2. Search
Engine
Optimization
Getting started today
Quick introductionsQuick introductions
» Customizing this courseCustomizing this course
AdministriviaAdministrivia
How to have a great classHow to have a great class
Menu of possible topicsMenu of possible topics
3. Search
Engine
Optimization
Quick introductions
» customizing this course
Who are you and what do you do?Who are you and what do you do?
What is your experience with …What is your experience with …
» MS Windows, the Internet, and the WebMS Windows, the Internet, and the Web
» Search Engines and SEOSearch Engines and SEO
» Website development and HTMLWebsite development and HTML
What do you hope to accomplishWhat do you hope to accomplish
by learning more about SEO?by learning more about SEO?
What is something interesting aboutWhat is something interesting about
you?you?
4. Search
Engine
Optimization
» matthew wyllyamz
Software instructor since 1993, with an emphasis on multimedia,
graphic design, and Internet development.
Have created courses for Jefferson County Adult Ed,
Colorado Christian University, Productivity Point,
Colorado Free University, and the Department of Defense.
Taught Apple Macintosh classes exclusively for five years,
and have been active on the Internet since 1994.
Corporate graphic designer / webmaster for two years ('97-'99).
Took that site from 10,000 visits/month to 70,000 visits/month.
Blogmaster for seven years. ('99-'05)
Developed an audience of 800,000.
TODAY: Independent contractor: technical and creative instructor
and consultant, artist, amateur photographer, and author.
BA in English writing, and have sold three books.
» http://www.mouselink.biz
5. Search
Engine
Optimization
Administrivia
Workshop scheduleWorkshop schedule
» Two daysTwo days
» 12:00pm – 4:00pm12:00pm – 4:00pm
» Two sessions per dayTwo sessions per day
» Short break (20 mins)Short break (20 mins)
around 2pmaround 2pm
Facilities …Facilities …
» Bathrooms, vending, Starbucks …Bathrooms, vending, Starbucks …
6. Search
Engine
Optimization
Please set cell phones to silent or turn off.Please set cell phones to silent or turn off.
UnderstandUnderstand concentrated computer training:concentrated computer training:
» Class is part discussion, part lecture, part hands-on.
» PARTICIPATE! Ask questions. Answer questions.
Take notes.
» Watch the screen, then try it yourself.
» This is a cooperative learning environment:
We are here to learn from each other.
Keep in mind that this class was designed for aKeep in mind that this class was designed for a
specific level of student:specific level of student:
How to have a great class
7. Search
Engine
Optimization
Keep in mind that this course was designed for aKeep in mind that this course was designed for a
specific level of student:specific level of student:
Created for
» a semi-experienced computer user with a
comfortable working knowledge of Windows and
the Web
» The beginning SEO who knows little or nothing
about search engine optimization
NOT created for
» the beginning computer user
» the more intermediate or advanced SEO
most importantly …most importantly …
How to have a great class
9. Search
Engine
Optimization
Menu of possible topics
DAY TWO
Using your keyword list,
and getting traffic
Understanding Page Rank
HTML concerns
The importance of links
So, how do you get links?
Third-party gimmicks
Pay–per-click
and other fee methods
Methods to Avoid
Do you need
a “robots.txt” file?
Conclusions…
… and a word about your CD
DAY ONE
Understanding SEs, and
creating a keyword list
What is a Search Engine
and how does it work?
Survey of the
Search Engine landscape
What is Search Engine
Optimization?
Defining your Niche(s)
Tips for creating
a keyword list
Choosing domain names
13. What is a Search Engine
and how does it work?
Spiders or Web-Crawler bots
Search sites vs. Human directories
What is a meta search engine?
14. Survey of the Search Engine landscape
Which search sites really matter?*
Google 66%
Yahoo 21%
MSN 07%
ask.com 04%
AOL
search.com
altavista
netscape
go.com
lycos.com more? …
* Market share data
Fall 2007 by seoconsultants.com
http://www.ihelpyou.com/search-engine-chart.html
http://www.kottke.org/02/06/top-ten-search-engines
http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2005/02/14/what-are-the-top-search-engines
15. Search
Engine
Optimization
What is Search Engine Optimization?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of
improving the volume and quality of traffic to a
website from search engine results for targeted
keywords. Usually, the earlier a site is presented in
the search results or the higher it "ranks," the more
searchers will visit that site.
SEO is often thought of as “the most cost-effective”
method of bringing additional visitors to your web.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization
16. Defining your Niche(s)
Define who are you and what you do.
How do you create a proper list of keywords?
» Brainstorming
» HOT vs. competitive keywords
» Generators
» Researching your peers
» Be broad … and then narrow
» Be open to change, and expect the
unexpected
Optimizing your keyword density in …
» Page content
» Code
17. Search
Engine
Optimization
Tips for creating a keyword list
Ideally you should not even begin designing or creating a
site until you have done your keyword research.
If your site already exists, the first step should be to take a
look at which keywords people are already using to find
your pages.
Ask everyone you know what keywords they think they
would type into a search engine to find your type of site.
Remember to be geographically specific.
Use misspellings and multiple versions of the same words
or phrases.*
Prefer to use phrases as opposed to single keywords.
Beware of using others’ trade-marked company or product
names, particularly if it is misleading in any way.
Utilize industry-specific jargon for savvy searchers.
Understand the searching process: researching, shopping,
and buying.
18. Search
Engine
Optimization
Choosing domain names
Look at what’s already out there.
Use your most critical keywords in your
domain names.*
Don’t rule out the use of hyphens to
separate words.
Understand the difference between
human-friendly vs. SE-friendly
Check the registry for the domains that
interest you.
Register as many names as you can
afford.
*Studies show that internet searchers are more likely to click on
results when the search term appears in the domain name.
20. Understanding Page Rank
Does your rank matter?
What about your peers?
What factors provide your rank?
How can you see rankings?
The first page and the “Fold”
Utilizing the Google toolbar
21. HTML concerns
Understanding the basic structure of website code
Title
» Writing descriptive titles
Description
» Selling the search engine browser
Meta tag keywords
http://www.searchengineyearbook.com/meta-tags.shtml
Using <head>, <strong>, and <em> tags
Alt image tags
» Also beware of using images
in lieu of real text characters
File names and directory structure
Links …
… within and to your site
must be worded properly
The actual content of the pages!
22. The importance of inbound links
The #1 thing search engines look at?
Each link to your site is a vote of
confidence in your content.
Links make it easier for the SE
spiders to find your pages.
Every link is a doorway to your web
that may bring visitors.
However, link QUALITY is key:
» The page rank of
the pages linking to yours
» The “relevance” of those pages
» The “anchor text” of incoming links
23. So, how do you get links?
PRIMARY METHODS
Search engines
Directories and Listings
“Links pages” and …
Reciprocal links from peers
Web rings and Link farms
24. Search
Engine
Optimization
Third-party (and other) gimmicks
Twitter, FaceBook, MySpace
YouTube
about.com
Second Life
Wikipedia
Blogs or Message boards
Web articles
Digg (et al)
Podcasting and RSS
Create a web-based service as a
site “back door”
Avoid spamming
26. Methods to Avoid
How to get your site penalized or banned
Black Hat SEO
Remember that SEs have it in
their best interest that your pages
are accurately indexed.
Keyword stuffing (spamdexing)
Invisible text
Redirects and Cloaking
http://websitehelpers.com/seo/blackhat.html
27. Do you need a “robots.txt” file?
This file,
created by the webmaster,
and placed in the root level of
the website,
may direct cooperating SEs
to NOT index certain pages
in your web.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robots.txt
http://www.dwfaq.com/tutorials/Miscella
neous/robot_txt.asp
28. Search
Engine
Optimization
Conclusions …
You cannot learn the violin in a day or two.
Search engine optimization is a skill – like any other – that
requires gradual & continual practice & improvement.
Consider SEO to be an ongoing process. Monitor your
results regularly. Work on it regularly.
Stay upbeat!
… but if you get frustrated, remember:
You can always turn off the machine and walk away. :)
Good luck. Best wishes.
And get in touch if you need more help!
m.wyllyamz@gmail.com
Put on the student CD a small, mostly empty, dreamweaver website for Finger Lakes Wine Tours, so that you can go through all the steps with the students. Get a good free online keyword generator that we can use in class. INDEPENDENT EXERCISE Their own interest or sites TOPICS What is an algorithm? Keyword proximity Analyze where your traffic is already coming from Link bombing Googlebot – entire slide just on google? Sandbox effect? Sitemap and redundant navigation More online resources: seo websites, wordtracker, monitor your se rank, ACTIVITIES Comparing search results on different search engines Writing a title, description, and keyword list How to look at your competitor’s Source Code (and understand it)
Always double-check menu to match revisions in the outline.
What exactly do web spiders index?
What ARE the best keyword generators today? http://tools.seobook.com/keyword-list/ demo of this tool at http://www.seoresearchlabs.com/ppcvideo/ Keywords list to use in web development: Finger lakes wine tours, finger lakes wine tour, Finger lakes, finger lake, fingerlakes, fingerlake, wine, winery, wineries, vineyard, vineyards, grapes, tour, tours, new york, ithaca, cornell, tasting, lunch, dinner, food-pairing, wine trail, organic Cayuga, seneca, keuka, lake, county, country Event, vacation, limo, van, bus Book your reservations, make reservations, register, sign up, purchase, free, coupons Red wine, white wine, List of types of wines Tourism, travel, visit
* It is said that as many as 25% of searches contain misspellings or typos. However, search engines are NOT case sensitive. Exact phrase matches seem to create scoring advantages on google. https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal http://tools.seobook.com/keyword-list/generator.php < keyword permutation generator Try some searches on your terms from the more general to the specific. Create different pages on your site with different emphases. You may be surprised which pages attract the most traffic.
71 characters in title tag google truncation 156 characters in the description google truncation
