Search Engine Optimization 101
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The document provides an overview of search engine optimization (SEO) best practices. It discusses the importance of SEO for increasing website traffic. It then covers various on-page optimization techniques like optimizing title tags, meta descriptions, headings, body text, URLs, and site structure. Specific tactics discussed include keyword research, inclusion of keywords in on-page elements, internal linking, and preventing duplicate content issues.
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Search Engine Optimization 101
- 2. Search Engine Optimization 101 John Maher Director of Interactive Marketing McDougall Interactive
- 3. What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? SEO is the practice of optimizing a web site by improving internal and external aspects in order to increase the traffic the site receives from search engines. My Website
- 4. Why is SEO Necessary? Websites must be built to be read and understood by both robots and humans. Increased traffic, combined with a well-designed site, means leads and sales.
- 5. Search Crawlers Have Limitations Spidering and Indexing Non-text Content Matching Content to Search Queries If A Tree Falls In The Forest…
- 6. Competition #1 #2 #3
- 7. How Does Google See My Site?
- 9. How Does Google See My Site? 3. Click on “Text-only version” in Google’s header
- 10. How Does Google See My Site? The result is essentially how Google views your site See if you can tell what the site is about using just the text
- 11. Keyword Research
- 12. Judging Value Is the keyword relevant to the content on my website? Will users find the answer to their question? Check to see if other sites are paying for ads on that keyword If so, it is likely a valuable keyword Test keywords with Google Adwords Use the data to determine value per visit
- 13. Don’t Forget The Long Tail
- 15. Keyword Research Techniques Google Adwords Keyword Tool Search Google for “adwords keyword tool” https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal Select “Exact” under Match Types Click “Download” to export to Excel
- 16. Keyword Research Techniques Google Trends http://www.google.com/trends Shows seasonal change in search volume Compare volumes of one keyword vs another Shows trends according to country / city
- 17. Keyword Research Techniques Google Insights http://www.google.com/insights/search/ Can filter by type of search (web, image, news), geo area, date range, & category Shows related & “rising” search terms Example: auto insurance
- 18. Keyword Research Techniques Google Suggest Pros Free & Quick Huge Database Cons Limited # of Keywords Doesn’t show “broad match”
- 19. Keyword Research Techniques Related Searches Search Google, then click “Related searches”
- 20. Keyword Research Techniques Related Searches Searches that Google thinks are related are displayed as links
- 21. Keyword Research Techniques Related Searches Click on a link, then click on “More like this” to see terms related to that term
- 22. Keyword Research Techniques Other Ideas Use a thesaurus or dictionary to find new terms and variations Perform interviews with actual people and ask them how they would search for what you offer Do simple competitive research by typing your main keywords into a search engine and looking for words in the Titles of competitors pages KeywordSpy.com – search by keyword or domain (also good PPC bid estimates) WordTracker - wordtracker.com Keyword Discovery - keyworddiscovery.com (good for relative volumes, not actual volumes)
- 26. Meta Description HTML: <meta name="description" content="Description goes here."> Appears Where?: Search engine results pages Does not directly affect Google rankings, however Google bolds searched keywords in the description Can help to draw users to your search listing, increasing click-through rate, which does affect rankings Can be any length, but Google cuts the description off at about 160 characters Also Note: Meta Keywords Tag not used by search engines to affect rankings
- 30. URL http://www.mcdougallinteractive.com/services/ social-media-marketing / Appears Where?: search engine results, browser’s address bar 1. URLs in search results impact click-through-rate and visibility, and URLs with keywords also impact rankings. 2. URLs appear in the web browser's address bar, which doesn’t affect ranks directly; however unstructured URLs can result in poor usability. http://www.mcdougallinteractive.com/services/social-media-marketing/ 3. URLs can also sometimes be used as incoming link “anchor text”, especially in blog posts, articles, etc. Which would you click if you searched for “bunny pictures”? www.bunnyworld.com/cute-bunny-pictures.html www.bunnyworld.com/cat135/page.html?p=49
- 31. On-Page Optimization Summary seomoz.org
- 32. Site Structure
- 35. Internal Site Structures Anchor Text <a href=http://www.worldofwidgets.com.htm>Blue Widgets</a> Anchor Text tells users (and Google) what to expect on the page being linked to Match the anchor text to the content it links to Blue Widgets Blue Widgets
- 36. Internal Site Structures Content Silos Home Page Categories Products / Details Reflect your content structure in your URLs: http://www.worldofwidgets.com/blue-widgets/fuzzy-blue-widgets.htm
- 38. URL Construction Put yourself in the mind of the user: Can you guess what the content of the page will be by looking at the URL? Use keywords, but don’t go overboard: Bad: http://www.worldofwidgets.com/widgets/widgets-again/widgets-widgets.html Good: http://www.worldofwidgets.com/blue-widgets/pricing.html Use static URLs rather than dynamic if possible: Dynamic: http://www.fluffybunnies.com/blog?id=123 Static: http://www.fluffybunnies.com/blog/why-you-should-own-bunnies.html Use real words: Bad: http://www.breadstore.com/cat-123/product-342 Good: http://www.breadstore.com/loaves/sourdough Use hyphens to separate words http://www.fluffybunnies.com/blog/why-you-should-own-bunnies.html - some engines don’t interpret underscores & spaces correctly
- 39. Canonicalization A single page can have multiple addresses: /cheap-widgets/ /cheap-widgets/index.htm /products/123 Problem: Creates duplicate content Incoming link “juice” is divided Solution #1 (The Best One): 301 Redirect Pick one “real” URL, and “301 Redirect” all other versions of the same page to the “real” URL.
- 40. Canonicalization A single page can have multiple addresses: /cheap-widgets/ /cheap-widgets/index.htm /products/123 Problem: Creates duplicate content Incoming link “juice” is divided Solution #2: rel=canonical (Canonical URL Tag) Add the following to the HTML header on all versions of the same page: <link rel=“canonical” href=“http://www.worldofwidgets.com/blog/”>
Editor's Notes
- Spidering and Indexing Search engines don’t readily fill out online forms Poor linking structures can result in content not found, or deemed “unimportant” Non-text Content Content in Flash, frames, graphics, audio, & video cannot easily/consistently be accessed by search engines Matching Content to Search Queries Text not written in terms that users search for (e.g. you say “veggies” but people search for “vegetables”) Language and spelling (color vs colour) If A Tree Falls In The Forest… Search engines must be able to find your content and judge it worthy of inclusion in the search results
- The highest volume keywords only account for 30% of searches SEM and content strategies should also target these 70% of searches that are for unpredictable keywords Examples - Head: insurance Medium-Tail: cheap car insurance Long-Tail: car insurance for low-income families
- Switch to “live” shot of Adwords Keyword Tool: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
- Note people search for crock pots & slow cooker during the winter months (centered around Christmas / New Year) In the US, people search more for “crock pot”, but in Canada & UK people search more for “slow cooker”
- Related searches = “searches that people did after searching the keyword you’re on, but didn’t find what they wanted & searched again” They also appear at the bottom of the page, but using the tool in the left column allows for drilling down
- If you have a popular, recognizable brand, it’s okay to put the brand at the beginning of the Title tag.
- If I say “wheels, tires, engine, seats, toyota, for sale, low mileage”, what am I talking about?
- URL = Universal Resource Locator
- Multiple addresses for one page is like multiple personalities in a single person. Who is the “real” one?