The document discusses the importance of SEO in driving free traffic for businesses, addressing the common misunderstandings and pitfalls in the industry. It emphasizes the need for quality content, adherence to Google's evolving algorithms, and the significance of building authority and trust online. Additionally, it outlines best practices for creating an effective SEO strategy that includes technical optimization and content relevance.

1. De Mystifying SEO – More Traffic More Business
By: Dan Kavanagh & Jon Colegate
Date: October 2014

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Why We Are Doing An SEO Seminar:
1. Everybody wants free traffic from , but how to get it is shrouded in mystery.
2. There has been a knowledge gap in the local area since Business Link ended.
3. There are a lot of people selling the service but their methodology and experience is
questionable.
We want to address these issues by giving free, quality information to get people started

3. De Mystifying SEO – More Traffic More Business
AN INTRODUCTION TO SEO

4. 1. Google is the market leading search engine in the UK with an 89% share.
Bing is next with 6%, then Yahoo with 3% (source: statistica.com October 2014).
2. Google is NOT the internet.
3. Google is a business; it delivers a service to its customers.
4. Google is complex. But always adheres to general marketing best practice.
5. SEO now heavily includes Mobile & Tablet. The traffic share has over taken desktop for the
desktop for the first time this year.
?De Mystifying SEO –More Traffic More Business

5. De-Mystifying SEO – More Traffic More Business
WHY SOME SEO STRATEGIES FAIL

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• Everyone is an expert right?? No one SPAM’s either…
- Honest.
• SEO companies often ‘pile ‘em high and sell ‘em cheap’.
• Approached as a technical exercise.
• Resources can be scarce.
• People provide SEO services to keep clients happy.

7. De Mystifying SEO –More Traffic More Business
• Outdated ‘spammy’ tactics may work for a while
but, they are a ticking time bomb…
• Various updates at Google can take you out
automatically at any time.
Or, you may get on the wrong side of a Google employee…

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Things to avoid…
Low Quality Directories
Aggressive Anchor Text
Writing ‘thin’ content
Poor site usability & readability
Not linking to other useful content

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Bigger brands get hit too…

10. De Mystifying SEO – More Traffic More Business -
HOW GOOGLE WORKS

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• Google is a citation* engine, or, at least it has been traditionally
- some things are changing.
• It also uses the content on your site to assess
your relevance to a search term.
• It also looks at users location, past browsing
habits, social connections etc. to form rankings.
* quotation or reference tool

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• As more people understand this basic relationship, more people try to ‘game’ Google.
• This game of cat and mouse has been played for
a decade or more.
• SPAM has proved successful in the past but comes
with significant risks attached.
In 2014, it is more risky than ever to try to out wit Google.

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• Google only really cares about its’ users (and making
money from AdWords!)
• It actively wants to reward websites that commit to
its’ users through:-
• It measures both using links, user behaviour, social sharing, content quality & SPAM
assessments.

14. De Mystifying SEO – More Traffic More Business
HOW GOOGLE MONITORS SPAM &
MALPRACTICE

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• Google fights SPAM much harder than it used to.
• It is now prepared to actively punish
low quality SEO.
• This is a major change in approach.
• It doesn’t always get it right!

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• Google’s Penguin Algorithm actively punishes over aggressive attempts to manipulate
rankings –mainly links.
• Updates occur periodically so websites will get hit and
recover periodically.
• You have to wait until the next update to get back in…
…It can be a long wait.

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• Panda assess your page quality and user experience.
• ‘Thin’ content, duplicate content pages with ads etc. are all in the firing line.
• Poor UX can damage rankings.
• E-commerce sites are especially vulnerable to Panda.

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• A Google employee may also look at your web content, links and shares.
• They might decide that they don’t like what you are doing and
that you’re not complying to the EAT* quality guidelines.
• And that’s bad news…
** Expertise, Authority, Trust

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What a ‘Google Update’ can look like for your traffic:-

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BASIC BUILDING BLOCKS OF A SOLID
STRATEGY

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• Make your website accessible to search engines.
• Fix technical problems.
• ‘Optimise’ Key HTML Tags.
• Create a solid Content Plan.
• Write on subjects that matter to your audience.
• Network and build citations, shares and tweets.

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WHY CONTENT, EXPERTISE & TRUST
ARE IMPORTANT

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• Leaked quality guidelines provide clear indications as to how site owners should
create and present their content.
• Expertise, Authority, Trust (EAT)
are signals that Google is trying to reward algorithmically.
• Is your content ‘high quality’ or ‘nothing special’?
• Or worse – low quality?!

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• Content should focus on users needs and problems. It will vary
depending upon your target audience.
• This content should show you as an EXPERT in your field.
• It can be in the form of:-
ARTICLES
VIDEOS
GUIDES
PDF’s
INFOGRAPHS
CHARTS BLOG POSTS

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• It goes wrong when content is made specifically for .
• This often means:
- It doesn’t cover the topic in depth
- It doesn’t address users needs
- It creates a high bounce rate
- It isn’t easy to read
- There are no links to other useful pages
- It is produced quickly and contains errors
- The focus is on quantity NOT quality

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• Getting recognised in your industry is important. You need to establish yourself as an
AUTHORITY on your subject.
• This helps search engines to view you as an industry leader.
• In order to achieve this you need to get quality, relevant links
and social shares within your specific ‘niche’.

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• Can your links, shares and content be trusted?
• YES if you are marketing your
content and networking.
• NO if you are spamming the
search engines and faking this.

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THE KEY ROLE OF MARKETING YOUR
BRAND & USP’S

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• In order to be successful online you need to commit to ‘outreach’.
• Make use of Twitter, Linkedin, Networking events, Exhibitions, Trade Associations,
and don’t forget your contact book!
• You can enhance your brand by: Creating useful & informative content
Connecting with your audience online
Making pages loads quickly
Making your pages easy to read
Erasing any technical errors
Keeping your users safe
Keeping users interested
• Links, citations, trust and rankings will follow.

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CONCLUSION

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1. If you have a website you MUST have a strategy to market that website.
2. Apply best practice marketing techniques and build your authority.
3. Get the basics right - Analytics, E-Commerce tracking etc. to give you intelligence.
4. Experiment.
5. Set goals i.e. number of conversions.
6. Monitor Cause & Effect.
7. Utilise social media and other FREE TOOLS.