2012 WordCamp Atlanta - SEO & WordPress Presentation

SEO & WordPress: Do this, not that(for the small business owner or solopreneur) By: Jenny Munn | www.JennyMunn.com | Jenny@JennyMunn.com | @JennyMunn

SEO & WordPress: Do this, not that for the small business owner or solopreneur SEO: A Necessary Evil? Source: SEOmoz

Why SEO Is So Darn Confusing Canonical Tags… HUH?!?! “rel=”nofollow”“Canonical tags (todistinguish a canonical url) Meta Tagscan also be used on a pagelevel in the meta tags of a Geo-Targetingwebsite to create a preferredlanding page.” Robots.txt XML Sitemaps <head> tag Panda Update

SEO & WordPress: Do this, not that for the small business owner or solopreneur

SEO & WordPress: Do this, not that for the small business owner or solopreneurWho Am I?

SEO & WordPress: Do this, not that for the small business owner or solopreneur

SEO & WordPress: Do this, not that for the small business owner or solopreneur DIY SEO + WordPress = LOVE• Levels the SEO playingfield• Empowers us as businessowners• Plugins, Plugins, Plugins

• SEO & WordPress: Do this, not that for the small business owner or solopreneurPhases of SEO Phase 3 Phase 2 Create PHASE 1 On-page Content  Don’t be Optimization intimidated Pages by SEO Understand Linkbuilding  Keyword Anchor Text Advanced Research Get Google Social Media  Competitive Analytics Up Strategy & Research Strongly Execution  Create Title consider Community Tags and Blogging Descriptions building

SEO & WordPress: Do this, not that for the small business owner or solopreneur Session BreakdownSession 1: Session 2:1.Keyword 1. Titles tags and descriptions research 2. On-page optimization 3. Google Analytics2.Competitive 4. Blogging research 5. Off-page tactics/Linkbuilding

Understanding Keywords Ex. #1: Marketing Magician When I say “I’ll make your profits appear out “keyword,” I of think air.” REALLY mean “keyphrase.” Ex. #2: “I want to be known for Blogification {or insert made up word here}. Can that be my keyword?”

Understanding KeywordsKeywords have nothing to do withyour brand, your creativity, or what YOU want to be known for. Period. The End.

Step 1: Keyword BrainstormStep #1: Develop a List of Keyword Prospects• Yourself: 2-minute exercise• Brainstorm with others: ask others what they would type into Google if they were looking for your services• Think about your customers: what words do they use to describe you/your business?• Competition Keywords: •Content maven? •Freelance Copywriter? •E-marketing specialist? •Marketing consultant? •Business Writer?

Phase 1: Keywords Step #2: Verify Keywords(aka go to Free Google Keywords Tool)

Competitive Research

Why CompetitiveResearch Matters -Large companies have the benefit of an SEO team

Is Location Important To Your Business?• Example #1: Bankruptcy • Example #2: Copywriter vs. Lawyer Atlanta Copywriter – “I want to rank for ‘Help I’m in Debt’

Keyword Research Tips • Put in lots of combinations of words into your research tool • Look for the hidden gems (LOW Competition, HIGH Search Count)• Transfer all the reasonable keyword choices to an excel spreadsheet • Prioritize your list->assign keywords to specific website pages

Keyword Research Mistakes• Trying to rank for 100 strategic keywords (pick between 5-15)• Selecting 5 keywords per page (only 2-3 keywords)• Not knowing your competition (keyword competition)• Choosing a keyword that has no relevance to your site

Danger - Important Tip The most important thing is to get started. A half decent keyword is better than NO keyword

Next Steps: Easy as 1,2,3…#1: Write down all • #2: Pick 1-2 keywords for the website pages EACH page (depends on you have (or the how much copy is on the pages you are page) going to optimize for) #3: Map out your pages/keyword strategy You don’t optimize a WEBSITE. You optimize PAGES. Each page is its own entity.

Phase 1:Title Tags &Description Tags

Phase 1:Title Tags & Description Tags

Phase 1: Title TagsMake TitleTags Your New BFF

SEO Tip #1:How to find the title tagof a website you’re on… SEO Tip #2: Remember – SEO is NOT about you or your brand. Put your company name last You only have 60-70 visible characters in the Title Tag

Meta Description Tag

Title Tags & Description Tags Track your titles and descriptions in a worksheet

Phase 2:Understand andApply On-Page Optimization

SEO On Page Optimization Gone Wild If you need career counseling, look for a professional counselor. Career counselingcan help you in many ways. The first benefitof career counseling is finding a job quickly. Career counseling can also help you avoidmaking interviewing mistakes that cost you the job. When you need career counseling services, don’t hesitate to call the best career counselor in Atlanta.

On-PageOptimization Photo courtesy of SEOmoz

WordPress SEO Plugins

On-Page Optimization – Body Copy

On-Page Optimization: Anchor Text

On-Page Optimization: ALT-tags

On-Page Optimization Rule: Always write for the reader! NO exceptions

How Do I Know If My SEO Is Working? Enter Google Analytics

Google Analytics

I HEART Blogging on WordPress (and SEO hearts blogging too)

Phase 3:Off-page Tactics(aka the dreaded Linkbuilding) Have I lost you yet?

I’m Hungry…(Let’s Talk Linkbuilding) What’s more credible: • No reviews? • A review that’s been paid for? • 2 restaurants who agree to give each other good reviews? • A fellow Atlanta foodie? • A review from USA Today?

Linkbuilding 101• Search engines WANT to return credible results that will be helpful• Google takes into account reviews links to your website and web pages when determining rankings• Just like reviews, not all links are created equal• To get a link, you must do (or write) something link-worthy

Linkbuilding Examples Example #1: Practice SafeSite Example #2: Yours Truly

Is SEO Right For You?Are your customers the type that would turn to search engines to find you? – Fiction Writer? – Corporate Marketing Agency? – Massachusetts Bankruptcy Lawyer? – Atlanta Copywriter? If there are no fish in the pond, no amount of bait in the world is going to catch you a fish.

SEO Tools for the SMB• Google Analytics• WordPress• Google Adwords Keyword Tool (free)• Blogs

SEO (and getting on the firstNext Steps page of Google) is not about bragging rights. It’s about driving leads and ultimately increasing profits 1. Get familiar with the keywords you want to compete for 2. Know what your competition (for those keywords) is doing 3. Get Google Analytics up on your site and regularly check it out

Phases of SEO Phase 3 Phase 2 Create PHASE 1 On-page Content  Don’t be Optimization intimidated Pages by SEO Understand Linkbuilding  Keyword Anchor Text Advanced Research Get Google Social Media  Competitive Analytics Up Strategy & Research Strongly Execution  Create Title consider Community Tags and Blogging Descriptions building

Questions?Jenny Munn, Freelance SEO Copywriter Website: www.JennyMunn.com Blog: www.JennyMunn.com/blog Email: Jenny@JennyMunn.com Twitter: @jennymunn LinkedIn:http://www.linkedin.com/in/jennymunn

2012 WordCamp Atlanta - SEO & WordPress Presentation

by JennyMunn.com on Feb 07, 2012

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2012 WordCamp Atlanta - SEO & WordPress Presentation — Presentation Transcript