SEO 101 PodCamp - Boston 2008 Internet Marketing Strategist [email_address] www.SriNagubandi.com Twitter: SriNagubandi

Why SEO? Paid “Sponsored” Listings SEM Organic (or natural) Listings are the target for SEO The Golden Triangle About 70% of the clicks from most engines come from organic results!

What SEO Can Do SEO helps your target audience find you SEO can help you attract highly qualified traffic SEO can save you money; organic search results are free SEO can help protect your online reputation (SERM)

SEO helps your target audience find you

SEO can help you attract highly qualified traffic

SEO can save you money; organic search results are free

SEO can help protect your online reputation (SERM)

Common SEO Myths It’s all about keyword tag Simply inserting keywords in the keyword meta tag will help list your site for that keyword Meta tags are the most important factor in search engine rankings. It’s all about submission to search engines Using a program or service to "Submit your site to 10,000 Search Engines" is a good idea. It’s FAST and Guaranteed Your top ten search engine ranking can be guaranteed Permanent Search Engine Positions and Rankings You Don't Have to Change Your Web Site You don't need to update your site to keep your rankings. You can achieve higher rankings on a keyword without changing the code or content of the pages in your site. Search Engines hate me Credit: John Shehata

It’s all about keyword tag

Simply inserting keywords in the keyword meta tag will help list your site for that keyword

Meta tags are the most important factor in search engine rankings.

It’s all about submission to search engines

Using a program or service to "Submit your site to 10,000 Search Engines" is a good idea.

It’s FAST and Guaranteed

Your top ten search engine ranking can be guaranteed

Permanent Search Engine Positions and Rankings

You Don't Have to Change Your Web Site

You don't need to update your site to keep your rankings.

You can achieve higher rankings on a keyword without changing the code or content of the pages in your site.

Search Engines hate me

Credit: John Shehata

What Makes SEO Work? On Page Factors Content Technology Code Off Page Factors Back links Authority Reputation

On Page Factors

Content

Technology

Code

Off Page Factors

Back links

Authority

Reputation

Step One Find the Right Keywords

Find the Right Keywords Keyword Research: Identity what your target audience is searching for Use the right tools Your own analytics Competitor Websites/Content Google External Keyword Tool Quantify keyword popularity Final selection process (2-5 keywords)

Keyword Research:

Identity what your target audience is searching for

Use the right tools

Your own analytics

Competitor Websites/Content

Google External Keyword Tool

Quantify keyword popularity

Final selection process (2-5 keywords)

Step Two Write Great Content and Optimize it!

Content is King Write Great Content Write Often Update your content every quarter Make your content engaging! Engines want a great user experience Users want to find exactly what they are searching Optimize your content to provide a better experience for engines/users

Write Great Content

Write Often

Update your content every quarter

Make your content engaging!

Engines want a great user experience

Users want to find exactly what they are searching

Optimize your content to provide a better experience for engines/users

Anatomy of a Page Meta Data Content Code Page Title Tags URL Structure Alt Tags Heading Tags Content

What to Optimize Primary Text Page Title Tag “Story headline” Heading Tags <H1> - <H6> “story headline” Body Text “Copy” and Opening Text “lead paragraph” Special Text: strong and italic Internal and Incoming Links Anchor text Secondary Text Description Meta Tag Image File Name / Image Alt Text / Image Caption Link Titles URL File Names

Primary Text

Page Title Tag “Story headline”

Heading Tags <H1> - <H6> “story headline”

Body Text “Copy” and Opening Text “lead paragraph”

Special Text: strong and italic

Internal and Incoming Links Anchor text

Secondary Text

Description Meta Tag

Image File Name / Image Alt Text / Image Caption

Link Titles

URL File Names

Top Content Ranking Factors Keyword Use in Title Tag Keyword Use in H1-H6 Tag Anchor Text of Links Within Your Site Keyword Use in Body Text

Keyword Use in Title Tag

Keyword Use in H1-H6 Tag

Anchor Text of Links Within Your Site

Keyword Use in Body Text

Step Three Get Relevant Backlinks

Content is King, but links are the Queen of SEO

What is a “link”? Any direct hyperlink from any web site pointing to our web page Typical link sources include: Directories, web sites, blogs, news sites, social network sites, etc. Backlink: Link from one site pointing to another. Backlinks are an important part of SEO, and should be relevant to the content of your site in order to be effective. In other words, a site with backlinks pointing to your page should have a similar theme to yours. Links have different values (weight) based on Link Popularity, Relevance and Reputation. Credit: John Shehata

Any direct hyperlink from any web site pointing to our web page

Typical link sources include:

Directories, web sites, blogs, news sites, social network sites, etc.

Backlink:

Link from one site pointing to another. Backlinks are an important part of SEO, and should be relevant to the content of your site in order to be effective. In other words, a site with backlinks pointing to your page should have a similar theme to yours.

Links have different values (weight) based on Link Popularity, Relevance and Reputation.

Anchor Text Link Anchor Text, in incoming links, is very important when search engine determine the relevancy of any given page Search engines use words that appear in links, Anchor Text, to a page to determine the content for that page. Avoid using “Previous”, “Next”, “More” and “Click Here” links, be more descriptive. Be Descriptive Credit: John Shehata

Link Anchor Text, in incoming links, is very important when search engine determine the relevancy of any given page

Search engines use words that appear in links, Anchor Text, to a page to determine the content for that page.

Avoid using “Previous”, “Next”, “More” and “Click Here” links, be more descriptive.

Be Descriptive

Key Link Building Factors Remember The more relevant, one-way backlinks to a page, the better it will rank More backlinks = trusted site “Similar to citation in a book” It is about Quality mainly, then Quantity Quality backlinks like .gov and .edu are priceless. A few quality links will increase rankings more than many low quality backlinks. Paid text links are evil Don’t include paid/sponsored hard-coded links, always use a no-follow tag on paid links! Credit: John Shehata

Remember

The more relevant, one-way backlinks to a page, the better it will rank

More backlinks = trusted site “Similar to citation in a book”

It is about Quality mainly, then Quantity

Quality backlinks like .gov and .edu are priceless.

A few quality links will increase rankings more than many low quality backlinks.

Paid text links are evil

Don’t include paid/sponsored hard-coded links, always use a no-follow tag on paid links!

Step Four Clear Road Block & Use WebMaster Tools

Can Spiders Get to Your Page? Some technologies are not SEO friendly “Yet” Spiders read the Source Code, if the text is not present in the source code, spiders can’t index it and hence it won’t be found in search engines AJAX, Flash, etc. The question to ask: What do you see when you disable cookies, JavaScript and graphics? Use Lynx/Text Browsers .

Some technologies are not SEO friendly “Yet”

Spiders read the Source Code, if the text is not present in the source code, spiders can’t index it and hence it won’t be found in search engines

AJAX, Flash, etc.

The question to ask: What do you see when you disable cookies, JavaScript and graphics? Use Lynx/Text Browsers .

Engine Web-Master Tools Google http://www.google.com/webmasters/tools Yahoo http://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com MSN http://webmaster.live.com

Google

http://www.google.com/webmasters/tools

Yahoo

http://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com

MSN

http://webmaster.live.com

Engine Web-Master Tools Will: Help you understand problems with your site Help you understand how people search your site Help you Remove URLs / Directories Help you understand who and how sites link to your site and much much more…

Will:

Help you understand problems with your site

Help you understand how people search your site

Help you Remove URLs / Directories

Help you understand who and how sites link to your site

and much much more…

Submit an XML Sitemap Sitemaps are an easy way for webmasters to inform search engines about pages on their sites that are available for crawling. In its simplest form, a Sitemap is an XML file that lists URLs for a site. http://www.sitemaps.og

Sitemaps are an easy way for

webmasters to inform search engines

about pages on their sites that are

available for crawling. In its simplest form,

a Sitemap is an XML file that lists URLs

for a site.

http://www.sitemaps.og

Reosurces Top SEO Ranking Factors - SeoMOZ Official Google Webmaster Central Blog SEO News - SEO Round Table Web Site Grader Sitemaps.org (XML Sitemaps) Free Sitemap Generator

Top SEO Ranking Factors - SeoMOZ

Official Google Webmaster Central Blog

SEO News - SEO Round Table

Web Site Grader

Sitemaps.org (XML Sitemaps)

Free Sitemap Generator

Keys to Success Put the user first Write great content Optimize but with the user in mind Make sure the spiders are happy Get relevant links! Make sure you have Analytics Keep learning - SEO changes every day!

Put the user first

Write great content

Optimize but with the user in mind

Make sure the spiders are happy

Get relevant links!

Make sure you have Analytics

Keep learning - SEO changes every day!

Thank you Now give me a link! Please-) Please link to http://www.srinagubandi.com With the anchor text of: Search Marketing Expert

Now give me a link!

Please-)

Please link to http://www.srinagubandi.com

With the anchor text of:

Search Marketing Expert