t forget the shareholders need to approve too. Given the size of Yahoo and Microsoft, as well as the Government’s Anti-Trust folks and the DOJ’s interest in maintaining competitiveness in the industry, which is already in an oligopoly if not monopoly state already, neither the shareholder nor the Government approval of this deal is likely to come quickly (or possibly at all). The Washington Post has a great article explaining some of the legal hurdles and is already commenting on the scrutiny Microsoft and Yahoo will face. If it will take 2 years after this approval, we’re talking light years in the tech world.

Think about 2+ years ago. Twitter was practically unheard of. MySpace still dominated Facebook. The iPhone hadn’t been released yet. 2 years is HUGE!

As part of the professional SEO community, I think it’s important we keep this all in perspective. This deal could be ground-breaking, but not any time soon. It’s important to think about what all this could mean, but remember that right now all that has happened is Carol Bartz and Steve Ballmer shook hands with each other. We should educate our clients on the details of the agreement, but let them know its nothing to start worrying about yet. Even in a few years, when everything is “fully integrated,” at the current figures Bing will only have a miserable 15% of the market compared to Google’s 78%, making its market share less than 1/5th of Google’s.

So my message to you is this: stay calm, keep current on the deal (because the agreement is going to change, especially once the legal issues start being scrutinized), and continue go about your business focusing on the search engine that ridiculously dominates the other one or two out there, even when you combine #2 and #3′s market share. In all seriousness, Twitter could overcome Bing/Yahoo in two years in terms of number of searches, traffic, hits, revenue and more, as their new home page certainly shows a redoubled interest in search:

Will Twitter Have More Search Share than Yahoo/Bing in 2 Years?

Photo credit Yahoo and Twitter