The document provides an overview of semantic SEO, highlighting its importance in communicating meaningful data to search engines using structured data and linked data technologies. It discusses various components of the semantic web, including RDF, schema.org, and the role of rich snippets and the Google Knowledge Graph in enhancing search visibility. Additionally, it lists valuable tools, resources, and influential figures in the field, along with suggestions for leveraging semantic technologies in digital marketing.

1. Structured Data
and Semantic SEO
Matthew Brown
SEMPDX Sept 2012
Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdhancock/

2. Matthew Brown
Slideshare: MatthewBrownPDX
Twitter: @MatthewJBrown
matthew@audiencewise.com
http://www.portlandground.com/archives/2003/05/steel_bridge_an.php

3. Definitions
@MatthewJbrown

4. Semantic Search Engine Optimization (Semantic SEO) is the
use of techniques from the Semantic Web technology stack
for:
1.sending detailed information about the meaning of your
page content to search engines and other data consumers,
2. in a way that can be easily processed by computers.
Good definition of Semantic SEO: http://bit.ly/kUW0fJ

5. Structured Data = Data organized by a markup language and a
vocabulary. Can be organized and searched by machines.
Linked Data = Publishing structured data so it can be accessed
at a URI
Semantic Web = The web of globally accessible, interlinked
data entities
RDF = Resource Definition Framework. This is a data model
that establishes entity relationships using ‘triples’
Other notable parts of the ‘Semantic Web Technology Stack’

6. http://www.seoskeptic.com/seo-semantic-web/
Great overview of the Semantic Web here
Example of RDF triples describing entities. This is how
semantic web data is defined.

7. Schema: A specific vocabulary
So what’s schema.org? Microdata? RDFa? Good primer here:
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/schema-examples

8. Choose your weapon. Which language and vocabulary fits your
situation?

9. There are many languages and vocabularies for structured data.
Schema is just one.

10. Current Status of “semantic SEO”: Google,
Bing, Facebook
@MatthewJbrown

11. @MatthewJbrown

12. OUCH!
Google is doing more displacing of organic results. Deal with it: mark up your data

13. Rich snippets are everywhere now, even spammy ones

14. There are more options everyday to increase SERP real estate

15. Rich Snippets can take up 30 days or more. Don’t panic.
Study at: http://bit.ly/P6pF4n

16. Track CTR changes for keywords that get rich snippets to measure ROI

17. Google Knowledge Graph

18. Look for what markup gets into Knowledge Graph

19. Knowledge Graph Carousel (for ‘multiple’ searches like albums)

20. There are multiple sources in the carousels as well

21. Markup type: (Keep a running spreadsheet)

22. Google Plus Knowledge Graph – Great article at http://bit.ly/PrA7Sy

23. Open Graph
@MatthewJbrown

24. Just about every ‘entity’ under the sun is in Facebook’s graph

25. Straight from Facebook at TC Disrupt: http://tcrn.ch/OolpA4

26. Open Graph: Huge graph of semantic data. HUGE.

27. Guardian’s FB traffic eclipsed Google traffic at one point:
http://bit.ly/GFo3sg

28. http://developers.facebook.com/docs/opengraphprotocol/
Wonder why services like Socialcam and Viddy suddenly
exploded?

29. Open
Graph
Schema
Protip: Use Open Graph Markup in addition to schema, etc.

30. Using OG can control how your snippets, images, and
description appears in Facebook and other networks

31. @MatthewJbrown Tools

32. Webmaster Tools now provides basic structured data stats

33. Facebook Object Debugger:
http://developers.facebook.com/tools/debug

34. Mat Clayton (CTO of Mixcloud) on Slideshare:
http://www.slideshare.net/matclayton

35. Schema Creator from Raven: http://schema-creator.org/

36. Local Business Microdata Generator: http://microdatagenerator.org/

37. Wordpress Schema plugin from
Raven:http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/schema-creator/

38. Drupal has functionality to consume and publish RDF data. Guide to getting up and running at:
http://semantic-drupal.com/

39. Rich Snippets Bookmarklet: http://www.blindfiveyearold.com/rich-
snippets-testing-tool-bookmarklet

40. Bing Webmaster Tools Markup Validator

41. http://linter.structured-data.org – Industrial Strength
Structured Data Display

42. Sindice.com – Semantic web search engine. Good way to see what

43. Linked Data tools for content marketing
@MatthewJbrown

44. Point Blank SEO’s guide to data visualizations:
http://pointblankseo.com/visualizations

45. http://richard.cyganiak.de/2007/10/lod/lod-datasets_2011-09-19_colored.html - Linking Open Data Cloud

46. Linked Data datasets – current best source:
http://www.w3.org/wiki/TaskForces/CommunityProjects/LinkingOpenData/DataSets

47. Dbpedia is Wikipedia in Linked Data specification. Outputs are JSON/XML/RDF.

48. PoolParty has a Wordpress plugin to import Linked Data as tooltips:
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/poolparty-thesaurus/screenshots/

49. LODSPeaKr – Simple Publishing Kit for Linked Data -
http://alangrafu.github.com/lodspeakr/

50. Reading Materials/Resources
@MatthewJbrown

51. Raven has an excellent schema.org guide here:
http://raventools.com/blog/an-seos-guide-to-schema-org/

52. Good Relations has several great Q+A sites and a FAQ:
http://wiki.goodrelations-vocabulary.org/FFAQ

53. Great primer to RDFa in HTML5 and Linked Data:

54. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuAaa6lZxAU
http://justinbriggs.org/entity-search-results-the-on-going-evolution-of-search
Learn what entities are.

55. Proposed schemas:
http://www.w3.org/wiki/WebSchemas/SchemaDotOrgProposals

56. Reading List
http://learnlinkeddata.com/articles Linked Data Primer – Start Here
http://semanticweb.com/introduction-to-rdf_b17953 - Dead simple intro to RDF and
associated vocabularies and tools. SemanticWeb.com rules.
http://www.w3.org/2011/Talks/0607-SemTech-RDFa-IH/Talk.pdf
Great intro to RDFa and highlights Best Buy, Overstock, Examiner.com
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/x-disprdf/index.html
IBM Developer Works tutorial on how to combine data
http://searchnewscentral.com/20110207129/Technical/rdfa-the-inside-story-from-best-
buy.html
Interview with Jay Myers, Lead Development Engineer for Best Buy
There’s a ton of resources on the web to get you started

57. Semantic SEO Follow List
Folks who have some SEO/Semantic Web crossover:
Aaron Bradley - @aaranged – Hands down the best curator of semantic
happenings on the SEO side. When he blogs at
http://www.seoskeptic.com it’s not to be missed.
Jeff Preston - @JeffreyPreston – Lead SEO at Disney Corp. Happens to
be speaking at the Semantic Web 2012 conference
Sean Golliher - @SeanGolliher – Publisher of SEMJ – writes occasionally
for http://www.semanticweb.com
Jay Myers - @jaymyers – Best Buy lead dev and RDFa proponent. He’s
the man responsible for Best Buy’s 30% CTR increase with rich snippets.
Dan Brickley - @DanBri – Schema.org outreach for Google, works on
proposed Schema.org specs
People who have both search and semantic backgrounds

58. Semantic Tech Pros
Semantic Tech Folks who are very smart and say things I don’t get:
Martin Hepp- @MFHepp– Heads up Good Relations, which is the most
extensive vocabulary for e-commerce data
Manu Sporny - @ManuSporny – Leader of the W3C working group for
RDF. The man leading the charge for the RDF spec.
Lin Clark - @LinClark – Works on the linked data/RDF integration for
Drupal. Codes neat linked data things for Drupal.
Gregg Kellogg - @Gkellogg – Semantic Web Developer of all trades.
Wrote the Structured Data Linter.
Aaron Bradley’s gigantic Semantic Twitter Group:
https://twitter.com/#!/SemanticWeb/semanticweb100 - Like tapping
into the Matrix of semantic tech information.
People building semantic tech tools and standards

59. Thank you!
Slideshare: MatthewBrownPDX
matthew@audiencewise.com
twitter: @matthewjbrown
LinkedIn: MatthewBrownPDX