Search Engine Optimization Russell Jones, CTO, 08-21-2008

Search Engine Optimization Introduction to Search Engines Glossary SERP(s): Search Engine Results Page(s)‏ Anchor Text: the highlighted text in a link CPC / PPC / Paid Search: Purchased Advertising on SERPs Organic / Natural: Non Paid Search Results DC(s): Datacenters; ie: Google’s has several datacenters which deliver results, which can cause the appearance of inconsistent, constantly changing rankings. SEO: Search Engine Optimization SEM: Search Engine Marketing: SEO, PPC, et al. Index : The corpus of documents (web pages) in a search engine's database

SERP(s): Search Engine Results Page(s)‏

Anchor Text: the highlighted text in a link

CPC / PPC / Paid Search: Purchased Advertising on SERPs

Organic / Natural: Non Paid Search Results

DC(s): Datacenters; ie: Google’s has several datacenters which deliver results, which can cause the appearance of inconsistent, constantly changing rankings.

SEO: Search Engine Optimization

SEM: Search Engine Marketing: SEO, PPC, et al.

Index : The corpus of documents (web pages) in a search engine's database

Search Engine Optimization Introduction to Search Engines Basic concepts Why are they important? Everything begins with a search. Right time, right place, right mindset Case in Point – top searched keywords on Google? Yahoo and Google!

Why are they important?

Everything begins with a search.

Right time, right place, right mindset

Case in Point – top searched keywords on Google? Yahoo and Google!

Search Engine Optimization Introduction to Search Engines Basic concepts How do they work “ Bots” : Googlebot, Slurp, etc. Primitive Search Engines: britney spears brittney spers brtney speers Modern Search Engines “ Democracy Engines” Relevance: Off-Site and On-Site Factors Importance: PageRank and Off-Site Factors

How do they work

“ Bots” : Googlebot, Slurp, etc.

Primitive Search Engines: britney spears brittney spers brtney speers

Modern Search Engines

“ Democracy Engines”

Relevance: Off-Site and On-Site Factors

Importance: PageRank and Off-Site Factors

Search Engine Optimization Introduction to Search Engines Basic concepts Organic vs. Paid Search: The Difference between Owning and Renting

Search Engine Optimization Introduction to Search Engines Basic concepts Organic vs. Paid Search: The Difference between Owning and Renting

Search Engine Optimization Introduction to Search Engines Basic concepts Organic vs. Paid Search: The Difference between Owning and Renting

Introduction to Search Engine Optimization Basic Concepts of On-Site Optimization: Writing for SEO Avoid He, She, It: Be Specific Use Synonymous Phrases How many ways can you say “Get a degree” Use shorter paragraphs with regular headers Find Keywords: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal Be on theme: http://www.virante.com/seo-tools/keyword-finder.php Search Engine Optimization

Basic Concepts of On-Site Optimization: Writing for SEO

Avoid He, She, It: Be Specific

Use Synonymous Phrases

How many ways can you say “Get a degree”

Use shorter paragraphs with regular headers

Find Keywords: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

Be on theme: http://www.virante.com/seo-tools/keyword-finder.php

Introduction to Search Engine Optimization Basic Concepts of On-Site Optimization: Relevant Page Tags Title Meta Description Keywords Robots H1-H3 tags Bold, Strong, Italics, etc. Alt Text Do these things really matter? Aren’t changes like these negligible? Search Engine Optimization

Basic Concepts of On-Site Optimization: Relevant Page Tags

Title

Meta

Description

Keywords

Robots

H1-H3 tags

Bold, Strong, Italics, etc.

Alt Text

Do these things really matter? Aren’t changes like these negligible?

Introduction to Search Engine Optimization Search Engine Optimization

Introduction to Search Engine Optimization Basic Concepts of On-Site Optimization: Keyword Discovery 1. Popularity vs. Competitiveness 2. Simple Tools: A. https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal B. http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/ C. * http://www.keyworddiscovery.com/search.html 3. Collocation / Theme Tools A. http://www.virante.com/seo-tools/keyword-finder.php B: ~keyword search on Google. Search Engine Optimization

Introduction to Search Engine Optimization Basic Concepts of Off-Site Optimization: What is PageRank “ Page”Rank = Larry Page, Co-founder of Google. PageRank is Google’s patented and trademarked algorithm which assigns “a numerical weighting to each element of a hyperlinked set of documents” Search Engine Optimization

Basic Concepts of Off-Site Optimization: What is PageRank

“ Page”Rank = Larry Page, Co-founder of Google.

PageRank is Google’s patented and trademarked algorithm which assigns “a numerical weighting to each element of a hyperlinked set of documents”

Introduction to Search Engine Optimization Basic Concepts of Off-Site Optimization: What is TrustRank TrustRank essentially begins with a set of trusted websites and diminishes the rank dependent upon the distance between the original trusted sources and the analyzed page. http://www.vldb.org/conf/2004/RS15P3.PDF http://pagerank.suchmaschinen-doktor.de/trustrank.html Search Engine Optimization

Basic Concepts of Off-Site Optimization: What is TrustRank

TrustRank essentially begins with a set of trusted websites and diminishes the rank dependent upon the distance between the original trusted sources and the analyzed page. http://www.vldb.org/conf/2004/RS15P3.PDF http://pagerank.suchmaschinen-doktor.de/trustrank.html

Introduction to Search Engine Optimization Basic Concepts of On-Site Optimization: What PageRank is Not Sites with higher PageRank do not necessarily out-rank other sites. Sites with higher PageRank are not necessarily included in Google’s displayed index. The displayed PageRank is not necessarily indicative of the actual spam-corrected measurement of importance used by Google. PageRank is susceptible to the same Datacenter Fluctuations as the SERPs http://www.seologs.com/pr-check/pagerank-dc.html Search Engine Optimization

Basic Concepts of On-Site Optimization: What PageRank is Not

Sites with higher PageRank do not necessarily out-rank other sites.

Sites with higher PageRank are not necessarily included in Google’s displayed index.

The displayed PageRank is not necessarily indicative of the actual spam-corrected measurement of importance used by Google.

PageRank is susceptible to the same Datacenter Fluctuations as the SERPs

http://www.seologs.com/pr-check/pagerank-dc.html

Introduction to Search Engine Optimization Basic Concepts of Off-Site Optimization: Qualities of Good links High PageRank Inner-textual Relevant Anchor Text Low number of links per-page New link on domain Search Engine Optimization

Basic Concepts of Off-Site Optimization: Qualities of Good links

High PageRank

Inner-textual

Relevant Anchor Text

Low number of links per-page

New link on domain

Introduction to Search Engine Optimization Basic Concepts of Off-Site Optimization: Simple Link Building Techniques Directories http://www.botw.com http://www.yahoo.com http://www.dmoz.org Partner Organizations Press Releases / News Presentations / Sponsors / Conferences Students! (myspace, blogs, etc.)‏ Search Engine Optimization

Basic Concepts of Off-Site Optimization: Simple Link Building Techniques

Directories

http://www.botw.com

http://www.yahoo.com

http://www.dmoz.org

Partner Organizations

Press Releases / News

Presentations / Sponsors / Conferences

Students! (myspace, blogs, etc.)‏

Advanced Topics Advanced Topics: Canonicalization What is URL Canonicalization? Using different names for the same content Duplicate Content Penalties PR Dispersion Perception Matters www vs. non-www Default pages Query strings and pagination Trailing Slashes Fake 404s Search Engine Optimization

Advanced Topics: Canonicalization

What is URL Canonicalization?

Using different names for the same content

Duplicate Content Penalties

PR Dispersion

Perception Matters

www vs. non-www

Default pages

Query strings and pagination

Trailing Slashes

Fake 404s

Advanced Topics Advanced Topics: PageRank Flow What is PageRank Flow? Intricate maze Close doors behind you Using No-Follow Effectively What is No-Follow? Meta or Link Level? <a rel=‘nofollow’ href=‘…’></a> <meta name=‘robots’ content=‘nofollow’ /> Silo Linking Ball Linking Deciding what is best for your site or sub-site. Search Engine Optimization

Advanced Topics: PageRank Flow

What is PageRank Flow?

Intricate maze

Close doors behind you

Using No-Follow Effectively

What is No-Follow?

Meta or Link Level?

<a rel=‘nofollow’ href=‘…’></a>

<meta name=‘robots’ content=‘nofollow’ />

Silo Linking

Ball Linking

Deciding what is best for your site or sub-site.

Search Engine Optimization Advanced Topics Advanced Topics: Keyword Discovery What is Advanced Keyword Discovery Looking at myriad competitiveness indicators Constructing an algorithm Interpreting Results Tools http://www.keyata.com http://www.wordze.com

Advanced Topics: Keyword Discovery

What is Advanced Keyword Discovery

Looking at myriad competitiveness indicators

Constructing an algorithm

Interpreting Results

Tools

http://www.keyata.com

http://www.wordze.com

Search Engine Optimization Advanced Topics Advanced Topics: Social Media Marketing What is Social Media Marketing Viral Traffic Natural Link Building Viral Brain Storm Session Sites http://www.digg.com http://www.reddit.com http://buzz.yahoo.com http://del.icio.us

Advanced Topics: Social Media Marketing

What is Social Media Marketing

Viral Traffic

Natural Link Building

Viral Brain Storm Session

Sites

http://www.digg.com

http://www.reddit.com

http://buzz.yahoo.com

http://del.icio.us