SEO 201: Go-To-Market Strategiesfor Search Engine Rankings30.03.2016

How Do I Position My Websiteto Rank in the Search Results?A 2016 SEO TACTICAL GUIDE

OUTLINE FOR TODAY’S WORKSHOPSEO 201: The Syllabus

• SEO 101 Super-Quick Recap• The Basics in 30 Seconds• Where Did We Leave Off?

• Go-To-Market Strategies• Onsite Tactics

• SEO Audit & Technical Enhancements• Keyword Research• On-Page Optimization: Meta Data & Content

• Offsite Tactics• Corresponding SEM Ad Campaign• Content Marketing & Link Building• Social Marketing• Local Directories & Review Sites

• Data Analysis & Continual Enhancement

WHO ARE YOU AGAIN?SEO Credentials for the Speaker

15 Years of Hard-Core SEO Tactical Work

Nikki Johnson

LinkedIn Profile: linkedin.com/in/nikkijohnsonhqo

> VP of Copywriting - Hotel / Travel Marketing Agency• TIG Global – Washington, DC

> Founder / CEO / President - My Own Three Companies• HQO SEO, LLC – Washington, DC

• SEO / copywriting consultancy for small and medium-size businesses

• Plugin Group – Washington, DC• White-label marketing services / partnership with ad agencies

• Galileo Tech Media – New York, NY• Data-driven marketing for Fortune 500 brands and enterprise companies

> Marketing Director - Multilingual, International Firm• Binary.com – Kuala Lumpur / Cyberjaya, Malaysia

A QUICK WORD FROM OUR SPONSORMany Thanks to Binary.com for Hosting This SEO 201 Workshop

Now Hiring Like Gangbusters!> Careers Page:

• https://www.binary.com/careers?l=EN

> Open Positions:• https://www.binary.com/open-positions?l=EN

> To Apply: • hr@binary.com

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATIONRapid-Fire Basics • Definition

• Process of improving a website’s visibility in the natural search results

• Importance• 93% of online visits start with a

search engine [Search Engine Journal]

• Search Engine Market Share• Google

dominates the sphere[65% - 70% share]

PAID RESULTS

LOCAL RESULTS

ORGANIC RESULTS

THE CENTRAL KEY TO ALL SEO ACTIVITYConsider the Primary Objective of the Search Engines • Search Engine Objective:

• Provide solid, highly relevant content to satisfy users actively searching for info related to particular keywords

• Therefore, Your Objective Should Be: • Demonstrating to the search

engines that you have solid content with genuine relevance to actively searched keywords

TAKE A REALISTIC APPROACHThe Most Critical Element to SEO Success in 2016 • The Key Question:

• Realistically, how likely am I to appear on the first page for this keyword?• How does my site stack up against all of the other websites that could be considered

relevant to this term?• Do I legitimately belong on the first page for this keyword, based on the full range of info

available to users related to this phrase?• This humble approach helps you achieve success by:

• Limiting the competition• Through tightly targeted keyword focus

• Increasing likelihood of conversion

• Prioritization of Efforts:• Start with a certain set of activities• Increasingly expand over time, to rank for:

• Additional keywords• More competitive phrases

LET’S GET TO WORK!Go-To-Market Strategies • Onsite SEO Tactics

• Enhancements made to the website itself

• Offsite SEO Tactics• Best practices applied to the way

the site engages with the rest of the World Web Web

• The Classic Metaphor• Analogous to a tree falling in the

forest with no one to hear it• Not just about adjusting your

website, in its isolated state• Half of SEO also deals with its

interactions with the larger ecosystem

Go-To-Market SEO StrategiesONSITE TACTICS

SEO AUDITTechnical Tactic #1 • Use a few different audit tools

to examine your site• Open Site Explorer & Moz Tools

• https://moz.com/tools

• SEM Rush• https://www.semrush.com/features/

site-audit/

• Screaming Frog• http://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/

seo-spider/

• Look at a few competitors • Grab some benchmarks from:

• Local competitors• Industry competitors

WEBMASTER TOOLS FOR GOOGLE, BING, ETC.Technical Tactic #2 • These tools enable you to:

• Identify any issues that may adversely affect search performance for your website

• Optimize all aspects of your site from a technical perspective

• Excellent tutorial guides:• Search Engine Watch –

Google Webmaster Tools: An Overview:• https://searchenginewatch.com/

sew/how-to/2191991/google-webmaster-tools-an-overview

• Search Engine Watch – Bing Webmaster Tools: An Overview:

• https://searchenginewatch.com/sew/how-to/2195777/bing-webmaster-tools-an-overview

ANALYTICS TOOLS FOR GOOGLE, BING, ETC.Technical Tactic #3 • Google Analytics enables you to:

• Start tracking all aspects of performance for the website

• Examine what works, and continue to evolve your SEO efforts over time

• Excellent tutorial guide:• ClickZ – An Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Setting Up

Google Analytics for Your Website:• https://

www.clickz.com/2016/01/20/an-absolute-beginners-guide-to-setting-up-google-analytics-for-your-website

• Note that for Bing:• Analytics are incorporated into:

• Bing Webmaster Tools• Bing Ads (for paid search ads)

SOME OF THE TECHNICAL TACTICS

• XML Sitemap• A special file that lists all URLs for a site, enabling Google and

other search engines to crawl it more intelligently

• Robots.txt• A file that instructs the search engines which pages not to index

• Canonicalization• Redirects set up to show the search engines that the www and

non-www version of your site are the same, preventing duplicate content issues

• Schema & Markup• Special labels that can be added to particular types of

information, enabling the search engines to pick up and use these details in various applications

Addressed During this Phase

BUILD A CHART OF POTENTIAL KEYWORDS

• Use Google AdWords Keyword Planner to research demand

• Put together a chart of various keywords with active demand related to what you offer

• Focus particularly on search phrases that incorporate:

• Geographic areas• City (e.g., “”kuala lumpur”)

• Neighborhood (e.g., “bukit bintang”)

• Best approach for first starting out• Once dominated, go broader

• Niche phrases• “Best” / “Top”• Focus on a certain type of customer • Specific types of products / services• Particular modifiers (“affordable,” “effective,” etc.)

Keyword Tactic #1

SAMPLE KEYWORD RESEARCHA Few Sample Screenshots from Google AdWords

You can explore demand for specific keywords under the “Keyword ideas” tab

Google will also suggest additional possibilities … some more relevant than others

ASSIGN SPECIFIC KEYWORDS TO EACH PAGE

• Map keywords with active demand to each page of your website

• Determine one or two primary themes to keywords chosen for full site

• Identify specific keywords for each page

• One main keyword per page

• “Long-tail” variations thereof

• Identify additional pages that need to be created

Keyword Tactic #2

TITLE TAGS

• Title Tag• The most influential factor

signaling relevant keywords for the page

• 55 characters or less

Meta Data Tactic #1

META DESCRIPTIONS

• Meta Description• Call to action to visit the page,

incorporating keywords• 155 characters or less

Meta Data Tactic #2

ALT TAGS FOR IMAGES

• Alt / Image Tags• Brief description of subject matter for photos• Incorporate keywords only if appropriate• Five words or less

Meta Data Tactic #3

Alt Tag 1: Pet store in Bukit Bintang

Alt Tag 2: An adorable selection of cats

ON-PAGE OPTIMIZATION

• Incorporate keywords into your page text naturally

• Do not force keywords• “Keyword stuffing”

• Try to add them in a perfectly conversational way

• Aim for at least 300 wordsper page

• Websites / pages with too little text content are penalized by “Google Panda”

Content Development Tactic #1

DEVELOP CONTENT IN DIFFERENT FORMATS

• Identify themes to keywords that can be covered with content

• Blog posts• Ebooks• Videos• Infographics• Etc.

• Create an editorial calendar• Map out development and

distribution of content for keyword groups

Content Development Tactic #2

Go-To-Market SEO StrategiesOFFSITE TACTICS

DEVELOP A PAID SEARCH CAMPAIGN• Set up ad campaigns

• Map keywords to most appropriate landing pages

• Launch campaign, and closely monitor results

• Tweak as necessary, for optimal results

EVOLVE BOTH CAMPAIGNS IN TANDEMSEO v. SEM: The Yin & Yang of Search Marketing • SEO

• Search Engine Optimization• Positioning a website to rank in

the natural search results• “Free” but placement is not

guaranteed

• SEM / PPC / Paid Search• Search Engine Marketing /

Pay-Per-Click Marketing• Positioning a website to appear in

the paid results / sponsored ads section

• Paid but placement is guaranteed

SEO

SEM

LINK BUILDING TACTICS• Search for places to promote

content to be created• Check which sites are ranking

well for keywords you plan to target

• Look for article directories, relevant forums, social-media groups, etc.

• Determine key influencers in your industry

• Make friends / powerful alliances with these folks

• Figure out cool ways to collaborate, for benefit all

SEARCH FOR RELATED RESOURCES AND POTENTIAL PARTNERS

LOOK FOR RELATED BLOGS

Ask About “Guest Blogging”

SOCIAL MEDIA TACTICS

• Build social-media campaigns around content to be created

• Look for all sorts of different ways to find others with related interests

• Gather positive signals of engagement with the content

• Look for local authorities with whom you can collaborate

Interact with Real People!

BE A SOCIAL BUTTERFLY• Look for opportunities to

share your content with people who can benefit from it

• Don’t push it• All must be approached naturally

• Look for local “influencers” in your industry

• Who talks the most about your industry in the area?

• Who do your customers rely on for advice and entertainment?

SEARCH FOR RELEVANT SOCIAL GROUPS• Look for related groups on

Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social sites that relate to:

• Your industry• Your target audience• Your geographic area

CHECKLIST FOR LOCAL SEO

• Many Local SEO factors overlap with the traditional SEO factors

• However, some factors are given particular emphasis in this section

• A great Local SEO tutorial guide:• Moz Local SEO Checklist

• https://moz.com/blog/local-seo-checklist

Local SEO Tactic #1

OPTIMIZE YOUR BUSINESS LISTINGSLocal SEO Tactic #2 • Optimize your local business

listing for your website in Google’s local directory

• Be sure to complete all fields as fully as you can

• Be consistent about name, address, and phone number EVERYWHERE!

• Otherwise, Google may not recognize the listings as belonging to the same business

• “Name, Address, and Phone Number” are often referred to as “NAP” in Local SEO guides

DIRECTORY & REVIEW TACTICS

• Submit your site to all major local directories

• International • By area• By industry

• Set up profiles on major review sites for your industry

• Encourage customers and partners to post reviews

Local SEO Tactic #3

SAMPLE LOCAL DIRECTORIES

Go-To-Market SEO StrategiesCONTINUAL TESTING & ENHANCEMENT

DATA SCIENCE TACTICS• Establish a regular schedule of

reporting• Weekly• Monthly • Quarterly

• Determine key metrics • Traffic by source• Revenue / conversion rate• Keywords delivering traffic• Customer demographics

• Identify takeaways from each campaign

• Continue to evolve all efforts • Based on your findings

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR YOU From Your Friends at Kuala Lumpur Marketing Meetup

• Join Us for Lots More Free Workshops!• Email Marketing:

• Thursday, April 14, at Capri by Fraser, Kuala Lumpur

• SEO Bootcamp: • Saturday, May 14, at Binary.com, Cyberjaya

• Many More Marketing / IT Subjects:• Check the Calendar:

• http://www.meetup.com/Kuala-Lumpur-Marketing-Meetup/

• Follow Us!• Facebook:

• https://www.facebook.com/Kuala-Lumpur-Marketing-Meetup-203684033319402/

• LinkedIn: • https://www.linkedin.com/company/7591769

Thanks for AttendingToday’s SEO 201 Workshop!See You Next Time! Bring Your Buddies!