Beginners seo gs v3

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

2

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.

3

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

4

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

5

SEO vs. SEM

6

SEO vs. SEM

7

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!

10

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

12

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

13

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…..

15

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.

19

A link isn't just a link – there's more to Ranking than meets the eye…

Possible Ranking Criteria


Ranking Factors

Source: searchengineland.com 21

Agenda


22

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

23

Where Do I Start?


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.)


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

28

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

29

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

30

Agenda


31

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

32

33

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

34

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

35

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

36

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

37

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

38

Agenda


39

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

40

Agenda


41

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

42

Questions?

43

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

44

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

45

http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=35291

http://searchengineland.com/seotable

http://localvox.com/infographic-how-to-optimize-videos-for-seo/

http://www.ninja-creative.com/blog/author-rank/what-is-google-author-rank/

http://blog.majesticseo.com/research/white-hat-seo-backlink-best-practices-white-paper/

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!

46

Beginners seo gs v3

Documents

search engines

search engine optimization

paid search

seo important

king of search

cons of seo

search engine marketing

page result