ReadingSEO - 14th of November - Master Deck

Steph Whatley
Emma Russell
Hannah Butcher
Speakers
@ReadingSEO Website: ReadingSEO.org @techseowomen Website: womenintechseo.com
Sponsored by:

@ReadingSEO
SCHEDULE:
- Introductions
- Surviving Seasonal SEO - Steph Whatley
- Automated Content Generation - Emma Russell
- *Break*
- Literacy, Keyword Research and Content Choices - Hannah Butcher
- Questions
- Next Meetups!
- Networking
Steph Whatley
(SEO Manager -
Blue Array)
Emma Russell
(Head of SEO -
Contemplate Digital)
Hannah Butcher
(Head of Content & PR -
Koozai)
@Techseowomen

Up Next: Surviving Seasonal SEO
Steph Whatley
(SEO Manager -
Blue Array)
Sponsored by:

Surviving
Seasonal
SEO.
Steph Whatley
SEO Manager @ Blue Array
It depends!

Who the hell does she think she is?
@bluearrayseo @SEOStephW

Why should I care about seasonal SEO?

Case Study: Flower Retailer

+196% YoY
Disclaimer:
Smoking is bad but
Peggy is cool and
great

= 140% YoY
uplift
2018 organic
conversions
378
(1-15 February)
2019 organic
conversions
906
(1-15 February)

Approx £45 per conversion
= additional £23K in a two week
period!

What are the types of seasonal SEO?
Events Demand

@SEOStephW

@SEOStephW@bluearrayseo

What to keep in mind

Location is important!

Location is important!
“Thongs” “Flip Flops”

When should you start thinking about seasonal SEO?
period!
ASAP, if not before

4 - 6 months prior to ‘launch’

period!

period!
Ramp up
Peak demand
Slow down

Know your peaks: Google Search Console

Know your peaks: Google Trends

Know your peaks: Google Ads
‘Bikinis’

Know your peaks: Google Analytics

Know your peaks: SEMRush
You can check your peaks against competitors
as well

Know your peaks: Common sense

Creating seasonal pages: Structure
period!
Use a
‘hub’
strategy

The ‘hub’
Child
pages
linking
back

Creating seasonal pages: 6 top tips

1. Don’t use the month/year in the URL - make it futureproof

2. Do use the month/year in the title & headers - make it relevant

3. Add a link to the main header navigation & homepage -
make it important

make it important
4. Don’t wait until it’s launch day to make it live -
make it exciting & linkable

make it important
5. 301 redirect old or out-of-date content to it - make it stronger

make it important
5. 301 redirect old or out-of-date content to it - make it stronger
6. Link to other non-seasonal, but relevant pages -
make it hardworking

Maintaining seasonal pages: 4 top tips

1. Don’t ‘launch & leave’ - review & optimise regularly

2. Be prepared to react quickly - be agile

3. Don’t delete or 404 the page if you sell out of
something! Add an ‘out of stock’ notice & link
elsewhere

3. Don’t delete or 404 the page if you sell out of
something! Add an ‘out of stock’ notice & link
elsewhere
4. Make sure you’re considering other channels -
understand their impact on organic traffic

When it’s all over...
DO NOT DELETE YOUR PAGES
<<<< DO NOT DELETE YOUR PAGES >>>>

If you set up a page with a time-stamped URL,
301 redirect it to an evergreen URL for next time

If it’s an evergreen page:
● Keep your meta data the same

● Add a holding message to build excitement for the next
event

● Add a holding message to build excitement for the next
event
● Link to other valuable pages the user might be interested in

For ecommerce - if it’s a product that’s never coming back you
have two options:

have two options:
1. 301 redirect the URL to your hub/category page/most
similar product page

have two options:
1. 301 redirect the URL to your hub/category page/most
similar product page
2. Keep it in order to capture traffic (if high search vol) - point
them towards relevant products you’re keeping

Oh, and analyse the cr@p out of it

Key points for seasonal SEO analysis
If you have seasonal peaks, don’t take an overall
average across 12 months to determine
performance benchmarks

Instead, check your MoM % change over as many
years as possible to work out an average for
forecasting

Don’t use absolute ﬁgures from 5 years ago to
work out average organic entrances…

Cross-check any sudden ﬂuctuations with
PR & ATL activity

Anything else?
1. Don’t forget about speed

Anything else?
2. Optimise existing content for quick wins

Anything else?
3. Use a content calendar to plan well

Anything else?
4. PPC data can inform your next strategy

Anything else?
5. Set your GMB hours!

Anything else?
5. Set your GMB hours!
6. Did I also mention don’t delete your pages

Thank you!

Thank you!PS) We’re
recruiting!
Come & work
with us :-)

Up Next: Automated Content Generation
Emma Russell
(Head of SEO -
Sponsored by:

77
Automated Content
Generation
Automating relevance and value for Google the user
at scale.

78
An SEO agency focusing on
primarily tech SEO. We work
closely with developers on site
speed, taxonomy and indexing
projects, and migrations etc.
etc.etc.
Contemplate
Digital
Over 10 years SEO experience
working with national and
international companies.
Brands include Sports Direct
Group, Smythson, Graham &
Brown, Volangua, Karen
Millen Group and more.
SEO with a speciﬁc focus on
technical and content
strategies, working for
brands such as: House of
Fraser, Smythson, Pan
Macmillan, Graham &
Brown and more.
Hanna Downs Emma Russell

79
There are over 200k products on the site
from 1,710 brands and this is growing as
more afﬁliates come on board. These
products include variants such as colour
and size, which sit under the same URL,
depending on the variant type.
The main aim of the site is to allow users
to ﬁnd the right product for them at the
best price.
BEAUTY AFFILIATE
SITE WITH 100K+
INDEXABLE URLs
CONTEXT

80
ABOUT THE PROJECT
1. The primary aim of the project was to provide the
user with information about the product that
would help them to make a purchase decision.
2. The secondary aim was to ensure that this content
would help the site to rank well and also not
jeopardise the chance of the site ranking well.

81
WHAT INFORMATION HELPS USERS CONVERT?

82
Cost

84
Cost Reviews

86
Ethics / Religious
considerations
Cost Reviews

88
Ethics / Religious
considerations
Cost Reviews Ingredients

90
ABOVE THE FOLD
CONTENT WAS LIT

91
BELOW THE FOLD
CONTENT WAS SH*T

92
SO WE DECIDED TO USE
THE DATA TO PROVIDE
MORE VALUE TO THE USER

93
QUESTIONS TO ASK AT THE
BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT
What do I want to create and
why?
Q1

94
What do I want to
create and why?Q1
Because we’re making
functional statements about
a product, which doesn’t
require complicated prose.
Multiple, fairly simple
sentences structures
Because ingredient data
wasn’t just “is vegan”, or “is
cruelty-free” but also “is
dermatologically tested”.
Sentences would need
to ﬁt together well
This content will be added to
pages that have hardly any
other written content on the
page so this text needs to
help differentiate products.
Sentences would need
to tackle “duplication”
Text blocks would be
fairly short
Again, this is because the
language is functional and
doesn’t require us to wax
lyrical or have a deﬁnite
style.

95
BECAUSE THE OUTPUT
WAS SIMPLE, WE USED
A SIMPLE METHOD OF
TEXT GENERATION

96
CONTENT
GENERATION
PROCESS
● Bulk uploads e.g.
Afﬁliate feeds,
PIM/PIP, custom
extractions
● Manual Attribution
● {{product}}
● {{brand}}
● {{category}}
● {{other.Data.Stuff}}
If X = Y then action Z
DATA DATABASE RULES SOMETHING

97
“This Aromatics Elixir body
wash from Clinique is vegan.”
INGREDIENT
PREFERENCES
TEXT EXAMPLE 1

98
“This Aromatics Elixir body
wash from Clinique is vegan.”
INGREDIENT
PREFERENCES
TEXT EXAMPLE 1
This {{product.Name}} is
{{ingredient}}.

99
INGREDIENT
PREFERENCES
TEXT EXAMPLE 1
This {{product.Name}} is {{ingredient}}.
PIM / Feed ??

100
why?
Q1
Do I have enough data to create
what I want?Q2

101
CONTENT
GENERATION
PROCESS
● Bulk uploads e.g.
Afﬁliate feeds,
PIM/PIP, custom
extractions
● {{product}}
● {{brand}}
● {{category}}

102
INGREDIENT
PREFERENCES
TEXT EXAMPLE 1
PIM / Feed ??

103
INGREDIENT
PREFERENCES
TEXT EXAMPLE 1
PIM / Feed ??
This {{product.Name}} is aloe vera.
This {{product.Name}} is jojoba oil.
This {{product.Name}} is stearic acid.
This {{product.Name}} is coconut oil.

104
why?
Q1
what I want?Q2
Is this data categorised / stored in
a useful way?Q3

105
Unique data
“This Aromatics Elixir body wash from Clinique is
vegan.”
This product is {{ingredient}}. “This product is vegan.”
DUPLICATION WOES

106
DUPLICATION WOES
This Iconic London product is
cruelty-free.
ICONIC London
Day to Slay Eyeshadow
Palette
ICONIC London
Powder Contour
Palette
ICONIC London
Luminous Powder
cruelty-free.
cruelty-free.

107
Chloé Absolu Eau de
Parfum
Chloé Eau de Toilette
VARIATION WOES
The Eau de Toilette from
Chloe features pink peony,
rose and cedarwood
fragrance notes.
Chloé Eau de
Parfum
The Absolu Eau de Parfum
from Chloe features pink
peony, rose and cedarwood
fragrance notes.
The Eau de Parfum from
Chloe features pink peony,
rose and cedarwood
fragrance notes.

108
DUPLICATION WOES
SOMETHING
● Afﬁliate feeds
● PIM/PIP bulk upload
● Scraping
DATA DATABASE RULES
● {{product}}
● {{brand}}
● {{category}}
By choosing the right
data from the
database, creating a
number of rules that
can be used and
making compound
sentences you can get
far more variation and
unique text.

109
why?
Q1
what I want?Q2
Is this data categorised/stored in a
useful way?Q3
Q4
Am I creating duplicate content?
Do I care?

110
The 3 In 1 Foundation from
3INA is vegan and contains
vitamin C, which helps to
protect against free radical
damage. It also contains
vitamin E.
INGREDIENT
PREFERENCES
TEXT EXAMPLE 2

111
INGREDIENT
PREFERENCES
TEXT EXAMPLE 2
{{product.Name}} from
{{brand}} is {{ing.IS}} and
contains {{ing.C}}, which helps
to {{Ing.C.Beneﬁt}}. It also
contains {{ing.C}}.

112
INGREDIENT
PREFERENCES
TEXT EXAMPLE 2

113
why?
Q1
what I want?Q2
useful way?Q3
Q4
Q5
Do I care?
How to I present these rules in a
way the team can understand?

114
TRY TO BREAK THE SENTENCES AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
Rule Example Output
The {{product.Name}} from {{brand}}
is {{Ing.Is}}, {{Ing.Is}} and {{Ing.Is}}.
The Boss In Motion Eau de Toilette Spray 90ml
from Hugo Boss is vegan, halal and
hypoallergenic.
The Lip Essentials Gift Set from High Deﬁnition
Beauty is vegan, halal and hypoallergenic.
The Buffet 30ml from The Ordinary is vegan, halal
and hypoallergenic.
The The Celestial Skin Liquid Lighting from Kevyn
Aucoin is vegan, halal and hypoallergenic.

115
If you break a sentence,
add another IF rule that
deals with the
exceptions. For
example: if the product
starts with “The”
remove the duplicated
word, OR force those
products to use a
different sentence
structure.
● Afﬁliate feeds
● PIM/PIP bulk upload
● Scraping
● {{product}}
● {{brand}}
● {{category}}
BROKEN
SENTENCE WOES

116
ALWAYS REQUEST A FINAL
OUTPUT BEFORE GO LIVE
AND CHECK ON STAGING / A
LOWER ENVIRONMENT

117
why?
Q1
what I want?Q2
useful way?Q3
Q4
Do I need any help from other
people? e.g. copy writers
Q5
Q6
Do I care?

118
why?
Q1
what I want?Q2
useful way?Q3
Q4
Do I need any help from other
people? e.g. copy writers
Q5
Q6
What development resource do I
have and how experienced are
they?
Q7Am I creating duplicate content?
Do I care?

119
How is this information added to
the page? – injected via JS? SSR?
Q1
Is this based on seeded or
continual randomisation? Is this
text going to be the same each
time?
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q5
If a data type name changes how
is the data affected?
If the data changes when will this
be reﬂected on the page?
A FEW QUESTIONS TO ASK
YOUR DEVELOPERS
If you’re changing a section, is
the current data going to be
removed or added to?

120
This moisturiser from Bioderma is
paraben free, hypoallergenic and
non-comedogenic and contains
citric acid, which helps to exfoliate
skin.
Bioderma Atoderm
Ultra-Nourishing Shower
Cream
Rituals The Ritual of
Ayurveda Body Mist
50ml
SOME FINAL EXAMPLES
This Rituals perfume for
women is paraben free,
cruelty free and phthalates
free and features ﬂoral and
oriental fragrance notes.
Fudge Paintbox Hair
Colourant
This hair colour from Fudge is
ammonia free and peroxide free.

121
PHB Ethical Beauty Anti-aging
Eye Gel is perfect for those
looking for a product with
anti-ageing properties.
It’s also vegan, paraben free and
alcohol free, and contains
vitamin C, which helps to ﬁght
photo-ageing. It also contains
collagen, argan oil and lavender
oil.
Clinique Anti-Blemish
Solutions Liquid Makeup
STARSKIN After Party
Coconut Bio-Cellulose
Second Skin
Brightening Face MaskClinique Anti-Blemish Solutions
Liquid Makeup is great for those
with normal and oily skin,
looking for medium and sheer
or natural coverage and aiming
to get a natural ﬁnish.
It’s also vegan, oil free and
dermatologically tested, and
contains salicylic acid, which
helps to prevent pimples from
forming.
PHB Ethical Beauty
Anti-aging Eye Gel
STARSKIN After Party Coconut
Bio-Cellulose Second Skin Brightening
Face Mask is perfect for those looking
for a product with hydrating properties.
They’re also paraben free, mineral oil
free and sulphate free, and contain
vitamin C which helps to gently
brighten skin. It also contains coconut
oil.

122
Philip Kingsley
Weatherproof Hairspray
BLOOPERS
Philip Kingsley Weatherproof
Hairspray is built to target uv
protected and shiny hair.
These Philip Kingsley hair
styling products are cruelty
free and contain aloe vera,
which helps to promote
elasticity.
NYX Professional
Makeup Honey Dew Me
Up Primer
NYX Professional Makeup Honey Dew
Me Up Primer is ideal for those with
normal, mature and dry skin who are
aiming to get a dewy ﬁnish.
This face makeup from NYX
Professional Makeup is cruelty free
and contains hyaluronic acid, which
helps to keep skin moisturised. It also
contains lavender oil.

Up Next: Literacy, Keyword Research and Content
Choices
Hannah Butcher
Koozai)
Sponsored by:

Thinking about pee & poo?
Using literacy to make choices about your content

Hannah Butcher
Head of Content & PR
@HannahFButcher

Your website isn’t
accessible enough.
@HannahFButcher

Colour palettes
Screen readers
Alt text
@HannahFButcher
🗷
🗷
🗷

Word choices
@HannahFButcher
🗷

An estimated 5.1 million
adults in England are
functionally illiterate...
@HannahFButcher
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/01/05/millions-british-adults-functionally-illiterate-problem-ignored/

Literacy isn’t equal.
@HannahFButcher

Let’s do better.
@HannahFButcher

A lesson from the NHS
how they chose their content
@HannahFButcher

Pee and poo and the
language of health
@HannahFButcher
https://digital.nhs.uk/blog/transformation-blog/2019/pee-and-poo-and-the-language-of-health

“If someone with poor
literacy understands
‘blood in your poo’,
it might just save their life.”
@HannahFButcher

ReadingSEO - 14th of November - Master Deck

Some people don’t like
words like ‘pee’.
@HannahFButcher

‘dumbing down’
@HannahFButcher

‘dumbing down’
‘simplistic’
@HannahFButcher

‘dumbing down’
‘simplistic’
‘patronising language’
@HannahFButcher

Does everyone agree?
@HannahFButcher

The NHS asked 10,000 people
for their opinion.
@HannahFButcher

“We get more than 10
positive comments for
every negative one.”
@HannahFButcher

‘clear’
@HannahFButcher

‘clear’
‘direct’
@HannahFButcher

‘clear’
‘direct’
‘language that anyone
can understand’ @HannahFButcher

The NHS still wants to help
people learn the language of
health.
@HannahFButcher

‘A sample of poo (stool
sample)’.
@HannahFButcher

Higher literacy users =
prefer ‘urine’
@HannahFButcher

Lower literacy users =
prefer ‘pee’
@HannahFButcher

And ‘wee’ is just too
confusing for voice search!
@HannahFButcher

Content accessibility
and why it matters
@HannahFButcher

1 in 5
children left primary
school in 2018 unable to
read or write properly.
@HannahFButcher
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/mar/03/literacy-white-working-class-boys-h-is-for-harry

1. Poland
2. India
3. Pakistan
4. Ireland
5. Germany
@HannahFButcher

“As adults, we ﬁnd a core
of 2,500 to 5,000 common
words easy to recognise
and understand.”
@HannahFButcher
https://www.nhsinform.scot/campaigns/nhs-inform-style-guide

“People with a learning
disability or dyslexia are
more likely to use simple
words like ‘poo’.”
@HannahFButcher

7 content accessibility
tips
for your website
@HannahFButcher

@HannahFButcher
Enter link here

@HannahFButcher
Enter link here
https://answerthepublic.com/

Search volumes don’t
tell the full story.
@HannahFButcher

“Include search keywords
where possible - without
shoehorning them in - to
satisfy SEO.”
@HannahFButcher

Write thinking of a 9 year-old
child and you’ll be accessible
to most of your users.
@HannahFButcher

Users skip long words.
@HannahFButcher

Long words =
8 or 9 letters
@HannahFButcher

Short words =
3, 4 or 5 letters
@HannahFButcher

Users read up to 28% of
text on a web page.
@HannahFButcher
http://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-little-do-users-read/

Words can be easily
misinterpreted.
@HannahFButcher

@HannahFButcher
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWGi1k1BHV0

Review your audience stats
for more insights.
@HannahFButcher

Use ‘Plain English’
@HannahFButcher

Try WordPress plugins
@HannahFButcher

Install Grammarly
@HannahFButcher

Install Grammarly
@HannahFButcher
New shiny thing
https://www.grammarly.com/tone

Ask for feedback
@HannahFButcher

Thank you
Any questions?
@HannahFButcher

Literacy, Keyword Research and Content Choices
Automated Content Generation
Surviving Seasonal SEO
Questions?
Steph Whatley
(SEO Manager -
Blue Array)
Emma Russell
(Head of SEO -
Hannah Butcher
Koozai)

@techseowomen Womenintechseo.com
NEXT EVENT
5th December 2019
Paige Hobart, Faye Watt and
Alina Ghost

16th January
@LondonSEOMeetup Londonseomeetup.com

ReadingSEO - 14th of November - Master Deck

ReadingSEO - 14th of November - Master Deck

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