This document provides an overview of key things SEOs need to know to keep up with changes at Google in 2014. It discusses Google making over 500 algorithmic changes per year, fluctuations in search results, and the over 85 unique types of search engine results pages. Major topics that SEOs should be familiar with include algorithm updates, click-biasing changes, and user behavior shifts like the rise of mobile search. The document also provides strategies and tactics for SEOs, including focusing on user satisfaction over rankings, prioritizing better content over more content, and leveraging tools like Google Analytics, Webmaster Tools, and Page Speed Insights.

1. William Roy, Web Accounts Manager & Co-Founder
@ Immerge Technologies, A McClung Company
Keeping Up with Google in 2014
PART OF MC UNIVERSITY

2. The Challenge

3. 500+ Algorithmic Changes Each Year
In 2012 alone, Google says they had 665 “launches” of new search-changing features
Above: Google’s process based on 2012 data

4. Innumerable Fluctuations in Search Results
On average, each month 8.5
of the top 10 will change
ranking position.
And every day, 78%
of search results have
some ranking change.

5. 85+ Unique Types of SERPs

6. There’s New Information Every Day
Marketers are
constantly testing,
Google is
constantly
announcing, and
new discoveries
are constantly
being made.
Via 10 SEO Experiments

7. Why Bother Keeping Up?

8. The Opportunity vs. Older Methods Only

9. In SEO, the Rich Get Richer
Top search ranking
positions don’t just
drive traffic…
They also earn clicks,
sales, shares,
branding, and links
that make it even
harder to outrank
them over time.

10. If You Used Manipulative Tactics or
Outsourced, There’s High Risk
Anchor text heavy link
building was once a staple of
SEO; now it’s a liability.
Two rec’d posts: Identifying Link Penalties and Guide to Penalty Removal

11. As a Marketer, Keeping Up is as
Important as Doing the Work

12. What Do We Absolutely
HAVE to Know?

13. Major Algorithmic Updates
This free resource from Moz shows every major, “named” update over the last 13 years

14. Spotlight Update: Hummingbird
Hummingbird promoted
results that are less about
perfect keyword targeting
and more about matching
the query’s intent.

15. Major Click-Biasing Changes
Via Eye Tracking SERPs from Dr. Pete
SOME GENERAL IMPLICATIONS
As Google moves away from 10 plain listings for more and more
searches, it is definitely having an impact on search users.
You need to be familiar with your competitive space and take
advantage of SERP enhancements, like video thumbnails.
Ranking #1 might not be pulling the weight it used to if your
competitors down the page have more visually interesting results.
These results also suggest that the in-page Local/Places results are
having a strong impact, even if they fall in the middle of the page.
If your query has a local flavor, you need to be aware of how your
Google Places page is competing.

16. e.g. Instant Answers
With answers this complete, can
anyone get real search traffic for
these terms?

17. e.g. Knowledge Graph
h"p://youtu.be/mmQl6VGvX-­‐c

18. e.g. Rel=Author Markup
These show up because
the writers have used
Google+’s rel=author
integration.

19. e.g. Google+ Based Personalization
This only ranks because
the person follows Cyrus
on Google+

20. Major User Behavior Changes
Pew gives some nice, big picture data in their 2012 search engine use report

21. e.g. Mobile Search Behavior
Via
http://www.smartinsights.com/mobile-marketing/mobile-marketing-analytics/mobile-marketing-statistics/
and http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/196826/
“What
are
mobile
searchers
looking
for?
Both
mobile
phone
and
tablet
searchers
find
accuracy
of
informaFon
to
be
more
important
than
depth
of
content,
according
to
the
researchers.
Tablet
searchers,
however,
are
placing
more
importance
on
depth
of
content
over
Fme,
while
mobile
phone
searchers
are
placing
less
importance
on
this
measure.”

22. e.g. Load Speed Expectations
Via Google’s Site Speed Overview
How
does
your
site
stack
up
to
your
industry?

23. e.g. CTR Curve Changes
Some of the SERPs CTR studies compared by Geoff Kenyon
Every year, the
distribution of clicks
becomes less
concentrated,
suggesting more
people scrolling
further to find what
they want.

24. What Google’s History
Can Tell Us

25. Google of the Past Focused on Limited Inputs

26. Google of the Future Will (try to) Consider Everything!
For more detail, check out this visual guide to on-page optimization and the 2013 search ranking factors

27. Google of the Past Had 10 Blue Links
Basic results like this
comprise less than 20% of
Google’s SERPs today.

28. Google of the Future is Visually Complex

29. SEO of the Past Was a Small Subset of
Mostly Technical Tasks

30. SEO of the Future Encompasses a Huge
Number of Responsibilities

31. SEO of the Past Was Tactical
There is still a lot of this in the SEO field.

32. SEO of the Future is Strategic
We are slowly, as an industry, moving in this direction.
Being an early adopter is a powerful thing J

33. 3 Strategic & 3 Tactical Tips
for Great SEO in 2014

34. Strategy #1: Make Sure Your Marketing &
Product Tell a Cohesive Narrative.
Far too many of us in the marketing world do “transactional SEO.” We don’t think about why we’re making content
or getting rankings or earning traffic, and thus waste a ton of effort. Google’s Avinash Kaushik wrote an excellent
post detailing the “See. Think Do.” Model.

35. Strategy #1: Make Sure Your Marketing &
Product Tell a Cohesive Narrative.
Does the story you
tell here…
match the way you
market, sell, and deliver
results here?

36. Strategy #2: Determine Where SEO Really Fits in Your
Branding, Education, Conversion, & Retention Efforts?
What kinds of content &
rankings will bring the
right people to these
places at the right time?

37. Strategy #3: Don’t Build a Team of SEOs. Build a Team of
Great Marketers with Strong SEO Skills.
More details here: http://moz.com/rand/the-t-shaped-web-marketer/

38. Tactic #1: Worry About Earning the Click & Satisfying the
Visitor As Much Or More than Ranking Higher
If the snippet doesn’t excite searchers and the
page doesn’t deliver value, all the keyword
targeting, link building, & social sharing in the
world won’t save you.

39. Tactic #2: Better Content > More Content

40. Facebook likes are well correlated with higher rankings, yet all
the evidence says Google doesn’t index Facebook directly.
See the full post from Eric Enge: Does Facebook Activity Impact SEO?
?

41. Tactic #3: Correlation might be more interesting than causation.
More details here: http://moz.com/rand/what-do-correlation-metrics-really-tell-us-about-search-rankings/ and full
ranking factors here: http://moz.com/search-ranking-factors
If you can discover what features your higher-
performing competition has (in search, social, or
content), you’re likely on to something big.

42. Tactic #3: Correlation might be more interesting than causation.
More details here: http://moz.com/rand/what-do-correlation-metrics-really-tell-us-about-search-rankings/ and full
ranking factors here: http://moz.com/search-ranking-factors
E.g. I don’t care if Google doesn’t
use Facebook. I care because
content that gets Likes/Shares also
seems to get whatever stuff is
needed to rank better.

43. SEO in 2014 is much more
than just “SEO.”

44. But every SEO skill you’ve
built from 1997-2013 remains
valuable & necessary.

45. Let’s Look At Some Tools
Google Universal Analytics
Google Webmaster Tools
Google AdWords & Remarketing
Google Page Speed Optimizer

46. Google Universal Analytics
Universal
AnalyFcs
is
the
re-­‐imagining
of
Google
AnalyFcs
for
today’s
mulF-­‐screen,
mulF-­‐device
world
and
all
the
measurement
challenges
that
come
with
it.
UA
just
came
out
of
beta
last
month
in
April
2014.
It’s
the
movement
from
tracking
visits
to
tracking
visitors.
Universal
AnalyFcs
is
the
new
operaFng
standard
for
Google
AnalyFcs.
All
accounts
will
soon
be
required
to
use
Universal
AnalyFcs.
You
need
to
be
savvy
or
have
a
web
developer
take
care
of
the
update.

47. Google Webmaster Tools
Logging
into
www.immergetech.com
Top
Features
For
First
Time
Tool
Users
• Preferred
Domain
SeYng
(canonical
seYng
for
where
to
apply
Google
Juice)
• Data
Highlighter
(for
any
structured
info
so
it
can
show
on
SERPs)
• Duplicate
Meta
Tag
Assessment
(clean
up
your
pages
to
show
Google
you
care)
• Major
issues
DiagnosFc
Tools
(important
to
resolve
if
any
listed)
• Keyword
data
(sFll
get
some
data!)
LINK:
Google
Webmaster
Tools
Homepage/Login

48. Google AdWords & Remarketing
Google
AdWords
• Pay-­‐Per-­‐Click
and
Google
Ads
in
search
are
becoming
more
relevant,
less
ignored
by
users,
and
blended
in
more
with
the
rest
of
search
results
• CreaFng
a
profitable
campaign
takes
more
than
just
seYng
up
an
account.
• Immediate
visibility,
be"er
analyFcs,
and
so
much
more!
Dynamic
Remarke?ng
lets
you
create
and
deliver
beauFful
customized
ads
that
connect
visitors
with
their
unique
past
shopping
experiences
on
your
site.

49. Remarketing Example
I
visited
Rose"a
Stone
last
night
through
an
ad
I
saw
on
some
site.
I
did
NOT
make
the
purchase...
Today
I
visited
two
sites
through
Google
searches
and
I
saw
two
Rose"a
Stone
ads.
Coincidence?
I
think
not!

50. Google Page Speed Insights
The
speed
of
your
website
impacts
Google
and
it
influencer
users
staying
on
your
site.
Google
created
a
tool
that
can
rank
your
site
and
provide
recommendaFons
for
a
webmaster
to
implement
to
improve
your
site.
Note:
Not
everything
they
recommend
should
always
be
done!
EXAMPLE:
JavaScript
async
load
recommendaFon
can
break
many
sites.
Let’s
demo.
Any
score
above
70
is
a
good
one.
Don’t
expect
90-­‐100
EVER.
LINK:
Google's
Pagespeed
Insights
Tool

51. Continue Learning
h"ps://analyFcsacademy.withgoogle.com/

52. Thank
You
/
QuesFons
Contact
William
Roy
william@immergetech.com
Linkedin.com/in/williamroy
@WilliamRoy
@Immergetech
Direct:
540-­‐307-­‐0766
I M M E R G E T E C H N O L O G I E S
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