Inbound 2017: Back to Our Roots with Technical SEO

@SWallaceSEO | #INBOUND17
B A C K T O O U R R O O T S
W I T H T E C H N I C A L S E O
Stephanie Wallace
Senior Director, Search Engine Optimization

Back to Our Roots With
Technical SEO
S T E P H A N I E WA L L A C E
Senior Director, SEO
Nebo

• The SEO Cycle
• Embrace Our Roots
• Baseline Technical Skills
• What To Learn Now
• How To Stay Ahead
A G E N D A

The Virtuous Cycle
of SEO

All Trends
Go Through
Cycles

The Same
Cycles Apply
to SEO

SEOs started as
“Webmasters”.

But, there were
problems…

And frustrated
users.

Google had to
evolve.

The role of an
SEO changed.

“SEO is dead”.

Enough said.

Is this real?

Content is king!

They are wrong.

Technology
+ Content

3.5 billion
Searches Per Day On Google
- I N T E R N E T L I V E S TAT S

500-600
- M O Z G O O G L E A L G O R I T H M H I S T O R Y
Google Algorithm Updates Per Year

+200
Ranking Factors, Each With Up To 50
Variations

Of Online
Experiences Start
With A Search
93%
- S E A R C H E N G I N E J O U R N A L

Technical SEO is
paramount

Embracing Our
Technical Roots1

Death of
SEO =
Birth of
Content as
King
NEED IMAGE
This is not about
learning to code

NEED IMAGE
Well, not
exactly…

Web developers
are magical
How does web
development work?
Magic.

You need to know
how things work

You need to know
how things work
Don’t be this guy

Start curious

Establish a Baseline
of Technical Skills2

Google
Analytics

TRACK & MEASURE
WEBSITE DATA
Use data to make informed business decisions
Google Analytics

Google Analytics
Dig into your data to measure
performance of marketing activities.

HTML & CSS

THE FOUNDATION OF
THE WEB
The languages used to explain your content to browsers
& make it stylish
HTML & CSS

HTML & CSS
Learn how to build a beautiful
webpage.

HTML & CSS
Learn how to build a beautiful
webpage.
www.codeacademy.com

JavaScript

CREATE INTERACTIVE
EFFECTS ON YOUR
WEBSITE
Bring HTML & CSS to life
JavaScript

Learn how to build a dynamic
webpage. JavaScript

JavaScript
Learn how to build a dynamic
webpage.
www.codeacademy.com

SQL
Structured Query
Language

LEARN HOW TO WORK
WITH RELATIONAL
DATABASES
SQL
To manipulate data and build queries that communicate with
more than one table

Easily parse data to pull out insights
that help inform marketing & more. SQL

Easily parse data to pull out insights
that help inform marketing & more. SQL
www.codeacademy.com

MySQL for
Excel

PULL PROCESSED
QUERY DATA INTO EXCEL
To browse MySQL Schemas, Tables, Views and Procedures
and perform data operations
MySQL for Excel

Big data needs more than a million
rows. MySQL for Excel

Schema

STRUCTURED DATA
MARKUP
Schema
Annotates specific elements on a page making them
easier for search engines to understand

Schema.org is the complete resource for
supported tags & microdata vocabulary. Schema

Use Google’s Structured Data Markup
Helper to generate code. Schema

Tools & Technology
to Learn Now3

MarkdownMarkdown

USE A PLAIN TEXT
EDITOR & MARKDOWN
To bypass the need for a developer
Markdown

Markdown

H1s & H2s
Markdown

Bulleted &
Numbered
Lists
Markdown

Block Quotes
Markdown

Links
Markdown

https://goo.gl/tJvCfi
Markdown

Markdown
dillinger.io

Markdown
dillinger.io
Paste Markdown here

Markdown
dillinger.io
Paste Markdown here View HTML here

Export as HTML here
Markdown
Paste Markdown here View HTML here
dillinger.io

Markdown
Create the HTML of
your dreams.

Install Sublime Text
Install Markdown Editing
Use Online Preview or Install a Viewer
• Online Preview: dillinger.io
• Viewer: Marked 2
Process
Markdown

Install Sublime Text
Install Markdown Editing
Use Online Preview or Install a Viewer
• Online Preview: dillinger.io
• Viewer: Marked 2
Process
Markdown
https://goo.gl/cFuJLc

Google Tag
Manager

MANAGE SITE TAGS VIA
CENTRAL INTERFACE
Separate from the source code a website
Google Tag Manager

1. Tag: A snippet of code (usually JavaScript) added to a page
2. Trigger: Defines when & where tags are fired
3. Variables: Receive or store information to be used by tags & triggers;
these impact what data is collected
Basic Components:
Google Tag Manager

Google Tag Manager

Use Case
Implement structured data markup
using Google Tag Manager.
New Tag >
Custom HTML

Use Case
Dynamically insert J-SON LD on all
pages you define.
Paste Code

Use Case
Dynamically insert J-SON LD on all
pages you define.
Define Trigger
Pages

Use Case
Verify via Google’s Structured Data
Testing Tool.

Why is Tag Manager
Awesome?
Google Tag Manager

Make site changes without developers
Implement Structured Data Markup
Analyze form abandonment
Track off-site downloads
Measure scroll depth & dwell time
Merge Google Analytics & CRM data
Change
the
World
Google Tag Manager

Developer
Tools

EVALUATE THE CODE
ON ANY WEBPAGE
To efficiently track issues & get insights for code
optimization
Developer Tools

Understand the code on any
webpage.
1
2
3
Developer Tools

Understand the code on any
webpage. Developer Tools

Check header responses for directives
such as x-robots, rel=canonical, etc. Developer Tools

Quickly change elements on any
webpage to illustrate recommendations Developer Tools

Quickly change elements on any
webpage to illustrate recommendations. Use Case

Why is this my
favorite non-SEO tool?
Developer Tools

Favorite
Tool
It’s built into your browser
Audits pages as they load to provide recommendations
for decreasing load time & increasing responsiveness
Allows you to view webpages via different devices, all
from your desktop
Has a built in user agent switcher
Developer Tools

It’s built into your browser
Audits pages as they load to provide recommendations
for decreasing load time & increasing responsiveness
Allows you to view webpages via different devices, all
from your desktop
Has a built in user agent switcher
Developer Tools
Favorite
Tool

GTmetrix

ANALYZE SITE SPEED &
MAKE IT FASTER
Because site speed matters… a lot
GTmetrix

GTmetrix
Get actionable, detailed information
on what’s slowing your site down &
how to improve it.

Using all of the data available,
prioritize implementation based on
overall impact.
GTmetrix

GTmetrix
Why not use Google PageSpeed?

GTmetrix
Why not use Google PageSpeed?
Google PageSpeed does not actually
measure the speed of your site.

Why is page speed analysis
important for SEO?
GTmetrix

GTmetrix
Speed
Matters
Site speed, and in turn page speed, is your first
impression with consumers
47% of users expect a site to load in less than 2
seconds*
50% of users will abandon your site entirely if takes
longer than 3 seconds*
Site speed is a confirmed ranking factor
*Stats courtesy of Kissmetrics.com

GTmetrix
seconds*
*Stats courtesy of DoubleClick by Google
Speed
Matters

Log File
Analyzer
by Screaming Frog

IDENTIFY CRAWLED
URLS & ANALYZE BOT
DATA
To uncover invaluable SEO insights
Log File Analyzer

Your log files contain the only data
that is 100% accurate in terms of how
search engines are crawling your site.
Log File Analyzer

Upload your log files to uncover how
search engines are crawling & parsing
your site.
Log File Analyzer

Verify search engine bots, identify
crawled URLs and analyze bot data &
behavior.
Log File Analyzer

Identify large & slow pages, identify
header response errors and redirects
that need to be resolved.
Log File Analyzer

Why is log analysis so
valuable?
Log File Analyzer

Log
Analysis
Too many response code errors create crawl budget
waste, which can negatively impact your rankings
Ensure search engines are crawling everything you
want indexed
Correcting the problems found in your logs will lead to
higher rankings, more traffic, & more conversions / sales
Log File Analyzer

APIs

INTEGRATE TOOLS &
APPLICATIONS
To streamline processes & make data easier to
work with
APIs

APIs
API:
Application Programming Interface
Your APP /
Program
A
P
I
Data Request
Data Request

APIs
Learn how to make applications talk to
each other.

APIs
Learn how to make applications talk to
each other.
www.codeacademy.com

Use Case
Uncover hidden keyword level data
using Google Sheets & APIs.

But why would I
use an API?
APIs

Many of the tools & platforms you already use have
APIs you can leverage
APIs can help make existing data convenient &
consumable
Scale productivity by automating robotic processes
APIs
Integrate

Accelerated
Mobile Pages
AMP

REDUCE CONTENT
LOAD TIME ON MOBILE
DEVICES
With AMP HTML pages served via Google
AMP

AMP
AMP has been integrated into
primary search results pages.
AMP design & compatibility
should be a consideration if
organic traffic from Google
represents a significant
amount of total visits.

Regular Page
www
Inbound.com
Hosted AMP
Inbound.com
AMP
Cached AMP
Inbound.com
gstatic
rel=“canonical”
rel=“canonical”
rel=“amphtml”
AMP
How Accelerated Mobile Pages work.

Pros:
1. Increased traffic through
higher visibility
2. Improved UX
3. Higher CTR &
engagement metrics
4. Up to 80% higher ad
visibility rates
AMP

Cons:
1. Can be very difficult to
implement
2. Offers limited functionality
compared to the main site
AMP

Queries for news, recipes, ecommerce
& more generate AMP results. AMP

AMP
Why should I get
AMP’d?

All About
Mobile
Nearly 60% of searches are performed on Mobile
Speed matters: users expect sites to load in 2 seconds
or less
Advice from Google’s Gary Isles:
“Pay attention to AMP. It’s going to be really big.
Figure out…how to implement it.”
It will most likely* become a ranking signal
*Yes, this is speculation…but trust me!
AMP

Nearly 60% of searches are performed on Mobile
Speed matters: users expect sites to load in 2 seconds
or less
Advice from Google’s Gary Isles:
“Pay attention to AMP. It’s going to be really big.
Figure out…how to implement it.”
It will most likely* become a ranking signal
*Yes, this is speculation…but trust me!
AMP
All About
Mobile

Progressive
Web Apps
PWAs

AN APP LIKE MOBILE
EXPERIENCE
Faster, lighter, & more personalized
PWAs

1
3
2
PWAs

Progressive Web Apps are
user experiences that have
the reach of the web.
They are reliable, fast, &
engaging.
Always fresh.
PWAs

Universal - available on iOS
and Android.
Push notifications.
Connectivity independent to
ensure PWAs work with low
quality or no connection.
PWAs

Do I need a PWA?
PWAs

Do I need a PWA?
PWAs
Probably not…

You don’t need one: most websites don't need to be
able to behave like an app
If you have an app it may be worth switching to a PWA
You may need one: your site offers real-time data
You may need one: your audience is likely to pull
content to browse offline, such as a news app or a blog
publishing many articles a day
PWAs
Progress

Progress
You don’t need one: most websites don't need to be
able to behave like an app
If you have an app it may be worth switching to a PWA
You may need one: your site offers real-time data
You may need one: your audience is likely to pull
content to browse offline, such as a news app or a blog
publishing many articles a day
PWAs

How To Stay Ahead
of the Curve4

Establish a
baseline of skills

Remember
Don’t be this guy

Stay up to date on
MarTech trends

Push your tools

Be prepared to
execute it yourself

Thank You! | Q&A
Stephanie
Wallace
Senior Director of SEO
Nebo
@SWallaceSEO | #Inbound17

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Inbound 2017: Back to Our Roots with Technical SEO

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