© Market Hardware, Inc. | 888-381-6925 | [email protected] Website Rankings: Insider Secrets Straight from Silicon Valley Website Rankings: Insider.

© Market Hardware, Inc. | 888-381-6925 | [email protected]

Website Rankings: Insider Secrets Straight from Silicon Valley


The real secrets to ranking higher in Google!

A Roundtable Presentation withBrian Kraff (CEO)Alain Parcan (Director of Marketing)Matt Horn (SEO Team Lead)

October 2015www.markethardware.com



Roundtable Discussion #1AHow important is being on Page

One of Google for your business?

Roundtable Discussion #1BWould you rather be the top result in the Maps, Organics, or Paid Results?



What do Search Engines like Google do?

Search engines have three major functions: - Crawling the Web- Building an index

- Ranking Websites by relevancy

So your goal should be to make your Website the most relevant result for popular searches

like ‘landscaping’ in ‘your town’.

A



Why Do Search Engines Care Who Shows Up?

1. According to Google, they average 3,500,000,000 search queries per day…

2. Search Engines want the best local search experience for their users.

3. This keeps people coming back to Google and keeps Google focused on meeting users’ search needs.

Search engines WANT to match you with local requests for your services

D/A



Search Result LandscapeSearch for ‘landscaping’ and ‘Your

Town’ and you’ll find different sandboxes to play in:

A: Local / Maps ResultsB: Paid Search ResultsC: Organic Results

Each sandbox requires its own marketing strategy.

By optimizing both your Website AND connecting it to offsite content, you can get your business found high on Page One in the organic and maps sections.

B

C

A

B

D



Roundtable Discussion #2AOn a scale of 1-10, how would you rank your familiarity with

Search Engine Optimization?1=“What the heck is a Google?” 10=“I’m an SEO NINJA!”

Roundtable Discussion #2BWhat are the biggest challenges that keep your business from

profiting from SEO?(Too busy, Lack SEO knowledge, Don’t have access to make changes

on your Website, Can’t keep to a schedule?)



• Basic onsite optimization using your HTML and Website, for some keywords

• Optimization of Google Maps listing

D10

How Much SEO Optimization Can I Do?

Advanced• All the basics, for more keywords, PLUS…• Offsite optimization efforts to build “high

quality inbound” links

Top of the Line• All the Advanced, for more keywords, PLUS…

• Social Media Management-focused on building links back to your site• Strategic blog posting

If you (or your SEO company) don’t have access to your Website code, you aren’t performing ongoing SEO!

BasicsSecret #1: Combination of internal and external factors is the key.



Onsite OptimizationIt all starts with a site analysis…

Professional Site Analysis Examines:• Search Engine friendly coding

• Website Content Assessment:

• Is your content unique?

• Is it relevant in the eyes of Google?

• Do you have a strong Call-to-Action? (Hint: you need more than one!)

M+A



Roundtable Discussion #3AWhat do you think are the most

commonly searched-for services in the landscaping industry?

Roundtable Discussion #3BWhat are your most profitable

services?



Onsite OptimizationSECRET #2: Selecting the right key phrases makes all the difference

MA25

Short Tailed Short + Med. Tailed

Short, Med + Long Tailed

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

% of Search Traffic Based on Key Phrase Length

HOW do you pick your key phrases?

• Top services combined with your top service areas

WHERE do you put your key phrases?

• Spread out strategically (Hint: Too much = keyword stuffing)

• Header Tags• Title Tags• Site content



What does it REALLY look like?



M

Onsite Optimization

Here’s what it looks like behind

the scenes



What does it NOT look like?

M

“We sell home-made organic mulch. Our home-made organic mulch is home-made. If you’re thinking of buying home-made organic mulch, please contact our home-made organic mulch specialists at [email protected]”

Lawn Care Areas

Landscaping Areas



MA

Onsite OptimizationOther tools and strategies you can’t afford to ignore

Is your text/code ratio above 20%?• Google wants to see Website content

that is unique to your Website and business, not just lines and lines of messy code

Is the www.domain.com version of your Website redirecting to the domain.com version of your Website (or vice versa)?

• Set up a redirect ASAP!

http://www.domain.com/



Offsite Optimization StrategiesBuilding Backlinks

But first……What is a “backlink”?

MA

Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote of

confidence for page B



Offsite Optimization StrategiesSecret #3: Link Building = Winning

In order to figure out which sites are more relevant than others, search engines track how many links there are across the Internet for any Website URL and calculate every site’s domain authority.

M

Some estimates say 60% of all pages on the Web are “spam” so search engines go to great lengths to weed out irrelevant links.

• Blogs, news articles, partner companies• Yelp, Angie’s List, BBB, Trade Associations



Where Do Other SEO Companies Go Wrong?(And hurt their clients in the process)

D

1. Not doing onsite AND offsite work (only doing one or the other)2. Their only offsite strategy is “listing submissions,” which is outdated

and no longer a measuring tool of relevance3. Utilizing “Black Hat” SEO tactics (short-term results, with long-term

negative consequences) like having a second Website built



3 Mistakes You Could Be Making that Keep You From Showing Up

1 – Are your top services and target cities in Titles or Header tags?

(They should be!)2 – Does your Website have any 404 Errors?

(And by the way, what’s a 404 error??)3 – Do multiple pages on your site have the same content? (Hint: swapping cities in and out of a paragraph does not equal unique content!)

DL



3 Tips (Directly from Google) You Can Use to Improve Your Ranking… TODAY!

1 – Link out to credible sources from your Website (Hint: Start with linking to NALP!)

2 – Include some cities on your testimonials page- “Bob D., Atlanta GA”

BONUS TIP: Is your Website Mobile-ready? Check out the next slide…

DL



A

www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly



Let’s do a quick recap!

D

In 2007, having a professional Website was enough to have a

presence online.

In 2010, businesses had to start doing some

basic optimization in order to show up.

In 2015, the top businesses are

employing experts to get them on Page One.



Roundtable Discussion #4

Who on your staff should be tasked as your SEO Guru?

(You! – you’re here after all, your ‘marketing person,’ the receptionist, a nephew/niece/family

member, freelancer, Yellow Page rep, your Website company, a hired SEO Ninja?)



Ask yourself…Do I know how to write HTML?

Do I know which changes would affect my search results?

Do I have time to keep up with SEO trends?Do I know the common SEO myths and red flags?

Do I NEED an SEO Company?

D45



SEO Myths and Red Flags

SEO Red Flags

• Contracts• Page One Guarantees• No dedicated SEO Manager• No explanation of the work that will be done• Companies who claim they will do SEO without access to your Website• “Hundreds of keywords” – No company can effectively focus on 100+ keywords

SEO Myths

• Keyword stuffing gets you on Page One• Multiple Websites will boost your SEO• Quantity of links over quality of links

D+M



Can’t Do It on Your Own? Guide to Picking the RIGHT SEO Company

Lots of companies claim they are SEO providers, but how do you really know?

What are the right questions to ask?

• What kind of work will you be doing on a monthly basis?Get a mapped out process, with new strategies consistently wrapped in – a roadmap should show their long-term vision.

• How many keywords will you be focusing on?Remember, quality over quantity.

• Is this on-site optimization or off-site optimization?Their answer should take into account your service area, your short and long-term goals, and your competition.

DL



Can’t Do It on Your Own? Guide to Picking the RIGHT SEO Company – Part 2

What are the right questions to ask? (Continued)

• When should I expect to see results? SEO results take time. End of story. Anyone who promises or

guarantees results right away is likely just trying to meet a quota or get you into a long-term agreement.

• Is there a contract I need to sign?You should never have to sign an SEO contract! Your SEO

provider should have to win your business each month.

Like everything else… if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

DL



888-381-6925 | [email protected] www.markethardware.com

Just for LANDSCAPES 2015 Attendees!Your educational value officially started today with:

1. Today’s presentation (which we will email out)2. A copy of our SEO Buyer’s Bill of Rights

Take the next step in educational value with:3. A Free Website-SEO Evaluation ($295 Value) – don’t let the opportunity to get

a no-pressure consultation pass you by… schedule yours right after the session!

All seminar attendees are ALSO entitled to:4. One Month Free SEO (Up to a $1289 Value)

That’s more than $1000 worth of FREE STUFF – but you have to act today!

© Market Hardware, Inc. | 888-381-6925 | [email protected] Website Rankings: Insider Secrets Straight from Silicon Valley Website Rankings: Insider.

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