Slides from the SEO session at Brave 20th January 2016

1. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
#SEO
@noisymonkey
@BRAVEBristol

2. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
PLAN
Intro Techie Stuff Architecture Content Links

3. BrianForbes

4. FHWRDH
NO
HANDOUTS
VIEW
SLIDES
ONLINE

5. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
HELLO
27 years in reality
20 years of being a computer nerd
5 years of digital marketing
1 year at Noisy Little Monkey

7. @NoisyMonkey
TRUSTED
The biggest local players in the public sector, the biggest local
brands and our peers
#SEO

8. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
RESPECTED
For campaigns that innovatively lever search, video, Facebook,
Twitter and Google+
#SEO

9. @NoisyMonkey
CANDID
We freely give away the basics. This stops our ‘competitors’
ripping people off.
#SEO

10. @NoisyMonkey
STUPID
Disruption is transformative#SEO

11. @NoisyMonkey
TESTED
Top shows all non PPC traffic from month 1. Bottom just that from
Universal Search
#SEO

12. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
YOU?
2 minutes max
Name – Job – Company
“Today, I’d like to go away with…”

13. BrianForbes

14. National Geographic

15. #SEO @NoisyMonkeyWider reading about CRO, see http://www.nngroup.com/
DIGITAL MARKETING…
visitor acquisition
visitor behaviour
visitor outcome

16. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
SEO
PARTICULARLY, GOOGLE

17. #SEO @MrJonPaynewww.youtube.com/watch?v=BNHR6IQJGZs

18. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
NO 1 ON GOOGLE ISN’T THE
GOAL
Google in 2001 isn’t the same as now

19. #SEO @MrJonPayneThe singularity! Almost. Things not strings.

20. #SEO @NoisyMonkeyWhere’s your number one? NOT EVEN ANY ADS!

21. #SEO @NoisyMonkeyThe singularity cometh. But in the meantime

22. #SEO @NoisyMonkeyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmQl6VGvX-c

23. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
PLAN
Intro Techie Stuff Architecture Content Links

24. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
CLEANING HOUSE
• Get your house in order
• Then invite people in

25. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
N00B?
• Sign up for Google Analytics
• Install Google Analytics on EVERY PAGE OF your website
• Set up Goals
http://www.google.com/analytics/

26. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
WEBMASTER TOOLS
• GOOGLE & BING WANT TO HELP YOU. SIGN UP!
• Sign up in YOUR name (not your web developer’s)
• Follow the instructions to verify your site
• On some CMS you can verify yourself
• If not, send the files to your developer
• Submit Sitemap.xml to both (http://www.xml-sitemaps.com/)
• Learn some cool stuff!
www.google.com/webmasters/ &
www.bing.com/toolbox/webmaster

27. #SEO @NoisyMonkey

28. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
SPEED TEST (TTFB)
http://www.webpagetest.org/
0.350 or faster
please

29. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
SPEED TEST
http://www.webpagetest.org/

30. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
SPEED TEST
https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/

31. KNOWLEDGE GRAPH
Millward Brown 2014
PEOPLE
USE
PHONES

32. #SEO @NoisyMonkeyhttp://wordpress.org/
http://yoast.com/wordpress/seo/
GET A RESPONSIVE SITE

33. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
MOBILES
• Google has a “mobile-friendly
test”
• Unlike PageSpeed Insights it is
a Boolean test.
• You either are or aren’t! No
shades of grey
https://www.google.co.uk/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/

34. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
WIDER READING
• Getting your website into “best practice” shape can be complicated.
• Google knows that not everyone is a computer whizz. That’s fine.
Trying to grapple with this may not be a solid ROI.
• However, if you want to learn more, here are some starting points:
• https://moz.com/blog/technical-site-audit-for-2015
• https://moz.com/blog/seo-cheat-sheet
• http://schema.org/docs/gs.html
https://www.google.co.uk/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/

35. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
PLAN
Intro Techie Stuff Content Architecture Links

36. HOW
DOES
GOOGLE
DETERMINE
RELEVANCE?
#SEO @NoisyMonkeyhttp://www.noisylittlemonkey.com/making-your-online-campaigns-
stick/

37. DOMAIN
LEVEL
INDICATORS
#SEO @NoisyMonkeyDoes the domain match the search?

38. SEARCH
TERMS IN
FILE PATH
#SEO @NoisyMonkeyHow closely does the URL match the query?

39. SEARCH
TERMS IN
PAGE TITLE
#SEO Google will truncate long page titles, so test here:
http://www.seomofo.com/snippet-optimizer.html Not for prudes.
@NoisyMonkey

40. SEARCH
TERMS IN
PAGE TITLE
#SEO Looks a bit repetitive, but it’s OK. @NoisyMonkey

41. SEARCH
TERMS IN ALT
TEXT
#SEO 2-4 words, actually describe the image… this is for blind people.
Ideally use an image which works for SEO & illustration
@NoisyMonkey

42. SEARCH
TERMS IN
HEADLINE 1,
H2, H3…
#SEO DON’T have this as ‘welcome to…’ or even worse an image! @NoisyMonkey

43. SEARCH
TERMS &
SYNONYMS
IN BODY
COPY
#SEO Write about what you know and this will happen naturally @NoisyMonkey

44. META
STUFF
#SEO Meta Description – doesn’t help rank, but should attract the click
Ignore meta keywords…your web dev is an idiot.
@NoisyMonkey

45. GOOGLE TRENDS!
#SEO http://www.google.com/trends/ @NoisyMonkey

46. SEARCH TERMS
#SEO
Volume
Intent Competition
@NoisyMonkey

47. SEARCH TERMS
https://adwords.google.com/ko/KeywordPlanner#SEO
Volume
Intent Competition
@NoisyMonkey

48. AIM LOW
#SEO Search Demand Curve courtesy of Moz.com @NoisyMonkey

49. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
THIS IS NOT AN AUTOMATIC WIN
• There is no substitute for genuinely useful content
• Optimising for search terms will help you use as much of your
website’s potential as possible
• However, if the potential of the site is low, none of these things will
magically make it better.

50. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
PLAN
Intro Techie Stuff Content Architecture Links

51. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
GOOGLE READS ALL
YOUR CONTENT

52. #SEO Exercise – What can Google use as trust indicators? @NoisyMonkey

53. #SEO Context… does this make sense as something that cures
toothache?
@NoisyMonkey

54. #SEO Name Address Phone number – are these referenced elsewhere
on the web, in context, by reputable sources?
@NoisyMonkey

55. #SEO Query Deserves Freshness (QDF) @NoisyMonkey

56. #SEO Is this image useful to help me organise the universe @NoisyMonkey

57. HOW
CAN
GOOGLE
DETERMINE
RELEVANCE?

58. NOT IMAGES
CODE + TEXT
ACCESSIBLE
GOOD UX

59. ALL IMAGE
TERRIBLE UX
NOT
ACCESSIBLE

64. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
AN ACCESSIBLE
WEBSITE MAKES THE
WEB A BETTER PLACE
FOR EVERYONE

65. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
PLAN
Intro Techie Stuff Content Architecture Links

66. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
THE (ANNOYING)
IMPORTANCE OF LINKS
They’re how spiders crawl the web

67. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
WHAT IS A LINK?

68. #SEO Matt talked about links. A link is something that you click / press on a
page which then fires off an event.
@NoisyMonkey

69. #SEO Your logo is a link, right? RIGHT? @NoisyMonkey

70. #SEO Your logo is a link, right? RIGHT? @NoisyMonkey

71. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
WHY ARE THEY
IMPORTANT?

72. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
TWO SITES
IF YOU ARE A ROBOT LIKE GOOGLE, LINKS CAN INDICATE
REAL WORLD STATUS
www.site1.com
bbc.co.uk
www.site2.com
auntmaviscookeryblog.co.uk

73. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
TYPES OF LINK

74. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
INBOUND LINKS
GOOD – ONLY AS LONG AS THE OTHER SITE IS
TRUSTWORTHY
www.yoursite.com/page-a
www.anothersite.com/page-b

75. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
INTERNAL LINKS
When page a links to page b, page a bestows some of its
authority onto page b
www.yoursite.com/page-a
www.yoursite.com/page-b

76. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
EXTERNAL LINKS
You’re saying to your visitors (and Google), “Hey, you can trust
this other site, because I do”
www.yoursite.com/page-a
www.anothersite.com/page-b

77. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
INBOUND LINKS
More inbound links is good then, right?
www.yoursite.com/page-a
www.anothersite.com/page-b

78. CC

79. CC
WITH LINKS
QUALITY >
QUANTITY

80. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
SOME CONTEXT
Let me tell you about an Arms Race

81. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
WHY ALL THE PENALTIES?
Google
measures
signal
SEOs spoof
signal
Google
evolves

82. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
HOW LINKS WORK

83. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
INBOUND LINKS
GOOD – ONLY AS LONG AS THE OTHER SITE IS
TRUSTWORTHY AND RELEVANT
www.yoursite.com/page-a
www.anothersite.com/page-b

84. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
RECIPROCAL LINKS
Beloved of ‘SEO’ companies, but think of the Knowledge Graph
Unless there is a demonstrable ‘real world’ partnership it’s risky
www.yoursite.com/page-a
www.anothersite.com/page-b

85. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
LINKS PASS AUTHORITY
Cultivate links from trusted websites, they pass more authority
Your
site
BBC
lots of links to it,
so it has lots of
authority
Local Chamber of
Commerce
Few people link to it,
but those that do are
trustworthy
Link Farm
Loads of links to
it, but mainly
reciprocal and
quite a few
questionable
links

86. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
LINKS PASS AUTHORITY
A diverse, relevant and growing set of linking websites is best
Your
site
BBC
Local blog
Business
partner
Local press
Trade
magazine
Local Chamber of
Commerce

87. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
DON’T WASTE HOMEPAGE LINKS
Don’t waste that strength on privacy policy, terms and conditions
and your web designer
www.yoursite.com/index
www.yoursite.com/stuff-the-customer-buys

88. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
‘CULTIVATE’ INBOUND LINKS TO
IMPORTANT PAGES
Your homepage will always rank well, so give deeper, important
pages some love
www.yoursite.com/stuff-the-customer-buys
www.anothersite.com/page-b

89. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
KEEP IT NATURAL
http://majesticseo.com
#WTF??
Is this reflected
on news sites,
social media,
search
volumes?

90. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
HOW DO I GET MORE
LINKS TO MY SITE?
You tell me.

91. #SEO FEED YOUR STAFF INTO DANGEROUS MACHINERY @NoisyMonkey

92. #SEO @NoisyMonkeyNEVER BUY LINKS! If someone tells you they’re a master od the
dark arts of SEO, they’re not.

93. WHO LINKS
TO YOUR
COMPETITORS?
#SEO https://moz.com/researchtools/ose/ Apply some common sense to
these results and think – why should these sites link to mine?
@NoisyMonkey

94. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
GET INVOLVED = GET LINKS
• Discussion forums (be a really useful engine)
• Research (white papers, or mine your data)
• Social bookmarking (reddit, stumbleupon, etc)
• Social media
• PR / Press Releases
• Comment on industry blogs
• Demonstrate partnerships IRL*
• Why not start your own blog?
Ignore social bookmarking if you’re not already using it

95. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
DON’T BUILD LINKS
• Links are a symptom of:
• Being active and known in the industry
• Doing famous or infamous marketing
• Doing great work
• Donating a houseboat to an episode of George Clarke’s Amazing
Spaces
• Do great things and the links will come to you.
• Just remember to keep them in mind.

96. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
PLAN
Intro Techie Stuff Content Architecture Links
Bonus

97. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
ENGAGE
ON GOOGLE+

98. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
SMASHING IT ON THE GOOGLE+
100,000 + views from Google / Google maps

99. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
SMASHING IT ON THE GOOGLE+

100. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
SMASHING IT ON THE GOOGLE+
It’s tough to do, but get it right and you should reap search
rankings too
Example posts…

101. #SEO @NoisyMonkey
• Verify location(s) – postcard method
• Verify website – rel publisher code
• If you’re posting anywhere else
recycle for Google+
• GET REVIEWS!
GOOGLE+ TIPS
© Aaron Stidwell

102. Want These Slides?
@NoisyMonkey