SEO Explained A beginner’s guide to understanding natural search Danielle West [email_address]

What is SEO? Search Engine Optimisation The process which aims to get websites listed prominently within search engine’s organic / natural search results. Organic search results have not been paid for and are ranked by the search engine (using bots / spiders & algorithms) according to relevancy to the term/s entered. Organic search results

Search Engine Optimisation

The process which aims to get websites listed prominently within search engine’s organic / natural

search results. Organic search results have not been paid for and are ranked by the search engine

(using bots / spiders & algorithms) according to relevancy to the term/s entered.

How are Organic Results Generated? You! Bots Crawlers Spiders Bots are software applications that run automated tasks over the Internet. The largest use of bots is in web spidering, in which an automated script fetches, analyses and files information from web servers at many times the speed of a human. All web robots or “bots”

You!

Bots

Crawlers

Spiders

This Process can be Broken into 3 Steps: crawling serving indexing

Crawling Billions of sites New sites Site changes Redirected sites Dead links Multiple factors Site type Layout Code language

Billions of sites

New sites

Site changes

Redirected sites

Dead links

Multiple factors

Site type

Layout

Code language

Indexing Semantics Content Meta data Relevance Location Language

Semantics

Content

Meta data

Relevance

Location

Language

Serving Google SERPS relevance is determined by over 200 factors Content Keyword relevance New content Site activity & clicks Link popularity Site age PageRank

Google SERPS relevance is determined by over 200 factors

Content

Keyword relevance

New content

Site activity & clicks

Link popularity

Site age

PageRank

Humans versus Robots what humans see what robots see

Page Title & Description <title>Virgin Media; The Mother of all Broadband</title> <meta name=&quot;description&quot; Content=&quot;The future of broadband is fast, fibre optic and half price from £4.50 a month when you take our £11 a month phone line. It's the mother of all broadband.&quot;>

<title>Virgin Media; The Mother of all Broadband</title>

<meta name=&quot;description&quot; Content=&quot;The future of broadband is fast, fibre optic and half price from £4.50 a month when you take our £11 a month phone line. It's the mother of all broadband.&quot;>

Positive Factors in Organic Search Content Page Titles Meta data, title, image & header tags URL Google authority Site historical popularity/ activity Site age Quality/relevance Global, internal & topical link popularity Site structure, architecture & flow Anchor text Local and Google Webmaster Tools sitemap Content update frequency Text over flash and images Bot accessibility

Content

Page Titles

Meta data, title, image & header tags

URL

Google authority

Site historical popularity/ activity

Site age

Quality/relevance

Global, internal & topical link popularity

Site structure, architecture & flow

Anchor text

Local and Google Webmaster Tools sitemap

Content update frequency

Text over flash and images

Bot accessibility

Negative Factors in Organic Search Duplicate content Keyword stuffing & overuse of keywords Duplicate title tags & meta data Slow server response time Link associations with Spam sites, link schemes & link farms Bot blocking Flash-based sites* *Flash version 9 is Search Engine friendly though text will always beat Flash & images in ranking.

Duplicate content

Keyword stuffing & overuse of keywords

Duplicate title tags & meta data

Slow server response time

Link associations with Spam sites, link schemes & link farms

Bot blocking

Flash-based sites*

Black Hat or White hat? White Hat Ethical Relevant Content focused Transparent Quality not quantity Gradual but enduring results Black Hat Unethical “ Instant Results” Deceptive techniques Secret tricks Quantity not quality Immediate but temporary results

White Hat

Ethical

Relevant

Content focused

Transparent

Quality not quantity

Gradual but enduring results

Black Hat

Unethical

“ Instant Results”

Deceptive techniques

Secret tricks

Quantity not quality

Immediate but temporary results

SEO Strategy Audit site Research Identify objectives & KPIs Marketing activity Analysis & measurement Testing SEO specific activity Maintenance

Audit site

Research

Identify objectives & KPIs

Marketing activity

Analysis & measurement

Testing

SEO specific activity

Maintenance

Perform Site Audit URLs Site architecture Navigation Content Images Titles Anchor text Inbound & outbound links Pages indexed

URLs

Site architecture

Navigation

Content

Images

Titles

Anchor text

Inbound & outbound links

Pages indexed

Research Competition Industry Market saturation Potential crossovers Historic traffic Benchmark ranking Identify seasonal & industry trends

Competition

Industry

Market saturation

Potential crossovers

Historic traffic

Benchmark ranking

Identify seasonal & industry trends

Identify Objectives & KPIs Traffic Visits Impressions Leads Conversions Branding Keywords Brand terms Rank

Traffic

Visits

Impressions

Leads

Conversions

Branding

Keywords

Brand terms

Rank

Marketing Activity PPC OLM eMail marketing eNewsletters DM Display Print Radio TV PR

PPC

OLM

eMail marketing

eNewsletters

DM

Display

Print

Radio

TV

PR

Analysis & Measurement Check historic & current Traffic sources Popular keywords for visit & conversion Time on site & Page depth Overall conversion by source Return on investment Immediate ROI Lifetime value New v returns Ranking Brand keywords Long tail keywords High volume keywords

Check historic & current

Traffic sources

Popular keywords for visit & conversion

Time on site & Page depth

Overall conversion by source

Return on investment

Immediate ROI

Lifetime value

New v returns

Ranking

Brand keywords

Long tail keywords

High volume keywords

Testing PPC provides immediate insight A/B testing Multi-variant testing User journey Wildcard keyword pages

PPC provides immediate insight

A/B testing

Multi-variant testing

User journey

Wildcard keyword pages

SEO-Specific Activity Blogs; include links with keyword rich anchor text Optimised landing pages usually as product description or CRM provide keyword-rich content & good content for users as well Optimise campaign micro-sites & pages with tag lines or relevant keywords Link audits Link building campaigns Ensure your content can be shared on social networking sites easily Encourage engagement Encourage UGC Micro-sites & websites focused on key areas

Blogs; include links with keyword rich anchor text

Optimised landing pages usually as product description or CRM provide keyword-rich content & good content for users as well

Optimise campaign micro-sites & pages with tag lines or relevant keywords

Link audits

Link building campaigns

Ensure your content can be shared on social networking sites easily

Encourage engagement

Encourage UGC

Micro-sites & websites focused on key areas

Maintenance Unavailable_after tags Update XML sitemap Update web sitemap Audit & clean links Quarterly site audit Regular reviews & analysis Stay current with structure Competitor analysis Fresh content Look for trends & patterns Learn & prepare for campaigns Staff training Conferences Newsletters

Unavailable_after tags

Update XML sitemap

Update web sitemap

Audit & clean links

Quarterly site audit

Regular reviews & analysis

Stay current with structure

Competitor analysis

Fresh content

Look for trends & patterns

Learn & prepare for campaigns

Staff training

Conferences

Newsletters

Tips Be relevant not fancy or clever Pay attention to internal search terms Learn from competitors Slow and steady wins the race Keep record of all changes & the subsequent impact it has on traffic, behaviour and rank.

Be relevant not fancy or clever

Pay attention to internal search terms

Learn from competitors

Slow and steady wins the race

Keep record of all changes & the subsequent impact it has on traffic, behaviour and rank.

Recommended Reading www.seomoz.org googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com www.mattcutts.com/blog/type/googleseo/ searchengineland.com/ delicious.com/batgirl13uk/seo

www.seomoz.org

googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com

www.mattcutts.com/blog/type/googleseo/

searchengineland.com/

delicious.com/batgirl13uk/seo

Thanks Danielle West [email_address]

Danielle West

[email_address]