PRSSA Presentation

Creating and Maintaining a Strong Online Presence

Presentation by:

Sarah Tharp

Director of Online Marketing, Brain Host

@stharp14

• SEO• Personal Online Reputation• Reputation Management for Clients• Case Study• Advice O

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About Me

• Graduated from Ohio University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism

• Started at Brain Host 2 weeks after graduation as a Social Media Manager

• Currently the Director of Online Marketing for Brain Host

• Web hosting company based in Akron, OH• Young, tech startup company • 75+ employees• Hosts over 180,000 websites

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What is Web Hosting?B

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SE

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• Stands for Search Engine optimization

• Process of getting traffic from the “organic” listings on search engines

• Web pages and other content such as videos or local listings are shown and ranked based on what the search engine considers most relevant to users

• Importance of keywords

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Have You Ever Googled Yourself?

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Perks of a Personal Website

• Best chance of ranking first for your name• Broaden your skill set• Resume, writing samples and personal

information all in one place• Say goodbye to generic email addresses

– Hello@yoursitename.com

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• 59% of hiring managers are influenced by your online reputation (The Green Internet Group)

•  70% percent of company recruiters said they'd rejected applicants based on information they found online (Microsoft Study 2010)

• Almost 9 /10 hiring professionals said a positive online reputation could boost an applicant's chances (Microsoft Study 2010)

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Examples

• http://davelee.me/• http://www.rachelyouens.com/• http://www.pohsiteng.com/• http://www.alexandermunk.com/• http://dotmick.com/• http://joannalord.com/• http://www.professorcraigdavis.com/#!

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Other Sites to Claim

• http://flavors.me/• https://brandyourself.com/• http://about.me• http://www.quora.com/ *Google loves• http://cuttings.me/• http://pressfolios.com/• LinkedIn with vanity URL

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• WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org• Started as just a blogging system• Has evolved to be used as full content

management system• Thousands of plugins, widgets and themes

Wor

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Runs on WordPressW

ordP

ress

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“Customers complain; Competitors lie;

Haters hate.” –Arienne Holland

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Knowledge of SEO is Imperative for Every PR Professional to Have.

• Reputation Management• Brand Awareness• Event Planning• Fundraising

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Man

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American Apparel C

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• SEO has an important role in reputation management, as it can push down negative results.

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How Scripps Prepared Me for Life in the “Real World”

• Writing skills• Relevant projects• Internships• Bobcat “safety net”• Work Ethic

Adv

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• Be proactive while still in school.• Never think that you know less or under qualified.• Work on your personal presentation – online and offline.• You can’t get fired from college. Test everything here. • Go to career fairs, networking events, parties. Be as social

as possible. You never know who you are going to meet or when you’ll see them down the road.

• Many companies hire for personality. Don’t be afraid to show yours.

• Eagerness to learn trumps experience for entry level positions.

Adv

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• Email: sarah.tharp@brainhost.com• Twitter: @stharp14• Website: www.sarahtharp.com

• www.sarahtharp.com/bobcat– 50% off hosting with coupon code BOBCAT– Presentation, coupon information and extra

resources

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Image Credit

• http://www.createafreewebsite.net/• http://mashable.com/

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