Roots Report

Since political campaigns often come and go in a matter of months, we rarely have the time (or, quite frankly, the budget) to really focus on good SEO. But with over half of political activists using search engines to research candidates, issues, and breaking news, SEO can help position your campaign's website in their Google crosshairs.

When it comes to SEO, it really is about what we learned in kindergarten. Play fair. Don't cheat. Contribute to the discussion. Google will punish you if it finds you trying to game the system. So here's a few thoughts for putting together a simple but effective SEO strategy for campaign websites: 

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Good afternoon everyone! We are almost over the hump, but to help you the rest of the way we have a few articles of interest. Yesterday we discussed online reputation management and it's importance. Today we are reiterating that subject with a new poll that says 80% of businesses consider reputational risk a top concern. Next, you probably have a staff that helps write your press releases, emails and content, but they may not be the most skilled writers. We have a great reference guide to writing better press releases that you may want to pass around. Finally, NBC News' 'Meet the Press' is using Facebook to gather questions for senate debates.  

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Good afternoon everyone! I'm sure that most everyone has either a personal Facebook Profile or works on their campaign Facebook Page, but I have some helpful setup guidelines for you just in case. Do you have someone around you interested in learning about Photoshop or are you curious about how it works? There is a simple beginner tutorial from Mashable.com available. And finally, we have talked about online ads before, but take note of how much money will be spent on social media ads this year!  

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All campaigns must come to an end, or at least that used to be the case. But by and large, if you work on campaigns, you will at some point need to switch from your @candidateforcongress.com email account back to your personal email. If you'd like to archive your campaign email for posterity, and you use Gmail, here's a quick guide to make the transition as smooth as possible. 

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Good Monday afternoon to everyone! It seems like every day something in the internet world is changing, and that's because it is. Popularity grows in social media platforms and the way we explore the web changes with each new mobile device. Prepare and adapt to the growing web changes of today or get left behind.  

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One of the most under-appreciated yet valuable skills to have as a political professional is simply the ability to write.

Too often we'll see press releases or other content come across with little attention to the actual writing. And while the realities of political deadlines mean the perfect is hardly ever the enemy of the good, there are some easy ways to improve the content you create. And, in keeping with the theme of this blog, better content will directly impact your ability to a) communicate message, b) turnout voters, and c) raise money. 

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