SEO 101

SEO 101Fundamentals of Search Engine OptimizationSue 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

Difference Between SEO & SEM

SEO

Paid ads

Basic SEO Terms

● SERP● Crawl● Keyword● Rank● Headers

● Content● Images● Title tag● Description tag● Anchor text

SERP

Search Engine Results Page

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

Rank

A site’s position in the SERP 1

2

3

4

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.

Headers [HTML]

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://staff.pausd.org/~middlelibrary/summerreading.html

How Does It Work Together?


H1


H1H2


H1H2

H3


H1H2

H3

Content


H1H2

H3

ContentImage


H1H2

H3

Content

URL

Image


H1H2

H3

Content

URL

Page Title

Image

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)

Keyword Stuffing

BestPlumbers.com

Keyword Stuffing

TGLLaw.com

Hiding Keywords

<img src =”http://smileartsny.com” alt=”Smile Arts of NY”/>

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”/>

Unnecessary Bolding

Reciprocal Links

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

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

Redirects

Old Site New Site

1 12 23 34 4

Redirects

Old Site New Site

1 12 23 34 4

Bad

Redirects

Old Site New Site

1 12 23 34 4

Good

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

Share of Traffic

Random House 2014 Penguin 2014 Fodors 2014

76%63%

27%

15%

6%

23%

25%25%

29%

15%

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

Reporting

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

Sue [email protected]

Matt [email protected]

SEO 101

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