The document discusses SEO and social media. It explains that SEO involves creating websites that provide relevant information to users, rather than chasing algorithms. SEO can be improved through on-site factors like content, usability, coding standards and site architecture, as well as off-site factors like links, reviews and social media. It provides tips for optimizing page content, site structure, server performance, and using social media to engage audiences and build authorship and links.

1. SEO and Social Media

2. What is the Goal of the Search Engine?
• Provide the most relevant information to the
user based on their request
• The algorithms used by Google and Bing are
made up of over 200 unique factors
May 8, 2013 ALQUEMIE MARKETING 2

3. What is SEO?
• Search engine optimization is NOT chasing the
algorithm to beat the competition
• SEO is the process of creating and maintaining
websites that provide answers to your target
customer or visitor
May 8, 2013 ALQUEMIE MARKETING 3

4. How do you apply SEO?
• SEO can be broken down into two main
components
– On-site factors, that can be controlled by the
developers and online marketing team
– Off-site factors, which can only be influenced by
the marketing team
May 8, 2013 ALQUEMIE MARKETING 4

5. On-site Ranking Factors
• Page content
• Usability
• HTML Coding Standards
• URL structure / site architecture
• Server Performance / Page Speed
• Search Engine data files
ALQUEMIE MARKETING 5May 8, 2013

6. Page Content
• Content needs to be unique (including images)
• Focus on the visitor
– Does it answer a question / inform the visitor?
– Remember to write to your audience
• Most visitors don’t scroll, so get to the point
early
• Content needs to be updated regularly
– New content
– User comments
ALQUEMIE MARKETING 6May 8, 2013

7. Usability
• Mobile and Tablet Browsers
ALQUEMIE MARKETING 7May 8, 2013
• Search Box
• Linking to Related Content

8. Is the site coded well?
• Title Tags
– Describe the content
• Meta Description
– Call to action
ALQUEMIE MARKETING 8May 8, 2013

9. Is the site coded well?
• Header Tags
– (H1, H2, H3, etc)
• Microdata / Schema.org
– Provides additional context to your content
• Image Alt Text
• W3C Validation
ALQUEMIE MARKETING 9May 8, 2013

10. Site Architecture
• URL Structure
– Think of it like a filing system
– Force www
– Force lowercase
– Force trailing slashes / remove default filenames
– Rel=canonical tag
– Don’t use underscore or spaces
• Ability for bot to navigate site
• Site should not link to missing or moved pages
ALQUEMIE MARKETING 10May 8, 2013

11. Server Performance
• gZip Compression
• Caching
• Expires Header for static content
• Page Speed optimization
• Content Delivery Network
ALQUEMIE MARKETING 11May 8, 2013

12. Search Engine data files
• Robots.txt
– Contols how web spiders interact with your site
– Make sure you do not “disallow /”
• Sitemap.xml
– Index file used by web spiders
– Allows you to provide details about which content
is the most important
ALQUEMIE MARKETING 12May 8, 2013

13. Off-site Ranking Factors
• Brand recognition
– Brands given preference in search because they have extra level
of trust
– Register company with appropriate state agencies (DBA of
companysite.com )
• Offline mentions
– Newspaper, TV, and radio mentions normally end up online
through transcripts or digital versions
• Links
– The value of links is on the decline, but they are still important
and can be built responsibly
• Reviews
– Register with reviews sites and manage online reputation
ALQUEMIE MARKETING 13May 8, 2013

14. Social Media
• Connect with social media sites
– Link to profile pages
– Ability for visitors to easily share content (create
links to your site)
ALQUEMIE MARKETING 14May 8, 2013

15. Social Media
• Use social media to engage with your audience
– Extend your brand online by engaging in conversations as a
subject matter expert
• Announce new content to build links and drive traffic
• Authorship (Personal SEO Value)
– How do you establish authorship?
• <a href={google+ url} rel=“author”>Author Name</a>
• <link rel=“author” href={google+ url} /> (head section)
– Share your content when it’s published
• Plus 1 your new content to protect against content scrappers
– Guest posting builds links and authorship value
ALQUEMIE MARKETING 15May 8, 2013

16. Social Media – Google +
• Authorship improves click through rate in search rankings
• Use an appropriate image for your Google+ profile
ALQUEMIE MARKETING 16May 8, 2013
• Use “Publisher” to consolidate all site authors under the
company Google+ page

17. Questions
Chris Carrel
chris@alquemie.net
ALQUEMIE MARKETING 17May 8, 2013