CSULB’s Web Administrator Robert Moushon Shares His SEO Secrets by Nathan Ibarbol
The secrets behind Google’s search engine procedures and algorithms are unknown to the public; CSULB Web Administrator Robert Moushon knows how to improve your site’s rank in the world’s biggest search engine to bring your business or client to the forefront. Moushon dropped in on a public relations course in CSULB’s Department of Journalism and Public Relations to host a guest forum on the best SEO practices from his experiences as a SEO specialist. “Ninety percent of Google searches do not go past the first page,” Moushon stated. “And fifty percent of searchers end up choosing one of the first of three results.” If you are looking to improve your ranking on Google search and make it to the first page of search results, here are a few hacks to improve SEO for your brand, client and business. 1. Find blogs and well-established media organizations to write about you Moushon discussed the importance of being a top result when searching on Google and also being on the first page of search results. His first piece of advice? Getting featured on notable blogs and well-established media organizations. It also helps having these outlets include your site links. Moushon gave the example of a user trying to find the best donuts in San Diego. The first results for searching “best donuts in San Diego” on Google will showcase curated lists from San Diego Eater, Thrillist and the San Diego Union Tribune. These results include headlines such as “Here Are San Diego’s Best Doughnut Shops,” “Best Donut Shops in San Diego, California,” and “A Baker’s Dozen of San Diego’s Best Donuts.” Would it not be great to have your donut shop listed in these blogs? These blogs have garnered large followings which in turn may lead people to your donut shop. The first true search result for a brick-and-mortar donut shop is the sixth result on Google displaying Donut Bar. Acquiring articles and features for your client or business will drive traffic and attention to your business. He also pointed out that one of his favorite shops, VG Donuts, is on the third page of Google search results despite being featured in the mentioned curated lists by established blogs and organizations. “If I’m on that third page, nobody is coming to me,” Moushon concluded. “I’ve got to work on our social media content and word-of-mouth techniques.” Moushon believes in optimizing SEO for your business’s website to improve its place in Google search results. He suggests creating unique and incredible products, creating buzz for your products, being readily available on every platform and associating with the right crowd in a given location. To boost your site’s SEO, Moushon suggests creating incredible content for the web and social media that creates buzz via outlets and notable blogs linking to your site. In addition, Moushon says having a desktop site, friendly tablet and mobile sites where your pages are easily accessible is also key to optimizing your SEO. Location marketing is another tactic Moushon discussed to improve your SEO. VG Donuts is currently located in the city of Cardiff, California. Have you heard of it? It is unlikely. However, Cardiff falls under the county of San Diego. According to Moushon, “VG Donuts, a shop based in San Diego” would be a better way to market its location and content than “VG Donuts, a shop in Cardiff.” 2. Acquire reviews on a frequent basis with strong keywords Moushon also discussed the importance of SEO coming into play with review sites such as Yelp and TaskRabbit. Moushon stated that having strong, positive and frequent reviews on review sites will increase not only your web ranking on such sites but also for Google searches. Moushon additionally stressed that including keywords someone is most likely to type into a search bar would additionally improve your ranking. During his forum, Moushon did a live search for “best tacos in Huntington Beach” right on the Yelp website. The first few results? Ads for Rubio’s and El Torito, two major restaurant chains. After the ads, true Huntington Beach taco restaurants popped up that rank above other taco restaurants in the area. According to Moushon, Sancho’s Tacos is the number one search result due to a high number of recent reviews that also match the keywords in prospective Yelp searches and a high number of external reviews with links from other people’s outlets and blogs. Businesses should always be striving to receive positive reviews from customers. One way to do this is to offer some form of compensation for a customer’s effort to write a review. People love free things! “Here’s a free taco, can you write a review for us on Yelp?” Moushon demonstrated. Moushon said the more reviews a business has acquired with keywords people are most likely searching for will additionally help your search result ranking. 3. Links, Blog Posts, Page Titles and Metadata As mentioned above, Moushon stated it helps your business or client when they are featured and mentioned in blogs and articles. Titles are used by search engines to display pages in search results. Having relevant and concise keywords in titles and headlines improves SEO and can boost your ranking. Moushon said, “If you’re talking about the best donut shop in the San Diego area, your main website title should say “VG Donuts - San Diego’s Best Donuts” or something along those lines.” He also suggests not only having your main keywords in your page title but also in your header titles. Moushon discussed the importance of utilizing metadata within sites to improve your SEO. Plugging in specific and hot keywords in your site’s metadata descriptions will speak to your audience and boost your SEO. Moushon said, “If the NY Times links to your blog, that’s great because not only does it bring you traffic but it brings the credibility of an established site linking to your site.” Google notices this and realizes there must be something important with your site’s link which will improve your SEO. Google wants to rank the credibility and relevance of your site from the amount of times it has been mentioned by other established parties. According to Moushon, Google looks for three key areas of external link structure. Relevance, platform diversity and velocity. Relevance refers to industry-related blogs and outlets linking to your business. Platform diversity refers to not only being linked from notable web pages but also getting hits from social media users. Velocity refers to the frequency of engagement and web traffic to your site. Moushon says Google is monitoring these three factors and using its algorithm to decide if it wants to boost your ranking and site importance. Google is also monitoring these factors to see if anything suspicious is happening with your site. You do not want to get penalized for tampering with SEO. If you are a blogger or content creator, Moushon said Google appreciates blogs and posts with a 2,000 word maximum. 4. See what competitors are doing If you are ever looking for inspiration on content production, Moushon says to see what competitors are doing and how it can inspire content and blogs to help boost your SEO and leap over them in ranks of search results. These are some important tips and practices anybody can start doing at this very moment
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by Dan Nguyen
The life of a student managing academic coursework concurrently with internship projects is fulfilling. There is so much knowledge to gather in. This is particularly true for public relations students, as I have personally come to learn. I have found that PR is a dynamic profession. It changes with the way people mass communicate. This has opened up an abundance of opportunities for us students and future professionals to take. In my experience, internships provide much more than what is described on applications. All of the internships I’ve taken on over the past year have offered tasks I didn’t see coming. None of the classes I’ve taken at CSULB have covered (extensive) graphic design, video editing or retention marketing. My coursework has only skimmed advertising via Facebook and Google Adwords. I was given those duties anyway and I took the responsibility and ran with it. This has led me to great development as a PR professional in training. It’s not a stretch to closely associate these skills with PR. We are communicators, and we need to use all appropriate mediums of communication. We need to communicate visually because people are stopped by visuals. We need to use digital marketing tactics because our audiences are increasingly found on digital platforms. We aren’t becoming less of what we’re learning to be in class. We’re building on that. In allusion back to the title of this post, you shape what you experience, meaning you shape what you learn. When you secure an internship, be appreciative of what is handed to you. If the majority of things you do aren’t relevant to PR, you’ve taken the wrong internship. Assuming you have the right internship, you have a canvas and all kinds of materials to work with. You can make something remarkable out of it. by Jeanin Alvarado
Written and communication skills are vital for any public relations professional as the business is heavily dependent on the process of enhancing an organization through social media and branding. Most PR professionals do whatever it takes to stay clear of numbers, though what most don’t realize is that having knowledge of quantitative data is just as important as it can provide crucial information on how to generate more sales and revenue. Below are four ways analytics can be useful to have in a PR professional’s back pocket. Budgets and Profits The most obvious way qualitative data can be incorporated into PR is through the calculation of budgets and profits. The first step is to ask what needs to be achieved, followed by how can this be accomplished? Everything has a cost but the goal in any business is to achieve a positive return on investment (ROI). This means the earnings must be greater than the allocated budget. Past budgets can also act as a guide to help one make a new budget for another project so funds aren’t spent on unnecessary items. Customer Traffic Any skilled entrepreneur would know that a company’s website is the hub of any successful business while social media accounts are also prudent. Determining when and how much traffic these accounts get can help ascertain the best tactics to improve customer interaction. For example, if you are evaluating a client’s Instagram account and you notice they get the most likes and comments when a picture is posted at 5 p.m on Fridays you are most likely going to want to continue that trend. Some social media networks such as Facebook have an internal analytics system that can track these trends easily, though there are other external data-collecting bases that will do it for you (e.g. Cision). These tools can report how many views a website gets over a period of time, average likes on a post, and even the time spent viewing said content. This data proves to be quite invaluable when wanting to promote a company. Demographics As mentioned in the previous section there are different types of data to track along with the customer traffic. Another vital stat to look out for is audience demographics. Use these tools to look at gender, age and even where the majority of viewers are from (e.g. out of the country, in-state). Looking at who is viewing the content can be fundamental in building a customer base. It can be easier to build campaigns that appeal to a specific demographic rather than trying to captivate the attention of everyone. Save Time and Money All in all, interpreting these collections of data can save a company time and money. It saves time by cutting research in half. Why spend the time compiling results when there are programs that can do it for you? Money is saved by conserving resources and utilizing them on other projects. Although analytics aren’t the first thing that come to mind when someone thinks PR, they can be quite useful to understand. Numbers may not be a PR professional’s best friend but they can definitely lend a helping hand. by Lourdes Gonzalez
Throughout my time in college I have truly appreciated the great professors that have been able to prepare me for life after it. Professors can become more than just teachers that bypass our lives during this period of time. It is of great benefit that we as young students and future professionals connect with our professors on a level that goes beyond merely teacher and student. When a professor becomes a student’s mentor he/she is able to teach the student more about the career in which they will soon embark in, teaching them beyond what is learned in the classroom. As well, they are able to give them one-on-one educational, career and life advice and support. Remember that they are the professionals and have so much guidance to offer. Before becoming professors they were clocking in countless hours in the field that you too will belong to soon enough. Making a connection with a professor allows you to have a lifelong relationship with them, as they become role models and lifelong friends. These professionals can not only give you great career advice, but they are also able to share their own network with you, as they introduce you to new people and opportunities. Public Relations professor and PRSSA professional advisor, Jennifer Newton agrees that students receive great value from their professors turned mentors. Newton says, “Mentors are a key support system for any professional at any level of their career. They are a sounding board for questions, a source of advice and a reality check when you become overwhelmed in your career.” Newton advises that students find those professors whom they connect with and admire and begin to build relationships with them. Most professors are willing to take on mentorship roles, they are here to help prepare us so, it is never too late for students to begin talking to their professors and creating these lifelong connections. In a long run they will benefit highly from them. Besides gaining a mentor to help them along the way, they will have gained a friend forever. CSULB President Jane Close-Conoley Virtually Connects with Students with the Help of Karen Holden by Mengfei Song
Karen Holden has been at the forefront of helping individuals and corporations to improve communications for decades. She is currently the Communications and Social Media Manager for CSULB President Jane Close-Conoley. Holden spoke to students in the JOUR 470: Digital Public Relations Tool Box class, educating the crowd on a wide range of topics relevant to modern journalism and public relations. The most specific aspect was the exploration of social media as a new frontier for pushing across relevant information and how it can act as a branch of journalism. Holden refers to herself as a “versatile writer and speaker able to help her clients deliver their messages in an objective and clear manner.” She handles the Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram account of President Conoley, among many other clients that she hosts. In her lecture, an additional light was shed on social media and using the platform as a means for learning and engaging with the campus community. "I am not president Conoley's message, but I amplify-it, " Holden said. According to Holden, social media has been an important aspect of people’s lives. It serves as an outlet for them as well as a source of information. Social media has been a go-to place for everyone seeking for fresh contents and as well as to get updated with current news and events all over the world. A professional journalist or PR practitioner should be able to understand the different communication and campaign platforms that make up the social media universe. Holden encourages individuals to change the way they view social media. That it is more than a platform for chatting with friends or posting cat videos, but rather view it as a news feed of information. Holden herself says that she opens three devices at a time as a means of tracking all events online. She encourages one to follow various news outlets and journalists even if one has a different point of view or opinion. Making a profession out of managing social media accounts is not as easy as it may seem. Holden encourages people to use their platforms as a means of reflecting the ideology and doing campaigns for their client. For those who plan on managing social media accounts for other people, it is important to take into account the ideas of the client. All social media platforms should be updated regularly with fresh contents and must be consistent across all accounts. It is important for public relations professionals to be multilingual on social media. Being multilingual in this case does not refer to knowing different languages but being able to understand the various forms through which social media can be used. Social media is for all ages. Having users from different cultures with different age groups, it is important to understand the means and way a message was conveyed. Public and private messages are written and highlighted differently. The professional needs to be aware of the difference between personal and professional tones on social media platforms. The use of dedicated hashtags also helps improve the reception of the message. According to Holden, LinkedIn is the best platform to connect with people of the same professional goals and interests. Best social media practices that should be observed includes being positive, authentic, and engaging. The use of images and links in the content of the body is also encouraged. But there are also some mistakes that are usually committed by PR professionals on social media. They sometimes include broken links, lack consistency across platforms, and set up incomplete profiles. Social media should help show the uniqueness, goals and the passion of a person to their audience. It should serve as a promotion to attract more viewers and engage more people in their platforms. The modern PR professional needs to be at the forefront of this practice. by Lizbeth Galeno
If you’ve seen the internship movies where an overruling boss asks the intern to go on a coffee run every day, something like The Devil Wears Prada perhaps, or The Internship where groups of people compete in a tournament for Google based on creativity and their ability to scavenge around a city in half a day, you might not have the accurate idea of what an internship can be like. Stepping into my summer internship this year, it was my first internship and I did not know what to expect. When the job description reads “this isn’t just a coffee run internship, you’re going to really gain experience,” whatever ideas you have are skewed now. My internship was at small publicist agency, EF (Entertainment Focused) Public Relations. It was small enough that it shared a suite with a fashion PR boutique, allowing me to see both sides of the everyday work life. One striking comparison you could alike to the famous The Devil Wears Prada might have been the mannequins and reception desk with glossy white furniture. Otherwise, you see stylists come in and have conversations with interns, employees and the boss about what outfit they’re looking for and who would be wearing it this weekend. Sometimes, you’ll walk in to find models and photographers preparing for a photoshoot, or a door closed with a backdrop behind the door and music playing, probably meaning there is a photoshoot happening then and there. As for my work, you grow a deep friendship for Excel spreadsheets, where you’re building lists of tasks to compete, keeping track of pitches you’ve pitched and possible contacts to contact. You write press releases and are giving yourself flashbacks to the time you as a CSULB student have had to do one of these for grade points. It’s a different feeling now, because that important assignment was practice and for a grade, yes, but this one is going to be released. This one is not about a hypothetical situation, this time you’re announcing the music video premiere or a release of a new song. This time this email pitch isn’t submitted to dropbox, it’s sent to your boss to proofread before it’s sent out to a celebrity’s agent in hopes of working with them. It’s possible that I just lucked out of the internships that Hollywood movies popularize, maybe it’s all in finding the right one. I’ve seen the other side of a red carpet event, I’ve worn the walkie talkie and guided people along their way, and I’ve checked my client in at a movie premiere. I think the greatest part of my internships experience by far was the validation it gave to the field I wanted to put myself in. What I learned about Andy Hoang by Isaiah Arias
Creative, pragmatic and innovative are three words I associate with Andy Hoang, the Chief Marketing Officer/Associate Vice President of Marketing and Communications at CSULB. I had the privilege of meeting Andy Hoang during a presentation in my Journalism 471: Public Relations Management and Campaigns class with Professor Jennifer Newton. Hoang presented CSULB’s current “No Barriers” Marketing Campaign, an initiative that he has spearheaded for several years. Hoang’s presentation was brilliant;, he has a very clear vision for The Beach. According to Hoang, the current marketing campaign was created to let students know that there are “No Barriers” to anything at The Beach. As a senior who is pursuing a career in marketing, Hoang’s presentation was very intriguing I wanted to learn more, so I contacted him. Within in a few weeks time I was able to meet with Hoang. This is what I learned: Before Hoang was the Chief Marketing Officer at CSULB, he was a student just like you and me. Hoang attended and graduated from California State University, Fullerton with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Public Relations. After college, Hoang worked for KGTV, a local news channel in San Diego. Hoang worked as a News Producer and Writer from 2000-2003. He expressed that this job is what taught him how to efficiently deliver a message. In 2004 Hoang moved to Palomar Pomerado Health; a public health group in San Diego County, where he continued his career in Communications and Media Relations. Pomerado Health needed to pass a public bond (a bond issued by the government [as a nation or state] or by a subsidiary incorporated governmental authority or by a municipality) in order to build a new hospital. These bonds are paid back through taxes, so support of the community was essential. Through a brilliant marketing campaign Hoang was able to sway the public, in 2004 a $496-million public bond was passed and the money was utilized to build a new hospital. After spending seven years with Palomar Pomerado Health, Hoang became the Director of Communications and Media Relation at the Salk Institute in 2011. The Salk Institute is a world-renowned school, “Ranking fifth-globally in the category of high quality publications and excellence rate.” The institute was in need of major funding. In attempts to educate the public and raise awareness about Salk, Hoang created “Walk for Salk and the Explore Salk events.” Hoang’s plan worked, the Salk Institute was able to raise $300 -million in funding, yet another amazing feat accomplished by Andy Hoang. Finally in 2013, Hoang made the move to CSULB where he is the current Chief Marketing Officer. Hoang’s presence can be seen throughout campus, from the large No Barriers banners that wrap the miles of chainlink fence on campus to the redesign of the BEACH logo, Hoang’s efforts do not go without notice. Hoang has accomplished more than most hope to in their career. His trajectory is inspiring. The students at CSULB are lucky to have him on our team at The BEACH. Meet Kevin Olivares, competitive by nature and ready to continue LBSU's Bateman legacy By Chelsea Pedraja
With knowledge of all things media related, current events and news, Kevin Olivares is ready to bring a fresh insight of ideas to the 2018 PRSSA-LB Bateman Team. Olivares, senior at Long Beach State University, is a journalism major with a specialization in public relations. He oversees the LBSU Journalism and Public Relations Department’s Twitter page. As LBSU JPR's social media manager, Olivares gained the proper skills necessary for what is to come on the Bateman Case Study Competition. The Bateman Case Study Competition is one of the most challenging programs PRSSA has to offer and provides countless opportunities for participants to be creative and original in planning their campaigns. This year, PRSSA participants around the country are challenged to research, plan, implement and evaluate a comprehensive public relations campaign on behalf of With Purpose. With Purpose advocates for families affected by childhood cancer and takes action in removing barriers to advancing treatment. The goal of the 2018 Bateman Competition is to increase awareness of the issues concerning childhood cancer treatment in the U.S. and the necessity of effective treatment options for children with cancer. “I want everyone to be aware of the client and cause and therefore be able to support and donate once they see what we have planned for the Bateman Competition,” Olivares said. Olivares aims to use his skills in reaching out to different news outlets and influencers to spread the word about With Purpose in his role as Media Relations Manager on the 2018 Bateman Team. Raising awareness and community involvement are important factors for Olivares as Media Relations Manager. He is excited about the planning process and watching ideas grow. With a 12-year-old brother, Olivares always strives to be a mentor and a good influence on children, which is why With Purpose resonated with him. When he heard about the client and cause, he wanted to be involved and make a difference. He was also inspired to join the Bateman Team after hearing about Professor and Bateman Co-Coach Jennifer Newton’s personal experience on the Bateman Team when she attended LBSU. Kevin looks forward to working with his fellow team members, Bianca Granado, Christian Barel, Diana Martinez and Hetty La. “We have an opportunity to make a difference. This is also our chance to add more prestige to our journalism and PR department and add to the Bateman Team legacy here at LBSU,” he said. Playing sports his whole life has resulted in Kevin being a great team mate and a natural competitor. He looks forward to using these strengths to bring fresh, new ideas to the table. He enjoys being a part of the team and finds the greatest reward when everyone succeeds. He is most excited about being able to use the skills he learns in class and applying it to the real world. “I’ve learned a l lot from my professors here, especially Professor Jolyn Matsumuro and Professor Jennifer Newton. And I think that what they’ve taught me is going to be extremely valuable and has prepared me for this challenge,” he said. Olivares expects this experience will be the biggest challenge of his college career thus far, and is appreciative of the opportunity. He looks forward to making a difference in the world and using skills he has developed in class for a greater good. Martinez Joins 2018 Bateman Case Study Competition as Creative Director by Ashley Lopez
While honing her skills as a blogger, photographer and PR student, Diana Martinez is ready to use her creative nature to defeat childhood cancer. She has been named creative director on the 2018 Bateman Team, where she will be overseeing all creative aspects of the campaign. “I will help with the design layout, photography and other details. My role isn’t limited though, we are all working together to get things done regardless of what our official roles are,” said Martinez. Martinez is a senior at CSULB, majoring in journalism with an emphasis in public relations. She initially started her college journey as a marketing major, but then switched to public relations . PR includes things she already loves, such as, photography, design, social media and writing. CSULB JPR Professor Jennifer Newton and Public Relations Professional Allison Miller will co-coach the team. “When I found out Jen was going to be the advisor I really wanted to apply. She’s a very passionate professor, so I know we can really win with her help,” says Martinez. “Whether we win or not, I think it’s a great opportunity to participate in and have as experience.” Their client, With Purpose is a youth-led, non-profit organization dedicated to bridging the funding gap for childhood cancer. The team is challenged to develop a PR campaign that will increase awareness of the organization and inspire the youth of Long Beach to join the movement. With Purpose resonates with Diana because she feels that cancer is a topic people aren’t very educated on, unless they know someone who is experiencing it firsthand. She wants to take advantage of this opportunity to learn and help the cause. Being a creative director is a fitting role because Diana is a freelance photographer and created a blog with her best friend called, Carolina & Alex. “I’ve had my blog for five years but it wasn’t until last summer that I saw the potential in it,” said Martinez. The blog features local music, artists and creatives. She also spent the summer curating an art show with her best friend. Upon graduation next spring, Diana plans to work for a local agency because she has an interest with working for small companies. “At some point, I want to start my own agency. I’ve already started it through my blog,” said Martinez. Through her blog she has been able to establish local bands as clients, helping them improve their online presence. Her ultimate goal is to transform Carolina & Alex into an agency that offers content creation, branding and PR services. In the meantime, Diana and the team will research, plan, implement and evaluate their PR campaign for With Purpose through March. They will finalize their submission by April 2018. “I’m looking forward to winning,” said Martinez. And PRSSA-LB is looking forward to helping the Bateman Team with this compelling cause! by Cody Warner
Crisis communication is one of the most important aspects of our public relations education at CSULB. Recently, there has been a slew of crisis communication-worthy events involving high profile personalities. Because of this, the entire world of crisis communication is changing, according to Andrew Blum of AJB Communications. The industry is being forced to adapt the the standard procedures of crisis PR because of how quickly the news spreads in today’s media. When news about the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment allegations broke, he was not the first or only high profile personality being accused of sexual harassment. He was able to hire a PR firm, but when it broke, some different things happened in regards to the handling of the crisis. We learn that there will be a team and one-hour window to craft a plan and team to communicate with publics to address the crisis. Weinstein’s job was immediately spared, but in many of these cases the accused were fired immediately upon release of the allegations, faster than any of the parties involved would have been able to construct a message or assemble a team. Instead, we’ve seen organizations move to end their relationship with the accused party and quickly begin a recovery process rather than a recuperation process. Other entertainers such as Matt Lauer as well as politicians like Senator Al Franken and Judge Roy Moore have joined Weinstein as accused parties. The entertainers were quickly removed from their positions and though the politicians haven’t been barred from participating in government, there have been calls for their resignation. These cases have displayed another deviation from prior cases; the original accuser was not left to stand alone, but was instead flanked by a team of people who had gone through similar experiences with Weinstein. This will raise the urgency of a crisis situation because with a growing number of accusers there are a growing number of concerned publics. This could lend itself to the exponentiation of the size of a crisis. The evolving difficulties in crisis PR are immediately observable, but the adapted strategies and tactics will not instantly yield results. It will take time and, unfortunately, more crises for the adaptations in training and tactics to reflect in the communication. It is safe to say, however, that the instantaneous nature of our news and social interaction has begun to make its mark on public relations. During the Fall 2017 semester we have seen crisis responses that may have lasted months before approach a 24-hour life cycle. As PR practitioners, this phenomenon is something we will soon have the power to influence and responsibility to address. |
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