Learn how to excel in search engine optimization within your Drupal site. Covers the essential modules in a simple overview. Covers XML Sitemap, Pathauto, and the Metatag modules and its submodules

1. Rockin' your
Search Engine Optimization
Through Drupal

3. Sitemap – a website's directory
●
Directory of pages
in your website
●
Allows easy way for
search engines to
index each page
●
Can state last
modified date,
change frequency,
and priority.

4. XML Sitemap Module!
●
Actually a grouping of sub
modules
●
Updates on cron
●
Provides automatic sitemap
submission to Bing and
Google
●
Individual paths added to
sitemap through submodules
●
Everything is disabled by
default!
Provides
●
Custom Links
●
Search engines
●
Internationalization
●
Menu
●
Node
●
Taxonomy
●
User
Module link: https://drupal.org/project/xmlsitemap

5. Example of XML Sitemap content configuration
path: admin/config/search/xmlsitemap/settings

6. Your pages now exist on the
Internet!
(Almost, kinda)
Utilize webmaster tools to submit sitemap (beyond just Drupal doing it.)
●
Google Webmaster Tools: http://www.google.com/webmasters/
●
Bing Webmaster Tools: http://www.bing.com/toolbox/webmaster
Next, un­uglify your content URLs.
(Unless you really like node/1234 and taxonomy/term/23)

7. Friendly URLs with Pathauto
●
Drupal supports “SEO urls” aka
path aliases
●
Does not support automatic
path alias generation
●
Pathauto adds automatic path
aliases
●
Turning it on puts it in action.
●
Customizable patterns for epic
URL names
●
Supports files, nodes, taxonomy
terms, and users, and more!
Module link: https://drupal.org/project/pathauto

8. Metadata (tags): Tying it all together
●
Meta tags are an
HTML element
●
Provides metadata
about the content
being viewed
●
Gives content context
off­site (search
engine, social media)
Types of Metatag data
●
Description
●
Publisher
●
Author
●
Open Graph
●
Twitter cards
Luckily, there's a module for that: Metatag

9. Metatag module
●
Defacto SEO module for
Drupal.
●
Easily configurable to provide
default meta tag values
●
Allows patterns to be set by
node type, taxonomy
vocabularies
●
Ability to customize individual
nodes, terms, views, or panels.
●
Use tokens for dynamic
content
Provides
●
Open Graph
●
Twitter Cards
●
Dublin Core
●
Context integration
●
Views integration
●
Panels Integration

10. Example of Metatag & submodule defaults management. You
have the ability to add new defaults (by node type, vocabulary)

11. Metatag: The Basics
●
Page title
●
Description
●
Abstract (oddity)
●
Keywords (deprecated)
●
Google News data
●
Image source
●
Canonical URL
●
Shortlink URL
●
Publisher URL (Google+ Authorship)
●
Author URL (Google+ Authorship)

12. Metatag: Open Graph
●
Metatag provides a means to
enter a value for all possible
Open Graph values.
●
Structured data protocol
created by Facebook
●
Supported by Facebook,
Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google+
and more.
●
Supports images, audio, and
video identification.
●
Defines content as type: music,
video, article, book, etc.
●
Document site: http://ogp.me/

13. Metatag: Twitter Cards
●
Twitter does not use Open
Graph
●
Utilizes Twitter Cards and
its own markup
●
Metatag provides a
means to populate all
proper options
●
Must get approved by
Twitter for site to display as
a card in timelines.

14. Metatag: Context Module
●
Requires Context
module to be
enabled
●
Allows manipulation
of default Metatag
settings based on
Context conditions.

15. Metatag: Views Integration
●
Allows pages created in
Views to support meta
tags.
●
Without Metatag:
Views, a View page
only sets title tag.
●
Adds a setting section
that provides per View
configuration of all
availability Metatag
options.

16. Metatag: Panels Integration
●
Provides a
configuration page for
Panels
●
Allows page variants to
have unique Metatag
configurations
●
Harnesses page variant
context's to provide
token replacements.

17. SUCCESS!
●
Screaming Frog SEO:
http://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo­spider/
●
Open Graph Debugger:
https://developers.facebook.com/tools/debug/
●
Twitter Card Validator
https://dev.twitter.com/docs/cards/validation/validator
Note! You need to activate Twitter Cards at the above URL
●
Search Engine Land: http://searchengineland.com/
●
Google Webmasters on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/GoogleWebmasterHelp