All week I described what the typical day is like for me at the search marketing company that I work for. Hopefully I provided you with some great ways to get things done, and to help you improve the ROI for your clients. Here is a roundup of the entire week, for your bookmarking pleasure:

Monday: Planning and catching up on industry news.

Tuesday: Social media and brainstorming.

Wednesday: How to focus and get stuff done.

Thursday: How to stay energized during the day to get stuff done.

Friday: Reviewing accounts, documenting, and finishing things up.

This is a post from Taylor Pratt's blog: Awesome SEO

Search Marketing Workweek Recap

Friday

Ah, it’s Friday. It’s been a long week, but you are so close to the weekend, so hang in there. Today we will end the workweek by documenting our data, going over our objectives for the week, and recording our results.

Documenting data. One of the most important things you can do when making any kind of change to a website, is to record what the change was and when you made it. When it comes to marketing this will be a great source of information for you over the next couple of weeks. Use it when looking at your analytics to determine why you had a sudden increase or decrease in traffic. It will help make the process of fixing a problem so much easier when your client pushes the panic button.

Review your to-do list. Remember that to-do list you made on Monday? Hopefully you’ve been checking things off and keeping it up to date. Now it is time to review what you still have left to do today. Is it possible for you to get everything done? Are there any immediate deadlines that require your attention? This is a good time to plan out what needs to be done today, and what can put off until next week.

Review and Learn. Go through all of the changes and efforts you have made to promote your sites, and see what the results are. For onsite, SEO changes, it might bee too soon to see how these changes have affected the site. However, if you launched a social media campaign, did work with PPC, or did some PR, you should be able to see how successful they are. Figure out what mistakes you made and what you did right, and document them. This is a great learning point for you, so make sure you learn what works and what doesn’t work. Testing is a huge part to Internet marketing success, so don’t get down on yourself if something didn’t work out as well as you thought it would. Figure out why it didn’t.

Get back to work. Finish up whatever outstanding tasks you have left on your to-do list. This is also a good time to send out items you need approved by your clients. Don’t forget, it’s Friday and you have worked hard all week. You should still try and work hard today, but it is ok to get a little distracted.

This is a post from Taylor Pratt's blog: Awesome SEO

Search Marketing Workweek: Fridays

Thursday

On Wednesday, we gave you tips on how to focus while working on your clients accounts. Today you are going to be doing the same thing! One of the biggest problems with working at a computer all day is how draining it can be. If you are going to be productive today, you’ll need plenty of energy. Here are some tips on how to stay alert during the work day:

Exercise. Exercising isn’t always practical while at the office (unless you own one of these), but if you can find 20-30 minutes to work out everyday – the benefits are priceless. Not only will it help get you in shape, but you’ll notice a considerable energy boost while at work. It will also help you sleep better, which will certainly keep you more alert during the day.

Go outside. I find that going outside is one of the most refreshing breaks during the day. It gets you moving and helps relax your mind. If it is sunny outside, even better! The sun helps stimulate brain chemicals which helps improve your mood. So get out there and go for a short 10 minute walk.

Drink water. I know there are a lot of caffeine addicts out there, but every caffeine upper is followed by a downer. That is why I try and avoid caffeine and sugar. Eight ounces of water, on the other hand, will give you energy, focus, and is much healthier!

Eat the right snacks. Lifehack.org put together a list of 20 snacks that help productivity. The most notable (and appetizing, IMO) are: strawberries, dark chocolate and green tea. Yum!

Stretch. Stretching will help loosen up your muscles and gets your blood flowing. The best part about stretching is that you can do it while at work! Sure, people might look at you a little strange, but it will make you more productive which can lead to that performance bonus you are working towards. Here is a great resource for stretches you can do at your desk.

Taking action on these five tips will greatly improve the amount of energy you have during the day. What works best for you?

This is a post from Taylor Pratt's blog: Awesome SEO

Search Marketing Workweek: Thursdays

Wednesday

Today is dedicated to working on client accounts. On Monday you setup a to-do list for each of your accounts for the week. Now it is time to start taking action. The hardest thing you will do today is focus. There are so many distractions on the Internet, but it is critical that you stay on task.

When are you most productive? For me it is between the hours of 10pm and 2 am. During that four hour span, I’m able to plow through a good day’s work. I’m able to do it because there are no distractions. I’m at home in the office and everyone is asleep. No one is really chatting on IM, there aren’t very many new blog posts to read, and Twitter really slows down. The problem is, I have to go to work. I work in an office and I’m expected to do more than just talk to my friends and read blogs. What I, and you, need to do is to make a period of the work day as productive as that four hour span. The key to doing this is to recreate that atmosphere. This is going to be really hard to do, and it is going to take a lot of practice.

Take the following steps to make that transformation:

Turn off Twitter and IM. This one should be pretty obvious, but it can be so hard to do. Twitter and Instant Messengers are incredibly distracting, and they really corrupt your work ethic. Set your status to away (and don’t let the messages come through) and turn off Snitter, Twhirl, or whatever Twitter messenger you use for a couple of hours. I’m all for using IM and Twitter, but you should choose a period in the day where you won’t use them. You can do it!

Block distracting websites. We all have our favorite social media websites, forums, blogs, etc. As great as they are, they can be a huge distraction. Ever get bored doing keyword research? I find it so easy to just click on my RSS Feeder and start focusing on anything but my work. I don’t even need to tell you had bad StumbleUpon can be. The best way to block these websites is with a FireFox extension called Leechblock. With this extension you can regulate when you can access certain websites. So during that time when you are most productive, use LeechBlock to keep you that way. Hat tip to Lifehacker.

Take breaks. I can’t stress this enough. The last thing you want to do is burn out during your most productive time span. Take a 10-15 minute break from work during each hour. The best break you can take is one away from the keyboard. Don’t convince yourself that spending your break on one of your favorite forums on social media sites constitutes as a break. You’re still at the computer, and still staring at the screen. Next thing you know you will have spent 30 minutes catching up on Twitter. Back away, and go for a short walk. Do some stretches at your desk, and just loosen up. It will help you stay awake and refreshed.

Listen to motivational music. For me, music with lyrics is the worst music for me to work to. I end up singing along and can’t focus. I highly recommend either listening to classical music, jazz, or techno. Those three genres work wonders for me. Techno is my favorite because it is so motivating and energetic. The last thing you want to do is get sleepy while you’re trying to work.

Check off your to-dos. Checking off your to-dos is a great way to feel a sense of accomplishment, and to motivate you towards getting even more of your work done. Keep your to-do list specific so you can cross out items frequently. You should also try rewarding yourself for your efforts. After you have gotten a handful of things checked off your list, give yourself a reward of some sort for your efforts. It will help keep you motivated.

Limit e-mail access. Do not check your personal email at all during this time, and only check your work email sparingly. You will be even more productive if you can turn your work email off completely, too. Email will instantly take you off task and kill your productivity. If there is some sort of emergency, chances are you won’t be receiving an email – you’ll be getting a phone call.

Clean up your desk. Being organized and having a clean place to work is critical to productivity. You need to be able to find files, records, and notes as soon as you need them. Your desk doesn’t need to be boring and not have anything on it. It just needs to be organized. I’d recommend having a space on your desk cleared off so you can write, though.

There is a lot to do, so make sure you take steps to try and focus on your work! You’ll feel much better after the day is over knowing you worked as hard as you could.

Remember, we all get motivated in our own way. Customize your plan to what works best for you. What works for you?

This is a post from Taylor Pratt's blog: Awesome SEO

Search Marketing Workweek: Wednesdays

Tuesdays

Social Media

I dedicate a good chunk of my Tuesdays to developing Social Media profiles. It is amazing the amount of time social media consumes, but the profiles you create will prove to be a great asset to you and your clients’ websites. Spend time discovering new articles, photos, websites, and videos and submit them to most appropriate social media website. I highly recommend using Dosh Dosh’s list of Social Media sites to make sure you are active in the most important communities.

Building a profile that doesn’t include websites you are associated with is the key. It will help build your reputation within the community, and should lead to more friends. I highly recommend following Chris Winfield’s 10 Simple Steps to Social Media Success in 2008 guide. You should also subscribe to the following blogs for great Social Media advice:

• DoshDosh
• 10e20 Blog
• Social Desire
• Techipedia
• NowSourcing
• Cornwall SEO

I also keep an eye open for niche social media websites that are specific to my clients’ industries. Staying active in these communities will be a great help when you launch your next article or widget for that client. You should be staying active in forums and commenting on blogs as well. That way when you start actively promoting, you won’t look as spammy and will have better results.

Brainstorming

Keep track of what topics are really hot right now, and start figuring out what you can do to take advantage of it. Perhaps it will give you some insight on what the next hot topic will be, or if it is a topic that has been lingering (or that you foresee doing so) so you can get into the conversation. In order to make your article stand out, remember to be original!

If I’m having trouble coming up with article topics, I usually will invite one of my coworkers to help me brainstorm. We throw topics up on the whiteboard and then I will figure out where to go next with them.

If you still have time at the end of the day, start working on your to-dos for the week that you setup on Monday.

This is a post from Taylor Pratt's blog: Awesome SEO

Search Marketing Workweek: Tuesdays

Every day this week I plan on updating you on my work routine. I’m the head SEO at my company – actually the only SEO – and so I have a lot of responsibilities. I am responsible for client communication, management, web strategy, and implementing the results. When you are dealing with 10-15 clients, things can become overwhelming. What’s the best way to stay on top of everything to keep your clients and your boss happy? This week I’ll go through my day-to-day routine which has helped me stay as efficient as possible (when not suffering from SEO A.D.D.).

Mondays

I spend every Monday preparing for the week. When you have so many responsibilities and so much on your plate, you need to have a plan in order for things to work out. Having a plan will help keep you on task and make you more efficient.

Email & RSS

The very first thing I do Monday mornings is go through my email and my RSS reader. Both of these can be overwhelming, so try to limit the amount of time you spend on each. You should also consider simplifying your RSS reader so you aren’t overwhelmed by the hundreds of blog posts you need to catch up on. As you go through your RSS reader today, take note of any new techniques that you might be able to use for your clients. Keep track of these because you’ll want to use them later this week.

Review Your Accounts By Yourself

Now that you’ve done some housekeeping and caught up on industry events, go through each of your accounts and takes notes as to where you are with your web strategy. Ask yourself:

• What did we accomplish last week?
• Are there any changes that are ready for implementation?
• What are we waiting for the client on?
• What are we waiting for [person’s name] on?
• When did you last communicate with the client?
• What are our goals for this month?
• What do we need to get done this week in order to meet those goals?

Take notes on all of these and get ready for the next step.

Review Your Accounts With Others

Assuming there is someone else working on the same account as you are (even if it is for a different service), get together with them and review where everyone is with their project. Don’t think it is a waste of time to plan by yourself and with others, it is important to communicate with your team. This will make your web strategy more effective, and it will improve communication with the client. Figure out any outstanding to-dos, and decide who is going to take care of any outstanding issues.

At my company, we write down any to-dos we have for a client on a white board and erase them as they are completed. It gives us a sense of accomplishment when we erase things from the board, and it keeps everyone informed throughout the week. We also assign each person a specific color so we know who is responsible for each objective.

Nag Notices

Look through your notes and see who you need to send a friendly reminder to that you are waiting on them. Nags can be awkward, and you need to be careful with them. There are a couple of useful tactics you can use when sending these nags out:

• When you send someone an email asking them to do something, they generally respond saying something like “I’ll take a look and get back to you” or “I’ll have it done by Friday.” Now is the time to take advantage of those without sounding rude. Simply reply to them saying “Thanks” as if you just saw their email. They’ll instantly be reminded that you are waiting on them, and you won’t come off as a nag.
• Ask them a simple question and end the email with “Don’t forget to look over that new article I sent you.”

Don’t nag too often unless it is really important, and if you are having trouble getting in touch with someone, try a different means of communication (phone, IM, singing telegram, etc.)

Niche Time

The rest of the day should be spent doing these three things:

Developing your skills. Start figuring out how you are going to be able to implement the new strategies you learned today, and brainstorm your own theories. Brainstorming is critical in this industry, so you should be planning your next social media success story.

Making a dent in that big pile of work you have to do. You now have a large amount of work on your plate, so get moving on it so you can have it all completed by the end of the week.

Miscellaneous business tasks (scheduling meetings, answering emails, etc.) Unfortunately, these tedious tasks are very important and very time consuming, but they need to get done.

This is a post from Taylor Pratt's blog: Awesome SEO

Search Marketing Workweek: Mondays