This document provides an overview of SEO basics in 3 sentences or less: The document outlines key on-page SEO factors like choosing keyword-optimized domain names and page titles, including keywords in page content, and linking strategies. It also discusses off-page factors like social media, links, and working with webmaster tools. The presentation provides actionable tips for improving SEO through content creation, link building, and fixing technical issues.

1. SEO Basics
January 2013
Phil Buckley
SEO – What You Need To Know Raleigh SEO Meetup Group
Twitter: @1918

3. The Algorithm values 2 things

4. Tweetable moment
The more the algorithm
changes, the more you have
to rely on the basics of SEO.
#seomeetup

5. SEO is not a way of tricking the search engines
Not an SEO

6. SEO is about being findable in the crowd
17-year-old Elisani da Cruz e
Silva who is 6’8” tall.

7. Road map

8. How you become findable in the crowd
•Novel Insights
•How to
•Timely Issues
•Humor

9. Domain
http://www.example.com/why-seo-is-essential.html

10. Page Title

11. Page Title

13. Tweetable moment
The keywords you choose for
your site can make all the
difference. #seomeetup

14. Keywords in the url
http://www.philisawesome.com/essential-seo.html

15. Keywords in your page title
<title>Red Leather Shoes for Circus Clowns</title>
Don’t over use keywords, use them in a sane, natural way

16. Keywords
in your page’s headline

17. Keywords
in your page’s copy

18. Content Strategy
objective

19. Before drafting content
consider what keywords are
your most important and map
out how to create pages to fit
each important group of
keywords within your site theme
and navigational structure.
- Aaron Wall of SEOBook

20. Don’t bother publishing crap, nobody wants to read it

21. Tweetable moment
If you can’t come up with
great content for your site,
hire someone who can!
#seomeetup

22. Personalized search has
changed everything

23. social signals

24. I trust my
friends

25. I trust my
friends

26. You still need links

27. 5 Basics of SEO
1. Choose a domain that makes sense
2. Construct smart titles for every page on your site
3. Use keywords that help your site get found
4. Social is no longer optional
5. Actively seek out high quality links

28. So what’s next?
1. Sign up for a Google/Bing Webmaster account
2. Start tracking your site & looking at those numbers
3. Smartly use redirects and canonicalization
4. Fix stuff that’s broken… really
5. Pay attention to the next few slides…

29. PROBLEM: You have duplicate content
Solutions:
1. Just fix it
2. <meta name="robots"
content="noindex,nofollow">
3. /robots.txt
4. 301 redirects or URL rewriting
5. Webmaster tools to exclude parameters
6. rel=canonical
Note: If your page is already indexed, it’s too late to disallow it via robots.txt

31. Canonicalization

32. Essential Take Aways
• Create the best content possible
• Keep your goal in mind at all times
• Become a better you while online
• Help more

33. Tweetable moment
OMG! This was the best
Meetup I’ve ever been to.
#epic #seomeetup

34. F.A.Q.
Do I have to spend money
to rank?
No.
Would my time be better
spent doing other SEO
tasks?
Probably not.
When is the next SEO
Meetup?
February 26th. Technical SEO

35. Thank you to our awesome sponsors: