Just as everyone figured out the mechanics of SEO, everything changed. Here's what you need to know:

Google and other search engines have recently been updating their search algorithms. As the biggest name in the game, Google has pioneered the way with two major algorithm updates: Panda and Penguin.

Just as everyone figured out the mechanics of SEO, everything changed. Here's what you need to know:

Google and other search engines have recently been updating their search algorithms. As the biggest name in the game, Google has pioneered the way with two major algorithm updates: Panda and Penguin.

What was once acceptable can now impair a company’s ability to be found online. Under these new algorithms, websites that are found to be catering to the search engines rather than producing fresh, relevant content will be relegated to the bottom of search results. Overall, Panda and Penguin target websites that churn out thin content, spam backlinks, practice keyword stuffing or hidden text, include plagiarized content, and enact a number of other outdated, frowned-upon SEO techniques. 

The Panda and Penguin updates give the illusion that Google is making big changes in the digital realm, but in reality these updates are just part of a larger trend. Social media such as Facebook and Twitter, and the increasing popularity of handheld devices have changed the way people find, share, and discuss information. To stay relevant, businesses need to publish interesting content regularly, and share it through social media. By doing so, the same businesses will also find that Google’s new rules for SEO will be met naturally, and that is entirely the goal.

“We want people doing white-hat search engine optimization (or even no search engine optimization at all) to be free to focus on creating amazing compelling web sites,” stated Matt Cutts, Distinguished Engineer on Google’s Webmaster Blog.  “Another step is to reward high-quality sites,” stated Mr. Cutts.

Does this mean everyone should stop all SEO practices? 

Not necessarily. SEO should be used as a way to promote quality, authoritative content. Keyword research and analytics will still improve the quality of a site if used naturally and efficiently. Backlinks must occur naturally, however. The thought process is this: if a website caters to its audience, relevant keywords and backlinks will manifest naturally, and webmasters don’t have to do a thing. People will share useful or interesting content with their friends and followers. With Google’s new updates, this organic interaction trumps even the best laid-out marketing plans. One of the best ways for a business to regularly release shareable content is through a blog. When done right, blogging is a great way to create content, and encourage engagement. Share each new article on relevant social media platforms for maximum impact.

To address social media’s obvious impact on the world, Google’s updates look for likes, shares, and engagement —especially on Google+ because, well, it belongs to Google. Regardless of the platform, branding should be consistent throughout a company’s online presence to give the target audience a reliable image with which to associate. As with traditional websites, social media pages should be geared at providing the target audience with a memorable experience. This goes beyond branding, and delves into the murky terrain of engagement. Social media has lowered the barriers between businesses and their target audience. Engagement is important to building brand trust. A successful brand embraces this shift by giving followers not just great content but the ability to communicate directly with the company.

Are the Panda and Penguin updates perfect? Unfortunately, no. There has been some collateral damage to legitimate sites, and negative SEO practices have in some ways become easier. 

Competitors can more easily employ shady backlinking schemes for your website, effectively decreasing its value. Your original content is also at risk of being copied, and having the time stamp changed, making your site look like the copy cat. The best way to minimize the impact is to be proactive. Set up a Google alert for your website, and develop your authority through Google Authorship. If you find foul play, there are legitimate ways to deal with it. Google encourages anyone affected by backlinking sabotage to use their disavow tool.  

Photo Courtesy of Jonathan Ernst/REUTERS

Above all else, human engagement is the new SEO. Businesses should ask themselves what interests their audience. Answering that question through blogging, engaging in social media, and creating an easy-to navigate website are key. Hire a writer, hire a designer, hire a social media coordinator, and make sure each knows your industry's ins and outs. Once upon a time, customer service and interaction were reserved for in-person, phone, and even email conversations. Today, these conversations can happen anywhere in the digital sphere. Google’s Panda and Penguin updates support these modern trends.

The way you learn it in marketing school, marketing is a science. How could it not be, with all that jargon that puts everything into neat compartments? Unique Selling Proposition. Positioning. Niches. The four Ps. The Marketing Mix. All those rules of advertising and copywriting. Close fast and early.

The way you learn it in marketing school, marketing is a science. How could it not be, with all that jargon that puts everything into neat compartments? Unique Selling Proposition. Positioning. Niches. The four Ps. The Marketing Mix. All those rules of advertising and copywriting. Close fast and early.

So if marketing is a science, how come some people do it better than others?

Scientific method says, in essence, that if two researchers do the same experiment in the same way, they should get the same result. When that happens a couple of times, then the first person who did it is said to be scientifically correct. Does that happen in marketing?

Of course not.

But we all have the same tools. Market research. Public relations. Publications, such as brochures and newsletters. Seminars and speeches. Advertising. Direct mail and telemarketing. Even networking.

We all know the same things to do. Publicity. Newsletters and brochures. Niche marketing. Client surveys. And so on.

Yet, all results are not equal. Some firms emerge as giants, and others, including those that started in business at the same time as the giants, either go out of business or are still two-professional firms.

Why? What are the variables that make a difference in the same thing?

Or then, too, maybe marketing isn't a science. Maybe it's an art.

Maybe one firm, in looking at its markets and its market research, understands better what it sees than does its competitors. Maybe one firm, more than others, is better able to relate the needs of the marketplace to what it does in its own practice.

Or the public relations director of one firm is more imaginative than his or her colleagues in other firms, or better understands what the media want and the process of supplying that want, or is more truly conversant in the language of the firm's profession -- and so gets more publicity for his firm than his or her counterparts get for theirs.

Or the marketing director or partner of one firm has a broader view of potential markets than can be defined in simplistic niche marketing. Or one firm understands better than others how to use seminars more effectively as business tools. Or the partners of a firm are more organized in pursuing contacts with bankers or lawyers or accountants who are in a position to recommend business, and are better trained and enabled in converting prospects into clients.

Ah, that's the art of it. Not the jargon. Not the words.

True, even art has formal structures, and basics that must be learned. But in the final analysis, it's the art that wins, not the formal structure and the jargon.

If you want to succeed in marketing, then, don't hire the scientist. Hire the artist.

This article was reposted with permission from Bruce W. Marcos, via the Marcus Letter.

It’s been a warm summer, and things are hot over here at STARMEN. Right on the heels of the Horizon Awards, STARMEN was awarded 7 trophies from the 19th annual Communicator Awards! The competition receives entries from both small and large agencies from all over the globe. Self-touted as “the largest and most competitive awards program honoring creative excellence among communications professionals,” the Communicator Awards received over 6,000 entries this year. Winners were chosen based on quality of the entry, regardless of company or agency size or project budget.

It’s been a warm summer, and things are hot over here at STARMEN. Right on the heels of the Horizon Awards, STARMEN was awarded 7 trophies from the 19th annual Communicator Awards! The competition receives entries from both small and large agencies from all over the globe. Self-touted as “the largest and most competitive awards program honoring creative excellence among communications professionals,” the Communicator Awards received over 6,000 entries this year. Winners were chosen based on quality of the entry, regardless of company or agency size or project budget.

The competition is overseen and judged by the International Academy of Visual Arts, an exclusive organization comprised of 600+ executives from marketing, advertising, and media firms. IAVA members include professionals from Condé Nast, Coach, Disney, MTV Networks, Sotheby's Institute of Art, Time, Inc, Victoria's Secret, Wired, and Yahoo. Another cool detail about this particular competition is the fact that the trophies are made by RS Owens, the company that produces the Oscar and Emmy awards!

We were also psyched to see our integrated design efforts score some recognition. We won silver trophies for corporate identity in the logo and package design categories, as well as brochure design. Creatively-designed packaging and brochures help make brands more memorable, and we’re proud that both our interactive and traditional branding efforts earned a spot on our growing list of award-winning achievements:

Check out the winners!

• Chadburry - Gold Winner, Fashion Websites Category

Chadburry is a European-based fashion designer and manufacturer of handcrafted menswear, and won in the Fashion Websites category. (click to view website)

• 1999 Avenue of the Stars - Silver Winner, Real Estate Websites Category

1999 boasts an exclusive real estate hotspot in Century City, and took home a win for Real Estate Websites. (click to view website)

• Esmond Natural - Silver Winner, Corporate Identity Print Category

Esmond Natural embraces an “East meets West” approach to their nutritional supplements, and won for Package Design in the Corporate Identity Print category. (click to view website)

• J/P Haitian Relief Organization - Silver Winner, Charitable Organization/Non-Profit Websites Category

• Juel Park - Silver Winner, Visual Appeal Websites Category

Juel Park is a renowned designer of haute couture lingerie, catering to A-list celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, and won for Visual Appeal Websites. (click to view website)

• LA Banquets - Silver Winner, Corporate Identity Print Category

LA Banquets is a premiere banqueting destination in Los Angeles, and won for Brochure Design in the Corporate Identity Print category. (click to view website)

• Minus Zero - Silver Winner, Corporate Identity Print Category

Minus Zero offers corporate leadership and training to senior executives, and won for Logo Design in the Corporate Identity Print category. (click to view website)

Contact STARMEN today to start your own award-winning campaign.

Facebook? Perhaps. Twitter? Maybe. Blog? Absolutely!

Blogs began as basic, often tawdry online diaries fueled by caffeine and wine. Some launched writing careers, but most simply enabled their authors to vent views or scratch creative itches. As the blogging craze grew, however, many corporate marketers adopted blogs to provide regular company updates and insights, and, almost as quickly, many marketers abandoned them. The reason? Regularly writing articles turned out to be challenging and time consuming; writing articles that attracted readers proved to be even more difficult. After all, who wants to read a corporation’s diary? So when Twitter and other microblogging platforms came along, corporate communicators happily replaced their 500-words of weekly wisdom with concise 140-character tweets.

And that's when marketers discovered the real value of blogs.

For businesses, blogs serve multiple purposes that Twitter can’t come close to serving. In fact, many corporations are now discovering that it’s actually harder to create a worthwhile Twitter account. So now we’re seeing a blog revival. Below are 3 key reasons why blogging boosts business:

Facebook? Perhaps. Twitter? Maybe. Blog? Absolutely!

Blogs began as basic, often tawdry online diaries fueled by caffeine and wine. Some launched writing careers, but most simply enabled their authors to vent views or scratch creative itches. As the blogging craze grew, however, many corporate marketers adopted blogs to provide regular company updates and insights, and, almost as quickly, many marketers abandoned them. The reason? Regularly writing articles turned out to be challenging and time consuming; writing articles that attracted readers proved to be even more difficult. After all, who wants to read a corporation’s diary? So, when Twitter and other microblogging platforms came along, corporate communicators happily replaced their 500-words of weekly wisdom with concise 140-character tweets.

And that's when marketers discovered the real value of blogs.

For businesses, blogs serve multiple purposes that Twitter can’t come close to satisfying. In fact, many corporations are now discovering that it’s actually harder to create a worthwhile Twitter account, and we’re, in fact, seeing a blog revival. Below are 3 key reasons why blogging boosts business:

1. Blogs build better business brands.

It’s hard to provide much brand value in a tweet. As we have seen with some brands, with Twitter, it’s easier to make a brand-damaging mistake with an ‘accidental’ tweet than it is to build your image and reputation in 140 characters.

With blogs, you get all the words you need to communicate your business’ fully fleshed-out personality in a way that suits your brand, and appeals to your customers. And since full-length articles take more time and attention to create, you’re far less likely to “accidentally” publish a brand-damaging blogpost than a misbegotten tweet.

Blogging also enables you to demonstrate your expertise; you can show that you’re not just a product or service provider, you’re an actual expert in your field. And you can do so not by ‘flaunting’ your knowledge, but by providing valuable advice, and insights to your customers.

Blog posts should be delivered in a conversational tone (like this blogpost) — not in a stiff ‘corporate’ voice, and definitely not in the form of press releases — a conversational tone makes your business appear more personable.

It’s also critical to maintain professional standards when blogging. A hastily-assembled (not to mention ‘abandoned’) blog, or a blog post filled with empty hype or unimportant info can do more harm than good. And by all means, don’t be boring! As advertising legend, David Ogilvy, once said, “You can’t bore people into buying your product” — or into reading anything you ever write again.

2. Blogs give you the goods to get social.

One challenge that many marketers face with social media is simply finding something to say. Simply talking about yourself or your products every day turns you into a drone. (See the David Ogilvy quote above.) But using your social media to talk about irrelevant matters (the weather or holidays) is a waste of time and resources.

With regular blogs, you now have something of value to share on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Sharing a value-filled article with a relevant LinkedIn Group is a great way to drive potential customers to your website, which is exactly what you want to do with social media: drive all those fans, friends, and followers to your website (never the other way around).

Note that this sharing is critical for building a blog readership. The problem with the early business blogs is that marketers just built them, and assumed that readers would come. Now they realize that they have to get the articles out there. That’s why it’s important to have both social media and a blog operating side-by-side, working together to attract your customers.

3. Google loves blogs.

Google and other search engines will someday recognize photos and videos, but in the meantime, they want words, words, and more words. Blogs, of course, provide plenty of words — including keywords and phrases that your customers might be plugging into search engines. Indeed, many customers type in entire questions into search engines, so sometimes a great blog format is a Q&A.

What makes blog posts even more search-engine friendly is that they’re fresh. Google tends to favor websites that have been recently updated, therefore it is important to provide fresh content regularly.

Something else that Google loves is backlinks, which are the links from other sites to your site. If you have a blogpost that’s valuable and compelling, it may attract backlinks. In addition, it may get shared on social media, and that also helps boost search-engine results.

Finally, Google favors ‘high quality’ content. Google determines this by watching human behavior. Those backlinks and social shares are one sign that your content is valuable. Another sign is how long customers spend on your page, and whether they click on anything while they’re there. (Google can track all this when you install Google Analytics on your site.) A high quality blog post will guarantee that visitors will spend more than a few seconds on your site.

So, Let’s Get It Started…

Now that you see what blogs can do for your business, designate specific writers or an agency to create regular posts that are both relevant and valuable to your customers and your brand. In addition, consider inviting guest bloggers to provide fresh content while attracting their fans. These individuals often have significant followerships of their own, which means that fresh new eyes will be drawn to your site.

Don’t worry if your readership numbers don’t explode overnight. Blog posts are long-tail content, meaning that they might not get discovered until months or even years later. In the meantime, all those blog posts will provide a wealth of content that boosts your brand, gives you something to socialize about, and keeps Google well fed.

Happy blogging!

After winding down an exciting 2012 with 12 trophies from the W3 Awards and Davey Awards, STARMEN is gearing up for summer on an equally bright note. We recently took home 4 wins from the 11th annual Horizon Interactive Awards! The international competition was created to recognize excellence in the interactive media field. This year, there was some tough competition, as the Horizon Awards received thousands of submissions from nearly all 50 states and 25 countries across the globe. 

We’re particularly thrilled about this recognition, not just because the statuettes are shiny and handsome, but because this competition embraces a unique approach to judging. The panelists aren’t just design experts — they’re our industry peers — other digital media professionals with varying skillsets and capabilities. In addition to an end-user panel, the judging crew included Creative Directors, Chris Nation of Hitcents and Flavio Masson, of 10012.com. That meant the designs couldn’t just look nice, they had to function well, and with purpose. Here at STARMEN, we always keep functionality at the forefront of our creative process. Aesthetics are meaningless unless they offer a creative and strategic solution. We are honored for the awards bestowed on us for our work on the following campaigns:

After winding down an exciting 2012 with 12 trophies from the W3 Awards and Davey Awards, STARMEN is gearing up for summer on an equally bright note. We recently took home 4 wins from the 11th annual Horizon Interactive Awards! The international competition was created to recognize excellence in the interactive media field. This year, there was some tough competition, as the Horizon Awards received thousands of submissions from nearly all 50 states and 25 countries. 

We’re particularly thrilled about this recognition, not just because the statuettes are shiny and handsome, but because this competition embraces a unique approach to judging. The panelists aren’t just design experts — they’re our industry peers — other digital media professionals with varying skillsets and capabilities. In addition to an end-user panel, the judging crew included Creative Directors, Chris Nation of Hitcents and Flavio Masson, of 10012.com. That meant the designs couldn’t just look nice, they had to function well, and with purpose. Here at STARMEN, we always keep functionality at the forefront of our creative process. Aesthetics are meaningless unless they offer a creative and strategic solution. We are honored for the awards bestowed on us for our work on the following campaigns:

And the awards go to...

J/P Haitian Relief Organization provides relief and emergency services in Haiti. Following the catastrophic earthquake in 2010, J/P HRO immediately stepped in with rescue efforts. In anticipation of their 2 year anniversary, J/P HRO partnered with us to launch a completely redesigned website. We focused on a new design and strategy for a web experience that would visually communicate the mission of the organization through film and video.

John Foley provides individual and corporate leadership training. Best known for their inspirational keynotes, the company has worked with some of the biggest brands worldwide. We are grateful to be a part of John's 'Glad To Be Here' team, and the experience challenged us to maximize our performance. The website gives readers a taste of what John’s incredible presentations can offer executive and management teams across industries.

Our Creative Director, Anthony Wiktor, designed an alternative movie poster for Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln." Wiktor also designed a campaign around his creative concept, which was quite a contrast from the film's actual marketing campaign. "I wanted to use a darker tone to create a more dramatic visual that matched the feel of the film," says Anthony. The poster is now featured on the Lincoln movie website.

Win #4 is a Gold Award for our own website in the Self Promotional Website category.

Click here to read the full press release about the awards from the Horizon Interactive Awards.

Is there such a thing as love at first sight? No doubt, but it usually takes a lot of sweet talk to close the deal.

I'm talking about product marketing, of course. (I bet you thought this was a late Valentine's Day blog.) A lot of us do fall in love with products at an initial glance. Apple can make us crave an iWhatever before we know what it actually does. One glimpse of the Alfa Romeo 4C definitely got my Italian pulse racing. Of course, art and design-based products (fashion, furniture, even foods) can spark desire with just a picture.

Is there such a thing as love at first sight? No doubt, but it usually takes a lot of sweet talk to close the deal.

I'm talking about product marketing, of course. (I bet you thought this was a late Valentine's Day blog.) A lot of us do fall in love with products at an initial glance. Apple can make us crave an iWhatever before we know what it actually does. One glimpse of the Alfa Romeo 4C definitely got my Italian pulse racing. Of course, art and design-based products (fashion, furniture, even foods) can spark desire with just a picture.

It makes sense, since more of the human brain is wired for visual processing than for verbal processing. For us designers, it's likely much more. That's why social media is taking a visual turn: Donna Moritz at Socially Sorted created the following infographic (an image, of course) to illustrate this shift:

Those are some great stats with some great tips as well.

In the classic AIDA funnel, an attractive image can get the customer's Attention and Interest and even fill them with Desire, but getting customers to actually take Action usually requires much more, especially with complex, high-commitment products like cars. Sure, I love the new Alfa Romeo 4C, but even if I had the money to buy one right now, I'd want to read detailed comparisons between it and my other favorite Ferrari and Maserati models.

The same goes for products like real estate, vacation destinations, even designer outfits. The vast majority of us need to read more before we put down our money or sign on the bottom line. As a designer by training, I'm the first to hype the impact of visual media. You must have great photos and design in Web-based marketing — but don't throw out the words. You still need great writing to persuade commitment-phobes, justify premium pricing (particularly for startups and new products), and get customers to buy more. (Not to mention the fact that Google's search engine still favors basic text over images.)

In social media terms, I say yes, you should use great photography and designs on Pinterest or Facebook to entice customers. But when they click to the destination site, I encourage you to use all the words you need to sell the features, benefits, special offers, and your company brand and background.

That's because in marketing, as in romance, most people need a lot of words between love at first sight and saying "I do." Or as the Italians say... mi sono innamorato. I'm in love.

STARMEN's award-winning Creative Director, Anthony Wiktor, is featured as an 'industry expert' in Web Designer Magazine’s Hot 100 issue (#205), which is currently on newsstands this month. Anthony is featured alongside web design industry giants such as Eric Meyer, Andy Budd, and Patrick Van Kann. The article features experts chiming in on 2013′s hottest web trends, tools, and talent.

STARMEN's award-winning Creative Director, Anthony Wiktor, is featured as an 'industry expert' in Web Designer Magazine’s Hot 100 issue (#205), which is currently on newsstands this month. Anthony is featured alongside industry giants such as Eric Meyer, Andy Budd, and Patrick Van Kann. The article features experts chiming in on 2013′s hottest web trends, tools, and talent.

Anthony shared his thoughts and insights on which web design tools and trends to look for in 2013, including an awesome boilerplate for responsive, a mobile-friendly framework called ‘Skeleton,’ and the emerging popularity of 'parallax' design.

About Web Designer Magazine

“Web Designer” is the flagship publication for international web creatives, offering expert project-based tutorials across modern disciplines such as HTML, CSS, jQuery, Flash, Photoshop, WordPress blogging, and mobile apps. Accessible to hobbyists and professionals of all skill levels, the content is constantly informed by agency profiles, breaking stories, and cutting-edge trends. Each issue features a CD packed with invaluable design resources, and project files for the tutorials in the magazine. Read more from Web Designer Magazine, here.