This webinar covered the basics of search engine optimization (SEO) including what SEO is, why it's important, and how to implement an effective SEO campaign. Key tips included focusing SEO efforts on keyword research, optimizing page content and metadata for targeted keywords, building high-quality backlinks from relevant sites, maintaining an SEO-optimized website structure and content, and ongoing SEO activities like blogging and link building. Regular optimization, tracking progress, and focusing on user experience were emphasized as important for ongoing SEO success.

1. SEO Webinar - With Neil Palmer of IM3.co.uk
In Partnership with Huddlebuy
How do I improve my website traffic with SEO?
Covering:
What is SEO?
Why is SEO Important?
Painting the Right Picture
Best ways to implement SEO
Industry Secrets
Impact on your website design

2. What is Search Engine Optimisation?
SEO is the term used for optimising your rankings within the organic search
engine results - natural / non-paid
In the industry we call these SERP’s – Search Engine Results Pages
Most companies focus on rankings with Google
In the UK Google provide about 9 out of every 10 searches
SEO is ultimately about: ‘Improving your visibility on the Internet’
This is achieved by following ethical steps to improve website relevance

3. Why is it so important to be ranked
in the top positions?
Distribution
58.4 % of
clicks – top 3
72.4% top 5
89% 1st page

4. SEO - Painting a Picture For the Search Robots
Google includes over 600 ranking factors within it’s main algorithm
About 10 of these factors account for 95% of ranking considerations
Search engines want to see that you are an ‘authority’ on a particular theme
Diluting a theme makes it harder to achieve great rankings
Ranking algorithms often change - it’s important you keep up to date
Industry blogs and forums have RSS feeds which you should subscribe to
Good examples are: Google Webmaster Blog, Matt Cutts Blog (Top Google SEO
Guy), Search Engine Land, Search Engine Roundtable, Web Pro News

5. Basics of a ‘SEO Campaign’
Keyword research
•Use a research tool such as Google Keyword Checker
•Difficult generic phrases can take 9-12 months minimum to get top rankings
•Long-tail phrases (more words) are easier but have less searches
•Find phrases which are highly relevant to your products and services
•Use a mix of a few difficult phrases and some long tail phrases
•Try to start with just a few then add more when you are successful
•Always remember: search engines want to see a theme – don’t diversity too much
Meta Data
•Have a structured plan for which pages focus on your search phrases
•Try to only target 2-3 phrases per page
•If you don’t have a page to use then create one
•These landing pages don’t have to be part of the website navigation

6. Basics of a ‘SEO Campaign’ - Continued
Onsite keywords
•Don’t fill your site with repeated words as this is considered ‘spam’
•Mention them more than other phrases
•Use them in your navigation wherever possible
Link building
•Spend at least three quarters of your SEO time link building
•Contact as many sites as possible with related content who may link to you
•Submit articles to ‘article submission’ websites and generate free back-links
•Make sure to use all your keywords when back-linking
•Link to internal pages as well as your homepage – stick to the structure you set-up
•Submit press release online for brand awareness and back-links at the same time
•Internal linking is also very important
•Link words and phrases from within your website content to other pages
•Always use varying keywords within the anchor text

7. Industry Secrets a SEO Company Won’t Tell You
Link building is almost everything needed to be successful
Backlinks are the indicator - link:www.im3.co.uk
PageRank doesn’t matter
Meta keywords are not considered by Google
Links from theme related websites are ranked at least 10 times higher than
random links
Duplicate content will penalise or even block your rankings

8. The Impact of SEO on Your Website Visitors
Whilst optimising a website it’s important to consider on-page factors
Conversion rates – always have a clear path to checkout or contact
The ‘call to action’ is the vital part of converting your traffic
Articles and product descriptions can include this ‘call to action’ numerous
times. Make sure people are consistently prompted to buy or contact you
Don’t hide content away as Google knows where the text is displayed
Stick to ethical methods of adding content. Quality and engaging copy is the
only way to impress the search engines and your visitors

9. Top Tips for On-going Success
Don’t use duplicated content for product or service descriptions
Set-up a Google Webmaster Tools account to check for errors
List yourself on all the popular directories such as Dmoz and Business Directories
Don’t have duplicate meta data on your pages – check this with Webmaster Tools
Blog once or twice a week about industry news or products
Remember to link content on your website with relevant anchor text
Update old pages – this is a ranking factor and dormant pages rank lower
Link build for a minimum of 5 hours per week

10. Thanks for your time and good luck with your
rankings!
For help with your SEO or to outsource completely,
simply request a free proposal
seo@im3.co.uk
0800 292 2410
Many thanks to Huddlebuy for their continued partnership with
IM3.co.uk