SEO 101 provides an overview of search engine optimization (SEO) basics. SEO involves optimizing websites to increase their visibility in search engines like Google. It matters for business because online visibility drives online leads and sales. SEO works by having search engine spiders crawl websites and index them, then serving relevant results based on keywords. Key components of an SEO campaign include keyword research, on-page optimization of titles and content, off-page activities like link building, and analyzing results.

1. SEO 101:
The basics of search engine
optimization

2. What is search engine
optimization (SEO)?

3. Search engine optimization or (SEO), is the process of
making your website more visible in search engines;
more specifically, the major search engines such as
Google, Yahoo, and Bing.

4. The Why and How:
Why does SEO matter, and how can it
help a business?

5. Online visibility - As users turn to search engines more and more to find
businesses and their services, it is becoming increasingly important for a
business to be found online. Not only from an online visibility and
conversion standpoint, but for online reputation management purposes as
well.
Online leads and sales - SEO can help increase online leads and conversions
by optimizing a website for targeted, conversion-oriented website traffic
that is most likely to buy from you.
Making business decisions - Engaging in SEO can help you better
understand your customers shopping habits from data, and use that data to
make business decisions, both online and offline.

6. How do search engines work?

7. Search engines have four basic functions:
Crawl websites - Like an explorer on a search
Build an index – Similar to a library catalog
Perform calculations – Like a mathematician
Serve relevant results – Serve the best results

8. Think of a search engine as one
BIG filing cabinet

9. Search engine spiders crawl the web, collecting
information from each website, and stores that
information when it is requested by a search engine
user.
Search engines serve results that it believes are the
most relevant to a search query, and it serves those
results in a ranking order of perceived importance.

10. SEO continues to evolve as people
change their search and shopping
habits

11. Some quick numbers on local business searches
A report done by Nielsen in 2007, says that 74% of
respondents use search engines to find a local
business.
80% reported researching a product or service online
before making a purchase, and then making their
purchase offline from a local business.
-Statistics from SeoMoz

12. A brief timeline of search
engine changes/updates

14. What are the main components
of creating an SEO campaign?

16. Keyword research
• Keyword research involves researching and identifying words that people would
use to find your services or products.
On-page optimization
• On page optimization includes adjusting title tags, meta tags, URL’s, and navigation
structure to reflect your target keywords and overall SEO strategy.
Off-page optimization
• Activities such as link building, directory submissions, social media
optimization
Analysis and Reporting
• Analyze and interpret data to maximize results

17. The basics of search engine friendly design
A well designed website with flat architecture and
well designed navigation performs better in the
search engines, and is better for the user.
Your website visitor should
Homepage
only have to go 3 clicks
from the homepage to find
what they’re looking for. 1
2
3

18. What did you say?
Breaking down the SEO geek speak

19. Common SEO terms
Keyword(s)
Ranking
Title Tags/Meta Tags
Link Building
Directory Submissions
Conversions
Bounce rate

20. Keyword Research
Keyword research and its importance

21. Keywords research involves choosing the right keywords that
someone might use to find a business and are the foundation of
every search marketing strategy.
Since keywords are what the strategy is based on, it makes it one of
the most important initial steps to creating a successful campaign.
Keywords are usually categorized as “short-tail” or “long-tail.” Short
tails keywords tend to be broad and have a lot of search traffic,
whereas long tail keywords are more phrase-like, resulting in less
searches, but are more targeted and tend to be more profitable.

22. Title Tag / Meta Description
Title Tag
Meta
Description

23. Search Engine Rankings
How does a search engine rank a website?

24. Search engines rank websites based on relevancy, in
order to create a better user experience
Search engines determine relevancy based on several factors that
help it to determine what to present to a searcher.
Some things a search engine evaluates when deciding how to rank the
results:
How many links does this website have?
How good is the website’s content?
Are any of the keywords searched in the website pages?
How slow/fast is the speed of this website?

25. According to search data leaked by AOL in 2007..
The first ranking position in the search results
receives 42.25% of all click through traffic
The second position receives 11.94%, the third
8.47%, the fourth 6.05%, and all others are under 5%
The first ten results receive 89.71% of all click
through traffic, and the second page drops to
4.37%, the third page – 2.42%, and the fifth – 1.07%.
All other pages receive less than 1%.
-Statistics from SeoMoz

26. Link Building 101
What is link building and how do
links work?

27. Your website
Links count as a “vote” to search
engines.
The more links a website has, the
more authority the website has in
the eyes of the search engine.
Links have a significant influence in
a website’s ability to rank high.
The best links to have are industry
related, and from high quality
websites relevant to your business.

28. Measuring Conversions in an SEO
campaign

29. Some examples of conversions:
• Filling out a “Contact Us” form
• Filling out a “Request for Quote”
• “Subscribe to our Newsletter”
• Making a purchase on a website

30. Analyzing and Measuring Results

31. Setting up goals and measuring results are two critical
components of a SEO campaign in order to define, measure,
evaluate, and improve your strategy for ongoing success.

32. Questions?