Search Engine Optimization Best Practices March 17, 2009 Presented by Leslie Carruthers President of The Search Guru

The Search Guru: Our Philosophy and Approach Vision: To help people grow their businesses, be successful and make a difference. Mission Best practices Websites = highly productive sales channels Improved visibility, traffic and market share Enhanced professional image and respect Understanding your business

Vision: To help people grow their businesses, be successful and make a difference.

Mission

Best practices

Websites = highly productive sales channels

Improved visibility, traffic and market share

Enhanced professional image and respect

Understanding your business

The Search Guru Partial Client List:

Partial Client List:

What is possible for your business: Brookstone.com: conversion rates doubled in a key product category through copywriting over baseline data ROI of 269% produced via natural/organic search campaign 81% increase in total monthly visitors over baseline data 72% increase in monthly search engine referrals over baseline data 1600% increase in visibility over baseline data 153% increase in inbound links over baseline data

Brookstone.com: conversion rates doubled in a key product category through copywriting over baseline data

ROI of 269% produced via natural/organic search campaign

81% increase in total monthly visitors over baseline data

72% increase in monthly search engine referrals over baseline data

1600% increase in visibility over baseline data

153% increase in inbound links over baseline data

Bottom Line: How often does your website enable a profitable interaction? get people to call, or send an email, or request a quote/proposal.

get people to call, or

send an email, or

request a quote/proposal.

Is your website working for you? Success factors for online marketing: more traffic and higher conversion. Success metrics for websites: making money and saving money.

Success factors for online marketing:

more traffic and

higher conversion.

Success metrics for websites:

making money and

saving money.

What is important for websites now? It is all about visibility and how to be found. Search engines will control national and global marketing access. Products and services will mainly be exposed by our websites. Not on the first few pages? Then no one will find you.

It is all about visibility and how to be found.

Search engines will control national and global marketing access.

Products and services will mainly be exposed by our websites.

Not on the first few pages? Then no one will find you.

Leaving sales on the table… Each time a search is performed in a major engine there are two possible outcomes: The searcher finds you or the searcher finds your competitor . 13.5 billion searches were performed in the US alone in January ‘09.

Each time a search is performed in a major engine there are two possible outcomes:

The searcher finds you or

the searcher finds your competitor .

13.5 billion searches were performed in the US alone in January ‘09.

WHAT IS SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION?

Spidering Search Engines

Spidering Search Engines

Services: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - Natural / Organic Paid Listings Organic Listings

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - Natural / Organic

How do we “optimize” pages for search engine spiders? Search engine optimization is merely making your site accessible to both search engines and your customers.

Search engine optimization is merely making your site accessible to both search engines and your customers.

Seeing the error of your developer’s ways: how to bake SEO into your site’s structure Many developers don’t understand how search engines work and may have inadvertently made it more difficult for search engines to understand your site. Reversing this through search engine optimization on the site will be beneficial.

Many developers don’t understand how search engines work and may have inadvertently made it more difficult for search engines to understand your site.

Reversing this through search engine optimization on the site will be beneficial.

Ethical SEO – Best Practices Making changes that make your site easier to navigate and understand is not cheating. Search engines want you to make your site easier to use. They don’t want you to try to game the system simply so you can get more (and unrelated) traffic – but that’s not what ethical SEO practices do.

Making changes that make your site easier to navigate and understand is not cheating. Search engines want you to make your site easier to use.

They don’t want you to try to game the system simply so you can get more (and unrelated) traffic – but that’s not what ethical SEO practices do.

WHY DO YOU NEED SEO?

People are increasingly looking for products and services online; huge amounts of traffic go through the search engines. 80% or more traffic on the web goes through a search engine. If you are not there, you are missing out. Search engines have trumped printed yellow pages for searchers looking for local info online

80% or more traffic on the web goes through a search engine. If you are not there, you are missing out.

Search engines have trumped printed yellow pages for searchers looking for local info online

Consumer view - search engine = internet Many people who use the web think that search engines contain all of the internet. If you are not on the search engines, they assume you do not exist. Beyond this, many people feel that search engines rank by quality. The higher you rank, the higher they perceive your quality to be – and the more likely that they’ll feel comfortable purchasing products and services from your site.

Many people who use the web think that search engines contain all of the internet. If you are not on the search engines, they assume you do not exist.

Beyond this, many people feel that search engines rank by quality. The higher you rank, the higher they perceive your quality to be – and the more likely that they’ll feel comfortable purchasing products and services from your site.

Basic part of doing business online Search engine optimization is no longer a side source of traffic. It is the biggest source of traffic. Plus, your competitors are doing it!

Search engine optimization is no longer a side source of traffic. It is the biggest source of traffic.

Plus, your competitors are doing it!

HOW CAN SEO HELP YOUR BUSINESS? Drives targeted traffic to your site/qualifies potential customers Boosts conversions/ sales Low cost Branding

Drives targeted traffic to your site/qualifies potential customers

Boosts conversions/ sales

Low cost

Branding

GETTING STARTED WITH SEO

Keyphrase research What is keyphrase research? Why is it an important part of SEO? How do I know which keyphrases are right for my site?

What is keyphrase research?

Why is it an important part of SEO?

How do I know which keyphrases are right for my site?

On page vs. off page On page – You control because they are on your site Off page – You do not control; they come from other sites

On page – You control because they are on your site

Off page – You do not control; they come from other sites

On-page factors Title Single most important on-page factor Examples: Bad – Company XYZ Good – Find Widgets, Widget Boosters and more at Company XYZ

Title

Single most important on-page factor

Examples:

Bad – Company XYZ

Good – Find Widgets, Widget Boosters and more at Company XYZ

On-page factors H tags/headlines Second most important on-page factor 1 <h1>, up to 5 <h2>, <h3> and higher is up to you Put keyphrases in your <h> tags

H tags/headlines

Second most important on-page factor

1 <h1>, up to 5 <h2>, <h3> and higher is up to you

Put keyphrases in your <h> tags

On-page factors Keyphrase-rich content Content attracts search engines Keyphrases attract searchers Content + keyphrases = more searchers from search engines The more content you have, the better your chances are for coming up for relevant searches

Keyphrase-rich content

Content attracts search engines

Keyphrases attract searchers

Content + keyphrases = more searchers from search engines

The more content you have, the better your chances are for coming up for relevant searches

On-page factors Internal linking Nobody wants to rank for the word “Home” Use keyphrases in your internal linking (category names, product names, anything you link to)

Internal linking

Nobody wants to rank for the word “Home”

Use keyphrases in your internal linking (category names, product names, anything you link to)

On-page factors Things to avoid If you are just doing it for the search engines, don’t do it Hidden text Keyword stuffing Duplicate or doorway pages

Things to avoid

If you are just doing it for the search engines, don’t do it

Hidden text

Keyword stuffing

Duplicate or doorway pages

Off-page factors Inbound links Ask relevant, related websites to place a link on their site which points to your site

Inbound links

Ask relevant, related websites to place a link on their site which points to your site

Off-page factors Anchor text Ask that they use your keywords in the text that links to you

Anchor text

Ask that they use your keywords in the text that links to you

Off-page factors Things to avoid Don’t buy “100 links” at a time from non-related sites just to get more links

Things to avoid

Don’t buy “100 links” at a time from non-related sites just to get more links

INTERNET REPUTATION MANAGEMENT

The importance of internet reputation management Seventy-five percent (75%) of Fortune 100 companies have experienced online attacks on their reputation Consumer Generated Media (CGM) including blogs, forums and websites can: erode or destroy your brand cause falling share prices affect revenue push potential prospects, partners and employees to competitors

Seventy-five percent (75%) of Fortune 100 companies have experienced online attacks on their reputation

Consumer Generated Media (CGM) including blogs, forums and websites can:

erode or destroy your brand

cause falling share prices

affect revenue

push potential prospects, partners and employees to competitors

How to fight back: the right way You can't control what other people write about you or your company online. But you can do something about it - without resorting to negative, underhanded tactics.

You can't control what other people write about you or your company online. But you can do something about it - without resorting to negative, underhanded tactics.

1. Start a business blog http://blog.peruzzitoyota.com/

http://blog.peruzzitoyota.com/

2. Create profiles for your business on other sites http:// twitter.com/autorevo

http:// twitter.com/autorevo

3. Contact sites and try to get negative remarks removed Dear Sir or Madam: This is a request for the immediate removal of the following comment from [commenter] on your website at [URL]: [comment] This person has made false, derogatory remarks about our company and owners. Please confirm the immediate removal of this comment to me as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please contact me. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Your name Contact information

4. Encourage positive reviews Dear [Customer], Thank you for your recent purchase with [Company]. We hope you are satisfied with your purchase. We would welcome any feedback you’d like to share; please visit [URL] to post your comments. We value your patronage and hope you will shop with us again soon. Thank you! [Company] Customer Service

YOUR SEO PLAN

Short term SEO plan Do keyphrase research Keyword tools include WordTracker ( http://www.wordtracker.com/ ) and Keyword Discovery ( http:// www.keyworddiscovery.com / ) Brainstorm all the ways people might search for your products, brands and services and research them Optimize on-page factors

Do keyphrase research

Keyword tools include WordTracker ( http://www.wordtracker.com/ ) and Keyword Discovery ( http:// www.keyworddiscovery.com / )

Brainstorm all the ways people might search for your products, brands and services and research them

Optimize on-page factors

Long term SEO plan Link building Find out who is linking to you by using Yahoo! Site Explorer ( https://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com ) Request links from people you do business with, industry directories and other relevant directories Use Yahoo! Site Explorer to research who links to your competitors and request links from those sites too

Link building

Find out who is linking to you by using Yahoo! Site Explorer ( https://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com )

Request links from people you do business with, industry directories and other relevant directories

Use Yahoo! Site Explorer to research who links to your competitors and request links from those sites too

Long term SEO plan Adding new content based on your keyphrase research Create an editorial calendar to make sure you continue to create new content. See how here: ( http:// www.thesearchguru.com/blog/?p =50 ) Consider adding a blog to your site to talk about what is happening in your business and within your industry

Adding new content based on your keyphrase research

Create an editorial calendar to make sure you continue to create new content. See how here: ( http:// www.thesearchguru.com/blog/?p =50 )

Consider adding a blog to your site to talk about what is happening in your business and within your industry

Additional resources How to register for Google Webmaster Tools: http://www.thesearchguru.com/google-webmaster-tools.asp Free internet reputation management whitepaper: http:// www.TheSearchGuru.com /reputation Google’s blog: http:// googleblog.blogspot.com / Yahoo’s blog: http:// ysearchblog.com / More resources: http:// www.thesearchguru.com/resources.asp

How to register for Google Webmaster Tools: http://www.thesearchguru.com/google-webmaster-tools.asp

Free internet reputation management whitepaper: http:// www.TheSearchGuru.com /reputation

Google’s blog: http:// googleblog.blogspot.com /

Yahoo’s blog: http:// ysearchblog.com /

More resources: http:// www.thesearchguru.com/resources.asp

Thank You from The Search Guru! 896 Arboretum Circle Sagamore Hills, OH 44067 440-306-2418 www.TheSearchGuru.com [email_address] Twitter: @ thesearchguru