Enterprise SEO & Content Strategy: STOP THE PAIN!

AT REI WE INSPIRE, EDUCATE, AND OUTFIT FOR A LIFETIME OF HEY, THAT’S CONTENT OUTDOOR ADVENTURE STRATEGY… RIGHT IN OUR MISSION! AND STEWARDSHIP.Logo copyright © REI - REI - http://www.REI.com/Logo copyright ©http://www.REI.com/

WHY?SEOs NEED YOUR HELP.SO DO THEIR CUSTOMERS.SO DO THE SEARCH ENGINES.

WHY?YOU NEED HELP FROM SEOs, TOO. ** YOU JUST DON’T KNOW IT YET!

MYTH:YOU CANSHORT-CUTYOUR WAYTO SEOImage copyright © David July - http://www.flickr.com/photos/mountsutro/4667697699

REALITY:SUSTAINABLE SEOREQUIRES LONG-TERM INVESTMENT.

REALITY:SUSTAINABLE SEOREQUIRES LONG-TERM INVESTMENT.WE BEGAN INVESTING INSEO WAY BACK IN 2007.

SPAM CAN’T DO THISImage copyright © Radian6 - http://www.radian6.com/blog/2012/10/how-red-bull-stratos-successfully-soared-across-social-media/

RANK MUSTBE EARNED.

RANK MUSTBE EARNED. SPAM CAN’T GET THESE RANKINGS FOR A BRAND NAME SEARCH

AS WELL ASCLICK-THROUGH.

“RICH SNIPPETS” IN SEARCH CAN INCREASE CLICK-THROUGH BY 30%AS WELL ASCLICK-THROUGH.

NOT TO MENTIONCONVERSION.

THE STRUCTURED CONTENT DRIVING OUR “RICH SNIPPETS” ORIGNAL, BRAND-DRIVEN PRODUCT INFORMATION WRITTEN BY OUR TEAM OF IN-HOUSE EXPERTSNOT TO MENTIONCONVERSION.

MYTH:SEO TAKESAWAY FROMMY OTHEREFFORTSImage copyright © dfb - http://www.flickr.com/photos/geodanny/7031816979

WE USED SEOMETRICS TOSUPPORT WEBPERFORMANCEOPTIMIZATION

MYTH:SEO IS FORROBOTS, NOTPEOPLEImage copyright © whirledkid - http://www.flickr.com/photos/whirledkid/3263379234

ROBOTS ACT ASOUR PERSONALWAYFINDINGAGENTS.

REALITY:THE GOOGLEKEYWORD TOOL ISNOT AN EDITORIALDICTATOR.

KEYWORD VOLUMEIS NO SUBSTITUTEFOR EDITORIALGOVERNANCE.

REALITY:GOOD LINKS AREIMPORTANT, BUTGOOD EXPERIENCESARE ESSENTIAL.

NEED TO BUILDLINKS? START BYBUILDING OUTGREAT CONTENT.

REALITY:THIS IS FINALLYNO LONGER TRUE.

…BUT IT DOESN’THELP THAT LINKSELLERS ARE STILLIN THE INDEX.

MYTH: SEO IS DEADImage copyright © Joe Shlabotnik - http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/6508884077

REALITY:BELIEVE WHAT YOULIKE…

REALITY:BELIEVE WHAT YOULIKE… BUT I’LLBELIEVE THE DATA.

REALITY:BELIEVE WHAT YOULIKE… BUT I’LLBELIEVE THE DATA.OUR EARLY INVESTMENTIN SEO REALLY PAID OFF!

STOP BELIEVING THE MYTHS.Image copyright © nadi0 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/nadio/385590715

1. GOOGLE WEBMASTER TOOLS google.com/webmasters/tools

SIGN UP HERE!1. GOOGLE WEBMASTER TOOLS google.com/webmasters/tools

2. GOOGLE RICH SNIPPETS TESTING TOOL google.com/webmasters/tools/richsnippets

GET STARTED HERE!2. GOOGLE RICH SNIPPETS TESTING TOOL google.com/webmasters/tools/richsnippets

CHALLENGE: WHO’S LINKING? WHERE?Image copyright © Ravages - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ravages/2831688538

3. SEOMOZ OPEN SITE EXPLORER opensiteexplorer.org

GET A GREAT TUTORIAL HERE!3. SEOMOZ OPEN SITE EXPLORER opensiteexplorer.org

4. SEOGADGET LINKS API EXT. FOR EXCEL seogadget.com/tools/links-api-extension-for-excel

GET GREAT TECH NOTES HERE!4. SEOGADGET LINKS API EXT. FOR EXCEL seogadget.com/tools/links-api-extension-for-excel

5. EXCELLENT ANALYTICS excellentanalytics.com

GET A GREAT TUTORIAL HERE!5. EXCELLENT ANALYTICS excellentanalytics.com

6. SPLUNK splunk.com

GET A GREAT TUTORIAL HERE! 6. SPLUNK splunk.com

“ WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?”

WHAT CAN SEO AND CONTENTSTRATEGY ACCOMPLISH BY WORKINGTOGETHER?

REI CASE STUDY:EXPERTADVICE

GOAL: REPLICATE THE REI IN- STORE “GREEN VEST” EXPERIENCE ONLINE STRATEGY: USE CORE VALUES AND EXPERTISE TO ANSWER CUSTOMER QUESTIONSImage copyright © milos milosevic – http://www.flickr.com/photos/21496790@N06

GOAL:REPLICATE THE REI IN-STORE “GREEN VEST”EXPERIENCE ONLINESTRATEGY:USE CORE VALUES ANDEXPERTISE TO ANSWERCUSTOMER QUESTIONSRESULT:HUNDREDS OF “HOW-TO”ARTICLES ABOUT GEAR,APPAREL & ACTIVITIES

ON-SITE: RE-WROTE <TITLE>s, <META> DESCRIPTIONS FOR REAL PEOPLE REDUCED DUPLICATION, ADDED CANONICAL <LINK> ELEMENTS IMPROVED CROSS-LINKS AND NAVIGATION CREATED AN XML SITE MAP OF ALL CONTENTImage copyright © Dmitry Baranovskiy – http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmitry-baranovskiy/2378867408

OFF-SITE: TRANSFORMED BEST CONTENT INTO USEFUL, ENGAGING INFOGRAPHICS REACHED OUT TO RELEVANT INFLUENCERS AND PUBLISHERS ALIGNED CONTENT WITH EDUCATIONAL EVENTS IN OUR STORES EARNED ATTENTION FROM THE MEDIAImage copyright © REI – http://www.REI.com/

PEOPLE: SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY FOR SEO ACROSS MANY DIVISIONS TIED SEO OUTCOMES TO ANNUAL REVIEW TARGETS FOR ALL CREATIVE TEAMS DOCUMENTED SEO STANDARDS, GOVERNED WITH TRAININGImage copyright © nicola.albertini – http://www.flickr.com/photos/nalbertini/4077136093

POSITIVE BRANDMENTIONS FROMLIFEHACKER

POSITIVE BRANDMENTIONS FROMLIFEHACKER ANDWIRED

POSITIVE BRANDMENTIONS FROMLIFEHACKER ANDWIRED AND LOCALBUSINESS PRESS

REI MADE IMPLICTEXPERTISEEXPLICIT ANDFINDABLEHUNDREDS OF “EXPERT ADVICE”ARTICLES DRIVES HUNDREDS OFTHOUSANDS OF NEW PEOPLE TODISCOVER REI

WE TRANSFORMEDTHAT CONTENTINTO VISUAL,SHAREABLE DATAAND OUR CREATIVE ANDMERCHANDISING TEAMS WEREENGAGED BY THIS INFORMATIONDESIGN CHALLENGE

WE REACHED NEWAUDIENCES WITHEARNED MEDIACONTENT MARKETING SHOULD BEPART OF EVERY CONTENT STRATEGY!AND YOU SHOULD BE FLUENT INMARKETING ANALYTICS.

WE LEVERAGEDNEW METADATAFORMATS FORINTEROPERABILITYTHESE ARE ACTIVE ACROSSOUR ENTIRE CATALOG, DRIVINGTRAFFIC RIGHT WHERE WEWANT IT: OUR PRODUCTS!

WE PROVED OUTTHE VALUE OFSTRUCTUREDINFORMATIONWE EVALUATE OUR IN-HOUSE TEAMAGAINST SEO STANDARDS AND SEOHELPED MAKE THE CASE FOR OURFACETED NAVIGATION SYSTEM

WE HELPED BUILDSKILLS ANDCOMMUNITIESACROSS CHANNELSREI IS THE LARGEST OUTDOOREDUCATOR IN THE UNITED STATESBY NUMBER OF PEOPLE TAUGHT

WE LINKED DATAWITH CONTENT TOAID IN WAYFINDINGAND GREW OUR HYPERLOCALAWARENESS AT THE SAME TIME BYPROVIDING A VALUABLE SERVICE

CONCLUSION AND FINAL THOUGHTS

I’M AN SEO WHO VALUES CONTENT STRATEGY

JONATHON COLMAN PRINCIPAL EXPERIENCE ARCHITECT FOR REI WWW.REI.COM TWITTER @ JCOLMANLET’STALK.

Enterprise SEO & Content Strategy: STOP THE PAIN!

Jonathon Colman

Enterprise SEO & Content Strategy: STOP THE PAIN!