This document provides an overview of search engine optimization (SEO) techniques. It begins by introducing the speaker and their experience in SEO. The rest of the document discusses what SEO is, how search engines have evolved over time, and tips for creating optimized content, including performing keyword research and planning content around keywords and the user's intent. The focus is on how SEO has shifted to prioritizing high-quality, engaging content over other optimization techniques and the importance of content in driving search traffic.

1. 28th March 2015
by Adrian Land
SEO
–
the
future
is
content.
Again!
Presents
at

2. WHY CAN I TALK ABOUT SEO?
I
have
been
doing
online
marke>ng
&
SEO
since
the
late
90’s.
I
learnt
my
trade
&
survived
the
dot-­‐com
bubble
before
driving
ROI
from
natural
search
and
other
channels
for
compe>>ve
companies
in
challenging
ver>cals.
In
2013,
founded
my
own
agency
SESOME.
• Head
of
Inbound
Marke>ng
at
My
Des>na>on.com
• Head
of
SEO,
for
Thomas
Cook
Group
• Global
Director
of
SEO
for
Hotels.com
• Head
of
Search
for
HomeAway
Group
Europe
Previous
roles
held
Find
me
>
@adrianland
|
adrianland.uk
|
sesome.co.uk

3. THE NEXT HOUR
What is SEO? Explained and myth busting.
Recent changes and what it means for you.
IF, the future is content (again)!, So, what is
optimised content?
Then some practical. Tips and discussion
around content planning & production.
Then some practical!

4. WHAT IS SEO?
“The
process
of
improving
the
volume
and/or
quality
of
traffic
to
a
web
site
or
a
web
page
via
‘natural’
or
unpaid
prac=ces”
Personalised
SERPs
based
on
your
search
history,
your
open
graph,
your
social
media
interac>ons,
thema>cally
related
search,
‘suggest’/’instant’,
and
now
your
other
Google
products
&
services
you
use

5. • 65% of sessions online start with a search*
• Search is getting very specific
• Types: Websites, Images, Maps, Shopping, Blogs, Video, Places, Discussions, Academic, Patents etc.
• Frequency: By hour, day, specific date, years
• Location: Given and implied
• Search isn’t just Google anymore. What about YouTube, Facebook etc.
• 3 types of keywords
• Brand / Navigational
• Transactional
• Informational
Keywords imply users intent and needs!
WHY IS SEARCH IMPORTANT?
*
Made
that
up
–
couldn’t
find
a
reliable
stat
–
but
it
is
a
lot!

6. CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS?
ESPECIALLY SEARCH

7. >200 to >500 RANKING FACTORS*
*
Depends
on
who
is
guessing

8. HOW DOES SEO WORK?
1.
2.
3.

9. SEO DOESN’T HAVE TO BE SCARY
links, mentions &
citations
CMS, servers,
response codes,
indexation, sitemaps,
robots.txt etc.
keywords, titles &
content
TECHNOLOGY
RELEVANCE
AUTHORITY

11. IN A ROOM LIKE THIS

12. A CONTINUOUS EVOLUTION
But
the
mission
of
the
engines
is
s>ll
to
give
the
best,
most
relevant
results
to
their
users
And,
our
objec>ves
are
s>ll
the
same
What
has
changed
in
Google?

13. PANDA, PENGUINS & HUMMINGBIRDS
On
site
Rewarded
quality
content,
code,
speed,
engagement
Off
site
Penalised
‘poor’
link
profiles
Rewrite
of
the
algo
NLP
and
sen>ment.
Rewarded
answers
and
knowledge

14. WEB/LINK SPAM – PENALISED

15. USING THE WHOLE SEARCH TERM
… and not just keywords
Plus, other clues to understand your query to
provide you the answer
OLD SEO: How
do
I
rank
for
this
keyword?
NEW SEO: How
do
I
answer
my
users
ques>ons?

16. Other changes

17. SEARCH (ALREADY) HAS GONE MOBILE
What
clues
do
you
also
(unknowingly)
give
57
other
clues
including:
• GPS
loca>on
–
current
and
previous
• Your
device
• Your
search
history

18. DATE à APRIL 21st 2015
• Google has pre-announced a change
• If a user is on a mobile device – most searches
now
• It will give preference to mobile friendly site
IS YOUR SITE RESPONSIVE?
google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly

19. INSIDE CHROME
Right
click
>
Inspect
Element
A. Select
the
mobile
symbol
B. Select
device
A.
B.

20. WHAT IS OPTIMISED CONTENT?

21. ATTRIBUTES OF A STRONG PAGE
Title tag, Meta, Headings (structured
markup), structured data &
microformats
Text, Images, Video, UGC, Social
Analytics – engagement, bounce rate
etc, Freshness

22. 57 TYPES OF CONTENT
101 lists, A day in the life, About me!, About you, Admit faults,
Advice, Best buys, Blueprints and plans, Bucket lists, Case
studies, Collate trending news, Common mistakes,
Comparisons, Complaints & rants, Conference takeaways,
Data, Dear future self…, E-Books, Events & Sponsorship, FAQs,
Funnies, Gifs, Good / nice things!, Guest posts, Hold a
competition, How to blog, How To…, In 5 years time &
predictions, Infographics, Interviews, Lessons learned, Life
hacking tips, Make a game, Market analysis & commentary,
Music & Performances, Myths & busting them, News
commentary, Photos, Q & A, Rants, Reaction posts, Regulations
& compliance, Research & analysis, Resources for readers,
Review a Book/Movie/Product, Round ups and compilations,
Seasonal posts, Share your challenges & issues, Strange facts,
Tell a story, This history of…, Top XX, Training materials,
Webinars, What if…?, Write a story, Your vision and opinions,

23. STRONG CONTENT
• Make your content great
• Make it relevant and
engaging
• Quality –“panda questions”
• Gentle keyword usage
• Make it shareable

24. Earning peoples attention, as opposed to
borrowing/buying it
Brands and Innovators have
an unique advantage:
• High quality creative
• Quality & focused content
• Cutting edge products/
services
• Big data
• A brand that resonates and
is worthy of being talked
about

25. RECAP – SEO -> What do people get wrong?
• User experience & engagement
• Search and Social isn’t built in from the ground up
• In-accessibility!
• Not designed for mobile (responsive design)
• Lack unique content
• Little or no consumer engagement or delight
• Slow and error prone sites
• Non-joined up marketing channels, and siloed
reporting that reinforces what they think they know
• Assume that if you build a website customer will just
come!

26. A QUICK
TIME CHECK

27. TIME FOR YOU TO DO SOMETHING

28. BEFORE YOU JUST START
LET’S
PLAN
OUR
CONTENT
PIECE

29. TRAVEL
BLOG
READERS
LIFECYCLE OR DAY IN THE LIFE OF YOUR
AUDIENCE DIAGRAM. PUT YOUR AUDIENCE
LITERALLY AT THE CENTRE
1. LABEL
THE
STAGE
2. BRAINSTORM
TOPICS
PER
SEGMENT

30. THINK ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE AND YOUR REASON FOR
WRITING IT. WHAT DOES IT NEED TO CONTAIN. MAKE YOUR
OWN SYSTEM
• Jot down, why you are
writing this piece
• Where is it going to be
published
• & what keywords are
important
• Find a system that works
for you
Intro Detail
Purpose
/
Theme Introduce
and
inspire
Barcelona's
hot
air
ballooning
scheme
Location
of
article e.g.
Hub
-­‐
Travel
articles
||
Blog
||
Country
Hub
of
Spain
Destination(s) e.g.
Barcelona
&
Madrid
POI(s)
Research
Keywords
&
Phrase
applicable
from
standard
list
"<geography>
restaurants",
"things
to
do
in
<geography>"
Keywords
&
Phrases
specific
to
article
"hot
air
ballooning
Barcelona",
"adventure
sport
in
Barcelona"
Content
Heading
(also
the
H1)
Body
copy
Links
to
be
used
inline http://www….
With
anchor
text…..
External
links
to
be
used
Meta
title
Meta
description
Meta
keywords
Publishing
Check
list
Keywords
present
in
Title YES
/
NO
Keywords
present
in
Body
copy YES
/
NO
Assets
have
alt
tags YES
/
NO
Article
has
used
meta
titles,
descriptions
and
keywords
YES
/
NO
Article
technical
bits
(if
applicable)

31. KEYWORD RESEARCH RESOURCES
http://keywordtool.io/ http://ubersuggest.org/
https://adwords.google.com/KeywordPlanner
Competitors themselves OR Google autosuggest

32. GOOGLE TRENDS
http://www.google.com/trends/
Use to find trends over time.
Shows keywords, topics by
location.
Can use for spelling e.g.
Mallorca or Majorca, Holiday
versus Vacation
Default is Worldwide
Can refine
Can focus by geography

33. THINK ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE & WHY YOU ARE
WRITING THIS PIECES
• Jot down, why you are
writing this piece
• Where is it going to be
published
• & what keywords are
important
• Remember the Panda
questions
Intro Detail
Purpose
/
Theme Introduce
and
inspire
Barcelona's
hot
air
ballooning
scheme
Location
of
article e.g.
Hub
-­‐
Travel
articles
||
Blog
||
Country
Hub
of
Spain
Destination(s) e.g.
Barcelona
&
Madrid
POI(s)
Research
Keywords
&
Phrase
applicable
from
standard
list
"<geography>
restaurants",
"things
to
do
in
<geography>"
Keywords
&
Phrases
specific
to
article
"hot
air
ballooning
Barcelona",
"adventure
sport
in
Barcelona"
Content
Heading
(also
the
H1)
Body
copy
Links
to
be
used
inline http://www….
With
anchor
text…..
External
links
to
be
used
Meta
title
Meta
description
Meta
keywords
Publishing
Check
list
Keywords
present
in
Title YES
/
NO
Keywords
present
in
Body
copy YES
/
NO
Assets
have
alt
tags YES
/
NO
Article
has
used
meta
titles,
descriptions
and
keywords
YES
/
NO
Article
technical
bits
(if
applicable)

34. THE ‘PANDA’ QUESTIONS FROM GOOGLE
We, and the bots want quality content – real content, not automated, not duplicate nor “thin” content. Here
are some questions from Google to think about when planning your content. Our content team use this
too
• Would you trust the information presented in this article?
• Is this article written by an expert or enthusiast who knows the topic well, or is it more shallow in
nature?
• Does the site have duplicate, overlapping, or redundant articles on the same or similar topics with
slightly different keyword variations?
• Would you be comfortable giving your credit card information to this site?
• Does this article have spelling, stylistic, or factual errors?
• Are the topics driven by genuine interests of readers of the site, or does the site generate content by
attempting to guess what might rank well in search engines?
• Does the article provide original content or information, original reporting, original research, or
original analysis?
• Does the page provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results?
Source:
hJp://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/more-­‐guidance-­‐on-­‐building-­‐high-­‐quality.html

35. CONTINUED…
• How much quality control is done on content?
• Does the article describe both sides of a story?
• Is the site a recognized authority on its topic?
• Is the content mass-produced by or outsourced to a large number of creators, or spread across a large network of
sites, so that individual pages or sites don’t get as much attention or care?
• Was the article edited well, or does it appear sloppy or hastily produced?
• For a health related query, would you trust information from this site?
• Would you recognize this site as an authoritative source when mentioned by name?
• Does this article provide a complete or comprehensive description of the topic?
• Does this article contain insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious?
• Is this the sort of page you’d want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend?
• Does this article have an excessive amount of ads that distract from or interfere with the main content?
• Would you expect to see this article in a printed magazine, encyclopedia or book?
• Are the articles short, unsubstantial, or otherwise lacking in helpful specifics?
• Are the pages produced with great care and attention to detail vs. less attention to detail?
• Would users complain when they see pages from this site?

36. SO WHAT?
DOES IT GIVES SOMETHING VALUABLE?

37. QUESTIONS

38. THANK YOU
Adrian Land
adrian@sesome.co.uk
@adrianland