This document discusses key topics in search engine optimization (SEO) that are important for executives to understand, including how search engines work, ranking factors, keyword research, and content strategies. It provides an overview of technical SEO issues like crawling, indexing and link analysis, as well as non-technical topics such as identifying high value keywords and targeting influential websites to attract links. The goal is to give executives a high-level understanding of SEO and how it can help their business.

1. SEO for the CEO
What C-level Executives Need to Know About Search
Gillian Muessig
Co-founder and President, SEOmoz
CEO Coach, WebmasterRadio.fm
Dublin City University - All rights reserved © 03-2011

2. What IS SEO?
It is enabling the dissemination of ideas on the web

4. Socio-Political Ramifications of Our Work

5. What IS SEO?

6. Revolution is fomented on the empty bellies of men
Karl Marx, Leon Trotsky, Fidel Castro, Che Guevera, and many others

7. It’s Like This…

8. Organic vs. Paid Search Paid
Organic

9. Organic vs. Paid Search
10% of Clicks
90% of Clicks

10. Click-Through Rates

11. Vertical Search

12. Local Results

13. Image Results in SERPs

14. Video Results

15. News & Blog Results

16. Shopping Results

17. Instant Answers

18. Instant Answers

19. News Results
Instant Answers
Real Time Results
Local Results
Image Results

20. How Search Engines Work

21. Crawling & Indexing
Without links, the
engines might never
find this page

22. Calculating Query-Independent Metrics
Via www.opensiteexplorer.org

23. Many Domains vs. One Domain
VS.

24. Domain Authority

25. PageRank

26. The Flow of PageRank

27. PageRank is Split Evenly
Between the Links on a Page

28. PageRank is Iterative

29. Technically, Every External Link “Leaks” PageRank

30. Removing Links Can
Alter the Flow of PageRank

31. Google Says they use PageRank to Crawl

32. The Concept of TrustRank

33. Components of Google’s Ranking Algorithm
Algorithmic Ranking Factors

34. Query Deserves Freshness (QDF)
QDF
Normal Results
QDF

35. Query Deserves Diversity (QDD)

36. Building Search Friendly Sites

37. Algorithmic Ranking Factors

38. Crawlability / Link Architecture

39. Duplicate Content & Canonicalization

40. Duplicate Content & Canonicalization

41. Canonical URL Tag

42. Duplicate Titles & Meta Descriptions

43. Search Friendly URLs
www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/african-elephants
Keywords in page name,
Single domain separated by hyphen
Shallow folder structure
with relevant words

44. Search UN-Friendly URLs
Xyz3.nationalgeographic.com/a/?q=31z&mg=vv7z&sd=8
No keywords in the URL string
Unnecessary
Subdomain Dynamic URLs don’t perform as well as
static and engines recommend against
more than two parameters

45. Fix Broken Links & 404s

46. Don’t Block the Robots

47. Do Block the Robots

48. XML Sitemaps
www.sitemaps.org/protocol.php

49. Webmaster Tools (Google)

50. Webmaster Tools (Bing)

51. Search Engine Guidelines
www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=35769

52. Important Tags & Signals

53. Title Tags

54. Meta Descriptions

55. Tag Length Recommendations

56. Anchor Text

57. Page Copy

58. Image Alt Attributes
Good keyword usage
in the alt tag

59. Not Important

60. Meta Keywords Tag

61. H1, H2, H(x) Tags

62. Search Engine “Submission”

63. Reciprocal Links and Link Farms
link

64. Keyword Research

65. Identify High Value Keywords

66. Predict the Effort Required to Rank Well

67. Choose the “Best” Words/Phrases to Target

68. The Search Demand Curve

69. Popular Keywords vs. Long Tail Search Traffic

70. Conversion Rate by Keyword Phrase Length

71. Where To Find Your Best Keywords

72. Salespeople & Customers

73. Google AdWords Tool
Be Wary of
Match Type
https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

74. Bing AdCenter Excel Plug-In
www.seomoz.org/blog/using-the-adcenter-excel-plugin-for-keyphrase-research

75. Google Trends
Sign In for Y-Axis Numbers
Not Very Accurate

76. Internal Site Search Stats

77. Competitive Keyword Research
Restrict query
to competitor’s
domain

78. Targeting the Linkerati
Create Content That Attracts Links

79. The Power of the “Linkerati”

80. Influencers on the Web

81. Content that Appeals to Influencers

82. Cannibalization of the Link Graph
MMM… LINK
GRAPHS ARE
DELICIOUS!

83. The Rise of the Social Graph

84. Reading
TAGFEE:
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/what-we-believe-why-seomozs-tagfee-tenets
Beginner’s Guide to SEO:
http://guides.seomoz.org/beginners-guide-to-search-engine-optimization
All the SEOmoz PRO Guides:
http://www.seomoz.org/learn-seo

85. Thank You

86. NO… REALLY Thank you!
Use the code: SMSB2011
30-Day Free Trial of SEOmoz PRO
© 2011 www.seomoz.org