This document discusses how the author's views on SEO evolved over time. He used to believe that ranking highly in search was the most important factor, and that SEO was the primary driver of traffic. However, he realized search has become more complex, with personalized results, social influences, and the importance of brands. SEO is now just one marketing tactic among many that must be part of an overall inbound marketing strategy. Creating valuable content for customers and spreading it across multiple channels is key to success.

1. How SEO Blinded Me, Then Opened My Eyes
A story about the seductive power of search, and the
truth about marketing channels & why people buy
Rand Fishkin | CEO
http://bit.ly/mozblindedbyseo

4. SEO

6. But, SEO Also Blinded Me.

7. I Used to Believe…

10. #1: Gets 30% of
traffic and sales
#2: Gets 12% of
traffic and sales
#3: Gets 7% of
traffic and sales
#4: Gets 5% of
traffic and sales
#5: Gets 4% of
traffic and sales

11. Step 1:
Get Here
Step 2:
€ € € €!!

12. I Used to Believe…

13. Most users see
these same
results in the
same order.

14. Reality: The
days of standard
SERPs are over

15. I Used to Believe…

16. #1 and #2;
I’m winning!

17. Reality:
Rel=author + great
branding means
Aaron’s probably
winning

18. I Used to Believe…

19. >

21. I Used to Believe…

22. If a source doesn’t
send converting
visits, it’s useless.

23. Reality: Visitors
usually have lots
of ways to get to
your site before
they convert.

24. Hey Look! A Tree!

25. Oh… This is a forest.

26. Thankfully, SEO Evolved

27. No More 10
Blue Links

28. Today…

29. Snippets are Surprisingly
Sophisticated

30. Visuals Can
Dominate the
SERPs

31. Advertising Occasionally
Overwhelms Organic

32. More and More, Google’s Putting
Themselves in the Results

33. No More
Lengthening of
the Long Tail
“20 to 25% of the queries we see 15% of the searches we see
today, we have never seen before” everyday we’ve never seen before.
– Udi Manber, June 2007 - Google Facts, March 2012

34. Today…

35. Searches are
Suggested

36. Or Presumed

37. And Influence-able

38. No More
Domination
without a Brand
"Brands are the solution, not the
problem," Mr. Schmidt said. "Brands
are how you sort out the cesspool.“
- Eric Schmidt, October, 2008

39. Today…

40. Many Searches Bias
to Established Brands

41. Others Suggest the
Brands Directly

42. Brands Receive
Preferential Treatment

43. Penalties and Filters
are Designed to Target
Unbranded Sites

44. No More Manipulative Link
Behavior That Lasts at Scale

45. Today…

46. Big, Famous Link
Networks Get Hit

47. Small, Single
Sites Get Hit

48. Blog
Networks
are Being
Shut Down

49. Directories Get
Devalued

50. Google Will Lift Your
Penalty Faster If You
Tell Them How You
Got Those Links

51. No More Search
without Social

52. Today…

53. Google’s Social
Graph is Far Larger
Than Most Believe

54. The Hardest Page to Find in
Your Google Account Powers
Social Results Beyond Google+
http://www.google.com/s2/u/0/search/social

55. Email is Now a Social
Influence on Search

56. Google Will Go to Great
Lengths to Favor G+

57. As SEO Evolved, It Forced
Me to Evolve With It

58. Today…

59. SEO is a Tactic

60. Inbound Marketing is a Strategy

61. Because
Lower COCA = Competitive Advantage

62. This Process Is Simple to
Understand, Yet Hard to Execute
ONE DOES NOT SIMPLY
DO INBOUND MARKETING

63. Step #1:
Know Today’s Customers

64. Step #2:
Know Your Future Customers

65. Step #3:
Create the Content Both Desire

66. Step #4:
Spread Via Every Available Channel

67. Step #5:
Measure, Optimize & Improve

68. SEO is Just Content,
Keywords, Links & Rankings.

69. SEO is deeply connected to
broader marketing practices, and
it’s just one tactic amongst many.

70. SEO. But, no strategy.

71. Strategy, but no SEO.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUG9qYTJMsI

72. Rand Fishkin | CEO
@randfish
www.seomoz.org/blog
rand@seomoz.org
http://bit.ly/mozblindedbyseo