how to use seo to maximize online course sales

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Use Search Engine Optimization to Maximize Online Course Sales

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Page 1: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

Use Search Engine Optimization to Maximize Online Course Sales

Page 2: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

FORMULATE A STRUCTURED SEO PLAN TO EXECUTE 1

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Page 3: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

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• Ask questions about you and your target market

• Review your existing data and history

• Research competitors for keywords and tactics

Research

• Build a seed list of preferred keywords

• Pull search volumes • Score for Relevance • Create a sitemap and

plan for keywords

Plan • Write quality content • Optimize content for

SEO and usability • Promote and link build • Reverse engineer your

success and repeat

Execute

SEO starts and ends with a structured process!

Page 4: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

ASK QUESTIONS - LOTS AND LOTS OF QUESTIONS 2

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Page 5: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

Ask Lots of Questions

ü  Whoareyou?ü  Whatdoyoudo?

ü  Whatmakesyoudifferent?ü  Whodoyoucompetewith?

ü  Whodoyouhelp?ü  Howcanyouhelpthem?ü  Whatproblemsdoyourvisitorshave?

ü  Whatques;onsdotheywanttoask?ü  Canyouansweranyoftheseques;onswith

courses,products,pages,orblogposts?

The first step in your SEO journey is to ask questions about you & your visitor:

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Page 6: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

PERFORM RESEARCH - LOTS AND LOTS OF RESEARCH 3

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Page 7: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

Perform Competitive Research If you want to beat your competition, you have to truly know who you compete with inside and out. Spend time researching your competitors and you’ll be rewarded.

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Page 8: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

Build a Seed List of Possible Keywords

ü  Yourownideasü  Manualvaria;onsofini;alsearchphrases

ü  Reports,presenta;ons,courseoutlines,emailsü  GoogleSearchConsole’sSearchAnaly;csandGoogleAnaly;csreports

ü  GoogleAdwordsreports(adver;sersonly)ü  Googleautosuggestandrelatedsearchesü  BingWebmasterTools

ü  Compe;tors’visualcontentandsitemaps(HTML&XML)ü  Compe;tors’meta;tlesanddescrip;ons

ü  KeywordsfoundinSpyFuorSEMrush(you&yourcompe;tors)ü  Sugges;onsfromtoolslikeKWFinder

Keywords are everywhere so keep your eyes and your mind open. Once you start thinking about keywords, you’ll see endless possibilities.

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Page 9: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

What’s Your Keyword Focus?

ü  Brainstormthetopicyouplanonwri;ngaboutandwritedownthekeypointsyou’llcoverinthepieceofcontent.

ü  Writedowna5-10searchphrasesyouthinkwouldpertaintothistopic.ü  SearchforeachphraseinGoogleandreviewwhoandwhatshowsuponpageoneof

thesearchengineresultspage.ü  Documentanyphrasesthatshowaweaknessand/orwhereyoucreatebeXercontent.ü  U;lizetheGoogleAdwordsKeywordPlannertoolorKWFindertoviewmonthlysearch

volumesforeachphrase.ü  Narrowyourop;onsdowntoobtainablesearchterms–akanot60,000phrasesper

monthinsearchtraffic.ü  Thinkabouthoweasyitwouldbetocra`acourse;tleoropeningsentencewiththe

exactphraseyou’reconsidering.

Before you write your first course, ask yourself what keyword phrase you would like this content to rank for in search. Not sure? Let’s walk through picking the right one.

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Page 10: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

Keyword Selection Warning! Before you proceed further, as yourself two very important questions.

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Isthekeywordpreciseenoughorisitgeneric?

Haveyouusedthiskeywordbeforeinothercourses,products,pages,posts,categories,ortags?

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Keyword Volume Difficulty Commentguitarlessons 73,990 55 Toobroad

learntoplayguitar 18,186 45 BadEnglish

guitarcourses 260 38 Good

onlineguitarcourse 320 52 Good

learnhowtoplaytheguitarbyyourself 168 31 Good

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Page 11: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

Create a Keyword to Content Sitemap This isn’t an HTML or XML sitemap. It’s a roadmap for you to use in writing content.

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Keyword Loca,ononlineguitarcourses MainCoursePage

guitarcourseforbeginners Course

acous;cguitarcourse Course

electricguitarcourse Course

guitarinstructor About

learnhowtoplaytheguitarbyyourself BlogPost

Donotposi;onyourcoursepageandproductpageforthesamekeyword.You’llcompeteagainstyourselfandGooglewilldegradeyouinsearchduetoconfusion.

Donotassignkeywordstocontentthatisprotectedbylogins/subscrip;ons.

Pro Tips for Optimization

Page 12: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

WRITE CONTENT THAT USERS & SEARCH ENGINES WILL LOVE 2

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Page 13: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

Longer Content Wins With Everyone

Better for Keyword Ranking AserpIQ2012showed:•  Theaveragecontentlengthofeachofthetop10resultswasmorethan2,000words.

•  Theaveragenumberofwordsforthecontentinthe#1spotwas2,416.•  Forthe#10spot,theaveragenumberofwordswas2,032.

Better for Obtaining Social Media Shares & Inbound Links Peopletendtosharelongercontentonsocialmediamorethenshortercontent.Peoplealsotendtolinkintolongercontentthantheywouldashorterar;cleorpost.

Better for Conversions Websiteconversionscanalsobealteredbycontent.Thelongerthecontent,themorelikelytheconversion.

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Long-form content has a variety of numbers assigned to it on the web. Long-form content is at least 1,000 or 1,200 words and really approaches towards 2,000 words.

Page 14: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

OPTIMIZE CONTENT FOR SEO BEST PRACTICES 3

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Page 15: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

Elements of On-Page SEO

ü  Nameofcourse,product,page,orpostü  URL

ü  Headers(H1,H2,H3,etc.)ü  Paragraphtext

ü  Keywordvaria;onsandrelatedphrasesü  Internallinksü  Linkanchortext

ü  Imagesü  Readability

ü  Meta;tlesanddescrip;ons

We’ll go through these items one by one, but before we dig in, let’s review the list as a whole. When you break each down, you’ll see optimization is complely managable.

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Page 16: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

Name Given to Content A page (our course) name is simply the name you give when you create it. In WordPress this is important, because it defaults other important elements like URLs and H1 headers.

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ü  Choosea;tlethatisrelevanttowhatthecontentdiscussesü  Makesurethe;tleisuniqueanddoesnotduplicateanotherpage/post;tle

ü  Keepthe;tleshortsoitiseasytoreadanddigestedü  Includethekeywordphrase,butdonotrepeatit

ü  Usekeywordphrasetowardsthestartofthepage;tleifpossible

Pro Tips for Optimization

Page 17: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

URLs 17

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ü  Thisshouldalwaysincludeyourkeywordü  Thisshouldbeasshortaspossible

ü  Thisshouldusewordsandnotunrecognizableparameters(funkycharacters)ü  Usedashestoseparatewords

ü  Whilecontentsilosaregreat,keepsilosshortsotheydon’tcreatesomanylayersthattheURLislongandunreadable

The URL is the website address for a piece of content. The URL is displayed as part of a search result in Google and it appears below the document’s title and snippet.

Pro Tips for Optimization

Page 18: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

H1 Headers 18

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ü  MakesureyourwebsiteorWordPressthemeusesH1tagsü  MakesureyourwebsiteorWordPressthemeusesonlyoneH1headerperURL

ü  IncludeyourkeywordphraseinyourH1tagü  Posi;ontheH1tagbeforeothertags(H2,H3,H4,etc.)

The H1 is the most important tag and it should never be omitted on a page, post, or product. Search spiders pay attention to the words used in the h1 tag as it should contain a basic description of the page content, just as the page title does.

While most WordPress themes will automatically create this for you, I see a lot of websites that forget to use the H1 or include multiple H1 headers per content piece.

Pro Tips for Optimization

Page 19: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

H2-H6 Subheaders 19

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ü  UseH2-H6headerstobreakupgroupsofcontentü  Includethefocusedkeywordphrasewhereapplicable

ü  Includevaria;onsofthefocusedkeywordphraseü  Keepheadersin;tlecase

ü  Avoidlongsentencesasheadersü  Avoidduplica;ngyourH1headerwithinH2-H6subheaders

Search engines and human website visitors will use these to better understand the structure of the page. While headers can help with SEO, they are not a make or break SEO factor.

Pro Tips for Optimization

Page 20: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

Paragraph Text 20

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ü  Includeyourkeywordphraseanumberof;meswithinthecontentü  Don’tkeywordstuff

ü  Usethekeywordinthefirstsentenceofthepageandifthatisnotpossibleinthefirstparagraph

ü  Usevaria;onsandsynonymsü  Don’tworryaboutkeyworddensityü  Insteadfocusonwri;nggreatcontentaroundatopicandusethefocusedkeyword

inanaturalmanner

This simply refers to the content itself and this could reside on the home page, interior pages, blog posts, courses, products, categories, tags, etc.

Pro Tips for Optimization

Page 21: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

Keyword Variations 21

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ü  Brainstormingü  Compe;torwebsites

ü  GooglerelatedsearchesattheboXomofasearchpageü  GoogleKeywordPlannertoolforAdwordsorKWFinder

ü  Googleautosuggestphraseswhensearchingforthephrase

A keyword variation is simply an alternate phrase for a focused keyword. They help you rank on the focused keyword as well as alternate phrases.

Pro Tips for Finding Keyword Variations

Page 22: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

Images 22

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ü  Imagefilenamesshoulddescribetheimageanduseyourkeywordifpossibleü  Imagealttextshoulddescribetheimageanduseyourkeywordifpossible

ü  Usetherightimagesizesoperformanceandspeedareprotectedü  Writeakeywordrichdescrip;onforanyimageyouwanttorankinGoogle

Example of Alt Text Usage

ReallybadaltaXribute:<imgsrc=”puppy.jpg”alt=””/>

BeXeraltaXribute:<imgsrc=”puppy.jpg”alt=”puppy”/>

ReallygoodaltaXribute:<imgsrc=”puppy.jpg”alt=”Dalma;anpuppyplayingfetch”>

SpammyaltaXributes:<imgsrc=”puppy.jpg”alt=”puppydogbabydogpuppuppies”/>

Images are great for SEO, usability, and sharing on social media. While all content won’t have the option for an image, use an image whenever possible.

Pro Tips for Optimization

Page 23: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

Internal Links 23

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ü  Placelinkswheretheyhelpthereaderandprovidevalueü  Linktoyourcornerstonecontent,services,andproducts

ü  Linkwithgoodkeywordrichanchortextü  Varyyouranchortextforalinksoitdoesn’tappearforced

ü  Don’toveruselinksandindoingso,makecontentunreadable

An internal link connects one page of a website to a different page on the same website. Internal links provide value to the human reader as well as help search engines locate content and know what content is of most value.

HereisGoogle’sverbiageonthisreportwithintheirhelpsec;on:

Thenumberofinternallinkspoin3ngtoapageisasignaltosearchenginesabouttherela3veimportanceofthatpage.Ifanimportantpagedoesnotappearinthislist,orifalessimportantpagehasarela3velylargenumberofinternallinks,youshouldconsiderreviewingyourinternallinkstructure.

Pro Tips for Optimization

Page 24: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

Link Anchor Text 24

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ü  Makesurethisclearlydescribesthedes;na;onlinkü  Ifpossible,includethefocusedkeyword

ü  Don’tmakeitspammy–don’tforcethekeywordifitcan’tbeusednaturallyü  Avoidclickhere,page,readmore,andar;cleasanchortextasitdoesnotinform

humanreadersorsearchenginesofthenatureofthelink

Anchor text is the clickable text that users will see as a result of a link. This text is placed within the anchor tag. You set this in WordPress when you define the link. Anchor text helps users with disabilities and search engines better understand the link.

Pro Tips for Optimization

Page 25: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

Readability 25

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ü  Useshortparagraphsü  Usebulletstohelpdigestlists

ü  Usesubheaderssovisitorscanscancontentü  Userregularverbiageandskiptheindustryjargon

ü  Don’tallowimagestointerferewithtextflowü  Saynotobling,brightneon,andunnecessary

movement

Ease of use matter in SEO. If readers stay on the page, this increases your time on site, which in turn helps SEO.

HappyVisitors+HappyGoogle=HigherRank

Pro Tips for Optimization

Page 26: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

Meta Titles and Descriptions 26

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ü  Apage’smeta;tleshouldbea;tle(notasentence)ü  Makesureitisuniqueanddoesn’tduplicateothermeta;tles

ü  Makeitinforma;ve,yeteasilyreadableü  Includethefocusedkeywordphrase

ü  Ifpossible,keepthekeywordphraseasfartothebeginningaspossibleü  Thisisyourfirstopportunitytoreachpoten;alvisitors,somakeiten;cing,butnot

cheesy

ü  Keepitunder55characters

A meta title and description are the very first thing a potential visitor sees for your website. They show up in search engine result pages, so this is your first opportunity to grab someone’s attention, gain their trust, and entice them to take action.

Pro Tips for Optimization of Meta Titles

Page 27: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

Meta Titles and Descriptions 27

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ü  Apage’smetadescrip;onmightbeasentenceortwoorashortparagraphü  Makesureitisuniqueanddoesn’tduplicateothermetadescrip;ons

ü  Makeitinforma;ve,yeteasilyreadableü  Includethefocusedkeywordphraseinit

ü  Ifpossible,keepthekeywordphraseasfartothebeginningaspossibleü  Thisisyourfirstopportunitytoreadpoten;alvisitors,somakeiten;cing,butnot

cheesy(yepthiswasrepeatedbecauseitisimportant)

ü  Keepitunder150characters

Pro Tips for Optimization of Meta Descriptions

Page 28: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Crappy Content

Peoplewritecontenttofillwhitespace.Don’tdoit!Youneedtoproviderealvaluetowebsitevisitors.

Youhavetohavesomethingreallygoodtoresonatewithreaders.

NoamountofSEOwillhelpbadcontent,sostartwithsomethingsolid.

Writegoodcontentandyouwillberewardedforittenfold.

You’vedoneyourkeywordresearchandyou’vewriXenyourcontent.

Whenyoulookcloselyatthecontent,yourealizeyouusedvaria;onsofyourkeywordphrase(good)buttotallyforgettousetheactualkeyword(bad).

Takethe;metogobackthroughyourcontentandweaveintherightfocusedkeyword.

Becarefulaboutwhatyoureadontheinternetandwatchar;cledates.

Un;lyouareconfidentwithyourSEOknowledge,refrainfromop;mizingyourpagesandposts.

Takethe;metolearnbestprac;ces.Anddon’ttrysomethingunlessyouhaveasolidgraspofthetac;candtheposi;veornega;veramifica;onsthatmayresult.

Forgetting the Keyword Inaccurate SEO Knowledge

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Page 29: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ?

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Page 30: How to Use SEO to Maximize Online Course Sales

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Digital agency serving small business through enterprise level clients. Services and products include custom website design and development, SEO consulting, and stock WordPress themes.

Eight hour online course for DIY SEO education. Course includes videos, how-to tutorials, template downloads, and quizzes.

Three day intensive SEO training workshop taking place in May of 2017. Learn my SEO process from start to finish in an interactive and activity driven classroom setting. Tickets are limited.

Private Facebook group where I share the latest news and information on search engine optimization. Please join us at https://www.facebook.com/groups/seolaunchpad/.

@rebeccagill RebeccaGill.com

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