Architecting Your Site For Search Engine Performance: And We Ain't Talkin' Just Keywords - [119]

Optimizing Your Site For Search Engine Performance And We Ain’t Just Talkin’ Keywords... #10ntc.seo

Intros: :05 Dottie Hodges, Northridge Interactive SEO Strategic Components: :15 Liz Murphy, RedEngine Digital SEO Building the Right Architecture :10 JoMarie Hoholik, Balance Interactive Tactical and Technical Components: :25 Eric Werner, Northridge Interactive SEO Caring and Feeding: :20 Kira Marchenese, Environmental Defense Fund Q&A: :15 All Session Agenda #10ntc.seo

Who Are We? Who Are You? - Webmasters? - Online Marketing Folks? - NPO Program Staff? - NPO Leadership? - Consultants/Vendors? Introductions #10ntc.seo

SEO Strategic Components Introduction SEO Strategic Components #10ntc.seo

After we get done you'll be able to… SEO Strategic Components #10ntc.seo

If You Don’t Optimize Your Site:
Your boss will continue to torture you with: “Why don’t I see our site when I type in ‘x’?”
Your brand and your online growth will stagnate and die
Qualified visitors will go to another Web site to find info and services
SEO Strategic Components #10ntc.seo

Forrester Marketing Interactive Forecast, 2009-2014
Increased spend on SEO. Investments in SEO were on the rise before the recession. But now, marketers looking for clicks at a cost much lower than paid search are joining those who return to SEO after mastering paid search programs.

What SEO is:
Modifying elements of your Web pages for a specific search engine
A long-term, ongoing process
Dependent on knowledge of current algorithms and indexing obstacles
What SEO is NOT:
Paying for listings (that’s PPC)
A one-time, quick project
Dependent on “tricks” (invisible type, redirects, doorway pages, etc.)

Search Engine “Friendly” or “Optimized”? SEO Strategic Components #10ntc.seo

“ Friendly”
No technical issues that prevent or hinder spidering
Logical link architecture
Unique content and title tags on every page
User-friendly naming conventions

“ Optimized”
Copy & IA driven by well-researched keyword strategy
Design and architecture decisions based on how to best drive conversions
Every page optimized for specific keyword phrases
Strong internal linking beyond navigation elements
Content updated regularly
Ability to attract links from other sources

3 Must-Haves for SEO Success
Gotta identify your SEO goals (SEO Strategy)
Gotta understand how a search engine “thinks”
Gotta research how your audience searches for your information and services

SEO Strategy & Goals SEO Strategic Components #10ntc.seo

“ I want…”
Awareness and authority on our content
American Diabetes Association, Children’s Defense Fund
Grow my email or advocacy list
Increase online registrants
Generate donations, sales, leads
- Unicef, Save the Children, Dell, Zappos

Put Your Marketing Head On
Current ranked pages
New pages

What Search Engine?
Google or Bing?

Understand How a Search Engine “Thinks” SEO Strategic Components #10ntc.seo

Get Inside Your User’s Head
Understand what they will see on a SERP
Accurate, compelling, competitive
Manage what they will see:
Page title Relevant text pulled from page or description meta tag SEO Strategic Components #10ntc.seo

Understand How Users Are Searching for Your Info SEO Strategic Components #10ntc.seo

What Keywords?
Marketing head back on for keyword research
Conversions, competition
Wrong keywords = poor quality traffic or little traffic

Beware too broad keywords
Type in keywords and see what comes up – does it relate to what you do?

Keywords By Goals
For donors: donation or issue keywords -- “Haiti donations,” “childrens charity”
For activists: issue/news terms – “health care reform diabetes”, “death penalty”
For buyers/members: product terms – “kids magazine”

Where to Find Keyword Ideas
Your own existing content, of course!
Your Analytics program
Are there high-quality terms driving small amounts of traffic despite not being optimized? That’s low-hanging fruit!
Your competitors’ pages
Analyze their copy and meta tags to figure out what competitors are actively targeting
Your PPC data

Where to Find Keyword Ideas
Keyword Research Tools:
Google Keyword Tool
Compete.com Search Analytics
Trellian
SpyFu.com
SEM Rush
Search Engines’ Related Searches Suggestions

Tips
Your brain is the most powerful keyword research tool … don’t over-rely on software
Before you rush to a tool, do a lot of brainstorming the old-fashioned way
Think like a user. Don’t use jargon.
Choose terms with appropriate levels of competition for your site
Target clusters of related keyword phrases
What words can you put before and after your “Head” terms to create new search terms?

Create Your Architecture with SEO in Mind
Who are your visitors?
Human
Computers (spiders)
When you build your sites for humans to find, it also makes it easy for computers to find.
First - set up your site architecture so that it's organized for humans
Then - label it so that you incorporate keywords that people use search engines to look for.

Building the Right Architecture #10ntc.seo

Keywords in Your Labels
Labels Matter ...

Use keywords when possible
BUT ... don't make it awkward

Navigation is key

One of first things search engines search
Incorporate keywords at all levels

Keywords in the Navigation Building the Right Architecture #10ntc.seo

Human versus Computer Factors
Remember ... Search engines are a means for human visitors to find you
Most important part of pages for search engines aren't always the same for people
Page Title
People don't often notice
VERY important for search engines
Keywords -
What people are looking for
Use in navigation, titles, headings will help human visitors scan and find what they are looking for

On Page Factors Simplified Title H1 Content Links Images

Tactical and Technical Components #10ntc.seo

Off Page Factors Simplified Authority PageRank Links Trust Tactical and Technical Components #10ntc.seo

When Good Pages Go Away If You Were A Spider What Would You Think? A) Must Be Important B) I Wonder If It Moved? C) Disregard Tactical and Technical Components #10ntc.seo

Canonical Pages
Search Engines HATE Duplicate Content
Preferred Solution: 301 Redirect
<script runat="server"> private void Page_Load(object sender, System.EventArgs e) { Response.Status = "301 Moved Permanently"; Response.AddHeader("Location","/new-page.asp"); } </script>
Alternate Solution: Canonical Tag
<link rel="canonical" href="http://www.example.org" /> Tactical and Technical Components #10ntc.seo

Preserving Value
Passes some but not all of link equity
Preserves some but not all of search engine rankings
Tactical and Technical Components #10ntc.seo

SEO & SPEED Matt Cutts of Google confirmed that they will be looking at load times and taking a site's speed into account with their ranking algorithms Keep track by using Google Webmaster Tools Tactical and Technical Components #10ntc.seo

SEO & SPEED Tactical and Technical Components #10ntc.seo

Who is your team?
What to tell them?
How to measure?
Keep it Going: After the Consultant Leaves SEO Caring and Feeding #10ntc.seo

Who manages your web content? Keep It Going - Your Team SEO Caring and Feeding #10ntc.seo

Keep It Going - Your Team Who writes your press releases? SEO Caring and Feeding #10ntc.seo

Keep It Going - Your Team Who blogs? SEO Caring and Feeding #10ntc.seo

Keep It Going - But Your Team's Busy!! SEO Caring and Feeding #10ntc.seo

Keep It Going - What to Tell Them 1. FOCUS on key terms. SEO Caring and Feeding #10ntc.seo

Keep It Going - What to Tell Them 2. FOCUS on headlines. SEO Caring and Feeding #10ntc.seo

Keep It Going - What to Tell Them 3. FOCUS on links SEO Caring and Feeding #10ntc.seo

Keep It Going - Measure Think about timing. photo: flickr user carbon nyc SEO Caring and Feeding #10ntc.seo

Keep It Going - Measure Think big. photo: nasa.gov SEO Caring and Feeding #10ntc.seo

Keep It Going - Measure Think strategically. photo: flickr user [martin] SEO Caring and Feeding #10ntc.seo

Dottie Hodges Northridge Interactive [email_address] Liz Murphy RedEngine Digital [email_address] JoMarie Hoholik Balance Interacitve [email_address] Eric Werner Northridge Interactive [email_address] Kira Marchenese Environmental Defense Fund [email_address] Session Agenda #10ntc.seo

Evaluation Code: 119 How Was this Session? Call In Text Online Call 404.939.4909 Enter Code 119 Text 119 to 69866 Visit nten.org/ntc-eval Enter Code 119 Session feedback powered by: Tell Us and You Could Win a Free 2011 NTC Registration! #10ntc.seo

Architecting Your Site For Search Engine Performance: And We Ain't Talkin' Just Keywords - [119]

by Dottie Hodges on Apr 09, 2010

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Architecting Your Site For Search Engine Performance: And We Ain’t Talkin’ Just Keywords - [119] — Presentation Transcript

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