What Is SEO?

A little bit about us

Since 2002 we have worked with hundreds of companies to help them achieve success online.

We now have a single focus of digital marketing

We are privileged to be working with lots of national and international household names and are passionate about return on investment for our clients. This is why we exist.

2

How to prepare your website for better Google search results

3

What is SEO & why is it important?

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine's unpaid results - often referred to as "natural" or "organic" results. - Wikipedia

- It should be your largest traffic driver

- Inbound interest

- Potential for new customers

4

SEO is competitive

...and unfortunately, we have to be realistic about what is feasible.

So how do we get our website into the first page of search results?

5

Usual suspects

Understanding Google

Google is only interested in returning the most relevant page in it’s results for every keyword search.

Creating good page content and setting the context of each and every page is key.

Ensure your copy is relevant to the topic of the page, reads well and above all is unique.

Invest good time in your content.

6

Google is aggressive

Google is strict about what it indexes now.

There are a variety of algorithm updates with friendly names that can and do cause carnage if they take issue with your website.

Meet Panda and Penguin. There’s also Hummingbird, Venice, Caffeine, Doorway Pages and the Mobile update to name a few.

7

Why build more data centres to store low quality pages when you can just exclude them instead?

Understanding keywords

Creating good pages requires a level of understanding around keywords (otherwise known as key phrases or search terms).

The goal is to create new or existing pages that create good context for feasible keywords.

Here’s a keyword and content strategy for you to try yourselves...

8

Feasible keywords

● Not overly competitive

● Perfect fit for your product, service, business

Keyword strategy to help you with feasibility

Google are currently educating agencies in a theory around how people engage with businesses online called “See Think Do”.

9

See

Think

Do

People who buy blue widgets

People who buy blue widgets and are thinking they need to

People who are going to buy a blue widget now

See Think Do activity

10

People who buy blue widgets

Identifying “Think” keywords

Associated “Think” keyword variants could be...

11

Think People who buy blue widgets and are thinking they need to

● Reviews● Best● Cheapest● Guides● Case studies● Spec sheets● Articles

= blue widget reviews= best blue widgets= cheapest blue widgets= blue widgets guides= blue widget case studies= blue widget spec sheets= blue widget articles

Take this principle and apply it to your products and services.

Build your keyword phrases list in a spreadsheet.

Identifying “Do” keywords

1. Use keyword research tools to find the highest volume most relevant keywords for your products and services

2. Add your location as a variant to each:

12

Do People who are going to buy a blue widget now

● blue widgets loughborough● blue widgets leicester● blue widgets nottingham

Adding location variations to your main products / services makes these “Do” keywords feasible.

Build your keyword phrases in a spreadsheet.

Research the search volumes

Use the AdWords Keyword Planner to find the search volumes on the keywords identified (Free. You’ll need an account).

For additional keyword suggestions, use:

● Google’s suggested searches (as you type)

● Related searches at the foot of each Google results page

13

Organise your keywords

Break your full keyword list up into shorter lists where they are identical / close matches in context.

This will dictate the new pages required:

● “Do” (location) variant keyword pages

● “Think” variant keyword pages

14

Draw a sitemap out in Excel to organise these keywords lists against each new / existing page.

Website structure / taxonomy

Organise your content so that it sits together in the right part of the site.

15

Root Level 1 Level 2 URL Structure

Home www.yourdomain.com

Blue widget page www.yourdomain.com/blue-widgets

Blue widgets reviews www.yourdomain.com/blue-widgets/reviews

Blue widgets Derby www.yourdomain.com/blue-widgets/derby

The level 2 pages will all be linked to from the level 1 (parent) page. Larger sites can have deeper levels.

Check your pages are indexed

Search Google’s index withSite:yourdomainname.com

16

Start a Google Webmaster Tools account to see if there are any complaints to resolve

Important page elements

There are a handful of SEO fundamentals for you to consider when creating good web pages.

17

● Good page name (which forms the URL)● Descriptive heading (H1)● Intro paragraph to summarise the content and purpose of the page● Well written and visually interesting. 200 words plus● Relevant images to break up the copy● Cover the context of the specific keyword list for each page● Mention your target keywords naturally in the text (use synonyms)

You now have a more influential website

Your website is now much better prepared for SEO performance. Now spread the word and optimise.

18

● Share your useful, more helpful content on social media● Check your keyword positions manually or in a tracking tool● Continually optimise your pages; test out different copy / title tags etc ● Keep adding to the site’s content; blogs / new pages● Increase your social media activity as your content grows● Use Google Webmaster Tools to find new keyword opportunities

SEO is a marathon not a sprint

Thank you.

19