Google is the most essential online marketing channel. Facebook, Classified Ads, Yellow Pages, Angie’s List — all pale in comparison. Consumers who are ready to buy start on Google. Learn how it works, why it’s so important, and how your business can capitalize using the search engine optimization (SEO) process.

1. Getting Found Online:
The Ins and Outs of Google
Gere Jordan, Holony Media, 8/11/15

2. Hi!
My name is Gere Jordan
and I’m President of
Delaware based digital
marketing company
Holony Media.

3. We use the internet
to grow businesses.
Through website design, SEO, online
advertising, and consulting.

4. How often do you search Google?
What’s the last thing you searched for?
(Keep it PG13, Holly)
Quick Survey

5. Agenda for today:
1. The Power of Search Engines
2. What is SEO?
3. The Types of Results
4. How SEO Works
5. Local SEO in Action

6. The Power of Search Engines
Source: American Marketing Association
90%of users use
search engines
19bsearches per month
2ndmost popular online
activity (email is #1)
Sources: Pew Internet and comScore

7. Search is user friendly

8. Search establishes credibility

9. Search educates

10. Search drives business

11. SEO Leads Convert to Sales
Source: American Marketing Association

12. Importance to Local Businesses
Source: American Marketing Association
Source: BrightLocal
95% of smartphone users have
looked for local information.
88% of consumers trust
online reviews as much as
personal recommendations.
77% of smartphone users
contact a business after
looking for local information.

13. Source: American Marketing Association
Source: Google.com/think

14. Source: American Marketing Association
Source: Google.com/think

15. ^It all starts here.

16. Bottom Line:
Source: American Marketing Association
If you don’t show up on search engines
for the terms related to your products and
services in the area you operate, you’re
effectively invisible.

17. SEO 101

18. Search engine optimization is the process of
improving the volume or quality of visits from
search engines to a website.
What is SEO?

19. Internet search engines span as far
back as the early 1990’s.

20. Google’s Original PageRank Algorithm
● Method of ranking websites
pioneered by Google in 1996
● Numerical weighting of
hyperlinked documents
● Ranked by relative importance
● Not the only algorithm in play;
factors have evolved over time

21. Search Engine
Market Share
Source: American Marketing Association
Source: comScore

22. Google dominates because
they provide the best results.

23. The Standard Search
Engine Results Page
(SERP)

24. 3 Types of Results:
Paid (Pay-Per-Click)
Organic Results
Local Results

25. Pay-Per-Click
● These are the paid
ads on Google
● Placed through
Google AdWords
● Pay for each click to
your website
● Target keywords,
locations

26. Organic
● The normal or “natural”
search results
● Earned, not paid for
● Ranked by relevance
and authority

27. Local
● Local business listings
● Shown for queries tied to a
specific geographic location
● Include directions, reviews,
click-to-call, and website link
● Ranked by relevance,
authority, and local factors

28. Organic vs. PPC (Pay Per Click)
Source: American Marketing Association
● Organic is a long-term play; investment
● Organic is inexpensive relative to PPC
● People often ignore ads and trust organic
● PPC produces immediate results

29. 70% of the links search
users click on are organic,
not paid.

30. Ranking on Google: 3 Pillars of SEO
On-Page Elements Off-Page Elements
Technical Content Authority

31. Involve the technical elements of
website design, performance, and
accessibility.
● HTML code
● URL structure
● Duplicate content
● 301 redirects
● 404 errors
● Indexation (robots.txt)
● Load speed
Technical
Optimization

32. Content
Optimization
Involves the substance, organization,
and targeting of everything that can be
consumed on a website. Includes:
● Keyword research
● Copywriting
● Images, video & other media
● Keyword density
● Freshness
● Content architecture

33. Authority
Involves off-page factors that
influence the value and perceived
importance of a given web page.
Includes:
● Backlinks
● Anchor text
● Link velocity
● Social signals

34. But wait, what
impacts the local
search results?

35. Local
Ranking
Factors
The regular pillars play a role in
ranking local results, but there are
also distinct local ranking factors.
● Local keywords
● Directory citations
● Name, Address, Phone Number
(NAP) consistency
● Business categories
● Review signals

36. Google’s Advice to Businesses
Source: American Marketing Association
● Give visitors the information they’re looking for
● Make sure that other sites link to yours
● Make your site easily accessible

37. The Local SEO Process
in Action

38. Source: American Marketing Association
Keyword
Research &
Competitive
Analysis
Claim & Optimize
Local Directories
(Citations)
Website and
Content
Optimization
Build Authority and
Online Reputation
Measure and
Improve Local
SEO

39. Keyword Research &
Competitive Analysis

40. Keyword & Competitive Research
Source: American Marketing Association

41. Keyword & Competitive Research
Source: American Marketing Association
● How do your customers search for your
products and services?
● What variations of keywords exist and how are
those terms grouped or related?
● What keywords are your competitors targeting
on their websites?
● Who is ranking well for your target keywords?

42. Keyword Research Tools
Source: American Marketing Association
● Google AdWords Keyword Planner
● Google Suggested Search
● WordStream Free Keyword Tool
● KeywordTool.io

43. How would you search
for an attorney in
Delaware, OH?

44. Source: American Marketing Association

45. Gathering Additional Seed Keywords
Source: American Marketing Association
● Mine the related searches:
○ divorce attorney delaware ohio
○ law firms delaware ohio
○ dui attorney delaware ohio
● Add additional variations from
experience and customers
● Together, these are our seed
keywords

46. Use Google Keyword Tool to Uncover Ideas & Volume
Source: American Marketing Association
lawyers salary
driving under influence
divorce papers
legal separation
power of attorney form
car accident attorney
durable power of attorney form
legal aid lawyers
uncontested divorce
pro bono lawyer
ask a laywer online free
medical malpractice attorney
lawsuit lawyers
ssi lawyers
auto accident attorney
bankruptcy lawyers
discrimination lawyers
child support lawyers
attorney reviews
lawyer free consultation
corporate attorney
how to find a lawyer
real estate lawyers
criminal law attorney...
5seed keywords
spawned over 800
related terms and nearly
1Kmonthly searches
in Delaware

47. Website & Content
Optimization

48. Website Optimization: First Things First
● Professional design
● Easy to navigate
● Mobile friendly

49. Elements to Address on Each Page
● Title tag
● Meta description
● Keywords in headings
● Keywords in body
● Search engine friendly URL
● Internal links
● Image tags
● Name, address, phone
number

50. Build out your website logically. Map
one keyword to each page.

51. Create pages for different cities and
locations you wish to target.

52. Attorney Example Without SEO
A basic website outline that hasn’t
considered SEO may look like this:
Homepage
About
Practice
Areas
Contact

53. Attorney Example With SEO
Targeting more keywords means
adding more content. Each mapped to
a single topic.
Homepage
About
Criminal
Contact Practice Areas
Family Law
DUI Traffic Divorce Adoption

54. An SEO friendly website
should grow larger over
time.

55. Client Example: 2007

56. Client Example: 2009

57. Client Example: 2010

58. Client Example: 2013

59. Not All Content is Equal
● Focus on user needs
● Detailed and useful pages
● Easy to browse and scan
● High quality

60. Claim & Optimize
Directory Listings
(Citations)

61. Claim & Optimize
Directory Listings
(Citations)
Citations are defined as mentions of your business
name and address on other web pages -- even if
there is no link to your website.

62. Why are citations important?
● Citations increase the certainty search engines have
about your business contact information and category
● Citations help validate businesses as being located in a
certain area or part of a community
● More citations = better rankings

63. The Most Important Citation: Google
● Claim free Google My Business listing
● Add name, address, phone number
● Place your business in the proper category
● Add business description, website link, and images

64. Other Important Citation Sites

65. Build Authority & Online
Reputation

66. Links Build Authority
All things being equal, a website
with more, higher quality links
than the competition will rank
better on Google.

67. Using a political analogy,
links are like votes or
endorsements.

68. Methods for Earning Backlinks
● Publish on other websites
● Earn press coverage
● Build content that attracts links
and sharing
● Directories and profiles
● Get involved on community
websites and forums
● Get creative!

69. Your Reputation
Matters, Too
Encourage reviews on
sites like Google, Yelp,
and Facebook.

70. Measure & Improve

71. Track Results and Never Stop Improving
Install Google Analytics. Track visits, popular
pages, and your geographic reach. Run searches
to track your positions and competition.

72. In Summary

73. With 90%+ using search to find local
businesses, SEO is important.

74. There are 4 major groups of ranking factors including local
Technical Content Authority Local

75. Source: American Marketing Association
Keyword
Research &
Competitive
Analysis
Claim &
Optimize
Local
Directories
(Citations)
Website and
Content
Optimization
Build Authority
and Online
Reputation
Measure and
Improve Local
SEO
Local SEO is an
ongoing process.

76. Discussion time. What SEO
questions do you have?
For more information, including a copy of this
presentation, visit:
http://www.holony.com/bed