Basic Search Engine Optimization For Smarty Pants From Janice Burney 2009

Introduction SEO - Search Engine Optimization This is SEO in layperson terms Non-technical Common sense approach Helping you get the most out of your website Procedures for SEO Steps for a high ranking site

SEO - Search Engine Optimization

This is SEO in layperson terms

Non-technical

Common sense approach

Helping you get the most out of your website

Procedures for SEO

Steps for a high ranking site

Understanding SEO The Internet’s usage is second to television Over 1.5 billion users 93% of users use search engines to find websites 66% of Americans have purchased a product online Over 750 million people conducted a search in August

The Internet’s usage is second to television

Over 1.5 billion users

93% of users use search engines to find websites

66% of Americans have purchased a product online

Over 750 million people conducted a search in August

Organic Vs. Paid? Organic- Naturally occurring search engine result. Relevant data, keywords, content Paid- Advertising dollars that provide search engine results and rankings Labeled “Sponsored Links” NOTE: Typically searchers pay more attention to the organic and skip over the sponsored links, preferring a more natural result to their query.

Organic- Naturally occurring search engine result.

Relevant data, keywords, content

Paid- Advertising dollars that provide search engine results and rankings

Labeled “Sponsored Links”

NOTE: Typically searchers pay more attention to the organic and skip over the sponsored links, preferring a more natural result to their query.

Where to look? Natural Organic Search Results Paid

Which is More Effective? 89% of people click on the 1st result 33% click on the 2nd result 17% click on the 3rd result 94% of searchers “see” the first result 94% of searchers “see” the 2nd result Only 50% “see” 1st paid listing (PPC/paid ads) Only 40% “see” the 2nd paid listing Organic results get clicked on 8 times more than paid listings Data from: Microsoft Eye-Tracking Study of informational searches

Your Goals Welcome mat Organically rank in Search Engines First page of search engines List higher than competitor Build a site so your visitors stick Provide relevant and meaningful information Convey a message Create a user experience Showcase your products services Call To Action

Welcome mat

Organically rank in Search Engines

First page of search engines

List higher than competitor

Build a site so your visitors stick

Provide relevant and meaningful information

Convey a message

Create a user experience

Showcase your products services

Call To Action

Website Strategy & SEO Determine your website strategy Determine Target Audience What appeals to your target audience Understand the competitive landscape What do you want from the website? What should it do? What message will the site convey? What kind of user experience will you create?

Determine your website strategy

Determine Target Audience

What appeals to your target audience

Understand the competitive landscape

What do you want from the website?

What should it do?

What message will the site convey?

What kind of user experience will you create?

Keep it Simple To Start Provide a “clean” presence on the web Develop a distinctive look- choose your template Provide extraordinary service, product, information For now: About, Who, Where, What Build your content in the staging area Use Adobe Contribute, a user friendly content writing tool Build content that your audience is interested in Provide solutions

Provide a “clean” presence on the web

Develop a distinctive look- choose your template

Provide extraordinary service, product, information

For now: About, Who, Where, What

Build your content in the staging area

Use Adobe Contribute, a user friendly content writing tool

Build content that your audience is interested in

Provide solutions

How Do Search Engines Work? The Search Engines Goal: “Our whole role in life is to find the best content on the web and bring it together with people who are looking for that content.” Nathan Buggi, of Microsoft Live Search A simplistic view on how search engines work: Crawl : The search engine sends out “bots” (aka spiders, or robots) that crawl through web pages sending back details Index : The search engine uses complex mathematical algorithms to deduce subject matter on your site. Frequently used words Links within site, to and from site. All helps to index relevant pages with search queries. Rank : It’s not entirely sure what goes into the much guarded algorithms. There are at least 200 factors that go into the ranking. Some you can impact, some you cannot: Consider the number of external links pointing to your site. Anchor text Highly ranked sites pointing to your site Relevant Keywords Build site authority: If webmasters in highly ranked sites are willing to link to your site, your site must be relevant and important.

Types of Keywords Long-tail Keyword – multiple words and very specific “ outboard motor boats” Golden opportunity Short-tail Keyword – very broad, simply one word “ boats” Very general, not as targeted

Keyword Smarts Again Research – Get your keywords Keywords - words or phrases a person types into SE Start with short-tail Add additional words to end of your short-tail keywords Think about what buyers are typing in Pick keywords for people that are ready to “act” right now Free tool: “Google AdWords Keyword Tool” Keyword Density – 3-7% on page

Research – Get your keywords

Keywords - words or phrases a person types into SE

Start with short-tail

Add additional words to end of your short-tail keywords

Think about what buyers are typing in

Pick keywords for people that are ready to “act” right now

Free tool: “Google AdWords Keyword Tool”

Keyword Density – 3-7% on page

Keyword Smarts Keyword Spy www.keywordspy.com Google This: “Google Keyword Tool” https://adwords.google.com

Latent Semantic Indexing LSI- Latent Semantic Indexing (used by Google and other SE to rank keywords in a more natural, human way) Pull together “theme words” and match with your targeted keywords What keywords do you want to optimize for? Ranking high in SE- Match searches to relevant keywords on your site Build synonyms, theme words, related words around your keywords Naturally Use Google keyword tool For example, a web page about a boat, when analyzed with LSI, should logically also contain such related words as “safety”, “sail”, “supplies”, “license”, “yacht” and “cruiser”. In general, while we do not know the exact mathematical formula used for LSI, we do know that its real function is to determine if the content of a site is of value to the visitor or not.

Keyword Effectiveness Index KEI- Ratio between popularity and competitiveness Cross reference search volume with results Take number of searches cross referenced with number of pages on SE The more results = the more difficult to get ranked Want keyword to have less results but a respectable search result Good indicator on what words to keep and which ones to leave behind Create a spreadsheet for tracking- digital goldmine

KEI- Ratio between popularity and competitiveness

Cross reference search volume with results

Take number of searches cross referenced with number of pages on SE

The more results = the more difficult to get ranked

Want keyword to have less results but a respectable search result

Good indicator on what words to keep and which ones to leave behind

Create a spreadsheet for tracking- digital goldmine

Keyword Brainstorming Get very specific- write down your keyword ideas around your business If stumped, open Google tool Look at competitor in Google keyword tool (URL) Keywordspy.com Think about what your customers are searching for Use Your Resources www.ask.com keyword document spreadsheet

Get very specific- write down your keyword ideas around your business

If stumped, open Google tool

Look at competitor in Google keyword tool (URL)

Keywordspy.com

Think about what your customers are searching for

Use Your Resources

www.ask.com

keyword document spreadsheet

Question Your Ideas Will your customer type in keywords you picked? What are the things your customer will type in that relate to the keyword? What words or phrases describe those other things? What keywords would your customer type into find your website What problems do your customers face? What keywords do they type in to find solutions to their problems? What is related to their problem? What are the competitors selling? How can you be better on SE? Any book titles relate to your goals and service?

Will your customer type in keywords you picked?

What are the things your customer will type in that relate to the keyword?

What words or phrases describe those other things?

What keywords would your customer type into find your website

What problems do your customers face?

What keywords do they type in to find solutions to their problems?

What is related to their problem?

What are the competitors selling?

How can you be better on SE?

Any book titles relate to your goals and service?

Segmenting Your Keyword List Targeting groupings of keywords Drill down for the golden keyword nuggets Each group has highly targeted keywords Helps create branches of highly targeted keyword pages Will uncover “hidden markets”

Targeting groupings of keywords

Drill down for the golden keyword nuggets

Each group has highly targeted keywords

Helps create branches of highly targeted keyword pages

Will uncover “hidden markets”

Meta Tagging Meta tags show in source code of URL Look: Browser: View: Page Source Code – HTML Code – Meta Name Keyword Search Engines use it to distinguish the page topics Googlebot crawls your pages Meta tags help bots find and index pages Brief description of the content Keyword search terms for indexing - Not as important as it use to be

Meta tags show in source code of URL

Look: Browser: View: Page Source

Code – HTML Code – Meta Name Keyword

Search Engines use it to distinguish the page topics

Googlebot crawls your pages

Meta tags help bots find and index pages

Brief description of the content

Keyword search terms for indexing

- Not as important as it use to be

What’s Important? Keyword Research & Analysis – Title page, URL, keyword density in page (3-7%), keyword in anchor text Links internal, outbound, inbound – Link Popularity Sitemapping Relevant Content Competitive Analysis Search Engine & Directory Submission Social Bookmarking Blogging Press Release Article Submission

Keyword Research & Analysis

– Title page, URL, keyword density in page (3-7%), keyword in anchor text

Links internal, outbound, inbound – Link Popularity

Sitemapping

Relevant Content

Competitive Analysis

Search Engine & Directory Submission

Social Bookmarking

Blogging

Press Release

Article Submission

Quick SEO Tips - Linking Amazon Best Seller List Google Maps Yahoo Yellow Pages YouTube PRWeb.com Articles – www.ezinearticles.com LinkedIn.com Newsletter Social Websites

Amazon Best Seller List

Google Maps

Yahoo Yellow Pages

YouTube

PRWeb.com

Articles – www.ezinearticles.com

LinkedIn.com

Newsletter

Social Websites

Architecting Your Site This can make or break your SEO Make your homepage a focal point Make it dynamic so people are interested The more interactive, the better Make it interesting and fun and provide solutions Understand what customer is looking for Architect site for customer wants and needs Go to YouTube and get helpful videos -good back linking Always leave them wanting more Look professional and come off as an authority

This can make or break your SEO

Make your homepage a focal point

Make it dynamic so people are interested

The more interactive, the better

Make it interesting and fun and provide solutions

Understand what customer is looking for

Architect site for customer wants and needs

Go to YouTube and get helpful videos -good back linking

Always leave them wanting more

Look professional and come off as an authority

For Any Questions or Help Contact Janice Burney: [email_address] Blog: Enogg@EnoggEggbert.com Twitter: Follow EnoggEggbert at: http://twitter.com/EnoggEggbert

Contact Janice Burney:

[email_address]

Blog: Enogg@EnoggEggbert.com

Twitter: Follow EnoggEggbert at: