beginners seo gs v3
TRANSCRIPT
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) 101
Georg Seebode26th May, 2013
Agenda
WHAT Is SEO and WHY Is SEO Important? How Do Search Engines Work? On-Page Factors Off-Page Factors Myths and Misconceptions Best Practices Breakdown
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What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)…… is the process of getting free, organic, editorial or
natural listings on search engines.... means optimizing your content and website to get
more traffic.… is different from Search Engine Marketing (SEM) –
which focuses on paid search.… is divided into two sections: On-page and off-page
optimization.
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What is SEM?
Search Engine Marketing is the process of gaining traffic by purchasing ads on search engines (aka Paid Search)
SEM includes, but isn't limited to:Paid InclusionPay Per Click Adverstising (PPC – Adwords)Banner Advertising
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Pros and Cons of SEO and SEM
SEO SEM+ Free + Searchers click on organic
search results more often than paid PPC links
+ Excellent at creating awareness quickly
+ Campaigns can be budgeted to fit a business’s needs
– Time consuming– Takes longer to see results
– Costs Money– Must be managed constantly
(daily/weekly)– ROI can be difficult to manage– Clickfraud
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SEO vs. SEM
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SEO vs. SEM
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Click-Through Rates
Source: seomoz.com 8
Why Is SEO Important?
36% of users agree that “seeing a company listed among the top results on a search engine makes me think that the company is a top one within its field”*
90% of users click on a first page result 42% click on the first result “Only” 12% click on the second result The #1 result gets 3.5x more clicks than the #2 result
and 14x more clicks than the #10 result
*Source: papic.org 9
Why Is SEO Important?
Why you should optimize your site / content:Search engines love it! (makes it easier to crawl)People will find your content User-friendly (easier navigation, clean content)Your competitors are doing itMore traffic!
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Google – The King of Search?
In 2012, Google processed over 3 billion searches per day – That’s over 100 billion queries per month!
Source: comScore, searchengineland.com 11
Germany Russia China
Source: comScore, searchenginewatch.com
Know Your Market – Google Isn‘t The Only One Out There
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Agenda
WHAT is SEO and WHY is SEO Important? How Do Search Engines Work? On-Page Factors Off-Page Factors Myths and Misconceptions Best Practices Breakdown
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A Time Before Google
Believe it or not there used to be a time before Google even existed!Anyone remember any of these?
Source: lycos.com, altavista.com, yahoo.com, excite.com, infoseek.com 14
How Do Search Engines Work?
Crawling and Indexing the Web:Search engines send out spiders/crawlers (e.g. GoogleBot) which systematically browse the web and index it.These spiders follow links to find interconnected websites/pages/documents.
Websites were ranked according to their on-page content – which made the whole system terribly easy to manipulate.Keyword stuffing/spamming
That is until Google came around…..
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Google Introduces the “PageRank”
Google Launched in 1998 and brought with it the infamous “Page Rank”, a new algorithm which ranked pages based on the number and PageRank of other web sites and pages that link there, on the premise that good or desirable pages are linked to more than others.
Source: wikipedia.com 16
Cheating the System
This new “Page Rank” was immediately exploited by “Link Farms”.
Source: betadaily.com, lambentseo.com 17
Fighting Spam
But Google never sleeps…You might have heard of these furry little friends…
Source: internetmarketinginc.com, constant-content.com 18
Filtering Out The Relevant Content
Google Constantly updates its algorithm, roughly 500-600 times a year – with most changes going completely unnoticed to the normal user (aside from the fact that the search results get better)
These algorithm changes happen to ensure that the user finds the right content
Despite all the changes, when a user types in a query, the results are still based on:
Relevance = Topic/ContentImportance = Links
So in theory the statement “the more links pointing to a website, the better it ranks” is still valid?
Well yes and no... Mostly no.
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A link isn't just a link – there's more to Ranking than meets the eye…
Possible Ranking Criteria
Source: seomoz.com 20
Ranking Factors
Source: searchengineland.com 21
Agenda
WHAT is SEO and WHY is SEO Important? How Do Search Engines Work? On-Page Factors Off-Page Factors Myths and Misconceptions Best Practices Breakdown
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On-Page vs. Off-Page
On-Page Off-PageOn-Page Off-Page
Everything that you edit “on” your website falls under On-Page
Optimization, such as:
Title TagsURLContentImages Site Architecture
Everything that you influence “off” your website falls under Off-
Page Optimization, such as:
Link BuildingSocial NetworkingSearch Engine SubmissionsSitemap SubmissionsGuest Blogging
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Where Do I Start?
Source: seomoz.com 24
On-Page - The “Perfectly” Optimized Page
An Ideally Optimized Page Should:
Be hyper-relevant to a specific topic (usually a product or single object)
Include Keyword in title tag Include Keyword in URL Include Keyword in the Meta description Include Keyword in H1 (Header) Include Keyword in image alt text Specify Keyword several times throughout
text contentProvide unique content about a given KeywordLink back to its category pageLink back to its homepage (This is normally accomplished with an image link showing the website logo on the top left of a page.)
An Ideally Optimized Page Should:
Be hyper-relevant to a specific topic (usually a product or single object)
Include Keyword in title tag Include Keyword in URL Include Keyword in the Meta description Include Keyword in H1 (Header) Include Keyword in image alt text Specify Keyword several times throughout
text contentProvide unique content about a given KeywordLink back to its category pageLink back to its homepage (This is normally accomplished with an image link showing the website logo on the top left of a page.)
Source: seomoz.com 25
Title TagMax Display Length
Meta DescriptionMax Display Length
URLMax Display Length
66-69Characters
156-158Characters
72-92Characters
67-72Characters
176-184Characters
91-94Characters
64-65Characters
164-190Characters
65-80Characters
Recommended <65Characters
<156Characters
<65Characters
Tag Length Recommendations
Yoast – Wordpress SEO Plugin
Source: yoast.com 27
Optimizing Images
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Filename: tiny-horse-ears.jpg Pick a descriptive filename –preferably with a
keyword in it, not the standard DCIM0001.jpg
Alt Text: The text that google “reads”<img src=”tiny-horse-ears.jog" alt=”Tiny Horse Ears" />
File Size: 70kb Large files take longer to load, google looks at
page load speed. Reduce the image size as much as possible without sacrificing quality.
Caption: Those are some tiny horse ears! While they have no direct impact on rankings
(yet), they are quite possibly the best read piece of content you have.
Filename: tiny-horse-ears.jpg Pick a descriptive filename –preferably with a
keyword in it, not the standard DCIM0001.jpg
Alt Text: The text that google “reads”<img src=”tiny-horse-ears.jog" alt=”Tiny Horse Ears" />
File Size: 70kb Large files take longer to load, google looks at
page load speed. Reduce the image size as much as possible without sacrificing quality.
Caption: Those are some tiny horse ears! While they have no direct impact on rankings
(yet), they are quite possibly the best read piece of content you have.
Finding The Right Keywords
Best starting point is to look in your Analytics How are people finding your content, what are people looking for on your site What are your competitors ranking for? Expand on existing keywords Who is your target audience?
Finding new Keywords and Analyzing Demand Google Adwords’ Keyword Tool Google Trends Google Search Suggest Microsoft Advertising Intelligence
Don’t Forget Mobile Users! More prone to short head Different type of Search, more action and location based - [keyword + “nearby”] (where, when, how)
Understand who or what you are up against Understand the demand for a certain phrase or keyword Assess the work required to achieve those rankings
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Diversifying Your Keywords
Always include variations of keywords Plurals (widgets, churches, shoes, recipes) Synonyms (cruise, sail, journey, tour) Stems (fish, fishing) International spelling differences (Harbor /Harbour) Typos
Use keywords That are being searched for That target your audience That have medium to low competition That you can build quality content that site visitors will appreciate
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Agenda
WHAT is SEO and WHY is SEO Important? How Do Search Engines Work? On-Page Factors Off-Page Factors Myths and Misconceptions Best Practices Breakdown
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What is a Backlink? Its “just” another website linking to youDo You need Backlinks? For sure! It can bring you traffic – but more importantly it will help you with your SEO! Backlinks are what keep the internet going – it’s the currency of the internet. Websites
with lots of Backlinks will rank better. A Backlink from an “authoritive” website will pass on some of its authority to you.But wait! – not all links are created equal! A link from your Mom’s Tumblr Blog is not the same as getting a link from CNN or Wikipedia.
So what is a good link? It comes from a website/blog with authority (Does it have lots of followers, likes,
shares, tweets etc?) It uses Anchortext, meaning your URL is linked into a keyword This will let Google
make the connection between the keyword and your website
Links, Links, Links
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Backlink Factors and How They Impact SEO
Backlink Factors Impact on SEO
Popularity If a site has a large number of other sites linking to it, it is more likely to be a relevant and important site. However, the overall number of links is not the only thing that matters.
Link NeighbourhoodThe types of sites that link to a website is a good indicator on that website itself. If a website is linked to by trusted and reputable sites, then there is a good chance that it will be seen as a trusted source as well by search engines. On the contrary, if it is only receiving links from sites that are categorized as “spammy” or of low value, the website might be categorized as low value as well.
Anchortext Links to a site with specific keywords in their anchor text will give it a higher chance of appearing in searches for those keywords.
Freshness Search engines analyze link changes and tend to place more importance on newer links.
RelevanceLinks coming to a site from related and authoritative sites carry more weight. For example, a cycling equipment company would get more value from links coming from an 'Adventure Cycling' website than they would from a 'Drag Car Racing' website.
Create good content Create sharable content Make it easy to share your content Guest blogging Sharing through social networks Blog commenting Networking
How to Get Backlinks
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Obtain links only from quality, authoritative sources related or relevant to your site• Strive for top sites (example: CNN, Wikipedia)• Top sites have good:
Page rankContentSocial networks
Links to any page on your site; not just homepage• Deep linking good
Do not obtain links from “shady” sources• Link farms, rings• Link exchanges from sources of little/no page rank
Do not purchase links from others Content is king – People will always link to good content
Inbound Link Best Practices
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Social Media plays an ever growing role in SEO Google takes “social signals” into account Tweets, Likes, Shares and +1s are only getting more
important Pick your battles – Focus on the networks which
bring you the most traffic and explore new possibilities
Better to excel in three networks than to neglect and fail in five of them
Social Media and SEO
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Despite the negative rumors G+ is steadily growing Authorship: G+ offers that you link your site with
your G+ Profile Author rank: Another way to determine how good
your content is
Google+ - More Than Just A Facebook Alternative
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Higher click through rates More people click on your link
Higher visibility Your Content Stands out
Higher page views More of your content will come
up
Establish authority Create a visible public reputation
Build trust Readers know you provide quality
content
Higher click through rates More people click on your link
Higher visibility Your Content Stands out
Higher page views More of your content will come
up
Establish authority Create a visible public reputation
Build trust Readers know you provide quality
content
The Benefits of G+ Authorship
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Agenda
WHAT is SEO and WHY is SEO Important? How Do Search Engines Work? On-Page Factors Off-Page Factors Myths and Misconceptions Best Practices Breakdown
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SEO Myths and Missconceptions
Google doesn't’t like SEO SEO is a one time job The more times you repeat the keyword within the page, the
higher it will rank The more links you have coming to your website, the better A high Google PageRank = high ranking Meta tag keywords matter Spending money on Google AdWords boosts your rankings Great Content = Great Rankings
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Agenda
WHAT is SEO and WHY is SEO Important? How Do Search Engines Work? On-Page Factors Off-Page Factors Myths and Misconceptions Best Practices Breakdown
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Best Practices and Quick Fixes
On-page Off-pageOptimize:
Title and Meta DescriptionURLH1ContentImages
Create:Sitemap
Research KeywordsGoogle AnalyticsGoogle TrendsGoogle AdwordsSynonyms, Plurals, Typos
Build Quality Links and ConnectionsBlog CommentsGuest PostsBlogrollCreate Shareable contentMake sure Anchortexts are used
Find the Networks which work best with your audienceSubmit your sitemap to Google and BingGoogle Authorship
Link your G+ Account with your blogBe an active member and get shared into circles
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Questions?
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Wordpress SEO by Yoast The best SEO Plugin for wordpress. (Free)
Opensiteexplorer.com Online Tool, checks the Authority and Quality of a Website (Free)
Google's Keyword Tool - Google Adwords Ideal for Keyword Research (Free)
Google Analytics Analytical Web Monitoring (Free)
Google Webmastertools check indexing status and optimize visibility of your website (Free)
Tools and Plugins
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Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide - Google Google's SEO GuidelinesSearche Engine Land The Periodic Table Of SEO Ranking FactorsLocalVox Video SEO Guideline Ninja-Creative What is AuthorRank? MajesticBlog SEO Backlink Best Practices White Paper
Recommended Reading
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THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!
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