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SEO Whales: Inside Large Enterprise Sites
The document presents insights from Keith L. Goode Sr., an SEO strategist at IBM, regarding the complexities of SEO for large enterprise sites, discussing challenges, strategies, and the importance of aligning organizations with SEO practices. It emphasizes the significance of understanding user journeys, globalization challenges, and the necessity for internal democratization of SEO. Key takeaways include the value of brand reputation and the risks associated with blackhat techniques.
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SEO Whales: Inside Large Enterprise Sites
- 1. SEO Whales: Inside Large Enterprise Sites KeithL. Goode Sr. SEO Strategist, IBM
- 2. Keith Goode Position: Sr.SEO Strategist, IBM Experience: • 20+ Years in Online Marketing • 10+ Years of Experience in In- House SEO • Previous Employers: AMD, HomeAway, Dell, seoClarity • Appearances: Pubcon, SMX West, Digital Summit • Follow: @keithgoode
- 3. Some Light Housekeeping *Disclaimer: Opinions expressed herein are my own. No forward-looking statements regarding IBM have been included. None of IBM’s secret sauce has been revealed. Statements made in this presentation have not been tested by the FDA.
- 4. Let’s Get Started “Iknow not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to it laughing.”
- 5.
- 6. … but Ikind of liked the Whale analogy
- 7.
- 8. “I try allthings, I achieve what I can.” Agenda • SEO Whales, what they care about, their day-to-day, their challenges and their strengths • Should you be Captain Ahab and chase SEO whales? How to win an even better prize
- 9. A Day inthe Life… “It is the easiest thing in the world for a man to look as if he had a great secret in him.”
- 10. Less Than Desirable Aspects Humans –personal quirks, political aspirations, conflicts … magnified Meetings, many of which have nothing to do with SEO Hurry up and wait
- 11. Frankly Great Aspects not SEO-related Paydayalways comes regardless Exploring other disciplines Training, even through MIT
- 12. The Importance of Brand “Woeto him whose good name is more to him than goodness”
- 13. Innovation Spurs BrandSpurs Links
- 14. Innovation Spurs BrandSpurs Links
- 15. Innovation Spurs BrandSpurs Links
- 16. Innovation Spurs BrandSpurs Links
- 17. Innovation Spurs BrandSpurs Links
- 18. Much of thiswork was done before I ever joined IBM.
- 19. Google Updates and MacroChanges “In this world, headwinds are far more prevalent than winds from astern ...”
- 20. Big Ships Don’t SweatSmall Waves Many updates barely register as a ripple
- 21. But there arechallenges.
- 22. The Human Element “…forthere is no folly of the beast of the earth which is not infinitely outdone by the madness of men ”
- 23. Imagine the Populationof Iceland – Many of Whom Can Negatively Affect the Site
- 24. Corporate Myopia “Consider thesubtleness of the sea; how its most dreaded creatures glide under water, unapparent for the most part, and treacherously hidden beneath the loveliest tints of azure.”
- 25. Examples • Using languageno one else uses • Code changes without proper review • Marketing jargon instead of decent content • Focusing too much on brand terms
- 26. Share of VoiceWhere It Matters It’s very easy to focus on the big names in Share of Voice Reports, when the vast majority of your SERP competitors are smaller organizations.
- 27. Brand Terms AreMuch Later in the Buyer’s JourneySearchVolume Specificity Discovery Early Learn Late Learn Try Buy
- 28. The average B2Buser performs 12 searches before they ever use a brand search. You must be present all along their journey, so they begin to associate you with the solution they seek
- 29. Setting Strategies on aGlobal Scale “It is not down on any map; true places never are.”
- 30. Globalization Challenges Language and Localization Designconsiderations based on local needs Varying availability of products and services
- 31.
- 32. Things You CanImplement • Aligning the whole organization behind to SEO • Understanding your real competitors • Focus on the user and their journey • Avoiding the lure of easy wins
- 33. Democratization of Search Basics “Ignoranceis the parent of fear.”
- 34. Companies Want toBuild Internal Teams According to Forrester Research: • Number of marketers with no dedicated SEO staff in 2016 was 26% • Companies without dedicated SEO staff reduced to 13% in 2017 Source: Forrester
- 35. Limited Availability ofSkilled Talent Back in 2015, these were already hard to find skills Source: Indeed Blog
- 36. Microsoft Reports that SEO isthe #1 Hard Skill for 2020 Source: https://about.ads.microsoft.com/e n-us/blog/post/january- 2020/2020-vision-trends-to- define-the-next-decade
- 37. The key isto democratize SEO, but a simple SEO 101 course for everyone won’t work.
- 38. Discipline-Specific Enablement “Top-heavy was theship as a dinnerless student with all Aristotle in his head.”
- 39. Show each disciplinetheir impact Crawling • Googlebot • Barriers to Success: • No Nav Links • Not in Sitemap • Robots.txt Disallow • Content in JavaScript • Orphaned Pages • Robots “Nofollow” Indexing • Stored @ Google • Barriers to Success: • Robots “Noindex” tag • Excessive Duplication (bad canonical tag) • Innaccurate Localization • Text isn’t readable Ranking • PageRank • RankBrain • Organic SERP • Barriers to Success: • No relevance • Slow Page Load • Not mobile responsive • No internal links • No external links • No Keyword Use Useful Responses • Instant Answer • Knowledge Graph • Barriers to Success: • No Structured Markup • No Schema • Lack of relevant, easy- to-follow content Technical/Systemic Technical/Project Content-Related
- 40. Mapping to the User’sJourney “There is, one knows not what sweet mystery about this sea, whose gently awful stirrings seem to speak of some hidden soul beneath...”
- 41.
- 42. … A.K.A. TheLoyalty Loop Discover Early Learn Late Learn Try/Compare Buy Support Need Buy Accessories Become a Fan Active Advocate Buy Again
- 43. Competitive Gap Analyses andShare of Voice “…for there is no quality in this world that is not what it is merely by contrast. Nothing exists in itself.”
- 44. Who Beats youin SERPs • Market competitors are likely not to be your SERP competitors • Their SEO isn’t that great either • Evaluate why they win and you don’t
- 45. Competitor Gap Analyses • 10XContent • SWOT • Strengths • Weaknesses • Opportunities • Threats • Topics for which they rank better
- 46. Avoid Blackhat Techniques “... anutterly fearless man is a far more dangerous comrade than a coward.”
- 47. If I damageIBM’s reputation with blackhat techniques, I could cost far more than just my job.
- 48. Key Takeaways • Asa company, brand and reputation are the most valuable things for search efficacy. • Democratization and enablement will go a long way to aligning your organization.
- 49. Thank You! “Where liesthe final harbor, whence we unmoor no more?” Follow me at @keithgoode on Twitter.