SEO 101 Fundamentals of Search Engine Optimization Sue Wiker & Matt Albrecht
Goals of SEO 101
● Discuss the basics of search engine optimization● Explore how to construct and evaluate an SEO
strategy● Review success metrics
What is SEO?
● Process of optimizing a site to perform well in Google and other search engines
● In addition to optimizing existing content, SEO involves using data to make informed content creation decisions
Basic SEO Terms
● SERP● Crawl● Keyword● Rank● Headers
● Content● Images● Title tag● Description tag● Anchor text
Anatomy of a SERP
Ads: bid-determined advertisements
Knowledge graph: Combination of information pulled from various sites
Organic listings: sites that have been indexed by Google
Crawl
Search engine bots crawl the HTML of a website to gather information about the site. It is important to organize your site in a way that is quick and easy for bots to scan & understand.
Keyword
A keyword is a word or phrase that represents the intent of the page.
The main themes you want to target should be included in the page title, H1, and throughout the content, including related variations.
Keyword
Game of ThronesGeorge RR MartinA Song of Ice and FireGame of Thrones BooksFire and IceGame of Thrones ascentRR MailGame of Thrones book 6Lannistermap of WesterosA Dance with DragonsRenly BaratheonGame of Thrones KhaleesiValyrian steelGame of Thrones board gameKhaleesi Game of ThronesGame of Thrones shirts
Game of Thrones t shirtsGame of Thrones t-shirtsKing of ThronesHouse Tullybooks like Game of Thronesnew edition tour datesfantasy fictionGame of Thrones world mapbest fantasy novelsGame of Thrones mugbest fantasy books of all timegreat book seriesbook excerpts
1,123 Keywords
Keyword
Game of ThronesGeorge RR MartinA Song of Ice and FireGame of Thrones BooksFire and IceGame of Thrones ascentRR MailGame of Thrones book 6Lannistermap of WesterosA Dance with DragonsRenly BaratheonGame of Thrones KhaleesiValyrian steelGame of Thrones board gameKhaleesi Game of ThronesGame of Thrones shirts
Game of Thrones t shirtsGame of Thrones t-shirtsKing of ThronesHouse Tullybooks like Game of Thronesnew edition tour datesfantasy fictionGame of Thrones world mapbest fantasy novelsGame of Thrones mugbest fantasy books of all timegreat book seriesbook excerpts
1,123 Keywords
Keyword
Game of ThronesGeorge RR MartinA Song of Ice and FireGame of Thrones BooksFire and IceGame of Thrones ascentRR MailGame of Thrones book 6Lannistermap of WesterosA Dance with DragonsRenly BaratheonGame of Thrones KhaleesiValyrian steelGame of Thrones board gameKhaleesi Game of ThronesGame of Thrones shirts
Game of Thrones t shirtsGame of Thrones t-shirtsKing of ThronesHouse Tullybooks like Game of Thronesnew edition tour datesfantasy fictionGame of Thrones world mapbest fantasy novelsGame of Thrones mugbest fantasy books of all timegreat book seriesbook excerpts
1,123 Keywords
Headers<H1> Most important; should include a keyword phrase. Never more than one H1 per page.
<H2> Of secondary importance; should support the theme of the H1. Preferably only one per page as well.
<H3> Of lesser importance, and optional; can have as many of these on the page as you need.
A header is a distinctive heading that is denoted in the HTML as being more important than the textual content. While they appear visually different, they also send an important message to search engines crawling the site.
Viewing Source Code
Check out the HTML “bones” of a website by viewing the source code. Right click on the page and select View Page Source.
ContentRecommended to have 250+ words for best search engine indexation.
Duplicate content happens frequently, often by mistake. Be sure not to use the same content multiple times on different pages.
ImagesImages have the ability to rank in Google Image Search. The alt tags are important for search engine crawlers; they also pop up over the image when a mouse hovers over the image. Image title is similar; they will almost always be the same text. Be concise and accurate.
Title Tag
Title tags are visible in the browser’s tab and in the SERPs. These should include no more than ~55 characters to ensure they are not truncated by Google. Use the primary keyword of the page.
Browser Tab
SERP
HTML
Description Tag
Description tags are visible only in the SERPs. These should be engaging and encourage a user to click. Google bolds search terms found in descriptions, so use a relevant keyword if possible. Cap at ~150 characters so the description is not truncated by Google.
SERP HTML
Anchor Text
● Anchor text is the text that is hyperlinked● Use keywords when appropriate and natural
Good
Bad
For more about the author, click here.
URL Best Practices
● Include keywords when possibleo Good: www.url.com/author-nameo Bad: www.url.com/id-24488
● Use “-” instead of “_”o Good: www.url.com/Stephen-Kingo Bad: www.url.com/Stephen_King
URL Best Practices
http://shelf-life.ew.com/2014/06/04/summer-must-reads-10-books-for-your-beach-bag/
URL Best Practices
http://shelf-life.ew.com/2014/06/04/summer-must-reads-10-books-for-your-beach-bag/
URL Best Practices
http://shelf-life.ew.com/2014/06/04/summer-must-reads-10-books-for-your-beach-bag/
URL Best Practices
http://shelf-life.ew.com/2014/06/04/summer-must-reads-10-books-for-your-beach-bag/
URL Best Practices
http://shelf-life.ew.com/2014/06/04/summer-must-reads-10-books-for-your-beach-bag/
Black Hat
● Keyword stuffing● Hiding words behind images or on the page● Unnecessarily bolding keywords in text● Reciprocal links to other, unrelated sites● Commenting on unrelated blog posts to post
a link to your own site (blog seeding)
Hiding Keywords
<img src =”http://smileartsny.com” alt=”dentist, teeth whitening, fast teeth whitening, implant dentistry, best dentist, NYC dentist, NYC tooth whitening, dental emergency, root canals, veneers, invisalign, tooth extraction, dental cleaning, dentures”/>
Blog Seeding
Most blogs these days are “no follow”, which means that search engines do not follow that link when crawling a site. This removes any SEO benefit from leaving a link here, and can be seen as spammy if several links appear in a short time period. That being said, never be discouraged from leaving a relevant comment with a good link.
Evaluating a Site
● Content: engaging, quality content updated frequently ● HTML: unique description & title tags; properly coded
headers● Architecture: quick site speed, proper URL formats● Links: high-quality links with optimized anchor text● Trust: high page authority● Social: strong social reputation with frequent shares
across multiple platforms; emphasis on G+
Evaluating a Site
● Unique titles and meta data on each pageo Title: 55 characters with spaceso Description: 150 characters with spaces
● Recommended 250+ words of content per page● Images should have appropriate & unique alt text● Social share buttons easily accessible● Proper URL structure throughout site● Correct redirects put in place, if old content is being
replaced or given new URLs
Redirects
● Two types of redirectso 301 - permanento 302 – temporary
● Should always use 301 redirects when moving content
● Limit the number of redirects pointing to one page; do not buy several domains and point them all to your site
How Do You Measure Success?
● Several on-site metrics are important:o Page viewso Entrieso Share of traffico Bounce rate
● Create a running record of changes made to the site to later identify any possible cause and effect
Page Views
● Be sure to look at “Natural Search” segment in Omniture
● YoY data is more valuable than MoM due to seasonality, but pay attention to both
● Include a % Change column to identify trends● Keep in mind that it takes anywhere from 2
weeks to 3 months for SEO updates to have an effect
Entries
● Be sure to look at “Natural Search” segment in Omniture
● Do some digging into what search terms drive significant traffic, or surprising search terms – Google Webmaster Tools is good for this
Share of Traffic
● How do organic page views and entries compare to other channels?
● PRH average is between 20-30%; other industries average around 50%
● Beware of a heavy reliance on paid advertising● Visitors from organic search tend to have more
intent, making them “better” visitors overall
Bounce Rate
● Bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who visit your site and leave, without looking at any other pages
● Number can be misleading – doesn’t take into account time on page
● Look for any large increases or decreases
Additional Resources
● Omniture – powerful reporting tool for on-site metrics● Inbound.org - SEO and content marketing blog● Google Webmaster Tools - invaluable for monitoring the health of
your site● adwords.google.com/ko/KeywordPlanner/Home - discover search
volume for keywords● Google.com/trends - view keyword data & popularity over time● Moz Analytics - low-cost service that tracks keyword and site
performance in SERPs for your site + competitors● BrightEdge – in-depth keyword tracking, with competitor analysis
and recommendations