SEO For Small Businesses

LOREN BAKER, VP, FOUNDATION DIGITAL

SEO in 1998

SEO in 2003 to 2010

• Linking – BUY LINKS! TRADE LINKS!• Keywords Only• Article Directories! SPAM! SPAM! SPAM!• Fooling Google (or Bing)• Ranking #1 or #2 • # of Pages Indexed• Brute force exact match anchor text• Excessive title over-optimization• Internal anchor text and link over-

optimization

WHAT IS SEO IN 2013?

• Human Engagement• Audience Optimization• User Experience• Content• Cross Device• Localization• Citations

BUT HOW TO APPLY THIS TO SEO TACTICS????

BUILDING YOUR SEO FOUNDATION

SEO 101 Tactics• Homepage Defines Site• Nested Navigation: Floors >

Hardwood Flooring > Bamboo Hardwood Flooring

• URL Structure & Breadcrumbs• Content, H1, H2

BUILDING YOUR SEO FOUNDATION

Indexing & Performance• Duplicate Content

• Site Specific Search (site:copyblogger.com)• Duplicate Titles & Meta (Descriptions)• Duplicate Posts/Pages (Read/Print/Archives/Email…)

• Indexing Errors• 404’s and Broken Pages• Thin Content (Real Estate Listings,

Profiles)• Page Load Speed

TECHNICAL SEO RESOURCES

• Raven Tools Auditor• Quick Sprout SEO Audit Guide

DEFINE YOUR SEO MARKETPLACE

• Local? Then define competitors who are competing in your area.

• Google Localization is in the SERPS and the Local 8 Pack

• Learn from other businesses in other local markets

• How does your site look & function on Mobile Devices? [~50% mobile]

GOOGLE’S LOCALIZED SERPS

• Localization has different effects depending on query & metro

• Local vs. Big Local [Pack vs. Full Organic]

• Big Guys [YP.com, Trulia ..etc.] out-performing in local due to authority and link volume

GOOGLE’S LOCALIZED SERPS

GOOGLE’S LOCALIZED SERPS

GOOGLE’S LOCALIZED SERPS

GOOGLE’S LOCALIZED SERPS

Make sure your location(s) are listed in places where other local companies are, and most importantly, are not.

Tools for finding opportunities:

• Whitespark Local Citation Finder• Localeze• Sweet IQ

• Claim all social profiles for your office(s):o Foursquareo Yelpo Plus pageso Other third party sites with review opportunities

GOOGLE AUTHORSHIP & CONTENT

GOOGLE AUTHORSHIP & CONTENT

• Build your brand, authority, name …etc.• Your headshot in the SERPs can help increase CTRs to your

website & where you contribute• Related articles will appear next to your result (“more by…”)• Tying your name to high quality and highly engaged

content- Author Rank improvement• Authoring content on local sites is another geo-signal• Author Rank and authority- can be leveraged for guest

blogging

Don’t forget Rel=“Publisher” – Build out Google Plus business page and verify

RECRUITING BLOGGERS

Before allowing guest posts on your site, make sure you’re digging into where they’re sharing content and what they’re sharing.

• Work with bloggers who have a long history of engagement with their content

• Ones who invite comments and engage with readers• Aren’t authoring content on extremely low authority

blogs• Write consistent and relevant content in your vertical or

the local community

GUEST BLOGGERS

WORKING WITH PUBLISHERS

• Cobranded Content• Tap into their Active Audience• Natural Syndication = Co Citation Map• Trickle Down Effect• Comments, Shares, Tweets• Share within their Facebook Groups and Others• Email? That’s the Golden Ticket• DON’T FORGET LOCAL PUBLISHERS

WORKING WITH PUBLISHERS

DUDE, THAT’S MY CONTENT!

• The Art of Link Reconciliation• Google Queries and Alerts for the Title of

Your Work• Be Picky, Only Reach Out to the Sites with

Value• Ignore sites in Bad Neighborhoods• Don’t ask for Exact Match• Just Ask for Proper Citation• Google Image Search is your Friend

LINK REPO – THAT’S MY CONTENT!

LOCAL OUTREACH

Local Links offer geo-signals to further validate your local presence

• What is your unique value proposition? Why should they consider you an authority in the local space?

• Google News- Leverage it for timely industry related news you can provide your authority on.

• Just like links need to be topical, local links should point to appropriate city pages. Don’t cross signals.

• Grow and Nurture Local Publisher and Newspaper Relationships- Always add value

LOCAL OUTREACH

Also take time to understand where your competitor’s are getting links, and what specific local pages they’re strengthening to help them compete.

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS EMAIL?

Hi Steve

We are interested in producing editorial content for your site.

We can pay you $100 for a guest editorial referencing my client's site _________ (_______.com), a provider of ___ products for both men and women in the US (NSFW).

I know time is valuable these days and I appreciate yours.

Sincerely,XXXXXXXXXMarketing Assistant

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS EMAIL?

Hi Steve My Name is Not Steve.

We are interested in producing editorial content for your site.

We can pay you $100 for a guest editorial referencing my client's site _________ (_______.com), a provider of adult products for both men and women in the US (NSFW).

Thanks for telling me it’s NSFW after clicking the links!!!

I know time is valuable these days and I appreciate yours.

Sincerely,XXXXXXXXXMarketing Assistant

DO YOUR RESEARCH

SEO For Small Businesses

LOREN BAKER, VP, FOUNDATION DIGITAL @lorenbaker